Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Birthday/Daily Gam Shot
Simone Signoret aka Alice Aisgill in "Room at the Top" (first French person to win an Academy Award) aka La Contessa in "Ship of Fools" aka Elisabeth Procter in "The Crucible" aka Elsa Fennan in "The Deadly Affair" (Died in 1985 at age 64)
#4
My wife and I saw Mitzi Gaynor live at the Ak-Sar-Ben Arena in 1985(?). She's something else on stage. Our oldest daughter is named after her. She was apparently a friend of my mother-in-law's.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/25/2011 13:36 Comments ||
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#5
Congrats! You just went over a million comments!
[Al Jazeera] Mobile phones have stopped working in Afghanistan's restive Helmand province following orders from the Taliban, telecoms engineers have said.
"The Taliban threaten us to shut down the network and call us a spy station, on the other hand the government harasses our workers when we listen to the krazed killers," Ahmad Shah, head of mobile phone firm AWCC in the south, told the Rooters news agency.
"We are in a situation to listen to the Taliban rather than the government because there is no protection."
According to reports, phone signals have been down for five days on any network in the southern province, disrupting a vital service in a country where most infastructure has already been damaged.
There are virtually no land lines in much of the country, so stopping mobile signals hits communication hard.
Fighters across Afghanistan have destroyed network towers of companies that refuse to shut them down when ordered, arguing that foreign forces use them to monitor gangs.
Qari Yousuf Ahmadi, a Taliban front man, confirmed the shutdown saying it was to prevent night raids by foreign troops and would benefit the people of Helmand.
"The leadership has decided to ban all telephone networks and this move is better for all residents of Helmand," he told Rooters.
"Their spies provide information by cell phones which lead to civilian deaths," he added, saying only the Taliban leadership could decide to lift the ban.
Helmand officials have been unable to speak about the blackout because of the lack of phone signals.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
I wonder if cell towers could serve as honeypots...
[Tolo News] Spc. Jeremy Morlock, a US soldier who had killed 3 unarmed Afghan civilians was sentenced to 24 years in prison. The decision was made by military judge Lt Col Kwasi Hawks after Morlock pleaded guilty for the murder of 3 Afghan civilians.
Morlock, 22, was accused of being the key person to lead the murder of 3 unarmed Afghans in the southern province of Kandahar in the first half of 2010. He has admitted that the plan was to shoot and kill Afghan civilians.
The questiong at the court took place on Wednesday during which Morlock said he and other soldiers had first planned to murder unarmed Afghan civlians in 2009.
He has also admitted to have smoked hashish while in service in Afghanistan.
Under the plea deal, Morlock has also agreed to testify against others involved in the killings.
Five others from the 5th Stryker Brigade are also to be court-martialled.
Before being eligible for parole, Jeremy Morlock will have to serve at least 8 years.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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Say g(r)om....when are those French Fockers and their "no fly zone" feckless, kinetic revenge colleagues going to come to YOUR aid in combating the decades of bombings, murder, and genocide of Israeli citizens by the Paleo goons, Humus, and others? What about your "human rights?" Where is the OUTRAGE?
#8
Kwasi Hawks was a colleague of mine back when he was a just a little captain. Good dude. Yes, he's black, and it's totally irrelevant. If you're looking for a military judge who's an incompetent, biased snake in the grass who can always be counted on to make the wrong decision, and be an asshole about it, Col. John Head is the name that should make you recoil.
#9
The hell with the judge's name, it's the defendant's that blows my mind. Seriously, he's a fucking Morlock? I don't think J. Haji Afghani is anyone's idea of an Eloi, but I suppose we ought to be grateful Jeremy didn't eat his victims...
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
03/25/2011 8:36 Comments ||
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#10
I think we can turn down the PC filters on this one. no pandering here... except to justice. Morlocks indeed.
Posted by: abu do you love ||
03/25/2011 9:44 Comments ||
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#11
Morlock- natural born killer's name.
Posted by: Fi ||
03/25/2011 11:09 Comments ||
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#12
You'd think the hashish would have mellowed him out but I guess if you're a psychopath it doesn't matter.
[Tolo News] At least two coppers were killed and five others were maimed in separate incidents in Afghanistan on Wednesday, local officials said.
One policeman was killed and two others were maimed in Gelaan district of Ghazni when a roadside kaboom struck a police vehicle in the district, Zorawar Zahid, police chief of Ghazni told TOLOnews.
The incident comes as another police vehicle was hit by a roadside kaboom in Uruzgan province on Wednesday in which one policeman was killed and three others were maimed, provincial officials said.
The incident happened yesterday in Treenkot city of Uruzgan province, officials added.
Insurgents usually use Improvised Explosive Devices to target Afghan and foreign forces in the country.
Afghan forces will take over security responsibilities by the end of 2014.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] At least eleven soldiers have been killed and dozens injured in two heavy land mine kabooms that rocked a district north of the Somali capital, Mogadishu.
Witnesses say the remotely-controlled devices went off in the Bondheere district of Mogadishu on Wednesday. At least two military vehicles were destroyed as a result of the detonations, a Press TV correspondent reported.
No group or person has grabbed credit for the kabooms.
Meanwhile, ...back at the shattered spaceship, Ffffirgoll the Arcturan slithered stealthily toward the control room... festivities have erupted between government forces and Somali fighters in the Dharkenley district of south Mogadishu.
The Horn of Africa nation has been without a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
Over the past two decades, up to one million people have bit the dust in the fighting between rival factions due to famine and disease.
There are more than 1.4 million internally displaced people (IDPs) in Somalia. More than 300,000 IDPs are sheltering in Mogadishu alone.
According to the United Nations ... aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... High Commissioner for Refugees, most of the displaced live in poor and degrading conditions on makeshift sites in southern and central Somalia.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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#2
Warthogs, eh? Now Daffy will see real kinetic action.
I don't know if the observation has been made before, but this looks to be the first coalition operation in American history, aside from the Revolution, in which our valiant cousins, the Australians, have not participated. It ain't good if the Diggers aren't on your side. Not good at all.
#6
BTW ALL tank crews around the world live in fear of the A-10. Regular ground troops don't do too well against them either. But I heard this was strictly a un sponsored "no fly" zone. BTW we will need FACs to guide the A-10s or they might attack the good guys, so it wont be long before send some "advisors". Of course we will have to send some people to protect the advisers. Pretty soon you got yourself a quagmire. Giggity.
