[Al Ahram] The Egyptian government is building a list of organizations affiliated with the Moslem Brüderbund in order to ban them from monitoring the referendum on the newly-drafted constitution.
Deputy Minister of Social Solidarity Hany Mehenna announced on Sunday that the list will be submitted to the Supreme Electoral Commission (SEC) by the end of the week.
Earlier on Sunday, a source from the SEC told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that the committee has given the ministry until 10 January to send an official list of Moslem Brüderbund organizations.
Continued on Page 49
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12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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[Egypt Independent] The urgent court rejected a lawsuit filed by a lawyer forcing Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to run in the presidential elections.
The court said the person who filed the lawsuit does not have a legal interest in filing such a case.
The lawyer, Ahmad Ezz al-Arab, demanded that Sisi run for presidency in order to "save [Egypt] from terrorism and unrest," according to his lawsuit.
The lawsuit filed also noted that when Sisi was asked in an interview with Al-Masry Al-Youm about running for presidency, he said "it is not the time," which left the political arena at a loss and confused other prospective candidates.
Ezz al-Arab demanded that Sisi be called to court to talk about whether he would be in the race.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
The resaon was because iould be to tell which Sissie between the millions of Egyptian Sissies (cf the Six Days war)
#2
I would love to MAKE blacks post that picture with an asshole sporting his Ball Cao on sideways, (In the Link) it shows the stupidity, of copying, these assholes., maybe they'll learn you copy stupid, you ARE stupid.
unless You're a ball catcher, or a painter, the hat goes on straight, or not at allIdiots.
Posted by: Redneck JIm ||
12/30/2013 12:56 Comments ||
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[An Nahar] Al-Qaeda had no direct involvement in the attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi that left four Americans dead on September 11 last year, The New York Times ...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... reported Saturday.
In an investigation published on its website and based on extensive reporting in the Libyan city, the Times said the killing of U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and three of his countrymen was the work of local fighters.
The report could likely stir up controversy in Washington, where the B.O. regime has repeatedly been accused of covering up what happened in Benghazi -- a charge it denies.
The newspaper also said the attack may indeed have been sparked by citizens who headed to the U.S. mission after being angered by an anti-Islamic video that had aired on local television channels.
Based on interviews with Libyans in Benghazi that the Times said had direct knowledge of the attack, the newspaper "turned up no evidence that Al-Qaeda or other international groups had any role in the assault," it said.
"The attack was led, instead by fighters who had benefited directly from NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... 's extensive air power and logistics during the uprising," against the country's long-time dictator Muammar Qadaffy ...Custodian of Wheelus AFB for 42 long years until he was ejected from the gene pool by his indignant citizens... , killed in October 2011.
The newspaper, citing American officials briefed on a criminal probe into the killings, alleged that a local rebel leader named Ahmed Abu Khattala, said to have disdain for the United States despite its help to overthrow Qadaffy, is the prime suspect for orchestrating the Benghazi killings.
The Times report placed him at the U.S. mission at the time of the attack and in an interview with the newspaper he said he was indeed present, but denied he was responsible.
"Mr. Abu Khattala declared openly and often that he placed the United States not far behind Colonel Qadaffy on his list of infidel enemies," the newspaper said.
"But he had no known affiliations with terrorist groups, and he had escaped scrutiny from the 20-person CIA station in Benghazi that was set up to monitor the local situation," the report added.
The Times said Abu Khattala was "a central figure" in what unfolded, citing numerous Libyans present at the time, but also reported that the attack had "spontaneous elements."
Initially, the sacking of the mission was described by American officials as having been sparked by the anti-Mohammedan video "Innocence of Mohammedans," which triggered protests across the Arab world.
But U.S. officials later said that some of those behind the assault had links to organized Al-Qaeda snuffies and that it was an act of terrorism.
The Times on Saturday reported: "Anger at the video motivated the initial attack. Dozens of people joined in, some of them provoked by the video and others responding to fast-spreading false rumors that guards inside the American compound had shot Libyan protesters."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
"...And we have never been at war with Eastasia, either. Now siddown and shaddap, Citizen. And don't forget to vote Hillary! in 2016."
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
12/30/2013 5:16 Comments ||
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#2
The Times on Saturday reported: "Anger at the video motivated the initial attack. Dozens of people joined in, including several skilled mortar teams and a force of assault troop, as you would expect in a fiery mob.
Posted by: lord garth ||
12/30/2013 9:22 Comments ||
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#7
Hillary 2016 Campaign Donation
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/30/2013 9:26 Comments ||
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#8
In other news, the NYT reported the sky is NOT blue, water is NOT wet and Obama is NOT a communist.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
12/30/2013 12:37 Comments ||
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#9
No DIRECT , but plenty of INDIRECT assault.
