[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Amnesia Amnesty International said Thursday that the Talibs have committed gang rapes and mass murders in northern Kunduz province of Afghanistan.
Citing testimonies by the local residents and women rights activists, Amnesia Amnesty International's Afghanistan Researcher Horia Mosadiq said "The harrowing accounts we've received paint a picture of a reign of terror during the Taliban's brutal capture of Kunduz this week. The multiple credible reports of killings, rapes and other horrors meted out against the city's residents must prompt the Afghan authorities to do more now to protect civilians, in particular in areas where more fighting appears imminent."
[Tolo News] Former Jihadi leaders from the northern provinces gathered on Thursday in Parwan province where they collectively announced their support for the security forces and said that they will no longer sit back and keep quiet about the insurgency facing Afghanistan.
Expressing deep concerns over the latest developments in the north, including the fall of Kunduz earlier this week to the Taliban, they said they stand by the residents of the besieged city and announced that they will soon take a decision on their role going forward.
Among those present was former defense minister Besmillah Mohammadi who accused Pakistain's intelligence agency (ISI) of being behind the Kunduz siege.
"We are keeping our differences aside and we expect the people to get mobilized and stay united against [Kunduz] plot ... and it's ISI behind this incident and they never want our stability," Mohammadi said.
The ex-Jihadi leaders present came from Parwan, Panjsher, Kapisa and other northern provinces and included Mohammadi; Engineer Asim, governor of Parwan; Mohammad Zahid Almas, former Jihadi commander; foreign affairs minister Salahuddin Rabbani;
Hafiz Mansour, an MP and Abdul Raouf Enami, Wolesi Jirga secretary among others.
They said their focus is to stand together and unite behind the security forces. Their aim is not to criticize government but to focus on what needs to be done in moving forward.
"We call on the loyal people of Afghanistan to move towards saving this country and defend the government and the system," Asim said.
They did however express their concerns about the Kunduz attack and pointed fingers at Pakistain.
Almas said: "I am telling Lions of Islam and Pakistain that they can achieve nothing from shedding our blood."
"We want the government to support those who have voluntarily come to defend their national dignity," Mohammadi urged.
Rabbani, who is the chief of the Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... party, suggested during the meeting that a council of Mujahedeen should be established in all parts of the country so that in the event of such matters of national importance they can immediately deal with the situation.
The former Jihadi leaders meanwhile said they will mobilize their sons to join the security forces and they called on government to support a public uprising and to mobilize former Jihadi leaders to help maintain security.
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10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] President Ashraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. said on Thursday that three commissions have been established to probe the Kunduz crisis and that those responsible for the situation will be brought to justice.
In a media briefing over the Kunduz siege, Ghani said that until a full investigation has been conducted, it was premature to hold someone accountable for the fall of Kunduz to the Taliban.
He however stressed that right now all focus should be on clearing Kunduz from krazed killers.
"First we need to save Kunduz then we must go after those responsible for the incident," he said.
He declared that the forces of Evil had taken the fight to the north because of the gas pipeline project which he said is vital for Afghanistan.
According to Ghani, the north will be very important for the next ten years and that the enemies are trying to disrupt infrastructural development projects.
In addition, he praised the security forces for their sacrifices in defending the country.
Touching on the issue of spies within the government -- which has lately been referred to as the fifth pillar of government -- Ghani said: "I have personally instructed the National Directorate of Security ...the Afghan national intel agency... [NDS] chief to identify those who work as [double agents] within the government."
Furthermore, he reiterated that Pakistain had entered into a undeclared war against Afghanistan.
"We have defined it as a 'undeclared war' and Pakistain has accepted this definition," he told the journalists.
Once again the president said that the forces of Evil were entering Afghanistan from Russia, China, Chechnya and especially Pakistain.
"The war is imposed on us, and we are engaged with a wily enemy," Ghani said, pointing to Pakistain who has long been accused of harboring forces of Evil on its soil.
This was the second time in a week that Ghani appeared before the nation over the issue of Kunduz -- which fell to the Taliban on Monday.
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10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Spies in the government were responsible for the fall of Kunduz? I can't wait to read that report.
Pakistan is engaged in undeclared wars with all its neighbors; heck it is engaged in an undeclared war with itself.
Posted by: Sven the pelter ||
10/02/2015 15:23 Comments ||
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[Tolo News] Hundreds of residents in northern Baghlan have taken up arms in support of security forces and are ready to fight the Taliban if the need arises.
According to them, they have armed themselves in the wake of the Kunduz crisis and are bent on preventing the same thing from happening in their capital Pul-e-Khumri.
Locals -- across the board -- including students through to professors are standing together and ready to fight.
"All the people of Baghlan including women and youngsters are concerned about the situation in Kunduz and that they have picked up arms to defend their defenseless citizens," said Aziz-ul-Rahman Sakhizada, a Pul-e-Khumri university professor
"We are dropping our pens now and picking up arms to defend our national prestige and dignity," a local student said.
Meanwhile, ...back at the wrecked scow, a single surviver held tightly to the smashed prow... officials and army commanders say that they are ready to defend the city if the Taliban's insurgency spills over from the neighboring Kunduz province.
Acting governor of Baghlan Sultan Mohammad Ebadi applauded the support of the people and said the local forces are fully prepared to defend Pul-e-Khumri.
"We are seeing all of these people are young including students and teachers and they are committed to standing alongside the security forces," he added.
Baghlan, a neighboring province, has prepared itself for a possible onslaught in the wake of the fall of Kunduz earlier this week.
But Pul-e-Khumri residents vow not to let the same happen and have instead come out in support of the security forces.
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[Tolo News] Afghan Ministry of Defense on Thursday accused Pakistain's Inter-Services Intelligence ...the Pak military intelligence agency that controls the military -- heads of ISI typically get promoted into the Chief of Army Staff position. It serves as a general command center for favored turban groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad, tries to influence the politix of neighboring countries, and carries out a (usually) low-level war against India in Kashmir... (ISI) of being behind the Kunduz siege and said that the battle is still being led by the spy agency.
