[An Nahar] An Afghan accused of torturing and murdering civilians while working for U.S. special forces denies the charges and says he followed American orders, according to a report obtained by Agence La Belle France Presse on Tuesday.
Zakrya Kandahari, who worked as an interpreter, was nabbed Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! by Afghanistan's premier intelligence agency around six weeks ago.
According to a copy of an investigation report confirmed as authentic by a security official, intelligence agents have a video showing Kandahari beating a prisoner.
Afghan authorities are investigating allegations that armed Afghans working with U.S. special forces harassed, tortured and murdered civilians in Wardak province, a Taliban flashpoint on the doorstep of Kabul.
President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... ordered U.S. special forces to leave Wardak in February, although a compromise deal later announced that they would leave only Nerkh, one of eight districts in Wardak and the district where Kandahari worked.
"Zakrya himself has denied the accusations, saying he was under the command of others," said a copy of the report obtained by AFP.
Instead he blamed the murders on three Americans, whom he named as Dave, Hagen and Chris, and whom he said were fluent in Afghanistan's two main languages Dari and Pashto.
"'I was simply a low-rank translator and did not have authorization to roam around inside the base, or (go) to interrogation sections," the report quoted Kandahari as saying.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Nice Lie, Can you prove it?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/17/2013 6:20 Comments ||
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#2
Depending on the definition of torture and civilian, he could be telling the truth.
#3
Must have seen "WHITE HOUSE DOWN", where highly-trained USA Delta Force, etc. Soldiers-Commandoes are deliberat compromised + their covert identities exposed by the Black POTUS + Admin in Washington, + whom ultimately are forced to to suffer two years? incarceration in a violent Afghan prison, wid no help from either the WH + US Congresscritters because the latter wish to pretend the Commandoes + their secret activities in the name of the US never e-v-a-r existed.
BAIDOA, Somalia -- Ethiopian troops stationed in Bay regional capital of Baidoa in southern Somalia handed over their military bases to AMISOM peacekeeping forces on Monday, Garowe Online reports. The last battalions of Ethiopian troops left with their armored fighting vehicles, tanks and artillery trucks, according to eyewitnesses in Baidoa.
Ethiopian troops stationed here began to vacate Baidoa yesterday [Sunday], they had three military bases and following their recent preparations, the last group of troops vacated Baidoa today, witnesses said.
Local reports in Baidoa confirmed to Garowe Online that AMISOM peacekeeping forces immediately filled the military stations vacated by Ethiopian troops. Some of the troops walked out by foot and they were vigilant because they feared attack by Al Shabaab militants during the withdrawal, an eyewitness added.
On 10 July, Ethiopian troops vacated Bay regional districts of Bardale and Qansahdheere and their pullout was also felt in Baidoa as they retreated from major military bases including Hasey Factory station and 60th Somali Army Base.
Ethiopian troops intervened in Southern Somalia in Dec. 2006 and withdrew by Jan. 2009, but returned to Gedo, Bay, Bakool, Hiiraan and Galgadud border regions in early 2012 in support of Somali governments stabilization operations. In March 2013, Ethiopian vacated Huddur town of Bakool region, near the Ethiopian border, and Al Shabaab militants almost immediately seized control of Huddur to date.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] The International Crimes Tribunal-2 is set to deliver today the verdict in the war crimes case against Jamaat-e -Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed.
The alleged chief of infamous Al-Badr force is facing seven charges, including that of murder, genocide and conspiracy to kill intellectuals, during the country's Liberation War in 1971.
Forty-one days after the completion of the case proceedings, Tribunal-2 Chairman Justice Obaidul Hassan yesterday announced the verdict date in the courtroom.
On June 5, the court had shelved the case for delivering verdict.
During their closing arguments, the prosecution sought capital punishment for Mojaheed claiming that they had been able to prove all the charges against him while the defence claimed otherwise.
If convicted, Mojaheed might have to walk to the gallows.
Yesterday, he was shifted from Narayanganj prison to Dhaka Central Jail, reports our Narayanganj correspondent.
Narayanganj jail Superintendent Mustafizur Rahman said that amid tight security Mojaheed had been shifted to Dhaka in a prison van around 5:50pm.
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07/17/2013 00:00 ||
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Military equipment found by Panamanian authorities on a North Korean boat consisted of "240 metric tons of obsolete defensive weapons" sent to North Korea for repair, Cuba's Foreign Ministry said.
