Don’t you go disrespecting his culture, you raycist!
[NYPOST] A well-known Islamic religious leader in Texas has been busted for sexually assaulting four children — though authorities believe he’s victimized others. Now don't you feel almost Pakistani?
Mohammed Omar Ali, a 59-year-old Somali national, was arrested Friday on charges of sexual assault of a child and sexual indecency of a child after an investigation was launched in September, Fort Bend County Sheriff Troy Nehls told news hounds at a presser Monday. AmGreatness identifies him as an illegal alien from Somalia
Nehls described Ali as a popular "religious leader" who spent time at several mosques in Fort Bend County, as well as in greater Houston. Investigators believe Ali also victimized other children dating back to 2013 after he arrived in the US. "It's a Cultural Thing...you really wouldn't understand"
2013? Another one on Obama’s watch.
"We do know that there are other victims out there," Nehls said. "And it is our plea today to those victims to please reach out to us so we can conduct further investigation."
Ali met his alleged victims through their parents, who invited him into their homes and paid him to teach their children the Koran, Detective Michael Alexander said.
All of Ali’s purported victims were juveniles at the time of the alleged abuse, according to Alexander, who declined to specify whether they were boys or girls.
Shariq Abdul Ghani ‐ who runs the Minaret Foundation, a group designed to increase the "civic engagement" of Moslems ‐ said Ali was not employed by any mosque in Fort Bend County but traveled to various places of worship and schools in the area.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/08/2020 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11132 views]
Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists
#1
Castrate him and boil him alive in pig shit. I live in the county and most of my neighbors would cheer.
#3
What are the Texas Prisons like? Choose one carefully. Epstein comes to mind. The guards can be the sort Epstein had. Then close the door. Nothing in the News that day. Something un-noticed and un-reported. Smile and turn the page.
#4
The ones needing the harshest treatment are any pale progressive people arguing in favor of letting shariah into the US for creatures like this one hide behind. Let our quaint cultural customs (what happens to "short eyes" in GenPop) meet theirs and see who wins.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/08/2020 7:14 Comments ||
Top||
#5
There is a prison in Fort Bend, just down the road in fact. There are no escapes. Never even heard of one. Anytime there's any crime around here, there's always questions of "Why didn't someone shoot that fool?" Maybe the prisoners feel safe in the prison, cause some idiot on the road in an orange jumpsuit trying to get into a car is most likely going to get ventilated.
[ToloNews] The Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Tuesday said that Brig. Gen. Ismail Qaani, the newly appointed head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force, has never served as a diplomat in Afghanistan. This is a response to photographs showing Qaani in Afghanistan from a 2018 visit, which surfaced following the death of another Iranian commander, Qassem Soleiman. The governor of Bamiyan ...a place in Afghanistan that used to have some historically interesting statues of the Buddha carved into a mountainside. Then the holy men showed up and now all they have is some big holes... reported of Qaani: "It was said that he was a 'deputy ambassador.'
Mr. Qaani never served as deputy to the Iranian ambassador to Kabul, said acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Idrees Zaman.
He said that Qaani’s trip to Bamiyan in July 2018 will be probed.
This comes after pictures on social media showed Qaani’s meeting with the Bamiyan governor Tahir Zaheer.
"This is under investigation. Right now I can say that Mr. Qaani never served as deputy ambassador," said Zaman.
"It was said that he (Qaani) was deputy ambassador, it was said he will visit the construction process of the hospital and then he (Qaani) will have a short meeting with the governor and it was happened as it was said," said Tahir Zaheer, the governor of Bamiyan province.
On Tuesday, Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... hosted the Tehran Dialogue Forum with participants from different countries, including former Afghan president Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ...A product, and probably the sole product, of the Southern Alliance... , who called on the US to de-escalate tensions with Iran.
Speaking at the forum, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the US is seeking to pursue its political objectives within the politically dynamic environment in the region.