#14
THis is getting confusing - technically speaking, despite their Airstrikes agz Gaddafi's forces the Coalition is NOT supposed to favor or take one side oer the other.
Iff Muammar's Air Force is destroyed or mostly destroyed as repor on the Net ala the Brits, then IMO using the A-10 WARTHOG is overkill - what more the BUFFS [B-1's, B-2's, etc].
PERHAPS MORE IMPORTANTLY, POTUS BAMMER + NATO-EU seem intent on making the Libyuh NFZ a SHOWCASE FOR OUR MUSLIM ALLIES, AS PER OWG-NWO,
"GLOBALISM", + EMPOWERMENT OF ME = MUSLIM DMEOCRACIES, despite geopol uncertainty vee the Regional consequences of the various "Jasmine" Protests. IOW, THE US = US-WEST WILL NO LONGER DESIRE OR TAKE THE LEAD VEE MUSLIM POWERS AS PER UN-APPROVED/LED MAJOR MIL = "POLICE ACTIONS", ETC. IN THE ME OR ARAB-MUSLIM WORLD.
A-10's + BUFFS + heavy EURO TACAIR = REGIONAL MUSLIM ALLIES ARE NOT IN CHARGE OER UN ACTIONS AFFECTING MUSLIM STATES??
#16
Who doesn't love the A-10? That's some seriously old-school high-tek. About the only bird actually designed to take ground fire and just shrug it off.
#17
Thanks Army for taking the The A-!0 project when the Airforce wanted to end it. I seem to recall in Desert Storm, Our troops got to watch the Warthog shoot munitions through 3 tanks before hitting the 4th and burning it to hell. I love the A-!0. Certainly an RHOG asset.
Tiny Qatar became the first Arab country to fly combat missions over Libya on Friday after NATO agreed to take command of the no-fly zone part of air operations against Moammar Gadhafi's regime.
French and British jets struck Libyan military targets around a besieged eastern city, as talks in the Ethiopian capital to find a way out of the crisis produced a statement from the Libyan government delegation saying his country was ready to talk with rebels and accept political reform, possibly including elections.
#1
Methinks the USA = Washington Dc want Muslim Powers to start becom more directly involved in UN-sanctioned Milactions = "Police Actions" that occur in Muslim Regions, as opposed to their tradition of completely being un-involved, or else PCorrectly deferring to the US-NATO/West to lead a Coalition = UN Command???
#2
Joseph, if possible, thats the best scenario. If we could get them to police their own, it really would serve as a strategy - and a self empowering one at that for them. They want to be treated as adults, than let them have nation states that do not require and are not asking for our assistance.
I know, I know the snark stuff and it will never work crap but at least it is a strategy if nothing else.
[Asharq al-Aswat] Hundreds of supporters and opponents of Egypt's deposed leader have clashed in front of a court considering whether to remove his name from government institutions.
Police and judicial officials said about 200 people carrying pictures of Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... and 300 opponents threw stones and water bottles at each other Thursday before police and soldiers intervened.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... because they are not authorized to brief the media, said several people were slightly injured.
The supporters say Mubarak is a hero of the 1973 war with Israel and deserves respect. Opponents blame him to political repression and corruption during his decades in office.
The court adjourned without making a decision until April 14.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] French fighter jets struck an air base deep inside Libya and downed one of Muammar Qadaffy's planes Thursday, and NATO ships patrolled the coast to block the flow of arms and mercenaries. Other coalition bombers struck artillery, arms depots and parked helicopters, officials said Thursday.
Libyan state television on Thursday showed blackened and mangled bodies that it said were victims of Arclight airstrikes in Tripoli, the capital. Rebels have accused Qadaffy's forces of taking bodies from the morgue and pretending they are civilian casualties.
The international military operation against Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy's ... a proud Arab institution for 42 years ... forces may last days or weeks -- but not months, French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said. But the rebels who largely control Libya's east remain outgunned and disorganized -- on Thursday, instead of handing out weapons at a checkpoint, they handed out sneakers to would-be fighters.
The French strikes overnight hit a base about 250 kilometers (155 miles) south of the Libyan coastline, French military front man Thierry Burkhard told news hounds in Gay Paree on Thursday without elaborating on the target or possible damage.
A French fighter jet reported attacking and destroying a Libyan plane believed to be a military trainer aircraft, a US official said, providing the information about the event Thursday on condition of anonymity because it has not been publicly announced by the French government.
The French Rafale fighter helping enforce a no-fly zone over Libya destroyed what was identified as a Libyan G-2/Galeb, which is a trainer aircraft, near the coastal city of Misrata.
The US official said the Libyan plane may have been landing at the time of the attack. The official cautioned that details were still being confirmed.
Burkhard declined to comment.
In Tripoli, Libyan deputy foreign minister Khaled Kaim said that the "military compound at Juffra" was among the targets hit before dawn. Juffra is one of at least two air bases deep in Libya's interior, on main routes that lead from neighboring countries in the Sahara region that have been suppliers of arms and fighters for the Qadaffy regime.
The town of Sabha, about 385 miles (620 kilometers) south of Tripoli, has another air base and international airport and is a major transit point for the ethnic Tuareg fighters from Mali and Niger who have fought for Qadaffy for the past two decades. Malian officials say hundreds of Tuareg men have left to fight in Libya in the recent uprising.
Abdel Rahman Barkuli, a Libyan in exile originally from Sabha, said communications with his family there were abruptly cut on Wednesday night and heavy security is barring residents from moving in or out.
"My last contact with them, they said that the city is cordoned off by heavy security forces, of Faris Brigades.
Snipers are on the rooftops," he said. "My family told me that Sabha has turned into a barracks." Barkuli said members of two anti-Qadaffy tribes in the city were rounded up early in the protests that began Feb. 15. "No one knows anything about their whereabouts," he said.
NATO warships began patrolling Wednesday off Libya's Mediterranean coast in an effort the blockade's commander described as "closing the main front door" to weapons and mercenaries for Qadaffy.
Vice Adm. Rinaldo Veri said the Mediterranean was the most efficient way to get weapons into Libya and that it was impossible to patrol its entire coast. He expected to have enough vessels in place in a few days for effective operations.