Afghan National Army deputy chief of staff Gen. Murad Ali Murad, who is in Kunduz, said that the battle was planned and executed from Pakistain by the ISI.
The interior ministry meanwhile said that although parts of the city has been retaken there is still some fighting between Death Eaters and security forces.
TOLOnews news hound Sharif Amiri, who is on the outskirts of the city, reports that the situation appeared calm by late Thursday afternoon as no firing was heard. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... he was not allowed to enter the city as security forces warned that Taliban Death Eaters are still hiding in residential homes.
Reports have however emerged of residents in the city living in dire conditions, with no electricity, water and a severe shortage of food. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... hundreds have fled to neighboring provinces.
Earlier today officials called on government to assist the displaced people and seek help from aid agencies.
Addressing a presser, Parliament's Speaker of the House Abdul Rauf Ibrahimi said Thursday that a team has been appointed to investigate the collapse of the city to the Taliban.
He said one of the possible reasons for the collapse of the city was that the Kunduz governor Omar Safai was irresponsible and inexperienced and he failed to get people to stand by and support security forces. Another reason, he said was the delay in a planned military operation.
Exact casualty figures are still however not clear but it is believed that at least 300 people, excluding Lion of Islams, have been injured in the assault that started on Monday.
The MoD's claims meanwhile came just a day after Pakistain's Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... said his country will continue to help promote peace in Afghanistan but needed cooperation from the Afghan government.
Addressing the United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... General Assembly in New York, Sharif said: "Pakistain made strenuous efforts to facilitate the process of Afghan reconciliation."
"Dialogue did open between the Afghan government and the Taliban, which was an unprecedented first. But it was unfortunate that certain developments stalled the process. Thereafter, bad boy attacks intensified, which we unequivocally condemn," he said.
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10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] The Libyan embassy to the Vatican has announced that it has stopped work because it has had no funding from the foreign ministry since early 2015.
In a statement, the embassy said that the foreign ministry had been informed of the problem several times and that it had promised not only to the Libyan Vatican embassy but other missions worldwide that funds would be sent. The president of the House of Representatives had also been informed, it added, but nothing has been received.
As a result, the ambassador, Mustafa Rugibani, said he had been forced to take the decision to suspend the work of embassy including that of local employees. The problem was not just affecting Libya's Vatican embassy but Libyan embassies around the world, especially in Europe, the statement noted. However, a hangover is the wrath of grapes... relations with the Vatican still continued, it pointed out.
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10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Reminds me of the Seattle General Strike.LOL not really.
[AA.TR] The Nigerian army said Wednesday that Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... bully boyz were "poisoning water sources" in two communities in the country's northeastern Borno State, adding, however, that no human being has died as a result.
"Some cattle were killed after drinking water from poisoned sources," army front man Tukur Gusau said, adding that Boko Haram bully boyz had "resorted to poisoning wells and streams" in areas from which they had recently been driven by the army.
In a related development, the army has said it was willing to pardon Boko Haram fighters willing to lay down their arms.
The move comes one day after President Muhammadu Buhari said "all options" were open for ending the insurgency, stressing that "military operations alone" would not solve the crisis.
"In accordance with a presidential directive, the Defense Headquarters (DHQ) has inaugurated a national committee to oversee the creation of a safe passageway into mainstream Nigerian society for Boko Haram members," the DHQ said in a Wednesday statement.
"Boko Haram members penciled for reintegration are those [who were] forcefully conscripted into the group and those who have already surrendered or who are willing to renounce their membership in the group," the statement read.
According to the army, at least 315 bully boyz have so far surrendered.
"The current unfavorable situation for the hard boyz in the battlefield has resulted in large numbers of the holy warriors willing to surrender their arms," the army said in a statement.
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10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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[ALMANAR.LB] Saudi health minister said that his country will repatriate Iranian pilgrims killed in last week's Hajj stampede, Saudi state media said, after Tehran threatened a "fierce" response over delays.
Tehran has accused Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... of hindering its efforts to bring home the bodies of at least 239 Iranians who died in last week's tragedy near the Moslem holy city of Mecca.
Another 241 people, including senior Iranian diplomat and former ambassador to Leb, are among the Iranians still listed as missing six days after the deadly crush.
"The two parties have agreed on the repatriation of the bodies of identified dead Iranians as soon as possible," Saudi's SPA state news agency reported early Thursday following talks with the Iranian delegation in Jeddah.
The two sides will also "maintain contacts to identify the rest and look after the maimed," SPA added under the agreement struck between Saudi health minister Khaled al-Falih and his Iranian counterpart Hassan Hashemi.
It said the Saudi minister "stressed the kingdom's government's wish to cooperate with the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran," amid clear fears of Iran's retaliation.
Supreme Fearless Leader of the Islamic Revolution ...Iran's doddering head theocrat... Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei warned on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia's situation 'will not be good' if Iran reacts to Saudis' mistreatment regarding Mina stampede.
Tehran said last week that Saudi authorities have failed to issue visas for Iranian officials who sought to travel to the kingdom to facilitate the repatriation of the dead and the injured.
"Saudi officials are failing to do their duties," Ayatollah Khamenei said in a speech to graduating navy officers, following delays in the return of the hajj dead, accusing some of the officials of "slyness".
"They should know that the slightest disrespect towards tens of thousands of Iranian pilgrims in Mecca and Medina and not fulfilling their obligation to transfer holy bodies will have Iran's tough and fierce reaction," his eminence reiterated.
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[AA.TR] Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said Tuesday that military operations could be an option to topple Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Before going into the family business Pencilneck was an eye doctor. If he'd stuck with it he'd have had a good practice by now... in the absence of a political solution to the years-long conflict.
A devastating civil war in Syria, now in its fifth year, has claimed more than 250,000 lives, according to UN figures, and made the country the world's single-largest source of refugees and displaced people.