Because you always send military gear to Nork-land for repair. Who else could do it?
The equipment, hidden beneath packages of brown sugar on the boat, was manufactured in the mid-20th century and included two anti-aircraft missile complexes, nine missiles in parts and spares, two MiG-21 jets and 15 motors for this type of airplane, the foreign ministry said.
That's not 'obsolete' in Nork-land...
"The agreements subscribed by Cuba in this field are supported by the need to maintain our defensive capacity in order to preserve national sovereignty," the statement said. "The Republic of Cuba reiterates its firm and unwavering commitment with peace, disarmament, including nuclear disarmament, and respect for international law."
The writer was a professional diplomat. Not only did his lips not fall off, they never even moved...
The Cuban government's revelation, which was also read on state television, is the latest chapter in an international drama that has all the elements of a thriller: a violent confrontation on a detained North Korean ship, a suspected missile onboard, a heart attack and an attempted suicide.
Calling Daniel Silva...
Panamanian authorities on Tuesday were examining the military equipment, discovered late Monday during an anti-drug inspection.
Because it is pursuing nuclear weapons, North Korea is banned by the United Nations from importing and exporting most weapons.
Even obsolete ones for repair...
Few details of the confrontation were available, but the ship's North Korean crew of 35 resisted arrest, said Panama's security minister, Jose Raul Mulino. He described it as "violent," saying that the crew tried to sabotage the ship by cutting cables on the cranes that would be used to unload cargo.
Bill Pudgy for the repairs, and hold the ship until the check clears...
During the struggle with Panamanian authorities, the ship's captain suffered an apparent heart attack and then tried to kill himself, according to President Ricardo Martinelli.
The crew also refused to raise the ship's anchor, Mulino said, forcing Panamanian authorities to cut the anchor loose to move the ship.
As of Tuesday, authorities had not identified the military equipment or its country of origin, Mulino said. Those details would not be known until all the sugar was unloaded and the objects removed from the ship.
Military analyst IHS Jane's released a statement Tuesday identifying the equipment shown in the photos as "fire control" radar equipment for surface-to-air missiles.
Similarly obsolete...
Jane's proposed two theories about why the equipment was on board the ship.
"One possibility is that Cuba could be sending the system to North Korea for an upgrade. In this case, it would likely be returned to Cuba and the cargo of sugar could be a payment for the services," the statement said.
Jane's other theory was that "the fire-control radar equipment could have been en route to North Korea to augment Pyongyang's existing air defense network. North Korea's air defense network is arguably one of the densest in the world, but it is also based on obsolete weapons, missiles and radars."
So it makes sense for them to obtain more obsolete equipment to go along with their currently obsolete weapons...
U.S. officials said the radar, which tracks targets for the missiles, is believed to be the major piece of military equipment on board the North Korean freighter.
Panama said it will ask a United Nations technical support team to inspect the cargo to determine what type of weaponry it is.
"Honestly, this kind of military equipment can't go through the country while declaring that it is something else, especially hiding it as you can see here," Martinelli said. "We will continue to empty the entire ship to see what's in it, and the relevant authorities will determine what exactly is on this ship."
"If it is confirmed that the vessel was carrying arms or related materiel and that the shipment was part of a purchase or sale to or from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, then there would indeed be a breach of the U.N. sanctions regime relating to that country," spokeswoman Morana Song said.
Members of the U.N.'s North Korea sanctions committee have seen media reports about the boat and are awaiting a formal notification with details from Panama.
"We are following it closely," said Jacques Flies, a spokesman for Luxembourg Ambassador Sylvie Lucas, who chairs the committee.
Investigators spotted the boat going through the Panama Canal to Havana and then back toward the canal, according to two senior U.S. officials who said the United States had been tracking the ship along with the Panamanians for some time. Another senior U.S. official said the United States had been tracking the ship for several days and knew that Panamanian authorities were going to stop it.
State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell declined to describe U.S. interactions with Panama concerning the ship, but noted that the vessel has a checkered past connected with drug smuggling.
"Public reports from 2010 and also a U.N. panel of experts report from 2012 cite this history," he said Tuesday. "So this vessel has a well-known history in this regard."