"By exploiting the situation and by making fake threats they want to continue their illegal and illegitimate presence in the region," said Zarif.
Tensions between Iran and the US have ratcheted up following the liquidation of Gen. Qassem Soleimani , the former head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force.
The Afghan government, however, has said that it will not allow Afghanistan’s territory to be used against any other nation.
[DW] The Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab ...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... overran a US military air base in Kenya on Sunday, killing several people. The group's bold offensive shows it is recovering after suffering high casualties from US dronezaps.
The al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab Death Eater group on Sunday attacked Kenya's Manda Bay Airfield, a military base that houses US and Kenyan troops. al-Shabaab claimed the attack destroyed US equipment, including aircraft and vehicles.
Continued on Page 49
[AlAhram] The press adviser for the Tunisian president has said that her country has refused a Ottoman Turkish request "to be cooperative in transporting Ottoman Turkish arms and troops to Libya," Sky News Arabia said on Tuesday.
Rashida Elnefar told the pan-Arab news channel that Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... had last month asked his Tunisian counterpart Kais Saied to use Tunisian territory for the country’s planned military deployment to neighbouring Libya.
The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... 's president visited Tunis two weeks ago and met with Saied to discuss the conflict in Libya.
Saied refused the request, Elnefar said on Tuesday, saying that Erdogan was annoyed at the results of the talks, "which ended with President Saied refusing to use Tunisian land, airspace and maritime territory in any intervention in Libya."
Erdogan had told news hounds he and Saied discussed steps towards a ceasefire in Libya and a return to political dialogue.
The Tunisia visit followed two agreements Erdogan struck with the Libyan government that controls the capital, Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , and some of the country's west.
The maritime and military agreements were condemned by the rival Libyan government in the east and the Libyan National Army, (LNA) led by commander General Khalifa Haftar ...Self-proclaimed Field Marshal, served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy, so it's kind of hard to describe him as a Qadaffy holdover. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all... The maritime agreement, which could give Turkey access to a contested economic zone across the eastern Mediterranean sea, has also been condemned by Greece, Cyprus and Egypt.
Saied, whose country shares a 400 kilometre (250 mile) border with Libya, had said that the Ottoman Turkish-Libyan agreement delimiting the maritime borders between the two countries, "does not concern Tunisia," adding that it is a Ottoman Turkish-Libyan issue.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/08/2020 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11127 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
[SPUTNIKNEWS] Greece is very interested in joining the US-led program to produce and procure the F-35 fifth-generation fighter jet, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told US President Donald Trump. Now that the Turks are out of it...
"Greece is interested, Mr. President, in participating in the F-35 programme", Mitsotakis said during a meeting with Trump at the White House on Tuesday. "As you know, we are already upgrading our F-16s and that program will be completed in 2023-2024. So we are very much interested in participating in the F-35 after that".
Mitsotakis expressed hope that in reviewing Greece’s request the United States will take into consideration the fact that Greece was "coming out of the economic crisis". "Charge us wholesale?"
Greece has suffered years of severe economic crisis and imposed a policy of fiscal austerity to offset widespread mismanagement, waste, and corruption, including in the defence sector.
Lockheed Martin’s F-35 aircraft is a fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter. It is considered the most expensive weapons program in history, with a projected life cycle cost of between $1 trillion and $1.5 trillion.
[DailyCaller] Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna
...formally Rohit Khanna, D-Silicon Valley, assistant House Whip for the Democratic caucus after only two years in office and co-chair of Bernie Sanders‘ current presidential campaign. He was once a deputy assistant secretary for something-or-other under President Obama of blessed memory, and before that got degrees in economics from U. of Chicago and law from Yale...
claimed Tuesday that there were no embassy protests or dead American contractors during the Obama administration.
Khanna appeared on Fox News "America's Newsroom" and argued that President Donald Trump was out of line to suggest that former President Obama could have acted to stop terrorist leader Qasem Soleimani.