Posted by: Redneck JIm ||
12/30/2013 12:59 Comments ||
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#10
The NYTs paving the way for a Hilliary run in 2016--making up the news as they go? Or they may be trying for an outstanding fiction award in their writings.
#1
This short article mentions Ahmed Abu Khattala no fewer than 5 times. Like Pakistani Doctor Shakil Afridi, if the name is planted often enough, the subject becomes an effective diversion. Central casting has accomplished it's mission.
If Afridi had anything to do with it, he'd be suffering the same fate as Mir Kasi the 1993 Langley gate shooter, who was convicted in a US court and was executed via lethal injection.
Being there, fails to constitute involvement or status as a ringleader. Show me the evidence on Ahmed Abu Khattala.
#3
Steve Doocy at Fox just interviewed Congressman Lynn Westmorland (Republican, GA) who sits on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) and the team that is investigating Benghazi. Lynn essentially said there was no credibility to the report. He went on to suggest a Clinton and Obama administration attempt to revive the anti-Islamic video as groundwork for the upcoming presidential election.
According to report from the United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, a rapid response military unit has also been deployed and beefed up in the northern regions while some tourist hotels now have armed guards.
"We have revised our security strategy. We have registered all expatriates and established police posts in areas where they work.
There are security control posts along the border to reduce illegal entry," said Bob-Iga Emmanuel, the head of police division at the governor's office in the Far North region.
However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... the authorities admit that it is impossible to completely secure Cameroon's longest border. There are also similar ethnic communities in Cameroon's Far North and North Eastern Nigeria who have family on either side of the border, speak the same language and share common culture, making undetected cross-border movement easy.
"Our main challenge is safeguarding our borders so that we don't import the Boko Haram problem," said Albert Sidi, who is in charge of economic, social and cultural affairs at the Far North governor's office.
Security collaboration
Meanwhile, ...back at the wine tasting, Vince was about to start tasting his third quart... Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan ... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau... has urged Cameroon to help in combating Boko Haram bully boys, who have been driven out of the main cities in North Eastern Nigeria. The two countries have since agreed to conduct separate but coordinated border patrols.
The Supervising Minster for Defence and Minister of Information, Mr. Labaran Maku disclosed in a radio programme, on Saturday that the recent attackers on Bama in Borno State came from across the border of Cameroun.
Emmanuel said there had been a rise in arms trafficking from Chad into northern Nigeria and "many people have been enjugged ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... with guns", but did not provide any figures.
The abduction of Frenchies in Cameroon in 2013 underscored the widening threat of gunnies linked to the Boko Haram jihadist group in Nigeria, prompting Cameroon to ramp up security. The kidnapping of a French priest in November 2013 is thought to have benefited from collusion by some local individuals.
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12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Bahrain has freed Shiite opposition leader holy man Ali Salman after a day of questioning, charging him with incitement to hatred and banning him from travel, the prosecution said.
Salman had been charged with "incitement to religious hatred and spreading false news likely to harm national security," attorney general Abdulrahman al-Sayyed was quoted as saying by the official BNA news agency late Saturday.
The prosecution had ordered the release of the head of the opposition Al-Wefaq bloc after he had been summoned on Saturday, but "forbade him from any travel for the purposes of the investigation," he added.
During his questioning, Salman had been asked about the content of a speech he gave on Friday.
The attorney general said Salman was charged with "inciting hatred against a religious community" in the Sunni Musselmen-ruled country during the address.
He was also alleged to have "accused institutions of the state of engaging in illegal practices".
The speech was followed by "disturbances, acts of violence and aggression against the security forces that caused injuries in their ranks," the chief prosecutor added.
Six opposition groups including Al-Wefaq have issued a statement denouncing Salman's detention as an "attack on freedom of expression in Bahrain".
Al-Wefaq, the most important opposition grouping in Shiite-majority Bahrain, wants a constitutional monarchy in the Gulf nation ruled by the Al-Khalifa dynasty.
It repeatedly says it rejects violence, but the authorities in turn blame its supporters for the trouble.
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12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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The arrests last week of the head of a Turkish state-owned bank and a well-known Iranian gold trader for money laundering and gold smuggling raise questions about U.S.-Turkish relations going forward. Halkbank CEO Suleyman Aslan and Iranian trader Reza Zarrab are key players in the "gas-for-gold" scheme that allowed Tehran to buy gold with Turkish lira in exchange for Iranian natural gas and oil. Western sanctions over Iran's nuclear pogram prevented the country from getting paid in euros or dollars, so the Turkish state-owned Halkbank used the precious metal to get around the restrictions.
