[Tolo News] A number of Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. provincial council members along with residents on Sunday expressed their concerns over the rampant land-grabbing practice currently being witnessed in the province.
They say that numerous influential people in the province are usurping privately-owned and government property -- including mosques and public parks.
However the mayor of Jalalabad rejected claims that mosques and public picnic areas have been seized.
The mayor, Hamidullah Afghan, said: "This area is 23 meters in length including 13 meters which is related to public park. The area is under construction. A greenery area will be built in front of the park which is part of the contract and there is no grounds for grabbing the lands."
According to local officials, more than 300,000 acres of land has been grabbed illegally in the province over the past few years.
One resident of Jalalabad, Jamila, claims that influential people have illegally seized four acres of her land. She has appealed to the authorities to ensure those guilty are brought to book.
She said: "I have at least two acres of land but this man wants to grab it because he is powerful. It is six months that I am working with the Attorney General Office [AGO]. I have a letter from Nangarhar provincial council which has mentioned that the man has grabbed my land but the AGO is giving me the run around and every time they tell me to come back another day."
However she is not the only Nangarhar resident who has fallen victim to this problem. Residents say it is a common occurrence throughout the province.
"This area was once a public park and people used it for different purposes including sports but now it has been grabbed and I have no idea whether they have the permission of the municipality or not," a resident of Nangarhar said.
A number of provincial council members have also expressed their concerns over this issue.
One member Zabihullah Zemarai said: "Lots of properties have been grabbed or are on the verge of being grabbed. The former president [Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... ], the current president [Ashraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. ] and the Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah ... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun... have not taken any steps in this regard and I think they do not have any will to do so."
Another provincial council member, Suhrab Qaderi said: "They build houses or shops where there are green areas. This is illegal and it should not be done."
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[Tolo News] Military experts on Sunday warned that unless the establishment of militia groups is stopped, the practice could lead to the collapse of government.
But the Interior Ministry has assured the nation that it will prevent the formation of such groups, stating they can negatively impact rule of law and nation building efforts.
The recent formation of militia groups in the country has sparked public concern. People believe that if they are not stopped, they could pose a problem in the future.
Jawid Kohistani, a military analyst said: "It has been seen in the past that militias have resulted in the collapse of governments therefore the Afghan government should take this issue very seriously in order to prevent problems in future."
An MP Safiullah Muslim said: "I think if creating militia groups continues it will become a problem for security - like the Taliban."
Meanwhile the Interior Ministry is aware of the issue and is reportedly working on a strategy to stop the practice.
MoI front man Sediq Sediqqi said: "Establishing militia groups will not have any place in Afghanistan because such groups can harm security, nation building and governance."
This comes after the first deputy speaker in the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House of Parliament) Abdul Zaher Qadir recently accused government of supporting Daesh [Islamic State]. He also said he had established a militia group to fight Daesh [Islamic State] in Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. Meanwhile, ...back at the Hubba Hubba Club, Nunzio had his hands full of angry bleached blonde... deputy front man for President Ashraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. , Sayed Zafar Hashemi said: "After the first deputy's accusation President [Ashraf] Ghani appointed a delegation to investigate his [Qadir's] claims."
Many people believe that the establishment of militia groups will not be in the best interests of the country and many think there is no guarantee that such groups will not start fighting government forces, which will ultimately lead to more insecurity in the country.
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KABUL -- The United States-led NATO coalition on Sunday reaffirmed its commitment to Afghanistan's security forces and said it would not leave the Afghan forces alone on the battlefield. As fears grow over the increase in violence seen these past few months and over what lies ahead in next year's fighting season, the Resolute Support Mission reaffirmed its commitments to train, advice and assist Afghan forces in their bid to curb the Taliban.
Resolute Support Mission’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications Brigadier General Wilson Shoffner said the coalition was considering a comprehensive review of the planning process as well as the targeting process at all levels of the command chain.