Veri said NATO was prepared to board any suspect ships that don't voluntarily submit to inspections.
"If they should find resistance, the use of force is necessary," he said, noting that the Security Council had mandated all means necessary to enforce the embargo.
Coalition bombers planes and ships continued to strike at Qadaffy positions, including artillery, tanks, an ammunition bunker and a small number of helicopters as they sat on an airfield along the coast, a US defense official said Thursday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record.
More than a dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles were fired from US and British ships in the Mediterranean Sea late Wednesday and early Thursday, their targets including Qadaffy's air defense missile sites in Tripoli and south of the capital. Other attacks were launched against an ammunition bunker near Misrata and forces south of Benghazi, the official said.
The UN Security Council authorized the embargo and no-fly zone to protect Libyan civilians after Qadaffy launched attacks against anti-government protesters who wanted him to leave after 42 years in power. But rebel advances have foundered, and the two sides have been at stalemate in key cities such as Misrata and Ajdabiya, the gateway to the opposition's eastern stronghold.
Ajdabiya has been under siege for more than a week, with the rebels holding the city center but facing relentless shelling from government troops positioned on the outskirts.
Residents fleeing the violence said the situation inside the city has tanked in recent days. Two Arclight airstrikes targeted the area early Thursday, said a rebel, Taha el-Hassadi.
Mohammed Ali, 56, who decamped with his family in a station wagon said, "They've cut everything -- the electricity, the water. It's getting worse and worse inside." Government troops also continued barraging the western city of Misrata on Thursday but were forced to roll back their tanks periodically amid coalition Arclight airstrikes.
A 42-year-old doctor in the city said shelling had damaged a mosque and a hotel near the hospital.
"When the allies' planes were seen flying in the sky, the shelling stopped and the tanks decamped," he said. "We still have to deal with snipers in the main street in Misrata and try to warn people to stay away from it."
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Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Libya's east remain outgunned and disorganized -- on Thursday, instead of handing out weapons at a checkpoint, they handed out sneakers to would-be fighters
...meanwhile back at the clubhouse we find our rag tag, but lovable, freedom fighters discussing the virtues of democracy. They spend their downtime drinking tea, singing songs, and smoking clove cigs. Occasionally they break to rub goat milk and oils on to their prayer bumps. The shaven-boys listen as the older fellows tell tales of thier heroic adventures in Iraq fighting the Great Satan. One young idealistic man-child named Mohammed wonders aloud...If only they would send us weapons victory would be ours...if only...
Do we know who is in charge on the ground on the "lovable rag tag" side? Which tribe? Is it just a bunch of bored Libyan college kids on spring break?
We have the French, the Limmies, NATO, Obama, the Canadians, Spaniards, and the UN all playing hot potato with the leadership of this endeavor or is that deciding whether to hit a soft six iron or a knocked down seven to the tenth green?
Sorta makes you wish we had a cowboy somewhere just grabbing the thing and running with it.
I can only imagine what Sarah P or George would be doing right now.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
03/25/2011 12:27 Comments ||
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#3
The bold "NO FLY ZONE" chatter will quickly end if Qadaffy decides to 'play dirty' and televise a bunch of non-combatant civilians being loaded aboard a HIND or an AN-26 for a tour of the battlespace. We're just injested another shi* sandwich and don't know it.
[Ennahar] Government forces bombed Wednesday night the main hospital of Misrata, third largest city located 200 km east of Tripoli, said a witness who told AFP by telephone.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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#2
Sources are reporting that 2,500 people were executed in Az Zawiya, along with several hundred in other cities.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
03/25/2011 14:40 Comments ||
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#3
Qaddafi battles for his very survival. He will kill them ALL if he has to, and he doesn't need an Air Force to do it. Western involvement just makes the fire hotter. Without an all out invasion, Qaddafi will eventually crush the rebels. Strange as it may seem, I am beginning to wonder if this was not the strategy of the west all along.
#6
Start in Libya, move through Egypt and soon you'll have those boots on the ground 'protecting' Palestinians and 'restraining' Israel that the far left wants.
[Ennahar] The French Defense Minister, Gerard Longuet, said the French aircraft committed over Libya have destroyed "a dozen armored vehicles in three days," in an interview published Thursday in the daily Le Figaro.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
French aircraft destroyed a dozen armored vehicles in 3 days
One A-10 could do that in about five minutes, even from Aviano. Long flight for the pilot (2600 miles round trip at 260mph, another half-hour or so in combat). I really HATE fighting "wars" "on the cheap" - it never is.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/25/2011 13:46 Comments ||
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#2
In all fairness, the Gulf Wars were a target rich environment, with armored concentrations not seen since the battle of Kursk, in the open. Libya is far more typical, with enemy armor in small groups, near or in cities, and with lawyers advising on each vehicle destroyed.
Try to imagine how frustrating it would be to have a French JAG nattering at you while trying to do your job, and few higher ups willing to risk their career to authorize your use of force.
#3
Looks like you may get the chance to find out, new article states A-10 on way? Feeling that Anonymoose is right, may want to add some in-combat time to dial-a-lawyer.
[Ennahar] A strong kaboom occurred Wednesday night on a basis of the Libyan army at 32 km east of Tripoli, witnesses told to AFP.
These witnesses saw flames rising from the military base, located in the region of Tajoura, 32 kilometer east of the capital, after the kaboom.
This camp had already been targeted on the first day Saturday by the international coalition strikes against military objectives of Colonel Muammar Qadaffy.
State television then scrolls a banner, which, citing a military source said that "the bombing of the colonialists Crusaders hit some civilian and military targets in Tajoura.
The center of Tripoli, however, was quiet at 7.00 pm GMT, unlike other night since the international coalition air strikes began.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] The allied air strikes on Libya continued for the fifth night, with reports of military and civilian casualties. Canada has newly started taking part in the air strikes.
The Libyan government forces have reportedly been able to contiue their attacks on Misrata despite the air attacks by the allies.
Yesterday, the British commander of air attacks over Libya claimed that Col Qadaffy's air force was no longer able to function as a fighting force.
A lound kaboom has also been heard in the capital Tripoli on Thursday.