The U.S. administration stiffened sanctions on Iran's precious metals trade in 2012, but a loophole allowed Turkey to transfer gold to private Iranian citizens. In January 2013 the U.S. took action to close the financial outlet, but the Obama administration lobbied Congress to wait six months in order to protect Halkbank from being sanctioned and thus cutting the bank from the U.S. financial system. The decision effectively helped Iran acquire billions of dollars more in gold by July.
"It's possible that the Obama administration didn't have compelling evidence of the role of the Iranian government in the gold trade," Mark Dubowitz, of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said. "However, the President may have also simply sought to protect his relationship with Ankara and didn't want to get into a diplomatic spat with [Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip] Erdogan, whom he considers a key regional ally."
Halkbank said payments made by the bank on behalf of companies exporting gold to Iran were transparent and traceable. Rules against trading precious metals with Iran took effect July 1 2013, and the bank discontinued trades a month earlier. Still, Dubowiz expressed concern over the relationship between Iran and Halkbank, noting a recent comment by the Iranian ambassador to Turkey, Ali Reza Bikdeli, praising Halkbank for its "smart management decisions in recent years [that] have played an important role in Iranian-Turkish relations."
[DAWN] Pakistain's former military ruler Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... on Sunday denounced treason charges against him as a "vendetta", and said he had the backing of the country's powerful Mighty Pak army. Sounds like a threat, I'd say...
The 70-year-old told news hounds the "whole army" was upset with the treason allegations, in his first comments to international media since he was put under house arrest in April.
The treason claims are the latest and potentially most serious in a flurry of criminal cases relating to Musharraf's nine-year rule that he has faced since returning to Pakistain in March.
The case puts the government on a possible collision course with the all-powerful army, which is seen as being reluctant to witness its former chief suffer the indignity of being tried by a civilian court.
"I would say the whole army is upset. I have led the army from the front," Musharraf told news hounds.
"I have no doubt with the feedback that I received that the whole army is... Totally with me on this issue."
The military, which has ruled Pakistain for more than half of its 66-year history and still wields great influence, has not made any clear public comment on Musharraf's legal woes.
The treason charges relate to Musharraf's imposition of emergency rule in November 2007, and if found guilty he could face the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... sounded on Friday an implied warning to his political rivals engaged in anti-drone protests against pushing the country into isolation in the international arena and said his government desired peace and friendship with other countries.
"Our effort is to transform the existing friendly ties into mutually beneficial partnerships. We live in a globalised world where no-one can afford isolation at any level," he said after inaugurating a new block at the Foreign Office.
He cautioned that isolation led a state to alienation from the world community. He did not make any direct reference to the ongoing suspension of NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants... supplies through Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... because of protests by the PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... against drone attacks, but his comments were obvious about the subject and people he intended to address.
Mr Sharif's remarks came as the anti-drone protests spread to Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... for blocking the second land route used by NATO for shipment to and from Afghanistan.
The US has been pressurising the Pakistain government to keep the land routes open, particularly in view of the drawdown taking place from Afghanistan.
The US Congress had last week passed a bill linking Coalition Support Fund reimbursements to reopening of the supply routes. The US reimburses, under the CSF, the cost incurred by Pakistain on operations in support of the war on terror in Afghanistan. The amount authorised for reimbursements during 2014 is $1.5 billion.
The government has lately temped down its rhetoric on drones. There has been a substantial shift in the language of statements from the Foreign Office since Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan's threat of reviewing ties with the US in response to the killing of TTP chief Hakeemullah Mehsud in a drone attack on Nov 1.
The prime minister said his government was conscious of the challenges posed by extremism and terrorism and deteriorating economy. Listing his government's policy priorities, he said their objective was to build a peaceful and prosperous neighbourhood, reach out to regional and international partners, focus on "trade, not aid" and develop a consensus-based approach to counter terrorism.
He said his government had begun taking steps for achieving these goals by improving relations with Afghanistan, resuming dialogue with India, strengthening strategic partnership with China, rebuilding relations with the US, engaging with Europe and enhancing solidarity with the Mohammedan world.
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12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... Minister for Information Shah Farman has reiterated his government's stand on the option of opening office for Taliban in the country and said that from the very beginning Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... was in favour of negotiations for restoration of durable peace.
Speaking at 'Meet the Press' programme of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. Press Club on Saturday, the minister said that it was necessary for successful negotiations to have access to the stakeholders and the only option could be the Taliban's office.
He said that the federal government was not sincere to take practical initiatives for negotiations otherwise it would have changed its foreign policy and approached the relevant people for the purpose. He said that the federal government had so far not devised a plan for negotiations with Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain.
"We have always emphasised holding negotiations with Taliban, stopping drone attacks, reviewing foreign policy and implementation of the resolutions adopted in an all parties' conference and in the parliament for establishment of sustainable peace in the country," the minister said.