NATO said the alliance would take new initiatives to protect civilians during engagements, adding that the alliance's advisory role and technical support would continue to be given to Afghan troops until sustainable peace and stability was restored in the country.
At least 13,000 NATO soldiers still serve in Afghanistan out of which 9,800 are deployed by the US Army. It is expected that up to 8,000 US troops will continue their mission in Afghanistan beyond 2016.
Unless Champ brings them all home early for some stupid reason.
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Among the range of surprises we can assume are either Barky's resignation or Al Baghdadi does a pole dance on Al Jazeera
A Yemeni national resistance leader has promised surprises on the war front in the Southwestern Taiz governorate in the next few says, saying it would expedite its liberation from the Iranian-backed insurgents.
Brigadier Sadeq Serhan, chairman of the military council in Taiz, said the coalition-backed military operation to eject the Houthis out is progressing as planned.
Quoted by the Qatari ‘Al Jazeera’ news network, he said the national army and resistance fighters have seized many areas since their launched the liberation battle last week, including mainly Al Omari military camp, Wazeya and the strategic Dhabab town which is close to the vital Bab Al Mandeb waterway.
“There will be surprises in the next few days against the Houthis and their allies and I think they will accelerate the liberation process,” he said.
He accused the coup rebels of planting landmines in all areas which they have quit, adding that he believes Iranian military experts are helping and training them on mines.
He warned against calls by deposed President Ali Abdullah Saleh for a ceasefire, describing them as mere “manoeuvers”.
“He calls for stopping the war while at the same time he sends reinforcements and instructs tribe leaders loyal to him to mobilise their forces,” he said.
The general accused the coup rebels of committing war crimes by shelling civilian areas, besieging cities, blocking medicine and food supplies and raiding homes.
Germany is planning to deploy 1,200 troops to help France in the fight against Daesh in Syria, its army chief said on Sunday, in what would be the military's biggest deployment abroad.
I'll believe it when I see it, but this would constitute a modest surprise...
"From a military point of view, around 1,200 soldiers would be necessary to run the planes and ship," army chief of staff General Volker Wieker told Bild am Sonntag newspaper, adding that the mission would begin "very quickly once a mandate is obtained".
"The government is seeking a mandate this year," said Wieker.
Berlin on Thursday offered France Tornado reconnaissance jets, a naval frigate, aerial refuelling and satellite images in the fight against the Daesh group. Between four and six Tornados would be deployed to deliver images of the ground, even in poor weather and during the night, Wieker said.
Asked why Germany had shied away from participating in direct air strikes, Wieker said the coalition already had "sufficient forces and means" dealing with that aspect of the battle.
"What is needed is reconnaissance on the ground, so that these forces can be deployed effectively. Our Tornados can contribute a lot in that area," he said.
Talks are ongoing with Turkey and Jordan on stationing the planes in Incirlik - which also serves as a base for US jets, as well as in Amman.
Wieker swiped aside any criticism that Germany had opted for "the least dangerous" tasks, saying: "This allegation is not justified. What is the difference when you fly a bomber jet or a reconnaisance plane over the same area? The levels of threat and danger are the same."
Post-war Germany has been traditionally reluctant to send troops abroad, although it has joined UN-mandated missions in the Balkans and elsewhere, and the Nato coalition in Afghanistan. Germany has not taken part in air strikes against the Daesh in Syria and Iraq, which have been mainly flown by US and French aircraft.
After France last week invoked a clause requiring EU member states to provide military assistance after the Paris attacks, Germany swiftly announced its participation in the fight in Syria.
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#1
Meanwhile, "BATMAN VS SUPERMAN:DAWN OF JUSTICE" fans, NOT to be outdone by the Germans ...
* TELEGRAPH.UK . JOHN MCCAIN, LINDSEY GRAHAM CALL FOR 20,000 US TROOPS IN SYRIA AND IRAQ.
