[DAWN] The United States cut more than $160 million in direct funding to Afghanistan on Thursday, 10 days before the country’s elections, accusing the government of not doing enough to fight corruption.
While Washington has long complained of graft by its ally, the harsh measure comes after Afghanistan's Caped PresidentAshraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money... clashed with President Donald Trump ...the Nailer of NAFTA... over the US leader’s deal with the Taliban ...Arabic for students... .
"We stand against those who exploit their positions of power and influence to deprive the Afghan people of the benefits of foreign assistance and a more prosperous future," Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.
He said the United States was suspending work with the Afghan body in charge of monitoring corruption as it is "incapable of being a partner". "We expect the Afghan government to demonstrate a clear commitment to fight corruption, to serve the Afghan people and to maintain their trust," he said.
"Afghan leaders who fail to meet this standard should be held accountable."
[ToloNews] ISIS ...embracing their inner Islamic Brute... has reportedly been "active in the northern districts of Musa Qala, Nawzad and Washir."
Two MPs from Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... and a member of the provincial council said ISIS has started recruiting in Helmand province, and is trying to create a footprint in southern Afghanistan ‐ which to date has not seen the presence of the terrorist groups.
Official intelligence and information from local sources are sufficient to show that ISIS has started its activities in the northern districts of Helmand, including Musa Qala, Nawzad and Washir, according to the MPs.
"Based on my information, a person named Zakir is trying to create a ISIS footprint in Nandaro village in Musa Qala district," said Ghulam Wali Afghan, an MP from Helmand.
"ISIS is growing [in Helmand] and is doing its recruitment and military training," said Mirwais Khadim, an MP from Helmand. "The government should pay serious attention to this matter, and so should the international community. NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... and the United States should cooperate and plan to prevent ISIS’s growth [in Helmand]."
The head of the Helmand Provincial Council, Attaullah Afghan, agreed: "We have been informed that ISIS has a presence in the northern parts of Helmand and has somehow started its recruitment."
Meanwhile, ...back at the pond, the enormous newt was trying to decide if Gloria was edible... Helmand governor Yasin Khan said the Afghan cops are fully capable of fighting against ISIS, but he didn’t offer how.
"ISIS is trying to find a foothold in Helmand, but based on intelligence information, the practical activity of ISIS has not been seen in Helmand so far because people are not in their favor," the governor said.
This comes as parts of Helmand are under Taliban ...mindless ferocity in a turban... influence, and the province has faced many festivities between Afghan forces and faceless myrmidons over the past few years.
[KhaamaPress] The Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) will receive more advanced rifles from the United States as per a new contract of the Department of Defense.
The Department of Defense in a statement said it has awarded a new contract worth $41,924,594 to Colt’s Manufacturing Co. LLC, West Hartford, Connecticut for the production of M4 and M4A1 carbine rifles.
The statement further added that the company will deliver the rifles to Afghan armed forces and the armed forces of Bahrain, Djibouti, Federated States of Micronesia, Hungary, Jordan, Kuwait, Leb, Macedonia, Marshall Islands, Palau, St. Vincent and Grenadines, and Tunisia.
Furthermore, the Defense Department said Work locations and funding will be determined with each order.
The Department of Defense also added that the company will complete the production and delivery of the rifles until Sept. 18, 2024.
#7
Some special forces guys swear by AKs and the sturdy old SVD. They were given a few thousand M16s only last year I think. Or the year before. Somehow any new armament will find its way into taliban hands though. The American DoD found that 43% of weaponry provided to Iraq and Afghan host forces wound up in ISIS and taliban hands in 2015.
#9
Unlikely. Since those joining the afghan forces are fueled by intense hatred and revenge for their own families mostly. But there have to be recruits from tribal communities that mat be holding jobs in other govt branches. I suspect there are several mercenary types too. Dillingers who'll moonlight as killers for any party. There is a push by Pakistain to get the Afghan govt to actually induct some fighters claiming to have denounced the taliban in the ANDSF, vehemently opposed by the career soldiers. The two can't stand each other. If there's any compromise it's only for moolah. In higher ranks, it's about a share in the 'product'.
My info is sketchy though. India hasn't really paid much attention since 2016. We just knew Trump will pull out, and the nation will go to shit. The taliban will eventually win this land, things being as they are.
#10
Recently the taliban announced they want to be a part of the Afghan Emirati Army to come and shall welcome the career soldiers to join them in building one. Fuckers.
