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Breaking: Peshawar blast hits US consular vehicle
Today's Headlines
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Afghanistan
Karzai angry about attack by Australians
Looks like Karzi is up to his old tricks again, lying through his teeth.
THE Afghan President, Hamid Karzai, has condemned what he called a ''''unilateral operation'''' by Australian troops in southern Oruzgan province.

Mr Karzai was responding to an apparent operation on Friday in which a tribal elder, Raz Mohammad Khan, 70, and his son Abdul Jalil, 30, were killed.

''''Raz Mohammad … had no relationship with the government or the militants. He and his son were the victims of wrong reports received by Australian troops regarding [their] relations with the Taliban,'''' said the provincial spokesman, Abdullah Hemmat.

Nine detained civilians were released on Saturday after the Oruzgan Governor spoke to the Australians, Mr Hemmat said.

Mr Karzai condemned the raid as a violation of a memorandum of understanding with NATO that required all such Western operations to have prior approval of provincial officials.

Later on Saturday, NATO officials got into a heated war of words with Mr Karzai.

Captain Dan Einert, a US Air Force military spokesman in Kabul, said Mr Karzai was wrong because the Oruzgan provincial Governor had approved the raid and Afghan military forces accompanied the Australians. Captain Einert said Raz Mohammad Khan and his son were ''''military-aged'''' insurgents.

A spokesman for the Defence Department said both men killed were ''''positively identified as taking direct part in hostilities'''' and 11 people were released.

The remaining prisoner had links to the escape of Hekmatullah, believed to be responsible for the killing of three Australian soldiers, the spokesman said.

Posted by: tipper || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Why doesn't Karzai just give a list of his drug producing/smuggling buddies to NATO and beg for them not to be "touched"?
Posted by: Water Modem || 09/03/2012 1:28 Comments || Top||


Haqqani Behind Wardak Double-Suicide Attack: Nato
[Tolo News] The double suicide kaboom in Maiden Wardak province on Saturday was the work of the myrmidon Haqqani Network, according to Isaf.

The top US and NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions...
commander in Afghanistan Gen. John Allen said that NATO believes that Haqqani is behind the Wardak attack which killed 12 people and injured at least 59 others.

"We believe this attack bears the mark of the Haqqani network, which continues to target and kill innocent Afghans and blatantly violates Afghan illusory sovereignty," the Isaf commander said in a statement Saturday.

"A number of Afghan non-combatants were killed and maimed by vehicle-borne improvised bombs (IED) near a combined Afghan National Security Force and International Security Assistance Force base in Sayed Abad district of Wardak province today," he added.

While the attack did not breach the base's walls, the blasts caused widespread damage to the surrounding civilian Sayed Abad area with large numbers of Afghan civilian casualties.

It happened at about 6:00 AM local time when the two suicide boomers targeted the governor compound and a NATO outpost, provincial front man Shahiddullah Shahid told TOLOnews Saturday morning.

"A jacket wallah on foot detonated his explosives near the gate of the base in the district in a bazaar, opening the way for a suicide bomber in a truck that followed him, killing 12 including four coppers and injuring 59 others, alongside seven other police" he said.

Most of the victims were sent for treatment to Kabul. No NATO staff were killed, but three Afghan intelligence employees and two NATO soldiers were maimed in the attack, Shahid added.

Insurgents attacked the same NATO outpost last year, killing five Afghans and injuring several American soldiers.
Posted by: Fred || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan


Afghan Lawmakers Accuse Corruption Watchdog of Corruption
[Tolo News] The Afghanistan High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption was called out for corruption by Afghan politicians on Sunday.

The House of Representatives' commission of defence affairs and territorial integrity accused the watchdog of corrupt practices, saying it favoured some companies over others.

Commission chairman Humayun said the country's anti-corruption office was partnering with select companies, creating challenges for some government ministries and other organizations.

"The High Office of Oversight and Anti-Corruption allies with specified companies and give them projects," he said.

Specifically, Humayun claimed that a contract signed for military uniforms between the Ministry of Defense and a certain company was canceled by the watchdog which cited a lack of transparency and corruption over the project.

The Ministry of Defense confirmed the $67 million contract was canceled by the anti-corruption office.

However,
facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable...
the watchdog claimed it has proof for why it cancelled the contract, including a planned payment to two parliamentarians.

"There was not complete transparency on the contract, therefore we decided on its cancellation. The company aimed to give $3 million to two MPs - we have the documents of that corruption," Anti-Corruption Office Chief of Staff Abdul Hafiz Behroz told TOLOnews.

He said the office will refer the case to the Attorney General for further assessment.
Posted by: Fred || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Africa Horn
Wanted Rogo ally speaks from hideout
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Said Abubaker Shariff Ahmed alias Makaburi, who is wanted in connection with the Mombasa riots has claimed he is a target of a police hit squad.

Last week, police obtained a warrant of arrest for Mr Ahmed, who they blame for the violence that followed the killing of Al-Shabaab
... Harakat ash-Shabaab al-Mujahidin aka the Mujahideen Youth Movement. It was originally the youth movement of the Islamic Courts, now pretty much all of what's left of it. They are aligned with al-Qaeda but operate more like the Afghan or Pakistani Taliban...
suspect Aboud Rogo.

Four people, including three security agents, were killed in two days of chaos in which four churches were also looted and torched.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Nation from his hideout in the coastal town, Mr Ahmed claimed there is a plot by Kenyan security agencies supported by outside forces to assassinate him.

He admitted that Sheikh Rogo, who was accused by the United Nations
...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks...
and the US of being Al-Shabaab's chief agent in Kenya, was his close associate and best friend.

He also appeared to suggest that he had links with the Somalia terror group by saying that youths in Mombasa had asked him how they could get help from the rebels to avenge Sheikh Rogo's killing.

"Youths have asked me if they can get help from Al-Shabaab," he said. Mr Ahmed said Kenya, whose forces have been fighting Al-Shabaab in Somalia since last year, should leave the Horn of Africa country alone.

The Kenya Defence Forces, he said, was leading an illegal fight in Somalia. "Al-Shabaab are Somalis. They should be left to rule Somalia ... not a bunch of people who meet in Nairobi hotels to declare themselves rulers of Somalia."

He added that while Al-Shabaab have not armed him, the Kenyan and US governments were after his life. "We are certain that there is a hit squad targeting Mohammedan holy mans and other Mohammedans perceived to be krazed killers.