And they didn't call him out...
"I believe the President Obama had a strategy of the JCPOA that would prevent Iran from becoming nuclear," Khanna continued. "There weren't these incidents during the Obama Administration. We didn't have protests against our embassies, the killing of American contractors. Americans were safe at that time."
What Khanna appeared to forget, in spite of the multiple critics who referred to the attack in Baghdad as "Trump's Benghazi," was that the attack on Benghazi occurred during the Obama administration. That "protest" resulted in the deaths of American Ambassador Chris Stephens, information officer Sean Smith, and Navy SEALs-turned-CIA-operatives Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods.
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Ottoman Turkish presidency sent a message to Egypt after Ankara sent its military forces to Libya to support the Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... -based Government of National Accord (GNA) against the Libyan National Army (LNA).
Yassin Aktay, the adviser to the Ottoman Turkish President, said in a series of tweets on Tuesday, "Whoever says that The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...Qatar's satrapy in Asia Minor... wants war against Egypt or against any country ... Turkey defends the legitimate government in Libya while others support the rebels and the two coups ..."
He continued: "Turkey will not go to war against any Moslem nation, so how do they say that we will fight the people of Egypt ... we were present in Libya at the request of the legitimate government and not to confront any other Arab or foreign armies ... we seek to stop the war and others seek to ignite it."
On Monday, Ottoman Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said that Turkey would send military experts and technical teams to support the internationally recognized government in Libya. "The government, led by the president, will decide how and when this will happen," he added.
Meanwhile, ...back at the dirigible, the pilot and the copilot had both hit the silk.
Jack! Cynthia exclaimed. Do you know how to drive one of these things?
Jack wiped some of the blood from his knuckles.
No, he said. Do you?... Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really more important... said, "Ottoman Turkish military units have begun to move to Libya to support the Government of National Accord," noting that the "Libyan National Accord Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj asked for support from Turkey last month while his government was responding to an attack by the supported Haftar forces from Russia, Egypt, UAE and Jordan."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/08/2020 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11130 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
#2
I have thought for the last seven years or so that the whole point of the Libyan 'adventure' was to make the forces there available to support The Brotherhood in Egypt. But it turned into an Underpants Gnome where the Step 2 was Libya doesn't descend into chaos.
[Times or Israel] Purportedly dead troops ’were immediately transferred out of airbase by helicopters,’ Revolutionary Guard claims after US says no casualties from retaliatory strike for Soleimani.
An Iranian regime-run media outlet claimed that more than 80 Americans were killed in an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps missile strike on US forces in Iraq early Wednesday.
"An informed source at the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said over 80 American troops were killed and some 200 wounded in the IRGC’s missile strikes on the US airbase of Ain al-Assad in Anbar province in western Iraq," Mehr News reported on Wednesday.
The US said Wednesday that while damage assessments were still underway, there were no reports of US casualties from the strike. The Iraqi army, too, said Wednesday that no Iraqi soldiers were hurt in the assault, which followed the US killing on Friday of one of the IRGC’s top commanders, Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani.
Posted by: Besoeker ||
01/08/2020 08:37 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11128 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Announcement made for 'local consumption'....
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
01/08/2020 9:16 Comments ||
Top||
#2
OK, this means they're serious about not escalating (right now).
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
01/08/2020 12:08 Comments ||
Top||
#6
I'm foregoing the victory lap. They successfully bracketed US bases the conventional munitions and causes no discernible damage or loss of life. Had they employed chemical, biological, or nuclear munitions, their accuracy yesterday would have been quite good enough.
[BBC] The Al Asad air base is so vast that, after the US invasion, it had cinemas, swimming pools, fast food restaurants, and - not one - but two internal bus routes.
It was built in the 1980s for the Iraqi military, in desert around 100 miles west of Baghdad.
But after the US invasion in 2003, it became one of the biggest bases for American troops - and was quickly transformed.
