GAROWE, Somalia -- Militia led by the self declared Khaatumo leader Mohamed Yusuf Jama (Indhosheel) Sunday arrived in Taleh district of Sool region, Garowe Online reports.
This is the part between Puntland and Somaliland that each wants for their own, just because. The locals are cursing the mustaches on both sides. Festivities are common...
The armed militia in fighting vehicles faced no resistance, with independent sources in Taleh reporting that Khaatumo leader attended celebrations marking the second anniversary of the phantom administration shortly after his arrival.
According to a footage posted on You Tube, Indhosheel said: "If the neighboring administrations [Puntland and Somaliland] join their hands for the destruction of Khaatumo State, they will never succeed in their conspiracy goals".
Continuing, Khaatumo leader accused unidentified agents of shedding the blood of innocent Khaatumo civilians and called for the formation of statue for those who lost their lives for the sake of Khaatumo.
Despite a deadly attack by Indhosheel militiamen, the outgoing Puntland Vice President Gen. Abdisamad Ali Shire visited Taleh in November 2013 in an effort to reconcile the local communities.
Khatumo is a self-declared administration in Sool and Sanaag regions, where Puntland and Somaliland have vied for control since 2002 with irregular armed confrontations. In January 2012, the convention that formed Khatumo was held in Taleh town, but many Khatumo leaders have joined Puntland, including Ahmed Elmi Osman (Ahmed Karash).
The historic town of Taleh, lies 90km northwest of Garowe, capital of Puntland and has been a headquarters for Khaatumo administration that was founded by politician and Federal MP, Dr. Ali Khalif Galaydh.
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[Shabelle] Abdullahu Abdi Ibeey who is the current district commissioner of Afgoye district located in Somalia's lower Shabelle region has denied allegations that Somali Government troops died during yesterday's guerilla yesterday's attack which caused heavy casualties whereby the corpse count increased from 4 to 10, a while scores were maimed and a motor cycle looted.
However, a lie repeated often enough remains a lie... the commissioner insisted that the attacked base belonged to a militia group who wore government dressings and confirmed to Shabelle that the group who carried out the attacks were Alshabab fighter's.
These come after yesterday's attack on Army base located at a village near Afogeye town.
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[Shabelle] the newly elected president of Somalia's Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... state has stated that his major priority for the region is to eradicate Alshabab krazed killers.
Prof Abdiwali Mohammed Gaas who defeated Farole on last Thursday emphasized to cleanses shabab bully boyz who are hiding in some parts of the region.
"they (Alshabab) are hiding in some parts of the region including Galgala mountains and our major plan is to wipe them out" said Gaas in a presser.
finally Mr Gas has called on the hiding opponents for talks but promised to fight them if they are not ready
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[An Nahar] The leaders of Mali and Mauritania on Sunday signed an accord to boost military cooperation and information sharing in the battle against "gangs or terrorists" plaguing the west African neighbors.
Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, elected in August 2013 after months of turbulence in which Islamists seized the northern half of his country, signed the deal on a state visit to Nouakchott.
He and his Mauritanian counterpart Mohammed Ould Abdel Aziz "agreed not to tolerate the presence of any armed or terrorist group that could potentially destabilize" either country, according to a joint statement.
They also agreed to boost cooperation between their armed forces with "periodic meetings, the regular exchange of information and close consultations."
The two Sahel nations are both threatened by gangs including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which is involved in kidnappings for ransom, arms and drug trafficking and attacks.
AQIM was one of the groups which spearheaded the Islamic takeover of northern Mali for nine months in 2012, installing a brutal version of sharia law in cities under the control of bully boy groups.
The Islamists were driven out by a French-led military intervention launched last January, but continue to infest the vast northern desert, launching sporadic but deadly attacks on Malian troops and United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... peacekeepers.
Mauritania's Aziz has actively fought AQIM's presence in the region, and his troops launched raids on their bases in Mali in 2010 and 2011.
The two leaders also called for "greater cooperation between all Sahel-Saharan countries to coordinate operations in the fight against armed terrorists, narcos and illicit smuggling."
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[MAGHAREBIA] A young journalist in Mauritania faces a possible death sentence after being convicted of apostasy for an article criticising the prophet Mohammed, AFP reported Monday (January 6th).
Mohammed Cheikh Ould Mohammed was jugged Please don't kill me! January 2nd in Nouadhibou and "was convicted of lack of respect for the prophet", a judicial source told AFP.
In Nouadhibou, a businessman even offered up money to anyone willing to kill Ould Mohammed.
