Someone is no doubt pondering issues and making decisions, though the odds are slim that ‘President’ Joe Biden is aware of it.
[ToloNews] US President Joe The Big Guy Biden ...46th president of the U.S. Sleazy Dem mschine politician, paterfamilias of the Biden Crime Family... ’s administration is looking to keep US troops in Afghanistan past a May 1 deadline while exploring a deal in which the Taliban ...Arabic for students... would allow a US counter-terrorism force to remain as they confront their ISIS foes, a top US politician said on Wednesday, according to Rooters report.
Rooters reports that House of Representatives Armed Services Committee Chairman Adam Smith’s comments provided new details of US President Joe Biden’s conduct of the Afghanistan grinding of the peace processor that he inherited from the Trump administration.
Addressing an online Foreign Policy magazine forum, Smith said he spoke to national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin about the withdrawal.
"I think there’s a general feeling that May 1 is too soon, just logistically," he said. "We’ve got ... closer to 3,500 troops in Afghanistan. Our allies have around 7,000."
"You cannot pull out 10,000-plus troops in any sort of way in six weeks," he said. He added the administration’s "job one" is talking to the Taliban about allowing the US-led force to remain for a little longer.
He noted the Taliban demand that all foreign troops leave. If that remains their position, he said, "I don’t see that we have much choice but to leave," including counter-terrorism forces.
"What the Biden administration wants to do is negotiate past May 1 and then at least explore the option: has the Taliban changed their mind as they ... are fighting ISIS (Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... ) almost as much as they are fighting the Afghan government," Smith continued.
"Might their position change about a US presence? I doubt it. But I think the administration is thinking it’s worth the conversation," he said.
The Taliban has been fighting Islamic State’s local affiliate, and US Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s on ISIS have proved critical to helping them rout their rivals.
But, experts say, ISIS remains a serious threat.
According to UN statistics, over the past two months, 80 people have been killed in assassinations.
[Garowe] The Federal Government of Somalia (FGS) has renewed the recruitment of members who defected from the terrorist group al-Shabaab ...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... to bring them into the country’s security and military forces.
Abdisalam Guled, who served as the deputy head of Somali Intelligence Service NISA said al-Shabaab has infiltrated the organs of the Somali security agencies, under the watchful of the international community.
"A new al-Shabaab eggs are hatching every day in the security organs," said Guled who recently broke the news about hundreds of Somali soldiers killed in Tigray while fighting along ENDF and Eritrea ...is run by the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), with about the amounts of democracy and justice you'd expect from a party with that name. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; none have ever been held in the country. The president, Isaias Afewerki, has been in office since independence in 1993 and will probably die there of old age... ns.
In the past few months, hundreds of youths who defected from al-Shabaab have been recruited from the Rehabilitation Centre and then trained and reintegrated into the Somali national army and the spy agency.
The commander of the former bandidosgunnies now joined the army has been awarded a high rank and diplomatic passport to ensure that he can leave the country if he commits a crime, according to Guled.
This comes days after the outgoing president Mohammed Abdullahi Farmajo has dispatched youthful soldiers from the Gorgor brigade to the Gedo region. Most of them are ex-bandidosgunnies and fought for al-Shabaab.
Al-Shabaab has largely infiltrated Somali security agencies since Fahad Yasin who maintains a close relation with Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... became the head of the National Intelligence and Security Agency [NISA] in August 2019.
The maximum number of former al-Shabaab members are in the police and NISA. For example, the commander of the Ottoman Turkish-trained special police unit known as Haram’ad is Farhan Qarole is ex-terrorist.
One of the most senior figures defected from al-Shabaab is Zakariya Ahmed Ismail Hersi - who once had $3m bounties from the U.S. on his head. He is now holding a higher rank in the Somali intelligence service.
Also, the U.S.-funded Somalia’s spy chief who worked with al-Jazeera Arabic as Mogadishu bureau chief has past ties to al Ittihad al Islamiya and a close relationship with al-Shabaab terrorists.
There is growing concern about the extent to which al-Shabaab has now infiltrated police and intelligence, as well as real fears of escalating threats that the Double Agents pose to the security.
[AlAhram] Pro-Ankara Syrian militia fighters deployed in Libya have started to withdraw, a French diplomatic source said on Thursday, describing the move as "encouraging".
"This is one of the encouraging gestures that we have seen. There are movements (of the Syrian militia forces) that have been seen and noted," said the source, who asked not to be named.
The Syrian militia forces' presence in Libya alongside Ottoman Turkish troops has repeatedly angered La Belle France, which has called for all mercenaries to leave the country including Russians.
"Our message is that this must continue, not only with the Syrian mercenaries but with all foreign forces," added the source.
The source said there had been discussions on the issue between Libya's new interim prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah and the Turks.
The source added that statements from the Ottoman Turkish side indicated Syrian fighters may have been flown out of the country but this needed to be "specified and confirmed".
Libya's new unity government earlier Thursday demanded the "immediate" withdrawal of all foreign mercenaries, in a call backed by the visiting top diplomats of La Belle France, Germany and Italia.