10K in Syria + 10K in Iraq - mostly Advisors + SPECOPS - in addition to a new 100,000 Sunni Arab Coalition force.
* WASHINGTON FREE BEACON: US SENATORS SEEK MORE US ARMS FOR TAIWAN. MCCAIN, CHARDIN WANT OBAMA TO BOLSTER ISLAND DEFENSES [agz China].
IMo prolly safe to say that Washington is well-aware that China's aggressive moves n East Asia-Pacific [WestPac] means TROUBLE = US-CHINA MILITARY CRISIS IN EAST ASIA-PACIFIC IS COMING, + SOONER NOT LATER.
* FYI YAHOO NEWS > [Value Walk] US FACES CHINESE NUCLEAR WAR THREAT IN SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE.
Yuuup.
Over the East China Sea + Taiwan + IOR also.
* TELEGRAPH.UK > JAPAN BOLSTERS DEFENCES AROUND DISPUTED [East China Sea = Okinawa Archipelgo-Perfecture]. Contingents of JGSDF Troops includ SAMS + ASBMS/SSMS to be deployed to Ishigaki, Miyako, + Awanami-Oshima islands, in addition to already = pre-existing JSDF capabilities on Okinawa Island per se to greatly improved or expanded.
* WORLD NEWS > JAPAN OFFER TO DEPLOY SDF FORCES TO DISPUTED SCS MEETS WID CHINA WARNING.
"US-style", "US-par, OWG Co-Superpower China wants both "post-US" Manifest Destiny, + its "Sphere of Influence" befitting a Superpower andor "Co-Superpower" sibling of the US, + IS WILLING TO RISK OR WAGE MAJOR WAR AGZ THE US-ALLIES TO DO SO.
Beijing would like to take this post-Thanksgiving 2015 holiday opportunity to once again politely remind Japan + US-World that IT HAS NUKE WEAPONS THAT CAN STRIKE + WIPE OUT BOTH JAPAN + CONUS, WHILE JAPAN PER SE HAS NONE.
NO WAY IN BUDDHA'S GREEN EARTH THAT CHINA WILL ACCEPT OR ALLOW JAPAN TO BE ASIA'S OR EAST ASIA'S #1, LET ALONE THE LEADER OF ANY ASIA OR EAST ASIA-BASED OWG GLOBAL UNION(S).
* JAPAN TIMES > [Large fleet of PLAAF] CHINESE MILITARY AIRPLANES FLIES NEAR OKINAWA ISLAND DURING DRILL.
* GLOBALNATION.PH > UN ARBITRATION PANEL: [PH Legal Team] CHINA TRIED TO "PHYSICALLY EXPEL" PHILIPPINES, from disputed Ayugin Shoal AKA Second Thomas Shoal.
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS [repost = old] > CHINA HAS STARTED CONTRUCTION OF AIRSTRIPS AND PIERS ON THREE MALAYSIAN ATOLLS.
YOOHOO, SWEET CAROLINE KENNEDY, I'M STILL A'LOOKIN AT YOU, BABE.
Police in Macedonia fired tear gas and stun grenades at desperate migrants stranded for days at the Greek border and who are demanding passage to western Europe, as soldiers began erecting a metal fence to keep them out.
Macedonia, along with other Balkan countries on the migrant route, began turning away "economic migrants" nearly two weeks ago. Human rights groups have criticized the decision, under which only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans are allowed through. The new restrictions triggered days of protests from Iranians, Pakistanis, Moroccans and others, stranded in squalid tent camps on the border. Some Iranians have sewn their lips shut. One man on Saturday threw himself on railway lines before the police, screaming and flailing.
Was he then taken to a secure psychiatric facility?
Saturday's violence broke out after one migrant, believed to be a Moroccan, was electrocuted and badly burned when he climbed on top of a train wagon. An angry crowd surged towards lines of Macedonian police and began throwing stones, a Reuters photographer at the scene said.
