GALKAYO, Puntland Somalia -- Puntland security forces have been conducting massive security operations for the past two years in Mudug provincial capital Galkayo in an effort to combat recurrent crimes, Garowe Online reports.
Puntland Deputy Police Chief Gen. Muhyadin Ahmed Musse who held a press conference in Galkayo on Monday said there is a visible decline in insecurity incidents after a mammoth task of ensuring the stability.
Gen. Musse noted that police sweep netted many people who were suspected of involving criminal activities including apparently coordinated assassinations targeting both important civilians and government officials.
"We call on the locals to closely work with the security forces so that we can further improve the security situation," said Gen. Musse. "Tremendous work was undertaken to properly capacitate our security agencies based in Mudug region".
Meanwhile, speaking to the media members in Galkayo on Sunday, Puntland Security Minister Khalif Isse Mudan told that Puntland officials discussed the latest developments with traditional elders, local communities and intellectuals.
Mudan also said that Puntland government will engage in talks with Galmudug authority to overcome grudges between two clans hailing from Puntland and Galmudug in Mudug region as clan revenge attacks in rural areas overshadow lasting peace across the region.
Galkayo is a strategic city in central Somalia renowned for its trading culture. Puntland officials have said Galkayo is a gateway for commerce and also a source for insecurity blaming the Galmudug authority's weakness for allowing criminals safe havens in areas under Galmudug control including Barahley neighborhood.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/17/2013 00:00 ||
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A CIA employee who refused to sign a non-disclosure agreement barring him from discussing the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, has been suspended as a result and forced to hire legal counsel, according to a top House lawmaker.
The revelation comes about a month after several media outlets reported that CIA employees with knowledge of the terror attack had been forced to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDA) and submit to regular polygraph tests.
"The reports on the NDA are accurate. We're getting people who call," Rep. Frank Wolf (R., Va.) said Monday during an event marking the launch of the Citizens' Commission on Benghazi, a panel of former military and intelligence officials who are investigating unanswered questions surrounding the Benghazi incident.
Wolf's office first received the anonymous call earlier in the summer, soon after CNN and Fox News reported on the NDAs and polygraph tests.
The CIA declined to comment directly on Wolf's charges, but forwarded the Washington Free Beacon a letter sent to Congress from CIA Director John Brennan in which he denies charges that the agency has forced employees to sign NDAs and submit to polygraph tests.
"I want to assure you that I will not tolerate any effort to prevent our intelligence oversight committee from doing their jobs," Brennan hand wrote at the bottom of the letter.
Monday's Benghazi discussion came on the same day that House Oversight Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R., Calif.) released a report detailing multiple shortcomings in the State Department's internal investigation into failures related to the Benghazi attack.
Issa says that the State Department "obstructed" congressional investigators, was "not comprehensive" in nature, "did not conduct thorough interviews," and that more senior officials were not held to account.
"The ARB was not fully independent," Issa said in a statement. "The panel did not exhaustively examine failures and it has led to an unacceptable lack of accountability."
"While Ambassador [Thomas] Pickering and Admiral [Michael] Mullen have honorably served their country, the families of victims and the American people continue to wait for more conclusive answers about how our government left our own personnel so vulnerable and alone the night of the attack," Issa said.
The newly formed Citizens' Commission on Benghazi has similar goals as congressional investigators but is not confined by rules governing the legislative body, speakers at the event said.
Retired Air Force Col. Richard Brauer, cofounder of the group Special Operations Speaks, said the committee would aim to find out why U.S. military assets were ordered to "stand down" during the Benghazi attack.
"We're tired of the lies and the cover-up that continues to this day," Brauer said. "Who gave the order" to stand down, "to remain in place in Tripoli and the other locations and do nothing. When was this order given and why?"
"Forces were available on that very night, likely champing at the bit, but they were told to stand down," he said. "These are words that will live in infamy."
