The Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Alexander Mantytskiy has said the first batch of Moscow’s military aid to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) will handed over to the Afghan authorities in the near future.
The first Rooshun aid to the current governments. Certain past governments enjoyed lavish aid...
During a meeting with Hanif Atmar, Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser, Mantytskiy reaffirmed Moscow’s support to Afghan security forces in fight against the terrorist groups, specifically the emergent Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group.
This comes as there are growing concerns regarding the threats posed by the emergent loyalists of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) terrorist group in Afghanistan.
No further details were given regarding the first batch of the Russian military aid to the Afghan security forces. However, officials in the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) said last month that the delivery of 10,000 AK-47 assault rifles would be completed to the Afghan forces in the near future.
Local hard boyz won't need much time at the range to be familiar with an AK...
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International Media Support (IMS) said that Afghanistan, Iraq and Mexico are the world's most dangerous countries for reporters and media employees.
Meanwhile Afghan Journalists Safety Committee (AJSC) raised concerns over insurgent threats against media activities in the country.
"Afghanistan is a dangerous place for reporters and media activity. I think if attacks continue, Afghanistan will become more dangerous," said Najib Sharifi head of AJSC.
Last month, a Taliban suicide bombing claimed the lives of seven TOLO TV employees. More than 20 others were wounded.
Since then, Zubair Khaksar, an RTA journalist and writer, was killed by unknown gunmen in Nangarhar province. This incident was followed by another which saw two Baghlan journalists injured when gunmen opened fire on them.
Sayed Hassib, a TOLO TV cameraman has filmed the ongoing war for a number of years,but recently fell victim to the Taliban himself. He was injured in last month's bombing in Kabul.
"Reporters overall are not safe, not only in provinces but even in the capital Kabul," said Hassib.
However the National Unity Government (NUG) acknowledges there is a problem.
"In general there are threats and we hope with the improvement of the situation and the blows imparted on the terrorist groups the security slowly slowly will change," the CEO's spokesman Mujiburrahman Rahimi said.
These comments come after a bleak month for the media - when eight media employees were killed by insurgents in just one month.
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The Awami League-led 14-party alliance yesterday alleged that Pakistan was plotting against Bangladesh with the connivance of the BNP and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami.
Spokesperson for the alliance Mohammed Nasim made the remark at a press conference at Awami League President Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi office in the capital. He said: “Pakistan, like 1971, is conspiring against Bangladesh in the with the help of the BNP and Jamaat. BNP chief Khaleda Zia is Pakistan’s agent and what she said about the Liberation War martyrs was just part of the conspiracy.”
He also warned that all diplomatic ties with Pakistan would be cut if the country did not refrain from plotting against Bangladesh.
Nasim talked about the Simla Agreement and other international agreements that restrict Pakistan from interfering in Bangladesh’s internal affairs.
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The US intelligence chief has claimed that efforts by the Bangladesh government to undermine the political opposition would probably provide openings for transnational terrorist groups to expand their presence, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday.
Several Bangladeshi security analysts, however, refuse to accept the view, saying the statement was issued only to give political edge for someone.
"Slander! Lies! Oh, oh, we are so butt-hurt!"
US Director of National Intelligence James Clapper questioned Bangladesh’s public insistence that the killings of foreigners – Tavella Caesar and Hoshi Kunio – were the work of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, and are intended to discredit the incumbent government.
In a written testimony to a Senate hearing on worldwide threats, Clapper noted the claims of responsibility from the Dae’sh group (Islamic State) for 11 high-profile attacks on foreigners and religious minorities, and the claims from outlawed militant group Ansarullah Bangla Team and al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) for killing at least 11 progressive writers, bloggers and publishers in Bangladesh since 2013.
The claims by Dae’sh group were reported by SITE Intelligence Group, a US-based website monitoring jihadi activities, whereas Ansarullah and AQIS made the claims through Twitter and Facebook accounts.
The current Bangladesh administration repeatedly denied the presence of the Dae’sh group in the country, and has accused domestic militant organisations and political opponents for the attacks, Clapper said.
US Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat on several occasions has expressed her government’s plan to assist the Bangladesh government in combating militancy. In a meeting with the home minister last week, Bernicat said that the US government was keen to share information on Dae’sh and its possible threats in Bangladesh. She added that a US envoy would visit Bangladesh to hand the home minister over the information.
In his testimony, Clapper said that Bangladesh has been in political ferment since the run-up to January 2014 elections that were boycotted by opposition parties, and over war crimes prosecutions brought against Jamaat-e-Islami leaders over their alleged involvement in atrocities during 1971 War of Independence.
Earlier, the US made a similar statement in early 2007 in its Congressional Research Service report, saying culture of political violence and deterioration of Bangladesh’s democracy centring elections might create additional space for the Islamist militants.
Maj Gen (retd) Abdur Rashid, a security analyst, refused to accept Clapper’s comments.
“The so-called Islamic parties have been found doing it since the beginning of the nineteenth century and we faced militant attacks a number of times since then,” Rashid told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
They've been doing it longer than that, but Daesh is the flavor of the moment...
“If we say it is happening for the present political phenomena, then why did the terrorist activities happen earlier? I think that their [US] observation on the issue of militancy is nothing but giving a political edge to someone.”