So they were Palestinians?
The police responded with tear gas and stun grenades, driving the crowd back, a Reuters photographer at the scene said. Some officers threw stones.
In a surge that began about 18 months ago, migrants have been flowing across Balkan borders, having landed by boat in Greece from Turkey. Human rights groups say international conventions require countries to treat asylum requests on merit, not on the basis of nationality.
"International conventions" didn't anticipate three million asylum requests...
Earlier on Saturday, Macedonian soldiers began driving metal poles around 3 meters high into the cold, muddy ground, building a barrier similar to that erected by Hungary on its southern border. The Macedonian government said it had no intention of sealing its border completely. A government spokesman said the aim of the fence was "to direct the inflow of people towards the controlled points for their registration and humane treatment."
"We would like to underline that the border will remain open," said spokesman Aleksandar Gjorgjiev. "We will allow passage for the people who come from war-affected regions as we have done thus far."
Macedonia, Serbia and Croatia say they began filtering the migrants after Slovenia, further along the route, announced it would start doing the same.
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#1
Start shooting them, then they'll start turning back.
All these stories talk about "desperate", "traumatized", "oppressed" etc. migrants but never how they're mostly all military age, single, violence prone men.
[AnNahar] Turkey and the European Union agreed at a summit on Sunday on a "historic" three-billion-euro ($3.2 billion) aid deal to stem the flow of Syrian refugees and other migrants to Europe. Ankara's bid for membership of the EU will be kickstarted in return for its cooperation in preventing the 2.2 million Syrian refugees it hosts from coming to Europe, EU president Donald Tusk said.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said it was a "historic day" and vowed that his country would keep its promises, in the face of skepticism from some countries in the 28-member EU.
Real promises or hudna promises? This is the Turkish Muslim Brotherhood, after all.
"We expect a major step towards changing the rules of the game when it comes to stemming the migration flow that is coming to the EU via Turkey," Tusk told a press conference with Davutoglu and European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker.
"We will also step up our assistance to Syrian refugees in Turkey through a new Refugee Facility of three billion euros," the former Polish premier added.
Turkey's progress in meeting the terms on the deal would be reviewed at least once a month, Tusk said. A long history of wariness between Brussels and Ankara, coupled with European concerns over human rights and Turkey's role in the Syrian conflict, including the shooting down of a Russian warplane in the last week, made the negotiations difficult.
- Rights issues 'not forgotten' -
Juncker insisted that the three billion euros "are not being given with no strings attached."
He also added that despite the deal "we have not forgotten the differences that still remain with Turkey over human rights and freedom of the press, and we will return to them."
Two Turkish journalists charged with "spying" over their reports about Ankara's alleged arms supplies to Syrian rebels had urged the EU on Saturday not to compromise on rights at the summit.
Davutoglu, who was standing in for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said the deal would "re-energize" Turkey's EU accession process, which has made little headway since it started in 2005.
"This is a historic day and a historic meeting, the first meeting of this kind since 11 years," the Turkish premier added.
"Turkey will be fulfilling all the promises of the joint plan," he said, adding that "this three billion euros is to be spent for refugees in Turkey, it's not for Turkey."
Turkey is the main gateway for migrants and refugees to reach Europe, and Germany has pushed for the summit as it is the main destination for most of the people arriving in the bloc.
- Turkey's EU bid boosted -
Under the agreement, Turkey will take steps including cracking down on people smugglers and cooperating with the EU on the return of people who do not qualify as refugees. Turkey will meanwhile get its wish for the acceleration of its bid for membership of the EU, with only one of 35 so-called "chapters" in the accession process completed in a decade of stop-start talks.
The EU agreed to open Chapter 17 of Turkey's accession process -- covering economic and monetary policy -- by mid-December. It also agreed to have two summits with Turkey each year. But the summit conclusions deliberately left future steps vague, saying that preparations for the opening of further chapters would start in the first three months of 2016, but dropping a mention of five chapters that had appeared in an earlier draft.