In describing the January 3rd incident, Nouadhibou-based journalist Mostafa el-Sayed told Magharebia that "businessman and preacher Abi Ould Ali, a resident of Nouadhibou, said during a protest against the offending article that he was willing to pay 4,000 euros to anyone who killed the young author, unless he announced his repentance within three days."
Yet many who denounced the article were angered by the businessman's incitement to murder, saying it pushed society towards terrorism.
"Incitement to murder is a bad pattern and a negative way of thinking," artist Khaled Moulay Idriss said.
Sahara Media journalist Cheikh Mohammed Horma agreed, noting: "The call made by the businessman is a clear incitement to kill and he is legally responsible for what the young man may suffer."
Punishment falls under the responsibility of the judiciary and the state, he added.
"Those who incite to murder want to terrorise us," young researcher Salihy Ould Ab said. They are just a group of salafists and Islamists who want us to erase our minds and refrain from thinking and criticism."
"They are inciting people to kill a young man just because he wrote an analytical article in which he referred to some of the positions of the Prophet Mohammed. This means that Mauritania is on the verge of entering an era of terrorism," Ould Ab wrote on his Facebook page.
Boone Ould Doff, a famous cartoonist, told Magharebia that the threat was "the language of the mafia".
"I am totally against it," he continued. "The sinner or criminal should have been brought to justice so that justice takes its course. That is where the final decision or final judgment should be made. I understand that dealing with sacred issues can prompt reactions from the faithful, those might be right or wrong."
Meanwhile, ...back at the the conspirators' cleverly concealed hideout the long-awaited message arrived. They quickly got to work with their decoder rings... Mauritanian Mohammedan thinker Mohammed Ould Mokhtar Changuiti said that there was no evidence of executing apostates in Islam. He considered the journalist's matter a personal one.
Mohammed Mahdi Ould Mohammed Bashir, a researcher in traditional sciences and Islamic law, also noted that thinkers such as Ibrahim Nakha'i, Sheikh Mahmoud Shaltout, Dr Hassan al-Turabi, Dr Taha Jabir al-Alwani and Imam al-Baji considered apostasy a sin between a person and God.
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[ENCA] JOHANNESBURG - The Broadcasting Complaints Commission of SA (BCCSA) will not impose a blanket ban on the use of the term "Islamist krazed killers" in the media, it said on Sunday.
"Such an approach by the tribunal would smack of censorship, which goes against the basic precepts of our democracy," BCCSA tribunal chairman Kobus van Rooyen said in his judgment.
Van Rooyen headed a hearing stemming from a complaint that SABC news used the term a news bulletin about oil revenues, on 30 October.
"The SABC has apologised for having used the words 'Islamist krazed killers' in a context where no link to Islam itself, as a motivation for the deeds, could be shown," Van Rooyen said.
He said their "apology was clear, giving the reassurance that such matters would, in future, be approached with utmost diligence".
He said the complainant had however not been satisfied with the apology and wanted "islamist krazed killers" not to be used in the media under any circumstances.
The complainant, United Moslem Nations International leader Sheik Faarooq al Mohammedi called for "an end to this pandemic of misinformation...The media purposefully engages in defamation of Islam by labelling Islam as a krazed killer religion to incite hatred, fear and cause Islamophobia ...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do... ".
Van Rooyen said it would be unwise to categorically ban certain words.
"If a solid factual basis exists for such a term, it may be used... Each case must be decided on its own merits, and words have different meanings in different contexts."
The complaint related to the specific broadcast was upheld. No sanction against SABC news was issued due to its prior apology.
Mohammedi and the Al Jama-Ah political party had previously approached the Press Ombudsman in a bid to have the words "militant Islam" and "Islamic krazed killers" banned in the media.
The ombudsman, Johan Retief, declined to do so, saying he could not instruct publications on editorial content or policy.
"Our office cannot and never will instruct any newspaper to refrain from publishing anything that would amount to censorship," Retief said in a statement issued in October.
According to the independent news website WND, Al Mohammedi is the author of a 23-page booklet containing a plan to "wipe Christianity from the face of the earth".
The plan seeks to Islamise the West and to establish an Islamic system of world government, placing those who resist under a police state.
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[AFRIQUEJET] The Nigerian Defence Headquarters Friday announced the release of over 165 Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... suspects in its custody. Military front man, Maj.-Gen. Chris Olukolade, said that the suspects were apprehended in the course of military operations on the war on terror in three states in the North-East.
The release is in compliance with a directive from President Goodluck Jonathan ... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau... , he said.
The suspects had earlier been recommended for release by the Joint Investigation Team (JIT), set up by the Defence Headquarters last year.