Cuban state media reported late last month that North Korean army Chief of Staff Gen. Kim Kyok Sik visited the island and had high-level meetings, including one with Cuban leader Raul Castro.
To negotiate to purchase obsolete anti-air radar systems...
Chang, author of "Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World," said the Panamanian president's dramatic description of how the ship's crew members handled the incident didn't surprise him.
"They are bat-shit crazy do not want anybody on their ships," he said. "Whether it's carrying melons or nuclear technology, the North Koreans would act pretty much the same way."
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
I thought "obsolete" stuff generally got "retired", not "repaired".
Unless you're the Mad Mullahs, in which case, you'd love to have your obsolete F-14's repaired.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/17/2013 5:49 Comments ||
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"They do not want anybody on their ships," he said. "Whether it's carrying melons or nuclear technology, the North Koreans would act pretty much the same way."
Because they're usually carrying drugs, counterfeit money, and slaves.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
07/17/2013 12:29 Comments ||
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#4
Weren't the missiles suppose to have been removed after the Cuban Missile Crisis? Just asking.
The number of people seeking political asylum in Germany has soared, and the largest group by far was from Russia. Many this year came from the Chechnya region.
The figures for refugees from Chechnya perplex analysts because there has been no perceptible deterioration of the situation there. Russia insists that it has stabilised Chechnya, "normalizing" the situation along with its Chechen allies.
You have to be dense or a socialist (but I repeat myself) to miss what the Russians are saying...
One theory to explain the surge is that, exactly a year ago, Germany's top court ruled that asylum seekers waiting for their applications to be processed should receive the same social benefits as Germans.
So easy to give away other people's money...
This is an election year in Germany and politicians are nervous about the issue. There have been protests by asylum-seekers at makeshift camps set up in the middle of Munich and Berlin. The government is concerned about being too generous, with the election just two months away.
Some officials believed there was a danger of Germany getting a reputation as over-generous to people who turned up for economic reasons rather than from true fear.
#3
Hmmm, the Russians mount a campaign to tidy up jihadi-infested Chechnya and environs, and Germany gets an influx of Chechens. Pure coincidence, I'm sure.
[Ynet] Turkish FM Davutoglu vehemently denies Russia Today report that Israel used its base to attack Latakia arms depot.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, considered by many in Jerusalem as hostile to Israel, found himself in the unusual situation on Monday of having to deny reports that Turkey cooperated with Israel in an attack 10 days ago on three Syrian arms depots in the port city of Latakia.
I'd make him deny it three or four times, loudly...
A Russia Today report quoted a source as saying the IAF launched the attack, which allegedly destroyed three depots -- containing state-of-the-art, Russian-supplied Yakhont anti-ship missiles -- from a Turkish military base.
"Israeli planes left a military base inside Turkey and approached Latakia from the sea to make sure that they stayed out of Syrian airspace so that they cannot become a legitimate target for the Syrian air force," RT quoted "a reliable source" as saying.
Israeli officials declined to comment on this or any reports about the blast at the Latakia depots.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, when asked about reports of Israeli responsibility in a CBS interview Sunday, said, "Oh God, every time something happens in the Middle East, Israel is accused. I'm not in the habit of saying what we did or we didn't do. I'll tell you what my policy is: My policy is to prevent the transfer of dangerous weapons to Hezbollah and other terror groups. And we stand by that policy."
This was echoed Monday by International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz who, when asked about reports of Israeli involvement in the attack, said that the Yakhont missiles -- with a range of 300 kilometers -- are a threat to Israel. He added that these missiles were among the best, if not the best, of their kind in the world.
"We set a policy," he told Israeli Radio. "That policy is not to intervene in the civil war in Syria. With that we also set a rule, that we will make an effort to prevent the leakage of quality weapons, game changing weapons, to organizations like Hezbollah. That is our position and our policy."
The Hurriyet Daily News quoted Davutoglu as furiously denying any Turkish involvement.
"Lies! All lies!"
"Turkey will neither be a part nor a partner of such 'attacks.' The ones who claim this want to damage Turkey's power and reputation," he said. "It is out of the question that Turkey and Israel are part of a joint military operation."
"No, no, certainly not!"
According to Today's Zaman, the Turkish foreign minister said that Turkish media outlets spreading those reports were committing "an act of betrayal."
Davutoglu and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan have in the past ridden barely hidden animosity toward Israel to wide popularity in the Arab world.