"These mercenaries are monitoring our phones, our lives and then killing us. We believe that American, British and Israeli security agencies are involved," Mr Ahmed said.

According to the police, Mr Ahmed incited youths to avenge Sheikh Rogo's death through violent riots aimed at churches and Christians.

Brutal murder

"The brutal murder of Mohammedan holy man Aboud Rogo has saddened us. While his death is being investigated, we will hunt down those responsible for the violent demonstrations and arrest them. They can hide from justice for now, but not forever," Coast province police chief Aggrey Adoli said.

On Sunday, the Coast PCIO, a Mr Muasya, said police were still on the trail of Mr Ahmed and other suspects over the violence. Also in their crosshairs is Sheikh Abu Qatada, who also spoke to the Nation on Sunday.

The 43-year-old said that he kept away from the demonstrations because he expected the police to link him with whatever was happening.

"I was not there. I was at home and the only time I left the house was when I went to see Rogo's wife who was in hospital. I was afraid that the police might also kill her."

Mr Ahmed asked this Nation news hound to rush to Mombasa and meet him before his liquidation. After almost two days of playing hide-and-seek games, his confidants led the news hound to his hideout located near a mosque.

Mr Ahmed is one of the three Kenyans on the US government Sanctions List for alleged involvement in terror activities.
Posted by: Fred || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab

#1  He admitted that Sheikh Rogo, who was accused by the United Nations and the US of being Al-Shabaab's chief agent in Kenya, was his close associate and best friend.

"he...was... my lover"
Posted by: Frank G || 09/03/2012 11:40 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Calls mount for Mali intervention
[Magharebia] Algeria and Mauritania need to be more actively involved in helping solve the Malian crisis, Nigerien Justice Minister Marou Amadou said at a recent Dakar conference.

"The crisis in Mali cannot be resolved by side-lining Algeria and Mauritania on the pretext that their position is unclear," Amadou said at the August 23rd seminar organised by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).

"It is essential to believe that the position of Algeria and the involvement of Mauritania are absolutely necessary, along with those of ECOWAS, for the Malian crisis to be resolved and stability needs to be restored in the sub-region," he added.

The Nigerien minister said that Mali "can come out of this crisis as a government of national unity has just been created and a High Council of State will soon be established, with one of its vice-presidents to be put in charge of reforming the army".

"Mali's security system will be able to prepare it with the help of ECOWAS under a United Nations
...what started out as a a diplomatic initiative, now trying to edge its way into legislative, judicial, and executive areas...
mandate," he added. "We believe that Mali's territorial integrity is not up for discussion, and neither is the separation of the state and religion. Aside from these issues, everything else can be discussed so that people can live in harmony."

According to political analyst Daha Ould Sidi Ali, Algeria still opposes "all military intervention in Mali, and advocates a negotiated political solution instead".

Mali could become "the Wazoo of the Sahel", said Modibo Goita, who teaches at the Ecole de Maintien de la Paix in Bamako. "This can only be prevented if the states in the region actively take joint measures," Goita told El Watan on August 29th.

"The solution to the crisis lies with Algeria," he said.

"It should be noted that the NMLA, which seemed to be in control on the ground, and Ansar al-Din have expressed a preference for Mauritania and the president of Burkina Faso
...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and may be in the process of being chased out now...
as mediators. However,
you can observe a lot just by watching...
it has to be accepted that any lasting negotiated solution must involve Algeria, which by virtue of its position and importance is still key to the success of efforts to find a lasting solution, as has been acknowledged by the Foreign Minister of Burkina Faso Djibril Bassole," he said.

"It will therefore be the job of the new head of state to give Algeria further assurances," Goita underlined.
Posted by: Fred || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa


Arabia
Gulf States Lambaste Syria, Iran
[An Nahar] Arab monarchies in the Gulf on Sunday lambasted Syria's regime for deploying heavy weapons against civilians while ordering Iran not to interfere in their internal affairs.

The six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council at a meeting in Jeddah also urged the international community to "assume their responsibilities and take measures to protect civilians" in Syria, where according to a watchdog more than 26,000 people have been killed in a revolt that erupted in March 2011.

The GCC in a statement issued after the meeting in the Saudi western city condemned "the ongoing massacres which are due to the obstinacy of the regime in using heavy weapons, including planes and tanks" against civilians.

The monarchies ordered Iran to halt its "interference" in their internal affairs, citing an incident at the opening of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran when an official interpreter reportedly replaced the word "Syria" with "Bahrain" in a speech by Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi.

They asked their powerful neighbor to "cease these acts and not resort to or threaten to use force."

Bahrain earlier issued a statement saying it had "requested the Iranian government apologize for this act, and take the necessary action to correct the breach and ensure that actions like this one don't happen again."
Posted by: Fred || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Rising Iran = Rising China = its desired
"Manifest Destiny" will be made or broken vee various disputed islands, which the Persian Gulf equivalent for Rising Iran would be the GCC = Emirates/Sultanates.

The Sunni KSA has to do something - Iran ally Syria + Hezbollah in Lebanon, new Iran BFF Egypt, Support for Al-Shabaab, etal, ala West-Central Africa jihad, + Abu Musa = Strait of Hormuz + GCC. ISLAMIST SHIA IRAN IS AT EVERY CORNER OF THE ARABIAN PENINSULA, SURROUNDING THE SAUDIS [however imperfectly] LIKE CUSTER PER SE AT THE LITTLE BIG HORN + NOW EVEN ISRAEL.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 09/03/2012 22:12 Comments || Top||


Bangladesh
Azad linked with 2 acts of genocide
[Bangla Daily Star] The prosecution of the international crimes tribunals yesterday submitted formal charges against expelled Jamaat member Abul Kalam Azad in connection with crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War.

Sahidur Rahman, prosecutor of the case, told The Daily Star that Azad, also known as Bachchu Razakar, has been accused in 10 types of crimes against humanity.

The crimes include genocide, killing, rape, abduction, confinement, torture, arson, looting, forced religious conversion and deportation.

Sahidur had submitted the 64-page formal charges through the Registrar's Office of the international crimes tribunals.

He said the former leader of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of 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...
, was involved in the killing of at least 14 people and in two acts of genocide in Faridpur during the war.

On July 26, the investigation agency completed its enquiry and said it had found "strong evidence" against Azad in connection with 10 types of crimes against humanity.

It handed over the report to the prosecution on July 29.