He said that one needs to know about the financiers and sympathisers to understand the trend of terrorism in the country. “Analysing the issues, I can say clearly that the US intelligence chief’s statement cannot be acceptable.”
Air Commodore (retd) Ishfaq Ilahi Choudhury, who follows security issues, thinks that the political situation in the country is now stable. “I do not think the political situation may give rise to militant activities.”
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal has reiterated that the killing of foreigners was part of a conspiracy by a group of people to embarrass the incumbent government. “Their international agents are providing them with necessary supports,” he said yesterday.
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Graphic at link.
Over the weekend, North Korea earned further worldwide scorn after it tested a highly technical long-range rocket system.
Pyongyang claimed that the test was part of a peaceful and benign space program. So peaceful they need to hide it from everyone else. Or maybe their rockets just prefer shade to sunlight, ignore the fact that the Norks have been pushed to the "brink of war" by the resulting sanction.
However, the rogue regimes' latest launch is almost assuredly a cover for testing a ballistic and nuclear weapons program. Nothing gets past these guys.
Gordon Chang, writing for The Daily Beast, notes that the satellite system that North Korea claims to have launched over the weekend would weigh essentially as much as a nuclear warhead. This satellite launch could thus dovetail with Pyongyang's claimed successful testing and detonation of a miniaturized hydrogen bomb. At least that's the intent, if that means anything to the political class.
Although there is still no indication that North Korea would be able to develop missile and nuclear warheads en masse, let alone successfully deploy them beyond tests, this latest rocket launch is alarming. Don't forget to include Nork's partners, Iran and Syria.
According to The Heritage Foundation, North Korea's new Taepodong 3 missile has an estimated range of 13,000 kilometers. This would place the entire continental US within range of the missile. Assuming that Pyongyang would be able to attack a warhead to a Taepodong missile and manage to launch it at the US, the missiles could be capable of delivering major damage to the country. Oh my. The change from 10k to 13k is huge. Oh, and by the way, it also happens to magically encompass Washington, DC.
"If its warhead is nuclear and explodes high above the American homeland, an electromagnetic pulse could disable electronics across vast swatches of the country," Chang writes.
In October, Admiral Bill Gortney, commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also assessed that North Korea has "the capability to reach the [US] homeland with a nuclear weapon from a rocket," The Guardian reported.
Gortney also warned in an April 2015 news conference that he was confident that, according to a Pentagon assessment, Pyongyang would be able to place miniaturized nuclear warheads on its KN-08 intercontinental ballistic missile.
However, Gortney did qualify this assessment.
"Should one get airborne and come at us, I'm confident we would be able to knock it down," he told reporters. As confident as you are that by the laws of probability alone that you won't be within a few miles of one of the blast zones, I'm sure.
In the face of such a challenge, the US has agreed to deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile system to South Korea. I feel so much better . . . .
The missile system is able to knock enemy missiles out of the sky, hopefully limiting the utility of any long-range missiles in North Korea's arsenal. Hopefully it will work better than the F-35.
But a declared test of an H-bomb is just fine. I get it!
In response to Seoul's shutdown of a jointly operated factory park, Pyongyang has frozen all South Korea assets.
North Korea said Seoul's decision to shut down the Kaesong Industrial Complex was driving the two Koreas to the "brink of war" as Pyongyang expelled the last remaining South Koreans at the jointly operated factory park.
The tough North Korea response to a difficult South Korea decision to close the last inter-Korea channel of exchange with Pyongyang was accompanied by the shutdown of two North-South communications hotlines, The Guardian reported.
A cross-border highway that has linked North and South since 2004 has also been closed, and the North's military is to retain control of the road, The New York Times reported.
North Korea accused the South of belligerence and said Seoul's action is "a declaration of an end to the last lifeline of the North-South relations" and "driving the situation in the Korean peninsula to the brink of a war."
The decision to suspend operations at the complex, where South Korean manufacturing know-how was used to employ North Korean labor, was not welcomed among South Korean Kaesong entrepreneurs, NK News reported.
North Korea had in retaliation frozen all South Korea assets at the factories, including finished products that expelled South Koreans were not allowed to take home.
"The most precious goal of my life, which I've devoted myself to for the most valuable time of my life, is ruined," said one unidentified South Korean businessman, adding, "I am very shocked and desperate. I am so enraged, it feels like my head is being stoned." Good luck catching that wild goose, bub. Many have tried.
The frozen assets include $852 million of South Korean investments into factories and facilities such as roads. According to Seoul data, more than $515 million worth of textiles, electronic parts and other goods were produced in 2015.
Seoul's Unification Ministry said in a statement issued Thursday the government is to activate a grace period for loan repayment and protect business losses with support from a state-managed emergency management stability fund.
But Kaesong Industrial Complex Business Association Chairman Jeong Ki-seop said the government decision to "unilaterally" shut down Kaesong was "not lawful," and more needs to be done to compensate business losses, South Korean news network YTN reported.
It seems there may have been an assassination attempt recently. See below.
Kim Jong Un is making a habit of killing off his most senior military leaders. He thinks that will keep them in line, but it could be making some very powerful enemies.
