[Daily Nation (Kenya)] The six Al-Shabaab ... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban... recruits looked anything but the fighters they claimed they were. They were young, slight in build, shy with forlorn, distant looks in their eyes and seemingly unsure of themselves.
On a sunny Sunday afternoon, two weeks after the Kenyan troops had conquered Somalia's port town of Kismayu, the cut-thoats' last urban stronghold, the young Kenyan men told the Sunday Nation of their desire to cross the border and join the war in Somalia.
The setting was a madrassa in one of the four mosques in the larger Dandora area in Nairobi; not at all a grandiose building but which nonetheless has played a crucial role in the youths' journey to Moslem radicalism or jihadism.
Hassan, 26, who had organised the meeting, said logistics had made it impossible for them to cross the border to fight the "invaders" as they referred to the Kenya Defence Forces and African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... troops.
The rest of them, Juma, 21, Ramadhani, 24, Ahmad, 30, Obeid, 23, and Salim, 22, nodded in agreement and then fell into a silent reflection. "But a way will be found soon, inshallah," Juma said after a while.
Dressed casually in jeans and T-shirts, they lamented about Al-Shabaab's defeat by the KDF and reflected on what this portends for the movement in East Africa, to which they had been recruited.
"The Prophet told us to prepare for such setbacks," said Ramadhani. "But it does not matter much because ours is a cause much bigger than any one group. If Al-Shabaab dies, another will rise in its place."
Sunday marks exactly one year since the Kenya Defence Forces rolled in to southern Somalia to battle the cut-throats blamed by the Kenya government for a series of cross-border incursions and kidnappings in the Coast. (READ: Kenya declares war on Al-Shabaab)
Even as Kenya and KDF celebrate the victory in Somalia, the six recruits are a sobering reminder that the shadow of terrorism is yet to pass. Al-Shabaab's extremism and ideology lives on through the young recruits.
Al-Shabaab was just one dark star in the constellation of the ultra-radical groups in the Moslem world dedicated to the cause of jihad, the holy war against the so-called infidels represented by the West and their allies.
"What we fight is a righteous war without borders, race or tribe. I hear the Mujahideen have risen up in Mali and, God willing, I will join them," said Salim, a quiet, soft-spoken fellow.
But Moslems such as Alamin Kimathi, who was held for nearly two years in Uganda in connection with the 2010 attacks in Kampala that killed more than 70 people, think that the zeal among young Moslems is largely informed by misunderstanding or misreading of the Koran.
"They have a zeal for their religion often based on little knowledge of Islam. Based on their backgrounds, they are prone to engage in anti-social behaviour and what better way to express that behaviour than in religion," Mr Kimathi said.
In understanding how the six youths came to join the Shabaab, their histories should be a cause for worry for anti-terrorism agents in Kenya and East Africa in general.
Obeid, from Ukambani, was known as Pius and was a Jehovah's Witness before converting to Islam in 2009. Salim, from Western Province, was known as Hillary and was a member of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God.
Hassan, from Nyanza, was known as Patrick and was a Catholic as was Ahmad, from Central Kenya before converting in 2009. The other two, Juma and Ramadhani, were born to Moslem parents.
They all come from the poverty struck areas of Majengo, Huruma and Dandora in Nairobi which have proved rich recruiting centres for myrmidon movements in the region.
Prof Eric Nandi of Masinde Muliro University, who has done extensive research on religious fundamentalism, said "socio-economic problems are very profitable religiously".
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10/14/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
I don't know. But this old man thinks they should get all the help we can give them.
#2
I don't know what kind of help you're alluding to g(r)om, but this old man is perfectly willing to see them helped to their raisins.
These are NOT children they are fully grown men and should be treated with respect by believing them when they say that they are ready willing and able to prosecute a war against us.
CAIRO: Egypt's top state prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud and President Muhammad Mursi agreed on Saturday that Mahmoud will stay, ending a crisis over his refusal to quit after being dismissed, officials said.
A lot of inside baseball follows. Suffice to say that Mursi is looking to remove all roadblocks to his having unlimited power.
Prosecutor General Abdel-Meguid Mahmoud spoke after a meeting with Mursi and his advisers to defuse a simmering crisis with the judiciary. Vice President Mahmoud Mekki told reporters Mursi agreed to keep Mahmoud in his post following a request from the Supreme Judicial Council.
