[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The United States Department of States released its latest reports regarding on terrorism for 2016 providing an overall report regarding the terrorism related upheavals during the year.
The new report by the State Department further strengthens the claims made by the Afghan officials regarding the presence of the safe havens of the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... and Haqqani terrorist network inside the Pak territory.
"Afghanistan, in particular, continued to experience aggressive and coordinated attacks by the Afghan Taliban, including the affiliated Haqqani Network (HQN) and other holy warrior and terrorist groups," the report stated.
The Department of State also added that a number of these attacks were planned and launched from safe havens in Pakistain.
"Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) retained full responsibility for security in Afghanistan, and prevented the Taliban from capturing a bustling provincial capital in 2016, although it suffered an unprecedented number of casualties in an intense fighting season," the report said, adding that the ANDSF and Coalition Forces, in partnership, took aggressive action against terrorist elements across Afghanistan. A peace agreement between Hizb-e Islami Gulbuddin and the Afghan government in September was the first signed by an holy warrior group since the 2001 fall of the Taliban.
According to the State Department, the Pak military and security forces undertook operations against groups that conducted attacks within Pakistain such as Tehrik-e Taliban Pakistain. Pakistain did not take substantial action against the Afghan Taliban or Haqqani terrorist network, or substantially limit their ability to threaten U.S. interests in Afghanistan, although Pakistain supported efforts to bring both groups into an Afghan-led grinding of the peace processor.
The State Department also added that Pakistain did not take sufficient action against other externally focused groups, such as Lashkar e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad ...literally Army of Mohammad, a Pak-based Deobandi terror group founded by Maulana Masood Azhar in 2000, after he split with the Harkat-ul-Mujaheddin. In 2002 the government of Pervez Musharraf banned the group, which changed its name to Khaddam ul-Islam and continued doing what it had been doing before without missing a beat... (JeM) in 2016, which continued to operate, train, organize, and fundraise in Pakistain.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2017 00:00 ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The leader of Hezb-e-Islami Gulbuddin Hekmatyar ... who used to be known in intelligence circles as The Most Evil Man in the World but who now seems merely run-of-the-mill evil... in his latest remarks has said the new political coalitions or fronts are formed mainly to seek share in the power.
Hekmatyar made the remarks during a meeting with a group of the youths of the country in his residence.
He said the politicians should admit their failures and respond to the demands of the people rather blaming each.
According to Hezb-e-Islami leader, the political coalitions should not be formed to counter each other and stand against each other but must have specific perspectives and slogans which should not reflect their personal interests.
Hekmatyar further added that Hezb-e-Islami will support any movement or coalition that is formed for bring peace and stability, end the violence and conflict, and ensure the Islamic values are protected.
He once again called on the politicians for unity and ending the differences in a bid to take the county out of a deadlock.
The Hezb-e-Islami leader also insisted that only Afghans can resolve the differences and issues among each other and there should be no expectations from the outsiders and neighbors to assist in this regard.
Hekmatyar also called on the youths of the country to step efforts for bring peace and stability and unity in the country.
The leader of Hezb-e-Islami was apparently gesturing towards the new political coalition among Gen. Adbul Rashid Dostum ...ethnic Uzbek warlord who distinguished himself fighting the Soviets and the Taliban. The story that he had a bad guy run over with a tank is an exaggeration. It was an armored personnel carrier... , the first vice president, Ata Mohammad Noor, the provincial governor of Balkh and 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, and Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq, the second deputy chief executive and leader of Wahdat-e-Islami party.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2017 00:00 ||
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JEDDAH: The behavior of Houthi militias has exacerbated the spread of cholera in Yemen, according to Yemeni officials.
The daily death toll announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) is constantly increasing.
According to the latest statistics, 1,817 people have died of cholera in less than three months.
There have been 363,000 cases of the disease reported in 21 of the 22 Yemeni governorates since April 27.
Socotra, a Yemeni island in the Arabian Sea, has so far been free of cholera.
Officials in the internationally recognized government have warned of the consequences of Houthi militias looting and stealing drugs that treat the disease. They have urged the international community to act immediately to stop this.