Heavy are the burdens of the men wearing four stars in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Ri Yong Gil, the chief of the General Staff of the North Korean military, has been executed according to Yonhap News Agency and Reuters. CNN reports that a South Korean government source confirms the top general was put to death.
The general, according to CNN, was killed for "factionalism, misuse of authority, and corruption."
Kim's increasing willingness to execute some of the most senior figures in his military would suggest the young leader is struggling to impose control. Analysts are beginning to wonder how much more the military will put up with.
Ri was last seen in public on January 5, at about the same time as the North's claimed "hydrogen" bomb test, when he participated in an "inspection of coastal artillery" with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
The apparently abrupt termination of his stellar military career was hardly a surprise. General Pyon In Son was put to death, probably in January of last year, for insubordination, specifically for refusing to replace certain junior officers.
Then, General Hyon Yong Chol, the DPRK's defense minister, was executed for napping at a public event--disrespecting Kim who was present at the time--and for disobedience. The specific charge was advocating "militarism-oriented bureaucracy."
Many Korea watchers consider these killings and others to be proof that Kim Jong Un is in command, that he is powerful enough to get rid of anyone. In reality, it is proof that the situation at the top of the regime is fluid. After all, if Kim were truly in control, there would be no need for the continual bloodletting.
Hyon's execution was particularly revealing. It was reportedly carried out by anti-aircraft fire at close range, in front of an audience of hundreds at a military academy near Pyongyang. The spectacle, at the end of last April, was meant to send a message, and the fact that Kim had to do so is a clear indication he was not in firm command of the Korean People's Army.
Young Kim has by now killed about a hundred senior figures in the regime in what is described as a "reign of extreme terror." The military has borne the brunt of the punishments.
Why has Kim targeted the top brass? He has been called the "Young General," but he has had little contact with the military. Not so his two predecessors. His grandfather, Kim Il Sung, came to power on his reputation as a leader of a guerilla band fighting the Japanese during the Second World War, so he naturally had the devotion of his comrades-in-arms. His son, Kim Jong Il, bought the loyalty of the generals and admirals with his version of songun--"military first"--policy.
Kim Jong Un, the third Kim to rule the DPRK, has reversed his predecessor's work, reducing the power of the top officers by stripping them of their control of exports--in other words, taking cash flows away from them--and by deemphasizing the dominant role they exercised during his father's 18-year rule.
In short, Kim Jong Un has been struggling to find a general willing to preside over the continual erosion of the military's position. Perhaps significantly, unnamed sources think General Ri died shortly after a February 2-3 joint meeting of the army and the Korean Workers' Party, which during Kim Jong Un's rule has benefitted more than the other constituent elements of the regime. As Yonhap reports, its source "raised the possibility that Ri may have raised objections to Kim's recent appointment of party leaders to key military posts."
In any event, Ri's name was conspicuously not included in the report of the meeting in Rodong Sinmun, the official North Korean party newspaper, and that suggests the general tangled with party officials at the gathering.
So far, Kim Jong Un has been able to demote, discipline, and kill officers without the military as an institution rebelling. Senior officers know the regime derives most of its legitimacy from the Kim lineage, the so-called "Paektu bloodline." Therefore, generals realize they need Kim Jong Un to continue to breath.
But young Kim--he is thought to be about 33--can push too far, as many think he is at the point of doing. South Korea's National Intelligence Service had noted that senior leaders in Pyongyang have questioned Kim's "governing style" because of his frequent resort to the ultimate punishment. Koh Yu-hwan of Dongguk University in Seoul believes the regime could "reach its limit" if the killings continue.
The limit line may not be too far away. Radio Free Asia has reported that explosives were found in a ceiling at the Wonsan International Airport late last year, just a day before Kim was scheduled to visit. The plot, if the report is accurate, was probably the work of only a small group. Emphasis added.
Christians, homosexuals and women are fleeing asylum centres in Germany in ever growing numbers due to acts of violence, intolerance and crime perpetrated by Muslim men. Observe what happens even before they have the upper hand?
According to German newspaper Die Welt, the violence toward ethnic minorities, religious minorities and women continues to skyrocket across German asylum centres. Muslim men tear up Bibles and assault Christians, sexually abuse women and children, and beat up homosexuals. The news has led to calls from human rights campaigners to say enough is enough. Yeah. Enough. Now just send them home. Right? Well, maybe just the problematic ones. Yeah, that's the ticket! This way we can still maintain our illusion that liberalism works.
In Stuttgart a case of abuse toward an Assyrian Christian by a Muslim roommate led to a petition for separate housing that was signed by over 17,000 people online. The petition, organised by the Central Oriental Christians, asked the City of Stuttgart to, "please accommodate the displaced Christians in Stuttgart-Neugereut and keep them from further distress and persecution to which they are exposed in a decentralised accommodation."
The matter was brought to the city and a separate asylum centre for 30 Christians was approved by the council. Spokesman for Stuttgart Sven Matis told the paper that after speaking to the district assistant they would be able to approve accommodation for the 30 Christians in Neugereut by the end of April.
Martin Lessenthin, CEO of the International Society for Human Rights also commented on the systematic persecutions of Christians all across German asylum homes. He said it was common to see both Christians and Yazidis subject to torment and beatings and while it is not desirable to accommodate migrants separately, it may be inevitable for the safety of the minorities.