"It's right in the middle of the desert, and surrounded on all sides by scrublands and desert and rocks," Oliver Poole reported for the BBC in 2006.
"As you emerge into the American section, you come across much better roads... in many ways they've tried to recreate the set-up of a modern US suburban town."
The facilities were so impressive, some US troops even called it "Camp Cupcake".
Posted by: Besoeker ||
01/08/2020 03:11 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11123 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Sounds like Iran was counting coup against the US forces.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/08/2020 10:10 Comments ||
Top||
[Rudaw] Tahrir Square has quietened following the death of Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander Qasem Soleimani in a US Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... last week.
The IRGC leader was killed alongside Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the Iraqi deputy leader of the Iran-backed Popular Mobilization Forces, also known as Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic.
The tensions between Washington and Tehran have somehow made people forget about the appointment of a new prime minister.
However, a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package... Rudaw has learned that the appointment of a new prime minister could be a hot topic next week.
Mohammed Tofiq Allawi, former minister and politician, is said to be one of the candidates for the position on the ticket of the Bina Coalition.
I think I have a good chance [to become the next prime minister]," he told Rudaw.
"We first have to make preparations to hold a snap election as per the new electoral law which will be a new start," he added.
However, a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package... those who remain in Tahrir Square continue calls for an independent candidate.
"Mohammed Tofiq Allawi has previously worked in many ministries, including the ministry of transport. People reject all those who have worked in the government since 2003," protester Qassim Sakeni said.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/08/2020 00:39 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11128 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq
.@mtawfeeqCNN reports: Iraqi security officials are now telling CNN there are no casualties among Iraqi security forces following the attacks on the al-Asad airbase in Anbar province and the attacks in Erbil.
#6
I think they launched a weak attack for internal consumption. I think they could have done better had they wanted to. Now if both sides stand down this will be over for now. And their terrorist in chief will still be dead and they will still have their nuclear program. It seems like Iran may well also release some French hostages to sweeten the deal.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iraq has received a letter from the US army concerning the withdrawal of its troops from the country, Prime Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi said on Tuesday.
The English and Arabic language versions of the letter are not identical, so Iraq has requested clarifications, he added.
The Iraqi parliament backed a resolution requesting the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the country after a US military drone killed Iran’s top military commander last Friday, igniting a regional crisis.
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Iraqi paramilitary groups are holding a meeting in the next 24 hours to discuss the formation of a united front against the U.S. military inside the country, al-Mayadeen reported this morning.
Citing the spokesperson for Harakat al-Nujaba, Nasser al-Shammari, al-Mayadeen reported that the meeting will be held by the leaders of the resistance factions inside of Iraq.
This meeting comes just two days after the Iraqi Parliament voted to expel the U.S. Armed Forces and all foreign troops from Iraq.
Since then, U.S. President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... has threatened to impose harsh sanctions against Iraq if they go through with this, adding that the American forces will leave once Baghdad has paid them back.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/08/2020 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11126 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies
#1
resistance factions
From another article, this is the term Iran uses for it's catspaws throughout the Mideast.
How very unexpected, given Iran’s glorious limited bombardment of some empty Iraqi fields yesterday
[Rudaw] Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... has dropped a spying charge held against a French-Iranian academic researcher, who has been arbitrarily detained by authorities since June 2019.
Fariba Adelkhah, an anthropologist specialising in Shiite Islam at Sciences-Po in Gay Paree, was being held on four charges. "The espionage charge has been dropped," lawyer Said Dehghan told AFP.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/08/2020 00:39 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11127 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#4
737-800NG not a Max. Tracking last had it at about 7300 ft, climbing, 319kts. Then it stopped transmitting. Per the usual lefty loudmouth online first reports, Technical difficulties, right?
... Like a SAM blowing off one of its engines and setting the aircraft on fire.
#9
About 20 years ago, when the Ukrainians accidentally shot down a Russian Tu-154 airliner over the Black Sea during a military exercise, the US early warning satellites picked up the SA-5 missile launch just before the airliner went down. US satellites likely did the same here and records will confirm it.
