[Tolo News] A day after a group of button men stormed two government buildings in Kabul in which 43 people were killed, the Chief Executive of Afghanistan, Abdullah Abdullah ... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun... , said he sees Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... and their supporters behind the attack.
The target of the attack was the Public Works Ministry and the National Authority on Disabled and Heirs of Martyrs’ Affairs in Kabul’s PD16.
"I condemn this crime," Abdullah said at an event in Kabul on Tuesday. "The enemies of Afghanistan once again committed a crime against the innocent people of the country. Whoever takes the responsibility of this act, the main perpetrator of this incident is the Taliban."
He described Taliban as is a group which has disrupted Afghanistan’s security with "cruelty" and a group which is taking the lives of civilians and has many times taken responsibility for "such heinous acts".
Abdullah said Taliban is a group which does not have "the courage" of face-to-face talks but it has "the cruelty" of conducting terror acts.
He also said that "any country which has given sanctuary to the Taliban and is giving safe haven to the group and are supporting them, are behind the attack".
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12/26/2018 00:00 ||
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[RADIOSHABELLE] Kenya Defence Cabinet Secretary Raychelle Omamo and Chief of Defence Forces Samson Mwathathe have made surprise visits to Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) soldiers serving in different parts of Somalia.
Omamo said the visit was to appreciate sacrifices the soldiers and their families had made to sustain a war against al-Shabaab ... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord... Lions of Islam and secure Kenya.
In a moving message to the soldiers, Omamo said it was not an ordinary everyday choice for anyone to put their lives in danger to protect the lives of others.
Omamo and Gen Mwathethe were on a military camps surprise visit that saw them surprise the hardworking men and women of KDF who are on duty in Somalia.
The visit took the duo to Manda, Hulugho, and Kolbiyow military camps and thanked them for their dedication to duty which they affirmed is what’s keeping Kenya safe.
"I have come here to be with you and to share the spirit of this season with you, exceptional brave men and women. I want to let you know you are appreciated and that Kenyans are proud of you. We appreciate that you have stood firm and fought off threats to our motherland and stood firm, even in the face of great challenges. We thank you for the sacrifices you have made, even beyond the call of duty," CS Omamo said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2018 00:00 ||
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[PULSE.NG] The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, has branded terrorist group, Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... , as nothing but "a band of criminals" that has been defeated by troops of the Nigerian Army.
In a Christmas and New Year goodwill message directed at officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army on Tuesday, December 25, 2018, the Army chief urged troops in the counter-insurgency operations in the northeast region to be wary of misinformation and propaganda being spread by the terrorist group.
Buratai assured that the group has been defeated by troops and is only using propaganda to paint a picture of strength and invincibility with the aim of demoralising the military.
He said, "It is evident that you have defeated the Boko Haram terrorists. Thus, they have now resorted to employing propaganda in order to demoralise you by spreading false messages of strength and invincibility.
"It is pertinent for troops to understand that Boko Haram holy warriors are nothing but a band of criminals. Therefore, you must all brace up to clear and flush out their remnants.
"We have superior training, fire power and experience. We have a history of successes on the battlefield both at home and abroad. This must be reflected in all our operations."
Buratai's defiant message comes in the wake of several attacks waged by Boko Haram holy warriors on military bases in 2018.
The most devastating of the attacks recently took place on November 18 when holy warriors overran the 157 Task Force Battalion in Metele village in Guzamala local government area of Borno State.
Even though many reports indicated that over 100 soldiers were killed in the Metele attack, with many others missing, the Army disclosed in a statement that 23 soldiers were killed with 31 others injured. 19 of them were recently buried in a military ceremony.
Around the time of the Metele attack, holy warriors also staged a series of attacks on Nigerian Army troops between November 2 and November 17 with 16 soldiers killed and 12 injured.
The attacks took place in Kukawa, Ngoshe, Kareto and Gajiram, all in Borno, but were 'successfully repelled' by troops who killed 'several members' of the terrorist group.
Many of the attacks were credited to Boko Haram faction, the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... West Africa Province (ISWAP), which has renewed assaults on military bases in 2018.