While the state TV has shown pictures of civilians killed in the air strikes, the allies claim there have been no reports of any civilian casualties. Libyan government have taken some journalists to a hospital in Tripoli to show bodies of a number of military and civilians killed in the strikes.
The US has said a no-fly zone has been establish over much of the coastal areas.
The bombardments so far are said not to have deterred President Qadaffy's forces from continuing their ground operations.
Though much focus is now put on Libya, the situation in some other Arab countries are also tense.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
The kinetic "no fly zone" continues. I'm anxiously awaiting the Jane Fonda on a Libyan AAA battery pic. Brought those North Vietnamese to their bloody knees we did.
[Maghrebia] Terrorists failed to ambush an Algerian army patrol on Tuesday (March 22nd) in Draa El Mizan, south of Tizi Ouzou, El Watan reported. The assault began with the detonation of a homemade bomb, which injured two communal guards. ANP troops and guards chased off the armed fighters.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] Dubai police have foiled a bid to smuggle 16,000 guns from Turkey to Yemen's northern province of Saada, the stronghold of Iranian catspaws, the Gulf emirate's police chief said on Thursday.
Six Arab residents of the United Arab Emirates of which Dubai is a member have been incarcerated as "police foiled a major attempt to smuggle arms from Turkey to Yemen," Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan told a presser.
The consignment which landed in Dubai by ship for transit to northern Yemen was made up of 16,000 guns. It was bound for Saada, "we can't say to which side, but definitely not to the government," Khalfan said.
In what was the largest arms bust announced by the Emirates, Khalfan showed photographs of the shipment, concealed in cases in a container of furniture from Turkey.
Turkey is involving itself in the internal affairs of brother Arab nations... on the side of Shiites? Is this wise?
An on-off revolt in northern Yemen since 2004 between Shiites and the Sanaa regime, the target of mounting anti-regime protests over the past two months, has cost several thousand lives and displaced more than 250,000 people.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] The United Arab Emirates has ordered a 70 percent pension increase for military personnel, local media said on Wednesday, in a move that could stave off dissent in the Gulf Arab state as protests sweep the region.
The order by President Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahayan, released by state news agency WAM and published in newspapers, includes bonuses for ministry of defense and armed forces staff and is effective in March.
It appeared to be the latest in a string of moves by the world's No. 3 oil exporter to pre-empt unrest that has hit wealthy Gulf Arab states that considered themselves in the past immune to political strife.
Last week, the US ally said it would hold its second-ever election to the advisory Federal National Council (FNC) in September, in a cautious step toward political reform in a federation run almost exclusively by its ruling families.
The FNC election in 2006 had 6,600 voters, including 1,160 women, and accounted for less than 1 percent of the population.
Earlier this month, the Gulf state launched a $1.6 billion infrastructure investment plan for the less developed northern emirates, which cut a sharp contrast to wealthy trade and tourism hubs like Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Other measures unveiled recently include an agreement by supermarkets to cut prices for food and other essential goods by up to 40 percent in March, and the introduction of state subsidies for rice and bread from April to year-end to combat rising prices.
This is despite a per capita income of over $47,000, among the world's highest.
Sources told Rooters on Tuesday the UAE could also roll back plans to hike gasoline prices.
Gulf rulers have offered a range of social handouts to their populations in an effort to mollify them after uprisings that brought down heads of state in Tunisia and Egypt in January and February and sparked similar protests in the Arabian Peninsula.
Earlier this month, a group of UAE intellectuals petitioned their rulers for free elections, in a sign some Emiratis share growing Arab demands for a greater say in government.
There has been no sign of street protests in the UAE, where foreigners make up over 80 percent of the population of around 5 million. Neighbouring Oman has offered pay rises and a promise of legislative powers for its own partially-elected council.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] Yemen's President-for-Life 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. ... announced on Wednesday his acceptance of five points' initiative presented by the opposition coalition, the Joint Meeting Parties, JMP, last month in which aims to protect bloodshed and maintain national achievements.
President-for-Life Saleh ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... submitted his approved to the points through a mediator who suggested Saleh accept the raised points which are as follows:
1- Forming a government of national unity to be tasked with setting up a national committee for formulating a new constitution.
2- Making an elections and referendum law based on the proportional representation.
3- Forming a new supreme commission for elections and referendum.
4- Voting on the new constitution and holding parliamentary elections to form the new government, and to also elect a president in the end of 2011.
Informed source said that President Saleh has repeatedly affirmed that Yemen need a smooth, democratic and civil transfer of power in a way preserving stability and safety of the democratic institution.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
So is this guy gonna do the right thing or is he stalling?
#2
He really does not want to be in this anymore. He is sincere in wanting to hand power to a sane leader - just do not know if it may be done. Yemen is humpty dumpty. Over-all, not the worst prez they had by far. In fact, they rarely have governance unlest the evil colonialists take charge. Thats the nature of tribal life in Africa.
Presidential guards loyal to President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh, the Yemeni president, have clashed with army units who have backed opposition groups and protesters demanding Saleh's resignation.
The festivities took place in the town of Mukalla, in the eastern Hadramout province, on Thursday.
A colonel was maimed, but it was not clear whether he was on the side of the elite Republican guard, which is loyal to Saleh, or the regular army, a local government source told the Rooters news agency.
General Ali Mohsen, commander of the country's northwestern zone and widely seen as the country's second-most powerful figure, said earlier this week that he was supporting pro-democracy protesters who have been demonstrating for weeks, calling for Saleh to leave office after three decades in power.
A similar clash took place in the same town earlier this week, leaving one dead on either side.
The Civil Bloc, an umbrella group of civil society organisations, has called for a "transitional council" of nine figures "not involved with the corruption of the old regime" to draw up a new constitution ahead of elections to be held in six months.
Opposition parties had earlier rejected Saleh's offer to step down from power by January 2012, rather than September 2013 when his current term ends.
In yet another blow to the president, Sheikh Sinan Abu Lohoum, the head of the Baqeel tribe, which is Yemen's largest, also announced his support for the opposition on Thursday.
Speaking to Al Jizz, Abdul Ghani al-Iryani, a political analyst, warned that the risk of "civil war" is heightened by festivities between the army and the presidential guard, which is commanded by Saleh's son, Ahmed.
"With the military divided, the risk of confrontation and escalation is just too great. Right now it's at a very low level, and it won't start an all-out battle, but the risk is still there."
