KISMAYO -- Jubaland security forces have captured two Al Shabaab suspects along with explosive devices and pistols in security sweep in the southern port city of Kismayo on Sunday, Garowe Online reports. Security forces commander in charge of the surprise operation that saw Guulwade and Shaqaalaha neighborhoods told GO that the two are under investigation.
Ahead of the upcoming Jubaland peace-building conference, police regiments beefed up their presence across Kismayo where the gathering will take place on Tuesday.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2014 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] The leader of the Libyan Revolutionaries Operation Room (LROR), Shaaban Hadia Al-Zawi, better known as Abu Obeida, has been captured during fighting near Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... and two of his commanders killed, Warshefana military sources have claimed.
A deputy commander of Warshefana's Khaled Al-Abeid Martyrs' Brigade told the Libya Herald that Zawi was currently receiving treatment in Zahra following his capture. The LROR leader is said to be in a critical condition, having lost one arm in the fighting and sustained a blow to the head.
There have been unconfirmed reports from the LROR denying the capture, with some claiming Zawi left Libya two months ago. Others have said that Zawi was taken prisoner and then summarily executed by the Warfeshana forces.
Two of Zawi's commanders, Muhamed Luwai Al-Bishti and Salah Wadi were also reportedly killed in the fighting over the past two days. The Warshefana source claimed Bishti had been killed while fighting, with Wadi, who had been from Warshefana but was also a leader within the LROR's Brigade 27, dying from grave injuries in hospital.
Zawi was implicated in the kidnapping of former Prime Minister Ali Zeidan ... served as a diplomat for Libya during the 1970s, serving in India under Ambassador Mohammed Magariaf. Both men defected in 1980 and went on to form the National Front for the Salvation of Libya. Zeidan spent nearly three decades in exile in Geneva after the defection. During the revolution Zeidan served as the National Transitional Council's Europe envoy, and is credited as having played a key role in persuading French President Nicolas Sarkozy to support the anti-Qadaffy forces... in October. His own arrest over alleged links to Al-Qaeda by Egyptian officials in January led to the kidnapping of five Egyptian diplomatic staff who were then exchanged for Zawi. Officials later denied they had caved in to pressure from the LROR saying its commander was nabbed You have the right to remain silent... on false pretences and released in accordance with proper procedure.
Washefana where the LROR has been fighting alongside its Libya Dawn ...aka Fajr Libya, the Islamist operation launched to counter that of General Khalifa Haftar (Operation Dignity). It is made up of the Libya Shield militia (Misrata and Moslem Brotherhood), Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room (Moslem Brotherhood), and Tripoli Brigade (close to Abdul Hakim Belhaj, head of Al-Watan party). Financing and moral support come from Turkey and Qatar... allies has had some of the worst violence in the west of the country visited on it recent weeks.
One man was killed and seven injured last night following rocket attacks which hit the town of Zawia just west of Tripoli. The missiles were reportedly fired from Libyan Dawn positions. Last week hundreds of missiles were reported to have rained down on both the Zawia and Washefana areas.
In response to the continuing violence the House of Representatives has allocated a budget for the region to tackle its humanitarian crisis. The Ministries of Health, Economics and Social Affairs in particular have been asksed to make provisions for displaced people from the area and to make ready whatever food and medical supplies available.
The National Council for Civil Liberties and Human Rights called on Saturday for a ceasefire in Warfeshana to allow for relief to reach the civilian population. It said civilians were being targeted without discrimination and that gangs within the area were committing various human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... violations including torture, kidnap and the destruction of property and homes.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Shaaban Hadia Al-Zawi, better known as Abu Obeida, or "The Black Knight"
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/17/2014 9:11 Comments ||
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[Libya Herald] There are reports this evening that one or more unidentified warplanes struck at targets near Warshefana and a camp near Zuara. Casualties and damage are not yet clear.
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09/17/2014 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] Sheikh Mohammed Al-Kilani, the controversial Islamist congressman from Zawia, is reported to have been killed today in fighting between Warshefana and Libya Dawn ...aka Fajr Libya, the Islamist operation launched to counter that of General Khalifa Haftar (Operation Dignity). It is made up of the Libya Shield militia (Misrata and Moslem Brotherhood), Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room (Moslem Brotherhood), and Tripoli Brigade (close to Abdul Hakim Belhaj, head of Al-Watan party). Financing and moral support come from Turkey and Qatar... forces.