Even though President Muhammadu Buhari and the military have claimed in the past that the group has been technically defeated, the president charged troops again after the Metele attack to remain committed to defeating Boko Haram.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2018 00:00 ||
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#1
Boko Haram holy warriors are nothing but a band of criminals
[ALMASDARNEWS] Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry summoned the deputy charge d’affaires at the Iraqi embassy on Monday to denounce footage of former Iraqi prime minister Nuri al-Maliki criticizing Manama’s crackdown on the Shiite opposition, Rooters said.
The politician attended a meeting last week organized by the February 14 movement, Bahraini activists who Manama designated a terrorist group in 2014.
"Discrimination, marginalization... have reached a severe limit on the people of Bahrain," Maliki said, according to videos from the event.
He was also quoted as urging dialogue with those "demanding freedom and justice" to protect Bahrain and its people, Sunnis and Shiites.
Manama described Maliki’s statements as "blatant and unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of Bahrain," state news agency BNA reported.
Bahrain, like Iraq, is seen as a flashpoint for the proxy war between the two regional arch-rivals Sunni 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... and Shiite Iran.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2018 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] BNP, 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... , and Jatiya Oikya Front are spreading propaganda against the army based on the "prescription" provided by Pak intelligence agency ISI, Awami League Joint General Secretary Abdur Rahman has claimed.
He made the accusations at a presser held at the party president's Dhanmondi political office in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon.
"The lies and deception spread by BNP, Jamaat, and Oikya Front have become profound," he said. "But acting on ISI's prescription, they have now targeted their twisted propaganda towards our symbol of pride and esteem‐our army."
Commenting on Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder and Oikya Front leader Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury's remarks against incumbent army Chief of Staff Abdul Aziz on a TV talk show on October 9, Abdur Rahman said: "Everyone saw how Zafrullah made ill-motivated and false statements against the Bangladesh Army, and its chief, to tarnish the army's image.
"Now these parties are opening fake Facebook IDs and websites in the army's name and trying to confuse the public," he said.
Abdur Rahman also said conspiracies against the army are nothing new for BNP-Jamaat. "After ascending to power with a false coup, BNP Founder Ziaur Rahman killed thousands of innocent army officials and freedom fighters through the so-called tribunal."
BNP and Jamaat have always worked to implicate the army in controversies, he said at the presser.
He added: "Yesterday [Monday], Jatiya Oikya Front chief Dr Kamal Hossain mentioned Yahya Khan's‐the man responsible for 1971's genocide‐name at a presser. If Kamal Hossain stands in front of a mirror, he will only see Yahya's reflection."
The joint general secretary accused Dr Kamal Hossain of harbouring anti-liberation war sentiments. "He has started adopting a Pak mentality."
Accusing BNP, Jamaat, and Oikya Front leaders of causing violence and disruption in different parts of the country before the December 30 polls, Abdur said: "BNP, Jamaat, and Oikya Front are using their own people to vandalize the election offices of Awami League and their allied parties, to sabotage their campaign activities."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2018 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) Director General (DG) Benazir Ahmed has said that huge amount of cash is being sent from Dubai to Bangladesh to influence the 11th general election.
His remarks came at a press briefing in Dhaka on Tuesday afternoon, after a drive that ended with the arrest of three men and seizure of Tk8 crore in cash and Tk10 crore in cheque.
He claimed that the trio was involved in "instigating violence by distributing illegal money" ahead of the polls, scheduled to be held across the country on Sunday.
Conducted based on a tip-off, the elite force’s raid had started on Monday afternoon and ended on Tuesday morning ‐ during which Rab swept through the office of export-import and contractor firm United Corporation on the 27th floor of City Centre, situated in the capital’s Motijheel, and Amena Enterprise at Gulshan.
Benazir added that they also recovered a number of vouchers, several types of receipts, slips and cash books which showed where the money went and who received them.
At the press briefing held at United Corporation, he said the documents they have recovered during the raid showed that some Tk150 crore have already been disbursed from that office.
RAB identified the arrestees as Amena Enterprise General Manager JoynalAbedin and office assistant Alamgir Hossain, and Ali Haider, managing director of United Corporation.
One of them also used to work at HawaBhaban, the former political office of BNP Chairperson the loathesome Khaleda Zia Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ... at Banani which was the centre of power during the BNP-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... government.