Brussels also committed to easing the rules for visas to visit the EU's Schengen passport-free area by October 2016, a major demand by Ankara.
The talks were complicated by resistance in particular by Cyprus, due to decades of tensions with Turkey on the divided east Mediterranean island.
The case for cooperation with Turkey comes against a backdrop of growing security concerns over the migrant crisis, especially after the November 13 attacks in Paris, claimed by the Islamic State group (IS), which left 130 people dead.
#1
EU gives them 3 billion euros, Russians drop 3 billion rubles worth of munitions on their heads. What is it about Turkey that attracts all these expenditures?
#2
Meanwhile, Turkey continues to bomb Kurdish towns and villages along the southern border.
Meanwhile, the USA finds excuses not to bomb oil tanker trucks that help to fund ISIS.
Meanwhile, Russian activity in Syria's northwest have checked the US presence at Turkey's Incirlik air base.
ANKARA -- Turkey says it has received the body of a Russian pilot killed after his plane was shot down on the Syrian border, the BBC reported on Sunday.
Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the body of Lieutenant Colonel Oleg Peshkov would be given back to Russia. Russia state television reported had reported that Peshkov's body was still in rebel-controlled Syrian territory. Russia posthumously awarded him its highest honour for valour, Hero of the Soviet Union Russia.
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[DAWN] GUJRAT: Police claim to have jugged Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! the suspect involved in the desecration of a shrine and the Holy Koran that were set ablaze on Friday morning at Bowali Khurd village in Sara-e-Alamgir Saddar police precincts.
A local court of Gujrat sent the suspect to district jail on judicial remand after the police produced him before judicial magistrate Zaman Ranjha at district headquarters instead of going to the court of area magistrate in the respective Sara-e-Alamgir tehsil due to security reasons.
Police say the suspect, who belongs to the same village, is said to be a psychopath who had turned into a 'vagabond' after his family severed links with him due to his 'bad habits'.
Gujrat District Coordination Officer Liaquat Ali Chattha and District Police Officer Rai Zameerul Haq told news hounds at a joint news conference at Jinnah Hall of Sara-e-Alamgir that the law-enforcement agencies had traced and arrested suspect Irfan alias Fani and all necessary steps would be taken for speedy trial.
PML-N MNA Abid Raza Kotla and MPA Malik Hanif Awan were also present at the news conference.
The bigwigs also commended the positive role of local people, politicians, media and civil society in tackling the issue.
The DPO said Sherlocks from various LEAs were probing the suspect.
Gujrat SP (investigation) Kamran Mumtaz told Dawn that the suspect had been traced with the help of the locals and he confessed to committing the crime of torching the shrine of Baba Meray Wali Sarkar and the copies of the Holy Koran.
He said the suspect had been seen by locals while roaming in village streets just before the people came to know the incident and residents informed the Sherlocks who arrested him on Friday evening.
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[DAWN] Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... Chairman Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... has warned that there will be a bloody revolution in the country if political forces are denied right to come to power through peaceful means.
He was speaking at a rally organised jointly by his party and the Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... here on Saturday in connection with the third phase of local government elections scheduled to be held in the city on Dec 5.
"People will no longer allow the group of 500 families to continue to suck their blood," he remarked.
Mr Khan criticised the Election Commission of Pakistain for adopting what he called double standards while dealing with the ruling and opposition parties.
He said the ECP had restricted his movement in Islamabad and his speeches at various other places during the campaign for local government elections in recent days, but failed to stop PML-N leaders from violating its code of conduct.
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[DAWN] About 400 activists of Shabaab-e-Milli were booked by police after they took out a rally in favour of the murder convict, Mumtaz Qadri, police said here on Saturday.
On Friday a large number of people gathered at Expressway near Kuri and staged a protest against the conviction. Mumtaz Qadri sentenced to death for killing the Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... governor, Salman Taseer.