Separation of migrants has been a policy when it comes to extremely vulnerable minorities. Yazidi girls who were used as sex slaves by the Islamic State are housed in secret locations in Germany so as not to attract unwanted attention from migrants sympathetic to the Islamic State or Muslims who view them as nothing more than sexual objects. A purported 1,100 of these women live in various special shelters across Germany.
One victim of sexual abuse is said to have been only eight years old at the time of her abuse by ISIS. Another girl had to be treated by specialist burn victim doctors because the constant sexual torment drove her to try and light herself on fire in a failed attempt at suicide. Hey, one more year and she's of age. What's the big deal?
In Freibeurg, some 200 women live in secret. The head of the Baden-Wurttemberg state chancellery Klaus-Peter Murawski warns that ISIS militants may be actively monitoring the project in hopes of getting revenge against the women. This warning was proven accurate when an ISIS commander was found at an asylum home earlier this week.
Breitbart London has reported on migrant violence within asylum homes with cases of Christians, homosexuals and others being beaten in asylum centres across Germany, reports of asylum centres as breeding grounds for extremism, and even young children being brutally raped by fellow migrants.
In today's Guardian newspaper, columnist Owen Jones blames the "far right" for instability across Europe, lumping thousands of criminal migrants sparking a crime wave across the continent with Jews who fled Nazi Germany. He writes: "And who is waiting, preparing and consolidating? Europe's far right, already feeding off the despair of economic crisis and a backlash against refugees fleeing violence from the Middle East. Where once the principal target was Jews, now it's Muslim". Thereby laying the groundwork for future deniers.
[DeutscheWelle] The number of Syrians coming to the EU from The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... has decreased considerably in January, according to a German newspaper. More Iraqis and Afghans are fleeing to the bloc, but have slim chances of receiving asylum.
Nearly forty percent of migrants who entered the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... (EU) in January do not have a realistic chance of getting asylum, the Sunday paper "Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung" (FAS) quoted a senior European Commission official as saying.
The paper quoted statistics from the EU's border agency, Frontex, indicating that only around 39 percent of the migrants coming into the bloc last month were Syrians,
...or "Syrians", depending on how real the passports they do or do not have are...
compared to 69 percent last year. Twenty-four percent were from Afghanistan, up from 18 percent, and 25 percent from Iraq, compared to 8 percent in 2015. The rest were from North Africa and the Balkans.
Refugees coming from countries other than Syria have a lower chance of being recognized as asylum seekers, the report noted. Citizens of the Maghreb countries - including Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria - and the Balkan states are categorized as economic refugees. The German government is currently working on a law to designate some nations as safe regions and enable authorities to deport citizens from these countries more easily.
More refugee deaths
It's winter. The waves are high, the weather is cold, and some of the fellow travelers are brutal.
The largest influx of refugees was recorded in October, with an average of 6,929 refugees arriving in Europe every day. The numbers had considerably decreased in January, when 60,466 refugees reached the bloc, the FAS reported.
Meanwhile, ...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter wished he had a cup of coffee. Even instant would do... aid workers have sounded an alarm for better shelters after refugees continued to flow into the Balkans from Greece despite the harsh winter. On Sunday, two women migrants died in Bulgaria because of freezing conditions, authorities said. They said one of the victims was a teenager and the other was between 30 and 40 years old.
It is the second time that reports have emerged from Bulgaria of migrants dying as a result of hypothermia. In January, the frozen bodies of two men were found in mountains near the border with Serbia.
Turkey is at breaking point and the time could come when the country would open the gates for refugees to travel to Europe, the Turkish president has threatened.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan denounced the West's handling of the refugee crisis in a speech which sees the Turkish leader step up the pressure on Europe to act. He also repeated his criticism of Brussels and comments he made to EU leaders in leaked minutes, which he said he was proud of.
"I am proud of what I said. We have defended the rights of Turkey and the refugees. And we told them (the Europeans): 'sorry, we will open the doors and say 'goodbye' to the migrants'," Mr Erdogan said in his speech on Thursday.
During his speech, Mr Erdogan attacked calls for Turkey to accept more refugees and accused the UN of insincerity over inaction in Syria. In recent days, the UN, EU and other organisations have called on Turkey to take in Syrian refugees fleeing Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and Russian air strikes on its southern border.
Tens of thousands have fled from Aleppo after Russian war planes continued to bomb Aleppo in support of a regime offensive to capture the Syrian city.
"In the past we have stopped people at the gates to Europe, in Edirne we stopped their buses. This happens once or twice, and then we'll open the gates and wish them a safe journey, that's what I said," Mr Erdogan said in a speech to a business forum on Thursday.
"There is a chance the new wave of refugees will reach 600,000 if air strikes continue. We are making preparations for it," Mr Erdogan said in Ankara.
Turkey has already become home to more than half a million Syrian refugees, although numbers of Syrian citizens in the country is closer to three million. In November last year, Brussels and Ankara agreed on a €3 billion (£2.3 billion) deal for Turkey in exchange for stringent border controls on the west coast and allowing Turkish citizens to visit EU member states later this year.
He defended Turkey's handling of the refugee crisis, saying: "We do not have the word 'idiot' written on our foreheads. Don't think that the planes and the buses are there for nothing. We will show patience up to a point and then we'll do what's necessary."