The owner of United Corporation, Mahmudul Hasan, is an expatriate living in Dubai, and BNP’s candidate in Shariatpur 3 constituency Miah Nuruddin Ahmed Apu is the owner of Amena Enterprise.
RAB 3 Operation Officer Additional Superintendent of Police ABM Faizullah also told the Dhaka Tribune on Tuesday evening that a case was filed against the trio ‐ under the Money Laundering Prevention Act and Anti-terrorism Act ‐ at Motijheel cop shoppe.
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12/26/2018 00:00 ||
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[DW] Forty migrants colonists have been rescued from five boats in the English Channel. The Christmas Day rescues come amid a spike in migrant boats trying to cross the treacherous seas.
British and French maritime authorities intercepted 40 migrants colonists trying to cross the English Channel on Tuesday.
The British Home Office, which oversees immigration, said the migrants colonists were from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan.
French maritime authorities said a rubber dinghy with a failed engine was rescued with eight migrants colonists onboard, including two children. They were transferred to British authorities.
British authorities responded to the other four incidents.
The migrants colonists received a health check and were transferred for immigration processing.
Why? I thought the rule was that those caught coming from another EU country were automatically sent back.
The children went under the protection of UK social services.
More than 150 people have been plucked from Channel in two months. Most of those held by police crossing the world's busiest shipping lane from La Belle France since November have claimed to be Iranian.
It emerged last month that people smugglers are charging migrants colonists up to £13,000 each to cross the Channel by inflatable dinghy.
One family of would-be asylum seekers was charged £40,000 for the dangerous night-time sea crossing.
So-called 'agents' have already charged families to reach the French coast. Many fly from Iran to countries such as Serbia or The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire.... , before being smuggled across borders to make overland journeys across Europe.
People traffickers then demand a further fee to get them to British soil. Individuals pay as much as £13,300 a head (15,000 euros) to board rubber dinghies for the freezing night journey.
It seems to me these are not prices the poor can afford...
h/t Gates of Vienna
[InfoWars] One of the female Scandinavian hiker victims who was raped and murdered by Islamic State supporters in Morocco previously posted a video on her Facebook page showing a bearded Muslim man urging people to "never judge people by their appearance."
Posted by: g(r)omgoru ||
12/26/2018 07:25 ||
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[JP] n a highly unusual rebuke of the Palestinian Mission in Berlin on Tuesday, Germany's foreign ministry blasted the Mission for glorifying terrorism.
The Palestinian Mission posted on its Facebook page an illustration of convicted Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) terrorist Leila Khaled, with the statement: "Resistance is not terrorism."
"We have made it clear to the Palestinian Mission that we need clarification on the Facebook post, and the glorification of terrorism and a glorification of Lufthansa kidnapper Leila Khaled are completely unacceptable," a spokesperson for the ministry wrote to The Jerusalem Post.
The mission eventually deleted the pro-PFLP Facebook post.
A Post press query to the Palestinian Mission in Berlin was not immediately returned.
Bild reporter Filipp Piatov first broke the story on Monday about the Palestinian Mission in Berlin promoting Khaled from the PFLP terrorist organization.
[AnNahar] Cypriot authorities on Tuesday picked up 19 migrants colonists on the island's western tip who had been dropped off by suspect people smugglers, state-funded Cyprus News Agency reported.
It is believed the migrants colonists arrived by boat in the Akamas region on Monday night before being spotted by police, CNA said.
The suspected traffickers got away on a speedboat despite Cypriot marine police pursuing and trying to intercept it, the agency reported.
The origin of the migrants colonists, 14 men, two women and three children, was not immediately disclosed. They were taken to a reception center in the capital Nicosia.
Over the past 12 months there has been a steady flow of Syrian migrants colonists arriving in Cyprus from The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... and Leb.
Cyprus has warned Brussels it faces growing pressure from increasing irregular migration.
EU data earlier this year showed it had received more asylum applications per capita than any of the bloc's other 28 nations.
Cyprus said it has received over 4,000 asylum requests in the first eight months of 2018 -- 55 percent more than in the same period last year.