Kilani, who once ascribed the failure of the GNC to the lack of gender-segregation among members, was suspected of being involved in the kidnap of Ali Zeidan last year. When protestors stormed the GNC this March, Kilani was allegedly beaten and briefly detained.
His death, if confirmed, comes little more than 24 hours after the wounding and capture of the leader of the Libyan Revolutionaries Operation Room (LROR), Shaaban Hadia Al-Zawi, better known as Abu Obeida, who has also been accused in involvement in Zeidan's abduction.
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09/17/2014 00:00 ||
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[Beirut Daily Star] orces loyal to former Libyan army Gen. Khalifa Haftar ... served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all... in Benghazi threatened to bomb the eastern city's port unless authorities there closed it to cut off arms supplies to Islamists, a senior commander said Monday.
Haftar's forces are fighting Islamist groups including Ansar al-Sharia ...a Salafist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends. There are groups of the same name in Libyaand Yemen, with the Libyan versions currently most active. Tunisia's Shabaab al-Tawhid started out an Ansar al-Sharia and changed its name in early 2014. It still uses the old name now and then, probably because the stationery's not all used up and the web site hasn't expired yet... h for control of the port city, which is the main entry point for wheat and other food imports into eastern Libya. Haftar emerged as a renegade commander fighting Islamists but has recently entered into a frail alliance with the government.
"We will bomb any ship approaching the coast and hold the port director responsible for it," Saqer al-Jouroushi, Haftar's air defense commander, told Rooters. Ansar al-Shariah had used the port to get ammunition and weapons, he said.
Western powers and Libya's neighbors worry the oil producer will turn into a failed state. A weak government has proven unable to control former rebels who helped oust Muammar Qadaffy ...a proud Arab institution for 42 years, now among the dear departed, though not the dearest... in 2011 but now effectively run the country.
The government has lost control of the capital Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... to an armed opposition group from the western city of Misrata forcing bigwigs to relocate to Tobruk in the far east.
In Benghazi, special forces have allied themselves with Haftar's forces to fend off Islamist snuffies which have overrun several army camps and are trying to seize the civilian and military airports.
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09/17/2014 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] A powerful kaboom killed five Egyptian police conscripts and an officer near the border town of Rafah in the restive Sinai Peninsula early Tuesday, in an attack that bore the hallmarks of a local al-Qaeda-inspired group, Egyptian security officials said.
The Interior Ministry and a security official said the bomb was hidden deep under the asphalt of a highway, in an area called Wadi Halfa, where a joint police and army force was passing early in the morning.
The official said the blast shredded the armored vehicle and tore the coppers's bodies to pieces. The force was assigned to detect explosives but it was unclear if they were searching for them at the time of the attack.
No further details were immediately available. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to brief the media.
Islamic snuffies have escalated attacks over the past year against police and army personnel in retaliation for the military-led ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi after mass demonstrations against him. Suicide bombings, liquidations and road side bombs have claimed the lives of dozens of coppers and army officers. Recently, murderous Moslems have beheaded men they accused of spying on them for Israeli intelligence.
While authorities blame Morsi's Moslem Brüderbund group over the violence, another al-Qaeda-inspired group known as Ansar Beit al-Maqdis has grabbed credit for most of the major attacks. The group says it is avenging the authorities' extensive crackdown on Morsi's Islamist supporters who have been staging near daily protests demanding his reinstatement. The clampdown has killed hundreds and tossed in the slammer Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! thousands.
The insurgency is more intense in the Sinai Peninsula, home to Ansar Beit al-Maqdis and other bad boy Lion of Islams. For years, the northern region bordering Gazoo and Israel has been a Lion of Islam stronghold and base for weapons and Lion of Islam smuggling to and from Gazoo.
Since Morsi's ouster, Egyptian military and police have launched a wide offensive against the Lion of Islams, but counterattacks continue.