On Monday, minutes of a stormy meeting he had with Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president, were leaked in which he first made the threat to "open the doors to Greece and Bulgaria".
The minutes, which showed Mr Erdogan openly mocking EU leaders, said: "Erdogan said that Turkey didn’t need the EU’s money anyway, ‘We can open the doors to Greece and Bulgaria any time and we can put the refugees on buses’”, according to the minutes published by the Greek website Euro2day.
The president also repeated Turkey's call for the creation of a safe zone in northern Syrian for internally displaced civilians without the need for Turkey accepting them as refugees.
After the president's speech, Nato confirmed it would be sending a naval group to stop people smugglers in the Aegean Sea, after Turkey, Germany and Greece made the request. Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said Nato was "now directing the standing maritime group to move into the Aegean without delay and start maritime surveillance activities" at a press conference.
"This is about helping Greece, Turkey and the European Union with stemming the flow of migrants and refugees and coping with a very demanding situation," Mr Stoltenberg said.
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02/11/2016 08:15 ||
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#1
Maybe we should make Turkey part of NATO? /sarc
Turkey and Saudi Arabia will hold joint military drills as part of a decision to strategically cooperate against common threats, sources have told daily Hurriyet. However, the state-run Anadolu Agency quoted military sources as denying such a planning.
First on the agenda: comm protocols to ensure that the two keep out of each other's way in Syria...
Turkish Chief of General Staff Hulusi Akar’s visit to Saudi Arabia in late January, which had coincided with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu’s official visit to the country, brought about a decision to hold joint military exercises with the participation of the two countries’ armies, military sources told Hurriyet.
Sources aid a decision for “the strategic cooperation against common threats” had been made during the meeting in Riyadh.
Still, military sources said the Feb. 10 media reports, which said such a joint drill would be held, did not reflect the truth, Anadolu Agency said later on Feb. 10. The agency quoted the sources as also denying that the Turkish military would attend a Saudi-led exercise, admitting that a deal was made for joint military training.
The visit was not to discuss the coalition against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) facilities in Syria but rather conducted to strengthen mutual ties between the two states and armies, according to the sources speaking to Hürriyet.
The “Islam army,” which Saudi Arabia had announced to be formed on Dec. 15, 2015, consisting of 34 Sunni Islam states, to fight terrorism amid a continuing war on jihadists in the Middle East and elsewhere, was not on the agenda of the meetings in Riyadh.
The visit coming right before Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates declaring they were ready to send troops and special forces to Syria under the U.S.-led anti-ISIL coalition was also a coincidence, the sources said, adding Turkey was distancing itself from both of the issues.
“The togetherness that is being mentioned [by Saudi Arabia] cannot actually be called an ‘Islam army.’ Even if there is such an initiative, Turkey will not be a part of its military branch,” said a senior Turkish official.
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Donald Trump bailed out TV news operations struggling to flood the zone with today's New Hampshire primary voting -- only so much you can do to make parka'd lines at polling places look sexy and only so many different ways to say voter turnout is expected to be a record -- when he finally announced his estimated cost of that wall between the U.S. and Mexico. I'll bet his estimate does not include the usual graft, corruption, and crony capitalism paybacks.
"The wall is probably $8 billion, which is a tiny fraction of the money that we lose with Mexico," he told MSNBC's Tamron Hall in the middle of Granite State voting. Trump said he came to that number by "multiplying the number of miles by a certain number." How much have we spent on laughable excuses for a "wall", development of surveillance systems and other vaporware walls, lost opportunity, human costs, damage control, imported crime, and welfare benefits because our politicians are playing games with this?
"I'm taking price per square foot and price per square, you know, per mile, and it's a very simple calculation," Trump said, adding he would build about 1,000 miles of border wall along the 2,000-mile long border, because natural barriers would do the trick without a wall in portions of the border.
This number is a drop in the bucket compared to the figure MSNBC's cable cousin CNBC came up with back in October. Citing various sources and studies, CNBC estimated the actual cost for Trump's border wall -- which it estimated would run roughly 1,300 miles -- could be as high as $16 million per mile, with a total price tag of $15 billion-$25 billion. Politicians love this figure, I'll bet.
Trump is expected to win New Hampshire primary voting, after finishing second in Iowa caucuses, so it seems appropriate to pick today to release his estimated price of his wall. Trump in the summer launched his presidential campaign off The Wall: "I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I'll build them very inexpensively," he said controversially, as he announced his candidacy in June, ending decades of flirtation. "I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words," he added. Every time you find an illegal, seize their assets and put them towards the wall. Fees on money sent back to Mexico. Fees to cross the border. Visa fees. Tariffs. Taxes. Just the beginning. I could do it I'll bet.
Mexican President Felipe Calderon recently mocked Trump's pledge to make Mexico pay for the wall, CNN noted today in its coverage of Trump's $8B news.
"Mexican people, we are not going to pay any single cent for such a stupid wall, and they need to know that," Calderon has been quoted as saying. "And it's going to be completely useless." If it's useless then why fear it?
Responded Trump on MSNBC today: "You tell them, 'You're going to pay for it.' ... Mexico makes a fortune. Mexico is going to pay. And I heard [Calderon] said that we will not pay. Guess what? The wall just got higher."