But despite lying just 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the coast of war-torn Syria, Cyprus has not seen the massive inflow of migrants colonists experienced by Turkey and Greece.
[DW] The flag and a text in Arabic were found close to the site where an overhead contact wire was found damaged. It is unclear if the propaganda objects were related to the damage caused to the overhead power cable.
German police said on Tuesday they had recovered a flag of the "Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... " (IS) group and a text in Arabic close to a railway track in Berlin where an overhead power cable was found to be damaged on Sunday.
Investigators are trying to ascertain if the propaganda objects were linked to the damage caused to the overhead contact wire. They are also examining if the perpetrators had any political motives.
"Since the beginning of the investigation, several pieces of evidence have been secured," police said, adding that Sherlocks found a torn steel cable and the damaged overhead contact wire at the train track on Sunday.
Germany's train operator informed the police of the damage. The incident caused a temporary disruption in local train services in the German capital.
It remains unclear if there is any connection between the incident in Berlin and a similar case on a railway line between the southern German cities of Nuremberg and Munich where unknown suspects tried to damage or even derail a high-speed train with a steel cable in October.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/26/2018 00:00 ||
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#1
Messing with the overhead contact wire can lead to shocking surprises.
Posted by: Bobby on the road ||
12/26/2018 20:16 Comments ||
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[Rudaw] Ottoman Turkish authorities have asked Google to remove a map of Greater Kurdistan that includes southeastern provinces of The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...Qatar's colony in Asia Minor.... "The Information Technology and Communications Body (BTK) has met with the platform [Google]’s relevant representatives for the immediate removal of the mentioned map as part of their obligations in terms of national and international legislation," Ottoman Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Cahit Turan confirmed in answer to a written question from a deputy from the newly-founded nationalist IYI Party.
Greater Kurdistan refers to lands inhabited by Kurds and encompasses territories in four countries: southeastern Turkey (Northern Kurdistan), northern Iraq (Southern Kurdistan or the Kurdistan Region), northwestern Iran (Eastern Kurdistan), and northern Syria (Rojava or Western Kurdistan).
The map in question appears to be one created by a user on Google’s My Maps service, not the company itself.
Yavuz Agiralioglu, the deputy who posed the question, had asked the minister whether a platform like Google, "which has offices in Turkey, should not account for our national borders which we have given hundred thousands of deaders for... while our brave soldiers in Syria and Iraq are fighting terrorist organizations like the PKK and PYD?"
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and Democratic Union Party (PYD) are both named terror organizations in Turkey. The PKK operates in Turkey and has its headquarters in the Kurdistan Region. The PYD is based in Rojava, but Ankara alleges it is a branch of the PKK.
The map has so far been seen by more than 1.7 million users around the world.
"These maps and their likes which serve propaganda for holy warriors shall be removed," said Agiralioglu.
Rudaw English approached BTK, but they were not available to comment.
Responding to the IYI member, Turan said they are following up on the matter.
In July 2017, the Ottoman Turkish parliament adopted new guidelines that banned use of the terms "Kurdistan," "Kurdish regions," and "Armenian genocide."
In late 2017, Osman Baydemir, a prominent Kurdish politician, was suspended for using the word "Kurdistan" in a parliament session.
After using the word, he was asked by the speaker of parliament where Kurdistan is located.
"It is here," he replied, clapping his hand on his heart.
There are an estimated 35 to 40 million Kurds spread across Greater Kurdistan. They began their struggle for a Kurdish state more than a century ago, and it continues today.
While there is no ’Kurdistan’ state today, it has existed on maps for centuries.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/26/2018 00:49 ||
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#1
Maybe I should find an empire to remove Turkey from the map?
It has been done before.
[PRESSTV] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... has warned La Belle France against supporting US-backed People's Protection Units (YPG) in northern Syria, in the wake of US President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... ’s decision last week to withdraw American troops from the war-ravaged Arab country.
"If La Belle France is staying to contribute to Syria's future, great, but if they are doing this to protect the (militants), this will bring no benefit to anyone," Ottoman Turkish-language Hurriyet daily newspaper quoted Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying on Tuesday.
Turkey considers the YPG a terrorist organization and an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), which has been fighting for an autonomous region inside Turkey since 1984.