[Al Ahram] The 50-member committee responsible for amending Egypt's constitution may reexamine constitutional statements that limit freedom of religion to followers of Islam, Judaism and Christianity, according to a leading member of the committee.
Mohamed Salmawy, the committee's media spokesperson, told a presser on Monday that "it is very important for Egypt's new constitution to be amended to give followers of different world religions the right to exercise their rites freely."
Salmawy indicated that the 2012 constitution, drafted by an Islamist-dominated constituent assembly, stated that "the right to exercise one's religious rites and establish places of worship is guaranteed for the three heavenly religions only: Islam, Christianity and Judaism."
Salmawy argues that the wording must be changed because it violates international conventions on human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions...
"The more the constitution's articles are comprehensive and inclusive of all religions and sects, the more it will be in line with international human rights benchmarks."
"The constitution cannot be tailored to a certain religion or a certain sect," he added.
According to Salmawy, international statistics show that one third of world's population are members of "non-heavenly religions" and that a lot of Mohammedans live in countries where the official religion is not Islam or Christianity.
"It is quite problematic to ask non-Mohammedan countries to give freedom to Mohammedans living on their land while Mohammedan countries refrain from doing the same to non-Mohammedans or people who do not believe in the world's three heavenly religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism," he said.
"The constitution-drafting committee will do its best to reach a consensus formula which could maintain Islam as the official religion of the state but at the same time ensure freedom for followers of all world religions to exercise rites," Salmawy said.
Salmawy's comments also came in response to the decision of Bassam El-Zarqa, the single representative of the ultraconservative Salafist Nour Party on the committee, to withdraw from a sub-committee meeting today.
El-Zarqa proposed that Article 2 of the constitution be amended to state that "Islamic sharia is the main source of legislation in Egypt" in place of its current wording, which reads: "the principles of Islamic sharia are the main source of legislation in Egypt."
El-Zarqa's proposal was rejected by chairman of the 'basic constitution components and the state' sub-committee, Mohamed Abdel-Salam. The committee's members joined forces with Abdel-Salam, who is also a legal advisor to the grand sheikh of Al-Azhar University.
The sub-committee members also rejected an alternative wording proposed by El-Zarqa: "The rules of Islamic sharia are the main source of legislation in Egypt."
El-Zarqa argued that his proposal reflects a strong belief in Islamic sharia and the Islamic identity of Egypt. He said his amendment would allow the elimination of controversial Article 219 which gives an interpretation of the meaning of "principles of sharia" that many liberals and moderates warn is too conservative.
El-Zarqa decided to withdraw from the sub-committee meeting after his two proposals were rejected.
Hussein Abdel-Razeq, a member of the leftist Tagammu party, argued that "the elimination of the word 'principles' in favour of the word 'rules' is aimed at imposing a strict code of Islam, including the application of what is known as the hudood."
Hudood punishments in Islamic law include the amputation of limbs as a punishment for theft, and other forms of corporal and capital punishment for a number of offences.
Salmawy said at the presser that El-Zarqa's withdrawal "does not mean that he has decided to boycott the upcoming meetings of the 50-member constitutional panel and its sub-committees."
"I hope that all members exercise restraint and know that it is natural to differ until they reach consensus," he added.
The 'basic components' sub-committee members also agreed that Article 3, as re-drafted by a 10-member technical committee last month, be kept in place. The article states that "for Egyptian Christians and Jews, the principles of their religious law will be the main source in regulating their personal status laws, matters pertaining to their religion, and the selection of their spiritual leadership."
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09/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Egypt's only Islamist party in the constitution-drafting body withdrew on Monday from an assembly session, as a dispute escalated over Islamic-related articles in the suspended 2012 constitution that is currently being revised.
The withdrawal of Nour Party representative Bassam Al-Zarka appears contradictory, as the party stated on Sunday that they would welcome the Sunni Islamic institution of Al-Azhar having the final say on whether "Islamic identity" articles are included in Egypt's new charter.