Commenting on the persistent attacks by myrmidons on vaccinators of anti-polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... drops, he said that the government was aware of the situation and would ensure protection of the volunteers and paramedics.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The federal government and international donor agencies showing disregard to the homeless and economically deprived families from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) have launched development projects that don't serve the people's basic needs.
In background interviews senior functionaries dealing with the recovery and rehabilitation activities in Fata expressed reservations about the priorities set for implementing projects sponsored by the Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF).
Officials said that the major objective of MDTF was restoration of damaged infrastructure and disrupted services in Fata besides provision of basic amenities to affected communities.
However, a lie repeated often enough remains a lie... the project implementing agencies of MDTF, according to the official sources, have been focusing more on areas that do not directly cater to the affected communities' basic needs, including housing, water sanitation and economic rehabilitation.
"People are desperate for getting tents and other basic amenities in Fata while money received under the MDTF is being spent on holding seminars abroad and provision of digital equipment for offices in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. ," remarked one officer.
The sources said that over 30,000 displaced persons had been sent back to Tirah Valley of Khyber Agency in October this year without providing them with tents and material required for construction of temporary shelters.
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12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Close reading of the inquiry report into the Dera Ismail Khan ... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ... jailbreak is certain to send chills down the spine, particularly the sketch contained therein showing police and military deployment (at a time when an attack seemed imminent) as opposed to the pickets set up by krazed killers.
The ease with which gunnies effectively demobilised law enforcement agencies from responding to the attack, freed 253 prisoners and then returned to their tribal sanctuaries ought to have set alarm bells ringing at multiple levels. The raid was, in the words of one analyst, akin to briefly having taken over the town.
Instead, the 21-page inquiry report -- a copy of which is now available with Dawn -- was shelved.
The attack on the D.I. Khan jail took place this summer on the night between July 29 and July 30. The report records how a group of some 20 to 25 Mehsud krazed killers, aided by a number of Punjabi gunnies as well as several Uzbeks and other supporters, travelled undetected from their hideout in South Wazoo to assemble at the Town Hall just across the prison (see sketch) by 8:30pm.
Three hours later, seven teams of gunnies had taken up position on roads and rooftops at ten different places around the prison. These were aimed at blocking the movement of security personnel and reinforcements, sealing off the area and preventing access from the eastern and western ends of the city.
This was followed by a spectacular series of kabooms and gunfire designed to create confusion and inspire fear in security personnel and citizens, the report notes.
Having cut off all access to the prison, the gunnies then fired rocket-propelled grenades at its gate, broke open the cells and barracks "methodically", and freed 253 prisoners. The report concedes that four prisoners from a minority sect were identified and executed.
Chillingly, "about 25 minutes into the attack a krazed killer using the call sign of Tariq 2 (DSP City) came on the police wireless frequency taunting the police -- threatening to raze the city to the ground", notes the report.
According to the findings of the inquiry committee, the entire operation inside the prison took no more than 45 minutes. However, a hangover is the wrath of grapes... gunnies in the pickets on roads and rooftops around the incarceration centre maintained a presence for nearly two hours.
"The attacking party took the Daraban and Aarra road routes to reach their safe haven; a couple of gunnies used the Yarak (Bannu) road to make their escape good [sic], while those manning roads and positions disappeared in the city," says the report.
The document is silent, however, on what action -- if any -- was taken by the police and the military that were also holding positions in the vicinity (as shown in the rough sketch annexed to the report) to capture the fleeing gunnies and prisoners.
What it does provide are details of the elaborate measures taken by the police, the Elite Force, the army, and district and divisional commissioners to ward off the attack following a July 27 intelligence warning. These included meetings, visits to the prison, joint mock exercises and the deployment of personnel.
Having probed the role of the district officers of the civil administration and that of the police and the Elite Force, the inquiry committee recommended punitive action.
None was taken. The brunt of what was actually the failure of the state apparatus to prevent or respond to the raid was borne by officers of the prison department -- whose jail manual authorises them to quell unrest within prisons alone.
The Pakistain Army, says the report, was conducting its own investigation into the debacle.
Terming the failure of the political agents in North and South Waziristan to report the movement of gunnies towards settled districts "deplorable", the inquiry committee did not recommend action against them on the grounds that Fata was in control of the army under Article 245 of the Constitution. What it missed, however, was that the North Waziristan political agent who had been in charge when the Bannu jailbreak occurred in April, 2012, had already been made OSD (officer on special duty) as a result of an inquiry against him over that incident.
Similarly, the report refers to the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... chief minister having taken exception to not having been informed of the threat to the D.I. Khan jail. But it fails to take into consideration the call data record to the chief minister's personal staff, forensic evidence (annexed to the report) or a July 29 letter (copy available with Dawn) from the D.I. Khan commissioner addressed amongst others to the principal staff officer of the KP chief minister, acknowledging the threat and detailing the measures taken by his administration to counter it.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Bustin' out 253 inmates and wacking four insufficiently-crazy prisoners whilst pinning down the good guys from blocking positions sounds like a very well executed plan. Almost military-like. ISI?