Speaking to news hounds at UN headquarters in New York, al-Jubeir warned that a military option would be destructive, but said that it was up to al-Assad to decide whether or not to comply with a political roadmap tabled by several nations in 2012.
According to the roadmap, al-Assad should step down to make way for a transitional Syrian government.
The Saudi FM said the Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... and moderate anti-Assad opposition groups would enjoy stepped-up support.
He went on to describe Iran as an "occupying power" in Syria, stressing that no solution to the conflict could be achieved without the withdrawal of Lebanese militia Hezbollah -- and other Shia militias -- from the war-torn country.
Al-Jubeir did not, however, rule out the possibility of negotiations with Iran regarding the conflict.
He also criticized both Iran and Russia for their ongoing support for al-Assad, which, he asserted, only served to dim hopes for a political solution.
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10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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[ALMANAR.LB] Iran on Thursday nearly doubled its corpse count from last week's hajj stampede, saying there was no hope of finding pilgrims missing after the tragedy.
"Seven days after this tragic accident... the status of all (pilgrims) injured has been completely cleared and reported," Iran's Hajj organization said in a statement carried by state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
Around 240 Iranians were previously declared dead after last Thursday's crush near Mecca, with more than 200 classified as missing.
An Iranian red crescent official said on Thursday that those missing were all likely to have died.
"We are completely disappointed from finding unknown and missing Iranians," said Ali Marashi, the head of hajj red crescent medical centre, state media reported.
Iran's IRNA news agency quoted Iranian Health Minister Hassan Hashemi as saying that he and his Saudi counterpart Khaled al-Falih had struck a deal aimed at "speeding up the process, as the victims' families are waiting" back at home.
"Iran would be the first country to receive bodies and repatriate them," Hashemi said.
Those unidentified bodies who are clearly Iranian would be repatriated first and identified at home, he added.
Hundreds of people were still unaccounted for Thursday a week after a hajj stampede killed hundreds more, with national tallies of the dead far exceeding figures provided by Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... The kingdom gave a toll of 769 people killed and 934 injured in the tragedy during a pilgrimage stoning ritual at Mina near the holy city of Mecca. Riyadh has not given any figures for the number of missing or said whether any Saudis were killed.
A tally of corpse counts from 23 countries, mostly from official sources, put the number killed at more than 990. More than 600 are reported as missing.
The reason for the discrepancy was unclear and the Saudi health ministry could not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Hundreds of people were still unaccounted for Thursday
Probably all in Germany by now.
Posted by: Bobby ||
10/02/2015 13:13 Comments ||
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[IsraelTimes] Russian Jewish immigration gave Israel the fuel for the Start-Up Nation -- and Syrian immigration can do the same for Europe, according to Stockholm's start-up chief
To some, the scenes of Syrian refugees breaching the walls of Europe portend monumental difficulties, like how to resettle that many people, how to acculturate people who never lived in a democracy, and how to integrate the conservative mores of Islam with those of liberal Europe.
But Olef Zetterberg, Business Region Manager for Stockholm, Sweden -- whose job is to develop partnerships and attract companies to his area -- sees them more as an asset in the making.
Continued on Page 49
#1
The unfortunate fact is that Europe, as is well known, is facing a demographic cliff, and without new blood we are going to wither away into irrelevance.
It might be prudent to examine the 'new blood' very closely. If incompatible blood is given in a transfusion, the donor cells are treated as if they were foreign invaders, and the patient's immune system attacks them accordingly.
Not only is the blood transfusion rendered useless, but a potentially massive activation of the immune system and clotting system can cause shock, kidney failure, circulatory collapse, and death.
#3
We have a few million 'immigrants' who already speak a European language (of sorts), who are Christian, and are equally crazy about soccer. Just as easy to load 747s for Europe as buses for Big Blue Cities. That's if you need bodies (who also seem to like free benefits too). Just saying.
#5
Has it occurred to Zetterberg that finding ways to get Swedish women to have more children might be a more sensible approach to demographic problem?
Is there nothing that could convince Swedish women that it is either to their advantage to carry another child, or in the interest of the future of Sweden to do so?
[DAWN] KARACHI: Police on Thursday registered a sedition case against a senior London-based Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... leader on the complaint of a local resident, who cited media reports as the sole evidence in his plea.
Though the police authorities did not come up with any immediate plans against Muhammad Anwar, the MQM leader, the Muttahida termed the case continuation of a "state-backed campaign against the party", vowing to take the legal course to counter the allegation.
"An FIR has been registered against Muhammad Anwar at the Gulbahar cop shoppe on a complaint of local resident Imran Bikik," said DIG-West Feroze Shah. "He approached the police and filed a complaint after which the due process was followed to register the FIR (No 148/2015). The main crux of the sections in the FIR allege that he conspired against the country and its illusory sovereignty."
He replied in the affirmative when asked whether the complainant had only cited media reports in his application to establish his argument against the MQM leader.
However, we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by... there was no word from the police authorities about the background and further details of the complainant who, on the basis of some media reports, believed that there were links between Mr Anwar and the Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing, which was against the illusory sovereignty and security of Pakistain.
The case against Mr Anwar was registered under Sections 123-A (condemnation of the creation of the State, and advocacy of abolition of its illusory sovereignty), 124-A (sedition), 153 (want only giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups, etc) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistain Penal Code.
The FIR against Mr Anwar was lodged just a day after an antiterrorism court declared MQM chief the increasingly enormousAltaf Hussain ..The head of MQM in Pakistain, who has lived in London and hasn't laid eyes on Pakistain since Caesar made corporal. Judging from the size of him,he may be a Hutt... a proclaimed offender in a case of criminal intimidation.
The self-exiled MQM chief was booked for allegedly threatening Rangers officials during a TV talk show following a pre-dawn raid on his party's headquarters, Nine Zero, in Azizabad, on March 11.