According to foreign reports, when Israel allegedly attacked a Syrian nuclear facility in 2007, IAF planes on the way back to Israel jettisoned fuel tanks over Turkish territory. Indeed, it was the discovery of those fuel tanks that led to the disclosure of the attack, an attack neither Israel nor Syria were interested in revealing: Syria because of embarrassment, and Israel because it thought it could prevent a Syrian reaction if it did not "rub Damascus' nose" in the attack.
The Russia Today story adds yet another layer of fog to the Latakia attack. The Sunday Times had previously quoted Middle East intelligence sources as saying that Israeli Dolphin-class submarines had been behind the attack, while CNN quoted US officials as saying the strike was the work of the IAF.
Israel Radio, meanwhile, quoted a Syrian rebel website as saying a senior former officer in the Syrian navy defected to the rebels and passed on information about the location of the Yakhont missiles, making contact with US intelligence through a Turkish intelligence intermediary. This information, according to the rebels, allowed Israel to attack the depots through missiles fired from the sea.
Netanyahu said that the volatile situation in Syria had been behind his decision to make an apology [to Turkey], something he had previously avoided.
"The fact that the crisis in Syria is getting worse by the minute was the central consideration in my eyes," Netanyahu said. "Syria is disintegrating, and the huge advanced weapons stockpiles are beginning to fall into the hands of different forces."
The Syrian reality, which includes global jihadist elements on its border with Israel on the Golan, creates tremendous security challenges for Israel, he stated.
"It is important that Turkey and Israel, which border Syria, can communicate with each other, and this is true regarding other challenges as well."
#3
This was echoed Monday by International Relations Minister Yuval Steinitz who, when asked about reports of Israeli involvement in the attack, said that the Yakhont missiles -- with a range of 300 kilometers -- are a threat to Israel. He added that these missiles were among the best, if not the best, of their kind in the world.
That last bit is the payoff to the Russkies. Gotta love that Pooty Poot.
#4
Israeli subs. The rest is propaganda. And thos emissiles are pure trouble - AFAIK the US has nothing widely deployed in that class - self-guided (inertial, lidar and GLASNOST) supersonic sea skimmer with 300km range and 250kg warhead, 50km terminal self guidance, frequency agile radar, and ECM resistant
[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette] Emerson W. Begolly, a former jihadist webmaster whose rants under the screen name Abu Nancy called for the destruction of schools and day care centers, apologized Tuesday in a childlike voice shortly before he was sentenced to 8 1/2 years in prison.
"I'd like to sincerely apologize for the things that I said on the computer and for biting the policeman in the scuffle," Begolly, 23, told U.S. District Judge Maurice B. Cohill. "I shamed my family."
Assistant federal public defender Marketa Sims argued that Begolly has Asperger's syndrome, a condition on the autism spectrum, and other mental health problems. She said the case stemmed from "a toxic brew of crime, politics, religion and mental health."
We're going to have to bring back locked psychiatric institutions.
Sorry to hear about the mental health issues. Politics and religion he's allowed to have. But we'll still punish the crime part...
This article starring:
Emerson W. Begolly
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/17/2013 06:59 ||
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[Dawn] The Supreme Court ordered on Tuesday that all secret funds be audited by the Auditor General of Pakistain (AGP).
In its judgment in the media commission case, the court declared illegal and unconstitutional Rule 37 (5) of the General Financial Rules (GFR) which is currently being used to exempt secret services funds from independent audit by the AGP.
It said all expenditures from the public exchequer must be made in a transparent manner and each rupee must be audited by the AGP in order to ensure compliance with the law.
The secret funds allocated to about 27 ministries in the budget 2012-13 totalled over Rs3.57 billion.
The 20-page verdict was issued on petitions filed by journalists Hamid Mir and Absar Alam seeking abolition of secret funds maintained by the Ministry of Information.
Authored by Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja, the judgment said that after the 18th Amendment under Article 170 (2) of the constitution, the AGP enjoyed a strong constitutional mandate to audit all public expenditures without exception.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
So now the auditors want in on the boodle.
Posted by: Bobby ||
07/17/2013 6:14 Comments ||
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#2
Pakisan, share the boodle.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
07/17/2013 6:22 Comments ||
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[An Nahar] ndian police investigating kabooms at one of Buddhism's holiest sites released sketches of a suspect on Tuesday and offered a reward for information about the attacks.