In addition, the US had plenty of warning that Iranian TBMs were headed to US bases in Iraq. Again, US early warning satellites.
Today/tonight in Iran, 50+ people were trampled to death at a Suleimani funeral, a Boeing 737 crashed on take-off in Tehran likely killing all 180 on board, and Iranian missiles fired at US/Iraqi bases caused no casualties. Perhaps a good time for U.S. to quietly disengage?
Sounds more like a good time for Iran to quietly disengage. As far as I can tell, they lost 180-0. Anyone who's not laughing at them is just being polite. And I feel for poor Ukraine. What the hell did they do to deserve this?
Posted by: Fred ||
01/08/2020 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11125 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
No. We hold their feet to the fire and insist on the right to retaliate, with devastating, overwhelming force, should these madmen direct their death cult at us. Again.
We do not"disengage." Ever. Look it up, and educate yourselves-- find the COROLLARIES to each of these statements of good intent:
Gen. James Mattis: "I come in peace. But... " Donald J. Trump: "I play fair. But..."
#3
It's even a better time for America to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities, kill their leadership and proxies. Destroying their infrastructure and industries owned my the mullahs is a nice bonus.
Dem MI Rep Slotkin: We don't yet know the full extent of tonight's military activity, if it's indeed true that Iranians fired conventional ballistic missiles at U.S. targets, it would be unprecedented.
Carrot, stick, carrot, stick...
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers has not been dissolved despite Tehran’s decision to abandon limits on enriching uranium required by the pact, state news agency IRNA quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi as saying on Tuesday.
Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... said on Sunday it was taking a further step back from its commitments, although it also said it would continue to cooperate with the UN nuclear watchdog.
Its announcement coincided with a major escalation of tensions with Washington following the US killing of top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in a dronezap on Friday in Baghdad.
Iran, which says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes, has already breached many of the restrictions under the pact in response to Washington’s withdrawal from the accord in 2018 and its reimposition of sanctions on Tehran that have crippled the country’s economy.
"The nuclear deal is not dead yet," said Araqchi, who is also a senior nuclear negotiator.
"We are ready to come back to full compliance with the deal depending on the ending of sanctions and gaining from the economic benefits of the deal."
Europe ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... an parties to the deal could launch a dispute resolution process this week that might lead to renewed UN sanctions on Tehran, European diplomats told Rooters on Monday.
Iran has criticized Britannia, La Belle France and Germany for failing to salvage the pact by shielding Tehran’s economy from US sanctions.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/08/2020 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11134 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] by Danielle Pletka Qassem Soleimani was relatively obscure before his demise at the hands of a US drone last week. But as commander of the Quds Force, the outward facing arm of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, he was, more than anyone, the animating spirit behind the Islamic Republic’s hugely successful regional strategy to sow conflict across the Middle East. Soleimani epitomized the most successful aspect of Iran’s foreign policy – the development of proxy forces – and defined extremism long before al-Qaeda became a force to be reckoned with. The question now is whether his demise means the beginning of the end of the Iranian model of extremism he lead, or whether it can live beyond him.
Since September 11, 2001, the Western press has been far more concerned with the extremism embraced by al-Qaeda and affiliates, as well as offshoots like ISIS and al-Shabab. But the essence of terrorism and the use of asymmetrical proxy forces today stems from Iran and the system that Soleimani perfected. From Lebanese Hezbollah to the Palestinian militant group Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, from the Hezbollah al-Hejaz to the Houthi militia, from Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units militias to other, less well-known groups in Iraq, Iran’s Quds Force mastered the strategy of establishing terrorist proxy movements.
Each group has its own purpose, but ultimately answers to Tehran. Each group has genuine roots in its own nation and champions popular concerns. But their leadership is funded, commanded and ultimately decided by Iran. Each group has enabled the Islamic Republic to shape the conflicts in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon, and yet enjoys a façade of deniability that has frustrated efforts to blame Iran directly.
