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U.S. War in Iraq Declared Officially Over
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 1: WoT Operations
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Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Happy Birthday/Daily Gam Shot

Helen Slater aka Kara Zor-El / Supergirl / Linda Lee in "Supergirl (1984)" aka Sandy Kessler in "Ruthless People (1986)" aka Bonnie Rayburn in "City Slickers (1991)" aka Christy Wills in "The Secret of My Succe$s (1987)" aka Billie Jean in "The Legend of Billie Jean (1985)" aka Ellie West in "Betrayal of the Dove (1993)" aka Alex Weaver in "A House in the Hills (1993)" aka Laura Turner in "Lassie (1994)" (age 48)


Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 12/15/2011 0:23 Comments || Top||

#2  Bad monkey ....
Posted by: gorb || 12/15/2011 3:30 Comments || Top||

#3  Apparently, nature makes up for being negatively effected by Kryptonite:


Link
Posted by: Uncle Phester || 12/15/2011 19:53 Comments || Top||

#4  errrrr there's a way to make that easier....
Posted by: Frank G || 12/15/2011 20:05 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
Roadside Bomb Kills Afghan District Chief
[An Nahar] A roadside kaboom killed an anti-Taliban district governor and two of his bodyguards Wednesday in southern Afghanistan's volatile Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
province, an official said.

The governor of Khan Neshin district, Massoud Khan, was a fierce opponent of drug smugglers and the Taliban, who issued him with death threats, provincial front man Daud Ahmedi told Agence Francce Presse.

The governor, aged in his early 30s, was driving to work when his vehicle hit the device, Ahmedi said.

"The district governor Massoud Khan along with two bodyguards were martyred in the blast," Ahmedi said, adding that two other bodyguards were also maimed.

The Taliban was not immediately reachable for comment but roadside kabooms are the weapon of choice for the Islamic fascisti in their decade-long insurgency against international forces and the Kabul government.

Parts of Helmand remain highly unstable although bustling provincial capital Lashkar Gah is under the control of Afghan forces and three other districts are due to switch from NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and organization....
to Afghan security control.

There are around 140,000 international troops, mainly from the United States, in Afghanistan helping government forces combat the insurgency.

Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Africa North
Egypt Islamists try to hold lead in 2nd round vote
[Pak Daily Times] Egypt's rival religious groups sought more gains in the second round of a parliamentary election on Wednesday, with liberals also fighting for a voice in an army-led transition that began with the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak.
...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011...
Egypt's first free election in six decades is unfolding in three stages until January. Even then, the generals who stepped in when an uprising toppled Mubarak in February will not hand power to civilians until after a presidential vote in mid-2012.

The pragmatic Moslem Brüderbund, its hardline Salafi rivals and a moderate faction won about two thirds of party-list votes in the first round. But the Brotherhood has signalled it wants a broad coalition, not a narrow front, in an assembly whose main task is to choose a body to draft a new constitution.

"This is the first time our vote counts," said Fatma Sayed, a government employee voting in Suez east of Cairo, recalling the routinely rigged elections of the 30-year Mubarak era. "We want to retain our rights."

The military will still appoint the government, but the next parliament will have legislative powers. It will also pick a 100-strong assembly to write a constitution that will define Egypt's political framework after decades of autocratic rule. The constitution is already the focus of a tussle between Egypt's newly-assertive political class and the ruling generals, and may also become a battleground for religious and liberals. The army-backed cabinet sparked violent protests that killed 42 people last month after it sought to insert articles to shield the military from any future civilian oversight. That fuelled suspicions that the army wants to cling to power even after the presidential poll now expected in June.

Voting was peaceful in the first round although there was a host of electoral violations, such as parties campaigning outside polling stations or the late arrival of ballots. One district will hold a re-run after ballots were damaged or lost. The committee supervising the poll noted irregularities in the first round but said they were not serious enough to undermine the result and would be addressed in future rounds.

Troops outside a polling station in Suez tore down posters of candidates and parties on Wednesday. The Interior Ministry said the late arrival of supervising judges delayed the opening of 39 of the thousands of polling booths across the country. A party list led by the Moslem Brüderbund's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) came top in the first round, with strict Salafi surprise runners up. Liberals were pushed into third place and are trying to close ranks to fight back. "I think the major trend will continue (in the second round) with some minor changes.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  the islamists are employing various dirty tricks according to the Economist.
Posted by: Lord Garth || 12/15/2011 9:45 Comments || Top||


Bangladesh
10 pirates killed by Bhola mob
[Bangla Daily Star] Ten pirates maimed in a shootout with police were later beaten to death by a mob in Bhola's Bhashan Char on Monpura estuary yesterday afternoon, police said.

