[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Unpatrolled game reserves in Kitui County are feared to be hideout for gunnies from Somalia.
If confessions by a convicted terrorist are anything to go by, the vast South Kitui Game Reserve and Kora National Reserve could be Al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... safe havens, where attacks are planned.
Elgiva Bwire, who is serving a life sentence in prison, confessed to police how he transported more than two dozen grenades from Somalia to Nairobi using village routes in Kitui.
ON HIS OWN PLEA
The man who was tossed in the slammer Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! in Kayole and convicted by a Nairobi court on his own plea told police that after returning from militia training in Somalia, he avoided major highways -- trekking long distances inside the reserve.
He said he boarded different trucks ferrying charcoal in South Kitui Game Reserve and spent several days in Mutha, Mutomo and Kitui towns before proceeding to the city.
Kitui South MP Rachael Nyamai told Nation that the reserve is home to 5,000 illegal inhabitants and some are feared to be illegal aliens and terror agents.
Dr Nyamai wants the government to flush out the invaders, saying, they are not only responsible for the escalating cases of poaching, but also terror attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2013 00:00 ||
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[Daily Nation (Kenya)] So maybe Wednesday it will be Jannah, (Islamic paradise) I look around at how beautiful Jihad is, It's alive in Kenya, It's alive in me, And I'm breathing Jihad, It's my time."
This is an excerpt from a poem written by Samantha Lewthwaite, the most wanted woman in the world. She is sought by security agencies in Kenya, South Africa, Britannia and the US.
She has long been believed to be hiding in Kenya and posted the poem on Twitter in September last year.
The 29-year-old mother of three reveals her ruthless intention: "I'd rather be receiving my martyrdom, think I'll get ready... and buy a vest."
As gunnies stormed the Westgate mall in Nairobi at about mid-day on Saturday, unleashing indiscriminate violence on defenceless men, women and kiddies, some witnesses recalled spotting a veiled woman in the group. They said she appeared to be commanding the others to shoot non-Moslems.
Lewthwaite, nicknamed "The White Widow" by Western media, was once married to Jermaine Lindsay, the bomber who went kaboom! in a train at London's King's Cross on July 7, 2005, killing 26 other people.
Lewthwaite denounced his actions and soon disappeared with the children. Her name only came to light again when she was linked with an investigation by Kenyan police into an Al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... terror cell planning attacks on Western targets in Mombasa early last year.
Their suspicions were raised when in November 2012, Briton Jermaine Grant was charged in a Mombasa court with being an Al-Shabaab terrorist. Police said a woman escaped during his arrest.
Grant's home was described as a "bomb factory" by the prosecution after chemicals similar to those used in the July 7, 2005 London blast were found.
Lewthwaite's name has cropped up in other investigations and she was recently linked to British terror suspect Habib Ghani aka Osama al Britani, who was killed recently in Somalia after falling out with Al-Shabaab.
She remains the main suspect in a grenade attack at Jericho Beer Garden in Mombasa where three people died and over 30 were maimed.
Al-Shabaab spokesperson Mohammad Usman Arus, though, denied on BBC radio that any Briton, American or woman had taken part in the attack, saying: "We do not send our sisters out on missions."
The Sunday Mirror reported in September last year that detectives in South Africa were leading the hunt for Lewthwaite, whose South African passport bears the name Natalie Faye Webb. They were investigating claims she was hiding in central Kenya.
Chief of General Staff Julius Karangi on Monday said the army had "an idea who these people are but due to the sensitivity of the operation we will not divulge."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] A new group called the Revolution Path Front will be launched Tuesday in Cairo by a group of political activists who say they aim to work towards the revolution's goals of "bread, freedom and social justice."
According to a statement posted on the front's Facebook page, a presser is planned to take place Tuesday at 12pm at the Syndicate of Commercial Professionals in Cairo.
On its Facebook page, the front announced its aim fight for the "redistribution of wealth among poor and low-income Egyptians."
Among the expected participants at the Tuesday presser where the group will be announced are prominent journalists Wael Gamal and Khaled El-Balshi, political activist Alaa Abdel-Fatah, leftist labour lawyer Haytham Mohamadein, renowned writer Ahdaf Soueif, and April 6 Youth Movement co-founder Ahmed Maher.
