Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Happy Birthday/Daily Gam Shot
Amber Smith aka Susan Lefferts, a Rita Hayworth lookalike in "L.A. Confidential" aka Christy Kane in "American Beauty" aka Angelica in "Sin City Diaries" aka Esquire magazine's first Vargas Girl of the 1990s aka first model of the Wonderbra campaign (That Figures) (age 40)
Dale: I tried clicking left then I tried clicking right and nothing happened. I think I'm doing something wrong because I'm not getting a any kind of menu like I had hoped.
Pakistan: Report Alleges US, NATO, Afghan Forces for Funding Taliban
[Unattributed report: "US, Nato forces are making deals with Taliban"]
KARACHI: American, Nato and Afghan forces in Afghanistan are seriously worried of the heightened activities of the Taliban. To save themselves and the upcoming presidential eleciton,
they are engaged in unsoldierly Chicago style
businesses. Now the US and Nato forces are in deals with warlords and Taliban or anyone with a hand out and an operational AK-47
to keep them dormant, thus indirectly funding the Taliban fighting potential.
A well-placed Afghan official, (oxymoron)
based in Kabul, has startling yes, yes, yes, startling, quite startling indeed,
disclosures about the underhand deals and concessions offered to Taliban in various provinces of Afghanistan..... and Pakistan as well.
The US and some
Nato partners
are fighting Taliban freedom fighters on one hand but at the same time paying huge amount of cash and weapons to Taliban to buy local safety and safe passages.... which will one day produce democracy success stories and votes back home.
Afghan officials like Governor Balkh Ustad Atta Muhammad and others pay millions of Afghanis and provide large number of weapons to representatives of Taliban in their areas. In return, this 'Attaya' force of the Taliban guarantee safety to the officials and their families. The Kabul based official has also revealed that certain government officials were in league with the Taliban gassssssssssssssssssp
and other opposition groups to defame government of President Karzai on one pretext or the other.
The combat alliance of 46 countries, deployed in different provinces of the Afghanistan misadventure,
have evolved their respective mechanism to ensure safety to their troops and supply convoys, FOBs, COPs, etc.
Germany, France, Holland the UK to name a few all have brokered local peace deals with the Taliban to avoid casualties. Dutch deal brokers.....? Who knew?
Does it portray a reluctance of the military to face the adversary? The front remains the security companies who deal on behalf of the US and NATO with Taliban and broker a safe passage or occasional calm in the local area.
This outcome is then portrayed at international level as an operational success of the US and Nato and, and, and President for Life Obama.
In December 2009, the US Congress in a wide-ranging probe confirmed that private security companies, hired to protect defence convoys in Afghanistan, were paying off Taliban and warlords for safe passage.
This remains a testimony about the US and Nato double standards; paying for local securities being unable to cover their operational vulnerabilities with all their air power and military might. Out of operational compulsions US and Nato are in fact feeding the Taliban and warlords to use the same money to perpetuate their activities, or in other words "keep the ball rolling." A ponzi scheme you say?
[Description of Source: Islamabad The News Online in English -- Website of a widely read, influential English daily, member of the Jang publishing group. Neutral editorial policy, good coverage of domestic and international issues. Usually offers leading news and analysis on issues related to war against terrorism. Circulation estimated at 55,000; URL: http://www.thenews.com.pk/]
#1
How can we keep the moderate Taliban away from the Pakistani ISI?
The hardline faction of the Taliban led by Mullah Omar is controlled by the ISI and will not hold talks without ISI say so but the average Taliban is fed up with the war and wants talks.
Posted by: Paul ||
03/02/2011 8:13 Comments ||
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#2
Sounds more like weapon allowance given to the enemy.
#3
It sounds a bit like being a prison guard who's also smuggling stuff in for the inmates. You try giving it to the "good" inmates and/or they paying inmates, but it all ends up in circulation throughout the general prison population...
Posted by: American Delight ||
03/02/2011 9:29 Comments ||
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#4
This is not about 'good Taliban' or 'bad Taliban." This is about an illusion of progress which will allow a withdrawl of troops to be initiated whilst making a long-standing campaign promise reality. Blazing wars don't make very good campaign material. Obama must get out of this mess and fast or his political career will be quite short lived. Getting out of Afghanistan sooner rather than later will also enable the administration to dismantle the military and turn guns into butter free cheese. The really, really sad reality is a lot of these poor buggers will be systematically slaughtered as the US withdraws. History has a sad way of repeating itself.
#5
Methinks his political career is toast already.
Any thoughts that getting out of Afghanistan will save the 2012 election is just delusional.
With the foreclosures, unemployment, morbund economy, leftist silliness and DOJ coo coo nuts ideas, I think everyone that has not guzzled the koolaide thinks this guy is done.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
03/02/2011 10:19 Comments ||
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#6
I think everyone that has not guzzled the koolaide thinks this guy is done.
Posted by: Bill Clinton 2011-03-02 10:19
Back in 1996 they were saying the same things about blow-job Billy.
Posted by: Alan Cramer ||
03/02/2011 14:29 Comments ||
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#8
So long as we get out of that hell hole, I don't care who we pay off. And I agree with Bill that it won't have a big effect either way on the '12 election.
#9
Yes, but BJ Billy pushed Welfare Reform and a bunch of other Republican ideas as his own, and was successful in signing those slightly relabeled bills as his own. Zero has not shown the same ability to triangulate.
[Tolo News] A Taliban local commander was nabbed on Monday night in an Afghan forces operation in southern Helmand Province, provincial officials said.
The commander named Mullah Ghafar was nabbed last night in Afghan forces' operation in Lashkargah in central Helmand province, governor's Media Office said in a statement on Tuesday.
The man carried out krazed killer attacks in the province, added the statement.
Taliban have not yet commented.
Militants have increased their activities in the province recently and have used Improvised Explosive Devices in their attacks.
Nearly 10,000 British soldiers are in Afghanistan and most of them are currently based in the central Helmand province.
Afghan and Nato forces have launched military operations in the country and 2011 is called an important year in the Afghan war.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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A family of five including three children aged 13, 15 and 17 have been kidnapped by Somali pirates, officials have confirmed.
The group, all from Denmark, were sailing their boat around the Indian Ocean when they were taken hostage along with two members of their crew.
The pirates have now warned that they will kill the hostages if any rescue attempt is made.
Danish naval command received a distress signal from the vessel on February 24, the country's foreign ministry said on Tuesday.
"It can now be confirmed that the sailboat has been hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean," the ministry said.
Condemnation Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... the News Agency that Dare Not be Named spoke to Abdullahi Mohamed, who reportedly has ties with the gang holding the Danish family.
Mohamed told the AP on Tuesday that any attack against the pirates would result in the deaths of the hostages. He referred to the killings last week of four American hostages taken captive by pirates on their yacht. Mohamed "has provided reliable information to AP in the past," the news agency said.
The Danish ministry confirmed that the family - parents and their three children - and two Danish crew members were aboard when the vessel was seized.
"It's almost unbearable to know that children are involved, and I vigorously condemn the pirates," Lene Espersen, the Danish foreign minister said. She added that the Danish government would do "everything in their power" to help the hostages.
However, The infamous However... the foreign minister said that the country's government "does not negotiate with pirates".
The family had left on a two-year around the world tour expected to end in mid-2011, a neighbour told a Danish tabloid.
Just a week ago, four Americans were found dead on a hijacked yacht in the Arabian Sea as US forces tried to negotiate an end to a hostage drama involving Somali pirates. The US military said a firefight left two pirates dead and 13 more captured.
US military officials blamed the band of 19 pirates who commandeered the yacht in waters southeast of Oman for the Americans' deaths.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
The sequence of events was not immediately clear, but
Nor will it ever be as a highly trained FBI hotage negotiator was evidently calling the shots (MLK 75 year locked case rule applies), as opposed to a US Navy ships captain.
#2
"I vigorously condemn the pirates." Condemn? Come on, Denmark, channel some old Viking spirit & open a can of whup ass on these creeps. Unless you just want to let the children go Hansel & Gretl style into the oven.
Posted by: American Delight ||
03/02/2011 8:42 Comments ||
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#3
If they kill the hostages, kids included, just blast the boat out of the water.