Also, the police recovered the body of an kidnapped fisherman from the scene. But it could not be independently confirmed whether 28-year-old fisherman Bellal Hossain of Char Nizam was killed in crossfire or earlier by the pirates.

Police insisted that the pirates killed Bellal after his abduction earlier in the day.

Law enforcers launched a hunt -- following the abduction -- for the pirate gang led by one Zakir. The raid by the police prompted a shootout with the pirates that continued for three hours.

Wounded in a hail of bullets, the pirates came to surrender to the police. But angry fishermen and other local people, who had accompanied the law enforcers during the raid, beat the pirates to death, police said.

Two of the dead were Zakir and his second-in-command, Bishu.

As many as 10 others, including two coppers, were maimed during the raid that started around 2:00pm.

Police recovered two firearms and eight sharp weapons, and five trawlers, including two snatched from the fishermen, from the pirates' den. The pirates threw their guns into the sea after they ran out of bullets, police said.

The bodies were kept at Monpura Police Station.

Yesterday's incident took place against the backdrop of an increasing number of attacks on trawlers in Meghna's estuary. According to Monpura police and witnesses, bandidos attacked more than 100 trawlers this month.

Abdur Rahim, deputy inspector general of police (Barisal range), Md Bashir Ahmed, Bhola superintendent of police, and Monpura Officer-in-Charge Mizanur Rahman, visited the scene later in the evening.

The Bhola SP said the pirate gang, Zakir Bahini, opened fire on two fishing trawlers at about 10:00am in the area. They captured the trawlers and kidnapped Bellal and Kasem, both fishermen.

Hearing this, a team of 14 coppers led by Sub-inspector Nurul Alam of Monpura Police Station and Sub-inspector Kamal, in-charge of Char Nizam Police Camp, chased the pirates by patrol boat.

When police reached Bhashan Char area around 2:00pm and asked the pirates to give themselves up, they opened fire on the coppers. Police fired back, SP Bashir told The Daily Star.

At one stage of the shootout, more forces came in. Around 600 rounds were fired from both sides, of which police shot 80, he added.

"We had around 60 law enforcers in the operation," Bashir said.

He, however, could not confirm whether the injured pirates died after being "beaten by the angry fishermen" or in the shootout. But SI Nurul said the angry fishermen beat them dead.

Another policeman, seeking anonymity, said the law enforcers had no choice but stand inactive in the face of agitated fishermen, who far outnumbered them.

Barisal range DIG Abdur Rahim said police found four pirates and an kidnapped fisherman dead, when they searched the area after the shootout. "The six others were beaten to death by locals as they tried to take shelter on a shoal," he said.

On Tuesday, police raided a hideout of pirates at Shahjalal Char on the estuary of Meghna and recovered a huge cache of arms and weapon-making materials.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Pirates

#1  Hmph. Amateurs.
Posted by: Ptah || 12/15/2011 14:58 Comments || Top||


Caribbean-Latin America
Mexican Army bags 4 more bad guys in Piedras Negras
For a map, click here. For a map of Coahuila state, click here
Four unidentified armed suspects were killed in an exchange of small arms fire in the Mexican border town of Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Wednesday afternoon, according to Mexican news accounts.

The gunfight and apparent pursuit was initiated in Las Palmas colony, continuing in Nueva Americana and Real del Norte colonies and ended on Avenida Prolongacion Perez Treviño. A Mexican army patrol ran into several vehicles manned by armed suspects.

Reports say an unknown number of soldiers were wounded in the chase and firefight.

The area approaching Piedras Negras is considered Los Zetas territory, which the group uses as a staging area for smuggling operations into the United States.
Posted by: badanov || 12/15/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


The Grand Turk
Turkish Police Detain 6 Qaida Suspects
[An Nahar] Turkish police jugged six people over alleged ties to the al-Qaeda turban network in western Turkey, Anatolia news agency reported on Wednesday.

Police tossed in the slammer the suspects, including the alleged regional head of the outlawed organization, during simultaneous raids at different addresses in western town of Kemalpasa and province of Manisa, Anatolia said.

Turkish security forces have regularly targeted suspected al-Qaeda supporters since twin suicide kabooms hit Istanbul five days apart in November 2003.