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/30/2013 13:12 Comments ||
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#2
Possible. Or experienced current/former military personnel trained in the Pak army (or various Islamic countries such as the 'stans, Syria, Iraq, etc.)
With no full-time ambassador in DC for many months to try and smooth concerns about Pakistan in the US Congress, Capitol Hill has turned increasingly belligerent on Pakistan. But not having a senior-level presence on the ground to make Pakistani case is only one half of the story: even if there had been an ambassador during the second half of the year to sell Pakistan's case, he or she would likely have met few takers.
US Special Envoy James Dobbins' appearance before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Dec 11 epitomised the problem. Dobbins wanted to focus on a new and positive evolution in the White House's approach in the broader region this year: improving relations between India and Pakistan. The United States, Dobbins said, wanted to leave behind a secure and stable Afghanistan when it withdraws its forces from there in 2014 but this was not possible as long as India and Pakistan continued to fight for influence in Kabul. Mr Dobbins also said the Pakistani prime minister was the right person to reduce tensions with India and had "a fair chance of being able to do so".
But it became obvious during the hearing that it was not easy to sell Pakistan on Capitol Hill.
Congressman Ed Royce, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called Pakistan "a double-dealer", who was "paying lip service to cooperation with the US" while "simultaneously undermining our primary objective of bringing Afghanistan under the control of a democratically elected government". Congressman Ami Bera, a California Democrat of Indian origin, highlighted Indian concern that once the US withdrew from Afghanistan, "hardened, trained jihadi fighters will start shifting over to the Indian-Pakistan border".
And these anti-Pakistan feelings reflected in a bill Congress passed last week, which calls for stopping reimbursements to Pakistan if ground supply routes to Afghanistan are interrupted. The bill seeks a certification from the US defence secretary that Pakistan is taking demonstrable actions against Al Qaeda and other militant groups active along the Pak-Afghan border. The bill also requires Pakistan to disrupt cross-border attacks against US, coalition and Afghan security forces in Afghanistan, counter the threat of IEDs and not to persecute religious and ethnic minorities.
The development comes on the heels of US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel's recent visit to Pakistan during which he was reported to have warned of the mood in the US Congress souring on Pakistan.
The sour mood in Congress though contrasted with an improved year for overall Pak-US relations. Arguably, the bilateral relationship underwent a much-needed positive transition: from an all-encompassing love-knot to an issue based friendship which acknowledges that the two sides' interests do not always coincide. This obviously is degradation from the days of close a partnership that followed the 2001 terrorist attacks and the US invasion of Afghanistan. But viewed from another angle, it looks like a major improvement.
"An issue-based relationship required both sides to concede that their interests do not always coincide," Ms Rehman said. And US President Barack Obama did exactly that when after a meeting with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif at the White House on Oct 23, he mentioned "incidents of terrorism inside of Pakistan's borders and the degree to which these activities may be exported to other countries".
This, he said, was "a source of tension between our two countries" and urged the Pakistani leader to work with him to make counter-terrorism cooperation "a source of strength for us". Mr Sharif said he "also brought up the issue of drones in our meeting, emphasising the need for an end to such strikes".
But Congress does not appear to have gotten the memo from the White House on Pakistan. Where the White House appeared willing to patch up and focus on the doables, Congress dug in its heels and stuck to the old 'do more' mantra.
[Egypt Independent] Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... Secretary General Nabil al-Araby said that application of the classification of the Moslem Brüderbund as a terrorist group is subject to the evaluation of each state due to the large rift between the international law and its application.
"But we will notify all Arab states," he said at a presser on Sunday.
In response to a question about the impact of this matter on relations between the Arab countries, al-Araby said that each country has its own policy. "We cannot dictate to them what to do," he said, adding that 17 Arab countries have signed the binding Arab Convention Against Terrorism.
The Egyptian government last week said it had labeled the Brotherhood a terrorist organization following a bombing in Mansoura, that killed 16 people. Though a known terrorist group, Ansar Bayt al-Maqdes, grabbed credit for the attack, the government has placed blame on the Brotherhood.
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12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] One of the most wanted leaders of an Al-Qaeda-linked group operating in Iraq and Syria had been held in detention for five years but was released in 2010, an Iraqi official revealed Sunday.
Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, front man for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) bully boy group, was jugged Book 'im, Mahmoud! by international forces in Iraq in May 2005, the senior intelligence official told AFP.
He did not specify why he was freed.