Al-Iryani termed Saleh's offer to step down at the end of this year as "too little, too late".
"This was on the table some time ago, and the president rejected it," he said.
"Right now, it is unworkable, because the military is divided, and the tanks are facing off in the streets and we cannot afford ... to have this kind of tension that could turn into civil war at any moment, just to maintain the pride of one man.
"He does not seem to realise how precarious his position is, and he continues to make offers that are way too little for the balance of power that now exists on the ground. The people are up against him, half the military is against him, the international community is against him and he needs to understand that he has to leave quickly."
Al-Iryani told Al Jizz that Soddy Arabia, the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and western powers were currently working to "facilitate some kind of peaceful transition" of power.
Protesters who have camped in Sanaa's university square in their thousands for the last six weeks have hardened their stance against the president, and say they are planning a "Day of Departure" for this Friday.
Ten thousand protesters gathered in the square again on Thursday, calling for Saleh to leave office.
'Weapons smuggling' bid foiled Meanwhile, ...back at the buffalo wallow, Tex and his new-found Indian friend were preparing a little surprise for the bandidos... police in Dubai say they have foiled an attempt to smuggle 16,000 pistols into Yemen from Turkey.
Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Dubai's police chief, said in a statement on Thursday that his forces had intercepted the Turkish-made pistols, said to be worth $4.36 million.
Tamim said five Arab residents of the United Arab Emirates and one Turkish man were placed in durance vile in the operation. The consignment landed in Dubai by ship, for transit to Saada, in northern Yemen.
Dubai police say the weapons were hidden in a cargo shipping container, and were discovered in a Dubai warehouse two weeks ago. The weapons were said to be hidden behind boxes of furniture wrapped in plastic.
Police say the shipment passed through an Egyptian port before arriving at the Gulf emirate.
Tamim also showed photographs of the shipment, which is the largest arms bust in the Emirates' history.
It remains unclear who the intended recepients of the weapons were, but Tamim said they were "definitely not [going] to the government".
Yemen, which sits on a major shipping lane and borders oil giant Soddy Arabia, is the second most heavily armed country in the world in per capita terms. Around half its 23 million people own a gun.
Could that be translated as almost all of the men and none of the women?
UK urges Yemen exit
The United Kingdom has all but closed its embassy in Yemen, and has urged its citizens to leave the country as soon as possible in order to avoid being caught up in the country's deepening unrest.
The country's foreign office said on Wednesday that it was leaving only a skeleton staff at its embassy in Sanaa, and called on any Britons still in the country to "leave now", as the government may not be in a position to offer them consular assistance if the situation worsens.
Yemen has seen increasingly bloody violence, as the embattled Saleh clings to power amid a wave of revolt. Saleh on Wednesday took on emergency powers, suspending the constitution, barring protests and giving far-reaching powers to his security forces.
The political opposition has joined with protesters in their demand for Saleh to leave office, and there is a likelihood of further violence in the country, which has already seen dozens of demonstrators killed in festivities with authorities.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] Tribal leaders loyal to the youth revolution took over seven military compounds in Shabwa, all previously belonging to the Central Security Forces. Central security forces were able to take most of the artillery before leaving the compounds. The military compounds are located in the districts of Maayfa'ah, Habban, Nisab, and in Saeed. "We will not allow governmental forces to enter our region. The military compounds are now loyal to the revolution youth, and will defend the people with our lives," said tribal leader in Maayfa'ah district.
Shabwa in total has 17 districts in total, and the four that fell today are considered the most pivotal in the province. The districts of Habban and Saeed are home to two big oil facilities are tie the roads of Shabwa with major provinces in Yemen including Hadramout and Aden.
Official sources confirmed that President-for-Life Saleh ... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence... met yesterday with General Ali Ahmar in order to come up with an initiative to save the country from any future bloodshed. According the an official source, President Saleh has agreed on step down as early as Saturday on condition that General Ali Ahmar also steps down. "Both sides have agreed to step down, but dialogue today are to reach an agreement over who will rule after Saleh steps down," said a bigwig source.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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An alleged criminal was killed in a 'shootout' between his cohorts and Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) in Shyampur area under Kadamtali Police Station in the capital early Thursday.
The dear departed, Gopal Chandra Das, 32, What? No alias?
The man has three names all his own. No need to be greedy.
was a listed criminal in the area and also accused in at least 10 cases, mostly for murder, police said.
A true badman, for sure and certain.
Officer-in-charge Kazi Ayubur Rahman of Kadamtali Police Station said a patrol team of Rab-10 challenged Gopal and his gang while they were holding a 'secret' meeting
So secret that only the henchmen, Mahmoud the Weasel, and therefore the local Rab unit knew about it.
near Wasa pond at Shyampur at about 1:30am. Was there a banana grove near the pond? Sensing their presence, My spider sense! It's tingling again! To arms! Aux barricades! the gang shot up the elite force members compelling them to retaliate with bullets.
Really, they would have preferred to retaliate with daisies, but what can one do in such a situation, after all?
Gopal was caught in the line of fire and was struck down in his prime, the OC said. The other gang members however managed to flee the scene. ... as though they had never been...
A foreign-made pistol and one bullet were recovered from the scene. Does Bangladesh have domestic-made pistols?
One bullet!?! What happened to the rest of the crossfire?
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Cohorts. I need to get me some cohorts. That just sounds like too much fun.
[Arab News] Four members of the same Colombian family have been indicted by a federal grand jury in Miami on charges of trying to export 22 F-5 fighter jet engines to Iran in a sting operation by US federal agents, US officials said on Wednesday.
Felipe Echeverry and three of his relatives conspired to sell the aircraft engines for $320,000 to a US undercover agent and agreed to help the agent export the engines from Miami to Iran through Panama, according to the allegations in the indictment and a previously filed complaint.
Echeverry was believed to be in Colombia, but the three other family members -- Diego Echeverri, Amparo Echeverri Valdes, and Carlos Alfredo Pantoja-Coral -- were incarcerated, US officials said. The relatives' names were spelled differently in the indictment.
A US embargo on Iran prohibits the exportation from the United States to Iran of any goods, technology, or services, with limited exceptions, unless specifically authorized.
The documents released by the US Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Florida said Echeverry posted an Internet advertisement offering the fighter jet engines for sale.