Of the number, 157 are from facilities in North Eastern violent-prone States of Borno, nine from Yobe and one from Adamawa.
In May last year, other detainees, particularly women and kiddies, were released under the same Presidential directive.
Olukolade added that "more suspects in this category are also to benefit from the present exercise."
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[DAILYPOST.NG] Barely four days after gunnies suspected to be members of Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... burnt down a Church and the country home of a serving member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Peter Biye in Gwoza town, another group of Death Eaters on Sunday launched a fresh attack in Sabon Gari Village in Hambagda Jaji ward of Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno state killing 8 people, while several residents sustained gunshot injuries.
This is even as Honourable Biye told DailyPost in Maiduguri that since the beginning of the endless Boko Haram attacks, over 200 churches have been completely razed down, leaving only 8 functional churches in the whole of Gwoza Council area.
It would be recalled that on the 8th of January this year, about 8 gunnies stormed the politician's village, a Christian dominated community, at about 8 pm and carted away over 70 domestic animals before setting the buildings ablaze.
The gunnies while in Biye's house, burnt a consignment of sorghum, which was meant for distribution to people to cushion their hardships.
They also burnt 30,000 pieces of exercise books, 30,000 packets of biro,
...a brand of ballpoint pen. In British English and other languages the word "Biro" is often used as a generic term for any ballpoint pen.
sawing machines, generating pump machines, 30,000 packets of chalk among others, which he bought at the cost of over N38 million for distribution to schools and people in his constituency.
The politician, who is the only Christian House of Representatives member from Borno State, lamented that since he was elected by the people of his constituency, there have been series of attacks targeted at the Christian communities in Gwoza, Chibok and Damboa council areas, a situation that forced him to stop visiting his people, including his family members for the past two years.
Biye, who said no life was lost in the house, however, expressed dismay over what he described as "non- challant attitude" of security operatives to secure his constituency, which is one of the worst areas hit by Boko Haram crisis.
He revealed that, prior to the attack on his house by the snuffies last week, he had earlier alerted the security authorities that there was a plan by Death Eaters to attack his village, but all plea to the security authorities to deploy their men to the area fell on deaf ears.
On the Sabon Gari village weekend attack which claimed the lives of eight people in Gwoza council, Biye said, the gunnies stormed the village in the night and opened fire on residents before they fled without being incarcerated Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! .
"What is happening in my constituency is very unfortunate, people are being killed by Death Eaters on daily basis, churches are being burnt, and if people like my Honourable self, who is also a member House Committee on Army will alert military authorities that based on intelligent report, my village will be under attack by terrorists, and nothing could be done to secure the area, then it is unfortunate, because an ordinary citizen of this country, especially those from volatile areas are no longer safe or protected by our security outfit.
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01/13/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Why cant muslims live alongside other religions?
[Dhaka Tribune] The BNP, who earlier vehemently opposed the court's ruling that scrapped the caretaker government system terming it interference, has moved to the High Court asking it to cancel the just-concluded parliamentary poll.
The opposition party yesterday afternoon filed a writ petition also urged the court to pass an order to the government to hold a fresh election with the participation of all political parties and people.
Zainal Abdin Farroque, the chief whip of the opposition in ninth parliament and central publicity secretary of the BNP, on Sunday afternoon registered a writ petition amid their blockade programme.
The petition says the oath of MPs is contrary to the constitution as articles 123(3) and 148(3) make it clear that taking an oath means assuming office and the MPs of the 10th parliament cannot take over office until the ninth parliament expires on January 24.
Nasir Uddin Ahmed Ashim, the lawyer and central human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. secretary of the BNP, said the Election Commission issued the gazette notification on 289 constituencies with "malafide intention" which was an excuse of the ruling party to take the oath before January 25.
However, Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried... if the premier advised the president to dissolve the ninth parliament, the question could not be surfaced, he said.
Cabinet secretary, law secretary, Prime Minister Office secretariat secretary, Chief Election Commissioner, other election commissioners, speaker, parliament secretary and EC secretary were the respondents in the petition of Farroque.
Earlier in the morning, a Supreme Court lawyer in another writ challenged the legality of the Election commission's gazette notification on the results of 289 constituencies of the 10th parliamentary elections, MP's oath taking, and president's call to form the new government. Eunus Ali Akond, the lawyer, said the new MPs can take oath within 90 days from the first session of the parliament, according to the article 67 of the constitution, he said.
"As there is no time limit in the constitution and RPO, the EC may issue the notification after January 24," said the petitioner.