Posted by: Charles ||
03/02/2011 9:05 Comments ||
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#4
The Danes are really odd ducks. They come across as very soft and passive and socialist but their military is a bunch of tough guys. Sort of like the Dutch who are the ultimate leftists but have a very hard professional military.
The comment, "The Danish Government does not negotiate with terrorists" does not bode well for the hostages or the pirates.
I personally think the Danes will unfurl their dragon flags and make a hash of the pirates.
As an aside, the fact that these people sailed into a known danger zone is obviously some that self deluding crap that the pirates wouldn't hurt a good liberal.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
03/02/2011 10:24 Comments ||
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#5
A few pre-emptive strikes off the Somalia coast in the Arabian Sea ought to deter pirating activities. What's wrong with boarding suspected pirate craft and searching them for weapons? Who are the fools who insist on sailing private boats/yachts in this area?
#6
Who are the fools who insist on sailing private boats/yachts in this area?
The article says they were sailing around the Indian Ocean. From what I've read there are some pretty nice destinations in the Indian Ocean for yachtsmen. I've also heard that the pirates are increasing their range. Makes me think it might be time to stop showing these people how fair we are and start showing them what heavy bombers can do to their ports. It's too easy for bad guys from a fail state like Somalia to run amok because the civilized world is afraid of collateral damage if we hit them where they live. They are making war whether they wear uniforms and represent a nation or not and we are currently losing the war.
#8
Fortunately, Denmark is full of Muslim families available for reciprocal hostage taking. Though I gather - for some reason - it has not come to that yet.
#11
The comments on youtube are correct. High Seas Piracy is punishable by immediate execution.
Same as the unlawful noncombatant, the guys not wearing uniforms shooting at us..according to the Geneva, those are fair game.
Why do we have to be such a bunch of sissies about everything? Why do Pelosi and Reid have to make us look so soft.
Why does Obama apologize for anything. We are the UNITED FREAKING STATES and there isn't much of anything those clowns can do about it. We should just sink every boat we see for a while.
PS. The guy down bleeding on the deck was NOT a Somali...he was either Syrian or Iranian...he seemed to disappear from the film after awhile. I hope he was used for shark bait.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
03/02/2011 23:26 Comments ||
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[Arab News] At least 10 people died when a militia attacked a police post in a disputed area of Sudan, a southern government official said Monday.
Deng Arop Kuol, the top government official in the disputed border region of Abyei, alleged the attackers were supported by the northern Sudanese government. Tribesman involved in the attack said the southern government provoked the attack.
The violence underscores the volatility between Sudan's north and south ahead of the south's independence in July.
The two sides fought for more than two decades and the civil war claimed around two million lives before it ended in 2005.
Seven coppers and three attackers from the nomadic Misseriya tribe were killed in Sunday's attack, and fighting continued on Monday, Kuol said. The fertile area is claimed by both north and south Sudan and is near several large oil fields.
Kuol said the Misseriya fighters were using jeeps that belonged to the northern Sudanese Armed Forces when they attacked a police post at Todach. "They used mounted jeeps which our police identified as the ones used by the Sudanese Armed Forces," said Kuol.
"We conclude (from this) that SAF participated actively in the attack." Kuol told the AP from Abyei that he did not yet have the corpse counts from Monday's fighting near the town of Todach, but said that "it was more deadly than yesterday and both sides incurred losses." Saddig Babo Nimr, a senior Misseriya leader, gave a different account of Sunday's fighting. He blamed the southern government for the violence, saying southerners instigated an attack against a camp of the nomadic cattle herders. He put the corpse count at 15.
Last month Southern Sudan overwhelmingly voted for secession from northern Sudan in a peaceful referendum. It is due to become independent in July but some southerners fear the northern government could use the unresolved status of Abyei as an excuse to send proxy militias to attack the south.
Such militias have long been a feature of conflict in Sudan, and ruling parties in north and south Sudan have both armed each other's rivals to bolster their claims to Abyei. Misseriya rustics fear that if Abyei is ruled by the south, they will not be able to use its grazing land for their flocks.
Col. Philip Aguer, front man for the southern army, said he had heard that a Misseriya group had attacked the police post in Todach on Sunday and again on Monday morning, but did not have details. He said there are no southern soldiers deployed in Abyei, and said that only a unit called the joint police force, made up of both northern and southern Sudanese, is involved in the Abyei fighting.
The News Agency that Dare Not be Named could not reach any senior United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society officials for comment on the situation. The UN's billion-dollar-per-year peacekeeping mission has a base in Abyei, but those peacekeepers were unable to 2008 contain festivities that razed the town and sent more than 60,000 residents fleeing south.
In January, violence between the Misseriya and pro-southern police left more than 60 people dead just before voting began in the south's independence referendum.
Following the festivities, tribal leaders agreed to allow Misseriya herders to migrate through the Abyei area and the Misseriya agreed to pay compensation for killings of residents during last year's migration. Northern and southern leaders also signed a separate accord to increase security in the Abyei territory.
Sudanese President Omar Bashir and southern leader Salva Kiir pledged in late January to reach an agreement on the future status of Abyei by the end of March, but negotiations have not moved ahead since the two presidents met last month.
Northern and southern leaders are meeting this week in the Ethiopian town of Debre Zeit for negotiations on a number of critical topics related to the south's secession, including future arrangements for transporting the landlocked south's considerable oil reserves and division of the country's national debts and assets.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Frozen Al ||
03/02/2011 16:35 ||
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#1
The situation in Libya reminds me a lot of the situation in iraq immediately after the 1991 war. Right down to the calls for a no fly zone over most of the country.
I'll note the irony of the Left and Arab world railing for years against the 2nd Iraq war have completely screwed any chance of an intervention in libya.
#4
The interactive map of Libya was enjoyable. So many names in history. Tobruk for example. The Aussies were not what the great Rommel expected. The tanks rolled in but the diggers attacked the infantry. Rommel regrouped and the diggers attacked again. With the air attack the diggers went underground. The news of modern warfare shows their tenacity and guile even today.
#5
Phil-b Dead wrong. Stop regurgitating leftist lies and Get your head out of your ass and reread the UN articles under which the Iraq invasion took place.
Libyan revolutionary forces have recaptured Masra El Brega city east of the capital Tripoli following heavy clashes with Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi's forces.
The protesters seized back Brega on Wednesday after the city fell under Gaddafi's forces control for minutes.
"It's true. There was aerial bombardment of Brega and Gaddafi's forces have taken it," said Mohamed Yousef, an officer in the town of Ajdabiyah, which is about 75 km (47 miles) from Brega.
Opposition fighters are preparing for battle as forces loyal to Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi fight to regain control of towns they've lost during the revolution.
The preparations come as forces loyal to Gaddafi are trying to create a buffer zone around Tripoli to prevent the opposition from taking over.
According to latest reports, thousands of protesters are advancing past the suburbs of Tripoli where Colonel Muammar Gaddafi is holed up.
Meanwhile, anti-government leaders in the Libyan city of Benghazi have formed a military council.
Gaddafi's bloody repression of anti-government protesters have claimed the lives of thousands of people over the past 16 days and the death toll is expected to rise as Gaddafi continues his bloody crackdown against the opposition. Daffy isn't dead yet, he survived the initial phase of his regime's collapse (which Ceausescu didn't) and has consolidated his position.
He has many friends and allies in the world who have an interest (some have a vital interest) to keep him alive, at least as a party in a civil war if not as ruler of Libya.
For those players it would be a very desirable outcome if the only victims of the Arab unrest were moderate, 'pro-western' regimes. To achieve that goal they might act, clandestinely, even without a UN mandate.
If he pulls off a comeback like Saddam in 1991 there will truly be 'rivers of blood.'
#1
Gaddafi seems to be trying to attack oil facilities. This may be part of his extorsion racket for survival. ("Let me live or I'l make sure the oil refineries are damaged in the fighting.")
This will also keep the Rebels from exporting the oil and getting revenue for their government.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
03/02/2011 11:51 Comments ||
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#2
Meanwhile, anti-government leaders in the Libyan city of Benghazi have formed a military council.
Who are these people? Ordinary Lybians? What does that mean? How do we know that America has a dog in this fight? We don't like Daffy but how do we know we're gonna like these "protesters" any better? Seems like a nice little war to stay the hell away from.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
03/02/2011 12:24 Comments ||
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#4
Who are these people?
