[Telegraph] The images show masked forces of Evil training near Afghanistan's mountainous border with Pakistain
Hooded forces of Evil pose with handguns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. They wear camouflage print and the black flag of jihad flies in the background.
The latest pictures of forces of Evil from 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.... of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) are familiar except for one twist. They were taken not in the deserts of Syria or Iraq, but in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan, where Isil's latest "province" spans the border with Pakistain.
Isil has declared the birth of "Wilayat Khorasan" -- or Khorasan province -- in the area of Afghanistan that was once al-Qaeda's heartland.
Existing radical groups, including the Haqqani network and factions of the Taliban, have declared allegiance to Isil. One training camp is named after "Sheikh Jalaluddin" -- or Jalaluddin Haqqani, the founder of the Death Eater network that carries his surname, who died last year.
The photographs, distributed on Twitter, show about 40 forces of Evil "graduating" after receiving weapons and fitness training. Isil now claims to have three such training camps in Afghanistan, one of which is named after the movement's leader, His Supreme Immensity, Caliph of the Faithful and Galactic Overlord, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ...formerly merely the head of ISIL and a veteran of the Bagram jailhouse. Looks like a new messiah to bajillions of Moslems, like just another dead-eyed mass murder to the rest of us....
No doubt Rantburg's experts will get more information from the photos than I. But what I saw in the first photo was 19 men in very pretty blue camouflage versions of the native dress and ski masks -- which have to be dreadfully hot as well as severely limiting their ability to see -- trying their very best to do a single punch drill in horse stance, led by a trainer who absolutely did not know what he was doing: his shoulders were not square, his feet, knees, and back were all placed wrong for stability, and if he didn't have his thumbs neatly tucked within his fists, half the men probably did. For the rest, the trainees proved able to sit and stand neatly enough, and some even displayed trigger discipline, which is not the same as being able to do anything more warlike.
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#1
Nice assessment w/thumbs, bent wrists, et. al.
This is not only a unarmed CQC exercise, they are also training vest wearing range-of-motion.
The masks are hot yes, but they also conceal one's features not just from the cameras but also the training cohort. It may be intended that these people, the 'vesters' not recognize each other. Though in the final RPG photo, body language would suggest some do.
[ARABNEWS] King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman ...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Cutodian of the Two Holy Mosquesand Lord of Most of the Arabians.... called on Wednesday for a political solution to end Syria's bitter five-year civil war that has fueled the rise of terror outfits and killed hundreds of thousands of men, women and kiddies.
"The Kingdom is currently hosting Syrian opposition groups at the moment in an effort to find a political solution," said the king in remarks at the opening session of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) summit here.
King Salman also touched on key regional issues including Paleostine, Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... and the need to intensify efforts to fight terrorism. The king stressed the need for Gulf unity amid turbulence in the region. According to reports, the leaders of the GCC countries also discussed relations with neighboring Iran, economic integration and the situation in Syria, Iraq and Yemen after the inaugural session.
Referring to the joint resolve to restore peace and security in the region, King Salman called on the stakeholders to exert efforts to restore "the legitimate rights of the Paleostinian people to establish an independent state with Al-Quds as its capital." Regarding Yemen, King Salman said that the way to solve the Yemeni crisis is through cooperation and political means.
He said the "the coalition led 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... is keen to achieve security and stability in war-torn Yemen under the leadership of its legitimate government." "We, the GCC states, support a peaceful solution to the crisis in Yemen in order to enable that country to overcome the conflict and then march toward peace and development," said the king, and referred to a possible solution built on the foundations of the national dialogue, the Gulf initiative, and UN Security Council Resolution 2216.
On the question of terrorism, King Salman called on the international community to "share responsibility in the fight against extremism and terrorism." "The Kingdom exerts great efforts to combat terrorism and will continue its efforts in cooperation with friendly countries in this regard," said the king, adding that "terrorism has no religion." He said Islam "is a religion of moderation," an apparent reference to those who are maligning the name of Muslims and Islam.
King Salman reiterated the need "to boost cooperation in all domains among the member states." The leaders of Gulf countries, who met later on Wednesday night, would reportedly hammer out a common strategy to fight the threats from Islamist extremism and plunging oil prices.
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A documentary series set to debut on Dec. 2 on the Al Arabiya News Channel reveals never-seen-before footage of al-Qaeda's operations in Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... and the subsequent raids and crackdowns on the group by authorities.