Al-Azhar has said it is against any provisions that would turn Egypt into a theocratic state.
Mohamed Salmawy, media front man for the 50-member committee entrusted with writing the final draft of Egypt's new constitution, said the withdrawal of Al-Zarka from the session was a mere "objectionable measure," adding that the "action is legal and does not mean the party's total withdrawal from the writing panel," Rooters' Aswat Masriya quoted him as saying.
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09/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] An Egyptian state-run human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... body has condemned sectarian attacks on Coptic Christians in the Upper Egyptian governorate of Minya.
The National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) issued a statement Monday condemning the attacks targeting Christians in Minya and stating that the "onslaught" proves that Christians are being intentionally targeted because of their religious beliefs.
According to the statement, the attacks included the burning and demolishing of Christian religious centres and Christians' homes and property. The assaults also included forced displacement, theft and the imposition of a "tax" on some Christian residents.
The statement came after security forces had entered the village of Degla on Monday, a site of a number of attacks on Coptic Christians allegedly carried out by Islamist myrmidons.
The statement said violations were documented through official appeals filed at cop shoppes and through media coverage, adding that "the onslaught poses a great danger to the issue of human rights in Egypt and cripples the nation's ability to carry out its role of protecting its people's rights, their safety and freedom."
The council has decided to set up a special committee tasked with writing a comprehensive report to examine the truth behind the recent attacks.
Attacks on churches have seen a massive increase since the forced dispersal of the two Cairo protest camps organised by Morsi's supporters last month. According to the Maspero Youth Union, a Coptic rights group, 17 churches have been attacked in Minya alone.
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09/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[MAGHAREBIA] In an unprecedented move, al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) launched a 41-minute provocative video about Morocco last Wednesday (September 11th).
Styled as a "documentary", the internet video mocks the domestic and foreign policy of the country and its efforts to fight terrorism.
It also shows an image of the Moroccan monarch engulfed in flames.
The video includes footage of al-Qaeda Death Eaters training in the forests and mountains of Algeria under the personal supervision of Abdelmalik Droukdel ... aka Abdel Wadoud, was a regional leader of the GSPC for several years before becoming the group's supremo in 2004 following the death of then-leader Nabil Sahraoui. Under Abdel Wadoud's leadership the GSPC has sought to develop itself from a largely domestic entity into a larger player on the international terror stage. In September 2006 it was announced that the GSPC had joined forces with al-Qaeda and in January 2007 the group officially changed its name to the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb.... (aka Abou Moussaab Abdelouadoud).
The tape ends with a call by Droukdel for young people to join the ranks of jihadists.
According to Mohamed Darif, a Moroccan researcher specialising in Islamic groups, the new video reveals the real "dilemma faced by the organization when targeting Morocco".
"AQIM has achieved some success in attracting Moroccans and sending them to hotbeds of tension and battlefronts, particularly Syria and Iraq, but they did not succeed in general at targeting Morocco and compromising its institutions," he told Magharebia.
"This failure has exacerbated the group's anger and rage," he added.
What provokes al-Qaeda is the exception posed by Morocco, Darif explained.
The world has seen al-Qaeda operations "expand into Libya and along the Algerian-Tunisian borders, as well as in Sinai, Egypt", he said. "Morocco is today the only country that still eludes al-Qaeda and this provokes its anger."
"Consequently, issuing this tape is an expression of frustration in the face of the successes achieved by Moroccan security authorities in dismantling terrorist cells and preventing them from carrying out sabotage operations," he said.
Indeed, the new tape comes not long after yet another Morocco AQIM cell was dismantled.
"There is a strong desire in AQIM to carry out a quality operation in Morocco, in order to shake its self-confidence and steadfastness, and put an end to its exclusive condition in the region", political analyst Driss Kassouri confirmed.
Ksouri noted that the leader of the dismantled cell was in direct contact with the big shotship of the organization in blood-stained Tizi Ouzou, Algeria, and was planning a retaliatory strike at Guelmim airport, among other targets.