Yemen’s Minister of Local Administration Abdel-Raqib Fath, who is also head of the Higher Relief Committee, denounced the Houthis for trading the drugs and selling them on the black market in the provinces of Hodeidah, Hajah, Ibb and Dhamar.
He said the silence of UN organizations is putting Yemeni lives in even greater danger.
He labeled these actions by the Houthis “terrorist and totally inconsistent with all humanitarian principles and laws.”
Yemen’s permanent representative to the UN, Khalid Al-Yamani, said the situation in areas under Houthi control is becoming increasingly complicated due to the massive cholera outbreak.
He added that the Houthis had refused to cooperate with the international community and to assist intensive efforts by the King Salman Center for Relief and Humanitarian Aid (KSRelief), the WHO, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the World Food Program.
Yemeni media sources and eyewitnesses said supervisors appointed by the Houthis were selling the free cholera drugs and treatments to commercial pharmacies in Sanaa, Dhamar, Ibb and Hodeidah.
The sources said the Houthis were using many militiamen to loot the drugs provided by the WHO, then sell them on the black market at very high prices to increase their revenues.
The sources added that the Houthis had also confiscated drugs that treat heart disease, kidney disease and cancer.
The WHO recently announced the arrival of 67 tons of medicine in Sanaa to treat cholera patients free of charge.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, deputy prime minister and defense minister, ordered a donation of $66.7 million to treat the cholera epidemic in various parts of Yemen. The donation was made in response to requests by the WHO and UNICEF.
Prince Mohammed has also sent 550 tons of medicines and supplies to help detect and treat cholera.
The legitimate Yemeni government thanked him for helping to relieve Yemeni suffering.
“Our brothers in the Saudi Kingdom have always been known for their humanitarian attitudes and leadership,” the Yemeni prime minister said.
The minister of social affairs and labor praised the role of KSRelief in providing medicines and medical supplies to fight cholera.
She said the Kingdom had become a role model in humanitarian work in the Arab world via KSRelief’s generous support, especially in Yemen.
Sicily doesn't have a migrant problem, it processes them with stunning efficiency. It's the rest of Italy that has the problem, and possibly soon the rest of Europe
[PJMedia]. Yesterday, Turkish state media outlet Anadolu Agency published details on the location of U.S. special operations forces operating in Syria, complete with maps and troop concentrations, prompting outrage from the Pentagon.
But early today, a newspaper owned by a loyalist of Turkish President Recep Erdogan threatened to reveal more details, provoking an escalating confrontation between the U.S. and our NATO ally.
The threats were published in today's edition of Takvim, owned by businessman Ahmet Calik (a close friend of Erdogan). The CEO of the company that owns the paper is none other than Erdogan's son-in-law.
Bloomberg Politics reported:
Turkey’s state-run news agency published U.S. base locations in northern Syria, a move that threatens to deepen distrust between the two allies by exposing American soldiers on the front lines of the fight against Islamic State.
In reports published in both Turkish and English on Tuesday, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency provided detailed information about 10 U.S. bases in northern Syria, including troop counts and a map of the U.S. force presence in the Turkish version. The reports said that the military outposts are "usually hidden for security reasons, making it hard to be detected." It said they were located "in the terrorist PKK/PYD-held Syrian territories," a reference to Kurdish groups that Turkey’s government considers terrorist organizations.
Despite a tight military alliance dating back to the Cold War, Turkey and the U.S. have been at odds for years now over the U.S. backing of Kurdish fighters in Syria who are affiliated with separatist movements inside Turkey. The Turkish government probably leaked U.S. troop locations to Anadolu as retaliation, according to Aaron Stein, a fellow at the Atlantic Council in Washington.
"The U.S. takes force protection seriously, obviously," Stein said by email on Wednesday. "The Turkish government knows this, and still decided to leak the locations of U.S. bases in Syria. Hard not to see this as a F-you."
The Pentagon responded by saying that the move put U.S. troops in danger and jeopardized the coalition mission against ISIS:
The publication by Turkey's state-run news agency of the locations of what appeared to be U.S. military posts in Syria puts American forces in danger, and the United States has complained to Turkey, a NATO ally, the Pentagon said on Wednesday.