At the time of his arrest, he used the name "Yasir Khalaf Hussein Nazal al-Rawi", and now goes by various others such as "Abu Mohammed al-Adnani Taha al-Banshi", "Jabr Taha Falah", "Abu al-Khattab" and "Abu Sadeq al-Rawi", the official said.
Adnani was born in 1977 and lived in the Haditha district of Anbar province in western Iraq, the official said, adding that his mother's name was Khadija Hamed.
He is considered one of the main leaders of ISIL, a jihadist group which carries out attacks inside Iraq and is also fighting alongside rebel forces in Syria against Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... 's troops, and has released audio recordings and written statements on behalf of the bully boy group.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
One suspects the Sauds provided a comfortable retirement for someone(s) in the Iraqi judicial system..
[Ynet] Eight ministers support bill proposing that Israel annex Jordan Valley, so that it remains within Israeli illusory sovereignty even if peace accord is reached with Paleostinians. Several ministers appeal, say will block legislative process
Chief Paleostinian negotiator Saeb Erekat ...negotiated the Oslo Accords with Israel. He has been chief Paleostinian negotiator since 1995. He is currently negotiating with Israel to establish a de jure Paleostinian state... said that the approval of the bill is destroying US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... 's efforts to advance the grinding of the peace processor.
#1
The Muslim world will most certainly NOT be happy about this, but in reality this is the best way for the Israelis to unilater econ support + defend both a new Paleo State widout need of third parties [read, anti-Paleo EGYPT + JORDAN], as well as serve Israeli security interests.
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) [the winner of the Nobel peace prize for 2013], the body in charge of the UN-backed plan to destroy 1,300 tonnes of Syria's chemical weapons, said it had put in place all the necessary "logistical and security" arrangements.
However, it added that tomorrow's deadline for the shipment of the weapons-grade munitions cannot be met and could only proceed if President Bashar al-Assad's government "intensified efforts" to move the material.
Posted by: lord garth ||
12/30/2013 16:02 ||
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[An Nahar] Leb's Ambassador to Syria Michel Khoury will be referred to retirement at the end of December, which will prompt a vacancy in the post, reported the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat on Sunday.
It said that Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet... 's daughter, Farah, may be appointed as his replacement.
Diplomatic and legal complications however stand in the way of her appointment.
The daily explained that certain promotions by caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour in Farah Berri's favor need to be made.
Moreover, Khoury's replacement needs to approved by the entire government, it added.
The current state of affairs in Leb however are thwarting such measures.
Mansour is expected however to soon announce the promotion of 55 diplomats from category three to category two employees.
Farah Berri is currently a category three administrative employee.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
"Jeez, Dad! Ambassador to Syria? Syriasly?" /eyeroll
[An Nahar] Syria is committed to its key regional ally Iran attending a planned peace conference next month to which it has yet to be invited, Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Sunday.
"Syria is committed to Iran joining the peace conference," the official SANA news agency quoted Muallem as saying at a media forum.
"It is illogical that the United States or the so-called opposition exclude this country from the conference for political reasons," he said.
Iran does not figure on a list named by global peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi in Geneva on December 20 for the January 22 conference dubbed Geneva 2.
"On Iran, we haven't agreed yet," Brahimi told news hounds after talks with U.S. and Russian officials.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... on Sunday announced that Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... has decided to donate three billion dollars with the aim of purchasing French weapons for the Lebanese army as soon as possible.
After canceling a much-anticipated presser previously scheduled for Sunday evening, Suleiman appeared in a televised address to declare that he managed through his talks with King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands Abdullah ... Fifth out of 37 sons of King Abdulaziz to ascend to the throne. He is, after his half-brothers Bandar and Musa'id, the third eldest of the living sons of Abdul Aziz ibn Saud. Abdullah's mother is from the Rashid clan, longtime rivals of the Saud. He has 6 sons and 15 daughters and about $20 billion. His youngest son is just seven years old... to secure "extraordinary support" for the army.
"Enhancing the army's capabilities is a unifying national and popular demand and a source of pride and it is a dream that I always had during my 41 years of military service, and it is the dream of every Lebanese since independence to confront the Israeli threat, protect democracy, face terrorism and put an end to the proliferation of arms," said the president.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
I don't think Hesb'allah is going to be pleased by this.
[An Nahar] Head of the Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... bloc MP Fouad Saniora declared that the March 14 camp will not back down from its principles and its struggle to achieve a free, democratic, and independent Leb.
He said: "We will liberate Leb from the occupation of the illegitimate arms."
He made his remarks at the end of the funeral of slain former Finance Minister Mohammed Shatah.
"They killed Shatah in broad daylight and in cold blood," he stated.
"The murderer is carrying out his crimes without anyone to stop them and believing that he can escape punishment," he added.
"The Lebanese people will not surrender and we will not fear the criminals, murderers, and terrorists," stressed Saniora.