Tuesday's bombing is identical to a September 2 kaboom that killed 11 coppers in the same area, also with an underground roadside kaboom detonated by remote.
Ansar Beit al-Maqdis grabbed credit for the attack days later, posting a video showing its preparation and execution as murderous Moslems shouted "God is great."
On Monday, the military said its troops had killed 56 murderous Moslems and seized large amount of explosives over the period between Aug. 31 and mid-September.
[IsraelTimes] Unidentified warplanes conducted four Arclight airstrikes on Monday near the Libyan capital of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , leaving one dead and five maimed, a front man for Libya's Islamist-allied militias and a militia commander said.
A series of mysterious Arclight airstrikes, which US officials have previously said were carried out by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, have reinforced the perception that Libya has become a proxy battleground for larger regional struggles -- with Turkey and Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates... backing the Islamist militias and Egypt, Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... and the UAE supporting their opponents.
The specter of regional intervention has cast a pall over the increasingly fractured country, which was plunged into turmoil following the 2011 NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... -backed uprising that toppled longtime dictator Muammar Qadaffy ...Custodian of Wheelus AFB for 42 long years until he was ejected from the gene pool by his indignant citizens... but gave rise to a patchwork of heavily armed and increasingly unruly militias.
Mohammed al-Gharyani, front man for the Libya Dawn ...aka Fajr Libya, the Islamist operation launched to counter that of General Khalifa Haftar (Operation Dignity). It is made up of the Libya Shield militia (Misrata and Moslem Brotherhood), Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room (Moslem Brotherhood), and Tripoli Brigade (close to Abdul Hakim Belhaj, head of Al-Watan party). Financing and moral support come from Turkey and Qatar... alliance, said the Arclight airstrikes targeted Gharyan, 50 miles south of Tripoli. He said gunnies told residents to leave targeted areas.
A militia commander, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... , said the strikes targeted Libya Dawn ammunition warehouses and weapons depots, and were aimed at weakening its hold on the capital.
An umbrella group for the capital's Islamist militias called the Operation Room for Tripoli Revolutionaries said the raid was carried out by Emirati warplanes and described it as "a failure."
Libya currently has two rival parliaments and governments. One is recently elected but based in Tobruk, where it moved after Islamist militias took control of both Tripoli and Libya's second-largest city, Benghazi. The previous Islamist-led parliament remains in Tripoli and is backed by the militias.
Prime Minister Abdullah al-Thinni on Sunday accused Qatar of interfering in Libya's affairs by sending shipments of weapons to Islamist-allied militias in Tripoli. He told Dubai-based Sky News Arabia that his government received reports of three planes loaded with weapons landing in Matiga air base, under the Islamist control.
He threatened to cut off relations with the tiny Gulf country, which until recently was hosting members of Egypt's now-banned Moslem Brüderbund group and is widely seen as backing it and other Islamists across the region.
Qatar rejected al-Thinni's accusations, with Deputy Foreign Minister Mohammed al-Rumaihi telling the state news agency that the allegations were "misleading and baseless." The Qatari statement noted that al-Thinni had said nothing about the reported Egyptian-UAE Arclight airstrikes.
The Islamist takeover of the capital followed weeks of fighting that forced nearly a quarter million Libyans to flee their homes. In the final days of the battle for Tripoli in August, a set of mystery Arclight airstrikes targeted Lion of Islam positions near the airport. But the attacks failed to prevent the militias from taking control of the airport and cementing their hold on the capital.
US officials have said that the August Arclight airstrikes were carried out jointly by Egypt and the United Arab Emirates --with Egypt providing logistical support for Emirati warplanes. The Emirates has refused to comment on the allegations, and Egyptian officials have repeatedly denied the claims.
Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE have all backed the anti-Islamist campaign of former army general Khalifa Hifter in the eastern city of Benghazi. But Hifter appears to have lost control of the city and is fighting on the outskirts.
Egypt, which shares a long border with Libya, views the rise of Islamist militias there with open concern and hostility, fearing they could be a source of fighters and weapons flowing across the border.
Egypt's current government came to power following the military overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi, and it has waged a massive crackdown on his Moslem Brüderbund group and other Islamist supporters.