#1
If he is in charge he will do the job under cost and finish ahead of scheduled completion. Like Teddy's Calvary he will ride down to see it gets done. Bully, jolly good job, well done.
#2
Over at Instapundit the other day, it was pointed out that remittance to Mexico has reached 24B. You could pick up a good chunk of that with a 10, or 15, or 20 percent tariff surcharge.
Then suspend Davis-Bacon Act and use a lot of 'day laborers' to drive costs down. I like irony.
#3
BTW, there's a lot of graft money being made in transiting these illegals to and across the border besides helping the purer blood Spanish ruling caste of Mexico maintain its power by avoiding reform or revolution by dumping millions of their mestizos y indios upon El Norte.
#4
What should be done is to levy a 40% tax on all remittances to Mexico - whether it is wetbacks sending cash back home, or US companies buying cheap manufactured goods - for as long as bit takes to complete the wall. Then - extend an offer to Mexico to allow them to directly fund any portion of the cost that they wish. That leaves Mexico with two choices:
1) Contribute nothing, and watch tens of thousands of Mexicans return to Mexico, where they can at least retain some money, and also watch manufactured goods inventories pile up in Mexico.
#5
Calderon shouldn't be making a fuss about the "stupid wall." He should be in the Home Depot parking lot angling for a shot at weed-wacking around its foundation.
Posted by: regular joe ||
02/11/2016 10:04 Comments ||
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#6
Simple enough I suppose, and a solution for the European refugee problem as well. Don't sell merchandise without ID. Enforceable for tobacco and alcohol why not all?
#9
@@8: England has a neat machine for 'slipcasting' the UK equivalent of the highway Jersey barrier, so it would seem to be a simple matter of scaling up to build a higher J.B. I have to assume we have a similar device, Would probably need to pre-position rebar.
(No, I am not a civil engineer, and I have not stayed in a Holiday Inn Express lately)
#10
@ #9 & #8 Yes, these slip casting machines for highway barriers do exist here in the U.S., and are in regular use.
Once you get past all the politix, the controlling factor in barrier design is $$/unit length. It is simply cheaper per mile to go with sheet steel wall & chain link with patrol vehicle path between.
#14
Any remittance from illegal sources, ie the new slave class should be seized. And tell Mexico and the others, for every one of their people we catch here illegally, we will annex 1 square mile of their country. And it's our choice WHICH Mile^2 it is. Ie their oil fields, mines and all the other good parts. They don't like it, they can take it up with our new experimental killer robots, who can use a good combat trial.
#16
Have the ugly chain link fence and sensors on the real border but a hundred meters back build a proper wall, one modeled on the Great Wall of China, one that can be seen from space, and make it a tourist destination.
Hopefully we can come up with something better than we did for Iran.
Seeking to derail North Korea's drive for nuclear weapons, Republican and Democratic senators set aside their partisan differences Wednesday to unanimously pass legislation aimed at starving Pyongyang of the money it needs to build an atomic arsenal.
The Senate approved the sanctions bill 96-0 after lawmakers repeatedly denounced Pyongyang for flouting international law by pursuing nuclear weapons.
Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said for too long North Korea has been dismissed as a strange country run by irrational leaders. "It's time to take North Koreaseriously," Menendez said.
The Senate bill, authored by Menendez and Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., targets North Korea's ability to finance the development of miniaturized nuclear warheads and the long-range missiles required to deliver them. The legislation also authorizes $50 million over the next five years to transmit radio broadcasts into North Korea, purchase communications equipment and support humanitarian assistance programs.
The legislation comes in the wake of Pyongyang's recent satellite launch and technical advances that U.S. intelligence agencies said the reclusive Asian nation is making in its nuclear weapons program.
Gardner said the Obama administration's policy of "strategic patience" with North Korea has failed. "The situation in the Korea peninsula is at its most unstable point since the armistice," said Gardner, referring to the 1953 agreement to end the Korean War.
The House overwhelmingly approved North Korean sanctions legislation last month. While there are differences in the two bills, Sen. Bob Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he does not expect any difficulty in producing a final measure.
The House sent the Senate a bill that was very strong and "we've been able to improve it," said Corker, a Tennessee Republican. "I think they'll be happy with those improvements."
GOP senators and presidential candidates Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida rushed back from the campaign to vote, but one presidential hopeful didn't make it. Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont missed the vote. He issued a statement expressing his support for the legislation.
Also missing the vote were Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, and Dick Durbin, D-Ill.
North Korea on Sunday launched a long-range rocket carrying an Earth observation satellite into space. The launch, which came about a month after the country's fourth nuclear test, was quickly condemned by world leaders as a potential threat to regional and global security.
Washington, Seoul and others consider the launch a banned test of missile technology. That assessment is based on Pyongyang's efforts to manufacture nuclear-tipped missiles capable of striking the U.S. mainland; the technology used to launch a rocket carrying a satellite into space can be applied to fire a long-range missile.
In the annual assessment of global threats delivered to Congress on Tuesday, Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper said North Korea has expanded a uranium enrichment facility and restarted a plutonium reactor that could start recovering material for nuclear weapons in weeks or months.