The gathering supported the killer and demanded his acquittal. Besides, the participants criticised the government and judiciary, the police added.
After getting the information the police approached the area and asked them to disperse, but they refused, causing traffic jam at the Expressway, they said.
Later a case was registered against them on charges of PPCs 341, 188 and Amplifier Act, they added.
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[DAWN] Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) on Sunday, led by party 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... , thronged the city with their massive rally that marched through the different areas of the metropolis as part of the election campaign ahead of the upcoming local government polls.
Imran also addressed a public gathering at Lyari's famous Kakri ground in the evening, DawnNews reported.
Speaking to the party activists and supporters, Imran said "I have has come to make a new Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... and new Lyrai".
"The people were divided on political and ethnic grounds by political forces for their own benefit," Imran maintained.
The PTI chairman said that he has witnessed the downfall of Karachi at the hands of police and corrupt political parties.
He claimed that Karachi's investment got shifted to Dubai and the metropolis was systematically ruined to develop Dubai.
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QUETTA: Two low intensity blasts hit Chashma Achozai area close to the airport Saturday afternoon.
Improvised explosive devices (IEDs) planted by miscreants went off in a deserted area close to the railway track, said officials. Security officials rushed to the site and cordoned off the area after the first explosion. As officials gathered to investigate the site, another blast took place close by. Police sources said there was no loss of life as a result of the twin blasts, which caused panic among people. Chashma Achozai is located on Quetta’s airport road and is considered a peaceful neighbourhood. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts.
Last month, a blast in a local bus killed at least 10 people, two of them children, on Quetta’s Sariab Road. Twenty-two people were injured in the incident, six of them seriously. Law-enforcement agencies have intensified their operations against terrorists in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan.
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BIRGU: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Friday that Pakistan regarded the militant Islamic State (IS) group as a terrorist organisation and supports international efforts to counter the threats posed by it.
Sure he does. How about al-Qaeda? The guys slipping over the line of control in Kashmir?
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and other world leaders attended two retreat sessions on the second day of Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) that focused on violent extremism, Sustainable Development Goals and migration. The sessions held at the 14th century Saint Angelo Fort situated in Malta’s historic city of Birgu, also known as Vittoriosa, gathered the world leaders to delve upon finding working solutions to the issues that were impacting the Commonwealth countries.
The sessions were joined by heads of government, including Malta’s Joseph Muscat, Britain’s David Cameron, Canada’s Justin Trudeau, Australia’s Malcolm Turnbull, French President Francois Hollande, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and other representatives from 53 member states. The retreat sessions provided the CHOGM leaders an opportunity to mingle with each other, and have their say in bilateral exchanges away from the public platform. Besides exchange of pleasantries, the heads of government did not miss the opportunity to share with each other their opinions on current global security challenges and the suite of domestic, regional and international policy responses required to counter extremism.
In an informal interaction with other heads of government, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif conveyed Pakistan’s strong condemnation of terrorist activities whether committed by individuals, groups or states resulting in violence or threat of violence. He apprised other leaders that Pakistan was also cooperating with the international community to deal with militancy and fully implemented the UN Security Council sanction regimes against terrorism.
The CHOGM leaders shared views on promoting global partnerships between the Commonwealth and other like-minded organisations pursuing similar agendas and stressed upon the states to invest in preventive measures to protect their citizens from threat of violence extremism. During the second retreat session held with the agenda of implementation of SDGs and migration, the prime minister informed other leaders that Pakistan was facing the issue of migrants and refugees from over 35 years. He stressed that Commonwealth must advocate long-term view of migration with more opportunities for regular and legal migration.
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Iraqi officials say three more mass graves have been found in the northern town of Sinjar, where Kurdish forces backed by US-led airstrikes drove out Daesh militants earlier this month.