Deputy state prosecutor Adel Said also said on state television that Mursi and Mahmoud met and sealed an agreement under which "the state prosecutor will stay on in his post." Said cited a "misunderstanding over his nomination as ambassador to the Vatican."
Mursi on Thursday fired Mahmoud, appointing him Cairo's envoy to the Vatican, but the state prosecutor refused to stand down, saying: "I remain in my post. According to the law, a judicial body cannot be dismissed by an executive authority."
The Islamist president's bid to remove Mahmoud bypassed checks on presidential control of the prosecutor, enraging judges after Mursi also unsuccessfully tried to reverse a court order disbanding the Islamist-dominated parliament. Mursi tried to remove the veteran prosecutor after this week's acquittals of Hosni Mubarak-era officials on trial for a deadly attack on protesters during the 2011 uprising that led to the long-time strongman standing down.
The verdicts triggered protests which culminated on Friday when supporters of Mursi clashed with his opponents in Cairo's emblematic Tahrir Square. The health ministry said 110 people were injured.
Activists who played a central role in last year's anti-Mubarak protests say that Mahmoud was responsible for "weak evidence" provided by the prosecution in the case and is an old regime loyalist.
Friday's protest was the worst violence over Mursi who emerged from the once banned but powerful Muslim Brotherhood to become Egypt's first Islamist and civilian president in June. Since then, however, he has been the target of much criticism from opponents ranging from Mubarak loyalists to groups which spearheaded the revolt.
Mahmoud on Friday said that he had received direct and indirect threats from a senior judge and an ally of Mursi who told him he could be assaulted if he did not step down.
The row between Mahmoud and Mursi highlights a deep rift between the president and the powerful judiciary, which accuses the Islamist leader of trying to detract from their authority.
Ahmed Al-Zind, head of the Judges' Club, on Friday was quoted as saying in the state-owned Al-Ahram daily that the judiciary was backing Mahmoud to uphold "the sovereignty of the law and the principle of separation of powers."
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[An Nahar] The U.S. envoy to Tunisia is calling for the trial of those behind a September attack on the American embassy during riots over a U.S.-made film mocking Islam.
Ambassador Jacob Walles, in a letter to appear in the Tunisian press on Sunday, said the "government has an obligation to provide security for its citizens and its guests."
He called on it to "carry through with its investigation and to bring the perpetrators and criminal masterminds of this attack to justice."
And he urged Tunisia's people to "speak out against violence and terror and to play an active role in shaping the future," saying "continued cooperation and investment in Tunisia requires a safe and secure operating environment."
On September 14, deadly festivities broke out between security forces and protesters, most of them appearing to be Salafists ...Salafists are ostentatiously devout Moslems who figure the ostentation of their piety gives them the right to tell others how to do it and to kill those who don't listen to them... angry over the film.
Some protesters hurled petrol bombs and then stormed the sprawling embassy complex before police fired live rounds and tear gas to drive them away.
Four people were killed and 49 hurt in the violence.
Walles said the the attackers inflicted millions of dollars of damage to the compound and burned more than 100 vehicles.
At the nearby American Cooperative School of Tunis, he said they destroyed, looted, and burned books, musical instruments and computers.
But Walles said the attackers did not damage U.S. commitment to supporting transition "from an unjust dictatorship to a free and tolerant democracy that provides security, economic opportunity and freedom to everyone."
The ruling Islamist party Ennahda has been strongly criticized for failing to clamp down on Tunisia's Mohammedan turbans, who have carried out numerous acts of violence since last year's revolution that ousted former strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
At least 87 people have so far been incarcerated You have the right to remain silent... over the incidents.
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[An Nahar] Fighters in Bani Walid say they are ready to lay down their lives to defend the besieged town of jagged hilltops which gave shelter last year to loyalists of slain Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy ...a reminder that a single man with an idea can change an entire nation, usually for the worse...
"They'll have to march over our dead bodies to reach Bani Walid," said commander Salem Waer who is leading military operations in the oasis town circled by gangs operating under orders of Libya's new authorities.
"No one will enter Bani Walid. All of us are fighters in Bani Walid. Either we live with dignity or die with dignity," vowed the commander.
Bani Walid, 170 kilometers (110 miles) southeast of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of thich 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... , was one of the last towns to fall to anti-Qadaffy rebels in the 2011 conflict that toppled the long-time dictator.