The front presents itself as an alternative group that will fight against "military oppression" as well as "the Moslem Brüderbund's violence and sectarianism" and seek the "restoration of the January 25 revolution."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2013 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Tunisia's ruling Islamists resisted on Monday proposal by which they would resign pending elections, in a reaction that will likely worsen tensions with the country's secular opponents demanding them to step down immediately.
The north African country has been in turmoil since an opposition leader was assassinated in July, which threatened the country's transition to democracy.
The country's powerful UGTT union had been pushing both sides to accept a plan for the Islamist-led government to resign after several weeks of talks aimed to plan an election date and for a new transitional administration to be formed.
However, the difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits... on Monday, the moderate Islamist party Ennahda called for the election date to be guaranteed and said that the an assembly tasked with writing a new constitution should finish its work before the government would give up power.
"We have said that this government would not step down concretely before the completion of the constitution," Rafik Abd Essalem, a senior Ennahda official, told news hounds, according to Rooters.
The 800.000-member UGTT labor union threated on Sunday to organize anti-government protests in a bid to force the government to accept the proposal and resign in order for a new cabinet to be formed.
A senior Ennahda official said that his party cannot accept the "threat of pressure from the streets."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2013 00:00 ||
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For a map, click here For a map of Durango state, click here
By Chris Covert
Rantburg.com
General de Brigada Sergio Alberto Martinez Castuera has been appointed the newest commander of the Mexican 10th Military Zone, according to Mexican news reports.
The 10th Military Zone encompasses most of Durango state all the way to the sierras, and has been involved in a number of small counternarcotics operations earlier in the spring.
General Martinez Castuera gained his second star in November, 2010, and he served a commandant of the Mexican Army's prestigious military academy, Heroica Colegio Militar between 2011 and 2012.
During that time, charges had surfaced of harassment of cadets, evidenced by an open letter by a woman identified as Pacheco Gabriela Matias. It is unclear in the letter if the harassment was to females only, or to all cadets, but the charges included theft and abuse. No details of any charges were listed in the letter, which had been published in a number of Mexican newspapers and magazines.
Whatever became of the charges is also unclear in subsequent news reports, but it doesn't seem to have affected the general.
General Martinez Castuera also previously served as commander of the 11th Military Zone in Zacatecas.
What is most interesting about General Martinez Castuera's appointment is that he had served as commander of Mexico's Cuerpo Fuerzas Especiales or Corp of Special Forces in 2008 and 2009, and implemented the initial training program for Mexican Fuerzas Especiales in counternarcotics operations.
How this comports to his appointment to the 10th Military Zone is that last spring the Secretaria de Defensa Nacional (SEDENA) General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda told local news reporters in Durango that finding Joaquin Loera Guzman, AKA El Chapo, the leader of Mexico's largest drug cartel, is a "priority", as he put it.
It has long been rumored that Loera maintains a residence somewhere in the sierras of Durango.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com. His latest work of non-fiction, The Wounded Eagle: Volume 2 went on sale September 1st at Amazon.com and Smashwords.com.
Mexico's Secretaria de Gobernacion (SEGOB), or interior minister, Miguel Osorio Chong is expected to meet with Mexican national deputies Friday to explain why police certifications are not nearing completion, according to Mexican news accounts.
Earlier in the month, it was learned that only 63 percent of all state and local police nationwide have been certified, despite a looming November 1st deadline.
According to a news report which appeared Saturday in Milenio news daily, Partido Accion Nacional (PAN) coordinator for the Chamber of Deputies Guillermo Anaya said Saturday that legislators expect SEGOB Osorio Chong to explain why the deadline won't be met.
The police certification program, begun under the previous national administration of Felipe Calderon Hinojosa was to be complete by December of 2012, but that deadline was extended to November 1st of this year.
Since December, 2012, Osorio Chong has made it very clear he was aware of the deadline which specifies that all police at all three levels would either be certified or lose their jobs.
The certification program includes tests including psychological, drug and confidence tests which are meant to determine a police agent's suitability to become a police officer.
Results have been mixed. The lion's share of national police have already been certified while many states have lagged behind, some way behind.
For example, the tiny central Mexico state of Colima says 98 percent of its police are certified while the northern border state of Tamaulipas is barely above 40 percent.
Osorion Chong's role in the certification program is read. A large part of the states' and municipalities' security budgets are provided by the national government either as direct funding or as pass-though programs where taxes and fees collected by states and municipalities are returned to the states and municipalities.