Qasim Simo, the head of security in Sinjar, said on Sunday that the graves are believed to contain 80 to 100 bodies. Two graves have been found east of the town and one has been found within the town itself, bringing the total number of mass graves uncovered to five.
Daesh captured the town in August 2014 and began killing and enslaving members of the Yazidi religious minority, leading thousands of residents to flee into the mountains. A US-led coalition began carrying out strikes against the extremist group later that month, partly out of concern for their plight.
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KHANKE CAMP, Iraq -- The grandmother lifted her face to heaven and let out a high wail.
"I pray for this hell to end," the 64-year-old said before crumpling onto the floor of her hut.
Kimy Hassan Sayfo's daughters and granddaughters have been held captive by ISIS. Two daughters recently escaped but extremist fighters have kept her young granddaughters "for themselves," she said. Her story echoes those of countless others across this vast tent city full of Yazidis, a tiny and ancient religious minority reviled and persecuted by ISIS.
More than 3,000 women and girls were taken captive when ISIS attacked ancestral Yazidi villages around northwestern Iraq's Sinjar Mountain in August 2014. Nearly half-a-million people have been displaced since, according to the Kurdistan Regional Government's Yazidi Affairs Directorate.
Today, community leaders say around 2,000 women and girls are still being bought and sold in ISIS-controlled areas. The young become sex slaves and older women are beaten and used as house slaves, according to survivors and accounts from ISIS militants.
The women and children were held in a school where, she said, the guards would come at night to take away women and rape them.
ISIS has published documents justifying the enslavement of Yazidis as spoils of war, and activist Khider Domle has interviewed dozens of women and girls who have fled their captivity.
"Every time a woman escapes we learn more about how they are using Yazidi women," he said.
Domle said the women, especially those who end up in ISIS strongholds in Syria, tend to be traded or sold three or four times as fighters move to different locations and leave the women behind.
"Some are sold for weapons, or for just $10, or 10 cigarettes," Domle said.
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[Ynet] Hassan Hizran gets only 18 months in prison after court found he was reluctant to cooperate with Hezbollah handlers and did not provide all the information
A Swedish national of Paleostinian-Lebanese descent was found guilty on Sunday of passing intelligence to Lebanese terror group Hezbollah.
According to the indictment, Hassan Hizran, 55, joined Hezbollah in the summer of 2009 as an intelligence asset. He was tasked with recruiting Israeli Arab assets with social ties to Israeli Jews, army officials and government officials, as well as passing information about strategic military points and bases.
The spy held meetings with his handler and gave him information. He was pressured to recruit an Israeli Arab but successfully evaded the mission. The indictment in August claimed that Hizran received $2,300 in 2009 for his cooperation.
Hizran was convicted as part of a plea bargain, after originally being indicted for passing of information and contacting a foreign agent.
As part of the plea bargain, Hizran was sentenced to 18 months in prison, mostly due to the fact his contact with Hezbollah operatives was reluctant and measured and he displayed low motivation to continue cooperating with them.
When Hizran tried to avoid meeting with the Hezbollah operatives, he was pressured and threatened that they would make it difficult for him to return to Sweden, where he lives, and make the life harder for his family in Leb.
In addition, the plea notes that the accused did not provide some of the information he was required to, and in that reduced the damage he caused to Israel's security.
[DAWN] Iran said on Sunday there would be "no final implementation" of a nuclear deal with world powers unless a probe into allegations of past weapons research is closed.
The declaration, by a top security official, comes after the head of the UN nuclear watchdog IAEA said a report into the possible military dimensions of Iran's activities would not be "black and white".
Iran has always denied seeking to develop an atomic weapons capability, insisting its nuclear programme is for peaceful energy production and medical purposes only.
Referring to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the July 14 agreement's official name, Admiral Ali Shamkhani, said anything short of the watchdog's probe being closed was "unacceptable to Iran".