Oil-rich Libya has been torn by civil war since a NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and structure.... -backed uprising led to the toppling and killing of dictator Moamer Qadaffy in 2011.
A new transitional executive emerged from a UN grinding of the peace processor that was launched in November in Tunis, then voted on in Geneva and confirmed by Libya's parliament on March 10.
La Belle France has been bitterly critical of The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund... 's military intervention in Libya, while rejecting claims that Gay Paree had secretly favoured Libya's eastern strongman 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. Actually, he is, but slowly... in the conflict.
Receiving the visiting chairman of Libya's Presidential Council Mohammad Menfi in Gay Paree on Tuesday, President Emmanuel Macron insisted that the withdrawal of all foreign forces was a priority.
"We must do everything so that foreign forces who are on the ground in Libya leave as soon as possible," said Macron.
"Ottoman Turkish and Russian fighters, those imported muscle sent in by them or others, must leave Libya as soon as possible as only the Libyan armed forces are legitimate," he said.
[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] Algerian victims of terrorist attacks that took place in the country during the 1990s, gathered at the capital's central al-Baird Square demanding their inclusion in the Ministry of Mujahideen.
The victims called for justice, saying they were among the first to resist turban groups, just as the "mujahideen" fought French colonialism during the liberation war.
The protesters tried to march towards the government headquarters to meet Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad but were banned by security forces.
They launched an online campaign commemorating the terrorist attacks, which killed 150,000 according to official figures, while unofficial sources say that the number does not exceed 60,000 victims.
The victims also used the hashtag "Mansinash" (we have not forgotten) emphasizing that they still remember the mass massacres and liquidations committed by bully boy groups all over the country.
They called on the authorities to adopt March 22 as the "national day for victims of terrorism."
The majority of the protesters came from Sidi-Hamed, south of Algiers, which witnessed a terrorist attack during Ramadan in 1998, that killed 100 persons and injured dozens, many of whom were permanently disabled.
The government makes monthly allocations of $150 in the local currency to the injured, which many believe is not enough.
Suleiman Amour, 50, who lost his eye during the attack, told Asharq al-Awsat that the monthly income does not cover his needs and medical bills, saying this grant is a "disgrace."
Families of victims published photos of their relatives who were killed in attacks between 1995 and 1997.
They also circulated pictures of intellectuals and journalists who were assassinated at their workplaces or near their homes, including journalist Smail Yefsah, who was killed in 1993 by the Islamic Front for Armed Jihad.
The turban group is known for its operations against secular intellectuals who were against the establishment of an Islamic state and assassinated over 110 journalists and media workers between 1993 and 1999.
Members of the "Association of the Families of Victims of Terrorism" condemned the government's support to forces of Evil included in the truce agreements.
The government provided aid to "repentant" holy warriors who surrendered to authorities within the framework of the three laws enacted to end wars: Law of Mercy (1995), the Civil Harmony Law (1999), and the National Reconciliation (2006).
The association is chaired by Fatima-Zohra Flici, the widow of well-known doctor Hadi Flici who was assassinated in his clinic.
Meanwhile, ...back at the the conspirators' cleverly concealed hideout the long-awaited message arrived. They quickly got to work with their decoder rings... the Islamic Salvation Army asserted that 6,000 of its members who surrendered to the authorities did not receive "a single penny" from the government.
The group's former leader, Madani Mezrag, confirmed in previous statements to the media, that the negotiations with the intelligence services in 1997 included the reintegration of members of the organization into their former workplaces before joining terrorist organizations.
He also indicated that they enjoyed all their civil and political rights, such as the right to run for elections and join parties, however, he claims the government "did not fulfill its promises."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/26/2021 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] The European Council imposed restrictive measures on 11 individuals and four entities responsible for serious human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... violations and abuses in a number of countries, including Libya.
The US, Britannia, and Germany earlier urged the Council's 15-member Libya Sanctions Committee to blacklist Mohammed al-Kani and the Kaniyat militia.
Since their escape from Tarhuna last summer following a military defeat, dozens of mass graves were discovered and attributed to Kaniyat militiamen.
In this regard, the council imposed sanctions on two individuals and the militia group over "extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in Libya."
The sanctions targeted Mohammed Khalifa al-Kani and his brother Abderrahim al-Kani who are accused of committing human rights violations between 2015 and June 2020 in Tarhuna.
Under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime, the listed individuals and entities are subject to an asset freeze in the EU. Also, all listed individuals are subject to a travel ban to EU countries.
A former Libyan military officer told Asharq al-Awsat newspaper that militias dominated the country in the past years and made profits through human trafficking and blackmailing.
The officer urged the EU and the Security Council to tackle the issues of killings and enforced disappearances of citizens.
He also gangs would vanish if the government of national unity succeeds in uniting the military and security institutions in Libya.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/26/2021 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] The British government said Wednesday it will toughen immigration rules to make it harder for people who arrive by unauthorized routes such as small boats and truck stowaways to be given asylum.
Home Secretary Priti Patel said asylum-seekers who come to Britannia through organized, sponsored routes, will have their refugee claims considered promptly and will be given support to settle. Those who sneak into the country will only be given temporary permission to stay, will receive limited benefits and will be "regularly reassessed for removal from the UK."