According to the Milenio article, the concerns of members of the Chamber of Deputies became apparent when President Enrique Pena Nieto's 2014 economic package failed to address security. The package released three weeks ago addresses a restructuring of federal taxes, including a proposal to scrap the flat tax on businesses and a proposal to goose up the top rates on income taxes. Both of those proposals are likely job killing measures.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for Rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com. He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com. His latest work of non-fiction, The Wounded Eagle: Volume 2 went on sale September 1st at Amazon.com and Smashwords.com
WASHINGTON -- After months of a peace offensive, North Korea may be gearing up for another missile launch, U.S. experts said Monday. They note the return of Pak To-chun, a top North Korean official in charge of missile and nuclear development, to a public scene.
Pak, communist party secretary overseeing the munitions industry, had been unusually absent from major reported events since May. His disappearance raised speculation that he might have been purged or demoted due to possible technical glitches in the nation's missile program.
In early September, however, he reappeared in the North's state media.
"If indeed his disappearance was caused by the technical setback in the North's missile program, as some observers speculated last summer, then Pak's comeback may indicate that the technical issue must have been successfully resolved and the North may be ready for another missile launch, perhaps as early as this fall," said Alexandre Mansourov, a U.S. expert who has long followed North Korea issues.
In the spring, North Korea issued near-daily threats to launch a missile attack on the U.S. and South Korea. It was seen preparing for the launch of Musudan intermediate-range ballistic missiles from road-mobile launchers. But it did not go ahead with the launch, for unknown reasons.
Citing satellite imagery, a U.S. research institute also said the North probably tested a long-range rocket engine in late August at a launch site near the border with China.
The indicators include the presence of a probable rocket stage, a crane necessary to mount and remove the rocket engine and propellant tanks on the test stand, instrumentation used to monitor tests as well as changes in the appearance of vegetation in front of the flame trench, Nick Hansen, a satellite photo analyst, said in a report on 38 North, a blog run by the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/24/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
As said before, EFFECTIVE LT INTER-KOREAN REUNIFICATION may actually premise the support of the US + SOKOR, etal. for NOKOR DEV + POSSESSING NUCLEAR WEAPONS.
IMO its either the above, or the US-ROK-Allies accept an eventual formal Chinese takeover of the DPRK.
* ION CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > [SpaceWar = Space Daily] STUDY [Rand]PROPOSES US, CHINA ZONES IN COLLAPSED NORTH KOREA.
RELATED ... ...
* TOPIX > US, SOUTH KOREA, + ALLIES SHOULD PREPARE FOR EVENTUAL COLLAPSE OF NORTH KOREA.
* WORLD NEWS > US, CHINA SHOULD AGREE ON BUFFER ZONES IN CASE OF NORTH KOREA COLLAPSE, REPORT SAYS.
Worst-case scenario is a "sudden" collapse of Pudgy + Regime.
RAND's BRUCE BENNETT = US + SOKOR, etc. may not like it, but its far better than waging a major Conventional or Nuclear War agz CHINA.
Prob lies wid China's willingness to allow US-ROK-Allied forces north of the Inter-Korean DMZ, WHICH BY MOST ACCOUNTS CHINA ISN'T.
VERSUS
* PRAVDA.RU > RUSSIA'S SLAVIC POPULATION TO ACCOUNT FOR ONLY 25% BY 2020?
ARTIC = Russia under both internal threat vee Muslims [birth = demographic rates]; as well as external threat vee China.
"PRAVDA" BLOGGER = opined that SLAVIC RUSSIA is also at real threat from EASTWARD-MOVING, NON-SLAVIC WHITE EURO/NORDIC MASS MIGRATION, ESPEC VIA THE GERMANS.
Muslims-vs-Chinese-vs-Germans in Russia [Central Asia?] = HISTORY REVISITED???
* BIG NEWS NETWORK > [Global Times] > OPINION: OKINAWA'S FUTURE LIES IN CHINESE TOURISTS, NOT PHILIPPINES' EXPERIENCES, i.e. return of US to former PHIL Milbases.
* TOPIX, WORLD NEWS > CHINA LASHES OUT AT JAPAN FOR ANTI-MISSLE RADAR BASE PLAN.
US "X-band" BMD Radar.