Azad went into hiding around seven hours before International Crimes Tribunal-2 issued an arrest warrant against him on April 3.

The prosecutor, however, said in accordance with the law, the war crimes trial against Azad could start in his absence.

Sahidur said as a member of the Islami Chhatra Sangha, Azad during the Liberation War was a close associate of Jamaat leader Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed, another war crimes accused at the tribunal.

About the formation of Razakar and Al-Badr in Faridpur, two auxiliary forces of the Pakistain army, Sahidur said in the first half of May 1971, the Razakar was formed under the leadership of Azad and later the Pakistain army appointed Azad the chief of the Al-Badr force in Faridpur.

Azad and his associates occupied the homes of Badri Narayan, Hira Lal Mukter and Charu Majumder in Faridpur town and Azad himself trained local collaborators there, said the prosecutor.

He said in cooperation with the Pakistain army, Azad committed numerous crimes during the war.

On two incidents of genocide, Sahidur said Pak soldiers led by Major Akram Koreshi on April 21, 1971, went to Faridpur and Azad, Afzal Hossain, and Chand Quazi and other leaders of anti-liberation political parties advanced to Goalchamat to receive them.

They killed eight priests of Prabhu Jagatbandhu Ashram as they entered Faridpur town with the Mighty Pak Army, he said.

Narrating another incident, the prosecutor said, in the third week of May, 1971, Azad, some of his cohorts along with 30-35 Mighty Pak Army personnel attacked Hasamdia, a Hindu-dominated neighbourhood of Boalmari in Faridpur.

They killed many people and looted their homes before torching them, he claimed.

He said later they went to Mayendia Bazar and looted 50-60 shops, mostly owned by the Hindus and Azad shot two people there.

Azad and his accomplices raped two women in Natibadia of Boalmari upazila in Faridpur and through issuing threats, he and his armed cohorts forced 15-20 Hindus of Sahapara of Nagarkanda upazila to convert to Islam, claimed the prosecutor.

Many Hindus of Faridpur district had to leave the country during the war after becoming victims of Azad's atrocities, he added.
Posted by: Fred || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami


Britain
Channel 4 history of Islam sparks flood of complaints, torrent of abusive tweets
Channel 4 is at the centre of a storm over a programme it broadcast on the history of Islam.

Islam: The Untold Story has triggered nearly 550 complaints to both the television regulator Ofcom and Channel 4 itself.

It has also sparked a bitter war of words on Twitter involving leading historians and Islamic scholars.

Since it was screened last week, presenter Tom Holland, a historian with a double first from Cambridge, has been subjected  to a torrent of abusive tweets, some of which have included physical threats.

He is accused of distorting the history of Islam by claiming the Koran makes little  or no reference to the religious city of Mecca.

One Twitter user accused Mr Holland of trying to destroy Islamic history while another called him a 'fool' for suggesting Islam is a 'made-up religion'.

The Islamic Education and Research Academy has published a lengthy paper denouncing the programme. But historians have rallied to Mr Holland's defence. 

Dan Snow, who has presented history shows for the BBC with his father Peter, described the programme as 'a triumph', tweeting: 'Dear angry, mad people --  it is conceivable that you know more than the world's leading scholars, but very unlikely.'

The Academy claims the programme's assertion that there  are no historical records detailing the life and teachings of the Prophet Muhammad is flawed.

'Holland appears to have turned a blind eye to rich Islamic historical tradition,' says the Academy.

Ofcom, which has received 150 complaints about the programme's alleged bias, inaccuracy and offence caused to Mohammedans, is  considering an investigation.

The BBC's new sitcom Citizen Khan, which confronts the issues faced by a modern Mohammedan family, is also being considered for investigation after receiving just 20 complaints.

Last night Mr Holland said: 'The origins of Islam are a legitimate subject of historical inquiry and this film is wholly in keeping with other series and programmes on Channel 4.

'We were of course aware that we were touching deeply-held sensitivities and went to every effort to ensure that the moral and civilisational power of Islam was acknowledged.'
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  people should read sharia law, wherein woman are chattels, non believers are to be killed, non muslim women are fair game for rape, and the rapee is stoned (to death)
Posted by: pikestaff || 09/03/2012 5:01 Comments || Top||

#2  I say we turn their stone into an eight ball and give them all big pieces of blue chalk to que up their heads so as not to miss while they bang their heads on it on their square dance days!
Posted by: Knuckles Bumble4938 || 09/03/2012 22:52 Comments || Top||

#3  How did the pork kabob go over during sham a lam a ding dong this year anyway?
Posted by: Knuckles Bumble4938 || 09/03/2012 22:54 Comments || Top||


China-Japan-Koreas
Senior N. Korean Official Meets Ahmadinejad
[An Nahar] North Korea's ceremonial head of state has vowed to strengthen ties with Iran and reaffirmed a shared hostility towards the United States during a meeting with Iran's leader, state media said Sunday.

Kim Young-Nam, attending a summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tehran, met with Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad on Saturday to clarify Pyongyang's "firm stand" to boost ties with Iran, the North's KCNA said.

Kim stressed the need for more bilateral exchanges among high-level delegations as well as to boost economic and diplomatic ties during the talks that took place in a "friendly atmosphere", it added.

The Iranian authorities said boosting bilateral relations would be beneficial to both nations, praising the North's "steadfast anti-imperialist, anti-U.S. stand", KCNA said.

"At the talks both sides exchanged views on... strengthening cooperation on the joint anti-imperialist, anti-U.S. front and in the non-aligned movement," it said.

Kim Young-Nam also met Iranian parliament speaker Ali Larijani Saturday and expressed Pyongyang's support for Iran's drive for "peaceful nuclear energy", the Fars news agency said.

North Korea and Iran are both subject to international sanctions over their nuclear activities and their governments share a deep hostility towards the United States.

During Kim's latest trip to Iran, the two countries also signed an agreement to cooperate on science, technology and education, KCNA said.

Kim Young-Nam acts as head of state because the country's late founding leader Kim Il-Sung has been declared "eternal president". The impoverished but nuclear-armed North is led by Kim Il-Sung's grandson Kim Jong-Un.

An Iranian delegation visited North Korea in July for talks and the two sides put forward a "common front against imperialism and hegemony", the North's state media said earlier.

In May 2011 a U.N. sanctions report said the two countries were suspected of sharing banned ballistic missile technology, a charge denied by Tehran.
Posted by: Fred || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  ...Clearly the dude in the Nork poster is explaining to the people just how tall Comrade Dinnerjacket is....