"They instead should be afraid because they are murderers," he noted.
"They commit murders in order to assert their control over Leb, but we will renew our commitment to coexistence and civil peace," said the former prime minister.
"They continue their killing, while we commit to a free and democratic Leb that respects human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... , accepts the peaceful rotation of power, and respects the law and constitution," he stressed.
"They have become adept at murder and the destruction of people, the economy, and Leb's ties with other countries," continued Saniora.
"We will not be transformed into murderers and we will not destroy Leb as they do," he declared.
"Leb will remain an open ground for freedom, dialogue, and reconciliation, not that of strife and fighting," added the head of the Mustaqbal bloc.
"We will remain committed to the national pact and coexistence. We will reject terrorism, extremism, and violence," he said.
"We will not back down from the rights of the deaders no matter how arrogant and deceitful the murderers become," Saniora stated.
"We will confront the oppression as we demand freedom, justice, and righteousness," he said.
"We have decided to wage a peaceful, civilized, and democratic resistance," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Slain former finance minister Mohammed Shatah wrote an "open letter" to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani last week, prior to his liquidation in a boom-mobileing in Beirut on Friday, according to the U.S. daily The Wall Street Journal.
Shatah was killed before he could "gather signatures from members of the Lebanese parliament," the WSJ said.
In what he described as a "vision and roadmap," Shatah calls on Iran in the letter to help "neutralize" Leb according to the Baabda Declaration and to contribute to "ending all armed participation by Lebanese groups and parties, including Hizbullah, in the Syrian conflict."
He also called for "establishing effective control by the Lebanese army and security forces over the border with Syria, supported by the United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... if needed as permitted under UNSCR 1701."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The Palestinian Fatah movement on Sunday handed over one of its officials to the Lebanese army for interrogation over the case of the Starco area blast that killed former finance minister Mohammed Shatah and seven other people.
State-run National News Agency said the movement handed over "the commander of the Shatila Martyrs Brigade, Colonel Talal al-Ordoni, to the army's intelligence directorate, which will hear his testimony over the issue of the stolen car that was used in the Starco bombing."
On Friday, As Safir newspaper quoted a detainee identified as Abu al-Daoud as saying that the Honda CRV used in the attack "entered the Ain el-Hilweh camp some time ago and was given to a man nicknamed Talal al-Ordoni."
It later turned out that al-Ordoni is a member of Fatah Movement, not Fatah al-Islam as mentioned in the newspaper's report.
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12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Mourners vented their anger at Hizbullah on Sunday, accusing it of assassinating former finance minister Mohammed Shatah, who was also an adviser to former premiers Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's assassination. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. and Fouad Saniora.
As Shatah was buried in the center of Beirut, mourners chanted "Hizbullah is the enemy of God." The movement's name means "Party of God" in Arabic.
There was little doubt among the mourners that Hizbullah and its Syrian government ally were behind the killing of Shatah and seven other people in Friday's boom-mobileing in the heart of the capital.
Sectarian tensions have soared in Leb since Hizbullah openly intervened in the conflict in neighboring Syria alongside Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... 's forces earlier this year.
Many Lebanese Sunnis have provided sympathy or support to the mainly Sunni rebels fighting to overthrow him.
Hizbullah and Syria have been accused of a spate of killings of Damascus opponents in Leb since the 2005 liquidation of former prime minister Rafik Hariri.
Hizbullah targets have been hit by a string of deadly bombings this year, following the intervention in Syria.
"Syria and its allies in Leb, particularly Hizbullah, are the ones who assassinated Shatah, they don't want this country to be peaceful," said 40-year-old teacher Youssef Sati.
Massive rallies and an international outcry that followed Hariri's murder prompted Syria to end a three-decade troop presence in 2005 but many Lebanese complain that the influence of their larger neighbor has never ended.
"Both old and young know that Syria hasn't left Leb," said 57-year-old Susanne Abdel Mejid, an Egyptian married to a Lebanese citizen, who has lived in Leb for 40 years.
"Even if its army withdrew, its henchmen and supporters are still here," she said, wiping away her tears with a white tissue.
Shatah is the ninth high-profile critic of the Syrian regime to be killed in Leb since Hariri's liquidation, and his death serves to remind many Lebanese that no one has been held accountable for those killings.
"We want to punish the criminals. We've lost someone very important," said Ibrahim Allawi, 19, from northern Leb.
"We want to know who the criminal is and make sure they are punished and held accountable."
But there has been little sign of accountability in the string of liquidations that have rocked Leb since 2005.
A U.N.-backed tribunal has spent years investigating the attack that killed Hariri and 22 others, but Hizbullah has refused to hand over the suspects accused by the court.