* RELATED SAME > [PRC Foreign Ministry] CHINA: PROPOSED JAPAN ANTI-MISSLE RADAR PLAN AFFECTS WORLD'S STRATEGIC POWER BALANCE.
To which "post-US", "Mahanist" China clearly should not have any issues with - WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG???
* SAME > [SCMP] OSPREY TROOP TRANPORTERS ON JAPAN'S BUY LIST AMID FEARS OVER CHINA.
WMF BLOGGER = dev a "Senkaku/Diaoyu Confrontation" mil scenario where JSDF, USMC "Ospreys" went to war over the disputed islands agz Chinese variants of fast-moving, heavy-load bearing, Russian-made Hovercrafts + Chinese-made "Blue Whale" Tilt-rotors
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has ordered the children of diplomats home, the Sankei Shimbun reported Friday. According to the Japanese daily, more than 3,000 children of senior officials who are studying abroad without their parents are being called back. There are probably more if the children of officials working undercover as spies and others trying to earn valuta for the regime are included.
Kim ordered diplomats and trading officials overseas to send all their children except for one each home to North Korea by the end of this month, the Sankei quoted North Korean officials in China as saying.
One reason is to reduce expenses, but the regime is also apparently trying to hold the children hostage in case diplomats think of defecting and to prevent them being exposed to Western ideas, the paper speculated.
A North Korean source said, "An increasing number of senior officials have been sending their children abroad to study since the Kim Jong-un regime took power. There have been several reports that they went missing in foreign countries."
In May this year, the 19-year-old daughter of a senior North Korean police officer, who was studying in China, sought refuge there.
Back in 2007, former leader Kim Jong-il also ordered the children of overseas officials home but soon relented in the face of their resistance. The Sankei said discontent is already brewing again, despite the more lenient order which let one child per diplomat stay abroad.
Dissent? Don't the diplomats understand what happened to a bunch of singers recently?
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/24/2013 00:00 ||
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Ah, the wages of being a 'difficult' child may soon be reaped.
#3
can you imagine what it might be like if you studied abroad and then had to return to the Khafka-esque North Korea...for most of your life (unless in the Dip Corps)? Every day, you'd be thinking ..."what a bunch of shit!"
Posted by: Jack Salami ||
09/24/2013 16:09 Comments ||
Top||
#4
can you imagine what it might be like if you studied abroad and then had to return to the Khafka-esque North Korea
[Ynet] Residents of Italian-speaking Ticino in south of Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... ban use of religious Islamic garment. Amnesty says vote is 'black day for human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... ' while supporters stress burqa is 'symbol of female oppression'
People in the southern Swiss canton of Ticino voted to impose the country's first ban on face-covering veils on Sunday, following in the footsteps of French and Belgian restrictions that rights groups say discriminate against Musselmens.
Almost two thirds of voters in the Italian-speaking district backed the ban that still needs to be approved by the federal parliament in Bern before coming into effect.
Campaigner Giorgio Ghiringhelli, who drew up the proposal, said the result would send a message to "Islamist fundamentalists" he said were in Ticino and across Switzerland.
"Those who want to integrate are welcome irrespective of their religion," he said in a statement on the website ilguastafeste.ch.
"But those who rebuff our values and aim to build a parallel society based on religious laws, and want to place it over our society, are not welcome," he added.
Amnesia Amnesty International said the vote was a "black day for human rights in Ticino".
There are roughly 400,000 Musselmens in Switzerland, about 5% of the population.
In 2009, voters backed a ban on constructing new minarets and Switzerland's biggest party, the Swiss People's Party (SVP), has long made opposition to immigration a key plank of its electoral appeal.
"I would also have voted 'yes' if I had been in Ticino. The burqa is a symbol of female oppression," said Christophe Darbellay of the Christian Democratic People's Party on Swiss television, referring to a head-to-toe covering for Musselmen women.
But an earlier attempt to obtain a nationwide ban on burqas in public places was rejected by Swiss parliament in 2012. Cantonal assemblies in Basel, Bern, Schwyz, Solothurn and Fribourg have also rejected similar restrictions.
La Belle France was the first country in Europe to pass a law banning full-face veils in public, in 2010, and Belgium later followed suit.
The Ticino vote was launched under Switzerland's traditional direct democracy, which allows proposals to be put to the public if enough signatures are collected.
#2
"But those who rebuff our values and aim to build a parallel society based on religious laws, and want to place it over our society, are not welcome," he added.