Many Libyans feel it was never truly "liberated" and see it as a shelter for regime loyalists and criminal gangs.
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#1
"They'll have to march over our dead bodies to reach Bani Walid,"
The facebook page with an anti-Islam picture that provoked the September 29 rampage against the Buddhist community in Ramu was photoshopped.
Somebody or a group had taken a screenshot of Uttam Kumar Barua's facebook profile page, cut out the address of anti-Islam website "Insult allah" and pasted it on the address bar visible in the image.
Once the fabrication was done, it looked like "Insult allah" has shared the anti-Islam image with Uttam and 26 others.
The Daily Star showed the screenshot to IT and graphics experts.
The paper has become sure that it was a manipulation done to frame Uttam, who is a local Buddhist, and wreak mayhem that left 12 Buddhist temples burned to ashes and dozens of houses damaged.
A very innocent story was also cooked up about how Uttam's so-called facebook page came to public knowledge. Omar Faruk, a youth of Ramu, claimed his friend Abdul Moktadir alias Alif, student of a private polytechnic institute in Chittagong, came to his mobile repairing shop in the evening of September 29.
According to Faruk, his friend signed in to his facebook account and made a scene finding Uttam's profile page bearing the anti-Islam photo.
Moktadir and Faruk claimed they had taken screenshots of the "profile page belonging to Uttam".
The fabrication of screenshot could be the first part of the plan behind the mayhem and bringing rioters from outside Ramu the second part.
Why the plotters chose Uttam's profile is not clear yet. Uttam, an underprivileged assistant deed writer, has been on the run along with his wife and child since the night of the incident.
One thing is evident in the screenshot that someone called "Abdul Muktadir" had entered Uttam's profile though he was not a facebook friend. Uttam's profile was not restricted.
The facebook account of "Abdul Muktadir" is not accessible anymore.
But Faruk's friend who came to the shop in September 29 evening is registered at Chittagong Polytechnic Institute as Abdul Moktadir. He was placed in long-term storage Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! by police on October 9.
"My son is a very bright student. He got stipend when he was in school. He has hearing problem but his memory is very sharp," said his mother Sajeda Begum at his house at Fakirabazar on October 6.
She refused to help The Daily Star meet his son Moktadir and repeatedly requested this correspondent to drop the idea of writing about the matter.
"He can fix mobile phone problems and he has very good computer knowledge as he studies computer engineering in Chittagong," she said.
Talking to this correspondent on October 3, Faruk expressed annoyance as his help was sought to reach Moktadir. He dropped out after class-IV, but he is skilled at repairing computers and mobile phones, he said.
Interestingly, his facebook account claims he studied at Ramu High School and Cox's Bazar Govt Collage. He set up a shop three to four years ago at Fakirabazar in Ramu. Locally known as "Faruk's computer shop", it is close to Moktadir's house.
Faruk denied link with any organization or political party. Sajeda claimed the same about his son Moktadir.
Moktadir admitted that he was involved with Islami Chhatra Shibir ... the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh... when he was a student of class IX and X in 2008-09 at Ramu Khizari Adarsha High School, according to a police official.
Moktadir's mother also claimed nobody among their close relatives has any involvement in politics.
However, some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them... one of her brothers-in-law is Naikhangchhari upazila chairman of in Bandarban. His name is Tofail Ahmed, who doesn't hold any official post but locally everyone knows him as a Jamaat leader.
Tofail denied his involvement with Jamaat and said he was in Islami Chhatra Shibir, student wing of the party, when he was student of Chittagong University.
Surprisingly, Sajeda Begum, while giving names and brief profile of her close relatives to this news hound, mentioned the brother-in-law as Ali Ahmed.
But when her brother said it is Tofail Ahmed, she looked embarrassed but explained nothing.
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Some anti-Islam images were already stored in Faruk's computer at the shop.
Faruk claimed to this correspondent he and his friend Abdul Moktadir quickly created some image files with screenshots of Uttam's facebook account.
They did this as two strangers in his shop were unhappy seeing the pictures on their facebook, he said.
They saved the pictures after the strangers left, said Faruk, adding that they had to download some software to do it.
Faruk said they created the files to prove to the locals that the picture insulting the Koran did not belong to them and was from Uttam's profile.
He also added that Uttam's account suddenly disappeared within a short time after they saved the images. Faruk's claim was very confusing as no one else, except the account holder, can deactivate a facebook account.