Over a decade ago al-Qaeda shocked the Gulf peninsula and wider world when it attempted to launch a "bloody revolution" in Saudi Arabia by rigging a series of car kabooms.
In 2003 the then security chief Prince Mohammed bin Nayef launched a counter attack that would see a three-year security crackdown on the group, with thousands of its members thrown into prison.
At least 39 foreigners and Saudi nationals were killed and over 160 maimed during the attacks.
More than ten years on, a TV series on the attack is set to be aired by the Al Arabiya News Channel, promising an inside look into al-Qaeda after hours of footage from cameras and mobile phones were recovered and released by Saudi security officials.
Unlimited access
"What makes this series unique is the level of access we had after Saudi security forces helped us. We got footage that was confiscated after the raids that took place," Saudi War on Terror executive producer Adel AbdulKarim told Al Arabiya News.
"It also helped because these holy warriors were obsessed with filming themselves. They filmed their plannings, when they were in their safe houses and when they were on their way to operations. You see everything on tape," he added.
The Saudi executive producer told the Al Arabiya News Channel that the film was nearly three years in the making, after they gathered more than 1,300 hours of footage, many coming from personal video records, mobile phones and even 8mm films recorded by al-Qaeda members.
"The film has been in the making for nearly three years now. We cut the film into 150 minutes, which constitutes three television hours. While we tried to tell the story from a dramatic narrative, we wanted to tell it from all the angles possible -- but even then it's not enough because the audience is only getting the main headlines of the story," Abdulkarim said about how much more the footage they acquired reveals.
Understanding the psyche
The film's director and team of producers hope that their series will help Arab audiences understand the psyche behind the attackers and "prepare them for future possible attacks."
"ISIS is a continuation of al-Qaeda. But the series portrays the holy warriors in the light that they will always be active until the end of our lives -- whether in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, La Belle France or the United States. The series helps create an understanding of why men take the decision to attack and terrorize innocent people."
The documentary series, split into three episodes, was produced for the Al Arabiya News Channel by OR Media, a London-based independent production company.
For Western audiences, there is currently a feature-length cut of the film being negotiated for release in the United Kingdom and the U.S., Abdulkarim said.
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RAWALPINDI: A two-week long joint training exercise ‘YOUYI 5’ between special forces of China and Pakistan started in Qingtongxia city of China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region on Tuesday.
According to ISPR, the impressive opening ceremony was attended by senior military officers of special forces of Pakistan and People’s Liberation Army (PLA). National anthems of both countries were played on the occasion.
The joint exercise as part of Year of Friendship 2015 will focus on anti-terrorist operations, hostage and rescue, cordon and search operations.
The joint exercise will enhance and further strengthen already deep military ties between Pakistan and China.
The YOUYI 5 is being carried out in extreme weather conditions of northern China to impart and share Pakistan Army’s experiences in war against terrorism.
Published in Dawn, December 9th, 2015
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#1
the impressive opening ceremony
Always a parade.
This is getting to be a sad, sad "dog bites man" story. Some updated numbers at the end.
At least 11 migrants, including five children, drowned and about 10 were missing after their boat sank overnight off the Greek island of Farmakonisi, Greek maritime police said Wednesday.
Twenty-six people were saved and a search was under way in the southeastern Aegean Sea for other survivors from the capsized wooden boat. The dead also included two women and four men.
A Greek army helicopter was pressed into service with a vessel from the European Union's border agency Frontex to aid the search, they said.
Witnesses said the boat had sunk despite a calm sea and feeble winds.
On Tuesday, at least six children died when a boat carrying Afghan migrants sank in Turkish waters while on its way to Greece. The Turkish coastguard recovered the bodies of the children, including a baby, and were still looking for two other migrants reported missing, the official Anatolia news agency said. The inflatable dinghy sank in strong winds and high waves near the town of Cesme in western Izmir province, Anatolia said. It was apparently heading for the Greek island of Chios.
More than 886,000 migrants have arrived in Europe by sea so far this year, according to the latest UN figures. Of them more than 650,000 - for the most part refugees from war-torn Syria - have undertaken a sea journey from Turkey to Greece to enter the European Union.
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[Jpost] The far-right National Front party made huge gains in French regional elections and could be a sign of a more pro-Israel Europe.