#3
Amnesty International said the vote was a "black day for human rights in Ticino".
Let me get this straight: According to AmNasty International, burning Churches and slaughtering Christians in Egypt and Pakistan is perfectly OK, but banning veils is a black day for human rights.
Leaked documents provide evidence that GCHQ, UK Government Communications Headquarters, planted malware in the systems of Belgacom, the largest telecommunications company in Belgium.
According to slides obtained by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden and supplied to German newspaper Der Spiegel , the attack targeted several Belgacom employees and involved planting an attack technology called "Quantum Insert", which was developed by the NSA. The attack technique surreptitiously directs victims to spook-run websites where they are exposed to secondary malware infection.
The ultimate goal of "Operation Socialist" was to gain access to Belgacom's Core GRX routers in order to run man-in-the middle attacks against targets roaming with smartphones.
The documents shows that spooks in Cheltenham were particularly interested in BICS - a joint venture between Belgacom, Swisscom and South Africa's MTN - which provides wholesale carrier services to mobile and fixed-line telcos around the world, including trouble spots such as Yemen and Syria. BICS is among a group of companies that run the TAT-14, SEA-ME-WE3 and SEA-ME-WE4 cables connecting the United States, UK, Europe, North Africa, the Middle East and Singapore to the rest of the world.
Early goals for the spies included mapping its network to understand Belgacom's infrastructure as well as investigating VPN links from BICS to other telecoms providers. The leaked slides describe the exercise as already being a success and close to achieving its ultimate goal of compromising enough of Belgacom's infrastructure to run man-in-the-middle attacks. One slide explains spooks had successfully compromised "hosts with access" to Belgacom's Core GRX routers, leaving them just one step away from their objective. The slides themselves aren't dated but other leaked documents date the compromise of Belgacom's systems to around three years ago in 2010.
In a statement issued earlier this week, Belgacom admitted its internal systems were compromised but played down the impact of the breach, saying the intrusion did not compromise the "delivery" of communications. It added that the intrusion is under investigation by Belgian law enforcement.
If GCHQ was indeed the agency concerned then this investigation is unlikely to go anywhere and the most that can be expected is some sort of diplomatic complaint from Belgium to the UK, its EU and Nato partner. We've asked Belgacom if it has any comment on Der Spiegel's revelations.
In response, a spokesman supplied the following short statement which clarifies that Belgacom filed a criminal complaint in July shortly after detecting the hack, and long before going public with the problem on Monday:
We have filed on July 19 a complaint against an unknown third party and have granted since then our full support to the investigation that is being performed by the Federal Prosecutor.
[Dawn] Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... chairman Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five... on Sunday said that twin suicide kabooms at Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. church were perpetrated to sabotage the proposed talks with Taliban to end militancy in the country.
"Whenever such peace efforts are initiated, drone and terror attacks also escalate apparently to sabotage the peace overtures," he observed.
The PTI chairman, who rushed to Peshawar after the attack at All Saints Church here, condemned the blasts and said the perpetrators couldn't be called human beings.
Mr Khan also went to the Lady Reading Hospital where he met with blast victims and enquired after their health. He was accompanied by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, provincial ministers and members of the provincial assembly.
Mr Khan said attack on the church and killing of innocent people, including women and kiddies, was an inhuman act which needed to be condemned in strongest words.
He said it was 210th terror strike in Peshawar in the last five years. "The church attack, which is worst than the Meena Bazaar kaboom in 2009, is the result of government's wrong policy of fighting the US war on terror," he said.
He said that the resolution adopted in the all party conference should be implemented to eradicate militancy.
The only way to establish peace in the country was to come out of the America's war, he said, adding that the PTI had long been campaigning for dialogue with Taliban to seek a durable solution to the endless spate of violence.
He said his party would make efforts to get rid of militancy and pave way for progress and development of the province.
The PTI chairman said that the previous government was mostly to blame for the prevailing law and order situation in the province.
He said that it was shameful to politicise the gruesome attack which had shattered the nation. The provocation caused by a politician and subsequent ransacking of hospital by enraged people was shameful act, he said, adding that the PTI-led ruling coalition in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa couldn't be blamed for the mess by those who ruled the province for five years.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Declaring the twin suicide kabooms, at a Christian church in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. , a national calamity, Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spends more time running his madrassah. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... -Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... Monday said it was an attempt to sabotage potential peace talks with Pak Talibs, DawnNews reported.