Mohamed Benhammou, president of the African Federation of Strategic Studies, shared that view.
"Al-Qaeda seeks an operation in Morocco because of its symbolism and the fact that such an operation, if completed, would be considered a resounding victory, especially in the current period," Benhammou said.
This is a crucial time in terms of restructuring these groups, he said, after the blows they received during the military intervention in Mali. "They witnessed disintegration and dispersion, as well as a flight of fighters," he added.
The airing of the tape coincided with the publication by al-Qaeda central of an audio recording by Ayman al-Zawahiri ... Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area. That is not a horn growing from the middle of his forehead, but a prayer bump, attesting to how devout he is... , which also included incitement against Morocco.
Amazigh human rights ...which often include carefully measured allowances of freedom at the convenience of the state... activist Boubaker Ounghir downplayed the impact of these threats but said they required due diligence and caution, "especially since al-Qaeda in the region is now in possession of a variety of weapons after the collapse of the Qadaffy regime in Libya and the chaos that followed".
"In addition, there is also a factor of competition and a race between the various terrorist groups, especially AQIM and Mokhtar Belmokhtar new group, Mourabitounes in order to destabilise Morocco and end its exclusive condition," Ounghir said.
Cherkaoui Roudani, a member of parliament and an expert on strategic issues said, "Al-Qaeda seeks to transform the North African region into a new Afghanistan, the so-called green fascist state which is totally incompatible with what Morocco represents in terms of its successful building of democracy. This model has become an obstacle to the ambitions of al-Qaeda."
He added, "They will make every effort to wage war on the borders with Morocco, as they did with Tunisia in Jebel Chaambi."
"They will do their utmost to conduct terrorist operations inside Morocco," he warned. "We have to be vigilant and to be on the lookout in order to thwart all their attempts and protect our societal democratic project."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Bahraini authorities have filed a lawsuit to close a Shiite Musselmenholy mans' council, accusing it of operating illegally and being involved in politics, the justice ministry said on Monday.
The ministry said it wanted the office of the Olamaa Islamic Council to be closed and its assets liquidated for "functioning outside the law."
The lawsuit came as authorities in the Sunni-ruled monarchy crack down on opposition action by Shiites, who make up the majority of the population in the Gulf archipelago.
The council, which is led by prominent holy man Issa Qassem, "violates the constitution and the laws of the kingdom," the ministry said, accusing its members of "using it to practice politics under a confessional cover."
The council also "adopted the call for the so-called revolution," the ministry charged, referring to the Shiite-led protests against the government, which erupted in February 2011 and were dispersed a month later.
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09/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] One of five men accused of plotting the 11 September 2001 attacks was expelled from a Guantanamo courtroom Monday after trying to speak without permission. The incident involving Yemeni Ramzi Binalshibh happened shortly after the start of a new round of preliminary hearings at the US military facility in Cuba.
"I have the right to talk," Binalshibh said in English after the presiding military judge, Colonel James Pohl, asked the suspects if they understood their rights to waive their right to be present at the start of the proceedings broadcast to Fort Meade near the US capital.
"No you don't have the right to talk," Pohl countered before deciding to temporarily expel the detainee.
"He was warned not to be disruptive," Pohl said, adding that Binalshibh's conduct justified his exclusion.
Investigators say Binalshibh would have been on one of the hijacked planes that smashed into US buildings on 9/11 had he not failed to get a visa granting him entry to the United States.
Binalshibh, allegedly a member of Al-Qaeda's German-based Hamburg cell which planned and carried out the attacks, was captured in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... in September 2002 before being handed over to US officials.
Self-declared 9/11 kingpin Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, donning camouflage and sporting a red-tinted beard, also tried to speak about his incarceration at Guantanamo's secretive Camp 7.
Camp 7 is the most secure part of Guantanamo.
"We are never allowed to get any paper from our lawyers," he said in Arabic comments that were translated into English. He was subsequently also cut off by the judge.