Cavusoglu further noted that Ankara has "the power to neutralize ISIS alone" amid speculations that the US exit from Syria would influence the military campaign against the Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... terrorist group.
The top Ottoman Turkish diplomat then criticized French "support" of the YPG, which he said was "no secret."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2018 00:00 ||
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[PRESSTV] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire.... says it is determined to continue its "fight" against terrorism, stressing that Ankara does not need any "permission" from the Israeli regime to fight terror.
"It is out of the question for Turkey to get permission or consent from Israel" to fight against terrorism, Turkey's English-language Hurriyet Daily News newspaper on Tuesday quoted Ottoman Turkish Presidential front man Ibrahim Kalin as telling news hounds the day before.
He said Ankara would equally need no permission from any "country" in the world to carry out its anti-terror operations.
Kalin’s comments came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in a Twitter post on Sunday, attacked Ottoman Turkish President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey... over Ankara’s counterterror operations in northern Syria, calling him "the occupier of northern Cyprus."
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12/26/2018 00:00 ||
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[Jpost] Across the region, Christmas appeared to come and go without the terrorism of previous years.
Christians filled churches in the city of Qaraqosh, southeast of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... , on Christmas eve to celebrate the holiday for the second year after their community was liberated from ISIS. At the Grand Immaculate Church, the hall was packed with worshipers and priests conducted prayers. It was one of many Christian communities in Iraq and throughout the Middle East celebrating the holiday with hope that the wave of hard boy anti-Christian violence had subsided.
Iraq’s Christian community has faced difficulties in recent years, with waves of Islamist hard boy terror and kidnappings, especially after 2003. Many emigrated. When ISIS attacked in 2014, the Christian towns of Nineveh were destroyed and their residents forced to flee to the Kurdish autonomous region, where many then decided to search for a life elsewhere. However, there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly... a glimmer of hope appeared in October 2016 when ISIS was driven out of Nineveh plains and Christian cities like Qaraqosh, once home to some 50,000 people, and smaller towns nearby, were retaken. Last year, some Christians returned to Qaraqosh to conduct holiday services. Qaraqosh is an important symbol because it was the largest Christian majority urban area in Iraq. In other cities, such as Baghdad, Christians are a small minority, but Qaraqosh is a bellwether for the possibility that Christian communities in Iraq can rebuild and thrive.
This year, the Fraternite en Irak, an association that helps religious minorities who suffered violence in Iraq, and which has helped rebuild Christian sites, celebrated in Qaraqosh. Santa Claus drove down the streets at night. "Thanks to your donations, we have been able to restore 300 apartments, hundreds of people have returned," the organization said.
At Mar Yohanna Church, the bells rang out for the holiday. Qaraqosh suffered terribly under ISIS control. Homes were looted and burned. ISIS tore down the crosses and steeples of the churches. It sprayed graffiti and even transformed one of the church compounds into a bomb-making factory, evidence of which I saw in March 2017 during a visit. ISIS beheaded images of the Virgin Mary and even beheaded statues of horses commemorating St. George.
In Ainkawa, three mostly Christian suburb of Erbil in the Kurdish region, Syriac Catholics filled a more modern church and sang and celebrated. In Mosul, few Christians have returned after ISIS. One priest said that challenges, such as reconstructing churches, is just one part of the problem. Christians don’t feel secure and are concerned about instability. The blog Mosul Eye, which documented Mosul under ISIS occupation and after liberation, posted hope for peace and freedom on Christians. Ali Y. al-Baroodi, a local photographer and academic, posted a message of "merry Christmas from Mosul."
In Baghdad, there is hope that the tragedies of Iraq’s recent past are behind the country.
"In this town life always conquers death," wrote one woman on Twitter. A giant Christmas tree was erected in Baghdad in an amusement park. Police held a Christmas party. Santa was on display in some stores. In an article on the website Middle East Eye, a nun was quoted saying Christians in Baghdad had not suffered threats recently and the situation was stable a year after the Iraqi government declared ISIS defeated.
Across the region, Christmas appeared to come and go without the terrorism of previous years.
Israel expects increased immigration from France in the years to come, from Britain in Corbyn’s Labour party wins the next election, and possibly from elsewhere in Europe as the effects of the Muslim migration deepen and broaden.