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[Al Ahram] Sheikh Hasina was sworn in for a third spell as Bangladesh's prime minister on Sunday after a deadly general election boycotted by the opposition amid an ongoing political crisis.
President Abdul Hamid administered the oath at the presidential palace in the capital in a ceremony broadcast live on television channels, one week after the polls condemned by the opposition as a farce.
"I am, Sheikh Hasina, taking oath... that I will discharge my duties faithfully as the prime minister of the government as per the law," Hasina said, prompting applause during the ceremony which included recitations from the Koran.
Hasina's 48 cabinet colleagues were also sworn into office during the ceremony attended by about 1,000 government and top military officials, along with foreign diplomats and newly elected members of parliament.
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Jihad Watch via Gates of Vienna
Although Leftists and Islamic supremacists, as well as hard-Left governing and media elites, will continue to insist that there is something wrong with opposing jihad terror and Islamic supremacism because of this mass murderer, and will continue to claim that I and others somehow "inspired" him, it has been clear for quite some time that Breivik was not a counter-jihadist at all, and could not have been and was not incited to violence by the counter-jihad movement. And now he has finally admitted that his entire "manifesto" was intended solely to discredit the counter-jihad movement once he committed his murders. Damfino, seems just a bit too pat
[DAWN] Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Sunday said that dialogue with the Taliban is the top priority of the government for peace in the country.
Speaking to the media in Islamabad he said the decision to hold talks with Taliban was given by the country's politicianship during the All parties Conference.
Nisar said that government will continue to adhere to this policy and welcomes those turban groups who will respond positively to talks offer.
But the interior minister also warned that there will be as strong response against those groups that resort to violence.
"Those who will respond to our offer of dialogue with bullet, we will fight with them and chase them wherever they will be," he clarified.
"Our aim is to restore peace in Pakistain particularly in Fata, as it is right of the people as they have paid a heavy cost for an unnecessary war.
"Time has come that people should be saved from this situation of blood and fire. Foreign powers for their own interests pushed people of this region into an unending war," he remarked.
Nisar said negotiations are underway with different groups and hoped for a good outcome.
Nisar said that the govt has faced criticism for holding talks with the Taliban. The interior minister said that the problem will not be solved by military operation alone.
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[An Nahar] Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... summoned Turkey's charge d'affaires Sunday over moves by Iraq's Kurdish region to sell oil independently via one of Ankara's ports, saying the move was a violation of its constitution.
Deputy Prime Minister Hussein al-Shahristani, the top official responsible for energy affairs, summoned Efe Ceylan over the announcement by the autonomous Kurdish region last week that its first shipment of crude oil sent directly to Turkey had gone on sale, with more expected to follow.
"Iraq considers the export of oil through its international borders without government approval as a violation," Shahristani said in a statement following the meeting with the Turkish diplomat.
The minister said Turkish officials had prevented representatives from Iraq's oil ministry from overseeing the quantities of oil being delivered and exported from the Kurdish region.
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In which the Paleos again demonstrate that they'll never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity...
Ineffectual Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas sent a defiant message to Israel's leadership and US mediators Saturday, telling cheering supporters that the Palestinians "won't kneel" and won't drop demands for a capital in East Jerusalem.
Abbas' unusually fiery speech highlighted the wide gaps between him and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on the outlines of a peace deal. It also raised new doubts about the chances of US Secretary of State John Kerry to bridge those gaps in coming weeks and come up with a framework for an agreement.
Raised new doubts? He stomped out any thought of doubt. The Paleos aren't going to give an inch. They aren't going to accommodate the evil Juices one little bit. Is there any other way to read what he said?
Abbas adopted tough positions in the wide-ranging speech, saying that "there will be no peace" without a Palestinian capital in east Jerusalem and that he would not recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Without recognition there's no basis for negotiation. And the Israelis will NEVER give up East Jerusalem.
He also suggested he would not continue negotiations beyond a US-set target date of the end of April, and instead will resume his quest for broader international recognition of a state of Palestine by the United Nations and its various agencies.
And perhaps start another intifada...
Abbas and Netanyahu were far part apart in their positions when Kerry pressured them to resume talks in late July after a five-year break. It appears little progress has been made since then.
Boy howdy the reporter is observant. Little progress indeed...
Kerry is expected to present his bridging proposals for a framework agreement in coming weeks. He was to meet this week with representatives of the Arab League, presumably to win their backing for US proposals, but it's not clear when he would formally present his ideas to Abbas and Netanyahu.
Since the former will grimace most fiercely and the latter will shake his head gently...
Both leaders face tough decisions on whether to accept the US ideas and alienate their base or defy Kerry and risk being blamed for the collapse of the negotiations.