The deaths that can be laid at Soleimani’s feet are legion. Hundreds, if not thousands, of US troops fighting in Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of Syrians. Scores of Lebanese, Israelis, Iraqis, Syrians, Yemenis, Saudis and so many more would be alive today had he not been in command. But Soleimani had help – and not just from the leadership in Tehran or the useful pawns who lead Hezbollah, the Houthis, and others. No, Soleimani’s most useful dupes were in Europe and the United States.
For every attack Soleimani ordered no matter what the territory, there were those willing to question Iran’s responsibility. To be fair, the groundwork was laid before he took over the Quds Force in the mid to late 1990s. But Soleimani took the reins and built on the tradition that saw the assassination of Supreme Leader Khomeini’s enemies in Europe after the revolution; the 1983 Marine barracks bombing in Beirut; the attack on the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires in 1994; and the Khobar Towers bombing in 1996. Yet the number of governments willing to lay the blame directly at Iran’s feet is short.
Now that Soleimani is gone, will his successor enjoy the same success in grooming proxies and destabilizing the Middle East? Iran’s model has worked so well, it’s easy to imagine almost anyone keeping it going. But the truth is that Soleimani’s minions have been having a rough time in recent months. Hezbollah had to pressgang Lebanese Shia into fighting for Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad in Syria. And Iran ended up dragging in a motley crew of Shia militants from Pakistan, Afghanistan and elsewhere to help.
Demonstrators in Beirut have challenged the pro-Iran politicians there, and took on Hezbollah thugs who tried to oppose demonstrators. Similarly in Iraq, demonstrators outraged by corruption and government incompetence took to the streets only to find themselves up against Iranian-controlled militias. In each case, the government ultimately fell notwithstanding the opposition of Iranian-backed terror groups, notwithstanding the loss of life Iran was willing to inflict in order to protect its friends.
The truth is that over decades, Iran’s greatest asset has been the willingness of supine regional governments and quiescent foreigners to go along with its game. It is possible – not more than possible – that this game is coming to an end. Soleimani was not the be-all and end-all of Iranian foreign policy; but he wasn’t a nobody either. A credible and capable commander, with determination and imagination, and a fixed malign agenda can do a great deal of damage. And he is not easily replaced once dead.
Perhaps Washington, London, Paris and Berlin will gain some courage from his passing. And perhaps with them, Baghdad and Beirut and others will too. The secret to defeating the Iranian terror machine begins with a decision to no longer tolerate it. Let’s see how long that resolve lasts.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani ...Iran's moderate president, which he is, relative to his predecessor, which doesn't mean he's anything but a puppet of the nearest holy man... told his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday that America’s interests in the region were "in danger," his office said, after the US killed an Iranian general.
"The United States must know its interests and security in the region are in danger and that it cannot escape the consequences of this great crime," he said in an hour-long telephone call with Macron, quoted in a presidency statement.
Friday’s killing of General Qasem Soleimani in a US dronezap in Baghdad on the orders of President Donald Trump ...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons...... ratcheted up tensions between the arch-foes.
Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... vowed "severe Dire Revenge" before Trump warned that Washington had lined up 52 targets if Tehran attacked American personnel or assets.
Amid the escalating war of words, La Belle France said on Monday that Iran must not retaliate for Soleimani’s killing.
"It is essential that Iran renounce any reprisals or retaliations," French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said, adding that "there is still a place for diplomacy, fortunately."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/08/2020 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11126 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
We're energy independent, aka we don't have vital interests unless you decide you want our attention.
Iran has summoned Brazil’s Chargé d’Affaires in Tehran after the government in Brasilia expressed support for the US in the “fight against the scourge of terrorism” following the death of an Iranian general in a US drone strike. https://t.co/mFzyJZEoCz
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.