A US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations undercover agent posing as a broker responded to the advertisement by e-mail.
The defendants negotiated the terms of the purported sale with the agent from January through March in a series of meetings and conversations, knowing that the ultimate destination of the fighter jet engines was purportedly Iran, the indictment and complaint say.
"It is critical to the national security of the United States that sensitive technology be kept from falling into dangerous hands," Anthony V. Mangione, Special Agent in Charge of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, said in a statement.
Iran produces an aircraft named "Saegeh," which is compatible with the F-5 fighter engines, according to the complaint affidavit. Iran and Venezuela are two countries that still use the F-5 fighter.
If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty per count of 20 years for three of the five counts against them, five years on a fourth count and 10 years on a fifth.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Two security officials were killed when a remote-controlled bomb struck their vehicle in the Orkazai tribal region, DawnNews reported.
In a counter-attack, government forces killed eight beturbanned goons, local officials said.
There was no independent confirmation of the clash as the region is remote and out of bounds for journalists.
Orakzai is one of the most lawless areas in Pakistain's northwest tribal region, which is made up of seven districts near the Afghan border.
Pakistain launched a major operation in Orakzai in March last year after Orcs and similar vermin fled a sweeping offensive in the nearby tribal district of South Wazoo.
Late last year military officials said lower Orakzai had been cleared, but the beturbanned goon threat persisted in some pockets of the upper part of the area.
Around 4,000 people have been killed in beturbanned goon attacks in Pakistain since July 2007.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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Interpol said on Thursday it had foiled a orc plot to carry out an attack during the cricket World Cup now being played across South Asia.
"Last week, through cooperation from Pakistain, Sri Lanka and the Maldives, we were able to identify, locate and arrest a terrorist," head of the Gay Paree-based international police agency, Ronald K. Noble, told news hounds in Islamabad along with Pak interior minister Rehman Malik. Pak politician, current Interior Minister under the Gilani administration. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. He later joined the Pak Peoples Party and was chief security officer to Bhutto. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Näwaz Shärif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men.
He said the man with "criminal intentions", whom he did not identify, was placed in durance vile on his way from the Pak port city of Bloody Karachi to the Maldives.
"Thanks to the cooperation of your country and other countries, we were able to make sure that the World Cup remains safe," he said. Neither he nor Malik, gave further details.
Earlier this month, India issued an alert over a possible attack on the hugely popular tournament being played till April 2 in India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
In 2009, gunnies attacked visiting Sri Lankan cricketers in the Pak city of Lahore, shattering a belief that the sport in the sub-continent enjoyed immunity of sorts against militancy.
Eight Paks died in the attack and six members of the Sri Lanka team were maimed.
Since then, Pakistain, one of the original four co-hosts of the World Cup, has not hosted an international cricket match.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
I dare say -- that's simply not cricket, y'all. This time they may have gone too far.
Apros Poe of nothing: (Now, that's a sandwitch!)
Now, I've heard of sand devils (even seen'm) and sand worms (Dune)(ain't seen'm, thank Gawd -- no need for that presciption sea sickness medicine in the desert), but I ain't never seen no "sandwitch."
[Al Jazeera] A suicide car boomer has killed at least five people in northwest Pakistain.
Thursday's attack, which targeted a cop shoppe in Doaba town of Hangu district ... Hangu is famous for its greenery, hills, beauty and water. Most of the people of this area are Bangash & Orakzai Pashtuns. Part of the Bangash are Shia. The Orakzai and the Sunni Bangash are determined to kill them... , left dozens maimed.
Rashid Khan, a senior police official, said the dead included an officer and four passers-by.
Hangu is part of the Khyber Pakhtunkhawa province and lies near the troubled tribal regions along the Afghan border where al-Qaeda, Taliban fighters and local rebels have flourished.
No group grabbed credit for the attack, but Taliban fighters have regularly carried out attacks in northwest Pakistain in recent years.
Fighters linked to al-Qaeda and the Taliban have waged a campaign of bomb and suicide kabooms across Pakistain, mainly in the northwest, after the military launched major operations against their strongholds near the Afghan border in 2008.
Quetta attacks
Earlier, suspected tribal fighters fired four short-range rockets in different parts of Quetta, capital of the southwestern Baluchistan province, late on Wednesday, killing four people, including two coppers, and wounding 18 people, police said.
Ethnic Baluch rebels have for decades waged a low-level uprising for greater autonomy and more control over the natural resources of the mineral-rich, but poorest, province of Pakistain.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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KIRKUK / Aswat al-Iraq: A combined force from the Iraqi police and U.S. forces on Thursday detained 18 members of armed groups who are wanted by security authorities in Kirkuk on Thursday, according to a senior security official.
"A force from the Kirkuk Districts Police Department, backed by U.S. troops, arrested today (March 24) 18 wanted persons, including 12 in accordance with Article 4 of the Law on terrorism," Brig. Sarhad Qader, the director of the KDPD, told Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
"The arrested persons are members of armed wings of al-Naqshabandiya Army, Ansar al-Sunna (Supporters of Sunna) and the so-called Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) groups," he added.
He said the combined force had conducted a large-scale campaign that covered the districts of al-Riad and al-Rashad, some areas of al-Huweija district and the Hamrin mountain chain.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Iraqi security forces have tossed in the calaboose a senior beturbanned goon leader with alleged links to the al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State of Iraq network in the western province of al-Anbar.
The unnamed self-styled leader of the beturbanned goon group was caught on Wednesday in the city of Fallujah, ... the City of Mosques, which might have somthing to do with why it's not called Center of Prosperity ... located some 69 kilometers (43 miles) west of the capital Storied Baghdad after police received a tip off on his whereabouts, an Iraqi army source told the Aswat al-Iraq news agency on condition of anonymity.
Security forces also discovered two boom belts and three bombs as they searched the building.
The so-called "war minister" of al-Qaeda in Iraq was wanted in connection with a series of deadly terror attacks against civilians and Iraqi government forces across the country. He was preparing for a new spate of terrorist attacks.
He succeeded al-Nasser Lideen Allah Abu Suleiman, the former 'war minister' of the Islamic State of Iraq, who was killed in late February during a security operation in the city of Hit in Anbar province.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq is a shadowy group originally led by Jordanian beturbanned goon Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, who was killed in June 2006.