[IsraelTimes] Defense Ministry panel holds 2-day session to approve West Bank homes while many Western governments that typically condemn such construction are on Christmas holiday.
The Defense Ministry committee responsible for authorizing settlement construction on Tuesday advanced plans for roughly 1,300 homes in the West Bank, with some 400 more slated for approval in an additional session scheduled for Wednesday.
Of the 1,289 homes green-lighted by the Civil Administration’s High Planning Subcommittee in 23 different projects, 744 gained final approval for construction while 545 homes had their plans cleared ahead of being considered for a final okay.
On Wednesday, 418 homes are slated to be okayed by the High Planning Subcommittee, with 294 gaining final approval for construction and 192 clearing the earlier planning stage.
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In total 1,775 settlement homes are expected to be advanced this week, of which 1,038 will gain final building approval.
[IsraelTimes] Younus Kathrada tells youths in British Columbia they should be offended by tenets of Christianity, with which there is ’enmity,’ adds: ’I’m not saying go out and just kill them’.
A Canadia holy man has said Moslems who congratulate Christians for the Christmas holiday are committing crimes worse than adultery and murder.
During a sermon at the Moslem Youth of Victoria in British Columbia, Sheikh Younus Kathrada said he viewed with "great sadness" his fellow Moslems’ casual treatment of the "false holiday."
And he asserted that Moslems "must be offended" by Christians’ beliefs, in a video of his sermon provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute.
"There are those who will say to them "Merry Christmas." What are you congratulating them on?" he asked. "Congratulations on the birth of your Lord? Is that acceptable to a Moslem? Are you now approving of their beliefs? By saying that you are approving of it."
He then claimed that "If a person were to commit every major sin ‐ committing adultery, dealing with interest, lying, murder... If a person were to do all of those major sins, they are nothing compared to the sin of congratulating and greeting the non-Moslems on their false festivals."
Kathrada was quick to note that he did not mean Moslems should "treat the non-Moslems in a bad way or that we deal with them unjustly.
"I’m not saying, and I’ve never said, go out and just kill them, and do this to them... No! Because Allah tells us not to allow the enmity that may exist between you and a people to cause you to be unjust towards them. Rather, be just."
#4
What #3 said, but hoping for sepsis in the 'all due speed' category.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
12/26/2018 8:42 Comments ||
Top||
#5
You know, I forsee a second set of worldwide "Crusades" in the future. Where the answer of "I'm a muslim" is immediately met with gunfire or the business end of a flamethrower. And fortunately for islam, the west has gotten WAY better at killing when the war to the knife comes.
Video with English subtitles can be seen at the link.
[IsraelTimes] Video by country’s Fatwa Institute encourages interfaith dialogue and even an exchange of gifts in honor of Christian holiday, warns to avoid Islamic fanatics.
A video made by the Egyptian Fatwa Institute and uploaded to YouTube earlier this month encourages Moslems to extend holiday greetings to Christians and to maintain friendly relations with those around them, regardless of their religion.
"Congratulating non-Moslems during their holidays is encouraged by Islam, and is in keeping with the noble manners introduced by the Prophet Muhammad," the narrator says, in a translation provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute.
"Islam has acknowledged the principle of peaceful coexistence with all people, regardless of their faith. Moreover, Islam has instructed [Moslems] to befriend them, maintain contact with them, to give them presents, to accept presents from them, and to treat them with decency, like they were treated by our Prophet Muhammad," she adds.
She warns viewers not to "fall prey to the bandidosforces of Evil and the fanatics, who take from the religion only that which suits their whims. Whenever someone disputes with their narrow ways, they take the easiest path and accuse him of heresy."
According to its website the Fatwa Institute is a "premier institute to represent Islam and the international flagship for Islamic legal research." Its mission statement is to keep "contemporary Moslem in touch with religious principles, clarifying the right way, removing doubts concerning religious and worldly life, and revealing religious laws for new issues of contemporary life."
[AnNahar] A British-Iranian scientist detained in Tehran in April for his alleged role in an "infiltration network" has returned to London, the Foreign Office said Tuesday.