A Turkish cell of al-Qaeda was held responsible for the attacks, in which explosive-laden trucks first targeted two synagogues, and then the British consulate and a British bank, killing a total of 63 people, including the British consul.

Seven men were tossed in the clink for life in 2007 over the bombings, among them a Syrian national who criminal masterminded and financed the attacks.

Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Turkey

#1  Okay. But when will Turkish leaders stop funding Al Qaeda?
Posted by: American Delight || 12/15/2011 19:25 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Two FC men killed in mine blast
[Pak Daily Times] Two Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were killed and five others sustained injuries in a landmine blast in the Mand area of the Kech District near the Pak-Iran border, some 900 kilometres from the picturesque provincial capital, on Wednesday, 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...
Levies said.

According to Mujeeb Ahmed, an official of Balochistan Levies in Mand, a vehicle of the paramilitary troops was on a routine patrol some 60 kilometres from Turbat, when it hit a landmine placed by faceless myrmidons. In the resulting kaboom, two personnel were killed on the spot while five others sustained injuries. The vehicle was also destroyed in the incident. A large number of Frontier Corps troops rushed to the spot soon after the incident and the dear departed and injured were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital for an appointment with Dr. Quincy and treatment, respectively.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Taliban train for death at North Waziristan camps
[Pak Daily Times] Pakistain's Taliban say they have started peace talks, but in a mountain camp young recruits learn how to mount ambushes, raid military facilities and undertake the most coveted missions - suicide kabooms.

"America, 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...
and other countries could do nothing to us despite having nuclear weapons," said Shamim Mehsud, a senior Taliban capo training the fighters who hold AK-47 assault rifles and cover their faces with white cloth. "Our jacket wallahs turn their bones into bullets, flesh into explosives and blood into petrol and bravely fight them, and they have no answer to that," he said.

On Saturday the deputy commander of the Tehreek-e-Taliban said exploratory peace talks with the US-backed government were underway. The prime minister denied this and said Pakistain would negotiate only if the group, which has been waging a four-year insurgency, laid down its arms. There are no signs they intend to do that in the camp in South Wazoo near the Afghan border. It is in unruly tribal areas like this where the umbrella group is entrenched.

Taliban capos escorted a small group of journalists, including a Rooters news hound, to the remote camp. To get there without running into army checkpoints, they drove to North Waziristan, where the army has limited control, and then walked uphill for 15 hours over rugged terrain. On the way they came across fighters from Turkmenistan, a reminder that parts of Pakistain are a global hub for jihad boys.

What they discovered at the training ground is that the Taliban are highly disciplined and determined. They rise at dawn for prayers and then have a simple breakfast of tea and flatbread before the training starts. The forces of Evil jog in the high-altitude valley, and do push-ups, somersaults and jumping to hone the skills necessary for fighting in the harsh conditions on the border. In close-quarters combat training, fighters slam each other on to the rocky ground and then spring back up and chant "God is greatest." In another drill, one of the fighters wears a Pakistain Army uniform. Others sneak up, take him down and snatch his weapon. "It is my good fortune that I have been chosen for this holy task," said a 22-year-old fighter. When they are not training or praying, the fighters help carry supplies and ammunition to frontlines by mule and travel long distances to cities to buy food and other goods.

To relax, they play volleyball on a makeshift court and have wrestling matches where the contestants are cheered and taunted. One wrestler was asked how he would wage war when he could not wrestle. At night they tune in to the Pashtu services of Western radio outlets and usually don't like what they hear. "Why do they call us terrorists? America is the terrorist because it drops bombs on Mohammedans," said a 17-year-old called Malang, or free spirit.

A DVD player that is connected to a car battery offers fighters the chance to watch TTP videos of successful operations against the military. Sometimes the terrorists' communications radios cross signals with nearby army radios. One night the news hounds overheard a conversation between the enemies. "If you are so brave come out and fight us," said one fighter. "Don't worry," a soldier replied, "We are coming."
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan


Militants kill two lashker men, khasadar goes missing in Bara
[Pak Daily Times] Two peace lashker volunteers killed in Bara and a khasadar
...a rural policeman in Pakistain or India...
is missing. Two pro-government forces of Evil have been killed and three others sustained bullets injuries in the fresh shoot out between the Death Eaters and Khasadars along with peace lashker volunteers here in Shalober area of tehsil Bara, official and local sources said on Wednesday. The political administration official on the condition of anonymity said that at night hours fighting erupted between the Death Eaters and Khasadar force backed by peace lasker armed persons in Shalober area. Two volunteers of the peace lashker were killed while three maimed, who were shifted to health centers for medical aid, he added. He also confirmed missing of a Khasadar person in the clash. However,
we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by...
the local and other independent sources said that Death Eaters had kidnapped five Khasadar personnel and shifted to non-disclosed destination. The official sources also rejected the abduction of the five Khasadar personnel from Shalober area of Bara. Meanwhile a kaboom has injured two elders of Koki Khel tribe in upper Tirrah valley at Wache wane area.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Lashkar-e-Islami


Four people killed in Quetta firing
[Pak Daily Times] At least four people were killed and a woman sustained injuries in two separate firing incidents in the bustling provincial capital and Kalat district on Wednesday. According to the police, two persons were killed and a woman sustained injuries in the Killi Kamalo area of Quetta on Wednesday morning. According to sources, unidentified gunnies entered a house and opened fire on the inhabitants within. Resultantly, two people were killed on the spot and a woman sustained injuries. Police rushed to the spot soon after the incident and the dear departed and the injured were taken to the Civil Hospital for an appointment with Dr. Quincy and treatment, respectively. The dear departed were identified as Jalil Ahmed and Pukar Khan and the injured woman as Samina Bibi. In a separate incident, two people were killed in the Dasht Guran area of the Kalat district, some 150 kilometres from Quetta. According to sources, unidentified gunnies on a cycle of violence opened fire on people in Dasht Guran. Resultantly, two was struck down in his prime. The attacker managed to flee from the scene after committing the crime. The dear departed were identified as Ahmed Jan and Kifayatullah. According to the police, the incident was caused by an old enmity. Separate cases have been registered and investigations are underway.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


75 suspects arrested, torture cell recovered
[Pak Daily Times] At least 70 suspects were tossed in the slammer and a torture cell was recovered during separate overnight search operation in different vicinities of the metropolis on Wednesday.

The search operation was carried out by the law enforcement agencies in Pak Colony, Bahadurabad and North Nazimabad from where the police apprehended about 70 suspects and shifted them to undisclosed locations. According to sources, few of the detainees were later released after initial course of interrogation. The gangsters belonging to the notorious Arshad Pappu group of Lyari were also among the detainees.

The first operation was launched at Pak Colony's different localities, including Jehanabad, Old Golimar, Bhutta Village and Ghulam Mohammad Village.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Iraq
U.S. War in Iraq Declared Officially Over
[NY Times] The United States military officially declared an end to its mission in Iraq on Thursday even as violence continues to plague the country and the Muslim world remains distrustful of American power.

In a fortified concrete courtyard at the airport in Baghdad, Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta thanked the more than one million American service members who have served in Iraq for "the remarkable progress" made over the past nine years but acknowledged the severe challenges that face the struggling democracy.

"Let me be clear: Iraq will be tested in the days ahead -- by terrorism, and by those who would seek to divide, by economic and social issues, by the demands of democracy itself," Mr. Panetta said. "Challenges remain, but the U.S. will be there to stand by the Iraqi people as they navigate those challenges to build a stronger and more prosperous nation."

The muted ceremony stood in contrast to the start of the war in 2003 when an America both frightened and emboldened by the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, sent columns of tanks north from Kuwait to overthrow Saddam Hussein.

As of last Friday, the war in Iraq had claimed 4,487 American lives, with another 32,226 Americans wounded in action, according to Pentagon statistics.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2011 10:32 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Iraqi Baath Party

#1  Over for us maybe.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 12/15/2011 11:21 Comments || Top||

#2  Can we declare the Afghan war officially over too so we can leave that hellhole? Stop payments to Pakistan in the bargain...will save us $$billions and, far more importantly, the lives of our best and bravest.
Posted by: remoteman || 12/15/2011 11:53 Comments || Top||

#3  I'd like to quarentine about a dozen countries over there. No one in, no one out till they're toilet trained.
Posted by: AlanC || 12/15/2011 13:08 Comments || Top||

#4  I'd like to quarentine about a dozen countries over there. No one in, no one out till they're toilet trained.