La Belle France went to the polls on Sunday in regional elections and the far-right National Front party, formerly known for its anti-Semitic and anti-immigrant stances but now known for its support of Israel and opposition to radical Islam, came out as a winner across the country.
The regional election outcomes are taken seriously since they are thought to be a bellweather for what will come when La Belle France votes in the 2017 national elections.
Though some have pinned the party's success on its occurrence so soon after the November 13 terror attacks in Gay Paree, one Israeli expert told The Jerusalem Post on Monday that La Belle France has been moving to the right for years and is part of an overall trend in Europe of far-right parties becoming the mainstream.
Dr. Esther Lopatin, director of the European Studies program at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, said that Europeans are frustrated by leaders who have ignored their concerns about rapid immigration and radical Islam on the continent.
So while National Front leader Marine Le Pen has gone to great lengths to show that her party is no longer anti-Semitic (even to the point of saying she is a Zionist and kicking out the party's founder, her own father, Jean-Marie Le Pen), Lopatin was careful to note that the party's fairly-recent rejection of anti-Semitism has not come from a sudden love of Jews, but rather from a realization that they share with the Jewish community a common enemy in radical Islam.
Lopatin said that other far-right parties in other parts of Europe that used to view the Jews as an enemy are now some of the most supportive of Israel as well.
"It's like they all of a sudden had the realization that the Jews are not really our enemies," Lopatin said of similar trends in other parts of the continent. "[Jews] contribute to society, they don't want to destroy our society or impose Shari'a law on our society. More and more people believe that."
"Europe is going through a makeover," she said, noting that overall voters are moving to the right politically because "the public is not happy." The voters for far-right parties, Lopatin said, used to be only racists but now include the average French voter "the type that would have voted for [former French president Nicolas] Sarkozy"
"They have the feeling that they have been deserted by the leadership who didn't take their concerns [about immigration and radical Islam] seriously," she said.
Regarding the sudden support for Israel, Lapotin said that "[Le Pen] understands that people would have voted for her if not for her father."
"Every time she has to vote regarding Israel, she usually votes in support ... and we saw that with the labels." Le Pen was among the minority that voted against the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... 's Israeli settlement labeling policy.
Another factor contributing to the rise of the far-right is that the parties are becoming more sophisticated, Lopatin said. Wheras the senior Le Pen was an outright racist with unrealistic platforms, Lopatin described Marie Le Pen as being more diplomatic, realistic and reserved.
Given all this, why is the European Union still so harsh on Israel if it is moving to the right?
According to Lopatin, "it takes time to abandon a central mantra that the Europeans have believed for many many years ... that the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict is a problem and if this is solved, then we will live in a better world."
Posted under Turkey because it's all about Turkey, you see.
[Hurriyet] Moscow has reportedly beefed up its military presence in the region around The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... following economic sanctions after the Nov. 24 downing of a Russian SU-24 fighter jet by Turkey near the Syrian border.
14 helicopters to Armenia
Russia sent 14 helicopters to Armenia and deployed them to the Erebuni Air Base near the capital Yerevan on Dec. 8. Seven of these helicopters are armored Mi-24 attack helicopters and the others are Mi-8 model transport helicopters.
The number of Mi-24 attack helicopters could reach 15 by the end of the year.
Submarines to Mediterranean
Russia has sent a submarine called the "Rostov-on-Don" to the Mediterranean Sea, where Russia also houses a naval base in Tartus. The "Rostov-on-Don" has been equipped with Caliber cruise missiles.
Russia had previously sent two submarines and the "Moskva" cruiser carrying an air defense system similar to S-300 missiles to Eastern Mediterranean.
The Hmeymim Air Base
Russia has been using the Hmeymim Air Base outside Latakia, one of the strongholds of the regime of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... There are an estimated 55 fighter jets in the base, including SU-30 fighter jets and SU-24, 2U-25 and SU-34 bombers along with seven Mi-24 and five Mi-8 helicopters.
The air defense systems of the base include Pantsir-S1, Buk-M2, S-200, Pechora-2M and S-400 batteries. The electronic Krasukha platform, which jams radar-guided systems, has also been deployed to the Hmeymim.
There are also an estimated 15 tanks and 30 armored personnel vehicles in the base.