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 09/03/2012 8:52 Comments || Top||

#2  TOPIX > IRAN COMPETES "30% OF [S-300 based]MISSLE DEFENSE SYSTEM". Hopes for same to be fully complete by March 2013 next year.

* RELATED DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [Air Defense] COMMANDER: IRAN DEVELOPS HOME-MADE S-300 MISSLE SYSTEM FAST.

ARTIC = The AD Cdr. claims that Iran's version may one day rival or compete [better?]agz the original Russia system.

As for DPRK Officio Kim Young-nam, I could be wrong but I suspect he may attempt to negotiate wid Ahmadinejad to procure a copy of Iran's BAVAR-373 MISYS, WHICH IIRC IS "DUAL-USE" [AADS + BMD], FOR NORTH KOREA???

Lest we fergit, the DPRK has admitted it has NucWeaps or NucBombs - it thus needs BMD/ABM to protect both its alleged Arsenal + NucProgs, NucFacs.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 09/03/2012 22:25 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Cleric 'planted evidence' on accused Koran-burner
[ABC Net.au] A Pak imam has been remanded in jug, accused of planting burnt pages of the Koran in the bag of a Christian girl being held for blasphemy.

Rimsha Mashir, believed to be 14, has been in jug since she was tossed in the slammer
Please don't kill me!
in the poor Islamabad suburb of Mehrabad more than two weeks ago.

She is accused of burning papers containing verses from the Koran, in breach of Pakistain's strict blasphemy laws.

But local Mohammedan holy man Hafiz Khalid Chishti has been accused of planting evidence to strengthen the case against the girl.

Chishti was tossed in the calaboose
Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'!
on Saturday after his assistants told a magistrate he had added pages from the Koran to the burnt pages.

"The imam was locked away
Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'!
after his deputy Maulvi Zubair and two others told a magistrate he added pages from the Koran to the burnt pages brought to him by a witness," police investigator Munir Hussain Jaffri said.

The investigator says Mr Zubair and the two others, Mohammad Shahzad and Awais Ahmed, told police they had urged Chishti not to interfere with the papers.

"They protested that he should not add something to the evidence and he should give the evidence to the police as he got it and should not do this," he said.

"But they said Chishti said: 'You know this is the only way to expel the Christians from this area'."
Posted by: Fred || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  /logic
If the imam burned the pages, is he not then guilty of blasphemy? And must be killed forthwith?
/end logic

Just askin'. Not holding my breath. I'm sure there's an escape clause for pious liars and frauds holy men. Logic and reason are unknown concepts in PakiWackyLand.
Posted by: PBMcL || 09/03/2012 11:45 Comments || Top||


Living in fear
Christians living in Islamabad's slums can deal with economic disparity, but not with religious intolerance

Mehrabad is a sprawling village of haphazard dwellings and a diverse population not too far from the affluent sectors of the federal capital Islamabad. Most of the people living below poverty line in Islamabad's slums are Christians by faith. Many of them are garbage pickers or sweepers, or do other menial jobs. They are often humiliated and looked down upon.

In August, a Christian girl from the village was accused of desecrating the Holy Koran by burning pages from the Noorani Qaeda. "There is no way Rimsha could have done it deliberately, or someone else from among the local Christians could have asked her to do so," said a local police official. The 11-year-old girl suffering from Down's syndrome has been in Adiala Jail since August 17. Officials say she has been locked up to guarantee her safety, because emotionally charged fanatics are out to kill her.

Mehrabad is a 10-minute drive from Kohsar Market, where late Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer was killed by his bodyguard Mumtaz Qadri in January 2011 after he had called for a fair trial of a Christian woman accused of blasphemy. It is also a 10-minute drive from the neighbourhood in which Minority Affairs minister Shahbaz Bhatti was bumped off two months later. The two incidents shook the Christians of Islamabad.

A local holy man believes the 11 year old girl is mentally sound and desecrated the Holy Koran deliberately. He called her act 'a conspiracy', but failed to elaborate what objectives she or other Christians would achieve by infuriating thousands of Moslems
The village represents an urban-rural divide. For many who live there, electricity is a precious commodity. Others use wild bushes and garbage to make fire. The people of Mehrabad can be broadly divided into two categories - the natives and the settlers. The natives own land and are comparatively well off. The settlers are people who came to Islamabad for economic opportunity and cannot afford to live in the developed sectors of the federal capital.

There are 11 legal and four illegal slums in Islamabad which accommodate a large number of Christians. Many Christian women work as maids in nearby houses, and men are mostly daily wagers. They say they can deal with economic disparity, but not with religious discrimination.

In the preliminary investigation, police authorities have cleared Rimsha Masih. Officials believe the girl had no idea what she was burning to make fire. Given the economic and social conditions of the area's Christians, the officials say they would not dare do such a thing on purpose.

After the accusation was made, scores of angry men led by a local holy man gathered outside Christian houses. Cleric Hafiz Khalid Chishti claims he saved the girl from being lynched by the crowd. But he believed the 11 year old girl was of sound mind and burned the pages of Noorani Qaeda deliberately. He called her act 'a conspiracy' but failed to elaborate what objectives she or other Christians would achieve by infuriating thousands of Moslem natives.

During a Friday sermon, the holy man had provoked the worshippers to "wake up and protect" the Holy Koran.

The 11-year-old girl suffering from Down's syndrome has been in Adiala Jail since August 17
Several hundred Christians have lived in Mehrabad for the last 10 years. Over that period, they developed some semblance of a peaceful coexistence with their Moslem neighbours. They were not stopped from converting one of the houses into a church, but the Moslems complained against the playing of music during the mass.

While the Rimsha Masih case was discussed in the Vatican, in the power corridors of Washington, and the conference halls of the United Nations
...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks...
, the civil society of Islamabad remained more or less indifferent. Rights activist Dr Farzana Bari admits.

"We are living in a state of terror. The civil society in Pakistain is getting weaker and weaker. To express opinion on such sensitive matters is rather difficult," she explained. The belief that it is justified to kill in the name of religion is spreading fast in the Pak society, she feared.

She argues the controversial blasphemy law is misused, often to settle personal vendetta. "Even the trial is unfair. The judges are very careful and don't decide the blasphemy cases, consequently the victims languish in jails for years and years."

The People's Party government has also not been able to take a tough stance against religious intolerance and persecution. Perhaps it is preoccupied with dealing with other challenges threatening its survival.