Al-Qaeda in Iraq has been blamed for some of the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country since the US-led invasion of the country began in 2003.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] A local commander of the military wing of the Popular Resistance Committees has been injured during a fresh Israeli Arclight airstrike on the Gazoo Strip.
The commander of Nasser Brigades was injured in the strike which happened between Gazoo City and the northern town of Beit Layiha on Thursday, AFP reported.
Israeli fighter jets also carried out three other air strikes on the Gazoo Strip overnight, but no casualties have been reported.
Two of the strikes hit the city of Gazoo and the third targeted a tunnel near the Egyptian border at Rafah, the witnesses said early Thursday.
On Tuesday, an Israeli tank fired shots at a home in the Gazoo Strip, killing at least 10 Paleostinians, including four children and injuring over 50 others.
Israel regularly carries out attacks on Gazoo, killing and injuring Paleostinians. Tel Aviv launched a deadly war on the coastal enclave at the turn of 2009.
Some 1.5 million people in the Gazoo Strip are being denied their basic rights, including freedom of movement, and their rights to appropriate living conditions, work, health and education.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Most people dont know much history. They dont know the History of the Jews from the time of Vespasian and the destruction of the Jewish nation until medieval times and beyond to Hertzl and 1893. They dont know jack, really.They dont know the Ottoman period or the Mandate period. If they are a Democrat they have never read the Bible either, never read the prophecies or the nitty gritty of Nehemiah for the how the world works that shows then and now, same struggle in the same hot rocks day to day. Nuthin' comes easy, not even with God's help.
The Palestinians are all as doomed as the Canaanites. they havent got a prayer. And the entire Moslem future is as certain as the bottom of a hole. They simply arent going to make it. The Book said the Jews were going down and it also said they would come back. And it says they are going to win.
There is only one way this is all gonna end. If you cant see it, you simply aint lookin'.
The TRIGGER is the rebuilding of the Great Temple up there on the rock of Zion. When you see that....well...its countdown then. What is that prophecy of "if you are in the field and see the sign, throw down your tools and run...or if you are on your roof and see it, dont go down for your coat....just run..."? Who said that?
#2
early today there were a number of other strikes and some other Hamas physical assets were hit
some Hamas guy is appealing to the UN and OAS to make it stop
Posted by: lord garth ||
03/25/2011 7:33 Comments ||
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#3
This sh$$ will continue until Israel gets SERIOUS about clearing all Muslims from Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank. Once they do that, they'll have semi-defensible borders and foreign nations that will get the blame for attacks on their sovereign territory. We're not being serious about terrorists, so I can't really blame Israel. Things are going to be a mess until we (all Western civilization) get serious about the threat we face, instead of denying it exists.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/25/2011 14:01 Comments ||
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#4
This sh$$ will continue until Israel gets SERIOUS about clearing all Muslims from Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank
No kidding. I personally am sick of Israel's limp wristed tactics on par with "Don't Mess with the Zohan" Israel is needed by the rest of the world to help clean up the ME. Are they actually doing it though? No.
Posted by: Fi ||
03/25/2011 14:05 Comments ||
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#5
The TRIGGER is the rebuilding of the Great Temple up there on the rock of Zion.
That's the Christian belief, Dribble2716. The Jewish view is that it is the Messiah who will lead the rebuilding of the Temple, not that the rebuilding brings about his return.
#6
As for who said that other stuff, Dribble2716, that was some Christian guy, too, I imagine. I don't recall learning anything like that at Hebrew School.
You'd be surprised how much Rantburgers know. Reading these pages is a continual education, once best approached humbly, lest one get one's ass handed to one.
#7
Problem with all Abrahamic religions is the book part---A book can influence peoples prophecies---But they all predict theirs is the clear winner. Problem is a book can't shoot, move, fight,or communicate unless it grows legs and jumps off the table. A Christians view of Judaism always falls short if the mark--and vice versa a Jew can't really understand a Christian. I will say it as a Christian- I do not understand Jews like Bernard Madoff any more than a priest is similar to Madonna Cicconne.
Posted by: fi ||
03/25/2011 15:44 Comments ||
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#8
I've never understood why the Israelis put up with the crap they do. I've long felt we, the US, should provide them whatever cover they needed to dispel the Paleo's. That's not real PC I realize, but it's how I view it.
Posted by: Jefferson ||
03/25/2011 16:47 Comments ||
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#9
They can do it on their own.
Posted by: fi ||
03/25/2011 16:57 Comments ||
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[Ma'an] In a joint statement, brigades affiliated with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine ... Paleostinian Marxist movement, founded in 1967. It is considered a terrorist organization by more than 30 countries including the U.S., European Union, Australia, Canada, and Antarctica. The PFLP's stated goal is the establishment of a socialist State in Paleostine. They pioneered armed aircraft hijackings in the late 60s and early 70s... and the Popular Resistance Committees announced the firing of a projectile toward the Eshkol region in Israel, adjacent to the southern Gazoo Strip.
The groups, respectively the Abu Ali Mustafa, and An-Nasser Salah Ad-Din Brigades, said the launch came as a response to "the crimes of Israel."
Earlier in the day the brigades announced in separate statements that they were committed to continued resistance activities, amid heavy strikes from Israeli forces.
Over the past three days, Israeli strikes have killed eight, including four civilians. Dozens of other civilians have been injured.
According to the Israeli military, over the past two days, four mortars, three Qassam rockets, and two Grad missiles have landed in the Eshkol, Ashkelon, Shar Hanegev, and Ashdod regions.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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A village defense volunteer was gunned down in Yala province on Thursday. Safuwan Sama-air, 25, was killed while working on his rubber plantation in Kampong Buenae village. He was shot in the head and died at the scene.
Witnesses said that two men with guns, believed to be known to the victim, arrived to talk to him. One of them suddenly opened fire with an M16, and then they both fled. There were five spent M16 cartridges at the scene
Two key RKK terrorists nabbed
Two key members of the separatist Runda Kampulan Kecil (RKK) were taken into custody while hiding in a house in Yala province early Friday morning.
After receiving a tip from local villagers that two suspicious men were staying in a house in Kampong Bangoey, a joint military and police force surrounded and search the house at about 2 a.m. The two men were found in a bedroom.