#2
Rostov-on-Don did the first ever angry underwater cruise missile shot, target Aleppo. She (he in Rooshan) is a post Kilo Class diesel electric number, may have AIP.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... 's prime minister accused Russia on Wednesday of attempted "ethnic cleansing" in northern Syria, saying Moscow was trying to drive out the local Turkmen and Sunni Muslim populations to protect its military interests in the region.
Ahmet Davutoglu's comments could further harm strained relations between Moscow and Ankara, already at their worst in recent memory after Turkish forces downed a Russian warplane near the Turkish-Syrian border late last month.
"Russia is trying to make ethnic cleansing in northern Latakia to force (out) all Turkmen and Sunni population who do not have good relations with the regime," Davutoglu told foreign journalists in Istanbul.
"They want to expel them, they want to ethnically cleanse this area so that the regime (of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... ) and Russian bases in Latakia and Tartus are protected," he said, speaking English.
The Turkmens are ethnic kin of the Turks and Ankara has been particularly angered by what it says is Russian targeting of them in Syria.
Davutoglu said Russian bombing around Azaz, which is also in northwest Syria, was designed to cut supply lines to Syrian groups opposed to Assad, Moscow's ally, and ultimately to benefit 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.... krazed killers.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
If you use the term ethnic cleansing to mean displacing people rather than the annihilation of a ethnic group you are a scoundrel playing on peoples emotions.
Employees at the El Al Cargo Facility near Los Angeles International Airport were evacuated Wednesday morning due to a suspicious package investigation.
Local television station KTLA reported the call to the police arrived at around 6:30 a.m. (local time). Bomb squads responded after an X-ray unit detected some kind of chemical in a package that was passing through a machine. The liquid was later determined to be non-hazardous.
An unknown amount of employees were temporarily evacuated from the facility while police investigated.
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[DAWN] Visas used by foreigners to travel to the United States are getting new scrutiny in the wake of shooting massacres in Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, and La Belle France.
House politicians passed legislation on Tuesday tightening controls on visa-free travel and requiring visas for anyone who has been in Iraq or Syria in the previous five years.
Some politicians said they also planned to re-examine a visa that Tashfeen Malik used to come to the country. She is the Pak woman who helped her American husband carry out the San Bernardino attack that killed 14 people.
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#1
I'd start examining the bureaucracy that issues the visas as well.
[DAWN] Former president General (retd) Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... on Tuesday said those fighting in Indian-held Kashmire (IHK) were 'mujahideen' and 'freedom fighters' and not terrorists, BBC Urdu reported..
One man's terrorist is another's freedom fighter? How trite.
"Considering the atrocities and the treatment meted out to the Muslim majority in IHK, several groups such as Lashkar-e-Taiba
Continued on Page 49
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#1
Musharraf was Pakistan General Zia's fair-haired boy when the dictator initiated the revolt against India in Kashmir. And Sheikh Mubarak Ali Shah Gilani -- a school teacher and prolific author on Islamic themes and a man who was elected to the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Assembly in 1972 and 1977 -- was Musharraf's tool.
Gilani was expelled from Pakistan in 1980 for instigating violence in Kashmir without military consent.
In the USA Gilani founded both the Muslims of the Americas foundation and the Quranic Open University which then formed branches in the United States, Canada and Pakistan.
Gilani was reported present at the seminal conclave of Islamist terrorists held in Chicago in 1990. And before returning to Kashmir in 1993 Gilani also created in the US the Jamaat al Fuqra (Community of the Impoverished), at the time the most violent of the "Muslim fundamentalist" movements in the United States.
Gilani was welcomed in Pakistan because he rejected the Pak movement that called for Jammu&Kashmir independence. He argued that neither China nor India -- let alone Pakistan -- would ever permit it.
Years later India actually allowed Gilani to make his home in Kashmir, where long in the tooth, he was until recently considered the Muslims most popular resistance leader. From middle to old age he remained a tool of the Pak military ISI, and a close friend to Musharraf.
[DAWN] Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on Wednesday met Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who was here to attend the Heart of Asia Conference, DawnNews reported.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), General Raheel assured the Afghan president of full support in intelligence sharing, operational coordination and reconciliation process for bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan.
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[NATION.PK] Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...the political wing of the Pak Taliban... (JUI-F) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... today said, globally issues were solved just only through negotiations and dialogues.
Talking to media outside the Parliament House he said, dialogue ensures optimum way to resolve the issues between India and Pakistain as no problem can be addressed through war.