"We can confirm that a British-Iranian dual national who was detained in Tehran has returned to the UK," the Foreign Office said in a statement, when asked about Abbas Edalat.
Edalat, a professor of computer science and mathematics at Imperial College London, was placed in durance vile Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! by Iran's Revolutionary Guards, which raided his home and confiscated his computer, according to the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran.
The Campaign Against Sanctions and Military Intervention in Iran (CASMII) charity that Edalat founded said he returned to Britannia last week.
Edalat's arrest and jailing was "a case of misinformation and misunderstanding by the Iranian security apparatus," CASMII said on its website.
The Foreign Office did not disclose details of the academic's release.
British-Iranian charity worker Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was arrested in Tehran in April 2016 and is serving a five-year jail sentence for sedition -- a charge she has denied.
"We continue to take action on all our consular cases in Iran in line with what we believe will produce the best outcomes in their cases," the Foreign Office said.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/26/2018 00:00 ||
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[ALMASDARNEWS] Members of several Syrian opposition armed units are ready to lay down their arms and surrender to the Syrian army once US troops and their allies leave the al-Tanf base in southeastern Syria, the Surya al-An news portal news hounds on Tuesday.
According to the news portal, a large number of Lions of Islam stationed in a 55-wide area around al-Tanf have expressed readiness to surrender and make reconciliation agreements with the Syrian authorities.
At the same time, field commanders from the Mahavir as-Saura brigade,
...one of the affiliates of the Free Syrian Army...
trained by US and British instructors, have demanded a safe passage to take their forces to northern Syria. The brigade comprises about 6,000 bad boys.
The US-led coalition created the al-Tanf base at the junction of the borders of Syria, Iraq and Jordan in order to fight against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... terror group (outlawed in Russia).
Troops deployed to the base control a strategically important highway connecting Damascus and Baghdad.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2018 00:00 ||
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#1
have demanded a safe passage
Sorry, boys, that deal was only for ISIS stooges and collapsed after McSssssschtain died...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/26/2018 12:08 Comments ||
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[PRESSTV] Many Syrian Kurds have expressed frustration over the United States' planned troop withdrawal from Syria, describing it as a 'stab in the back' and considering new allies, according to the US-based National Public Radio (NPR).
Syrian Kurdish forces in northern Syria are considering contingency plans and partnering with new alliances in the face of an anticipated Ottoman Turkish incursion in the region, the NPR said on Monday.
"At this point, we are open to all options and partnerships," said Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) front man Mustafa Bali.
The report further revealed that the Syrian Kurdish officials are even considering "on-the-ground protection deals with Iranian forces in Syria," in addition to Syrian government protection.
"The Syrian regime should be protecting Syria's sovereign borders," says Bali, adding that "on principle, we would not be against it (Syrian government presence)."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2018 00:00 ||
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#2
Everybody likes free stuff... And the Kurds would naturally like the US to provide a free military shield for them. At the end of the day the question must be answered: "Why are we (the USA) providing this service and is it worth the cost to Us (the USA)?"
[PRESSTV] President Hassan Rouhani says the US sanctions are meant to bring Iran’s Islamic establishment to its knees by exerting pressure on the nation, because Washington sees a powerful Iran as an obstacle to its policies in the Middle East.
Rouhani made the remarks in an address to Majlis, the Iranian Parliament, while presenting the annual state budget on Tuesday.
"The US, by directly subjecting the Iranian nation, people in the region as well as international trade companies to plots, sanctions and pressure, is chiefly seeking to bring the powerful establishment in the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran to its knees," the president said.
The Americans, he added, view a powerful Iran as a major obstacle in this sensitive region, stressing that they are "afraid of Iran’s capabilities" and have therefore attempted to impede its domestic progress.
The US has been trying to create frustration among the Iranian population about the country’s future and to make them think that the Islamic establishment is ineffective, said the president.
"No one can deny the sanctions' negative impacts on the country’s economy as well as the people’s lives; but also no one can say that the US will [eventually] achieve its goals," President Rouhani stated.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2018 00:00 ||
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[PRESSTV] The presence of a US destroyer in the Persian Gulf has been described as an "insignificant" show of force to Iran by the United States.
A US aircraft carrier accompanied by a fleet of warships entered the Persian Gulf for the first time since 2001.