Good question. I don't expect anything like a western democracy to pop up, they might indeed be as bad as Gaddafi though I don't see how they could be worse than the Duck.
Whoever succeeds hasn't bribed and corrupted the western political class yet, so there would be a window of opportunity for some honest political discourse re Libya.
As for the military option, I like Glenn Reynolds' take: Bomb the Libyan Air Force â itâll save lives now, if Qaddafi survives heâll be weaker, and if he doesnât survive weâll look good with the new guys. And if they turn out to be bad, well, at least they wonât have much of an Air Force....
#5
Khadaffy ordered the murder of 270, mostly Americans, with the bombing of Pan Am flight 103. The only interest America should have is Wanted: Dead or Alive, preferably dead.
Posted by: Pearl Gleaper1127 ||
03/02/2011 13:48 Comments ||
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Posted by: Pearl Gleaper1127 ||
03/02/2011 13:54 Comments ||
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#7
The Communists got one thing right. During chaotic times, the most organized group takes over, In the Arab world that would be the Muslim Brotherhood,
#8
"Seems to be attacking oil facilities" > Gaddafi still needs to pay + feed his Boyz, i.e. loyal Army-Police + other Security forces, etal. whether or not his international assets = personal wealth is seized by the US or UNO.
Compare agz STARVING NORTH KOREA = LITTLE-TO-NO CIVILIAN/PRIVATE SECTOR CONSUMER ECON + NO FOOD EITHER THANX TO THE RECENT NORTH KOREAN WINTER WIPING OUT THE BULK OF THEIR FOOD CROPS.
NGOS = DPRK will run out of food early to mid-summer 2011.
In the absence of MASSIVE, GUARANTEED CHIN + INTERNAT AID PER ANNUM, ALL KIMMIE HAS IS HIS SLOWLY-GOING-HUNGRY ARMY + GEOPOL
"BRINKMANSHIP", i.e. STARTING ESCALATORY MIL INCIDENTS IN ORDER TOP INDUCE "GREAT POWER" REGIONAL CONFRONTATIONS, ESPEC BETWEEN THE US-N-CHINA.
Venezuela's His Excellency President-for-Life, Caudillo of the Bolivarians Hugo Chavez proposed early Tuesday an international mediation effort to seek a peaceful solution to the uprising against his friend and political ally Muammar Qadaffy of Libya.
The firebrand South American socialist leader said he had already discussed the idea with some members of the ALBA bloc of left-wing Latin American nations and some other countries in Europe and South America.
"I hope we can create a commission that goes to Libya to talk with the government and the opposition leaders," he said in a speech on live TV. "We want a peaceful solution ... We support peace in the Arab world and in the whole world."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Any opportunity to try and save his buddies' rear end.
[Tolo News] President Muammar Qadaffy has deployed forces to a western border region on Tuesday amid fears of US invasion into Libya. 82nd Airborne trembles, decides to go to the movies instead...
While dismissing any armed revolt against his government, Libyan leader told US ABC and the BBC on Monday that "All my people love me. They would die to protect me".
Following the United States' decision to move warships and air forces to the borders of Libya, Qadaffy's forces arrived in Dehiba southern border crossing on Tuesday and decorated the border post with Libyan flags.
Dehiba is 60 kilometers from the town of Nalut and reports suggest that there was no Libyan forces' presence at the border area a day before.
Libyan forces were deployed to reassert control of Nalut, 60 km from the Tunisian border in the west, to show that the city is not controlled by anti-Qadaffy protesters.
Earlier on Monday the US announced that it was moving ships and planes closer to the country to help Libyan people trapped in the middle of a "humanitarian crisis".
But President Qadaffy in a recent interview looked relaxed, laughing and mocking at the uprising.
Qadaffy, 68, has run Libya, the biggest oil producing country in Arab world, for more than four decades.
Saif al-Islam, the younger son of Qadaffy, has previously warned that his father leading the war would fight until the last man and woman standing.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Again, IMO Muammar is wary that Radical Islam will roll back time + regress Libyuh unto histor backwardness.
IMO HE WANTS TO SEE A DEAL, + NOT-A-DEAL WHERE HE IS THE ONLY ONE MAKING MAJOR CONCESSIONS???
NO DEAL = THE US-ALLIES WILL HAVE TO KILL HIM OR COVERTLY ASSASSINATE HIM, ETC. TO REMOVE HIM FROM POWER.
NO DEAL = HE'S FINE-N-DANDY HAPPY WID ORDERING BRUTAL/ BLOODY REPRESSION AGZ THE REBELS, Killin' + Scorch-Earthin', Pillagin' + Murderin', everywhere he + Army goes.
#2
Bad move deploying them on the border, they can simply desert over the border. To gauge the effectiveness of Momo's army, remember that he had to bring in mercs to suppress riots in his capital, his pilots refused to bomb or defected to Italy, and I am pretty sure the Navy will sit this one out.
#3
The problem with mercenary troops, as the Italians discovered long ago, is that they're, well, mercenary. They tend to be more interested in getting paid than in dying gloriously for "the cause"...
#4
Cyber Sarge,
Actually his navy already left for Cyprus and Greece.
The quality of his army can be gaged from the fact that the rebels have already retaken the territory they lost.
As for the mercenaries, they seem to be from Zaire and the losers of the latest Chadian civil war. (How bad do you have to be to lose a war in Chad?)
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
03/02/2011 12:01 Comments ||
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#5
Oh look. Gaddafi sends us targets. Ya know pal, they wouldn't even be a speed bump. Our tanks and APCs would destroy them while maintaining full throttle.
#6
mojo:The problem with mercenary troops, as the Italians discovered long ago...
Read your Machiavelli again, from the Varangian Guard to the Black & Tans it is mercenary commanders that cause the problems -- the mercenaries themselves can be very useful indeed. No local entanglements when you need an outsider to do a nasty job and then leave town afterwards...
Frozen Al: IIRC, from Pollack's Arabs At War covering the Chad War the northern tribe allied to the Libyans was crucial to their early successes. Tough light infantry that handled all of the Libyan scouting and flank security. When they left, because of the usual dance of tribal loyalty/betrayal down there, the Libyans wandered blind into ambush after ambush.
[Arab News] Government opponents in rebel-held Zawiya repelled an attempt by forces loyal to Muammar Qadaffy to retake the city closest to the capital in six hours of fighting overnight, witnesses said Tuesday.
The rebels, who included defected army forces, are armed with tanks, machine guns and anti-aircraft guns. They fought back pro-Qadaffy troops, armed with the same weapons, who attacked from six directions. There was no word on casualties in Zawiya, 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Tripoli.
"We will not give up Zawiya at any price," said one witness. "We know it is significant strategically. They will fight to get it, but we will not give up. We managed to defeat them because our spirits are high and their spirits are zero."
Qadaffy, Libya's ruler of 41 years, has already lost control of the eastern half of the country since protests demanding his ouster began two weeks ago. He still holds the capital Tripoli and nearby cities.
The witnesses said youths from Zawiya were stationed on the rooftops of high-rise buildings in the city to monitor the movements of the pro-Qadaffy forces and sound the warning if they thought an attack was imminent. They also spoke about generous offers of cash by the regime for the rebels to hand control of the city back to authorities.
Qadaffy has launched the most brutal crackdown of any Arab regime facing a wave of anti-government uprisings spreading quickly around the Middle East. But international pressure to end the crackdown has escalated dramatically in the past few days.
The US moved naval and air forces closer to Libya on Monday and said all options were open, including patrols of the North African nation's skies to protect its citizens from their ruler.
La Belle France said it would fly aid to the opposition-controlled eastern half of the country. The European Union imposed an arms embargo and other sanctions, following the lead of the US and the UN The EU was also considering the creation of a no-fly zone over Libya. And the US and Europe were freezing billions in Libya's foreign assets.
"Qadaffy has lost the legitimacy to govern, and it is time for him to go without further violence or delay," US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said. "No option is off the table. That of course includes a no-fly zone," she added. British Prime Minister David Cameron ... British PM Cameron describes himself as a modern compassionate conservative and has spoken of a need for a new style of politics that doesn't involve calling people names. He has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's probably not. He has also claimed to be a liberal Conservative, and a very tall short person. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has urged politicians to concentrate on improving people's happiness and general well-being, instead of focusing solely on financial wealth, which is easy for a stockbroker's kid to say. Ask him to lend you ten quid and see how that works out. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... told politicians: "We do not in any way rule out the use of military assets" to deal with Qadaffy's regime.