With the United States building an international coalition to confront the radical Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria, Egypt has been pressing for an expansion of the coalition's focus to battle Libya's militias as well.
Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri told an international security conference in Gay Paree on Monday that the two conflicts were linked. Referring to the Islamic State group by its Arabic acronym "Daesh," Shukri said: "The international community should pay attention to other matters such as the proliferation of Daesh partners and similar groups carrying the same thoughts and dark goals, such as those in a country like Libya."
[AnNahar] A Saudi court Tuesday sentenced two men to death and 13 others to lengthy jail terms for killing a policeman and three civilians and forming an Al-Qaeda cell in prison.
The verdict was delivered by a court in Riyadh "specializing in terrorism cases," state news agency SPA reported.
The authorities set up specialized courts in 2011 to try Saudis and foreigners accused of belonging to Al-Qaeda or involvement in a spate of deadly attacks in the kingdom from 2003-2006.
The group, three of whom were foreigners, were accused of using a firearm to attack the coppers, killing one of them and three civilians and wounding 12 members of the security forces, SPA said.
They were also charged with setting up an Al-Qaeda cell in prison and planning attacks against foreign targets and kidnapping non-Moslems.
SPA said the cell planned to launch attacks on targets inside the kingdom "with civilian aircraft". They had also planned to attack a Saudi boat in an unnamed Gulf port, the agency reported.
In addition to the two men sentenced to death, another 13, three of whom are foreigners, were given jail terms ranging between 14 and 35 years.
Two Moroccans received sentences of 30 and 18 years respectively and a Yemeni was placed in durance vile Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! for 20 years.
The group has 30 days to appeal.
The same courts are currently trying several Saudis for allegedly belonging to bad boy groups and fighting abroad, particularly in Syria, and 13 people were placed in durance vile Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! for up to 10 years in jail on Monday.
King Abdullah in February decreed jail terms of up to 20 years for citizens who travel abroad to fight, after the conflict in Syria attracted hundreds of Saudis.
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09/17/2014 00:00 ||
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[Beirut Daily Star] A 20-year-old German man went on trial in Frankfurt Monday on charges he was a member of the Death Eater ISIS group, the first such case to come to court in Germany.
Prosecutors allege that Kreshnik Berisha, who once played for a Jewish football club, traveled last year to Syria and fought with the group before returning to Germany five months later.
Berisha, who faces up to 10 years in prison for membership of a foreign terrorist organization, was tossed in the clink Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! at Frankfurt airport in December and has been held in detention since.
Heightened security measures have been put in place for the trial, which is expected to last until at least November. It opens just days after Germany formally banned ISIS symbols and any propaganda activity for the group.
Authorities say more than 400 people from Germany have joined jihadist groups fighting in Syria since the start of the conflict there. Some are converts to Islam, but many - like Berisha - come from Moslem families that have settled in Germany.
Berisha's radicalization apparently occurred over the course of a few years. As recently as 2011 he appeared "very nice, unassuming," according to the chairman of TuS Makkabi Frankfurt, Germany's most prominent Jewish football club, whose under-17 youth team Berisha played for.
"There were no signs of what would follow later," said Alon Meyer, who coached the youth team one level above the one Berisha played on.
"This shows just how strong the forces must have been that turned a well-integrated player into an aspiring terrorist," he told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named in a telephone interview.
Meyer said the speed with which Berisha went from playing for a Jewish football club to joining a radical jihadist group underlined "how strongly we have to confront this kind of racism or we are in real trouble."
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09/17/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] CHARSADDA: Unidentified gunnies on Monday rubbed out driver of the Ayub Medical College, Abbottabad ... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden.... chief executive in an attempt to kidnap the doctor, who was later rescued by the local police.
Police on Monday foiled an attempt to kidnap Ayub Medical College Abbottabad chief executive Professor Mohammad Nisar, but the abductors bumped off the driver of the doctor in limits of Nesata Police station here.
Continued on Page 49
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[DAWN] MINGORA: Suspected bully boyz rubbed out three peace volunteers in Kabal tehsil of Swat ...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat... district on Monday, police said.