The mutilated body of Samuel Yaqoob, a Christian boy, was found in Faisalabad. The boy's lips and nose had been cut off and he was disemboweled
President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari
... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in ...
has taken personal interest in the Rimsha Masih case, but there are many others buried under files in police and court records.

Days after the blasphemy allegation made headlines, another horrible incident took place in Faisalabad
...formerly known as Lyallpur, the third largest metropolis in Pakistain, the second largest in Punjab after Lahore. It is named after some Arab because the Paks didn't have anybody notable of their own to name it after...
on Eid day.. The mutilated body of Samuel Yaqoob, a Christian boy, was found on Eid day. Reports said the boy's lips and nose had been cut off and his stomach was removed. The police are investigating whether the boy was accused of blasphemy.

On July 3, an angry mob burned a man alive in Bahawalpur after he was accused of desecrating the Koran. Police failed to protect the suspect and some of them were beaten up. Later, they started the paperwork but haven't done much else against 2,000 people.

On 15 April, 80-year old Iqbal Butt was rubbed out by a holy man in Sheikhupura on similar allegations. The holy man who killed Butt had earlier accused him of blasphemy. The court had acquitted Butt.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Living in fear in Iran. Interesting bit of current news.
Posted by: Dale || 09/03/2012 9:49 Comments || Top||


Punjab's sectarian outfits find new friends in FATA and Kabul
The surge in violence against Shia Muslims in 2012 may be a result of the increasing influence of Punjab's sectarian militants

On August 16, 22 Shia passengers travelling from Rawalpindi to Gilgit Baltisitan were pulled out of a bus and killed by around 50 assailants wearing army uniforms in the Babusar area of Mansehra. The victims included four Sunnis who protested and asked the terrorists not to kill innocent Shias. On February 28, unidentified gunmen killed 18 Shia Muslim passengers of a bus in a sectarian attack in Kohistan on the same route.

On July 19, 13 passengers belonging to Baba Nawasi Khel, a Shia sub-clan of the Sipah tribe of Orakzai Agency, were killed when a remote-controlled bomb planted on the road exploded near the pick-up van that was en route to Kohat from Lower Orakzai.

The Darra Adamkhel chapter of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) has claimed responsibility of the attacks. "The people killed (in the attacks) were Shias who are involved in killing Sunnis against the will of Islam," their spokesman Muhammad Afridi told local reporters. "We will target them again in the future."

Sectarian violence has resurged in Pakistan in 2012, after TTP-backed militant outfits intensified their campaign against Shias, security analysts say.

There was a significant decrease in sectarian attacks in 2011, according to a report by the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS). But unlike in 2010, the violence was not confined to a few cities. The report said 314 people were killed and 450 injured in 111 sectarian-related terrorist attacks in Pakistan in 2011.

In the first four months of 2012, sectarian killings rose 91% compared with the same period in 2011, according to statistics compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), a think tank which monitors terrorism and sectarianism in the South Asian countries. From January to April this year, about 164 people were killed in sectarian attacks, compared to 86 last year, the SATP said.

Six new groups have claimed responsibility for various sectarian attacks carried out in 2012, according to Muhammad Amir Rana, director of PIPS. He said it was not clear if that indicated the emergence of new violent sectarian groups, or merely the tactical use of new names by the old groups.

"Rising sectarianism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA is a direct result of the arrival of Punjabi Sunni militants in the area in the recent years"
Security analysts say sectarian violence will continue to be a long-term challenge because there is a strong nexus between sectarian groups, the Taliban, and Al Qaeda.

Because of that nexus, the narrative of the sectarian groups has changed to include regional and international politics. There are two major reasons for that transformation, Rana wrote in his recent article.

First, after the sectarian groups joined the bigger alliance of Al Qaeda, their targets changed, at least for the time being. For example, splinter groups from Kashmir-focused militant organizations cut off ties with their parent organizations calling them puppets of state agencies and developed a relationship with Al Qaeda.

Second, sectarian groups detached themselves from the dominating religious discourse, whose main emphasis was on Islamisation and sectarian supremacy through political means and jihad against external forces (mainly other states) to safeguard Pakistan's ideological and geographical boundaries.

Shia tribal elders of Orakzai and Kurram believe that they are being attacked because they did not offer shelter to Al Qaeda, Afghan Taliban and local militants fleeing Tora Bora in December 2001
Rana thinks that Al Qaeda transformed the operational capacity of sectarian groups and also broadened their sectarian views. "Groups linked with Al Qaeda and Taliban believe that the opponent sects, whether they are in minority or majority, are hurdles in the way of establishing Islam according to their concepts," he said.

Before 2001, sectarian violence affected mostly Punjab and Karachi, although violent incidents erupted in Kurram Agency in the mid-1980s, said Mariam Abou Zahab, a Paris-based security analyst who studies sectarianism in Pakistan.

The Taliban militants in Khyber Agency, Bajaur Agency, Mohmand Agency and Swat are influenced by the Salafi (Panjpiri) school of thought. The groups led by late Baitullah Mehsud, Hafiz Gul Bahadar and Maulvi Nazir Ahmed belong to Deobandi school of thought and influenced by Jamait Ulema Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), said a JUI-F leader in North Waziristan.

"JUI-F linked militant commanders didn't allow sectarianism in their ranks and files," he claimed, adding that sectarian groups were carrying out subversive activities in Dera Ismail Khan, Kohat and Peshawar independently.

Security experts say the arrival of Punjab-based militants and the heavy influx of foreign militants - mostly Arab and Central Asian - has also influenced the TTP. "Rising sectarianism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA is a direct result of the growing Talibanisation and of the arrival of Punjabi Sunni militants in the area in the recent years," Abou Zahab said.

After the Laal Masjid episode, many frustrated militants, especially from Southern Punjab, abandoned local anti-Shia sectarian outfits and went to Waziristan to join the TTP and other groups linked to Al Qaeda, said Ahmed Wali Mujeeb, a journalist who monitors Taliban activities in the region.

After the killing of Baituallh Mehsud in a drone strike , Hakimullah Mehsud, Qari Hussain Ahmed and Azam Tariq (real name Raees Khan Mehsud), with clear affiliations to sectarian outfits, became central leaders of the TTP, Mujeeb said. Tariq Afridi, the TTP commander for Darra Adamkhel and Khyber Agency, was also associated with a sectarian outfit in the past.