Ten small devices went kaboom! on July 7 in the Bodh Gaya temple complex in the eastern state of Bihar, wounding two monks, while three others were defused at the historic shrine.
The National Investigation Agency released two sketches of a man suspected of planting the bombs at the complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site, which was not badly damaged in the blasts.
One sketch showed the suspect wearing a mask, while the second showed a clean-shaven face. The suspect was "wearing the dress of a Buddhist monk", the agency said on its website.
It also announced a reward of one million rupees ($16,900) for information leading to the arrest of the bombers.
Police studied CCTV footage of the complex immediately after the early morning attacks and jugged Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! a man for questioning, but no charges were laid.
No one has grabbed credit for the attacks. But police say they had received intelligence that Islamic forces of Evil could target the site as Dire Revenge™ for Buddhist violence against Mohammedans in neighboring Myanmar.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The Pak Taliban Tuesday rejected suggestions they were sending fighters to Syria, saying some have gone there independently but the movement's focus remained in Pakistain. "No, no! Certainly not!"
Taliban sources said some bad turbans, mainly Arabs and Central Asians, had gone to fight the forces of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Scourge of Qusayr... , but a big shot dismissed reports of them setting up camps in Syria. How can you be a "Pak" Talib if you're not a Pak?
The lawless tribal areas of northwest Pakistain along the Afghan border have long been a magnet for snuffies from across the Musselmen world eager to fight U.S.-led 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... forces in Afghanistan. Not that they would cross the Pak-Afghan border, no matter how poorly delimited. That would be a gross violation of both Pak and Afghan sovereignty. Not to mention each other's national dignity...
But since the uprising against Assad began in March 2011, foreign jihadists have flocked to Syria, where disparate rebel groups are seeking his downfall. I think I've mentioned before that there are actually four sides in Syria: Pencilneck, the rebels, the Kurds, and al-Qaeda.
Some media reports say scores of Pak Taliban are among them and they have set up camps in Syria. Blend right in with the natives, don't they? "The guerrilla is the fish, the people are the sea," as Chairman Mao used to say.
A senior commander who sits on the shura or ruling council of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) told Agence La Belle France Presse there was no tactical shift and no decision had been made to send forces to Syria. And if you can't believe the Pak Taliban who can you believe?
"There is no reality in these reports, we have far better targets in the region, NATO troops headed by the Americans are present in Afghanistan," he said on condition of anonymity. "We are already in a war with Pak troops. We support the mujahideen's struggle in Syria but in our opinion, we have a lot more to do here in Pakistain and Afghanistan."
The TTP is an umbrella group for numerous factions trying to bring down the Pak state and impose sharia law. It has ties to the Afghan Taliban and al-Qaeda.
"The great evil (America) is here in Afghanistan, troops from 30 kafir (non-believer) countries are attacking innocent people in Afghanistan, so Bashir al-Assad is not that important for us," the TTP commander said.
"Obama is the big evil, Americans are a much bigger evil for us. The Taliban shura has never discussed sending mujahideen to Syria."
Another mid-ranking TTP commander in Miranshah ... headquarters of al-Qaeda in Pakistain and likely location of Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Haqqani network has established a ministate in centered on the town with courts, tax offices and lots of madrassas... , the main town of North Wazoo tribal district which is a hotbed of Taliban and al-Qaeda activity, said some fighters had gone to Syria "in a personal capacity".
A third senior TTP cadre said those who went were mostly Arabs, Uzbeks and Chechens.
More than 100,000 people have been killed since the uprising against Assad erupted, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Ismail, an Arab fighter from al-Qaeda, told AFP in northwest Pakistain that he planned to join the fight against Assad.
"I am going to Syria in the next few days, my family will stay here," he said.
"Our mujahideen are going not only to Syria but also to Leb, Egypt and other Arab countries."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
We missed all of our Youtube + Liveleak, etc. Net Videos indic to the contrary, + CNN + CNBC this AM, didn't we???
QUETTA: A complete shutter-down strike was observed on Tuesday in parts of the provincial capital against the killing of four Hazara men on Monday.
The Hazara political leaders have accused the state institutions of direct involvement in the killing of their communitys members. The call for the strike was given by Hazara Democratic Party following the targeted killing of four Hazaras at Masjid Road.