They said that peace volunteer Zahir Shah, also a teacher in a government school at Gul Jabba area of tehsil Kabal, was on his way to school when suspected bully boyz opened firing on him. He was killed on the spot after receiving three bullets in his head and neck, they added.
Two more members of village defence committee in Bara Bandai area of tehsil kabal were also bumped off by suspected bully boyz on Monday night.
Police said that Mohammad Zeb and Fareed were standing outside a local mosque after offering Ishah prayers when suspected bully boyz opened firing on them. As a result both of them were killed on the spot. Mohamad Zeb and Fareed were members of the local village defence committee.
The assassinations of members of village peace committees caused a sense of insecurity among the local peace volunteers.
Idrees Khan, president of Nepkikhel Amn Jirga, told Dawn that instead of showing sorrow over the assassinations, people should come forward to work against Lion of Islams. "It is our collective responsibility to fight for peace and eliminate terrorism," he added.
Mr Khan said that police and other law enforcement agencies did not have enough manpower to protect each and every resident of Swat that had a population 2.3 million. People should extend their support to the security forces in combating terrorism, he added.
According to unofficial data collected through different sources, more than 24 peace volunteers have been killed in Swat since restoration of peace in the scenic valley. Most of the incidents of assassinations have taken place in Matta and Kabal tehsils of the district.
Haji Zahid Khan, president of All Swat Hotels Association and a member of local peace committee, said that despite of tall claims about restoration of peace, the administration failed to arrest the people involved in incidents of assassination in the district. The administration should allow the peace volunteer to take steps for their protection if it could not fulfil its responsibility, he added.
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09/17/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] KOHAT: Three bad boys, a jacket wallah among them, and a policeman were killed in a fierce clash which followed an attack on a cop shoppe in Hangu district ... Hangu is famous for its greenery, hills, beauty and water. Most of the people of this area are Bangash & Orakzai Pashtuns. Part of the Bangash are Shia. The Orakzai and the Sunni Bangash are determined to kill them... on Monday. And on Sunday night, two brothers of a police official were rubbed out in their house in Dera Ismael Khan.
The Ansarul Mujahideen wing of the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP), which operates in Hangu, Thall and Kohat, has grabbed credit for the attack on Thall cop shoppe.
Continued on Page 49
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[AnNahar] U.S. warplanes carried out their first air strike on the Islamic State near Baghdad, as world diplomats pledged Monday to support Iraq in its fight against the bad boys.
The United States early last month began air strikes against IS positions in northern Iraq, but Monday's announcement that the campaign had targeted the jihadists near the Iraqi capital marks an escalation in the scope of the mission.
It comes less than a week after U.S. President Barack Obama Because I won... , in a primetime television address to the nation, ordered a "relentless" war against the Islamic State, including air strikes in Syria and expanded operations in Iraq to "destroy" the marauding jihadist army.
"U.S. military forces continued to attack ISIL (IS) holy warriors in Iraq, employing attack and fighter aircraft to conduct two air strikes Sunday and Monday in support of Iraqi security forces near Sinjar and southwest of Baghdad," U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
"The air strike southwest of Baghdad was the first strike taken as part of our expanded efforts beyond protecting our own people and humanitarian missions to hit ISIL targets as Iraqi forces go on offense, as outlined in the president's speech last Wednesday."
The strikes destroyed six IS vehicles near Sinjar and an IS fighting position southwest of Baghdad that had been firing on Iraqi forces.
They bring the number of U.S. air strikes across Iraq to 162.
- 'Any means' -
It came as representatives from about 30 countries and international organizations, including the United States, Russia and China, met in Gay Paree to discuss the crisis triggered when IS overran large areas of Iraq and Syria, carrying out beheadings and forced religious conversions.
In a joint statement, diplomats vowed to support Baghdad "by any means necessary, including appropriate military assistance, in line with the needs expressed by the Iraqi authorities, in accordance with international law and without jeopardizing civilian security."
They stressed that IS Lions of Islam were "a threat not only to Iraq but also to the entire international community" and underscored the "urgent need" to remove them from Iraq, where they control some 40 percent of the territory.