I'm afraid the reason we don't is oil. But I still think it's a good idea.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 12/15/2011 13:30 Comments || Top||

#5  Do the Militants know?
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/15/2011 21:07 Comments || Top||

#6  Sure they do Joe - they are rubbing their hands together in anticipation of the slaughter to come.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 12/15/2011 22:01 Comments || Top||

#7  Panetta; the latest in a string of Bambi stick puppets. Right down to the ' Let me be clear,' Hope and Changey quote.
just another self-important POS selling our country downriver.
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 12/15/2011 22:40 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Two killed in Philippine bomb blast
...in what may have been a terrorist 'work accident'
A bomb went off aboard a motorized rickshaw near a municipal building packed with visitors in the southern Philippines Thursday, killing the two men on board. The bomb exploded less than a kilometer away from the town hall in Maguindanao.

"The (rickshaw) was moving when it suddenly exploded. The two people aboard were killed," provincial police chief Senior Superintendent Marcelo Pintac said.

Pintac added that investigators were looking into the possibility that the two men may have been planning to leave the bomb elsewhere but that it detonated prematurely. He said celebrations marking the founding anniversary of the town were going on and there were many people in the area when the explosion occurred, although no one else was wounded.
Posted by: ryuge || 12/15/2011 03:37 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  FYI a lot of Malayo-Indonesian Jihadis are off training + fighting wid the various ME, North African, East African. AFPAK + Central Asian MilTerr Groups = Islamist Insurgencies, to include the "Arab/Muslim Springs" Popular Movements agz long-established Regional Govts-Regimes.

Once trained + blooded, many will undoubtedly return back to their homelands to form veteran Cadres for the pourpose of waging Jihad agz the PHILIPPINES, INDIA + SE ASIA.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/15/2011 21:53 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Report: Syrian army deserters kill 27 soldiers in Deraa
Deserters from the Syrian army killed at least 27 soldiers and security force personnel in a series of clashes in the southern province of Deraa at dawn on Thursday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The British-based group said the deserters fought forces loyal to Assad's regime in two locations in the city of Deraa itself, as well as a checkpoint at a crossroads about 25 km to the east of the city.

Rami Abdulrahman of the Observatory said in clashes near Musayfrah, east of Deraa, all 15 personnel at a joint army and security checkpoint were killed.
Posted by: ryuge || 12/15/2011 04:03 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  God strategy to attack checkpoints and make the roads unsafe.

Wonder if they thought it up on their own?
Posted by: phil_b || 12/15/2011 4:31 Comments || Top||

#2  Moby troll!
Posted by: Beavis || 12/15/2011 6:28 Comments || Top||


Syrian Opposition to Meet in Tunisia on Friday
[An Nahar] The first congress of the Syrian National Council, the opposition's most representative grouping, will open in the Tunisian capital on Friday, an official said. The three-day meeting will be attended by SNC leader Burhan Ghalioun and about 200 other members, the outfit's Tunis representative Abdullah Terkmani said on Wednesday. Terkmani said Arab ambassadors and rights activists would also attend the meeting to be held in Gammarth, a northern suburb of Tunis. The congress was originally scheduled to have been held in September but was deferred due to the explosive situation in Syria.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Tensions High in Ain al-Hilweh after Assassination of al-Lino Bodyguard
[An Nahar] Tensions were high on Wednesday in the Ain al-Hilweh Paleostinian refugee camp after unknown gunnies assassinated one of the bodyguards of Paleostinian Armed Struggle chief Mahmoud Issa, who goes by the nom de guerre al-Lino, several televisions reported.

The slain bodyguard was identified as Ashraf al-Qaderi.

On August 5 al-Lino himself beat feet an liquidation attempt by two members of the hardline Islamist group Jund al-Sham.

Al-Lino's Fatah Movement has warned that Jund al-Sham and Fatah al-Islam
A Syrian-incubated al-Qaeda work-alike that they think can be turned off if no longer needed to keep the Leb pot stirred.
, another bad boy group, have become like an "octopus" that is seeking wider influence in the camp through recruiting young members.

Al-Lino announced on August 8 that it was time to clear Ein el-Hellhole and other Paleostinian camps from beturbanned goons threatening the Paleostinian people.

By long-standing convention, the Lebanese army does not enter the country's 12 refugee camps, leaving security inside to the Paleostinians themselves.

Ain al-Hilweh, the largest Paleostinian camp in the country, is home to about 50,000 refugees and is known to harbor gun-hung tough guys and runaways.

The United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
Relief and Works Agency for Paleostinian refugees (UNRWA) estimates that some 425,000 Paleostinian refugees are living in Leb. Others, however, estimate the number to be closer to 250,000.

Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Jund al-Shams


Ban Urges U.N. Action on Syria 'in the Name of Humanity'
[An Nahar] U.N. leader the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
said Wednesday that the international community must now act against the Syrian government's crackdown on protests "in the name of humanity."

Ban told a presser he has sent a U.N. Human Rights Council report on the Syrian regime's crackdown to the U.N. Security Council. This could increase pressure on the 15-nation council to act even though Russia and China vetoed a resolution on the crisis in October.

"In Syria, more than 5,000 people are dead. This cannot go on. In the name of humanity, it is time for the international community to act," the U.N. secretary general said.

Ban said the U.N. rights report, which highlighted that crimes against humanity may have been committed in Syria, had been sent to the Security Council and the U.N. General Assembly and it was now up to member states to take a decision.

"I hope that the United Nations
...a formerly good idea gone bad...
and the international community will be able to take concerted, coherent action."

The U.N. leader praised action taken by the Arab League
...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing...
against Syria.

League foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting in Cairo on Saturday to respond to Syria's proposal to admit observers in exchange for an end to regional sanctions.

Western nations, which proposed the Security Council resolution that was blocked by Russia and China in October, say they are waiting for the vaporous Arab League meeting to decide their next action.

Diplomats said Russia would almost certainly use its veto again unless there is a strong Arab lead on the Syria crisis.

Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria

#1  So, you gonna bomb the sh*t out of Syria, and when watch while Sunnis massacre all the Alawites & Christians, in the name of humanity?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/15/2011 2:04 Comments || Top||

#2  Of course. It's soooo much easier for the international governing elite to deal with a single power-bloc, instead of a handful of smaller ones.
Posted by: Pappy || 12/15/2011 11:45 Comments || Top||


Rights Activists Say 25 Syrians Killed in Attacks
[VOA News] Rights activists said Wednesday's violence across Syria killed at least 25 people, including eight Syrian troops who died in a retaliatory attack by suspected army defectors.

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the defectors ambushed a military convoy traveling through a village near the flashpoint city of Hama.

Hours earlier, rights activists said Syrian security forces opened fire on a car traveling through another nearby village, killing five civilians, while 12 others were killed by security forces elsewhere in the country.

The United Nations
...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society...
says more than 5,000 people have died since March, when the unrest first began. But Syria's U.N. ambassador has rejected that figure as "incredible."

U.N. Secretary-General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan...
told news hounds in New York that "the status quo in Syria cannot go on." "In the name of humanity, it is time for the international community to act," he added.

In Washington, a congressional committee on foreign affairs examined U.S. policy toward Syria. Some members questioned whether the B.O. regime should continue to advocate for a peaceful resolution in Syria in the face of widespread violence. Others echoed calls by President Barack I've now been in 57 states -- I think one left to go Obama for Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators...
to step down and end the killing, detention and torture of demonstrators.

Syria's uprising has turned increasingly violent in recent months, with defecting soldiers fighting back against the army and once-peaceful protesters taking up arms to protect themselves.
Posted by: Fred || 12/15/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria



Who's in the News
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1Govt of Pakistan

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Two weeks of WOT
Thu 2011-12-15
  U.S. War in Iraq Declared Officially Over
Wed 2011-12-14
  33 Civilians, 7 Regime Troops Killed
Tue 2011-12-13
  Mexican Army bags 11 bad guys in Tamaulipas state
Mon 2011-12-12
  Mysterious explosion kills 7, injures 16 in Iran
Sun 2011-12-11
  Syrian Opposition Reports Deputy Defense Minister Killed
Sat 2011-12-10
  Rival Yemeni forces said to quit streets of Taiz city
Fri 2011-12-09
  Twenty trucks torched in attack at Nato terminal in Quetta
Thu 2011-12-08
  Yemen's unity government announced
Wed 2011-12-07
  New coalition government formed in Yemen
Tue 2011-12-06
  Afghanistan: Kabul shrine attacks 'kills 34'
Mon 2011-12-05
  France Reduces Tehran Embassy Staff after Attack on British Mission
Sun 2011-12-04
  Iran police arrest 12 over embassy rally
Sat 2011-12-03
  US Hands Over Camp Victory to Iraq
Fri 2011-12-02
  Syria Sanctions Target Assad Brother, 16 Other Senior Figures
Thu 2011-12-01
  UK expels Iran diplomats after embassy attack

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