He said that the Heart of Asia Conference, hosted by Pakistain and attended by high-ranking delegations from 14 participating states, 17 supporting countries, 12 international and regional organizations, and foreign ministers from ten countries, was a positive development to address different regional and bilateral issues.
He said it was an appropriate platform to understand point of views of the participant countries, on important regional as well as international issues. He said that Pakistain has important role in the region and all participant countries have endorsed the fact, by fully attending the conference.
To a question, he said, "it is our point of view that India should not have right and option to start and stop the dialogue process." To another question, he expressed the hope that presence of Indian Foreign Minister in Pakistain would help resume the stalled dialogue process between the two neighboring countries.
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[DAWN] MUMBAI: An Indian government auctioneer will sell on Wednesday farmland, a restaurant and even a car which officials say once belonged to the country's most wanted man, runaway Mumbai underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
Indian police have been unable to trace him for decades, but for as little as $60, bidders can snap up a car he purportedly owned - a 15-year-old green Hyundai Accent sedan now parked in a working-class Mumbai suburb.
The properties, confiscated more than a decade ago, make up only a tiny fraction of Ibrahim's assets. Some have already been put up for sale but remain mostly unwanted, as buyers stay away.
On Wednesday, a crowd had gathered outside a down-at-heel south Mumbai hotel where the auction was taking place, kept outside by tight security.
Ibrahim reportedly runs a crime syndicate which Indian authorities accuse of engaging in murder, extortion and weapon-smuggling.
He is also accused of financing Islamist bully boy groups and of criminal masterminding bomb and grenade attacks in Mumbai in March 1993 that killed 257 people and maimed more than 700.
Ibrahim fled India in the 1980s and has since eluded the authorities, although the arrest last month of a former partner in Indonesia - Rajendra Nikalje, known as Chhota Rajan - is thought to be part of a strategy to hunt him down.
The Indian government has battled for years to confiscate properties held not only by Ibrahim but by his relatives in Mumbai, and has been held up by repeated appeals.
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Ibrahim fled India in the 1980s and has since eluded the authorities
Did they check the vicinity of Osama's former residence in Pakland?
[ARABNEWS] The United States vowed Wednesday to double the money it spends helping poorer countries deal with the immediate effects of climate change. Because we own the finest printing press in the world, bar none.
"We will not leave the most vulnerable nations among us to, quite literally, weather the storm alone," Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... told the UN climate summit in Gay Paree.
Congress approved this?
American officials said the US budget for so-called climate "adaptation" would double from around $430 million in 2014 to more than $800 million by 2020.
The increase would not come at the cost of Washington's existing climate commitments, but Congress will be asked to re-prioritise State Department and Treasury budgets.
Ah. Congress has not approved this, or even been presented with it.
The extra funding will be used for grant-based support for countries, a bigwig said, including schemes to protect mangrove forests or improve local weather forecasts.
"Obviously, the world's largest economies -- including the United States -- need to play a major role," Kerry said. "That's just common sense. That's why the United States has pledged $3 billion to the Green Climate Fund."
No, actually. The American president's Second Smartest Man in the Room has made commitments neither he nor the president can be sure will be kept.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
The United States vowed Wednesday to double the money
Hey, I'm in!
#2
Get the cash in singles. That way you can burn them for heat when the next ice age starts.
Over the last million years, Earth's climate has oscillated regularly between ~100,000 years of ice age and ~10,000 years of inter-glacial, AKA warming. Last warm period started about 13,000 years ago, so my money is on the coming glaciers.
#6
Seems reasonable and Obama does have the printing machines rolling over at Treasury already. What the hey: drive a Brinks Truck up to the back and next stop the "poor" people in Somalia or the Rann of Kutch and other deserving rat holes.
They can all afford an air conditioner in the ditch.
(IraqiNews.com) Anbar – A source in Anbar Operations Command annonced on Wednesday the arrival of 200 US troops to Ein al-Asad base west of Ramadi (110 km west of Baghdad).
The source said in an interview for IraqiNews.com, “Aircraft belonging to the US Army landed in Ein al-Asad Base Airport (170 km west of Ramadi) transferring 200 US special forces soldiers,” noting that “These aircraft also transferred quantities of arms and combat equipment.”