They were later identified as Basri Ardae, 30, an important RKK terrorist wanted for killing state officials, and Muhammadsari Madaoh, 34, another key RKK member. Police also took one 11mm pistol found under Muhammadsari's pillow.
[Straits Times] A LAND mine kaboom has killed two soldiers in the southern Philippines. It is the latest attack blamed on communist rebels despite the recent resumption of peace talks.
Regional army front man Lt Col Lyndon Paniza says on Wednesday's blast also maimed two soldiers in Santa Cruz town in Davao del Sur province. He said on Thursday the soldiers were conducting an outreach program.
The government and negotiators from the New People's Army last month resumed long-stalled peace talks brokered by Norway. The talks aim to resolve one of Asia's longest-running Marxist rebellions by 2012.
But there's no truce yet, so the rebels have kept up attacks and troops have continued with offensives.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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[Al Jazeera] Around 20,000 Syrians chanting freedom slogans marched on Thursday at the funerals of nine protesters killed by security forces in the southern city of Daraa, witnesses said.
"The blood of martyrs is not spilt in waste!" they chanted in Daraa's southern cemetery.
The nine were among at least 25 people rubbed out by security forces on Wednesday, residents said.
A witness told Al Jizz that more than 100 people were killed.
He said many people have gone missing and bodies have been dragged away from the streets. The town was in chaos, he said.
A hospital in Daraa had said earlier that it had received the bodies of at least 25 protesters who died in confrontations with security forces.
"We received them at 5pm local time on Wednesday (1500 GMT). They all had bullet holes," the official told Rooters news agency on Thursday.
The AP news agency quoted an activist as saying that some residents of the southern town are holding a sit-in to protest the killings.
The activist, who is in contact with residents in Daraa, said the situation is still tense, with a heavy presence of security forces in the streets.
He said dozens of people were holding the sit-in in the al-Mahata neighborhood near the city centre.
Inspired by the wave of pro-democracy protests around the region, Daraa residents have held protests since last week.
Earlier, human rights ...not to be confused with individual rights, mind you... activists said at least 15 people have been killed in Daraa.
Residents said security forces shot and killed six people including a doctor who was giving aid to the injured at the Omari mosque, where most of the protests took place.
A rights activist also told AFP news agency that security forces had opened fire on mourners attending the funeral of those killed in Daraa.
Call for Friday protests Meanwhile, ...back at the Hubba Hubba Club, Nunzio had his hands full of angry bleached blonde... pro-democracy demonstrators in Syria have called for mass protests across the country on Friday.
Activists used social-networking sites to call for the protests, which they dubbed as "Dignity Friday."
Al Jizz's Rula Amin, reporting from Damascus, said violence broke out in Daraa when residents from other towns clashed with security forces as they tried to enter it to help residents there.
A youth activist in the Syrian capital, who remains anonymous, told Al Jizz that his contacts in Daraa said that "dozens of people" had died in festivities.
"Many there want to take down the government, and want more freedoms." he said.
Our correspondent said there was a heavy security presence in Daraa, with the army, anti-terror police and riot police all deployed in the city. Journalists are not being allowed to visit the city, and several of those who attempted to do so last night had their equipment confiscated by authorities.
'Need for radical change'
Checkpoints have been set up by security forces at all entry points to the city. There was also no mobile phone network coverage in Daraa on Wednesday.
Syria's state-run television station reported that an "armed gang" attacked an ambulance at the Omari mosque, killing four people.
The victims were a doctor, a paramedic, a policeman and the ambulance driver, according to SANA.
Later on Wednesday, state television showed what it said were pictures of a weapons stockpile inside the Omari mosque, including pistols, shotguns, grenades and ammunition.
A Syrian official told the AFP news agency that the governor of Daraa had been sacked following the killings.
Authorities have tossed in the clink a leading campaigner who had supported the protesters, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Tuesday. It said Loay Hussein, a political prisoner, was taken from his home near Damascus.
A number of Syrian towns and cities saw demonstrations in recent days despite the country's emergency law which bans protests that has been in place since 1963.
Violence condemned
The United Nations ... aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... , La Belle France and the United States condemned the violence. the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, called for "a transparent investigation into the killings".
A front man for the US state department said Washington was alarmed by the situation and urged Syrian authorities to "exercise restraint and to refrain from violence".
"We are deeply concerned by the Syrian government's use of violence, intimidation and arbitrary arrests to hinder the ability of its people to freely exercise their universal rights. We condemn these actions," said Mark Toner.
On Tuesday, Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, urged Syrian authorities to halt the excessive use of force.
"The government should carry out an independent, transparent and effective investigation into the killings of the six protesters during the events of 18 and 20 March," Rupert Colville, a front man for Pillay, said on Tuesday.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
03/25/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
I think that Libya is a warm up act for Syria which is a lead in to the main event...Saudi Arabia.
We do not know who the Islamic Brotherhood really is except that every Eqyptian leader since Farouk has banned them and two of Binny's top henchmen are IB alumni. I am of the duck school when it comes to identifying groups. That and the financial principle of behavior, that actions convey information.
Since the IB quacks like a Radical Islamic group and acts like a Radical Islamic group and looks like a Radical Islamic group, I am prone to believe they are a Radical Islamic group.
I think it would be irony to see the KSA in turmoil caused by the same forces they loosed on the world with their megamillion support of Wahabism and radical clerics.
The end game is KSA and we need to be finding some energy independence before the IB puts both hands on the economic necks of the western industrialized nations.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
03/25/2011 12:17 Comments ||
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#3
Actually, the Clash of the Caliphates is an interesting idea.
However, there is the rule of unintended consequences. I think the export of influence with the IB will wind up biting the KSA hard. If demonstrations and civil disobedience takes hold in KSA, it will be a mess to watch.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
03/25/2011 17:21 Comments ||
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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.
leader Muammar Qadaffy's
President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh
[Dawn] Two security officials were killed when a remote-controlled bomb struck their vehicle in the Orkazai tribal region, DawnNews reported.
Rehman Malik.
suicide kaboom
Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine
[Al Jazeera] Around 20,000 Syrians chanting freedom slogans marched on Thursday at the funerals of nine protesters killed by security forces in the southern city of Daraa, witnesses said.
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