Meanwhile, ...back at the palazzo, Don Smilzo looked for an avenue of escape. The only window opened a hundred feet above the moat. The nearest of the hired assassins hold a bloody axe.
The window was looking better all the time.... the MQM called the FIR against Mr Anwar part of an ongoing "state campaign against the party which has seen extrajudicial killings of its workers and enforced disappearances of hundreds of activists".
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10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... has said the dossier on Indian interference in Pakistain's internal affairs and on fomenting terrorism on Pakistain's soil by India would soon be handed over to the secretary general of the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... .
He told news hounds at a presser at Waldorf Astoria hotel after his UNGA speech that if he had a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi he would have handed the dossier over to him.
He said that Pakistain was keen to have peaceful neighbourly relations but India had not reciprocated with the same sentiments. "It is the time that India should act by coming forward and desist from violating the ceasefire on LoC and Working Boundary," he said.
Take a look: India's role in promoting terror in Pakistain no secret: Sartaj Pruneface Aziz ...Adviser to Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs, who believes in good jihadis and bad jihadis as a matter of national policy...
But he said nothing about the construction of a wall at the border as charged in a letter to the UN Secretary General, by Pakistain's ambassador.
In reply to a question, Nawaz Sharif said an important announcement would be made in Pakistain about welcoming Malala Yousufzai to Pakistain. --M.H. & A.I.
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[DAWN] India on Thursday rejected a four-point peace plan for Kashmire proposed by Pakistain but said talks among officials of both countries on terrorism that collapsed in August should be revived.
Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... announced his proposal at the annual United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... General Assembly on Wednesday, saying the two nuclear-armed countries should formalise a ceasefire in Kashmire and take steps to demilitarise the divided region.
Know more: PM urges India to pledge not to use force under any circumstances
India issued a swift rebuttal, accusing Pakistain of claiming to be the primary victim of terrorism while "in truth, it is actually a victim of its own policy of breeding and sponsoring terrorists."
On Thursday, Indian Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj told the General Assembly that India remained open to dialogue, "but talks and terror cannot go together."
"We don't need four points, we need just one: Give up terrorism and let us sit down and talk," she said.
Swaraj said the talks between national security advisers on all issues related to terrorism should be held, as well as an early meeting of senior military officials to address the situation on the border.
"If the response is serious and credible, India is prepared to address all outstanding issues through a bilateral dialogue," she said.
Planned talks between national security advisers from India and Pakistain were canceled in August hours before they were due to start, dashing hopes the two might tackle the violence that many fear could one day spark a nuclear showdown.
In the talks, India had wanted only to discuss terrorism-related issues. Pakistain sought a wider agenda, including the status of Kashmire.
India and Pakistain have fought three wars since becoming independent countries in 1947, two of them over the Himalayan region of Kashmire, which both claim in full but rule in part.
Sharif, elected in 2013, promised to improve relations with India. But since then domestic troubles have forced him to cede more control over foreign and security policy to Pakistain's military. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken a hard line with Pakistain, insisting he is unwilling to discuss other issues unless Pakistain admits its role in terror attacks in India.
India's Ministry of External Affairs made it clear that Sharif's proposal was a non-starter.
"To de-militarize Kashmire is not the answer," ministry front man Vikas Swarup said in a tweet. "To de-terrorize Pakistain is."
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[DAWN] AROUND a month ago, the UK newspaper Financial Times (FT) did a story on Pakistain's economic performance and how the reality seemingly differed from the IMF's "rosy view". I had been quoted as saying the rise in foreign exchange reserves since the start of the Fund programme "was a bit like a Ponzi scheme", meaning that the government was raising high-cost debt to pay off the IMF and previous loans, and would then need to raise even more expensive debt later to retire the obligations it was so happily -- and wantonly -- raising now. (I should have added: this was an IMF-approved Ponzi scheme).
Within a few days, the ministry of finance had issued a high-sounding rebuttal to the FT, stating that independent economists and commentators did not have access to the data the government did, and therefore had made unfounded assertions in the piece.
Almost exactly a month later, Pakistain was in the international capital markets, looking to raise $1 billion via a Eurobond issue. With total forex reserves at over $18bn, why it needed to be in the bond market when global conditions for issuers are challenging, is something that has been left unexplained. A combination of jitters about the timing of the so-called lift-off in US interest rates, and the health of the world economy, specifically of emerging markets (EM), after the severe slowdown in China, has prompted outflows of over $40bn from EM assets between July and end-September. Many planned bond issues by EM borrowers have been deferred since the spike in uncertainty in the financial markets.
In the event, Pakistain raised $500 million for 10 years at a coupon of 8.25pc -- 617 basis points higher than the yield on the equivalent US Treasury bond. In comparison, a similar 10-year Eurobond was issued by Pakistain in 2006 at a spread of 270 basis points.
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[DAWN] American journalist and lobbyist Mark Siegel testified before an anti-terrorism court that former president General (retd) Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... had barred former prime minister Benazir Bhutto ... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in... from coming back to Pakistain, DawnNews reported on Thursday.
This he said while recording his statement with the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi in Benazir Bhutto liquidation case via video link from America.
Siegel, who was also Benazir's friend, recorded in his statement that "Musharraf had told Benazir her life would be in danger if she returns to Pakistain".
The American journalist claimed claims he was with the former prime minister on September 25, 2007, when she had received a call from Musharraf "threatening her with dire consequences if she returned to Pakistain."
In the conversation that followed, Benazir mentioned that it was the former general's responsibility to provide security to her, said Siegel. "On which Musharraf said to Benazir that provision of security depends on their mutual understanding and relations."
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[AA.TR] Iraq's Kurdish region is not part of the Russia-led coalition claiming to carry out Arclight airstrikes against Daesh, a senior Iraqi Kurdish regional government official said Thursday.
Secretary-General of the Ministry of Iraqi Peshmerga, Jabbar Yawer, told Anadolu Agency on Thursday that their forces had not participated in anyway in Russian Arclight airstrikes Wednesday that struck inside Syria.