Speaking to media representatives here, he said the incident has diminished Pakistain's image internationally and demanded the authorities to unmask the culprits behind the incident.
Sunday's attack on All Saints church in the lovely provincial capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... , that killed more than 80 and injured at least 130, is believed to be the deadliest ever to target the country's small Christian minority.
The JUI-F chief said it was a national tragedy which should be probed by an independent commission at the Supreme Court level. "The perpetrators should be unveiled before the masses through a sincere investigation into the incident," he added.
Commenting on increasing terrorist attacks in the country, he said such acts were an attempt to destroy Pakistain's identity. "An impression that non-Moslems are not safe in the country has been propagated through the incident."
Maulana Fazlur Rehman said the twin suicide kabooms were carried out a time when Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... was at the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... to present Pakistain's stance on US drone strikes.
Replying a query, he said sustaining peace in the region was the need of all stakeholders, adding that India and Pakistain were also advocating talks as only solution to the issues.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] The Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... and its allies tasted public anger for the first time when aggrieved families of those killed in the Sunday's twin suicide kabooms on All Saints Church in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. city sparked anger over the government's apathy.
"Shame, shame, we don't want your posters and slogans. Come and help us," the Lady Reading Hospital crowded with families of the killed and injured in the attacks resonated with protest chants as one PTI MPA turned up to give a statement on media present on the spot instead of consoling the families of the victims.
The yard outside the trauma centre resonated with cries of pain and anger as the aggrieved families did not let the MPA score points on media and speak. Mourners were chanting slogans against the provincial government and LRH management for not providing quick response to the traumatised maimed people.
"The government instead of giving severe punishment to the culprits has been releasing snuffies and criminals from prisons," remarked Father John William, who stated that not a single murderer was brought to justice.
Umar Maseeh, another protester at LRH, accused PTI chairman Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the brightest knife in the national drawer... of supporting the cause of bully boys. "Imran carried out his election campaign across the country, but he was never attacked, while we are unsafe even inside church, why?" he asked.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Condemning the suicide kaboom at a Christian church in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. , Pakistain's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Monday urged the nation and all political parties to stand united and fight out 'ulterior motives' of the perpetrators behind the attack.
He reiterated resolve of the government to chase the culprits behind the twin suicide kabooms with full might and bring them to justice.
"We need to stand united. We need to rise above political affiliation. We have to chase them to the end and bring them to justice," he said in his opening remarks in the National Assembly.
The house started discussion on Sunday's suicide kaboom that killed at least 81 and injured more than 130 in the capital of troubled Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... province.
Chaudhry Nisar condemned the incident in strongest term and described the incident as an inhuman act that was unacceptable in any society, religion or creed.
"The perpetrators cannot be termed as human beings. Killing one human being is like killing the whole of humanity."
He said the nation has foiled the criminals' bid to paralyse it. "This inhuman act has instead made the nation emerge once again with resilience to fight out their ulterior motives."
The interior minister said the whole nation, including the federal and provincial governments, have extended sympathies and support to the aggrieved Christian community. "I also assured the Bishop in Peshawar that every Pak was standing with them," he added.
Giving details of the incident, he said two jacket wallahs blew themselves up with one at the Church gate and other in the courtyard.
"The situation was heart rending. But, Pak citizens observed sanity and patience and proved that they were a nation fighting terrorism with bravery and courage."
Chaudhry Nisar announced three day nation-wide mourning and said the government will be meeting leaders of the Christian community within next three to four days to evolve a national strategy for protection of lives and worship places of the community.
He also extended support to the KP government to track down the hard boyz and efforts for relief to the victims.
The interior minister while appreciating conduct of the provincial government said the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) government stood united with the federal government at the critical juncture.
"I am happy to say that today the Pak nation is one on this issue. Whenever I visited Sindh, KP or Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... where governments are being run by different parties, I never had an impression of disunity," he said.
"This is a good omen that the nation and political parties stand united against terrorism. Today we need to firmly and collectively move forward to root out this menace," Nisar added.
Condemning the suicide kaboom at a Christian church in Peshawar, Pakistain's Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan Monday urged the nation and all political parties to stand united and fight out 'ulterior motives' of the perpetrators behind the attack.
He reiterated resolve of the government to chase the culprits behind the twin suicide attacks with full might and bring them to justice.