Qadaffy laughed off a question from ABC News about whether he would step down as the B.O. regime is demanding.
"My people love me. They would die for me," he said. ABC reported that Qadaffy invited the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society or any other organization to Libya on a fact-finding mission.
Qadaffy's remarks were met with derision in Washington.
"It sounds, just frankly, delusional," said US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice. She added that Qadaffy's behavior, including laughing on camera in TV interviews amid the chaos, "underscores how unfit he is to lead and how disconnected he is from reality."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] Libya could descend into civil war if Muammar Qadaffy refuses to quit, the United States said on Tuesday, its demand for an end to his rule carrying new weight after word of unspecified Western military preparations.
But the veteran Libyan leader remained defiant, sending forces to a western border area amid fears that the most violent Arab revolt may grow more turbulent and trigger a regional humanitarian crisis.
In Moscow, a Kremlin source suggested Qadaffy should step down, calling him a "living political corpse who has no place in the modern civilized world," Interfax news agency reported.
In prepared testimony to U.S. politicians in Washington, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another William H. Seward ... said Libya could become a democracy or face a drawn-out civil war.
"In the years ahead, Libya could become a peaceful democracy or it could face protracted civil war," she said.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society Susan Rice said Washington would keep pressure on Qadaffy until he steps down, while working to stabilize oil prices and avert a possible humanitarian crisis.
Speaking in a series of interviews on U.S. television, Rice stopped short of saying the B.O. regime was ready to impose a no-fly zone over Libya that would prevent Qadaffy from using aircraft against rebels fighting against him.
"We are going to keep the pressure on Qadaffy until he steps down and allows the people of Libya to express themselves freely and determine their own future," Rice told ABC television.
Qadaffy appeared unmoved by the outside pressure, and suspicions grew that the veteran leader, a survivor of numerous coup attempts during his rule, did not grasp the unprecedented scale of the forces now gathering against him.
"All my people love me," he told the U.S. ABC network and the BBC on Monday, dismissing the significance of a rebellion against his rule that has ended his control over much of eastern Libya, the center of oil output.
Around the Libyan capital there were queues outside bread shops on Tuesday morning. Some residents said many bread shops were limiting the number of loaves customers could buy, forcing people to visit several to get needed supplies.
"The situation is nervous," said Salah, a 35-year-old doctor at one bread shop where about 15 people were queuing outside.
"Of course I am worried. My family is afraid. They are waiting at home. We have been hearing gun-fire.
"But the people are together. I hope the situation calms down. I am 35 and this is the first time I saw something like this in Libya. It is very scary."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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Libya could descend into civil war if Muammar Gaddafi refuses to quit, the United States said on Tuesday...
Ummmm...not exactly. What Clinton actually said was;
"In the years ahead, Libya could become a peaceful democracy or it could face protracted civil war."
Mrs. Bill, as usual, simply offerd her obligatory self-evident statement passed off as insight. At that point it was up to the State run news organization to portray her comments as a bold stearn warning. Rooters...yer check is in the mail.
[Ennahar] China said on Tuesday it hoped the crisis in Libya would be resolved peacefully though talks, and suggested it had misgivings about any military action or no-fly zones over the strife-torn north African country. How do you say 'tut tut!' in Mandarin? I don't recall anyone asking for Chinese air support...
China supported a U.N. Security Council resolution on Saturday for an arms embargo and other sanctions targeting Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy and his inner circle, and referred the crackdown to the International Criminal Court in the Hague.
But China's foreign ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said Beijing was concerned about suggestions by some foreign governments of military action against Libya, and setting up no-fly zones to protect Libyans from attacks by Qadaffy's forces.
"We have noticed this and are playing close attention," Jiang told a regular news briefing.
"We are paying a great deal of attention to what is happening in Libya. We hope that it can return to stability as soon as possible and its problems can be resolved peacefully through dialogue," she said. "We hope that the international community can make constructive efforts to ensure that Libya returns to stability as soon as possible."
The United States and other nations discussed on Monday measures to deal with Libya as Qadaffy scoffed at a popular uprising against his rule. British Prime Minister David Cameron ... British PM Cameron describes himself as a modern compassionate conservative and has spoken of a need for a new style of politics that doesn't involve calling people names. He has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's probably not. He has also claimed to be a liberal Conservative, and a very tall short person. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has urged politicians to concentrate on improving people's happiness and general well-being, instead of focusing solely on financial wealth, which is easy for a stockbroker's kid to say. Ask him to lend you ten quid and see how that works out. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... said his government would work to prepare for a "no-fly" zone.
China has sent ships and planes to evacuate more than 30,000 of its nationals in Libya. Li Baodong, China's ambassador to the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society, told fellow Security Council members that concerns about these citizens had played a key role in his decision to vote for the U.N. resolution.
Beijing is generally reluctant to criticize authoritarian governments in the developing world, but also tends to avoid forthright public festivities with other Security Council powers, and uses more oblique words to voice its concerns.
Jiang stuck to that tone in her comments on Libya.
"The priority is for the violence to end, to avoid casualties and to make constructive efforts to help Libya return to peace and stability," she said.
Some U.S. officials have expressed concern a vote on a no-fly zone could be harder to secure at the Security Council where veto-wielding members Russia and China may resist.
The United States, whose Sixth Fleet operates out of Italy, said it was moving U.S. naval and air forces closer to Libya and working on contingency plans, including humanitarian assistance. Analysts said military action against Qadaffy was unlikely.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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Remind me again - who's sucking down most of the petro that Libya produces?...
#2
Italy. Most of the rest goes to other European countries. There's also a natural gas pipeline from Libya to Italy.
Posted by: Pearl Gleaper1127 ||
03/02/2011 14:45 Comments ||
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I have a problem w/ a US no fly zone also. This is Europe's issue and if they don't want boatloads of Libyans landing at their welfare offices, then they need to find a pair and put up their own blood and treasure to address this.
Posted by: regular joe ||
03/02/2011 19:18 Comments ||
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[Arab News] Jordan's Foreign Ministry says four Jordanians have been nabbed in Libya. Last week, Jordan urged Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy to halt a bloody crackdown on his citizens. Jordan said it holds Libya responsible for the safety of foreigners living there.
Foreign Ministry front man Mohammed Kayed said Monday that the reason for the arrest of the four Jordanians was unclear. He said it appears some were jugged in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.
Kayed said Jordan's ambassador is pursuing the matter with Libyan authorities.
Of the 9,000 Jordanians who work and study in Libya, about 2,000 have been repatriated during the current rebellion against Qadaffy.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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[Maghrebia] To express the voice of freedom in areas liberated from Moamer Qadaffy's grip, Libyan journalists seized control of Benghazi-based newspaper Quryna and launched a new publication, they told Magharebia on Sunday (February 27th). Quryna was part of Seif al-Islam's al-Ghad Media Group. The first edition of newspaper Libya al-Hurra also appeared in the city of Misurata.
Journalists in Benghazi, however, reported that internet services had been cut off. On Sunday, protestors in Benghazi announced they had formed a National Libyan Council to be the "face" of the revolution.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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[Maghrebia] The goal of the new National Libyan Council is to have a political face for the revolution, Al Jizz quoted council front man Abdelhafiz Ghogha as saying in Benghazi on Sunday (February 27th). "We will help liberate other Libyan cities, in particular Tripoli, through our national army, our armed forces, of which part have announced their support for the people," Ghogha said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] The London School of Economics confirmed Tuesday it was investigating claims that Libyan leader Moamer Qadaffy's son Saif al-Islam plagiarised his doctorate thesis. I heard he picked over the German defense minister's...
The 38-year-old graduated from LSE with a masters in philosophy, policy and social value in 2003 and took a PhD in philosophy in 2008.
But it is alleged that he used a ghost writer and copied sections of his thesis, "The Role of Civil Society in the Democratisation of Global Governance Institutions".
"LSE is aware that there are allegations of plagiarism concerning the PhD thesis of Saif Qadaffy," a front man said.
"The school takes all allegations of plagiarism very seriously, and is looking into the matter in accordance with standard LSE procedures."