Moscow, a staunch ally of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... , says the jets hit Daesh positions. U.S. and other allies expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... about reports that strikes were targeting non-Daesh opponents of Assad.
A U.S.-led coalition has been striking Daesh positions in Syria since September, building upon an aerial campaign already hitting the terrorist group in Iraq.
"Kurdistan region is not part of the coalition that includes Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran, which is said to be fighting against terrorist group Daesh," Yawer said.
He said that Russia and Iran were allies "from the very beginning," whose forces supported Syria in every way. But, he added, that Iraq has not yet taken any step as part of the coalition.
Yawer further asserted that Baghdad was the center of the coalition.
Earlier on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow was not planning to expand air raids to Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
See also DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > TURKEY, US AGREE TO "SAFE ZONE" IN [northern] SYRIA.
[AA.TR] Free Syrian Army not considered a terrorist group, says top Russian diplomat
Posted by: Fred ||
10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Read, FOR NOW.
IMO Vlad/VladVedev = Russia wants to see how its SSSHHH ... CCCC OWG CO-SUPERPOWER SIBLING IRAN'S ground forces + proxies does on their own wid Russian air cover = CAS.
#2
RUSSIA = CHINA + even IRAN = "RUSTY" = Unlike the older generation of Russian Soldats, Russia's contemporary Armed Forces are mostly or increasingly Newbies/FNGS wid little military andor experience in prolonged or protractive combat this far away from Russia's borders, e.g East Ukraine-Crimea + Chechnya.
To save the "dying/collapsing" Assad Regime + defeat the seemingly "victorious" ISIS/ISL + Al-Nusra in Syria [Iraq?], RUSSIA + ALIGNED MUST NOW HIT 'EM HARD + OFTEN, WID FULL CONVENTIONAL FORCES POWER ASAP AMAP ALAP + NO LONGER IN US = OBAMA-STYLE LIMITED OR HIGHLY "SELECTIVE/RANDOM" STRIKES, I.E. DRONE OPS.
ACROSS-THE-BOARD HIGH-INTENSITY BRUTE FORCE, which Mama Russia is historically well-known OR notorious for, NOT LIMITED OR SELECTIVE/RANDOM, LOW-INTENSITY FORCE.
Iff OWG Co-Superpower Russia is going to deter -n-protect its post-Cold War, post-9-11 "Sphere(s) of Influence", ITS CURRENT MILITARY MUST BE ABLE TO PROJECT ITSELF + FIGHT LONG-DISTANCE MAOR ANDOR MINOR WARS.
[RUDAW.NET] Col. Masoud Salih, a military expert and instructor at the Zakho Military Academy, says that the Iraqi Army must be involved in the liberation of Hawija, a district in Kirkuk province and a stronghold of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group (ISIS), which is known in Arabic as Daesh. "There are strategic areas in southern Hawija that should be liberated by the Iraqi army first," he said in an interview with Rudaw. Salih, 35, is a veteran officer. Following the fall of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein he fought alongside US combat forces and took part in the battles for Fallujah and Ramadi in 2004. A year later, he served as a military commander alongside the US Special Forces. Salih explained that the most recent offensive west of Kirkuk city has brought the Peshmerga forces 20 kilometers outside Hawija. This last push was the fourth major offensive in the area for Kurdish fighters, he said. Here is Rudaw's full interview with the commander:
Posted by: Fred ||
10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
What Iraqi army?
Posted by: Sven the pelter ||
10/02/2015 15:28 Comments ||
Top||
[ISRAELNATIONALNEWS] Israel Security Agency (ISA, Shin Bet) and police forces thwarted in August a terror attack against an IDF base that was being planned by three Arab youths from the northern Yafia Council affiliated with the "Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... " (ISIS) terrorist organization.
The three suspects have been named as: Mohammad Ihab Sharif, 22; former security prisoner Mohammad Hamad Mohammad Jazala, 23; and Ahmad Omar Mohammad Mahajana, 19.
Other individuals detained in the operation include: Ahmad Ali Halil Ahmad, a 26-year-old resident of Nazareth who was sentenced to life in prison for the murder of Yafim Weinstein in 2009 and Ali Halil Salim Ahmad, Ahmad's 55-year-old father.
Both are accused of providing the Yafia youths with the necessary weapons to commit a series of attacks across the Jewish state.
Upon interrogation, the suspects admitted to having planned the attack for over a year. The three said that they gathered weapons, learned how to use them and gathered intelligence about the IDF base.
The attack would have involved gunfire and Molotov cocktails that would be thrown at soldiers coming and going to a base in the Galilee.
According to the indictment, Sharif and Mahajana have been in contact with two friends from Yafia - Mohammad Kilani and Mohammad Kana'aneh who traveled to Syria in November 2014 to fight among the ranks of Islamic State.
During interrogation, the two suspects admitted that ISIS jihadists had been prompting them to commit terror attacks within Israel.
The cell is also suspected of having planned Molotov cocktailing attacks on police precincts and vehicles in Migdal Emek and Nazareth as well as local businesses selling alcohol in Nazareth, as drinking is prohibited by Islam.
The suspects were indicted at the Nazareth District Court on charges of conspiracy to commit terrorist attacks, illegal weapons possession, membership in an illegal terror organization and maintaining contact with foreign terror agents.
All of the suspects will be held in jug until the investigation against them is complete, ISA officials said.
"Exposing the terror cell's plans in advance and preventing murderous attacks by its members, points to the growing threat of the exodus of the members to jihad fighting areas throughout the world," the security agency said in a statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
I have to say this reminds me of the first attempt to bomb the WTC back in 1993 which didn't work.
[AA.TR] Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on Thursday warned that his country and international community would not tolerate any form of violence and extremism committed by Daesh.
Razak said Malaysia condemns what he called Daesh's blatant misrepresentation of Islamic teachings, when it says the sadistic brutality, torture and murder of innocent men, women and kiddies were justified.