A US plan is expected to define Israel's pre-1967 war frontier as the starting point for negotiations about the border between Israel and a future Palestinian state, with some adjustments.
The Palestinians want a state in the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem, territories Israel captured in 1967, but are willing to swap some land to enable Israel to keep some of the dozens of Jewish settlements it has built on war-won land.
No, the Paleos aren't willing to do any of that. They just say they are -- the moderates will kill all the Joooz in two steps, not one...
Netanyahu has not accepted the 1967 frontier as a baseline, at least in public. In recent days, Israeli media have quoted him as telling members of his Likud Party that he would not accept an inclusion of Jerusalem in Kerry's proposals.
As I was just saying...
Abbas aides have said they fear Kerry will settle for a vague reference to Palestinian "aspirations" in the city, without referring to east Jerusalem as a capital.
On Saturday, Abbas spoke to several hundred Palestinians activists from Jerusalem whom he had invited to his headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah. The crowd rolled their eyes whistled, made faces chanted and grimaces clapped as the ineffectual normally low-key Abbas, widely known as Abu Mazen, struck a tough tone.
"I say, listen, listen, the Palestinian people won't kneel, and we tell the world, listen, listen the Palestinian people won't kneel," he said at one point, drawing chants of "Abu Mazen, Abu Mazen."
"Without east Jerusalem as a capital of the state of Palestine, there will be no peace between us and Israel," Abbas said.
Abbas also reiterated that he will not recognize Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people. Netanyahu has raised such a demand, and there is growing expectation that it will be included in Kerry's proposal.
"We will not recognize it," Abbas said. "We will not accept and it's our right not to recognize the Jewish state."
Then you'll reap the consequences...
Abbas has argued that the Palestinians have already recognized the state of Israel and that there is no need to do more. He has also said recognizing Israel as a Jewish state would harm the rights of Israel's nearly 2 million Arab citizens.
Israel says it needs such recognition as proof the Palestinians are willing to end the conflict between the two peoples once and for all.
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[An Nahar] Paleostinian police clashed Sunday with West Bank youths who were protesting against a U.N. strike that has paralyzed services in refugee camps leaving dozens maimed, sources said.
United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... Relief and Works Agency employees have been on strike for more than a month, forcing cash-strapped UNRWA to shut schools and stop collecting garbage from West Bank refugee camps.
Paleostinian police fired tear gas and live ammunition in the air to prevent youths from the Jalazun refugee camp in the central West Bank from blocking the road between Ramallah and Bir Zeit, an Agence La Belle France Presse correspondent said, adding that many were maimed.
Paleostinian security services front man Adnan Damiri told AFP that 40 coppers were maimed in the festivities, including 22 who had to be hospitalized.
Director of Jalazun camp Jumaa Shaaban told AFP the "protest was organized by popular committees from all the camps" and that demonstrations also took place in other West Bank camps.
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01/13/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Am I missing something here? The UN is on strike, which is funny enough in itself. And the Paleo yoot are rioting to protest the UN being on strike. And it's enough of a riot to need tear gas & live ammo. OK, so far? Bottom line: no one is picking up the garbage.
Seriously, you guys want to be a state and you need UNRWA to pick up the trash? It is to laugh.
[An Nahar] Wide-eyed Seif said his family had lost hope of seeing him again after jihadists from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... snatched him from his media office in Idlib province.
The 22-year-old was repeatedly beaten by his captors, before being sentenced to death for his media activism and his parents had already been told he was dead.
But an offensive against the group, launched last week by other Salafist tough guys outraged by ISIL's abuses, saved his life.
When Seif was reunited with his family and fiancee, he gained a fresh lease of life.
"My parents had been told by ISIL I had already been executed. They couldn't believe their eyes when they saw me," Seif from Idlib province told Agence La Belle France Presse via the Internet.
Seif thought he would never make it out of his jail after being tried and sentenced to death by one of the group's foreign members.
"I was never given a proper trial. The Tunisian (jihadist) judge just walked into the room and issued his sentence," Seif said
"He picked the harshest sentence because that's what he was in the mood for."
Seif was kidnapped by ISIL on November 28 and freed on January 6 when rebels stormed the jail in Dana in northwestern province of Idlib.
The attack was part of the week-long rebel offensive against ISIL in large swathes of northern Syria that has seen opposition fighters expel ISIL from some areas.
The group is holding hundreds of captives including rebels from rival groups, activists and journalists, among them Westerners.
Survivors like Seif say conditions in ISIL jails are "inhuman, far worse than those of the regime" of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... , where he was also held in 2011.