The TTP killed a large number of Shias and Sunnis since after its inception in December 2007. Also, in December 2007, Baitullah Mehsud sent a group of 400 Mehsud militants under the command of Qari Hussain to burn down several Shia villages and kill dozens of Shias.

Shia tribal elders of Orakzai and Kurram believe that they are being attacked because they did not offer shelter to Al Qaeda, Afghan Taliban and local militants fleeing Tora Bora in December 2001. A gunfight between local Shia tribes and foreign militants in December 2001 left many Arabs dead.

Security analysts and governmental officials in Kabul also say that a large number of militants from Punjab-based sectarian outfits have joined hands with Afghan groups in recent years and inciting sectarianism in Afghanistan.

At least 55 Shia Muslims were killed on December 6, 2011 in a suicide bombing at a crowded Kabul shrine. Another suicide bomber killed four Shias in the city of Mazar-e-Sharif. A spokesman for a little known Pakistani militant outfits Lashkar-e-Jhangvi al Almi claimed responsibility in a phone call to Radio Mashaal.

After the fall of the Taliban regime, there have not been any large scale attacks on Shia gatherings, said Afzal Barakzai, a Kandahar-based analyst. "These attacks occurred after Afghan Taliban emir Mullah Omar's Eid statement asking provincial leaders to investigate claims of civilian casualties in Taliban attacks," he said.

Analysts believe it would have been impossible for the Punjab-based militants to have acted alone in Afghanistan. They have run training camps in the country and are involved in the killing of hundreds of Shias in Mazar-e-Sharif and Bamiyan, and may have found the support of splinter groups of Afghan Taliban.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Britain will not suspend PA aid over new UN bid
[Ma'an] Britannia will not suspend financial aid to the Paleostinian Authority if the latter submits a new application to the UN seeking recognition of Paleostine as a non-member state of the General Assembly, a British official confirmed Friday.
Because in these difficult times, throwing money at the undeserving is the best use of the proposed emergency tax on the rich of England...including the new French immigrants fleeing Hollande's Socialists.
The PA plans to ask the UN General Assembly to upgrade Paleostine's status to a non-member observer state in the fall. A previous bid for full UN membership stalled at the Security Council last year.

Speaking to Ma'an on Friday, UK deputy-consul general in Jerusalem Ben Saoul highlighted that the British government would continue to support the PA financially until 2015 to help build a Paleostinian state and support economic development.

Britannia's financial aid to the Paleostinians is about $160 million per year, said Saoul. A portion of this aid goes directly to the PA's treasury, and the rest goes through UNRWA and non-governmental organizations.

The PA has been suffering from a crippling financial crisis and civil servants' monthly salaries were delayed several times.

The deputy consul-general said he met Friday in Jerusalem with representatives of European donor organizations to discuss the financial crisis. Ending this crisis, he said, is a top priority for Britannia and for the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
Asked whether his country would vote for or against the new Paleostinian UN bid, Saoul did not give a clear answer. "We don't want to jump to conclusions," he said.

The diplomat also refused to give a direct response to Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Liberman's remarks describing President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
as an obstacle to the grinding of the peace processor.

"I will not address Liberman's comments directly because they were directed to the Paleostinian people, and not to the British government. However,
the way to a man's heart remains through his stomach...
in general, the legitimate representative of Paleostine, in Britannia's view, is Mr Abbas, and we believe he is a man of peace."

Britannia is interested in supporting the Paleostinians who live in area "C" which is under Israeli security control according to the terms of Oslo agreement, said Saoul.

He highlighted that on Wednesday he visited the southern West Bank village of Susiya south of Hebron along with a European delegation. They checked on three families whose tents were demolished recently by Israeli forces.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority

#1  Well, what did you expect---they're the ones who invented "Palestinian People".
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 09/03/2012 2:07 Comments || Top||

#2  All long, long forgotten:

With the outbreak of World War II, the Haganah headed a movement of volunteers, from which Jewish units were formed for service in the British army (Jewish Brigade). It also cooperated with British intelligence units and sent its personnel out on various commando missions in the Middle East.
Posted by: Besoeker || 09/03/2012 7:36 Comments || Top||

#3  Besoeker, my father served in an Indian unit in Persia on the Russian border as a translator, sent by the Haganah. A bunch of them who spoke Russian who volunteered for the purpose, though required to serve as civilians. I believe their unit was transferring America equipment to the Soviets to support the Eastern Front.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/03/2012 9:30 Comments || Top||

#4  Not by them!!!
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 09/03/2012 9:43 Comments || Top||

#5  The Indians knew the deal then, as they know the deal today. Hat tip to your father, I hope he is still with you.
Posted by: Besoeker || 09/03/2012 9:43 Comments || Top||


Second Palestinian aid convoy heads to Syria
[Ma'an] The second batch of Paleostinian humanitarian aid to Syria left via Jordan on Sunday, official media reported.
Acting like a real society, they are! Actually, it's quite impressive that they would care this much about anyone not close blood kin.
While Paleostinian politicians have shunned comment on the conflict in Syria to avoid endangering Paleostinian refugees living there, they launched the relief effort in June amid wide public sympathy.

The first aid convoy arrived in refugee camps in Damascus
...Home to a staggering array of terrorist organizations...
in early August, carrying medicine, wheat and food staples.

The national relief committee for Syria and President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
attended the departure of the second convoy from the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, PA news agency Wafa reported.

Abbas applauded Paleostinians' support of the relief effort, saying it showed solidarity amongst Paleostinians around the world was strong.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority

#1  Actually, it's quite impressive that they would care this much about anyone not close blood kin.

Probably transporting Jihadis.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 09/03/2012 2:11 Comments || Top||

#2  Let me see if I have this correct. The west (US, UK, UN, feckless others) provide aid to the poor hungry Palestinians, and in return, the Palestinians (claiming not to have a dog in the fight) provide aid to the rebels? I, I, I think I understand.
Posted by: Besoeker || 09/03/2012 7:51 Comments || Top||


Hamas official says Egypt, not Iran, should mediate unity
[Ma'an] The Paleostinians should not depend on Iran to play a better role than Egypt as a mediator in Paleostinian reconciliation, a Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, official said Saturday.
The question, dear Readers, is whether this is a matter of rats leaving a sinking ship or choosing to follow the strong horse. What say you?
"Because of geographic proximity and because of the new regime, it is easier that Egypt plays the role of mediator," undersecretary of the ministry of foreign affairs in Gazoo Ghazi Hamad told Ma'an.