The source, who asked not to be named, added: “The US forces will have combat tasks in special assignments in the western regions, as well as cleansing the surrounding areas of the base and preventing ISIS elements from approaching it.”
Jewish radio personality Nahum Segal, host of Jewish Moments in the Morning (commonly abbreviated as JM in the AM) and President of the Nachum Segal Network, explained the harsh reaction that the pro-Israel community had in response to GOP hopeful Donald Trump’s recent remarks about Israel not sacrificing enough for peace in an interview with Arutz Sheva.
“The pro-Israel community was very concerned about Trump’s comments because they seemed somewhat irresponsible,” Segal said. “When an American leader, especially someone like Donald Trump, who is a leader both in the business world and the political world, suggests that Israel has not done enough for the peace process, that is bordering on insulting.”
“The pro-Israel community cannot stress enough, how much effort Israel has expended on the peace-process. So for him to come out with a statement, one that seemed uneducated, stating that Israel has to do more, was seen in a very negative light,” Segal said.
The huff in the US pro-Israel community was created last Wednesday when Republican presidential candidate hopeful and front runner Donald Trump told the Associated Press that he has "a real question as to whether or not both sides [Israel and the Palestinians] want to make."
"A lot will have to do with Israel and whether or not Israel wants to make the deal - whether or not Israel's willing to sacrifice certain things," Trump told AP. "They may not be, and I understand that, and I'm OK with that. But then you're just not going to have a deal."
Trump refused to back down from his comments even under pressure on Thursday at a meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition. "I don't know that Israel has the commitment to make it, and I don't know the other side has the commitment to make it," Trump said.
Trump then antagonized the crowd even further by saying, "You're not going to support me even though you know I'm the best thing that could happen to Israel. I know why you're not going to support me: because I don't want your money - you want to control your own politicians."
Trump is scheduled to visit Israel towards the end of December, and meet with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
The Prime Minister's office said that the meeting was scheduled before Trump's recent comments and that the Prime Minister will meet with any candidate from any party in the upcoming US elections.
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And yet they have been more effective with their 30% than America has been with our almost 100% (we also went after that Al Qaeda special unit that wasn't Al Nusra at all a couple of times). For the rest, one imagines they've also gone after Al Nusra, Muslim Brotherhood affiliates, Turkey-supported Turkmen, and so forth, worthy targets in their own right.
[AnNahar] Only 30 percent of Russian air strikes in Syria target 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 while the rest are against opposition forces not affiliated with the jihadists, a senior U.S. official said Wednesday.
"The Russian air strikes in Syria, primarily, are not attacking (IS)," Brett McGurk, U.S. President Barack Obama I mean, I do think at a certain point you've made enough money... 's special envoy for the international anti-IS coalition, told a news conference in Baghdad.
"If you run the numbers, it's about maybe 30 percent are actually attacking (IS) and the rest of the air strikes are attacking other opposition groups... that are not affiliated" with the jihadists, McGurk said.
[ARABNEWS] The Syrian opposition groups meeting in the Saudi capital have been discussing ways to reach a common position ahead of possible peace negotiations with Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... 's regime, according to reports.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir earlier welcomed the delegates and warned that Assad could be ousted militarily if he does not step down peacefully. He then left the gathering to allow the Syrians to continue their meeting on Wednesday.
The peace talks are expected by world powers to take place on Jan. 1. The Syrian opposition delegates want it to be held in the presence of Al-Jubeir.
The meeting, attended by some 100 delegates, also discussed terrorism, a cease-fire, reconstruction, and the role of the UN, according to reports.
The delegates want the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces to unify all anti-Assad groups, and ensure that a political solution is found to the conflict.
The talks are being chaired by Abdul Aziz Sager, a Saudi who heads the independent Gulf Research Center in Geneva.
While not all groups were invited, the closed-door meeting marks the first time a broad range of Syrian political and armed opposition factions have come together since the conflict started in 2011.
There has been a growing diplomatic push for a resolution to the Syrian conflict, which has killed more than 250,000 people and forced millions from their homes.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
warned that Assad could be ousted militarily
Feeling feisty about Yemen?
[AlAhram] Syria has become the pre-eminent global incubator for a new generation of turbans after Islamist groups more than doubled the recruitment of imported muscle to as much as 31,000 over the past 18 months, according to a former British spy chief.