Anadolu news agency published a report on Tuesday naming the location of 10 U.S. military posts in northern Syria, in some cases detailing the number of U.S and French troops present.
"The release of sensitive military information exposes Coalition forces to unnecessary risk and has the potential to disrupt ongoing operations to defeat ISIS," said Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon, using an acronym for Islamic State.
"While we cannot independently verify the sources that contributed to this story, we would be very concerned if officials from a NATO ally would purposefully endanger our forces by releasing sensitive information," Pahon said.
Erdogan and other top Turkish authorities have become vocally belligerent towards their fellow NATO allies in recent months, even threatening "holy wars" in Europe:
Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspiracy ||
07/21/2017 00:00 ||
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[11136 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
#1
It's time to kick a Turkey out of NATO, and embargo them. They want hostile? I say let them find out what hostile is from President Trump: Start arming and training Kurdish separatist in Turkey.
#2
Unfortunately, Mattis is old school. Got to protect our 'allies'. Just like the old school generals and admirals who said both Subic and Clarke were absolutely vital to our 'national interests' and uncompromisable in retaining. Things change. Adapt.
#4
Stop sharing info with the Turks and kick 'em out. In addition recognize Kurdistan as an independent nation that includes a good chunk of Turkish territory.
[CANADAFREEPRESS] A Florida judge has sentenced a "black bloc" Inauguration Day rioter to four months in prison and two years of supervised probation for breaking business windows and throwing bricks, rocks and other projectiles at uniformed law enforcement officers.
Thirty-one-year-old Dane Powell of Tampa, Florida, pled guilty to throwing a "brick, large rock or piece of concrete" at uniformed law enforcement officers during post-inaugural riots in which hundreds of protesters--dressed in black--looted and fought with the police in the streets of Washington, D.C. Powell admitted to "being part of a group of rioters who moved approximately 16 blocks over a period of more than 30 minutes." Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kerkhoff played a 10-minute video compilation of Powell breaking store windows and assaulting the police. Kerkhoff called Powell "a coward" and argued he went to Washington, D.C., during the inauguration with the express purpose of rioting. Kerkhoff described Powell as "among the most violent" of the 234 individuals enjugged ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... following the Inauguration Day riots. Powell had been seen the day before the inauguration in Logan Circle carrying gas masks, a hammer, and the same black flag he was identified with on the day of the riots.
On Inauguration Day, the anti-Trump tantrums in sections of Northwest Washington, D.C., included the damage of private property: burning a limousine and vandalizing a Starbucks and a Bank of America.
Capital Research Center’s own Dangerous Documentaries, in its film "America Under Siege: Civil War 2017" exposed the disruption and chaos that anarchist and socialist groups such as #J20 and others with ties to Hillary Clinton ... former first lady, former secretary of state, former presidential candidate, sometimes described by her supporters as the smartest woman in the world, usually described by the rest of us as a crook... ’s campaign and the Democratic Party had planned before the inauguration. Plans included blockading roads and public transit and preventing people from attending the inauguration.
The "black bloc" method refers to the practice of donning masks and black clothing to make it more difficult for police to identify individuals as rioters destroy property en masse. The tactic originated with West German squatters in the late 1970s and 1980s and became most noticeable in the U.S. during the 1999 World Trade Organization protests in Seattle.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/21/2017 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under:
#3
the practice of donning masks and black clothing to make it more difficult for police to identify individuals as rioters
I saw some video from Portland (I think. there were so many riots) that showed riot cops carrying what appeared to be paintball guns. Have not seen any mention of this anywhere, although it seems like a good idea for tagging the perps.
[IsraelTimes] In landmark ruling, judge says Ramallah must pay damages for the harm caused to 51 plaintiffs between 1990 and 2003
The Paleostinian Authority systematically tortured dozens of suspected collaborators with Israel between 1990 and 2003, and must compensate them for the physical and mental harm it caused them, a Jerusalem court ruled this week.
In the landmark case, which was released for publication on Wednesday, the Jerusalem District Court reviewed the files of 51 Paleostinians who alleged they had been nabbed Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! on suspicion of providing Israeli authorities with information and assistance.