"We need to stand united. We need to rise above political affiliation. We have to chase them to the end and bring them to justice," he said in his opening remarks in the National Assembly.
The house started discussion on Sunday's suicide kaboom that killed at least 81 and injured more than 130 in the capital of troubled Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
Chaudhry Nisar condemned the incident in strongest term and described the incident as an inhuman act that was unacceptable in any society, religion or creed.
"The perpetrators cannot be termed as human beings. Killing one human being is like killing the whole of humanity."
He said the nation has foiled the criminals' bid to paralyse it. "This inhuman act has instead made the nation emerge once again with resilience to fight out their ulterior motives."
The interior minister said the whole nation, including the federal and provincial governments, have extended sympathies and support to the aggrieved Christian community. "I also assured the Bishop in Peshawar that every Pak was standing with them," he added.
Giving details of the incident, he said two suicide bombers blew themselves up with one at the Church gate and other in the courtyard.
"The situation was heart rending. But, Pak citizens observed sanity and patience and proved that they were a nation fighting terrorism with bravery and courage."
Chaudhry Nisar announced three day nation-wide mourning and said the government will be meeting leaders of the Christian community within next three to four days to evolve a national strategy for protection of lives and worship places of the community.
He also extended support to the KP government to track down the hard boyz and efforts for relief to the victims.
The interior minister while appreciating conduct of the provincial government said the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) government stood united with the federal government at the critical juncture.
"I am happy to say that today the Pak nation is one on this issue. Whenever I visited Sindh, KP or Balochistan where governments are being run by different parties, I never had an impression of disunity," he said.
"This is a good omen that the nation and political parties stand united against terrorism. Today we need to firmly and collectively move forward to root out this menace," Nisar added.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Angry Christians protested across Pakistain on Monday to demand better protection after a devastating double suicide kaboom at a church killed more than 80 people.
The attack on All Saints church in the northwestern city of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. after a service on Sunday is believed to be the deadliest ever to target Pakistain's small Christian minority.
Christians demonstrated in towns and cities around Pakistain, including Islamabad, Lahore, Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... and Peshawar to protest against the violence and demand the authorities do more to protect them.
A Mohammedan man was killed in Karachi when scuffles broke out at a Christian protest outside a mosque, police said.
More than 600 protesters blocked a major highway in Islamabad for several hours during the Monday morning rush hour, burning tyres and causing long tailbacks, an AFP photographer said.
Later around 2,000 people gathered to protest outside parliament.
In Peshawar, around 200 demonstrators erupted into the streets, smashing windows at the main Lady Reading hospital, where many of the victims were treated, and blocking the main Grand Trunk road.
In front of All Saints church, more than 100 people rolled their eyes, jumped up and down, and hollered poorly rhymed slogans real loud demanding justice and attacking the national government for failing to protect Christians.
And they had harsh words for cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... , whose Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) party runs the provincial government in northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... province.
Protesters shouted abusive slogans against the cricketer turned politician, including chants of "Imran is a dog".
"Imran Khan and his senior deputy have failed to protect Christians at their praying centres," Khalid Shahzad, who lost five family members in the attack, told AFP.
"The government of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Imran Khan are just making slogans, there is nothing practical (to protect us). They do not have any sympathy for minorities."
The corpse count from the blasts rose to 82 on Monday, according to medics, with around 130 in total maimed.
Senior Peshawar police official Najeeb-ur-Rehman said security around churches in the city would be stepped up, but survivors of the bombing spoke of their fears of further violence.
"We had very good relations with the Mohammedans -- there was no tension before that blast, but we fear that this is the beginning of a wave of violence against the Christians," Danish Yunas, a Christian driver maimed in the blast, told AFP.
The small and largely impoverished Christian community suffers discrimination in the overwhelmingly Mohammedan-majority nation but bombings against them are extremely rare.
The 400 or so worshippers were exchanging greetings after the service when the bombers struck, littering the church with blood, body parts and pages from the Bible.
The walls were pockmarked with ball bearings that had been packed into the bombs to cause maximum carnage in the busy church.
Sectarian violence between majority Sunni and minority Shiite Mohammedans is on the rise in Pakistain but Sunday's bombings will fuel fears the already beleaguered Christian community could be increasingly targeted.
A faction linked to the Pak Taliban on Sunday claimed the attack, saying it was to avenge US drone strikes on Taliban and Al-Qaeda operatives in the country's tribal areas along the Afghan border.