But Mohammed, the translation of whose comments became inaudible, was not expelled.
David Nevin, Mohammed's lawyer, told the judge that his client feared that failure to meet with his defense counsel could negatively affect his case.
[Dawn] The Mighty Pak Army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... vowed Monday that Death Eaters would not be allowed "to take advantage of the military's support to the political process."
"While it is understandable to give peace a chance through a political process...no one should have any misgivings that we would let Death Eaters coerce us into accepting their terms," a statement issued by the Inter Services Public Relations quoted Kayani as saying. "(The) Army has the ability and the will to take the fight to the terrorists."
The military chief's statement follows four attacks on security forces by the Pak Taliban in the past two days despite the country's politicianship's unanimously deciding earlier last week to hold peace talks with the bully boys.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) on Sunday announced preconditions for any negotiations, saying troops must be withdrawn from the tribal areas and its prisoners released.
At least six security personnel were killed in the four separate attacks for which the TTP grabbed credit. One of the attacks, a roadside kaboom in Upper Dir near the Afghan border, killed three army men including Maj-Gen Sanaullah Khan Niazi and Lieutenant Colonel Tauseef Ahmad.
Maj-Gen Sanaullah was the commander of the forces in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... 's militancy-hit Malakand division. "The General Officer has set towering example of leading from the front which is hallmark of leadership in Pakistain Army," said Kayani according to the ISPR statement. "We all salute his bravery."
The Army chief vowed to spare no effort in bringing to justice the perpetrators of these acts of terrorism. He reiterated the Army's resolve and commitment in fighting the menace of terrorism "in accordance with the will of the nation and at any cost."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Not out in public, anyway...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
09/17/2013 9:16 Comments ||
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[Al Ahram] Land confiscated by Israel 35 years ago - to build a Jewish settlement in the West Bank - will finally be returned to its Paleostinians owners, the Israeli military said on Monday.
In 1978 Israel confiscated land belonging to the Paleostinian village of Burka in the northern West Bank. It was used to set up the Homesh settlement which was shut down with three others in the area alongside Israel's withdrawal from the Gazoo Strip in 2005.
The order requisitioning the land from the Paleostinians remained in force however, prompting Burka residents to petition the Israeli Supreme Court in December 2011.
"The decree that established Homesh ... was nullified several months ago as a result of an appeal brought to the Supreme Court," an Israeli military front man wrote Monday in response to a query by AFP.
"In addition, the closure order that restricted the access of Paleostinians to the land was lifted, and the representatives of the petitioners were notified," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[Jpost] This latest report confirms the picture of an insurgency essentially divided into three parts: al-Qaida-linked groups, Salafi groups not linked to al-Qaida, and Muslim Brotherhood or more 'moderate' Islamist forces.
So this report is saying the Muslim Brotherhood or more 'moderate' Islamist forces are not hardcore Islamists?????
The mind boggles at this.
More information in this article from Israeli analysts around the subject also addressed in the Telegraph article below.
[Ynet] If West agrees to lift Islamic republic's sanctions, Iran is willing to shut down nuclear facility in Fordo, Rohani says, according to Der Spiegel report.
Intelligence sources told the German newspaper Der Spiegel that Iran's President Hassan Rohani was willing to shut down the nuclear facility in Fordo, if the West agreed to remove all sanctions imposed on the Islamic Theocratic Republic.
Taking a page from the North Korean playbook...
According to the sources, Rohani is also willing to allow international inspectors to monitor the dismantling of the Fordo reactor.
Bet they'd sell our president the Brooklyn Bridge for a fair price, too.
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09/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] A US and Russian-inked programme to destroy Syria's chemical weapons should begin "in a matter of days," the watchdog tasked with implementing the plan said Monday.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said that its experts "are already at work preparing a road map that anticipates the various challenges involved in verifying Syria's declared stockpiles."