Instead, five members of the group are to be tried in absentia when the Special Tribunal for Leb convenes in the Netherlands next month.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
See also TOPIX > [Daily Star] LAST CHANCE FOR LEBANESE TO SAFEGUARD THEIR COUNTRY.
Lebanon now on the brink of civil war after Shatah assassination???
#2
assuming Hezbllh did it, they chose their target with some care
Shatah was educated in elite western universities and served various governments in Lebanon. He had no ties to the Sunni militant groups currently attacking the Hezbies or the Shiite supporters. Shatah was a major voice in supporting the disarmament of Hezbllh. His persistence and eloquence in this undoubtedly enraged the hezbies.
Posted by: lord garth ||
12/30/2013 2:18 Comments ||
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#3
Personally, I'm only interested in watching revengeTM!
[An Nahar] An influential Iranian politician on Sunday urged the judiciary to end the house arrests of opposition figures Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi and to put them on trial.
"The protracted house arrests without trial lack legal or religious justification," conservative MP Ali Motahari told parliament in remarks carried by the ISNA news agency.
Mousavi and Karroubi have been held incommunicado under separate house arrests since February 2011 for orchestrating massive, unprecedented street protests sparked by a disputed presidential election two years earlier.
The protests turned deadly when authorities resorted to a heavy-handed crackdown in which thousands of protesters, reformist activists and journalists were jugged You have the right to remain silent... .
Motahari slammed the judiciary for not having resolved the issue already, more than four years after the 2009 election of Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad as president for a second term that Mousavi and Karroubi claimed was rigged.
The issue remains a sensitive, polarizing issue in the Islamic republic despite Ahmadinejad's term ending in August when his successor Hassan Rouhani was sworn in to office.
"This crisis will not be resolved as long as one side is not allowed to speak for and defend itself, while the other side continues to mount accusations," said Motahari, the son of a prominent revolutionary ayatollah.
"The only solution ... is the public trial of Mousavi and Karroubi, and also Ahmadinejad," he said, arguing that the latter had mishandled the crisis.
Prosecutor general Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei however dismissed Motahari's remarks, arguing that those who had leveled "big lies" against the establishment in 2009 had committed a "major sin".
Motahari also warned, in separate remarks carried by the official IRNA news agency, that "the establishment will have to pay a hefty price, should Mousavi and Karroubi die while under house arrest".
Both men are suffering health problems, according to reports.
Motahari's comments come as pro-reform and more centrist factions urge Rouhani to work towards ending the detentions of political prisoners, including Mousavi and Karroubi.
Rouhani, a reputed pragmatist and a self-declared moderate, and some senior administration officials, have hinted at wanting to end the tensions sparked by the 2009 upheavals.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/30/2013 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.
[Egypt Independent] The urgent court rejected a lawsuit filed by a lawyer forcing Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to run in the presidential elections.
Goodluck Jonathan
The arrests last week of the head of a Turkish state-owned bank and a well-known Iranian gold trader for money laundering and gold smuggling raise questions about U.S.-Turkish relations going forward. Halkbank CEO Suleyman Aslan and Iranian trader Reza Zarrab are key players in the "gas-for-gold" scheme that allowed Tehran to buy gold with Turkish lira in exchange for Iranian natural gas and oil. Western sanctions over Iran's nuclear pogram prevented the country from getting paid in euros or dollars, so the Turkish state-owned Halkbank used the precious metal to get around the restrictions.
Pervez 
[DAWN] Prime Minister 
[DAWN] The federal government and international donor agencies showing disregard to the homeless and economically deprived families from Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) have launched development projects that don't serve the people's basic needs.
Wazoo
With no full-time ambassador in DC for many months to try and smooth concerns about Pakistan in the US Congress, Capitol Hill has turned increasingly belligerent on Pakistan. But not having a senior-level presence on the ground to make Pakistani case is only one half of the story: even if there had been an ambassador during the second half of the year to sell Pakistan's case, he or she would likely have met few takers.
Congressman Ed Royce, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called Pakistan "a double-dealer", who was "paying lip service to cooperation with the US" while "simultaneously undermining our primary objective of bringing Afghanistan under the control of a democratically elected government". Congressman Ami Bera, a California Democrat of Indian origin, highlighted Indian concern that once the US withdrew from Afghanistan, "hardened, trained jihadi fighters will start shifting over to the Indian-Pakistan border".
[Egypt Independent] 
[An Nahar] One of the most wanted leaders of an Al-Qaeda-linked group operating in Iraq and Syria had been held in detention for five years but was released in 2010, an Iraqi official revealed Sunday.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) 
King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands Abdullah
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
"This crisis will not be resolved as long as one side is not allowed to speak for and defend itself, while the other side continues to mount accusations," said Motahari, the son of a prominent revolutionary ayatollah.