But on Monday the main front man for the umbrella Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) group said they were not responsible.
"We haven't done this nor do we attack innocent people," Shahidullah Shahid, the main TTP front man told AFP by telephone from some holy man's guesthouse an undisclosed location.
"Whenever we carry out an attack we claim it, but the Taliban are not involved in this attack. It was an attempt to sabotage the atmosphere of the proposed peace talks."
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... has called several times for peace talks with the Taliban and two weeks ago won backing from the country's main political parties.
But speaking in London late on Sunday he said the government was "unable to proceed further" with talks in the wake of the church attack.
Only around two percent of the Pakistain's 180 million population are Christian and the community complains of growing discrimination.
Pak Christians often lead a precarious existence, many living in slum-like "colonies" cheek-by-jowl with Mohammedans and fearful of allegations of blasphemy, a sensitive subject that can provoke outbursts of public violence.
In the town of Gojra in Punjab province in 2009, a mob burned 77 houses and killed seven people after rumours that a copy of the Koran had been desecrated during a Christian marriage ceremony.
Rimsha Masih, a Christian girl who was tossed in the calaboose Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! for alleged blasphemy last year, fled to Canada with her family in June after the charges were dropped.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
As per BIGNEWSNETWORK, death toll is now up to 85.
[Ynet] Lebanese newspaper As-Safir reported that bigwigs from Hezbollah, Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, and Iran met a few times over the past two weeks in Beirut and in Tehran, and agreed to strengthen the "axis of resistance." The parties conducted an assessment of recent events in the Middle East and on the blockade of the Gazoo Strip.
Islamist sources quoted in the Lebanese newspaper claimed that Hamas plays a major role in the relationship between the Islamist movements and Iran, which has intensified its support of the movement, and of the Hamas government in Gazoo.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/24/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
So the IslamoFascists + the IslamoCommies both met in Lebanon + Iran, + decided to ... ...???
D *** NG IT, IS THERE NO LOVE IN THE MIDDLE EAST FOR THE WORLDWIDE CHURCH OF BUDDHI-ISLAM???
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iran said on Monday it had freed 80 prisoners tossed in the calaboose Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! in political crackdowns ahead of President Hassan Rowhani's visit to attend the U.N. General Assembly meeting in New York this week.
As part of Rowhani's apparent new moderate political approach and outreach to the West, authorities released prominent human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and at least 10 other prisoners last week.
Judiciary front man Mohseni Ejei told a news conference on Monday, 80 prisoners had been pardoned, including some arrested over protests that followed the disputed re-election of former hardline President Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad in 2009, Rooters news agency reported.
The release of the prisoners last week also came after Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that flexibility is needed in Iran's international relations.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2013 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Hezbollah leader His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... denied on Monday that the Lebanese group received chemical weapons from Syria.
"This accusation is truly laughable," he said in a televised speech, referring to charges that Syria's government had transferred chemical weapons to the group,according to Rooters news Agency.
The charges had "dangerous consequences for Leb," he said.
"We decisively and conclusively deny these accusations which have absolutely no basis in truth," he was quoted as saying by Rooters.
The Syrian National Coalition accused Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... 's government of transferring chemical weapons to Hezbollah to escape inspection.
Last June the opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) reported that chemical weapons were used on Wednesday in a Damascus town by Hezbollah fighters and forces loyal to President Bashir al-Assad.
Nasrallah also urged 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... and other supporters of the Syrian opposition to instead back a political settlement reported Agence La Belle France Presse.
"Review your positions. The situation has begun to take on very serious dimensions in Syria," he said. "You are betting on a failed military option... The solution is political, and political dialogue," he was quoted as saying.
The leader of Hezbollah also accused the countries of blocking the path to political dialogue and instead supporting "military solutions that would be devastating to Syria and others."
He also accused Saudi Arabia of supporting "tens of thousands of imported muscle coming from all over the world" to fight against Syrian government forces according to AFP.
"Are they not occupying Syria?" he asked.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/24/2013 00:00 ||
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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.
WASHINGTON -- After months of a peace offensive, North Korea may be gearing up for another missile launch, U.S. experts said Monday. They note the return of Pak To-chun, a top North Korean official in charge of missile and nuclear development, to a public scene.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
Nawaz Sharif
[Dawn] Condemning the 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