"It is envisaged... that the programme to eliminate chemical weapons in Syria will be initiated in a matter of days," the Hague-based OPCW said.
The plan was thrashed out by Russia and the United States in Geneva at the weekend to avert US-led military strikes on Syria, which is accused by Washington of having killed hundreds of people in a gas attack near Damascus on August 21.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath... 's regime is to provide "on an expeditious basis" a complete inventory of its chemical weapons, production facilities, and "related materials" to the OPCW.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Beirut or Cyprus? Beirut is iffy again, but I am not familiar with Cypriot Haute Cousine, does anyone go there?
#2
Like Greek and Turkish, Cypriot food is wonderful, Shipman. Lovely people, very commercial, but a Greek approach to paying taxes. On the Greek side, anyway -- I know nothing about the Turkish side.
[Al Ahram] A senior Iranian official suggested Monday that Iran's former government was not committed enough to reaching an agreement with the world powers who are seeking curbs on its nuclear programme.
Iranian nuclear chief Ali Akbar Salehi said Monday that both sides had to approach nuclear talks in good faith to create a "win-win" result.
But he said the chances of progress were improved by the unity among Iran's new politicianship over what it sought in the next round of talks and what it was prepared to give the world powers.
He did not go into detail but Iran wants an end to the economic and political sanctions it faces over fears it is progressing to nuclear weapons ability. Tehran denies wanting such arms, saying its nuclear programme is peaceful.
The world powers want curbs on Iran's uranium enrichment, which can create both energy and the core of nuclear warheads, as well as for Iran to scrap a reactor that will produce plutonium -- another pathway to nuclear arms.
Salehi spoke outside of a 159-nation conference of the UN's ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency that is expected to touch on fears over Tehran's nuclear aims.
Iran's diminutive President Hassan Rouhani is expected to affirm his commitment to trying to ease tensions in comments to the UN General Assembly this week.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Yeah, this time they'll cooperate. More than before. Trust them. They're scared of Champ's power.
Must mean they are close.
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/17/2013 6:01 Comments ||
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[An Nahar] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Monday warned that talks by some western countries on a tough United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... resolution on Syria could wreck peace efforts, but said he was "convinced" the U.S. would adhere to the framework it drew up with Russia.
He spoke after Britannia, La Belle France and the United States at a meeting in Gay Paree agreed on the need for a "strong and binding" U.N. resolution on the transfer of Syria's chemical weapons to international control.
"If for someone it is more important to constantly threaten, to scare, to seek for an excuse for strikes... that is another path to wrecking completely the chances of calling the Geneva-2 conference," Lavrov said, referring to peace talks proposed by Russia and the United States.
He was speaking at a joint presser with his Egyptian counterpart Nabil Fahmi in Moscow.
Lavrov added however that he is "convinced that despite those announcements... the American side will firmly adhere, as a normal negotiating partner, to what was reached" at talks with Russia in Geneva on Saturday.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Haven't even got started and already we're worried about wrecking the talks?
Posted by: Bobby ||
09/17/2013 5:59 Comments ||
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#2
See also RUSSIA TODAY > UNSC RESOLUTION ON SYRIA WON'T BE UNDER CHAPTER 7 ALLOWING USE OF FORCE - LAVROV.
versus
* SAME > US PENTAGON TOO BROKE TO BUY A NEW FAX MACHINE.
* TOPIX > [TruthDig] WILLIAM PFAFF: US [Obama] MUST ACCEPT RUSSIAN-DELIVERED [saved] SYRIA.
[An Nahar] Banned chemical weapons have been used on a wide scale in the Syria war and there is clear evidence sarin killed hundreds of people in one major attack, U.N. inspectors said Monday.
Chemical arms have been used in the 30-month-old conflict "on a relatively large scale," says the report to be released by U.N. leader the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... U.N. experts, who went to Syria last month, are not allowed to say who carried out the attacks. But they said there is "clear and convincing" evidence that sarin gas killed hundreds of people in an attack on Ghouta near Damascus on August 21.