LSE has cut its ties with Saif, whose International Charity and Development Foundation donated £1.5 million ($2.4 million, 1.8 million-euro) over five years to the school.
The LSE has only received £300,000 so far, but its director Howard Davies admitted on Monday he felt "embarrassed" about the ties with the Qadaffy family in the wake of the violent crackdown on the revolt in Libya.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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in the wake of the violent crackdown
Prior to that they were cool with him and his money. Especially his money. Did we mention he's rich?
#2
I think it would say more for them if they had felt "embarrassed" about their ties with the Qadaffy family before the recent unrest. Only now do they see the money as tainted.
[Iran Press TV] The Organization of the Islamic Conference has emphasized that it was against any military intervention by US and its Western allies in Libya.
Speaking at the UN human rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... council, OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu stressed that the crisis should be settled peacefully.
"Allow me to underline our position against any possible military intervention on the situation in Libya," Ihsanoglu said on Tuesday
"To this end, all options should be utilized for the settlement of disputes through peaceful means and without resorting to the use of force," he added.
Ihsanoglu said the OIC has sent two missions to assess the humanitarian needs at Libya's borders with Tunisia and Egypt.
On Monday, the United States positioned naval and air forces around Libya.
The country, along with Britain and La Belle France, has also sent hundreds of Special Forces to Libya's east. The forces are setting up bases in the cities of Benghazi and Tobruk.
The developments come as tensions heightens in Libya where fighting has flared up between anti-government protesters and forces loyal to embattled dictator Muammar Qadaffy.
Pro-Qadaffy forces have now massed in the country's west, preparing to re-take the city of Nalut from the demonstrators.
Residents fear an imminent attack by the government forces. The regime keeps suppression of the popular uprising as more cities in the west and east fall under the protesters' control.
The forces loyal to Qadaffy are struggling to prevent the protesters from taking the fight to Tripoli where the ruler is holed up.
A brutal crackdown by the regime on opposition protests that began nearly two weeks ago has left an estimated 2,000 people dead so far.
Qadaffy and his family members have been holding a tight grip on the country's industries for the past four decades. Reports say they have hidden away a massive amount of wealth in secret foreign bank accounts.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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Moammar's strategeery is to cause the US-Awest/Allies to choose between HIM, i.e. MODERATE-LIBYUH-WID-NO-NUKES; VERSUS IRANIAN DOMINATION OF THE POST-JASMINE ARAB,MUSLIM WORLD, i.e. NUCLEAR OWG CALIPHATE + ESPEC [destabilizing]REGIONAL, GLOBAL NUCLEAR MILTERR'ISM.
As long as he feels unaccomodated + the USS ENTERPRISE + MARINES, Etc. stay offshore, MOAMMAR WILL USE HIS LOYAL ARMY-POLICE FORCES AS HE SEES FIT, I.E. RAMPAGE AROUND THE LIBYAN COUNTRYSIDE BRUTALLY HUNTING + KILLING REBELS.
IMO our post-2003 "OUR MAN IN NORTH AFRICA/SAHARA] will NOT peacefully resign ala MUBARAK unless he is GUARANTEED LIMITED, BUT POTENT POLITICAL POWER.
Put it this way, MOAMMAR = HUGH HEFNER = WANTS TO STAY A VITAL OR INFLUENTIAL NATIONAL, REGIONAL POWER-BROKER UNTIL THE DAY HE DIES OF A MASSIVE CORONARY IN OLD AGE AFTER HAVING SEX WID HIS FAV PLAYBOY BUNNY(S) = INTERNAT GIRLFRIEND(S).
[Iran Press TV] Thousands of Bahrainis have marched to the capital's Pearl Square in the latest of the ongoing anti-government protests in the past two weeks.
"We are brothers, Sunnis and Shias," chanted the mostly Shia demonstrators on Tuesday as they were heading from Manama's Salmaniya district, a few kilometers from the square, AFP reported.
"We are in this march to stress the unity between Shias and Sunnis in Bahrain," said Bahraini holy man Sheikh Mohammed Habib al-Muqdad.
The uprising in the small Persian Gulf state is part of a wave of protests that have rattled across North Africa and the Middle East and toppled Tunisian president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and later Egyptian long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak.
Protesters in Bahrain have been calling for the downfall of the rule of the Sunni al-Khalifa dynasty.
Opposition groups have been demanding major reforms and the establishment of a "real constitutional monarchy," as well as the resignation of the government which they hold responsible for the killing of peaceful demonstrators.
King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has mandated his heir, Sheikh Salman, to hold wide-reaching negotiations with the opposition -- an offer that is seen as too late by some protesters.
Bahraini monarchy finally acquiesced to start reforms with a referendum in 2001 that revived the parliament in 2002, years after it had been dissolved in 1975.
But the legislature remains effectively useless given the unlimited powers held by the king and his appointed upper chamber.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Yemeni President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the army. He had been part of the conspiracy that bumped off his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, in the usual tiresome military coup, and he has maintained power by keeping Yemen's many tribes fighting with each other, rather than uniting to string him up. ... has reportedly sacked the governors of five provinces -- including Aden, Hadramout, Hodeidah provinces -- amid continued protests demanding his ouster.
Following their dismissal as governors, the officials in question have been installed in different government posts.
Muhsin al-Naqib, who served as governor of Lahj province, was appointed as deputy minister of Industry and Trade Ministry, while Governor of Abyan province Ahmed al-Maisary was appointed as deputy Minister of Agriculture.
Aden Governor Adnan al-Jefri, Hadramout Governor Salim al-Khanbashi and Al-Hodayda Governor Ahmed al-Jabali were appointed as members of the country's Shura Council.
The decision came on Tuesday after the United Nations, aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay warned Yemeni authorities against the brutal repression of peaceful demonstrations.
She gave her backing to Yemeni people's right to express their objections, but called on them to exercise self-restraint and avoid violence.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... large crowds of protesters assembled in a square in the capital, Sana'a, to stage a massive rally against the US-backed central government.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Omani troops have maimed a demonstrator in the northern port city of Sohar, as they fired to disperse a crowd of anti-government protesters.
The protester was injured on Tuesday when Omani riot police fired in the air to stop protests in Sohar, Oman's main industrial center, Rooters reported. The crowd of protesters dispersed but then regrouped at a roundabout near the port, and the troops pulled back, according to witnesses.
The incident came a day after government forces killed six protesters and maimed several more in Sohar, Oman's main industrial center.
Anti-government protests entered their fourth straight day in Sohar, where demonstrators have been demanding jobs and political reforms.
On Monday, protesters blocked the streets and stormed government buildings in the northern city.
Similar rallies were also held in the southern city of Salalah and the capital Muscat on Monday.
Following last week's protests, Oman's ruler Sultan Qaboos bin Said reshuffled the cabinet and replaced six ministers.
Sultan Qaboos, who has been in power for over four decades, has also pledged to create job opportunities and provide unemployment benefits.
Oil, agriculture, and fishing are the most important sources of income for the strategic Arab state located southeast of Soddy Arabia.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] Tens of thousands of protesters flooded Yemen's streets on Tuesday in a fresh "Day of Rage," demanding an end to the president's three-decade rule.
In the capital Sanaa, protesters chanted "With blood and soul we support you, Aden" -- the port city where most of the 24 protesters killed in the past two weeks of protests have died.
Some protesters made "V" for victory signs while others wore white headbands with "Leave" written in red.
Tens of thousands more also marched through the streets of Ibb and Taiz, south of Sanaa.
President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the army. He had been part of the conspiracy that bumped off his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, in the usual tiresome military coup, and he has maintained power by keeping Yemen's many tribes fighting with each other, rather than uniting to string him up. ... , a U.S. ally against al Qaeda's Yemeni wing, has failed to quell two months of protests in a country of 23 million where 40 percent live on less than $2 a day and a third are undernourished.
"Victory is coming and it is near," Hassan Zaid, an opposition leader, shouted to the protesters gathered in Sanaa, where protesters have been camping out for two weeks.
"We have one goal and one demand, and that is the quick end of the regime."
Protesters are angry at widespread corruption, as Yemeni university graduates struggle to get jobs without connections, and youth unemployment is high. Northern rebels and southern separatists say they are denied resources and a say in politics.
As oil and water resources dry up, the 68-year-old leader is less able to pay off allies to keep the peace.