He made Malaysia's stand at the Leaders' Summit on Countering Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (Daesh) and Violent Extremism at the United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... in New York.
"Renounce your virulent creed of hate, violence and extremism and be guided back towards the righteous path, or face the consequences," he was quoted as saying by The Star Online.
The Summit was hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama We're gonna punish our enemies and we're gonna reward our friends who stand with us on issues that are important to us... and Vice-President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden The former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body... .
As the chair of the Southeast Asian nations grouping ASEAN this year, Razak said Malaysia is leading the region towards combating all forms of extremism, including the possible spreading of Daesh beliefs in the region.
"We must make pre-emptive arrests if necessary and if there is irrefutable evidence, to save innocent lives," Razak said, referring to over 100 people detained in recent months by the Malaysian police, all suspected of having inclination towards Daesh.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
See also WORLD NEWS, NEWS KERALA > [Times of India] MALAYSIANS WID ISIS IN TRAINING TO BECOME SNIPERS, SUICIDE BOMBERS.
Not exactly the kind of overseas remittances Malaysia + SE Asia likes to get.
[AA.TR] A Thai Buddhist monk and around 100 followers have marched on the United States Embassy in Bangkok to demand Human Rights Watch ... During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011, HRW received a pledge from the Foundation to Promote Open Society, of which George Soros is Chairman, for general support totaling $100,000,000. The grant is being paid in installments of $10,000,000 over ten years.Through June 30, 2013, HRW had received $30,000,000 towards the fulfillment of the pledge.... be removed from the country.
Activist Monk Buddha Issara -- renowned for his protests against Yingluck Shinawatra's democratically elected government ousted in last year's coup -- called on the Embassy on Thursday to either remove the organization from Thailand or stop it from "interfering in local affairs."
Issara's group is unhappy with the U.S.-based NGO for calling for a review of section 112 of Penal Code 9 (the country's lese majeste law) and for advocating for those found guilty under the law.
Issara was allowed access inside the Embassy where he submitted a letter to new U.S. Ambassador Glyn T Davies.
"The actions of Human Rights Watch are not neutral and are biased on one side of the political spectrum," it claimed.
The lese majeste laws prosecute those seen to defame the reigning monarch, his family, and the heir apparent and his family.
Critics, including Human Rights Watch, argue that the law is being unfairly abused for political purposes.
While the governing body of monks, or the Sangha, generally avoid politics and discourages involvement in politics by individual monks, there have been instances of monks becoming involved in political issues.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
"The lese majeste laws [of Thailand] prosecute those seen to defame the reigning monarch, his family, and the heir apparent and his family.
A remembrance of things past: A similar case of lese majeste that occurred during the Carter administration led State Department factotums Pat Derian and Richard Holbrooke to attmept to end AUD assistance. This was countered by superdiplomat Philip Habib who at a meeting of principals ripped the two twits in a way rarely seen in Foggy Bottom. Habib reminded the twits that Thailand had been a close friend for more than one-hundred years and no misguided use of human rights would alter that friendship.
[Ynet] Hundreds of Iranian troops have arrived in Syria in the last 10 days and will soon join government forces and their Lebanese Hezbollah allies in a major ground offensive backed by Russian air strikes, two Lebanese sources told Rooters on Thursday.
The two sources said the operation would be aimed at recapturing territory lost by Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs... 's government to rebels.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/02/2015 00:00:00 ||
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#1
"IRANIAN tROOPS" > also read, HEZBOLLAH + LOCAL SHIITE, OTHER PRO-IRAN OR ANTI-SUNNI MILITIAS.
[AA.TR] The U.S. will not guarantee the protection of Syrian trained fighters against Russian Arclight airstrikes, a defense official said Thursday.
"It's a war there, so, I mean, we can't protect everyone from everything, but as these forces engage ISIL, we are there with them to help destroy ISIL," according to Col. Steve Warren, front man for the Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve.
Warren's comments came a day after Russia began Arclight airstrikes in Syria.
The focus of the trained groups is to fight Daesh, Warren said, and as long as they go after the murderous Moslems, the coalition would provide support in the form of Arclight airstrikes.
He implied that If the fighters decide to break away from the stated mission and engage other groups or even go after Assad, they would be essentially on their own.
Although Moscow insists its military presence in Syria is to target Daesh and fortify Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath... 's regime against "terror groups," Russian strikes could complicate U.S.-led coalition's efforts -- particularly the movements and protection of U.S.-backed opposition groups.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
See also RELATED > JAPAN TIMES > BLIND-SIDED US MAY NOT BE ABLE TO PROTECT CIA-TRAINED SYRIAN REBELS FROM RUSSIA AIRSTRIKES, as the Bammer + Admin are repor fearful of any "accidental" US-Russia Air-Ground Clash between Milfors.
* BHARAT RAKSHAK > [Telegraph.UK] RUSSIA KILLS US-BACKED SYRIAN REBELS IN SECOND DAY OF AIRSTRIKES AS IRAN PREPARES FOR GROUND OFFENSIVE, in coordination wid Baby Assad's Boyz = SAA [Syrian Army Army].
* RELATED DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > ASSAD ALLIES, INCLUDING IRANIANS, PREPARE GROUND ATTACK IN SYRIA: SOURCES | REUTERS.
* MANILA BULLETIN > RUSSIA HAS SENT OVER 50 AIRCRAFT [+ Attack Helos] TO SYRIA: DEFENCE MINISTRY.
In support of deployed Russian Marines, Airborne = Paratroopers, + SpecOps.
* RUSSIAN FM SERGEI LAVROV = RUSSIA IS ATTACKING ONLY THOSE TERROR GROUPS ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY CATEGORICALLY UNDENIABLY ... CLEARLY IDENTIFIED OR LISTED BY THE UNO AS A "TERROR GROUP".