The plaintiffs testified that they were incarcerated in various facilities for different periods of time -- some were held for years -- and suffered brutal torture at the hands of their Sherlocks, who sought to extract information and confessions from them.
Plaintiffs said interrogators beat them, put out cigarettes on their bodies, pulled out their teeth, forced them into painful positions for lengthy periods of time and withheld food and drink. Several said their genitals were abused, leaving them sterile and impotent.
In some cases prisoners were locked inside hot metal containers on hot days, or were alternately doused with searing and freezing water. Others recounted being forced to drink out of toilet bowls or sit on broken bottles. Some were made to witness the executions of other suspected collaborators. Prisoners were often denied medical attention.
The PA, while acknowledging the imprisonment of some of the plaintiffs, denied that any torture took place.
The court, in an 1,800-page ruling following 90 court sessions and years of deliberations, ruled in favor of the plaintiffs, with judge Moshe Drori saying the testimonies and evidence proved the allegations beyond any reasonable doubt.
"During the day they’d tie you up to the wall until dark. At night they’d take you for questioning," one plaintiff, whose identity was not disclosed, told Channel 2 news. "When you go in you don’t see the interrogator because you have a sack on your head. They had one room... where they put a sack on your head that was [soaked] in sewage... you can’t see where the beatings are coming from."
Three plaintiffs interviewed anonymously told Channel 2 they were never presented with evidence or proof, only told repeatedly to confess -- which many did, to make the suffering stop. It often did not.
Barak Kedem, the lawyer who represented the plaintiffs, hailed the court’s decision, saying his clients had been subjected to "unimaginable torture" by the PA.
"It’s as though someone there read Dante’s ’Inferno’ and tried to emulate it," he said, referring to the medieval Italian poet’s work detailing sinners’ tormented journey through the nine circles of hell. "After 14 years (of deliberations)... the court has brought justice."
The court will next look into each of the 51 cases and determine the damages that each of the plaintiffs will be awarded for their suffering -- a process that could take several more years.
The three men interviewed by Channel 2 said they now live in Israel, penniless and without family or any sense of belonging.
"I was arrested at the age 18 or 19," one said. "I haven’t lived life since. I don’t want money. I want to be [treated as] a human being, that’s all."
[New York Post] A day after it was disclosed that he had brain cancer, Sen. John McCain was back in action on Thursday -- slamming the Trump administration for axing a covert CIA operation that armed moderate Syrian rebels.
"If these reports are true, the administration is playing right into the hands of Vladimir Putin. Making any concession to Russia, absent a broader strategy for Syria, is irresponsible and short-sighted," the Arizona senator, who chairs the Armed Services Committee, said in a blistering statement.
The administration has yet to articulate its vision for Syria beyond the defeat of [ISIS], let alone a comprehensive approach to the Middle East," he said, adding that Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad had to go.
"A key pillar of American strategy must be the removal of Assad from power as part of an end to the brutal conflict in Syria, which has fueled [ISIS’] growth through its cruelty, extended malign Iranian influence, and undermined broader regional stability," he said.
McCain also rebuked President Trump’s leadership in the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/21/2017 11:50 Comments ||
Top||
#7
na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na, hey-hey-hey goodbye
Say hello to Murtha John, when you get to where you're going.
Posted by: Blinky Smiter of the Weak7910 ||
07/21/2017 13:36 Comments ||
Top||
#8
He makes it tough to be sympathetic. Doesn't the Senate have some rule that could be used to declare him unfit for further service?
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
07/21/2017 15:52 Comments ||
Top||
#9
If you get shot down and you think your country is not worth dieing for you might as well surrender to the NVA. If you need to keep the establisment in power you might as well open the borders. If the American people would rather see Zero as Prez than you then just give the Americans hell. Hell, might as well join ISIS.
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.
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
...ethnic Uzbek warlord who distinguished himself fighting the Soviets and the Taliban. The story that he had a bad guy run over with a tank is an exaggeration. It was an armored personnel carrier...
[CANADAFREEPRESS] A Florida judge has sentenced a "black bloc" Inauguration Day rioter to four months in prison and two years of supervised probation for breaking business windows and throwing bricks, rocks and other projectiles at uniformed law enforcement officers.
Hillary Clinton