Saleh has met tribal and regional military leaders, and offered talks to form a unity government on Monday. But the political opposition swiftly rebuffed the offer, saying it was standing with protesters demanding he step aside.
CLERIC SWITCHES SIDES
A leading hardline Mohammedanholy man, Sheikh Abdul-Majid al-Zindani, who two weeks ago backed the idea of Saleh staying in power until 2013, joined protesters on the streets of Sanaa.
"There is no legitimacy to a ruler whose people do not want him," Zindani said.
Saleh himself lashed out at President Barack B.O. Obama over demands that leaders show restraint in tackling unrest as protests galvanized by successful uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia rage across Libya, Yemen, Bahrain and Oman.
"Every day we hear a statement from Obama saying 'Egypt you can't do this, Tunisia don't do that'," Saleh said in a speech at Sanaa University, a rallying point for protests in the capital where tens of thousands have gathered outside campus.
"What do you have to do with Egypt? Or Oman? Are you the president of the United States, or president of the world?"
In Aden, protesters following the example of their peers in Taiz and Sanaa set up tents, but covered them with black flags and pictures of protesters killed in festivities with police.
In Hodeidah province in the north, Saleh loyalists and protesters fought with rocks and sticks. Four people were hurt.
Security forces in the south have come under frequent attack in recent days. On Tuesday, separatists fought the army in southern Habilayn, killing two soldiers and wounding three.
The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch said at least eight people jugged by Yemen security forces last month, several of them southern separatists, had disappeared.
"Snatching and hiding political opposition leaders ... is hardly compatible with the government's claim to protect rights," said Sarah Leah Whitson, HRW's Middle East director.
Also in the south, rustics kidnapped an Uzbek doctor, saying they would use him as leverage for demands that the government hold accountable those behind an Arclight airstrike aimed at al Qaeda that killed dozens of civilians in December 2009.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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See also TOPIX > YEMEN SEPARATISTS WANT TO SEE SUDAN-STYLE REFERENDUM, iff + when their protests succeed in ousting SALEH + REGIME from political power.
* ION PEOPLE'S DAILY FORUM > LIBERTE', EGALITE', ECONOMY: AFTER FINALLY TOPPLING THE DICTATORS, ARABS WILL HAVE TO DEV A FUNCTIONING FREE MARKET ECONOMY.
[Arab News] Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman said Monday efforts were under way to launch talks with the opposition, which is demanding major political reforms amid a wave of anti-government protests. On Monday, anti-government protesters blockaded the country's Parliament and massed outside the state broadcaster
"The steps we have taken in the last few days have calmed the situation and helped restore life in Bahrain to normal in preparation for dialogue," Prince Salman said in a statement. However, The infamous However... "some continue to seek to block reform," he said, adding, "such disruption only harms the interests of the people of Bahrain."
Hundreds of protesters marched out of Pearl Square toward Bahrain's appointed chamber of Parliament, chanting: "The people want to topple the regime," and "Unity, national unity!" They also carried banners that read "Bring down the Shoura Council," in reference to the 40-member consultative council, appointed by the king, which has the power to block legislation from the lower house
The demonstrations appear to be part of a strategy to hold rallies at sensitive locations in the capital while maintaining a round-the-clock protest base in a Pearl Square.
The Parliament became a target to coincide with a meeting called by the 40-member upper chamber, which is appointed by Bahrain's ruler. The session was delayed by several hours when protesters formed a human chain around the entrance.
From Parliament, the marchers moved to the state TV headquarters, chanting slogans that claim the reports on the unrest seek to widen rifts between the protesters and the monarchy.
Another demonstration outside Parliament is scheduled for Tuesday. MP Jassem Hussein of the Islamic National Accord Association bloc said the official resignation of the party's 18 members was still pending parliamentary approval. All of INAA's 18 MPs resigned Sunday in protest over the killing of seven anti-regime demonstrators. "We are still waiting... but expect this will be left as unfinished business," Hussein said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] Yemen's embattled president has accused the United States and Israel of trying to destabilize his country and the Arab world.
President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the army. He had been part of the conspiracy that bumped off his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, in the usual tiresome military coup, and he has maintained power by keeping Yemen's many tribes fighting with each other, rather than uniting to string him up. ... 's comments marked his harshest public criticism yet of the U.S., a key ally. Tuesday's speech at Sanaa University appeared part of his effort to blunt growing calls for his ouster. He claimed that "there is an operations room in Tel Aviv with the aim of destabilizing the Arab world" and that it is "run by the White House."
An hour after his speech, tens of thousands of protesters marched to the university, joined for the first time by opposition parties. Sheik Abdul-Majid al-Zindani, considered by the U.S. to be linked to the al-Qaeda terror network, was present at the gathering.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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Actually, a very telling comment. Shows how unpopular the US is among Yemenis if he thinks separating himself will help his cause. That and the whole mideast "strong horse" thing.
[Bangla Daily Star] Three criminals, including an outlaw, were killed in 'shootouts' with the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in Kushtia and Bagerhat early yesterday and Monday afternoon.
Efficiency, thy name is Rab.
Of the dead, one was identified as Raisuddin, 32, a regional leader of the outlawed 'Gono Bahini' while the other two could not be identified as of yesterday.
It seems to be the turn of the Bahinis, the Purba Banglars having taken the brunt for a while.
Raisuddin, who was accused in several cases, including five for murder,
Bahinis are badmen, loved only by their mothers... and sometimes not even them.
was killed in a 'shootout' between his cohorts and Rab at Modhupur early yesterday, our correspondent in Kushtia reports.
The Rab are so busy they don't have time to write their own reports anymore?
Acting on a tip-off, "Yo! Mahmoud the Weasel! Got any hot ones?"
a team of Rab-12 raided an orchard
Suitably proletarian. We approve.
at Modhupur at about 12:15am where the gang was holding a meeting.
"Yar!"
"Yar, yar!"
"YARRRRRR!"
Sensing their presence, My spider sense! It's tingling again! To arms! Aux barricades! the gang opened fire on the elite force members, prompting them to retaliate. [BANG! BANG! BANGETY BANG!] Raisuddin was hit by several bullets and was struck down in his prime
"Rosebud"
while his accomplices managed to flee the scene. ... as though they had never been...
Rab recovered his body from the spot, along with two firearms, four bullets, and three sharp weapons.
Their correspondent clearly has read the Rab stylebook, so that's ok.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... our Bagerhat correspondent reports that two unidentified criminals were killed in another 'shootout' in the Sundarbans near Beki canal under Sharankhola upazila of Bagerhat, Monday afternoon.
Someone fetch... The Map!
A team of Rab conducting a drive
Beating the bush for game, were they?
in the Sundarbans, at about 11:45pm, came across an empty boat in the canal and recovered firearms from it, Assistant Commander of Rab-8 Major Sabbir told The Daily Star.
The criminals who were hiding in the forest opened fire on the elite force members, prompting them to fire back which triggered a battle.
Naturally. What else was to be done, after all.
After 20 minutes Rab members recovered two bullet-hit bodies from the spot and took them to Sharankhola Police Station.
What?!? Not to the overworked Dr. Quincy at the hospital, to decree that the dead bodies were indeed dead? Truly, these are degenerate times.
Rab also seized three firearms, eight bullets, 12 cartridges, three sharp weapons, and a cell phone from the boat.
Perhaps one of those firearms is the long-lost shuttergun. But with such a long list of seizures, some detail must be lost.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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A total of 18 dead bodies were found in a mass grave in central Guerrero state in Mexico Tuesday, according to Mexican news accounts.
The find was made in the village of La Gavia in the San Miguel Totolapan municipality about 30 minutes from the city center of San Miguel Totolapan.
San Miguel Totolapan is roughly 20 kilometers south of Mexico Highway 51 which connects Zihuatenejo on the coast and Iguala de la Independencia.
A detachment of the Mexican 35th Military Zone as well as Proteccion Civil personnel were sent to the area to recover the remains.
Unofficial reports say as many as 100 or more dead could be in the same area.
Mass graves are not unknown in Guerrero state. A total of 77 corpses were found in a mining pit in Taxco last July which included a former prison warden.