United Nation Secretary-General António Guterres ...Portuguese politician and diplomat, ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees between 2005 and 2015. He was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and was the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party from 1992 to 2002. He served as President of the Socialist International from 1999 to 2005. In both a 2012 and 2014 poll, the Portuguese public ranked him as the best Prime Minister of the previous 30 years... Wednesday joined calls to remove Sudan from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism after the popular revolution that overthrew the regime of Omer al-Bashir.
Guterres made his call in New York at a presser at the outset of the 74th session of the General Assembly which officially opened on Tuesday 17 September while the high-level General Debate will begin on Tuesday, 24 September 2019.
Responding to a question about the situation in Sudan, the UN chief hailed the political agreement reached last August between the army and the protesters’ coalition to form a transitional authority and to work together to bring peace into the country and achieve democratic reforms.
"Sudan is a matter of great hope for us. I believe that what was possible in the dialogue in Sudan demonstrates that all political conflicts can be solved by dialogue (...), and this should be a lesson for everywhere else in the world," he said.
"It is time now for the international community to support Sudan,"
He pointed out that the east African country is experiencing "a very dire economic situation (and) in a very dramatic economic situation".
"I hope that all the restrictions that exist about Sudan, namely, the classification as a country that supports terrorism and sanctions, will be quickly removed," he stressed.
UN officials say a high-level event on Sudan will be held on the sidelines of the 74th session of the General Assembly to mobilize international support for the country.
However, Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried... Trump administration says they do not consider to cancel Sudan designation as a terror state for the time being.
But, Guterres warned that the failure of international support to the interim government may hamper its efforts to achieve the transition towards a democratic regime in Sudan
"I hope that there will be a massive mobilisation of resources to support Sudan overcome the extremely difficult economic situation that the country has, because, if that doesn’t happen, obviously, we risk that the gains in democracy, human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... , and political solutions that were observed could be put into question".
[Sudan Tribune] Sudan’s Call forces will hold a meeting in Cairo in the next few days on the democratic transition in the country after a separate meeting of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) to complete its vision on peace.
The meeting of the alliance, which is composed of armed and political groups, comes after the resignation of Sadiq al-Mahdi, from his position as the chair of Sudan Call, as he called for a review of its structure and its alliances with other national forces.
The political components of Sudan Call are part of the transitional government, while the gangs remain outside the framework of the transitional arrangements.
In a statement to Sudan Tribune from Cairo, Yasir Arman, a Sudan Call leading official, said that the meeting of the Revolutionary Front from one side and the meeting of the forces of Sudan Call on the other side will take place from September 21 and end on September 30 stressing they will discuss the grinding of the peace processor and ways to accomplish the tasks of the democratic change.
"Sudan needs a genuine partnership that must include the forces of revolution and forces of change, on the other hand, it should include the regular forces, and the Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC)," he said.
Arman underscored that the importance of the Cairo meetings stems from the fact that they are crucial for peace and democratization alike.
Severe disagreements between the SRF and the FFC political components erupted after the overthrow of the al-Bashir’s regime last April.
The gangs complained they had not been consulted in the decision-making process during negotiations with the junta. Further, the disagreement exacerbated after the rejection of the SRF request for seats in the transitional authority.
Regarding the meeting of the Revolutionary Front, Arman said the umbrella will discuss the grinding of the peace processor and negotiation with the Sudanese government as agreed in Juba.
Also, they will consider cooperation with the region’s countries to reach a comprehensive peace in Sudan.
Egypt has expressed willingness to host the grinding of the peace processor but finally, the signatories of the Juba Declaration agreed on Juba as the venue of negotiations. In addition, Chad, Æthiopia Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... and UAE should be associated as controllers together with the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... , IGAD and the United Nations ...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense... .
[Jpost] Tunisia's largest political party, moderate Islamist Ennahda, will back former law professor Kais Saied in a presidential election run-off, it said on Thursday, potentially boosting his chances against his detained rival, Nabil Karoui.
Saied and media mogul Karoui won the most votes in Sunday's presidential election, beating a number of veteran politicians.
The result was a sharp rejection of the forces that have dominated since the 2011 revolution but failed to address economic problems including high unemployment and inflation.
Saied took 18.4% of the votes and Karoui 15.6%. Ennahda's Abdelfattah Mourou came third with 12.9%.
The field of 26 candidates included the prime minister, two former premiers, a former president and the defence minister.