"Believe me, ISIL's jails are even more horrific. At least in Assad's prisons I got food to eat every night," said Seif, who was a student in Aleppo when he joined the anti-Assad revolt in 2011.
"I was given half a liter of water every two days, and only scraps of food to eat. Because they hate media activists, I was beaten and sworn at and accused of being a heretic," Seif said.
He also saw the jihadists executing other prisoners, including a 15-year-old Kurdish boy who was accused of rape and belonging to the Kurdistan Workers Party, whose Syrian branch has been fighting ISIL for months.
"He denied the accusations and for five days they beat him. He eventually broke and 'confessed.' They immediately shot him."
Seif said ISIL was holding two Armenians who had tried to flee Syria after the jihadists attacked churches, especially in the northern province of Raqa.
"They showed the Armenians and me the heads of prisoners who had been executed, to terrorize us," said Seif.
"The torture was merciless. My forehead was bleeding from the beating for two days, and I got no treatment. I saw people in their 70s, who had been kidnapped for ransom," he added.
"They had many Kurds in their jails, whose release was costing their families hundreds of thousands of Syrian pounds," said Seif.
Rights groups have said that ISIL has kidnapped hundreds of Kurds in recent months in Aleppo province.
Milad Shehabi had been working as a citizen journalist for Shahba Press, a grassroots network, when jihadists stormed his Aleppo office in late December.
"They said I should learn how to speak about ISIL," Shehabi told AFP over the Internet.
Shehabi had been visiting neighboring Turkey before he was captured by ISIL, but was determined to return to Syria even though he had received threats.
Unlike Seif, Shehabi was not put on trial. He did not even know he was being held by ISIL until several days after his capture.
"For 13 days, I was blindfolded and held in solitary confinement," he said. "I couldn't see anything. I only heard sounds."
Shehabi was being held at a children's hospital in Aleppo used by ISIL as its headquarters in the city.
This week rebels overran the base and freed dozens of captives, including Shehabi, hours after ISIL had reportedly executed at least nine prisoners "in cold blood".
"I heard the gunshots when they were executing people. There were so many bullets I thought there were festivities outside," said Shehabi.
Like Seif, Shehabi felt lucky to have escaped with his life.
"They asked me for 200,000 pounds ($1,300) ransom. I only had 15,000," he said.
"I asked them whether I could inform my family of my whereabouts. They forbade even that."
Reporters Without Borders describes Syria as the world's most dangerous country to report on.
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01/13/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
FYI, the foot deep of dirt in a Mexican jail isn't dirt. Its the contributions of all the men in that cell before you got there. They don't let you out to make a "nature call". That is what the cell is...its where "nature calls" and you won't get out until the scriptures are fulfilled either.
Jails...don't go there. And don't complain when you do. It's exactly real and its in your face. And it CAN get worse.
[An Nahar] The United States on Sunday voiced confidence that Syria's opposition National Coalition group would attend upcoming peace talks in Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... with representatives of Bashir al-Assad's regime.
"I am confident personally that the Syrian opposition will come to Geneva," 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... said after a Gay Paree meeting of the 11-nation "Friends of Syria" group attended by Coalition leader Ahmad Jarba.
"It was a very constructive meeting today (with Jarba). I am confident that he and others will be in Geneva. I am counting on both parties to come together."
The upbeat tone contrasted with the more cautious note struck by other ministers involved in Sunday's talks, which marked the start of a new round of diplomacy aimed at ending the conflict.
Kerry is due to meet Monday with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and the U.N.-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... envoy on Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, as well as holding further talks with Jarba.
Kerry's comments came after Jarba's coalition was offered assurances that there will be no place for Assad in a transitional government they hope to see emerge from the so-called Geneva II talks due to start in Montreux on January 22.
In a statement, the Friends of Syria group said that once a transitional government is established .... "Assad and his close associates with blood on their hands will have no role in Syria."
The Swiss talks have been organized in an attempt to revive the idea of moving to a transitional government including figures from the current regime and the opposition.
Whether that could involve Assad himself is an issue that has generally been fudged in the past and may have the potential to capsize the negotiations: Assad's aides have repeatedly said they have no intention of coming to Switzerland to hand over power.
Kerry would not be drawn on what would happen if Assad pulled out of the talks.
"With respect to the Assad regime we have been told from day one they allegedly are prepared to negotiate," he said.
"I am not getting into consequences other than to say that this the test of credibility of everybody."
Jarba indicated that he had been reassured by the tone of Sunday's discussions.
"We all agreed that there is no future for Bashir al-Assad and his family in Syria," he said.
"His departure is inevitable."