The Gay Paree statement made no mention of Syria, where Lions of Islam hold a quarter of the country and where Bashir al-Assad's regime still had friends around the Gay Paree conference table, including Russia.
U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... , attending the talks, stressed again that "we're not going to coordinate with the Syrians."
Although apparently we are still quietly giving the Syrians information about ISIS movements and positions. But really that's not the same thing at all.
However he added that Obama had made it clear that "he will hunt down ISIL (Islamic State) wherever they may be, and that includes Syria."
Not precisely he, himself, you understand, but his "people", the ones in uniform who do his bidding, ignoring all risk to themselves.
Another senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... , warned that U.S. forces will target Syrian anti-aircraft systems if they take aim at American planes conducting strikes inside Syria against Islamic State rebels.
On the ground in Iraq, sporadic festivities broke out near the town of Dhuluiyah, north of Baghdad, where security forces and allied rustics prepared for an operation against IS-led bad boys.
The area would appear to be the target of the next major drive against IS in Iraq, after a successful operation to break the siege of the town of Amerli farther north.
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09/17/2014 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Jordan arrested a senior member of the country's Muslim Brotherhood Tuesday on charges of "incitement" against the authorities, a judicial source said, as the group's political wing demanded his release.
Mohamed Said Bakr, a member of the Brotherhood's consultative council, was detained for 15 days by prosecutors after criticizing the government at an event marking the end of the conflict in Gaza, the source said.
The Jordanian Brotherhood's political wing, the Islamic Action Front, condemned the arrest.
"It is unacceptable that clerics and activists should be arrested on the basis of positions they expressed," said IAF Secretary General Mohamed al-Zayoud on the party's website.
Zayoud called for the "immediate release" of Bakr, saying that "stable regimes would not be threatened by a speech given at a festival or expressing an opinion."
The Hamas movement that dominates the Gaza Strip is officially a branch of the Brotherhood.
At the event in Amman on Friday, Bakr used insulting terms to describe Jordan's leaders, and accused the government of being "subject to the United States."
He also congratulated Gazans for their "victory" against Israel and said he was "waiting for and hoping to celebrate the victory of Jordan and the victory of Jordanian men and the victory of the Jordanian army, while we are on the longest frontlines" with Israel.
Formed in Egypt in 1928, branches of the Muslim Brotherhood appeared across the region in the following years. The Jordanian movement is tolerated by the authorities and has wide grassroots support.
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09/17/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Security sources say Gazoo group sent message through mediators that it would respect ceasefire, punish cell responsible for attack.
Security sources in Israel said Tuesday night that Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,tossed in the slammer ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... the holy warriors responsible for rocket fire on Israel earlier in the evening.
Militants had launched a rocket from Gazoo on the Eshkol Regional Council, three weeks after a ceasefire was agreed by Israel and Hamas. In response to the artillery attack, Hamas said that it was not aware of any rocket fire on Israel and that the group was committed to the truce.
Security sources said late Tuesday that after the rocket fire, Hamas transmitted a message to Israel through mediators, insisting they were honoring the truce and investigating the incident.
Israel told Hamas that it expects the group to act to arrest and punish those responsible for the rocket on Eshkol, lest the IDF be forced to respond. Hamas said it intended to arrest the violators and, shortly after, announced to Israel that they arrested the cell behind the attack -- assumed to be members of a rebellious faction.
After receiving the update, Israel sent a clear message back to Hamas: "We judge you by your acts and not your words; if those who violated the truce are not dealt with forcibly, we will be forced to act."
The rocket did not cause any damage or injury, though Gazoo-border residents are concerned that the delicate truce is coming slowly undone.
Immediately after the end of the fighting in Gazoo, Prime Minister Netanyahu, in a public address, claimed that during the operation "Hamas was severely beaten" but also noted that it was difficult to know whether the government's target -- a lasting calm -- was achieved.
Netanyahu also said then that Israel would not tolerate even a 'sprinkle' on its territory, though that promise has not quelled the concerns of Eshkol's residents.
"This is the real test," said one of the regional council's residents. "If there is no response, there will be more rocket fire. Rosh Hashana is here, and there is a feeling of deja vu; it is now up to the prime minister, if he does not respond there will be a second rocket, and a third, and a fourth."