More recently 18 dead were found last November in a mass grave between Tunzingo and El Salto, who were part of a group 30 Michoacan tourists kidnapped the September before. To see the Rantburg report on the Taxco mass grave, click here. To see the Rantburg report on the Michoacan dead, click here.
For a map, click here. For a map of Nuevo Leon, click here. For a map of Monterrey, click here.
A Nuevo Leon state police building was attacked by armed suspects using two grenades Monday night in Monterrey. An unidentified police agent was wounded in the attack on the the Seguridad Publica del Estado Zona Norte building located near the intersection of calles Apolo and Laud. Reports say two individuals aboard a motorcycle were seen riding around the area just prior to the attack. Physical damage was limited to a nearby Volkswagen Bora sedan and the building itself.
Two armed suspects were killed by a detachment of the Mexican Army in Juarez, Nuevo Leon early Tuesday morning. The army unit was patrolling the area after being dispatched to investigate reports of armed men in the area when they encountered the suspects. The pair were aboard a stolen Toyota FJ cruiser on the road leading to San Roque, about a kilometer south of Avenida Eloy Cavazos. The suspects fired on the unit and then attempted to flee. Shortly later he vehicle was crashed into the San Benito spa. The suspects then bailed out and were fired on and killed as they attempted to escape. Two AR-15 assault rifles were seized in the aftermath.
One armed suspect died in a gunfight with Mexican security forces in an area of far northern Monterrey, Nuevo Leon Tuesday. The Base de Operaciones Mixtas (BOM) group, which is a mixed security element comprising Mexican Army and state and federal police encountered four armed suspects who were aboard a GMC pickup truck in the CROC colony.
The suspects opened fired on the security unit and attempted to flee the area. The BOM group elements returned fire and pursued the suspects for about 20 minutes through the streets of the colony. The pursuit ended when the suspects abandoned their truck and fled in different directions. The dead suspect was shot as he attepmted to hide inside a residence near the intersection of calle Mexico and Martin Torres. The other three are said to have escaped into the mountains.
Presumed elements of organized crime initiated five roadblocks in San Nicholas de los Garza, Apodaca and Guadalupe, Nuevo Leon early Tuesday morning. The first roadblocks took place as armed suspects carjacked heavy vehicles near the intersection of avenidas Ruiz Cortines and Churubusco in San Nicholas. Two more were made in Apodaca on avenida Acapulco,and calle Isidoro Sepulveda. Two more were made at two points on Avenida Juarez in Guadalupe. Organized crime uses roadblocks to impede movement of security forces or as a response to reverses in confrontations with security forces. Armed suspects typically carjack heavy vehicles, moved them to block roads and then disable them, and then flee.
Sources told ABC News that the gunman boarded a shuttle bus at the Frankfurt airport. The bus was marked United States Air Force and was carrying 13 or 14 people, plus the driver.
When he opened fire, the gunman shouted "Allah Akbar," according to sources. He fired nine times, killing two and critically wounding two others before the gun jammed and he was subdued by other passengers. While being wrestled into submission, the suspect shouted either "Jihad Jihad" or "Allah Akbar," sources said.
#4
I thought by just being voted in Obama would end the war on terror since the world loved him. That is what they gave him the Peace Prize for, wasn't it?
#5
Hopefully our Kosovan miscreant had both a cell phone and a laptop. The next question: Sudden Jihad Syndrome or connected? And then, of course, is the connection to Al Qaeda in Yemen, or to one of the many groups that lead back to the ISI in Pakistan? If the last, things could get even more interesting for the Davis case...
#6
Kosovo Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi says German police have identified the suspect who is in custody as Arif Uka, a Kosovo citizen from the northern town of Mitrovica.
#7
How many billions has the USA spent on Kosovo in the last 15 years? I will bet it's around $50 billion. Fanny Mae has a better return on investment.
Posted by: Pearl Gleaper1127 ||
03/02/2011 12:20 Comments ||
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Police have told German media it is not clear if it was a terrorist attack.
Officer Schultz, whatta ya think happend here?
Gee Sarge...I dunno...the guy was yellin' allah akbar er sumthin after we nabbed 'em. Whatta you make of it?
Hmmm...it could just be a simple robbery or, who knows, maybe a domestic lovers dispute. Well...we better investigate all angles. we don't want those media bastards callin' us bigots or anything.
#10
From NYT: The attack occurred outside Terminal 2 at the airport, one of Europes busiest, which has been under increased security in recent months, following warnings that Germany would be the target of terrorist attacks. In the aftermath of the shooting, the area was rapidly cordoned off, but the terminal continued operations.
Mr. Füllhardt said that the dark blue-gray bus had regular German license plates, in line with American military policy to make vehicles less conspicuous, but that it still probably stood out from German vehicles. The busload of airmen had just arrived from England, he said, and had boarded the bus to go to the American military base at Ramstein, which lies few dozen miles to the southwest of the Frankfurt Airport.
The suspect argued with the airmen before shooting one who was standing in the open door and the driver, Mr. Füllhardt said.
Chancellor Angela Merkel spoke about the attack in Berlin, according to Reuters, saying: We dont know the details but I would like to express how upset I am. We have to do everything we can to find out what happened.
The state interior minister, Boris Rhein, told reporters at the scene that security had been tightened and investigators were trying to ascertain exactly what happened.
A man whose office is near the site of the shooting said it was an area where buses load arriving passengers. Speaking on condition of anonymity to protect his business, he said witnesses told him that the gunman first talked to the military personnel to find out who they were and then opened fire, shouting God is great in Arabic.
Gee, what a surprise.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/02/2011 14:52 Comments ||
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#11
Here's a question for military personnel - stateside, are American troops allowed to carry side arms while transporting themselves or being transported from base to base?
#12
Here's a question for military personnel - stateside, are American troops allowed to carry side arms while transporting themselves or being transported from base to base?
Are you kidding? They can't even carry side arms on base unless they are part of the security force. Nope, our soldiers are defanged as much as possible unless they are on the battlefield.
#14
The Wall Street Journal has an 8-photo slide show, for those who want to see the bus and surroundings. The article adds that the murderer lives in Frankfurt.
#15
I thought all the words the shooter was shouting was banned by Hildebeast! Americans can't say that stuff cause, it might make the Mohammedans mad at us.
Hows that working for you, thunder thighs?
Posted by: Bob Unaick2518 ||
03/02/2011 19:31 Comments ||
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#16
What was a 21-year-old from Kosovo doing curbside at FRA with a gun? He lives nearby. Just said hey, nice day for jihad, so I think I'll head to . . . the airport? and see what shakes out?
Gun ownership in Germany is pretty tightly regulated. So first he had to obtain one somehow, and then he probably went by car rather than packing heat on a train. FRA is as far from downtown Frankfurt as Dulles is from DC and just as much of a pain in the ass to get to by car.
Seems like a lot of risk and effort with not much of a plan in mind. Weird - but then, that's kind of SOP for the soldiers of Allan, isn't it.
#17
Looks like he works there. Apparently was born in Kosovo but grew up in Germany
Family members in Kosovo described the suspect as a devout Muslim, who was born and raised in Germany and worked at the airport.
In Mitrovica, family members identified him as Arid Uka, saying that he was born and educated in Germany where his family moved some 40 years ago. However, German police said he was born in Kosovo.
An uncle, Rexhep Uka, said the suspect's grandfather was a religious leader at a mosque in a village near Mitrovica.
#18
KFI said he was employed at the airport. Not-so-Sudden-Jihadi-Syndrome
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/02/2011 21:43 Comments ||
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#19
You know what? We put a lot of time and military effort into saving Kosovo.
Hey Kosovo, guess what? Next time the Serbs go genocidal on your ass, Fuck You. You're on your own. We ain't coming, and the Euros will stand there and wring their hand but let the Serbs kill your men and male children, rape the women, and burn your villages to the ground - just liek they did until we got there.
Other than the regret of loss of allegedly innocent human life as I would have for anywhere, I couldn't give a shit less that Kosovar's dead will be stack the dead 20 deep into those mass graves in the woods.
You reap what you sow. Enjoy being wiped out - the Serbs know they will have a green light after this.
Self-described Taliban gunmen have shot dead Pakistan's minorities minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, an advocate of reform of the country's blasphemy laws, as he left his Islamabad home.
Two assassins sprayed the Christian minister's car with gunfire, striking him at least eight times, before scattering pamphlets that described him as a "Christian infidel". The leaflets were signed "Taliban al-Qaida Punjab".