Hamad urged the Paleostinians to take national interests into account when they deal with Iran, speaking a day after Iran's diminutive President Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad stressed his commitment to reconciliation.

Ahmedinejad told President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
on Friday that "we are committed to achieve Paleostinian national reconciliation as it will contribute to the Paleostinian resistance."

He asked Abbas, who leads Fatah, and other parties, to discuss reconciliation in Iran.

In Gazoo, the Hamas official agreed that Iran, despite its political and national influence, is controversial when it comes to Paleostinian relations. He pointed out that Hamas' relations with Iran witnessed level of estrangement at certain stages.

Asked whether the recent affinity between Iran and the PLO could harm Hamas' interests, Hamad said relations with Iran should "not viewed in terms of rivalry, but rather in terms of Paleostinian national interests."

Hamad added that he would support good relations with any party if that is in the interest of the Paleostinian cause. Rivalry and disagreement between the Paleostinians, he said, resulted in splits in the Arab and Islamic countries' attitude to the Paleostinians.

"Ending the state of disagreement will strengthen the Paleostinians' ability to make use of the Arab Spring, and to recruit Arab and Islamic support to the Paleostinian cause instead of getting into endless competitions."

The Hamas official asserted that his movement was not subordinate to Iran.

"I confirm that Hamas follows a firm policy, and will never be subordinate or marginal. Having strong relations with some sides never means that Hamas is under control of some countries."

As proof, Hamad highlighted that Hamas used to have strong strategic relations with Syria, but after the turmoil in the country, "Hamas announced certain attitudes which prove that Hamas isn't under anybody's control."

"Hamas views Iran as an Islamic country which supports the Paleostinian cause, and we will be in favor of Iran as long as that support continues."
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Hamas, Muslim Brotherhood, Iran ... should aim for unity

Yup, Yup, Yup
I'm thinkin' we should all sign up for a yoga class together - and try to find our center.

Hahahaha!
Posted by: Raider || 09/03/2012 20:40 Comments || Top||


Debka: US CIA chief Petraeus arrives Monday to cool Israeli ire
It's Debka, so salt to taste...
President Barack Obama
This is a teachable moment...
is sending CIA Director David Petraeus to Israel in a hurry Monday, Sept. 3, in an attempt to quench the flames of discord between Israel and his administration on the Iran issue. He will fly in from a visit to Ankara Sunday, where too he faces recriminations for US handling of the Syrian crisis.

Israel has a double grievance over Obama's Iran policy: Not only does his administration spare Iran's leaders any sense of military threat that might give them pause in their dash for a nuclear weapon, but US officials are actively preventing any Israel striking out in its own defense to dispel the dark shadow of a nuclear Iran.

Behind closed doors in Ankara Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and President Abdullah Gul are preparing to vent their anger against the US administration for tying their hands against establishing safe havens in Syria for rebel operations against the Assad regime. The Turkish Air Force has been on standby for the last two months for this mission, along with the Saudi and UAE air forces. However,
a woman is only as old as she admits...
none are prepared to go forward without logistical backing from the US Air Force.

Israel does not expect anything useful to come out of the Petraeus visit -- or even any alleviation of the bad feeling between Binyamin Netanyahu and Barack Obama. High-placed officials in Jerusalem were of the view that the CIA chief fits the US president's bill at this time. His visit is a non-binding gesture of goodwill for Israel which does not require the White House or the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey to backtrack or apologize for his derogatory remarks about the IDF's capacity for taking Iran on. Another advantage is that any words passing between the CIA chief and Israeli leaders may be classified.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The same Petraeus who said that IDF's actions against Paleos endanger US troops in Iraq?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 09/03/2012 2:13 Comments || Top||

#2  Is this the same Petreaus who visited Pakistan's Army Chief of Staff only a week before the raid on Abbattabad? Is this the same Petreaus who authorizes Hollywood film maker "Deep Dives" into CIA clandestine operations?
Posted by: Besoeker || 09/03/2012 8:42 Comments || Top||

#3  Hard to get a read on the former all star general of the 101 screaming chickens.
Posted by: bman || 09/03/2012 11:15 Comments || Top||

#4  This one is just as much fun:

Senior officials in the Obama Administration sent a message to Tehran in the past few days, according to which the U.S. does not intend to join Israel’s side if it decides to attack the Iranian nuclear installations on its own, reports Israel’s second-largest paper, Yediot Aharonot.

http://weaselzippers.us/2012/09/03/obama-admin-tells-iran-we-wont-join-an-israeli-attack-on-your-nuke-sites/
Posted by: Uncle Phester || 09/03/2012 11:17 Comments || Top||

#5  In the event of hostilities - no matter who starts them - I would think that US ships in the Persian Gulf will be likely targets. I doubt that the Iranians, or their Chinese & Russian suppliers, will overlook the possibility of testing new anti-ship missiles.
Posted by: Raider || 09/03/2012 12:20 Comments || Top||

#6  Would not put it past ValJar & Company to allow a vessel or two sunk as a "gimmie" to the Iranians while evaluating the "downside" to a response....
Posted by: Uncle Phester || 09/03/2012 17:44 Comments || Top||

#7  As per FREEREPUBLIC, the US says it will not back an Israeli strike agz Iran as long as Iran does nothing agz "US interests" in the Gulf or ME.

At last check the US is a Global Superpower or HyperPower - WHAT ISN'T "IN ITS INTERESTS"???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 09/03/2012 19:46 Comments || Top||

#8  As per #4, the US is officially denying the report.

* OTOH FOXNEWS this AM > Hezbollah Leader NASRALLAH is warning that it may attack US Bases in the ME iff Israel goes through wid its attack on Iran, + that Hezbollah may attack said same US Bases even iff the US does NOT support or participate in Israel's attack - HEZBOLLAH WILL HOLD THE US RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY ISRAELI MILITARY ACTION AGZ IRAN.

"Iff Israel attacks Iran, the US bears Responsibility".

* TOPIX > HEZBOLLAH LEADER [Nasrallah] SAYS HIS GROUP HAS NO CHEMICAL WEAPONS BUT CAN CAUSE GREAT DAMAGE TO ISRAEL.

* CHINESE MIL FORUM BLOGGER-POSTER = argued that a US failure to support Israel's atatck agz Iran's NucProgs means there will be a LIMITED WAR at best between Israel + Iran, to include Hezbollah + Hamas.