All major shops and the shopping malls remained closed on Toghi Road, Abdul Sattar Road, Alamdar Road, McChongi road and surroundings. Stringent security measures were taken by the government to meet any untoward incident. Backed by FC and Anti-Terrorist Force, police kept on patrolling the provincial capital to ensure calm.
On the other hand, the Hazara political parties threatened civil disobedience over the targeted killing of the members of their community. Speaking at a press conference at the Quetta Press Club Hazara Political Workers chief Muhammad Tahir Khan Hazara, Hazara Jirga chief Qayyum Chengaizi, Shia Conference President Daud Agha and MPA Agha Muhammad demanded an immediate halt to the killing of the Hazara youngsters.
They said if this killing spree does not stop, they would jam the entire city with other parties. They added that the killers of the four persons on Masjid Road are also the killers of three persons at Khuda-e-Dad Chowk. According to them, this was all done as a part of conspiracy to promote sectarian violence in the city. They further said that they were in a fix as to where they should go to secure their constitutional and human rights. The leaders said that thousands of Hazara youngsters have been killed during the past few years.
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07/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Iraq's cabinet sent a draft law to parliament on Tuesday that would bar top government officials and officers in the security forces from holding dual citizenship, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's front man said.
Under the proposed law, ministers, MPs, governors, ambassadors and security officers would have to choose between giving up their second citizenship or leaving their post, Ali Mussawi said.
Mussawi said the law was to enact a provision of the Iraqi constitution.
Article 18 of the constitution says Iraqis can hold dual citizenship, but not those who have senior positions.
Several senior Iraqi officials hold dual citizenship, including Vice President Khudayr al-Khuzaie, who has Iranian nationality, and Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, who is also British.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Britannia is to give Syrian opposition fighters equipment to protect them against chemical weapons attacks "as a matter of special urgency", Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Tuesday.
The British government will supply "moderate" opposition fighters with 5,000 protective hoods, as well as pre-treatment tablets and chemical weapons detector paper to be used in a sarin gas attack.
Hague said the equipment costing some £657,000 ($991,0000, 757,000 euros) needed to be sent urgently as there was evidence that forces loyal to Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Scourge of Qusayr... were using chemical weapons against the rebels.
"We believe that the use of chemical weapons is sanctioned and ordered by the Assad regime," he said in a written statement to parliament.
"We plan to equip the moderate armed opposition with 5,000 escape hoods, nerve-agent pre-treatment tablets (NAPs) and chemical weapons detector paper."
The United States and La Belle France have also accused the Assad regime of using banned arms including sarin, but Damascus has repeatedly denied the accusations.
The hoods protect wearers against the effects of sarin for up to 20 minutes, Hague said.
Someone wearing a hood would be able to move away from the area hit by the nerve agent, but they could not continue to fight.
The tablets, meanwhile, could give those hit by a sarin attack time to get to a medical center to receive further treatment.
The equipment will be given to the Supreme Military Council of the Syrian National Coalition, which Britannia recognizes as the sole legitimate representatives of the Syrian people.
Hague has promised politicians that the government would seek parliament's consent before deciding to arm the rebels, amid concerns that they may fall into the hands of Islamist opposition groups.
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07/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet... has warned that preventing Hizbullah from participating in the new government would be dangerous, saying the exclusion would be considered directed at him.
"Those calling for Hizbullah's isolation are pushing towards Leb's destruction," Berri told As Safir newspaper on Tuesday.
"Let it be clear that the cabinet cannot be formed without Hizbullah," he said. "I consider the rejection to give it portfolios as directed at me personally."
Berri stressed that he has informed Prime Minister-designate Tammam Salam that the current delicate stage requires an all-embracing government.
"If I reject Hizbullah's exclusion, I also reject the exclusion of (FPM chief Michel) Aoun or al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... movement or any other party," he said.
Conditions and counter-conditions set by the March 8 and March 14 alliances have so far prevented Salam from putting together a government.
March 8 wants a national unity cabinet that includes major political figures and is asking for the representation of its parties based on their parliamentary weight. March 14 on the other hand is calling for keeping Hizbullah away from it over the party's participation in the war in Syria alongside Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... 's troops against rebels seeking to topple him.
Berri reiterated that he disagreed with Aoun on several local issues but agreed with him on their support for the resistance and the army-people-resistance formula.