In the chaos of Syria's civil war, the majority of imported muscle end up in Lion of Islam groups like 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.... , which uses an extreme interpretation of Islam to justify attacks on its foes and impose highly repressive rule in large swathes of Syria and neighbouring Iraq that it has captured.
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Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/10/2015 00:00 ||
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Until we get that muslim idiot out of the White House and actually wage WAR against ISIS, things aren't going to change. We're more worried about "civilian" casualties than we are about winning. Screw "hearts and minds" -- when they're trembling in the dark, they KNOW who the "strong horse" is.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
12/10/2015 14:43 Comments ||
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And now, when Russia has taken a hand, they're all going back as "Syrian refugees".
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Only dialogue can resolve the crises in war-torn Syria and Libya, Tunisian civil groups honoured with this year's Nobel Peace Prize said Wednesday on the eve of the awards ceremony in Oslo. Yeah, blah blah blah. Tell it to Henry V. And Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet ... The Quartet are the UN (xylophone), the United States (alto), the European Union (soprano), and Russia (shortstop). The group was established in Madrid in 2002 by former Spanish Prime Minister Aznar, as a result of the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Tony Blair is the Quartet's current Special Envoy.... was awarded the prestigious prize on October 9 for saving the country's transition to democracy at a sensitive moment in 2013 when the process was in danger of collapsing because of widespread social unrest. Jan Sobieski could probably give you an opinion on the value of dialogue.
"Arms can never be a solution, not in Syria nor in Libya. There is a need for dialogue and no blood and no fighters," Abdessatar Ben Moussa, head of Tunisia's Human Rights League, told news hounds.
While the wave of Arab Spring uprisings has led to chaos in neighbouring Libya, Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... and Syria, and to the return of repression in Egypt, Tunisia has been held up as a success story.
The country adopted a new constitution in January 2014 and held democratic elections at the end of last year.
"Tunisia is an exception so far in the Arab Spring countries but this doesn't mean that it may not be replicated in other countries," said Houcine Abassi, secretary general of the powerful Tunisian General Labour Union.
But almost five years after the overthrow of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the krazed killer threat weighs heavily over Tunisia's road to democracy.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Here's how that dialogue will go:
Booom boooom booooooom!
Aieeeee! You're hurting me! I'll hurt you back! Rata tat tat!
[AlAhram] ISIS bad boy group's media activity is facing a drop off as air strikes by the US-led coalition, the Syrian air force, and Russian warplanes have reduced the group's media capabilities, Egypt's Dar El-Iftaa Monitor for Extremist Fatwas said on Wednesday.
"Military strikes, and the resulting human and material losses, have impaired ISIS's media capacity," the monitor said in a statement on Wednesday.
"Their losses are directly reflected in their (ISIS) media activity, as much of its information infrastructure was brought down," the statement explained.
Unlike other terrorist organizations, ISIS is widely known for its usage of varied forms of media activity, such as its own English monthly magazine "Dabaq" and its social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
The monitor says that after following 30 media platforms affiliated with the terrorist organization, it became obvious that ISIS activity is facing a decline compared to the previous quarter.
"Following our observation, we witnessed a decline in quantitative and qualitative information materials published and broadcasts by the organization," added the monitor of Egypt's top authority that issues edicts to Muslims.
"When the terrorist group was at peak violence, their performance was very active on social media, and that was the case by the end of year 2014 and the beginning of 2015 when ISIS military strength was on top, but when the decline took place in the last three months, their media activity declined as well," the statement added.
The monitor estimates that 63 percent of ISIS media content in general are photos and 20 percent are videos, adding that when the group gains full control of a territory, it releases non-military-related photos and images.
"From June 2015 until September 2015, ISIS released around 3217 photos from Syria and 3762 from Iraq, but from October to December the group released 2500 photos from Syria and 2700 photos from Iraq, while videos declined from 728 in August to 500 in October," the statement added.
The monitor estimates that the aforementioned figure shows that ISIS is more influential in Syria than Iraq.
The Syrian town of Raqqa, which is now claimed by ISIS as its capital, is frequently the target of air strikes by the US-led coalition, as well as the Syrian air force and Russian warplanes that began an air campaign in Syria in late September.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/10/2015 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.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Pervez 
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
[ARABNEWS] The United States vowed Wednesday to double the money it spends helping poorer countries deal with the immediate effects of climate change.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Quartet