Jarba added: "We are at a crossroads today in the framework of international decisions regarding the Syrian revolution.
"We have passed a milestone on the way to the end of the regime."
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...how many American lives resources are you willing to bet on it Jawn..?
[An Nahar] Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani ... Grand Mufti of Lebanon and the most prominent Sunni Muslim cleric in the country. An assassination attempt against Qabbani was foiled by Leb internal security forces in 2009 as part of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Beirut. In an interview broadcast in 2012, Qabbani stated that Jews were behind secularism, because they opposed the authority of the church, against Christianity. He also suggested that the attacks of September 11, 2001 were orchestrated by Jews in order to justify the persecution of Muslims worldwide. Qabbani is against the legalization of civil marriage in Lebanon. He has issued a fatwa declaring any Muslim politician who approves civil marriage legislation an apostate. Surprisingly, he is not considered very much of a nut by Moslem standards. noted on Sunday that Leb is passing through a very dangerous and critical phase.
He warned: "Divisions among the Lebanese will pave the way to dragging them towards sectarian conflicts."
He made his remarks on the occasion of the Prophet Mohammed's birthday, which falls on Monday.
"The wise and reasonable people among us must realize the sensitivity of the situation in Leb because maintaining the country's stability and security is everyone's responsibility," stressed Qabbani.
Furthermore, he said that any action that does not enjoy the consensus of all powers will lead to fragmentation and division among the people.
"The people's unity is crucial in deciding their fate and they should steer clear of statements that incite division," added the mufti.
He hoped that political powers will succeed in forming a government that will revitalize state institutions.
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[Al Ahram] Syria's Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad One of the last of the old-fashioned hereditary iron-fisted fascist dictators... made a rare appearance on Sunday to attend prayers at a mosque in the capital Damascus, state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
reported.
Assad, who has only been seen in public a few times since the Syrian conflict erupted in March 2011, was shown at the Al-Hamad mosque in the capital's northwest for prayers marking the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed.
Among those alongside Assad were Syria's top Sunni authority, Mufti Ahmad Badreddine Hassun, and Prime Minister Wael al-Halqi.
Assad's last public appearance was on October 15 for prayers at the time marking the Moslem holiday of Eid al-Adha.
His latest appearance came as Western powers stepped up pressure on Syria's divided opposition to enter talks with Assad's regime at the start of a new round of diplomatic efforts to end the country's 34-month conflict.
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[An Nahar] Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday announced that an Iranian judicial delegation would visit Beirut soon to probe the details and circumstances of the twin bombing that targeted the Iranian embassy in Bir Hassan.
The announcement comes after the death at the military hospital of Majed al-Majed, the Saudi chief of the Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades ... Leb's current al-Qaeda affiliate, named after a guy whose car the current head of al-Qaeda had boomed... and the alleged criminal mastermind of the deadly attack.
"We congratulate the Lebanese government on the major achievement of arresting the terrorist Majed al-Majed and we laud its efforts in this regard," Zarif told news hounds at Beirut's Rafik Hariri International Airport as he arrived in Leb for an official visit.
"An Iranian judicial delegation will visit Beirut to probe all the details of the kaboom on the Iranian embassy," he said.
"Establishing the best relations with the neighbors is among Iran's essential principles and we're seeking to have the best relations with 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... because that would positively contribute to peace in the region," Zarif added.
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[An Nahar] Ahmad Jarba, the leader of Syria's opposition National Coalition, said Sunday that the U.S.-led "Friends of Syria" grouping had agreed that Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... and his family will have no role in the country's future.
Jarba did not announce whether or not the opposition would take part in peace talks with representatives of Assad's regime due to start next week in Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... .
The Coalition, which is under intense pressure to confirm its participation, has said it will decide on the issue on January 17.
"We stressed the need for offering quick support to the Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... ," said Jarba after talks with the Friends of Syria group in Gay Paree.
"We all agree that neither Assad nor his family can have a role in Syria's future," he added, noting that "there is undisputable consensus on the issue of ceding power."
"We have entered the decisive period, which we know how difficult it will be, and we thank all friends," Jarba went on to say.
For his part, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the so-called Geneva 2 conference must lead to the formation of a "transitional government with full executive powers in Syria."
"The Syrian tragedy can only end through a political solution and it is important to hold Geneva 2 for this purpose," he added.
Fabius accused the Syrian regime of being the party that is "fuelling terrorism."
"If we want to eradicate terror, the regime must leave," he added.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Esquimeau village Jack was learning how to rub noses with Nootka's wife...... German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: "We emphasized over and over to the opposition representatives that not taking part in the talks would lead to a failure of the discussions or would prevent them from taking place."