The US is reportedly sending an aircraft carrier strike group to the Persian Gulf in a show of force against Iran.
Tehran University Professor of political science, Hamed Mousavi, said in an interview published by RT on Tuesday that the presence of the US fleet in the Persian Gulf was considered a provocative move; however, it lacked any real significance.
"I don’t think we are going to see a military confrontation. But bringing the aircraft carrier, a nuclear armed aircraft carrier near Iranian waters is trying to provoke Iran and also threaten Iran," the faculty member said, adding that, "The significance is, right now at least, more of a threat rather than actual military confrontation."
The professor said that the presence of the fleet aimed to exert pressure on Iran.
"I think it is part of a larger strategy of the Trump administration trying to pressure Iran. This administration, since taking to office nearly two years, has been trying to pressure Iran via sanctions and via threats and now bringing the aircraft carrier very near to the Iranian waters is very provocative," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2018 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
This "Analyst" is aware that the fixed cost of presses, etc plus the variable costs of personnel, paper, electricity and ink (or, maybe just electricity) works for the printers at multiple levels, right?
#3
We could cut our nuke missile holdings by about 10 percent overnight and it wouldn't cost that much. Those on the receiving end, probably a lot. Just saying.
[PRESSTV] The armed forces of Iran and Russia should boost their cooperation in the fight against terrorism given the ongoing very sensitive situation in the region and across the world, Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri says.
"The success of the armed forces of the two countries in the process of combating terrorism in Syria and the defeat of Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... turbans and their supporters in the region indicate the determination and capacities of Iran and Russia to counter the existing threats," Baqeri said in a meeting with Deputy Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Vice Admiral lgor Osipov in Tehran on Tuesday.
"The geopolitical and geo-strategic capacities of Iran and Russia necessitate that the two countries’ armed forces develop their cooperation areas from a long-term perspective and devise plans and manage them within the framework of the [Iran-Russia] joint military commission’s agreements," the top Iranian commander added.
Iran has been offering military advisory support to Syria at the request of the Damascus government, enabling its army to speed up its gains on various fronts against terror outfits.
However, a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package... over the past few years, Israel, the closest ally of the US has frequently attacked military targets inside Syria in an attempt to prop up terrorist groups that have been suffering defeats in the battle against Syrian government forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2018 00:00 ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] India has formally taken over the operations at Chabahar port in Iran in a bid to further increase New Delhi’s support to Afghanistan, it has been reported.
Sources privy fo the development have told Hindustan Times that Iran formally handed over the port to India during a first meeting of the follow-up committee for the implementation of the Chabahar Agreement between Iran, Afghanistan, and India in the port city Tehran.
The sources further added that the Indian side at the meeting was led by joint secretary (Pakistain-Afghanistan-Iran) Deepak Mittal of the external affairs ministry, while the Iranian team was led by Mohammad Ali Hassanzadeh, the deputy head of the Ports and Maritime Organisation.
"This is a major step forward in India’s efforts to support Afghanistan and also for regional cooperation," an official in New Delhi told Hindustan Times.
In the meantime, Iran’s IRNA News has reported that the operation of the port has been handed over to the State-run Ports Global Limited for a period of ten years.
This comes as the United States has exempted Chabahar Port development and import of petroleum by Afghanistan from the new sanctions imposed on Iran.
A State Department front man told Rooters last month that the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has granted an exception to certain U.S. sanctions that will allow the India-led development of a port in Iran as part of a new transportation corridor designed to boost Afghanistan’s economy.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/26/2018 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.
... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun...
the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
[Rudaw] 
...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed...
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...
[Jpost] Across the region, Christmas appeared to come and go without the terrorism of previous years.
This year, the Fraternite en Irak, an association that helps religious minorities who suffered violence in Iraq, and which has helped rebuild Christian sites, celebrated in Qaraqosh. Santa Claus drove down the streets at night. "Thanks to your donations, we have been able to restore 300 apartments, hundreds of people have returned," the organization said.
[IsraelTimes] Younus Kathrada tells youths in British Columbia they should be offended by tenets of Christianity, with which there is ’enmity,’ adds: ’I’m not saying go out and just kill them’.