Witnesses and police said Bhatti was travelling with just his driver when he came under attack less than 50 metres from the Islamabad home he shares with his mother.
A small white car carrying gunmen blocked his way. After an initial burst of fire they dragged Bhatti's driver from the vehicle, then continued firing through a side window. "It lasted about twenty seconds," said a neighbour, Naseem Javed. "When I rushed out I saw the minister's driver standing by the car, shivering, and his niece weeping and shouting."
"They fired 25 bullets," said a police officer beside a bullet-pocked pavement, holding a handful of brass Kalashnikov bullet cases.
As they left the gunmen flung pamphlets on to the road that blamed President Asif Ali Zardari's government for putting an "infidel Christian" in charge of a committee to review the blasphemy laws. The government insists no such committee exists. "With the blessing of Allah, the mujahideen will send each of you to hell," said the note.
#4
A Christian infidel, you say? As opposed to an atheist infidel, or a Bhuddist/Hindu/Pagan, etc, infidel. The only ones not infidels is goats and they don't know any better, 'cos they think it's love.
#5
Russia believes that the ME "Jasmine" protests will inevitably occur in Nuke-Armed Pakistan, where despite massive assitance the US as an Ally is perceived by most as UNRELIABLE, + fears that "Jasmine" will be the catalyst not only for covertly inspiring new Islamist insurgencies in the CAUCASUS + CENTRAL ASIAN -STANS, BUT ALSO RADIC ISLAM GETTING FINALLY ITS HANDS ON PAK NUKES-WMDS + POLITICAL POWER.
At least three people were killed and one was maimed in two kabooms in Mohmand ... Named for the Mohmand clan of the Sarban Pahstuns, a truculent, quarrelsome lot for the most part. In Pakistain, the Mohmands infest their eponymous Agency, metastasizing as far as the plains of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Mohmands are also scattered throughout Pakistan in urban areas including Bloody Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta. In Afghanistan they are mainly found in Nangarhar and Kunar... tribal region's Saafi tehsil on Tuesday, DawnNews reported.
One local primitive was killed in the first blast that occurred in Saafi's Qandaro area.
Two locals were killed and one was maimed in the second blast that occurred in the Ali Nigar area of Mohmand's Saafi tehsil.
The maimed was shifted to a hospital in Peshawar.
The region's political administration said all those killed and maimed were local rustics.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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Talibs in Pakistain's lawless northwestern tribal belt on Tuesday rubbed out four local rustics they accused of spying for the United States, officials said.
The bullet-riddled bodies were dumped on a roadside in Miramshah, the main town of North Wazoo'>Wazoo tribal district and a known hub of Taliban and al Qaeda-linked bully boys.
Officials said notes pinned on their chests purportedly from Pak Taliban read: "We killed them because they were spying for America, anyone who acts like this will face the same fate." Local administrative official Syed Noor Shah told AFP: "We have recovered all the four dead bodies. They are local rustics aged between 25 and 40.
"The notes pasted on their chests were from Pak Taliban." Two local intelligence officials confirmed the incident, saying the bodies were beyond recognition because faceless myrmidons had repeatedly shot the victims in the face.
Militants frequently kidnap and kill rustics in the troubled region, accusing them of spying for the Pakistain government or US forces in neighbouring Afghanistan, where Taliban fighters have been waging a vicious insurgency for nine years.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Gunmen on cycle of violences maimed 15 girls when they opened fire with pistols and lobbed grenades at a college party in northwest Pakistain on Tuesday, police said. Today's atrocity brought to you from the Depths of Depravity by Nescafè...
Some of the victims were in a critical condition after the attack on the state-run girls-only institution in the town of Mardan, 40 kilometres northeast of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar.
All the girls were aged 18 to 20, police said.
"Gunmen hurled two grenades and then opened fire with pistols. Fifteen girl students have been injured, some of them were at death's door," Khalid Nasim, a police brass hat in the town, told AFP.
An intelligence official in Peshawar said the attackers decamped the scene afterwards.
There was no claim for the attack, but Islamic fascistiopposed to co-education and advocating krazed killer interpretations of religion have destroyed hundreds of schools, mostly for girls, in northwest Pakistain in recent years.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Petition has been filed in Lahore High Court to make US government party in Raymond Davis case seeking to prevent the case from being heard in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Lawyer Azhar Siddique Tuesday filed three different petitions in this regard. First petition sought to include US government as a party in a case through its ambassador in Pakistain. Second petition requested that the case is pending in Pak court so it should be prevented from being heard in ICJ. Third petition asked the court to make newspapers' record, claiming Davis a US spy, the part of the court's record.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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[Geo News] Law enforcement agencies have nabbed a high-profile terrorist, who wanted to hit Islamabad with rocket launchers from the Margallah Hills, Interior Minister Rehman Malik told media here on Tuesday.
The importance of the terrorist can be gauged from the fact that he was operating in different areas of the country, including the Federal Capital, the minister added.
He said that the nabbed terrorist might be described as a handler or an operator because his past record depicted his involvement in subversive activities.
The security agencies have nabbed almost all the members of his gang, while the remaining one or two criminals would be nabbed soon, he added.
The minister hoped that thorough investigation of the nabbedDeath Eaters would reveal more facts about the gang and its operation.
The security in Islamabad has been further strengthened, Rehman said, following the arrest of the gang members.
He said there had been indications that some external powers wanted to destabilize the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 00:00 ||
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The Trophy missile defense system deployed with IDF armored units stopped an antitank missile fired by gunmen near the Gaza Strip security fence on Tuesday the first time it was used during an IDF operation, and the first time a system of this type was successfully battle-tested anywhere in the world.
The IDF Spokesmans Office reported that Trophy (known in Hebrew as Meyil Ruah, or Windbreaker) managed to identify and disable the incoming missile, saying no damage had been caused to the tank or its crew.
...Trophy made its debut in August 2009, when the IDF declared it operational and began the process of outfitting a battalion of tanks with the system. It is an active-protection system that stops incoming projectiles by spraying a small blast of buckshot-like material in their path. It was developed jointly by Rafael and Israel Aerospace Industries.
A system of this type attained great importance following the Second Lebanon War, during which IDF Merkava tanks were repeatedly hit by anti-tank missiles fired by Hezbollah. It is currently being installed on every new Merkava tank being produced.
Rafael announced earlier on Tuesday that the United States had completed a six-week test evaluation of the system.
#7
I have to assume "Windbreaker" doesn't also mean "farter" in Hebrew the way it does in English... or I have to give props for a quirky sense of humor.
[Jerusalem Post Front Page] Iranian security forces fired teargas and clashed with anti-government protesters demonstrating against the treatment of opposition leaders, pro-reform websites reported on Tuesday.
Thousands of demonstrators poured into the streets of Tehran and other cities, chanting slogans against the government, Sahamnews reported.
"Security forces and plainclothes agents fired teargas and clashed with demonstrators in Tehran to disperse them," another opposition website Kaleme reported.
"Protesters have formed groups in hundreds and are marching toward Tehran's Azadi (Freedom) Square." Potesters demanded the release of Mirhossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi, forced to stay in their homes in Tehran since February 14. In the meantime, thousands of their supporters have taken to the streets, defying a heavy security presence, to back uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia, Sahamnews said.
Seeking to avoid a revival of mass anti-government rallies that erupted after a disputed 2009 presidential election, the authorities had warned against any "illegal" gatherings after some opposition websites posted calls for a rally on Tuesday.
"Riot police attacked protesters with batons and electric shocks in Tehran," Kaleme reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/02/2011 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.
[Tolo News] A Taliban local commander was 
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Libyan revolutionary forces have recaptured Masra El Brega city east of the capital Tripoli following heavy clashes with Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi's forces.
His Excellency President-for-Life, Caudillo of the Bolivarians Hugo Chavez
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David Cameron
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[Maghrebia] To express the voice of freedom in areas liberated from Moamer Qadaffy's grip, Libyan journalists seized control of Benghazi-based newspaper Quryna and launched a new publication, they told Magharebia on Sunday (February 27th). Quryna was part of Seif al-Islam's al-Ghad Media Group. The first edition of newspaper Libya al-Hurra also appeared in the city of Misurata.
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