[Ynet] Police said on Tuesday they tossed in the slammer Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! 22 Paleostinians in East Jerusalem overnight on suspicion of throwing stones and Molotov cocktails, as three months of protests showed no let-up.
It brought to 700 the number of arrests in East Jerusalem since July, police spokeswoman Luba Samri said in a statement, including 50 this month alone.
Among those arrested were 13 minors, who police said were suspected of having thrown Molotov cocktails at Jewish homes or at security forces in the past week.
[AnNahar] The army on Tuesday placed in durance vile Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! three Syrians who belong to a terrorist group in the Bekaa region of Baalbek, pressing on with a crackdown that started in the wake of the deadly Arsal festivities with jihadist bully boys.
"Army intelligence agents apprehended three Syrian members of an armed terrorist group near Iaat's intersection on the international highway" of Baalbek, state-run National News Agency reported.
They were taken to interrogation along with the car's driver, the agency added, without naming the terrorist group.
Earlier in the day, the army had staged "a series of raids on Syrian refugee gatherings and places of residence in the Akkar towns of Akroum, Mashta Hassan and Mashta Hammoud," according to NNA.
Several people were arrested in the operation.
Later on Tuesday, Syrian national Ayyoub B. Gh., 26, was arrested at an army checkpoint in Akkar's al-Abboudiyeh "while carrying a hand grenade in his bag," NNA reported.
Al-Jadeed TV, meanwhile, said the army arrested a number of Syrians in Alman, north of Sidon, noting that "they included a man accused of recruiting new members for a terrorist group."
On Monday, security forces arrested more than 25 Syrians during raids on refugee gatherings in the northern Koura district and the Northern Metn area of Dekwaneh.
[AnNahar] Several jihadists were killed and maimed in gunbattles with the Lebanese army that repelled their advance from the Syrian border town of Fleita into Lebanese territories, the state-run National News Agency reported on Tuesday.
NNA said that the army confronted the murderous Moslems on the northeastern border overnight after they tried to infiltrate Leb from an area near Fleita that lies in the Syrian Qalamoun region.
The gunbattles that ensued left several fighters dead and injured, the agency added.
Fleita is located near the Lebanese border town of Arsal, which witnessed last month heavy gunbattles between the Lebanese army and jihadists from the Islamic State group and al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front.
Fundraising. Al Nusra hasn't the resources of ISIS in Iraq, so they must do what they can to meet expenses -- and kidnapping is such a lucrative little game.
[AnNahar] Al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front released on Tuesday a Lebanese man, several days after it kidnapped him for allegedly "disagreeing" with the terrorist group's political views, the state-run National News Agency said.
Hujeiri, who is also known as Ahmed Hadiya, hails from the northeastern border town of Arsal.
On Saturday, a security source told Agence La Belle France Presse that the gunnies kidnapped him "because he disagreed with their political views."
An official in Arsal said Hujeiri was accused of "collaborating with Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... But NNA sad his kidnapping was the result of financial problems.
Arsal saw a fierce battle in August pitting the Lebanese army against jihadists from al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State (IS) group.
The fighting left scores of soldiers, civilians and jihadists dead. The murderous Moslems, who withdrew to the Qalamoun mountains across the border, kidnapped Lebanese troops and coppers.
Two of the kidnapped troops have since been beheaded, despite attempts mediated through Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates... to solve the hostage crisis.
Also Tuesday, a Paleostinian businessman, who was kidnapped in the town of Douris in the district of Baalbek, was released.
NNA said Mohammed Khaled Ismail, a Paleostinian expatriate in Denmark, was set free a day after his abduction following the mediation of certain political parties.
[AnNahar] The Army Intelligence had detained recently a "dangerous" Saudi national, reportedly the leader of a group affiliated to the Islamist State of Iraq and the Levant, As Safir newspaper reported on Tuesday.
The Saudi national, whose identity remained unknown, was incarcerated Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! at the Rafik Hariri International Airport as he arrived from Turkey.