"Without the closure of the file regarding past issues, there is no possibility of implementing the JCPOA," the official IRNA news agency reported him as saying.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/30/2015 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
[PJ Media] With our president running off to Paris not in response to the recent terror attacks, but to deal with what he considers our greatest national security threat -- climate change -- 2016 is more than ever a foreign policy election.
Not surprisingly, however, Republican candidates are emphasizing this continued spread of radical Islamic terrorism. Few have been more focused on the issue than Senator Marco Rubio of Florida. PJ Media's Diary of a Mad Voter sent Senator Rubio six questions in the crucial area of foreign policy, which he has been gracious enough to answer. Among his responses below, Rubio has promised to restore overseas intelligence programs Obama has restricted.
Part of an ongoing series, these questions are not meant to be "gotchas," but an opportunity for the candidates to explore their views at length, which we feel they don't always get to do during the televised debates. Previously, Senator Ted Cruz answered a similar series of foreign policy questions for us. Readers can find his answers here.
PJM: Once deemed a "jayvee team" and then "contained" by President Obama, events (Paris, Sinai, Beirut) have shown ISIS very much alive, growing and dedicated to their goal of a global caliphate under Sharia. Furthermore, the attack in Mali has demonstrated the supposedly quiescent al Qaeda also remains active. Making matters worse, a new Pew Poll reveals upwards of 287 million of those polled in 11 Muslims countries viewed ISIS favorably or were "neutral" to it. Given the horrific situation, what specific concrete steps would a Rubio administration take starting day one to put an end to these and similar groups militarily and ideologically?
#1
Not all intelligence agencies are keen to see some programs restored. Killing and eating weaker offspring means there are fewer mouths to feed, it provides a source of nutrition, and removes carcasses from the burrow.
[Huffpoo] WASHINGTON -- Weeks before she stepped down as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton wrote a memo urging President Barack Obama to step up his administration's efforts to close the military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay in his second term. In the confidential January 2013 memo obtained by The Huffington Post, Clinton told Obama she worried that support for closing Guantanamo would further erode unless the administration took action.
"We must signal to our old and emerging allies alike that we remain serious about turning the page of GTMO and the practices of the prior decade," Clinton wrote in the document, using the military abbreviation for the U.S. naval base. "The revitalization of transfers, efforts to prosecute some detainees in federal courts, a longer-term approach to the return of Yemeni detainees, and credible periodic reviews would send the signal and renew a credible detention policy."
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/30/2015 7:06 Comments ||
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#2
send them to Chappaqua? I thought not
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/30/2015 7:39 Comments ||
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#3
I have an idea. Grab one of the Ghost Fleet ships awaiting the shipbreaker and turn it into a prison hulk for the Gitmo detainees, and moor it 12 miles offshore until it sinks.
#4
Better make that 201 miles offshore so it's still in international waters. Otherwise Obumbles will declare them U.S. Citizens and thus worthy of a 'fair' trial and *bail* in the United States.
#5
200 miles is Exclusive Economic Zone, but AFAIK 12 miles is still territorial limit. But I'm ok with 201 miles - how about 201 miles north of Pt Barrow?
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.
Germany is planning to deploy 1,200 troops to help France in the fight against Daesh in Syria, its army chief said on Sunday, in what would be the military's biggest deployment abroad.
[DAWN] About 400 activists of Shabaab-e-Milli were booked by police after they took out a rally in favour of the murder convict, Mumtaz Qadri, police said here on Saturday.
BIRGU: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Friday that Pakistan regarded the militant Islamic State (IS) group as a terrorist organisation and supports international efforts to counter the threats posed by it.
[Huffpoo] WASHINGTON -- Weeks before she stepped down as secretary of state, Hillary Clinton wrote a memo urging President Barack Obama to step up his administration's efforts to close the military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay in his second term. In the confidential January 2013 memo obtained by The Huffington Post, Clinton told Obama she worried that support for closing Guantanamo would further erode unless the administration took action.