The attack sparked threats by the United States and other western nations of a military strike on Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath... 's forces. The United States says more than 1,400 people died in Ghouta.
Though the military threat has eased after Russia and the United States agreed a plan to put Syrian chemical arms under international control, the U.N. report will influence what measures are taken to make Assad stick to the plan.
"Surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used" in the August 21 attack, said the report.
While Assad blames opposition rebels for the attack, Western nations say only the government has such weapons.
"The environmental, chemical and medical samples we have collected provide clear and convincing evidence that surface-to-surface rockets containing the nerve agent sarin were used" in Ghouta, said the first page of the inspectors' report, which was inadvertently leaked by the United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... "This result leaves us with the deepest concern," they added.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
'Tis a moot = irrelevant? point now Assad has agreed to Russia's Proposal which is also supported by China + Iran.
* WORLD NEWS > [Japan News] RUSSIA GAMBIT [finally effectively] CURBS US ROLE IN MIDDLE EAST.
Or at least POTUS Obama's.
* PRAVDA.RU > THE [real?]LEADER OF THE FREE WORLD - OBAMA OR PUTIN?
* Also from PRAVDA > OPINION: WASHINGTON HAS LOST THE BATTLE, I PREDICT IT HAS LOST THE WAR.
* BHARAT RAKSHAK > SUDDENLY IN A NEW BREAK ON SYRIA, OBAMA GETS LUCKY WID A WAY OUT [from quagmire = major war?]. PRESIDENT SETS TRAP FOR HIMSELF WID "RED LINE" PROMISE, BUT DOES HE HAVE THE UK'S CAMERON OR THE KREMLIN'S PUTIN TO THANK FOR RESCUING HIM?
[Telegraph] Nearly half the rebel fighters in Syria are now aligned to jihadist or hardline Islamist groups according to a new analysis of factions in the country's civil war.
Opposition forces battling Bashir al-Assad's regime in Syria now number around 100,000 fighters, but after more than two years of fighting they are fragmented into as many as 1,000 bands.
The new study by IHS Jane's, a defence consultancy, estimates there are around 10,000 jihadists - who would include imported muscle - fighting for powerful factions linked to al-Qaeda.
Another 30,000 to 35,000 are hardline Islamists who share much of the outlook of the jihadists, but are focused purely on the Syrian war rather than a wider international struggle.
There are also at least a further 30,000 moderates belonging to groups that have an Islamic character, meaning only a small minority of the rebels are linked to secular or purely nationalist groups.
The stark assessment, to be published later this week, accords with the view of Western diplomats estimate that less than one third of the opposition forces are "palatable" to Britannia, while American envoys put the figure even lower.
Fears that the rebellion against the Assad regime is being increasingly dominated by bully boyz has fuelled concerns in the West over supplying weaponry that will fall into hostile hands. These fears contributed to unease in the US and elsewhere over military intervention in Syria.
Charles Lister, author of the analysis, said: "The insurgency is now dominated by groups which have at least an Islamist viewpoint on the conflict. The idea that it is mostly secular groups leading the opposition is just not borne out."
The study is based on intelligence estimates and interviews with activists and Death Eaters. The lengthy fighting has seen the emergence of hundreds of separate rebel bands, each operating in small pockets of the country, which are usually loyal to larger factions.
Two factions linked to al-Qaeda, Jabhat al-Nusra and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) - also know as the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Shams (ISIS) - have come to dominate among the more bad boy fighters, Mr Lister said. Their influence has risen significantly in the past year.
"Because of the Islamist make up of such a large proportion of the opposition, the fear is that if the West doesn't play its cards right, it will end up pushing these people away from the people we are backing," he said. "If the West looks as though it is not interested in removing Assad, moderate Islamists are also likely to be pushed further towards bad boys."