HHHMMMMM, HHHMMMMM, HEZBOLLAH-VS-HAMAS [other Paleos]???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 09/03/2012 22:51 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Families of Thai mosque incident victims seek justice
Relatives of 32 Muslims killed in the 2004 Krue Se Mosque incident in southern Thailand have complained after officials branded the dead as armed terrorists insurgents fighting security forces and would give them only four million baht in compensation, despite school children and the elderly being among the victims.

Representatives of those killed want 7.5 million baht, the amount given to victims of past political violence including the red-shirts in 2010. They said the families of the deceased felt the terrorist insurgent label was unacceptable because it slandered the victims.

The families met Democrat deputy leader Thaworn Senneam on Sunday to seek justice. Mr Thaworn told a news conference that post-mortem examinations and a court order related to the case did not state that the people killed at the mosque were suspected terrorists militants or that they had shot at soldiers before they were killed in the military operation.

Mr Thaworn said he would file a petition demanding Prime Minister Yingluck Shinnawatra to look into the matter within this week. He would also ask the House committee on law, justice and human rights to find out whether any state officials accused the slain Muslims of being terrorists insurgents.
Posted by: ryuge || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


-Election 2012
Report: Biden attacks Romney's readiness for war with Iran
[Jerusalem Post] US 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...
on Sunday attacked Republican presidential candidate Willard Mitt Romney
...former governor of Massachussetts, currently the Publican nominee for president. He is the son of the former governor of Michigan, George Romney, who himself ran for president after saving American Motors from failure, though not permanently. Romney has a record as a successful businessman, heading Bain Capital, and he rescued the 2002 Winter Olympics from the midst of bribery and mismanagement scandals. More to the point, he isn't President B.O...
for being "ready to go to war" in Syria and Iran, NBC News reported. Biden's comments came amid ongoing speculation that the Obama government and the Netanyahu government were not in sync on the Iranian nuclear program.

"Listen to what he (Romney) says about foreign policy. You caught some of it in his speech [at the Republican National Convention,]" NBC quoted Biden as saying in a sweeping condemnation of Romney's foreign policy strategy.

"He said it was a mistake to end the war in Iraq and bring all of our warriors home. He said it was a mistake to set an end date for our warriors in Afghanistan and bring them home. He implies by the speech that he's ready to go to war in Syria and Iran. He wants to move from cooperation to confrontation with Putin's Russia."
Posted by: Fred || 09/03/2012 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  I believe Biden missed his medications again. They keep him tied on a short leash but they have to stop tying it to his belt. You should see the bill for all those pants he has lost running off.
Posted by: Dale || 09/03/2012 9:03 Comments || Top||

#2  He's the distraction.
Posted by: Pappy || 09/03/2012 11:18 Comments || Top||

#3  Excellent comment, Mr. Vice-President. Here's what I want you to do: Every time you see a microphone or a camera at the convention, just start talking. Say whatever's on your mind. Remember, you've got a lot more experience than Barack, and the kid can't do this without your vocal support of his policies. That talking-points thing they give you is more like a guideline, really.
Posted by: Matt || 09/03/2012 11:57 Comments || Top||

#4  AyPee refers to Slow Joe Biden as a "foreign policy heavyweight" in a news article. Nope, no bias there....
Posted by: Frank G || 09/03/2012 12:09 Comments || Top||

#5  Neda Soltan has no comment.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 09/03/2012 17:26 Comments || Top||

#6  "US Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden on Sunday attacked Republican presidential candidate Romney for being "ready to go to war" in Syria and Iran ..."

WHAT???
SAY WHAT ??????????

I'll personally kick in $50 and a six-gun ... if either one of you candidates wants to buy a plane ticket to Tel Aviv. Things should be heating up over there pretty soon, I figure. :-)
Posted by: Raider || 09/03/2012 20:38 Comments || Top||

#7  OTOH DAILY TIMES.PK > REPORT: US TO RAMP UP ["short of war"] PRESSURE ON IRAN TO AVOID WAR, both to deter or prevent US ally Israel from attacking Iran, as well as to induce Iran to give up its nuclear ambitions.

How can VEEP JOE criticize Romney when the Bammer Admin itself has said in the past that "all options" agz Iran are still open, including but not limited to the military option = use of force, in addition now to the above???

Given also ...

* FREEREPUBLIC, TOPIX > [SecState Hillary] CLINTON: IRAN HAS RIGHT TO [peaceful] NUCLEAR POWER, i.e. for Civilian NucEn.

* Also from TOPIX > ISRAEL's FUTURE [existence] "AT RISK" IFF IRAN STRIKE SANCTIONED.

Unless I've missed something, Israel's existence has been threatened by Iran oer the past 20 years-n-counting, long before both Israel's threaten to attack Iran's NucProgs + as well as 9-11.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 09/03/2012 22:39 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
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3Govt of Iran
3Govt of Syria
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2al-Qaeda in Arabia
2al-Qaeda in North Africa
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2Palestinian Authority
1Govt of Pakistan
1Hamas
1Jamaat-e-Islami
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1al-Qaeda in Iraq
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1Govt of Sudan

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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.
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Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
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3dc
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Two weeks of WOT
Mon 2012-09-03
  Breaking: Peshawar blast hits US consular vehicle
Sun 2012-09-02
  NATO suspends training new Afghan recruits
Sat 2012-09-01
  US drone kills five Pakistani suspects
Fri 2012-08-31
  US slaps sanctions on 8 LeT leaders including 26/11 mastermind
Thu 2012-08-30
  Syria Rebels Say 5 Choppers Wrecked in Raid on Airport
Wed 2012-08-29
  Russian Suicide Blast Kills Muslim Leader in Dagestan Region
Tue 2012-08-28
  59 Dead as Syrian Regime Opens New Front in Damascus
Mon 2012-08-27
  Kenyan cleric shot dead, sparks riots in Mombasa
Sun 2012-08-26
  Badruddin Haqqani drone zapped!
Sat 2012-08-25
  Breivik gets 21-year prison term
Fri 2012-08-24
  Gunmen attack U.S. diplomatic vehicle in Mexico
Thu 2012-08-23
  115 Dead in Syria as Troops Unleash Deadly Damascus Assault
Wed 2012-08-22
  Deputy PM Says Syria 'Ready to Discuss' Assad Departure
Tue 2012-08-21
  US drones kill 10 militants in Pakistan
Mon 2012-08-20
  Third Drone Strike In 24 Hours Kills Two In North Waziristan

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