Both findings will deepen concern that North Korea is not only making technical advances in its nuclear weapons program, but is working to expand what is thought to be a small nuclear arsenal. U.S.-based experts have estimated that North Korea may have about 10 bombs, but that could grow to between 20 and 100 by 2020.
Clapper said Pyongyang has not flight-tested a long-range, nuclear-armed missile but is committed to its development.
North Korea already faces wide-ranging sanctions from the United States and under existing U.N. resolutions is prohibited from trading in weapons and importing luxury goods.
The new legislation seeks additional sanctions -- both mandatory and at the discretion of the president -- against the government of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and those who assist it.
It would require the investigation and punishment of those who knowingly import into North Korea any goods or technology related to weapons of mass destruction; those who engage in human rights abuses, money laundering and counterfeiting that supports the Kim regime; and those who engage in "cyber-terrorism."
The bill also bans foreign assistance to any country that provides lethal military equipment to North Korea, and targets Pyongyang's trade in key industrial commodities.
The White House director for Asian affairs, Daniel Kritenbrink, told reporters Wednesday that discussions are continuing at the U.N. Security Council to impose new sanctions on North Korea, and the U.S. is considering "other unilateral measures." He did not elaborate on what those measures might be.
The principal action the Obama administration has taken to date in response to the nuclear and rocket tests has been to start discussions with close ally SouthKorea on deploying a new missile defense system.
[AnNahar] The risk of Iraq's largest dam collapsing and unleashing a huge wave onto djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... is affecting plans to retake the city from jihadists, an adviser to the premier's office said.
The army is deploying thousands of soldiers to a northern base in preparation for operations to recapture the city, the largest urban center in 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's self-proclaimed caliphate.
Concern has grown that a failure of the unstable dam, which is about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northwest of the city, could wipe out much of Mosul and flood large parts of Baghdad.
The Americans "frequently refer to Katrina" and say a collapse of the Mosul Dam would be "a thousand times worse", the adviser to the office of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told news hounds.
Hurricane Katrina ravaged the U.S. city of New Orleans in 2005, killing nearly 2,000 people and leading to a wave of violence and looting that completely overwhelmed the authorities.
"If the dam busts, the center of Mosul goes under water by about a 40-50 foot wave (12 to 15 meters)," the adviser said, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... "It just disappears, so 500,000 people (are) killed within a few hours".
He said another dam in Samarra, hundreds of miles downstream, would also burst. It is estimated the wave would still be several meters high when it reaches Baghdad.
A U.S. assessment published Monday on the Iraqi parliament's website said Mosul Dam was "at a significantly higher risk of failure than originally understood."
High-level contacts have taken place between the U.S. administration and Baghdad, with Washington pushing for repair work to be undertaken urgently.
Since the dam's completion in 1984, Iraq has sought to shore up the foundation by injecting mortar-like grout into cavities that develop under the structure. Regular minor seismic activity in the area is now seen as a potential threat.
There are also fears that IS could weaponize the dam.
"If the attack on Mosul goes well, there is a nightmare scenario that Daesh [Islamic State] (an Arabic acronym for IS) could itself strike the dam as they withdraw from Mosul," the adviser said.
He said the U.S.-led coalition, whose primary role in retaking Mosul would be to carry out air strikes, is concerned that a major bombing campaign could have an impact on the dam.
"They are worried about it, they are thinking carefully about what kind of munitions they use in the Mosul operation," he said.
Colonel Steve Warren, the front man for the international anti-IS operation, said the dam was far enough from Mosul for strikes not to be a threat to its integrity.
Another concern as Iraq begins deploying troops southeast of the city is a mounting economic crisis. The government of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region is struggling to pay its peshmerga forces, who currently control the dam and will likely play a significant part in any Mosul assault.
Speaking in Rome on Wednesday, Abadi said "we have a moral responsibility, a national responsibility to guarantee the protection of this dam."
Iraq has awarded a contract to Italia's Trevi to repair and maintain the dam.
"We need to speed up the arrival of this company in Iraq and also to guarantee the security of its technicians and workers," said Abadi.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who has said Rome would deploy some 450 troops to protect the dam, stressed Wednesday that Iraq and Italia were "working together for the security of the area."
"When the Italian force comes in, the Italian force is responsible for the security of the dam, so there's no dispute over who's responsible," and Kurdish forces who hold the dam will withdraw, the adviser said.
He said Abadi hoped the contract -- estimated at 284.5 million euros (around $320 million) -- would be signed within two weeks. The World Bank is helping to finance it.
A warm winter could lead to early snow melt and Trevi is expected to swiftly begin work with a seven-month phase to repair the dam's lower gates. Another 18 months are needed for the rest of the major work.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/11/2016 00:00:00 ||
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#1
Gives new meaning to a mortgage that's "underwater".
A State Department official says the U.S. does not know the precise location of tons of low-enriched uranium shipped out of Iran on a Russian vessel under the landmark nuclear agreement.
Testifying Thursday, Ambassador Stephen Mull tells the House Foreign Affairs Committee the stockpile is a Russian custody issue.
Critics of the nuclear deal seized on the shipment's status to show the agreement's flaws. New Jersey GOP congressman Chris Smith says it's "outrageous and unbelievable" that Russia is being trusted to be the repository for such sensitive material. Russia is a close ally of Iran.