Sources told the newspaper that his arrest comes in light of information obtained by security agencies that he leads a terrorist group in Syria, comprised of more than 100 jihadists.
The sources pointed out that the army detained several runaways, suspected of having links with terrorist groups, during raids carried out across Leb.
The army began cracking down on Syrian encampments after troops battled jihadists who overran the northeastern border town of Arsal in August.
A Syrian national was also arrested at the northern city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , reportedly a field commander at ISIL.
His 15-year-old son was also apprehended.
There are fears that jihadists from the Islamic State, which has captured a swathe of Iraq and Syria, would threaten to destabilize the security situation in Leb.
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09/17/2014 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] Jihadists shot down a Syrian warplane conducting strikes on the Islamic State group stronghold of Raqa on Tuesday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said.
"IS fighters fired on a military aircraft which crashed," the Britannia-based group said.
"It is the first aircraft shot down since the regime launched air strikes against the jihadists in July following their declaration of a caliphate in late June," said the group, which relies on a wide network of doctors and activists for its reports.
Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told Agence La Belle France Presse that the plane was carrying out strikes on the IS stronghold of Raqa when it was hit.
It crashed into a house in the Euphrates Valley city, the sole picturesque provincial capital entirely out of Syrian government control, causing deaths and injuries on the ground, he added.
A photograph posted on a jihadist Twitter account purported to show the burnt-out wreckage of the plane.
"Allahu Akbar (God is greater), thanks to God we can confirm that a military aircraft has been shot down over Raqa," another account said, congratulating the "lions of the Islamic State."
The plane is far from the first Syrian government aircraft downed by opposition forces, but it comes after Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ... 's regime stepped up its air campaign against IS in eastern Syria.
In recent weeks it has repeatedly targeted the group's Euphrates valley strongholds in Raqa and Deir Ezzor provinces and jihadist-held areas of the northeastern province of Hasakeh.
An air strike on an IS training camp in the Deir Ezzor town of Tibni killed 17 Lions of Islam and a child on Saturday.
Elsewhere in Syria on Tuesday, the Observatory said at least two members of regime forces were killed in festivities with rebels including al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front in Damascus province.
The fighting in Dakhaniya, near the eastern outskirts of Damascus, also killed 12 opposition fighters overnight, the Observatory said.
Rebel forces seized the area near Jobar in east Damascus and adjacent to the opposition stronghold of Eastern Ghouta last week and regime forces are fighting to reclaim it.
In the capital, meanwhile, the Observatory said the toll in a failed rebel attempt to infiltrate a district of the Old City had risen to 11 opposition fighters killed.
They were killed in festivities after they entered the Midan neighborhood through a sewer in the early hours of Monday, security sources said.
After fierce fighting in the capital in 2012, regime forces expelled rebel fighters from the heart of the city, but they remain in several strongholds on its outskirts.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/17/2014 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
KISMAYO -- Jubaland security forces have captured two Al Shabaab suspects along with explosive devices and pistols in security sweep in the southern port city of Kismayo on Sunday, Garowe Online reports. Security forces commander in charge of the surprise operation that saw Guulwade and Shaqaalaha neighborhoods told GO that the two are under investigation.
[Libya Herald] The leader of the Libyan Revolutionaries Operation Room (LROR), Shaaban Hadia Al-Zawi, better known as Abu Obeida, has been captured during fighting near 
[Libya Herald] Sheikh Mohammed Al-Kilani, the controversial Islamist congressman from Zawia, is reported to have been killed today in fighting between Warshefana and 
[IsraelTimes] A powerful 
[Beirut Daily Star] A 20-year-old German man went on trial in Frankfurt Monday on charges he was a member of the
[DAWN] MINGORA: Suspected 
[DAWN] KOHAT: Three
[AnNahar] U.S. warplanes carried out their first air strike on the Islamic State near Baghdad, as world diplomats pledged Monday to support Iraq in its fight against the
[Ynet] Security sources say 
[AnNahar] The army on Tuesday 
[AnNahar] The Army Intelligence had detained recently a "dangerous" Saudi national, reportedly the leader of a group affiliated to the Islamist State of Iraq and the Levant, As Safir newspaper reported on Tuesday.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