And, moments after the departure of the two strangers, there was a continuous flow of people curious to see the pictures. All of them were shown images stored in Faruk's computer.
The people with no knowledge about social networking site facebook believed that was Uttam's facebook page with the anti-Islam image.
Faruk and Moktadir not only exhibited fabricated screenshots of Uttam's facebook profile, but also stored many pictures downloaded from "Insult allah" and the Koran-insulting photo, which was later circulated from mobile phones to mobile phones via Bluetooth.
In fact, there were significant anomalies between the claims of Faruk, Moktadir's mother and other local witnesses who saw the pictures at Faruk's shop.
Many locals got the images from Faruk and Moktadir on September 29 evening. They were local journalists, Faruk said, adding he does not know their names but would be able to recognise everyone.
Faruk on October 3 claimed that he could not give The Daily Star the images since the Ramu police have been keeping his computer since the night of September 29.
The Daily Star got those pictures, but from Nazir Hossain, owner of a local computer-training shop. He said the pictures were spread from Faruk's shop and after September 29, he collected those from locals.
Locals and a police official said these are the images they had seen on Faruk's computer.
Faruk claimed the picture in question appeared on his facebook page. Moktadir first saw it and then him.
But the collected pictures does not support Faruk's claim. The account of "Abdul Muktadir" was used while seeing Uttam's profile page and taking the screenshots.
If someone does not restrict his/her profile, every facebook account holder can view some information of that person. Otherwise, a brief restricted version of the profile is seen.
This correspondent failed to reach Uttam for a comment.
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[France24] French prosecutors announced Friday they would appeal the lenient verdicts in a gang rape trial as public outrage over acquittals and soft sentencing grows. Women's organisations called the verdicts "catastrophic" and decried a culture of "impunity".
Lenient sentences and acquittals for 14 men accused of gang raping two teenage girls are causing a stir in France, where women's organizations decry what they call a culture of impunity and even politicians from the governing party have expressed shock at the ruling. The prosecutor's office said Friday it would appeal.
On Thursday, a court in Creteil convicted four of the men of repeatedly gang raping one of the girls in a tough neighborhood outside Paris more than 10 years ago. The 10 others were acquitted, including all those accused of raping the second girl.
Most of the prison time handed out was suspended. The longest term was for five years, four of which were suspended. The lightest term was for three years, all suspended.
Clothilde Lepetit, a lawyer for the victims, called the verdict a "slap in the face," according to the Sipa news agency.
The prosecutor's office for the Paris region said Friday it would appeal all four sentences and four of the acquittals, Sipa reported.
But that has not stopped outrage from many quarters, including from more than 30 women's organizations, which have started a petition online demanding a government response, including stronger laws to protect women.
"This verdict is catastrophic," the petition on www.change.org says. "It seems to say to victims, bringing charges is worthless, and to rapists, you will not be condemned or barely!"
The petition, which has gathered more than 2,400 signatures, laments a France in which few victims report their rapes, even fewer get convictions and where a woman who does come forward is immediately shamed and discredited.
While the petition is calling for better laws to fight violence against women, it recalls a debate earlier this year over rampant sexual harassment in France, where catcalling in the streets in considered a sign of appreciation and off-color remarks are common in the workplace. A new law now makes sexual harassment a crime punishable by jail time after the old one was struck down for being too vague.
Government ministers also expressed surprise and disappointment at the ruling. "This affair won't encourage ... victims to come forward," Health Minister Marisol Touraine said on French radio France Inter.
Before the prosecutor's office announced it would appeal, Justice Minister Christiane Taubira said she was dismayed by the verdict. This decision is "unacceptable from an ethical point of view and for the integrity of the victims," she told Europe-1 radio.
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10/14/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
LOL. Bring out the popcorn! Feminists vs. Islam.
You know, the French have to be lenient because otherwise the Muslims would riot. Feminists? Nah, not so dangerous.
Well, there goes somebody's career...
A US cruiser has collided with a nuclear submarine during naval exercises off the Atlantic coast, reportedly damaging sonar equipment.
Nobody was hurt during the incident on Saturday afternoon and both vessels were still able to operate under their own power afterwards, the navy said.
An anonymous naval source told Reuters the collision had caused the cruiser's sonar dome to collapse.The dome is a bulbous, rubber device on the bow of the ship beneath the water line.