Patel said the system would be "fair but firm."
"People are dying at sea, in lorries and in shipping containers," she said. "To stop the deaths we must stop the trade in people that cause them."
Refugee groups and immigration lawyers say the plan unfairly discriminates against refugees based on the way they got to the UK.
"The proposals effectively create an unfair two-tiered system, whereby someone’s case and the support they receive is judged on how they entered the country and not on their need for protection," said Mike Adamson, chief executive of the British Red Thingy. "This is inhuman."
But Patel said the changes are needed to stop illegal people-smuggling rings, and will make the system fairer because it won’t give an advantage to those who can pay for their passage.
"What is inhuman is allowing people to be smuggled through illegal migration, and that is what we want to stop," she told the BBC. "We will create safe and legal routes to enable people to come to the United Kingdom in a safe way."
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[AlAhram] The EU leaders said they will assess progress again on EU-The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire... ties when they meet in June
[NYTIMES] A lawyer for the man charged with 10 counts of murder after a mass shooting at a grocery store in Boulder, Colo., said in court on Thursday that the suspect has an unspecified mental illness. "Islam"
During the first court appearance for the suspect, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa, prosecutors also vowed to file more charges in the next two weeks and said the police were still processing the vast scene of the crime at the King Soopers grocery store. Mr. Alissa will continue to be held in jail without bond.
Kathryn Herold, a public defender who is among those assigned to represent Mr. Alissa, raised the possibility that he had a mental illness when she asked the judge to postpone the next court date.
"We cannot do anything until we are able to fully assess Mr. Alissa’s mental illness," Ms. Herold said at the hearing.
Judge Thomas Mulvahill said that the parties would next meet in court in the next 60 to 90 days to discuss the case.
#7
Again, the individual should be adjudge by the crime committed, not some adjectival descriptive of who the perp is. That is equal justice. We really are not concerned about justice anymore.
#8
Catch-22 Situation IMNSHO: If he is sane it's "depraved mass murder" and if he is crazy then "rabid dog treatment"... Everybody agrees he did it so it should be a short trial followed by a shorter execution.
[AlAhram] The Biden administration is giving the Paleostinians $15 million to aid in their COVID-19 response in the West Bank and Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... Strip, the U.S. State Department said in a statement on Thursday.
The funds from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) would help support efforts by the Catholic Relief Services in healthcare facilities as well as address food insecurity, the statement said.
I believe it is illegal for the American government to give money to the Palestinians so long as they are going to the UN or other international organizations for help against Israel, not that the Biden-Harris administration cares anything about laws contrary to their will.
[IsraelTimes] One of the top Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", figures in the West Bank, Omar Barghouti, has died of COVID-19 at the age of 67, media reports say.
Barghouti
...the clan has donated many of its sons for generations to Fatah and Hamas...
— not to be confused with the BDS founder who has the same name
...formally the Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions National Committee (BNC), an effort of the PLO to wage a soft jihad of social and economic pressure against Israel when the various kinetic wars and the first intifada proved mortifying failures. Leading members come from Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Omar Barghouti is a co-founder and front man based in the West Bank, while Hamas supports enthusiastically from Gaza...
— was diagnosed with the virus several days ago and his condition deteriorated quickly.
A longtime operative for the Paleostinian terror group, Barghouti served a total of 27 years in Israeli prison, 13 of which were under administrative detention. He was convicted over the murder of an Israeli in 1978, but was released after seven years in a prisoner swap deal. He was later arrested many times and tossed in the slammer Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! for other terror offenses.
Two of his sons murdered Israelis — including an unborn child — in several terror attacks in recent years.
בכיר חמאס ביו"ש עומר ברגותי בן ה-63 מת מקורונה. ברגותי, טרוריסט שרצח יהודי ב-1978, ישב בבתי הכלא בישראל ושוחרר ב-1985. בניו היו אחראיים לפיגועים לפני כשנתיים וחצי בגבעת אסף, ובעפרה שם נרצח עובר בבטן אמו. pic.twitter.com/4Gj2KZwBPH
[IsraelTimes] Some 30 countries have been sharing intelligence about jihadist terror organizations at a secret site with the aim of facilitating prosecutions, French newspaper Le Monde reports online.
The "Gallant Phoenix" project, created in 2016, is being headed by the United States and located at a US Army base in Jordan, the daily says.
It seeks to collect and centralize traces left online by terrorists, remnants from jihadist actions anywhere in the world and even the personal belongings of Islamists seized after arrest, all to help prosecutions and provide evidence at trials.
The main contributors to the sharing effort are the Iraqi army, Kurdish forces, NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A single organization with differing goals, equipment, language, doctrine, and structure.... allies and the members of the international military coalition against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group.
Le Monde says military intelligence units are always eager to collect and evaluate objects left behind by enemy combatants, but "’Gallant Phoenix’ gives this collection of evidence a framework and a system."
Some 700 documents relating to 500 jihadists have been handed over by Phoenix to ongoing investigations into acts of terror, the report says.
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.