* WAFF > [Newsru] IRAQ SET TO GIVE RUSIA PERMISSION TO BOMB IN IRAQ TOO, 5000 RUSSIAN SOLDIERS HEADED TO IRAQ.
Personally, I'm interpreting all the above as MORE NOT-GOOD-NEWS today for GUAM-WESTPAC from the Bammer Admin vee China + Nuclear Islam, espec CHINA.
#5
Yes, as a matter of fact. Even though betrayed by his handlers, Poshepny never forgot the Hmong. The betrayed are either killed, or retire to comfortable third country and die of old age. The betrayers live on as an institution. We should not forget that piece.
#8
It seems to me that everyone is misunderstanding the situation in Syria. By its brutality, the Assad regime alienated 75% of its population. As a result most of the young men among this 75% are eager to fight against it. There are dozens of groups of all sorts of political views which are trying to do this. They are willing to cooperate with anyone including monsters, to bring down the regime. (The US cooperated with the murderous Stalin regime in WW2 in a similar way)
One of the smaller anti-regime forces, although the best financed one, is ISIS. And we seem to want to cooperate with the regime to put down ISIS.
But wait. Where does ISIS get its arms and money? There are rumors that they come from Iran and Russia. Its leadership is Chechen and most of its fighters are volunteers from elsewhere with no stake in Syria at all.
Why would Russia and Iran build it up? Answer: to create a greater horror than the present regime in the minds of the outside world, so that we support Assad against ISIS.
We will soon condemn every Syrian who is willing to cooperate with ISIS or Nusra in any way, even to accepting arms from them, and attack them as the new enemy in Syria. The Kurds tried to be neutral for years, and, like the Christians, who also wanted to be left alone, were considered allies of Assad. Their contact with ISIS had made them fighters against it. Now, instead of supporting the Kurds with serious arms, we flit around and our pro-Iran State Department wants to ally with Assad Iran and Russia against all the rebels.
They want the 75% of Syrians to move to Europe, leaving Assad in peace.
#10
AFAIK the anti-Assad FSA + other US-Allied backed Militias are still waiting for the Bammer's promised materiel + other support.
So now these same are hearing or reading the Bammer's criticisms of Putin but still doing nothing beyond Airborne Drone Ops.
THE MAHA-RUSHIAN QUESTIONNE' IS NOT WHY MANY OF THE US-TRAINED/BACK ANTI-ASSAD REBS JOINED THE ISIS + AL-NUSRA, ETAL. AS PER RUSSIAN CLAIMS - THE QUESTIONNE' IS WHY SHOULDN'T THEY???
They don't receive or feel supported by the Bammer Admin despite the Admin's rhetoric to the contrary, SO WHY NOT JOIN THE ISIS + AL-NUSRA, BOYZ, ETAL???
Lest we fergit, while a number of Radical Islam's top Leaders may come frm wealthy Muslim Families-Clans, are University-educated + can comprehend the precepts behind OWG-NWO + OWG Globalism + Related, the lower-tier Leaders and Field Fighters come from backgrounds of extensive poverty + Madrassa-led Radicalism - THE LATTER DON'T KNOW ABOUT OWG-NWO + OWG GLOBALISM, ETC, NOR CARE FOR IT.
WHAT THESE AHMED-SIXPACKS CARE ABOUT IS BASIC SURVIVAL, ISLAM, JIHAD, AND ISLAMIC CONQUEST, NOT GLOBAL GOVT. OR GLOBALISM.
THEY COULD CARE LESS IFF THE "WEAK/DECLINING" USA IS PRESENTLY PRETENDING TO BE SO, OR IS DE FACTO SO, SELF-RETREATING-VERSUS-FORCED-TO-RETREAT.
AHMED-SIXPACKS > ONE OR THE OTHER(S) = ISLAM WINS!
#11
Iff the majority of Syria's population all flee the country due to the on-going fighting, JUST WHAT WILL THE ASSAD DYNASTY-REGIME BE THE RULER OF, AS THERE WON'T BE ENUFF SYRIANS IN SYRIA???
Assadian Syria will be too small + too weak to resist taekover by one or more Larger powers.
"EMPTY SYRIA" = takeover by TURKEY? ISRAEL? IRAN? MERGED INTO IRAQ? ... ...@ETC.
Lest we fergit, ASSADIAN SYRIA = historically has been one of the more isolationist Members of the Arab League despite its size + potent Armed Forces.
[AA.TR] Ibrahim Kalin, the front man for the Turkish presidency, said Wednesday that the Syrian regime of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... and the Daesh bully boy group were "working together" to weaken the war-torn country's moderate opposition.
Syria's devastating civil war, now in its fifth year, has left some 250,000 people dead, according to UN figures, and the country divided between different heavily armed factions.
"The Assad regime and Daesh feed off each other; they benefit from each other's barbarism," Kalin said in an opinion article published in Thursday's edition of Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah.
"They are working together to weaken and destroy Syria's moderate opposition, along with any hope for a democratic and pluralistic Syria," he wrote.
Kalin added that the Syrian regime was playing a vital role in strengthening Daesh by targeting civilians, thereby fueling support for the krazed killer group.
"Every barrel bomb Mr. Assad drops on Syrian civilians serves to create new recruits for Daesh," Kalin said, asserting that such actions ended up making Daesh "stronger not weaker."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Total projection
The Daesh and Turkey are one and the same.
[RUDAW.NET] Humanitarian and natural disasters are leading to an increase in child marriage, particularly among Syrian refugees, according to campaign group Girls Not Brides.
The London based group which works with 500 organizations around the world points to the Syrian refugee crisis and the Bangladesh floods as examples of how humanitarian disasters are leading to more girls being married off at a young age.
The group says child-marriage has a devastating impact on the 15 million girls that are married off, usually to older men, every year around the world
Posted by: Fred ||
10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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"The Air Force is deploying about 300 airmen to Diyarbakir Air Base Motto "It could be worse, it could be raining."
in Turkey to find, protect and rescue any U.S. or coalition pilots who have to eject over Iraq or Syria.