The navy named the cruiser as the Aegis-class cruiser USS San Jacinto and the submarine as the Los Angeles-class USS Montpelier.
According to the Reuters source, the watch team aboard the San Jacinto saw a periscope rise from the water about 100 to 200 yards (metres) ahead of the vessel. The cruiser ordered "all back" but too late to avoid a collision.
#2
The sub captain's career is toast, and likely the cruiser's will take a hit, though honestly, he's not normally supposed to be able to see those subs, so not sure what damage his career will take.
[Dawn]
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday said that the condition of Malala Yousufzai, the child activist who was shot by the Taliban in Mingora on Tuesday, was satisfactory, DawnNews reported.
The ISPR said Malala was still on a ventilator at the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) and her vital organs were intact and functioning normally. Although, according to the report of the second CT scan, there was slight swelling on her brain's membrane.
"(The) health condition of Malala continues to remain satisfactory. Her vitals are okay and she is still on ventilator," the ISPR said in an update.
"A board of doctors is continuously monitoring her condition," it added.
A panel of doctors was monitoring the girl's condition.
Earlier on Friday, Director General ISPR, Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa, had said that "the next 36 to 48 hours" were critical.
General Bajwa had at the time said that a panel of doctors taking care of the injured Malala had described her condition as satisfactory.
"The neurosurgical and intensive care specialists are satisfied with the current condition of Malala Yousufzai, but still the next 36 to 48 hours are critical," the chief of ISPR had said.
Also on Friday, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf visited Malala, paying tribute to her and her two friends who were also maimed when a gunman boarded their school bus on Tuesday and opened fire.
"It was not a crime against an individual but a crime against humanity and an attack on our national and social values," he told news hounds, pledging renewed vigour in Pakistain's struggle with militancy.
The attack has sickened Pakistain, where Malala won international prominence with a blog for the BBC that highlighted atrocities under the Taliban who terrorised the Swat ...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat... valley from 2007 until a 2009 army offensive.
Activists say the shooting should be a wake-up call to whose who advocate appeasement with the Taliban.
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[Dawn] Awami National Party's (ANP) Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... Chief Afrasiab Khattak said on Saturday that attack on Malala Yousufzai has united the nation against militancy and Orcs and similar vermin therefore the political forces will have to decided now whether they stand with the nation or supporting bully boyz and terrorists.
While speaking to news conference after chairing party's provincial cabinet meeting Afrasiab said that some people were now trying to damage this unity against Orcs and similar vermin through different tactics.
He said that the nation should foil this conspiracy.
Responding a question, he said that the ANP will support every operation which will establish the writ of the government either it will be in Wazoo, Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... or Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... Replying to another question, Afrasiab said that ANP has extended its vote bank in Hazara, Southern districts and Malakand division and his party will when more seats in the coming election to form government in the province without any coalition partner.
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[Dawn] President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari ... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in ... on Saturday inquired after the conditions of the two girls who were also injured during the attack on Malala Yousufzai -- Shazia and Kainat, DawnNews reported.
The president moreover ordered the concerned authorities to ensure provision of medical treatment to both girls on the government's behalf.
He also summoned a report from the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... government on the conditions of the two girls.
Spokesperson to President Zardari, Senator Farhatullah Babar said the president today enquired about the health of Shazia and Kainat and said the quest for knowledge of all these children despite threats had illumined the path for all.
They represented the true face of Pakistain, were a national asset and had raised collective national consciousness against the barbarism of cut-throats and thugs, he said.
President Zardari also prayed for the early recovery of Malala, Shazia and Kainat.
Malala Yousufzai was shot and seriously maimed on Tuesday as she was leaving her school in her hometown Mingora, in the Swat ...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat... valley.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) later grabbed credit for the attack saying she was pro-West and had opposed the Taliban.
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[Dawn] Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf said on Friday the government was determined to root out extremism and militancy from the country.
"We pledge that we will not allow the future of our children to be endangered by the thug mindset.
"We pledge that enemies of Pakistain will never be allowed to succeed. We pledge that we will uproot this menace of extremism and militancy," the prime minister said in a brief statement to the media after visiting schoolgirl Malala Yousufzai who is fighting for her life at the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC).
In a clear reference to the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP), Prime Minister Ashraf said it was the same group which had assassinated Ms Benazir Bhutto ... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in... and "we pledge that we will not surrender the soul of the nation to them".