Though still a minority in number, ISIL has become more prominent in rebel-held parts of Syria in recent months. Members in northern Syria have sought to assert their dominance over the local population and over the more moderate rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA).
The aim of moderate rebel fighters is the overthrow of their country's authoritarian dictator, but jihadist groups want to transform Syria into a hard-line Islamic state within a regional Islamic "caliphate".
These competing visions have caused rancour which last week erupted into fighting between ISIL and two of the larger moderate rebel factions.
A statement posted online by Islamists announced the launch of an ISIL military offensive in the eastern district of Aleppo which it called "Cleansing Evil". "We will target regime collaborators, shabiha [pro-Assad militias], and those who blatantly attacked the Islamic state," it added, naming the Farouq and Nasr factions.
Al-Qaeda has assassinated several FSA rebel commanders in northern Latakia province in recent weeks, and locals say they fear this is part of a jihadist campaign to gain complete control of the territory.
As well as being better armed and tougher fighters, ISIL and Jabhat al-Nusra have taken control of much of the income-generating resources in the north of the country, including oil, gas and grain.
This has given them significant economic clout, allowing them to "win hearts and minds" by providing food for the local population in a way that other rebel groups cannot.
ISIS has also begun a programme of "indoctrination" of civilians in rebel-held areas, trying to educate Syria's traditionally moderate Sunni Musselmens into a more hard-line interpretation of Islam.
In early September, the group distributed black backpacks with the words "Islamic State of Iraq" stamped on them. They also now control schools in Aleppo where young boys are reportedly taught to sing jihadist anthems.
"It seems it is some sort of a long-term plan to brainwash the children and recruit potential fighters," said Elie Wehbe, a Lebanese journalists who is conducting research into these activities.
#2
among the non jihadists are nationalists, arabists, some socialists, etc
the more important thing is that there are many conflicts between the jihadists and quite a few of the jihadist fatalities are inflicted by other jihadists (10 to 30% or so)
Posted by: lord garth ||
09/17/2013 6:47 Comments ||
Top||
#3
If the rebels start to approach victory, the hard jihadists will start working on eliminating weaker, less jihadi types.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
09/17/2013 18:50 Comments ||
Top||
#4
Soft jihad, swayin' to the wailin'
soft jihad, just me and my goat...
[Jpost] Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri has issued his first specific guidelines for jihad, urging restraint in attacking other Musselmen sects and non-Musselmens and in starting conflicts in countries where jihadis might find a safe base to promote their ideas.
The document, published by the SITE monitoring service, provides a rare look at al Qaeda's strategy 12 years after the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States and the nature of its global ambitions from North Africa to the Caucasus to Kashmire.
While al Qaeda's military aim remained to weaken the United States and Israel, Zawahri stressed the importance of "dawa", or missionary work, to spread its ideas.
"As far as targeting the proxies of America is concerned, it differs from place to place. The basic principle is to avoid entering into any conflict with them, except in the countries where confronting them becomes inevitable," he said.
#3
AYMAN also repeats that the "THE WHOLE WORLD IS OUR BATTLEFIELD".
Move along, people, as clearly THERE IS ONCE AGAIN ABSOLUTELY POSITIVELY CATEGORICALLY UNDENIABLY ... ... @ETC. NO "GLOBAL/UNIVERSAL/
WORLDWIDE JIHAD = MOHAMMEDDAN CONQUEST" GOING ON!
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.
GALKAYO, 
Zawahiri
[Al Ahram] One of five men accused of plotting the 11 September 2001 attacks was expelled from a Guantanamo courtroom Monday after trying to speak without permission. The incident involving Yemeni Ramzi Binalshibh happened shortly after the start of a new round of preliminary hearings at the US military facility in Cuba.
[Dawn] 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[Telegraph] Nearly half the rebel fighters in Syria are now aligned to jihadist or hardline Islamist groups according to a new analysis of factions in the country's civil war.
[Jpost] Al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri has issued his first specific guidelines for jihad, urging restraint in attacking other 