Ennahda, which was shocked by its defeat, will now throw its weight behind Saied .
"The party has decided to support candidate Kais Saied because he is close to the spirit of the revolution and with clean hands," said Mohammed Ben Salem, a senior Ennahda official.
Several losing conservative candidates, including former president Moncef Marzouki, former premier Hamadi Jebali, and independents Safi Said and Lotfi Mrayhi also backed Saied.
None of the defeated candidates have yet endorsed Karoui.
Little-known before the election, Saied is a professor of constitutional law who ran a modest campaign with next to no publicity or funding, espousing conservative social views while pushing for a return to the principles of the 2011 uprising.
The second round of voting is expected next month after some candidates in the election appealed results.
Karoui, a well-known but controversial figure, is the owner of a major television news channel and founder of a large charity that focuses on the plight of Tunisia's poor.
He was detained weeks before the election over a tax evasion and money laundering case brought three years ago by an independent transparency watchdog.
He denies all wrongdoing and his supporters attribute his arrest to political manipulation. He was unable to take part in televised debates before the vote and electoral monitors have voiced concern that voters have been deprived of a chance to hear him campaign.
A Karoui victory in the second round could raise difficult legal and constitutional questions given his status in detention in a case for which no verdict has yet been delivered.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/21/2019 00:00 ||
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#1
Ennahda is a Muslim Brotherhood chapter. For more than thirty years it has been led by Ikhwan bigwig Rachid Ghannouchi. To call it "moderate Islamist", simply because it does not have a terrorist wing, is foolish.
[Jpost] Saudi state oil company Aramco said it will bring back by end September full crude output at Abqaiq and Khurais, the two oil facilities damaged by attacks last weekend that U.S. officials have blamed on Iran.
Aramco is shipping equipment from the United States and Europe ...the land mass occupying the space between the English Channel and the Urals, also known as Moslem Lebensraum... to rebuild the damaged facilities, Fahad Abdulkarim, Aramco's general manager for the southern area oil operation, told news hounds on a tour organized by the company to the two sites east of the capital Riyadh.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/21/2019 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Paleostine Solidarity Campaign blames delay in handling of Omar Barghouti’s visa request on ’growing efforts by Israel and its allies to suppress Paleostinian voices’.
A founder of the Paleostinian-led boycott movement against Israel will be unable to speak at an event at the UK Labour Party’s upcoming annual conference due to his visa request being delayed.
The Paleostine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), a pro-BDS group hosting the event on the sidelines of the Labour conference in Brighton, on Friday said Omar Barghouti would instead address the gathering by video due to the UK government’s "unexplained, abnormal delay" in issuing him a visa.
"The unprecedented delay in processing Barghouti’s travel visa application by the British government is part and parcel of the growing efforts by Israel and its allies to suppress Paleostinian voices and the movements for Paleostinian rights," PSC said in a statement.
Barghouti had been set to speak at the "Paleostine in the age of Trump" event alongside Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott and Unite union chief Len McCluskey, both allies of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
"They fear our shining a light of truth that reveals their lies. They dread our tireless quest for freedom, justice and equality," Barghouti said, according to the PSC statement.
There was no immediate comment from the UK Home Office, which handles visa requests.
Corbyn, a strong critic of Israel, has said he doesn’t support the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, though at the Labour conference last year the party passed a motion calling to ban all UK weapons sales to Israel.
Since becoming Labour leader in 2015, Corbyn has come under scrutiny for his criticism of Israel and past contacts with the Hamas, a regional Iranian catspaw, and Hezbollah terror groups, both sworn to Israel’s destruction.
Labour and Corbyn himself have also been rocked by accusations of anti-Semtisim, with fresh scrutiny coming after a number of former party officials accused him and his allies of interfering in efforts to address the issue, in a recent BBC program.
Earlier this year, Barghouti was denied entry to the US for a multi-city speaking tour.
The Arab American Institute said at the time that Barghouti, a resident of Acre who is married to an Arab Israeli and holds Israeli permanent resident status, was not provided an explanation for his denial of entry beyond being told it was an "immigration matter."
James Zogby, the head of the Arab American Institute, called Barghouti’s ban an "arbitrary political decision," and accused the Trump administration of working to "silence Paleostinian voices."
Israel has barred Barghouti from leaving the county a number of times in recent years, by refusing to renew travel documents granted to Paleostinian residents of Israel who do not have full citizenship.