The terrorist attack on Malala appears to have galvanised both the military and civilian leadership into taking some bold decisions. In a forceful statement issued after the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee meeting held on Thursday, the military high-ups declared to render any sacrifice in the fight against terrorists.
The prime minister called for unity against the threat from a bigoted and radicalised mindset, which wants to rob us of our cherished values of peace, pluralism, moderation, tolerance and passion for knowledge. The attack on Malala is not a crime against an individual but a crime against humanity and an attack on our core moral and social values".
He said the nation stood united in condemning the brutality and degradation of those who perpetrated this heinous crime and the poisoned mindset which sought to destroy the country.
Paying tribute to the young Malala who is still at death's door, Mr Ashraf said she had created a national level movement across the country and rightly turning out to be the torch-bearer for girls who wanted to follow in her footsteps.
"The snuffies attacked Malala because they were scared of the power of her vision," said the prime minister.
With the military and civilian leadership taking a hard line against Taliban, the question being asked is if the PPP government is ready to take the ownership of the military operation in North Wazoo.
According to political insiders, exercise to create consensus on the political front similar to the one before the army went into Swat ...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat... valley against Taliban in 2009, was expected.
At that time, the government got a unanimous resolution passed from two houses of parliament in favour of the operation which the military successfully carried out in the Malakand division.
By taking leaders of allied parties to visit Malala, the prime minister indicated that an effort to this effect was already under way. He was accompanied by Farooq Sattar of MQM, Senator Haji Adeel of ANP, PML-Q Chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, PPP General Secretary Jahangir Badar, Federal Ministers Qamar Zaman Kaira, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Sheikh Waqas Akram and former Jamat-e-Islami MNA from Islamabad Mian Mohammad Aslam.
Punjab Chief Minster Shahbaz Sharif made a separate visit to the AFIC and inquired after the health of Malala.
"At this point and time, neither the PPP nor the military leadership can afford to have a solo flight. They need to have an across-the-board political consensus for a military operation in North Waziristan," said a PPP politician close to the top leadership.
And after the unprecedented national outrage against the Taliban for the attack on Malala, "I believe it's the right time to build momentum if the army is at all interested in launching a full-fledged operation in North Waziristan," the PPP leader said.
Talking to Dawn, a PPP minister said "eventually a decision for the military operation in the North Waziristan will be taken at the level of Defence Committee of the Cabinet".
President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari ... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in ... on Friday telephoned Ziauddin Yousufzai, the father of Malala. The president expressed grief and shock over the incident and strongly condemned the barbaric act of Taliban.
He said that through such acts the beturbanned goons had shown their real face to the world.
The president said that Taliban would never succeed in shaking the resolve of the people and the government to confront the menace head on.
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Ayman al-Zawahiri ... Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area. That is not a horn growing from the middle of his forehead, but a prayer bump, attesting to how devout he is... , the leader of al Qaeda since the late Osama bin Laden ... who was laid out deader than a mackerel, right next to the mackerel... 's liquidation, called for a holy war against the United States and Israel Saturday over the anti-Mohammedan video that triggered protests throughout the Middle East last month.
According to Agence La Belle France Presse and other sources, Zawahiri released a seven minute audio hailing "the honourable people.. who stormed the US embassy in Benghazi and those who protested outside the US mission in Cairo where they replaced the US flag with that of Islam and jihad."
In the audio released by media arm As-Sahab and posted on bad boy websites Saturday, the al Qaeda leader called on protesters "to continue to counter the US-Crusader-Zionist attack on Islam and Mohammedans and urge other Mohammedans to follow suit."
Zawahiri condemned the U.S. "whose laws allow attacks on the Mohammedan prophet and their holy book (the Koran), in the name of freedom of expression, while charging those who attack Jews with anti-Semitism."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/14/2012 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#1
I've always wondered why a blatant declaration of war on the US (or anyone else) does not mean that their should be open season on anyone and everyone associated with the organization making the proclamation.
If war is what they want then give it to them using all conventional and non-conventional means, including assasinations throughout the ranks.
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.
CAIRO: Egypt's top state prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud and President Muhammad Mursi agreed on Saturday that Mahmoud will stay, ending a crisis over his refusal to quit after being dismissed, officials said.
...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...
Wazoo
President Asif Ali 
Zawahiri