"I hope we convinced them," he added.
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... joined ministers from 10 other countries at the Gay Paree meeting, which was aimed at persuading the opposition National Coalition to attend a first round of talks scheduled for Montreux, Switzerland on January 22.
The Swiss talks have been organized in an attempt to revive a long-stalled framework for peace involving a cessation of hostilities and the creation of a national transitional government that could involve figures from the current regime and the opposition.
But opposition leaders are wary of being drawn into a process they fear could result in Assad clinging on to power and have yet to give a commitment to attending.
In a statement issued at the end of Sunday's talks, the 11-nation Friends of Syria urged the opposition to respond positively to U.N. Secretary General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... 's invitation to send a delegation to the Montreux talks.
"We invite them to form... a delegation of opposition forces to participate in the political process," the statement said, adding: "We pledge our full backing to the opposition during the Geneva II Conference."
The Friends of Syria groups Britannia, Egypt, La Belle France, Germany, Italia, Jordan, Qatar, 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... , Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
For its part, Damascus has insisted that Assad would lead any transition agreed at the Geneva talks.
"If anyone thinks we are going to Geneva 2 to hand the keys to Damascus over, they might as well not go," Information Minister Omran al-Zohbi said in December.
The Geneva communique reached in June 2012 envisaged a transition for Syria, but did not specify whether Assad should leave.
Jarba has called for Assad to stop using heavy weapons, lift sieges on a number of opposition-held areas and allow the opening of humanitarian corridors as a show of good faith ahead of any talks.
There has been no sign of progress on those issues but U.S. officials have expressed confidence that, with little prospect of securing a military victory after nearly three years of fighting, the opposition will come to Montreux.
"I think in the final analysis they won't want to miss that opportunity, because frankly there's no other game, really," a U.S. diplomat told news hounds.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said it was in the opposition's interests to attend the talks and try to end a conflict that has caused 130,000 deaths and created more than two million refugees.
"In the end, there's got to be a political solution in Syria," Hague told Sky News from Gay Paree. "This is going to put the Assad regime on the spot if everybody turns up at those peace talks."
The balance of power in the conflict in Syria appears to have tipped in Assad's favor over the last week as deadly festivities have erupted between the mainstream opposition and an al-Qaeda-linked group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... (ISIL), with which they were previously allied.
According to NGOs monitoring the conflict, at least 700 people have been killed since the fighting started January 3 and the ISIL is threatening to abandon frontline positions in the area around Syria's second city, Aleppo.
The fighting has exacerbated concern in western capitals over the strength of radical Islamist groups within the broad alliance of forces fighting Assad.
Hopes of progress towards peace in Syria rose last year when Assad agreed to give up the regime's chemical weapons after the West pulled back from the brink of threatened military intervention.
Opposition leaders fear that deal, which involved Syria's ally Russia becoming a pivotal player in the efforts to end the conflict, has diluted the West's determination to see Assad removed from power.
Among the other issues that were discussed on Sunday was whether Iran, an important backer of Assad, will have any role in peace talks further down the line.
Russia has been lobbying for Tehran to be brought into the process and the issue is likely to dominate discussions on Monday between Kerry, his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and Lakhdar Brahimi, the U.N.-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... special envoy to Syria.
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OTOH IIRC INDIAN DEFENCE FORUM > SPLIT [divided = factional] SYRIAN OPPOSITION HAS NO CHANCE OF DEFEATING/REMOVING ASSAD: PUSHKOV.
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GAROWE, Somalia -- Militia led by the self declared Khaatumo leader Mohamed Yusuf Jama (Indhosheel) Sunday arrived in Taleh district of Sool region, Garowe Online reports.
[Shabelle] the newly elected president of Somalia's 
[MAGHAREBIA] A young journalist in Mauritania faces a possible death sentence after being convicted of apostasy for an article criticising the prophet Mohammed, AFP reported Monday (January 6th).
Goodluck Jonathan
[DAILYPOST.NG] Barely four days after 
[Dhaka Tribune] The BNP, who earlier vehemently opposed the court's ruling that scrapped the caretaker government system terming it interference, has moved to the High Court asking it to cancel the just-concluded parliamentary poll.
[DAWN] Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Sunday said that dialogue with the Taliban is the top priority of the government for peace in the country.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
... Grand Mufti of Lebanon and the most prominent Sunni Muslim cleric in the country. An assassination attempt against Qabbani was foiled by Leb internal security forces in 2009 as part of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Beirut. In an interview broadcast in 2012, Qabbani stated that 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