Among those airmen is a Guardian Angel Weapons System, which includes pararescue airmen, combat rescue officers and survival, evasion, resistance and escape specialists, who specialize in retrieving downed pilots or isolated troops -- often in the middle of a battle, said Kris Gault, a spokeswoman for U.S. Air Forces in Europe.
They will have several HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters and HC-130s to carry out rescue operations, if needed, Gault said in an email.
Diyarbakir Air Base is in southern Turkey about 100 miles from the border with Syria. The base is about 346 miles east of Incirlik Air Base, where U.S. F-16s from Aviano Air Base, Italy, have been launching airstrikes against the Islamic State since August.
In February, the commander of the 57th Rescue Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, England, told Air Force Times how the Guardian Angels operate.
"We can't always count on the survivor that's out there -- the isolated personnel -- to be able to come to us, whether they are stuck in the aircraft that has crashed, whether their parachute is hung up in a tree, whether they are down at the bottom of a ravine or collapsed in a structure or floating out in the middle of the ocean," said Maj. Patrick Gruber. "We have rescue specialists -- specific airmen -- who are trained to go into those specific environments and recover those personnel -- and then medically treat them and get them out and return them with honor."
In another development, Russia began launching airstrikes in Syria, but the U.S. and Russia disagree over whether the attacks were against the Islamic State or other opposition groups.
The New York Times reported that the Russian aircraft attacked areas in Homs where the Free Syrian Army operates. The Russian embassy in Washington, D.C., did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
On Wednesday morning, a Russian official told personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad that Russian aircraft were about to fly combat missions over Syria, and he requested that U.S. aircraft avoid Syrian airspace during those missions, State Department spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
"The US-led coalition will continue to fly missions over Iraq and Syria as planned and in support of our international mission to degrade and destroy ISIL [the Islamic State in Syria and the Levant]," Kirby said.
If any Russian pilots get shot down, they are on their own.
"The U.S. is currently only authorized to rescue downed pilots from the coalition," said Navy Cmdr. Elissa Smith, a Defense Department spokeswoman." Godspeed.
#1
300 airmen. Diyarbakir Air Base. Hmmm. And just how many US or coalition pilots would they have rescued had they been located there a year ago? Sorry, but this appears to be a very narrow and thus bull.... assignment. As for the US activity from Incirlik, can anyone point to daily, or weekly reporting?
#2
Sorry, but this appears to be a very narrow and thus bull.... assignment
Probably. It's also an indicator that there's a high probability that Islamic State has or will have AAW capability, and that there's an increased chance of coalition aircraft being engaged by Syrian or Russian air defense systems.
The adverse results of coalition, and especially US, aircrews being downed and captured either by IS or Syrians/Russians would reflect badly upon the White House. Not that they really give a rat's ass about the crews; it's the political optics that matter.
#7
This US deployment was in the works long before the Russians moved into Demascus. Perhaps it is the case that the Pentagon worries about IS possession of sophisticated ground-to-air missiles. However, I would think the deployment to the base north of Irbil would make more sense than Diyarbakir. Tangentially, reports from Kurdistan indicate the CIA is far more interested than the Pentagon in playing the Kurd card.
[RUDAW.NET] At least 430,000 Kurdish Yezidis have been driven out of their homes since August 2014 by the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... , a new report by the Kurdistan Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Victims has found.
More than half of the displaced Yezidis have taken shelter in refugee camps in Kurdish areas, the report said.
ISIS turbans attacked the predominantly Yezidi town of Shingal on August 1, 2014, triggering a grim humanitarian crisis as thousands of locals fled to the safety of the nearby Mount Shingal where they were trapped for weeks.
"At least 75 percent of the refugees from Shingal fled to the mountain when the turbans attacked the city," Muhammad Haji Salih, Minister of Martyrs and Anfal Victims, told a gathering in Garmiyan on Thursday at the opening of a conference on genocide.
Salih said the remains of 400 Yezidi men were found in a mass grave in Kojo village where they had been executed.
The report also confirmed that 1,800 Yezidis had been killed and more than 5,000 women and kiddies had been kidnapped by the bad boys. It said that more than 600 children and elderly people died in the mountains while fleeing the ISIS.
Salih also said that 14 Yezidi Shrines, some dating back thousands of years, had completely been demolished by the bad boys.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/02/2015 00:00 ||
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[RUDAW.NET] In more than a year of fighting with the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group (ISIS), 1,300 Peshmerga soldiers have been killed and 52 are missing, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) said Thursday.
"We release the new statistics on casualties every two weeks. According to the latest one, we have 1,300 deaders and 52 missing," said Jabar Yawar, chief of staff and front man of the KRG's Peshmerga ministry.
Besides the dead and missing, some 5,000 Kurdish soldiers also have been maimed since August last year, when ISIS attacked the Kurdistan Region, igniting a war that has raged ever since.
Peshmerga forces have racked up some major victories against the Lion of Islams, known in Arabic as Daesh, especially in the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.
On Wednesday, the troops liberated 17 villages in a major offensive on the Kirkuk frontlines. After large ISIS losses in Kirkuk, ... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time... social media sites affiliated with the hard boyz posted a video showing the beheadings of captured Peshmerga.
The video shows the gruesome beheadings of seven Peshmerga soldiers purportedly captured by the religious zealots over the last several months.
Yawar has said that the reliability of the video has yet to be confirmed.
ISIS has beheaded other Peshmerga soldiers in the past, including the execution of officer Hujam Surchi before a large crowd in djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... in January.
Yawar has said the KRG has made every effort to gain the release of captured Peshmerga. "But Daesh is a terrorist group and has no understanding of dialogue or the rights of hostages," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/02/2015 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.
[Libya Herald] The Libyan embassy to the Vatican has announced that it has stopped work because it has had no funding from the foreign ministry since early 2015.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
...Adviser to Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs, who believes in 
Pervez 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Joe 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