"There is no longer such thing as veto power even if Aoun gets five, six or seven ministers" in the new cabinet, Berri said.
"So there won't be any possibility for (the March 8 alliance) to have veto power or to act as a single ministerial bloc," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... leader MP Michel Aoun ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... on Tuesday noted that the new cabinet will not be formed anytime soon due to conditions and counter-conditions as well as foreign dictates, warning that the hard boy al-Nusra Front has started infiltrating the country from neighboring Syria.
"I don't know who will the cabinet consist of if it will not represent the political parties. They are also speaking of a rotation of portfolios and this is shameful, that's why we realized that no one wants the cabinet to be formed and let the Lebanese act accordingly," Aoun said after the weekly meeting of the Change and Reform bloc in Rabiyeh.
"We discussed several issues during the meeting, topped by the issue of security, as al-Nusra Front members have started arriving in the country with their suicide belts and equipment and certain parties are offering them a safe haven in Leb," Aoun warned.
"Where are all the security agencies? The police, the army, the General Security and the Judicial Police? It turned out that al-Nusra Front is present in Leb and we can't remain silent," he added.
The army announced on Sunday the arrest of a number of individuals for transporting weapons in the Bekaa region of Arsal.
The Beirut-based, pan-Arab television al-Mayadeen later reported that the army jugged ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... five people -- two Syrians, a Lebanese and two Paleostinians -- who were carrying "boom jackets."
"Uniforms carrying al-Nusra Front badges were found in their possession and they were on their way to Arsal's barren mountains with the aim of infiltrating Syrian territory," the National News Agency said.
"We mentioned the refugees and their numbers and we tackled the security aspect of the issue, but they accused us of racism and here we are now sitting on a keg of gunpowder," Aoun warned.
He stressed that the caretaker cabinet "can't resign from its duties regarding the security issues."
Asked whether Hizbullah's military intervention in Syria was the reason behind the deteriorating security situation in Leb, Aoun said: "Prior to Hizbullah's intervention in Syria, acts of sabotage started in the North and liquidation tools were stockpiled in Sidon, that's why we are not surprised that these incidents are happening."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Security forces on Tuesday managed to arrest an inmate who had escaped Monday from the Roumieh prison, where he was spending a jail term over several crimes, including identity fraud.
"Following a surveillance operation, the Judicial Police's regional anti-drug bureau in the Bekaa managed to arrest Lebanese prison escapee Abdullah Ahmed al-Hshimi, 30, on the al-Karak-Zahle public road at 5:30 p.m., after he escaped on Monday from the convicts' building of the central Roumieh prison," the Internal Security Forces said in a statement.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/17/2013 00:00 ||
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Iran welcomes Jack Straw's intention to visit Iran, the spokesman of Iran Foreign Ministry Abbas Araqchi told on July 16 during a live press conference on Iran state TV IRIB. During an interview with BBC the former British foreign secretary Jack Straw said on July 4 that he was not naive about Iran, but things were looking "more hopeful" with the new president-elect Hassan Rouhani. He said that there was no evidence that Iran has been building a nuclear bomb.
ISNA quoted Straw as saying he plans to travel Iran soon with the aim of improving ties between London and Tehran.
Is he meddling or is this a back-channel visit?
Before that the Guardian newspaper reported in September 2011 that Jack Straw is to make the first visit to Iran by a British foreign secretary since the 1979 Islamic revolution with an attempt to build support for a US-led coalition against terrorism. However, he has not visited Iran so far.
Regarding Straw's intentions to boost Iran-UK relation Araqchi said that, he should start this attempt from London.
The spokesman of Iran Foreign Ministry said that Iran hasn't received any request from Straw officially, but we would be happy if he visits Iran, because Iran policy is aimed at relaxing tensions between Iran and the EU.
Iran and Britain cut diplomatic relations after British embassy in Tehran was stormed by some Iranians who were introduced as "demonstrator students" by Iranian Government in 2011.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/17/2013 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.
[Bangla Daily Star] The International Crimes Tribunal-2 is set to deliver today the verdict in the war crimes case against Jamaat-e -Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed.
The number of people seeking political asylum in Germany has soared, and the largest group by far was from Russia. Many this year came from the Chechnya region.
Wazoo
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Michel Aoun