The low-enriched uranium is suitable mainly for generating nuclear power and needs substantial further enrichment for use in the core of a nuclear warhead. Pay no attention to the fact that final enrichment process is the easiest.
Mull says he's confident the material will be controlled properly. So much so that he'll bet your life on it.
Sorry, more pictures than words. Gotta click the link.
Iranian regime mocks captured US sailors at Revolution Day parade.
One float depicted the captured US sailors on their knees being arrested by the Iranian military.
John Kerry thanked the regime for their "appropriate response" in regard to the arrest and humiliation of the US sailors.
Iranian Quds Force commander took part in the parade.
quds force parade
TEHRAN (FNA)- Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Major General Qassem Soleimani joined the nationwide rallies on Thursday to commemorate the 37th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. [FARS NEWS]
Syrian government forces backed by Russia are carrying out a deliberate policy of ethnic cleansing around the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu said on Wednesday.
This would not exactly be news...
"One of the aims of the latest attacks is to conduct ethnic cleansing. Ethnic cleansing in Syria and Aleppo aimed at only leaving regime supporters behind is being conducted by the Syrian regime and Russia in a very deliberate way," he said.
"Every refugee that we accept helps their ethnic cleansing policy but we will continue to accept [refugees]," Davutoğlu told a joint news conference with his Dutch counterpart. During the press conference, Davutoğlu also lashed out at the United Nations after it demanded the country open its borders to tens of thousands of more Syrian refugees, accusing it of failing to stop the Russian bombings that have triggered the exodus.
Davutoğlu said he considered the UN Security Council "two-faced" for telling Turkey to open its borders while not moving "a finger to solve the Syria crisis" or to stop the Russian bombardments. He also said the Syrian and Russian military operations were an attempt to drive out people who don't support the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
By taking in the refugees that have fled the city of Aleppo, he said Turkey would be indirectly contributing to what he termed as "ethnic cleansing." Davutoğlu reiterated that Turkey planned to care for the new wave of refugees at camps on the Syrian side of the border.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/11/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
Ethnic cleansing in Syria and Aleppo aimed at only leaving regime supporters behind
Gee, I didn't know that regime opponents all fell into the same ethnic grouping. Does this mean everyone except Alawites?
#6
"Every refugee that we accept helps their ethnic cleansing policy but we will continue to accept [refugees]," Davutoğlu told a joint news conference with his Dutch counterpart.
Iran is manufacturing its own tank - Karrar, instead of purchasing Russian T90 tanks, said the country's Defense Minister Hossein Dehgan. Dehgan said that Karrar has all the capabilites of the T90.
Is that good or bad?
"We are producing Karrar domestically," he said. "It is more advanced than T90."
Iran previously held talks with Russia regarding the purchase of the T90 tanks, however later abandoned the idea. Brigadier General Ahmad Reza Pourdastan, commander of the Iranian army's ground forces has previously said that buying the T90 tanks is not on the country's agenda.
“The Russian T-90 tank is one of our favorites,” he said, adding however purchasing this tank was later abandoned considering Iran’s domestic capacities for producing tanks.
“Iran currently plans to use its domestic capacities to meet its demand for tanks,” the commander said.
Sputnik news agency earlier reported that the purchase of T-90 main battle tanks would considerably rehabilitate Iran’s tank fleet.
The T-90 is considered to be among the 10 best main battle tanks in the world.
But not in the best three...
Currently it is the most commercially successful main battle tank on the global market, said the agency's report.
Under international restrictions, Iran has turned to domestic talents to improve its military power, frequently unveiling new products. Since 1992, Iran has been manufacturing its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles, radar, boats, submarines and fighter aircraft.
Meanwhile, Deputy Director General of Russaian Uralvagonzavod company Alexey Zharich said on Feb. 4 that his company proposed to license production of T90 in Iran if the UN sanctions on the country are lifted.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/11/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
Top 10.
How many main, as opposed to medium or light, battle tanks are there in production around the world?
Posted by: Sven the pelter ||
02/11/2016 9:13 Comments ||
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#2
Currently it is the most commercially successful main battle tank on the global market, said the agency's report.
Really!?! I thought that refurbished Leopard-2 tanks were Really more popular, or is that dated info?
Russian air defense missile system, S-300 is ready to be delivered to Iran, said the country's Defense Minister Hossein Dehgan. Dehgan said that a part of S-300 systems will be delivered to Iran in first quarter of 2016 and the remaining parts until the end of 2016.
Dehgan also said Iran can purchase the S-400 defense system in the future, if necessary. He said that Iran itself is manufacturing a long-range defense missile system, Barvar 373, which would be tested by March 2017.
Russia signed the contract in 2007 to sell Iran five S-300 ground-to-air missile systems. The $800-million contract to deliver S-300 air defense missile systems to Iran was cancelled in 2010 by then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, falling in line with the UN sanctions imposed on Iran due to its disputed nuclear program.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/11/2016 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
The Awami League-led 14-party alliance yesterday alleged that Pakistan was plotting against Bangladesh with the connivance of the BNP and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami.
Christians, homosexuals and women are fleeing asylum centres in Germany in ever growing numbers due to acts of violence, intolerance and crime perpetrated by Muslim men.