The BDS campaign advocates boycotts, divestment and sanctions against Israeli businesses, universities and artists. Supporters say BDS is a nonviolent movement for Paleostinian independence, but Israel claims it aims to delegitimize the Jewish state, and it has been condemned by many as anti-Semitic at its roots.
[Jpost] El Salvador and the United States have signed an agreement to cooperate on asylum claims, the U.S. embassy in the Central American country said in a statement on Friday, without giving further details.
Acting U.S. Homeland Secretary Kevin McAleenan is due to brief news hounds about "progress made in the Northern Triangle region," which includes El Salvador, on Friday afternoon.
[Jpost] Doctors from The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire... 's large cities have been stationed in two southern provinces to prepare for a possible incursion into northern Syria, two security sources told Rooters on Friday, adding leave for doctors in the region had been cancelled.
Turkey and the United States have been working to establish a safe zone in northern Syria along the Ottoman Turkish border. President Tayyip Erdogan has said that Washington is stalling the process and that Turkey would carry out an operation into Syria if the safe zone is not set up by the end of September.
A security source said doctors from some large cities were stationed in the southern provinces of Sanliurfa and Mardin in preparation for a possible incursion.
"President Erdogan clearly spoke of Turkey's concern over PYD/YPG presence in Syria and pointed to a possible military operation if there is no developments in the second half of September," the source said, referring to the Syrian-Kurdish militia that controls most of northern and northwestern Syria.
The YPG has been a main U.S. ally in the fight against Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really 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 western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... in Syria. U.S. support for the fighters has infuriated Turkey, which considers the YPG a terrorist organization, and strained ties with Washington.
Next week, Erdogan and U.S. President Donald Trump ...Oh, noze! Not him!... will discuss plans for the safe zone along 450 km (280 miles) of Syrian border stretching east from the Euphrates river to the Iraqi border.
Turkey has already carried out two incursions against the YPG in Syria.
"The leaves of doctors have been suspended to prepare for a possible cross-border operation. We have been preparing for a long time. Now it is at a phase that the operation can be conducted whenever deemed necessary," a security bigshot said.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/21/2019 00:00 ||
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[Jpost] Former US secretary of state Rex Tillerson of having "played" US President Donald Trump ...His ancestors didn't own any slaves... and providing him with "misinformation."
The Harvard Gazette, the university’s official news website, reported on Wednesday that Tillerson made the comments during a private talk that he gave at the university on Tuesday, detailing his tenure as secretary of state. Tillerson served as the top US diplomat for 14 months ‐ from February 2017 to March 2018 ‐ until Trump fired him via Twitter.
According to the Gazette, Tillerson said that Netanyahu was "an extraordinarily skilled" politician and diplomat, although "a bit Machiavellian."
All true. Possibly more than a bit, though.
He said that the prime minister builds good and "useful" relationships with leaders and countries that he figures he will need in the future.
That is indeed his job...
"In dealing with Bibi, it’s always useful to carry a healthy amount of skepticism in your discussions with him," Tillerson was quoted as saying, adding that Israel would share "misinformation" when it felt it was necessary to persuade the US.
And that, dear sir, is the best way to ruin a long term relationship. I can’t imagine Bibi Netanyahu would be that foolish.
"They did that with the president on a couple of occasions, to persuade him that ’We’re the good guys, they’re the bad guys,’" Tillerson said. "We later exposed it to the president so he understood, ’You’ve been played.’ It bothers me that an ally that’s that close and important to us would do that to us."
Could this be what got him fired? President Trump is not exactly new to the international milieu, and will have formed his own opinions long since.
A front man for the prime minister responded by saying, "Secretary Tillerson, Israel is the good guy."
Compared to the other parties in the region, there ought be no question.
During his short term in office, Tillerson ‐ a former ExxonMobil CEO ‐ had little to do with the Israel-Paleostinian diplomatic efforts. That issue was placed instead in the hands of Jared Kushner, Trump’s senior adviser and son-in-law.
#1
War with Iran benefits nobody. Not America, not Iran, not Saudi Arabia. We all lose.
Except Israel. The destruction of Iran would be a big win for them. Change my mind.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
09/21/2019 1:19 Comments ||
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#2
It would greatly benefit the Democrats and deep state who are desperate to topple Trump. One can only imagine what Kerry promised Iran. Nukes to start. Or at least the time to develope their own.
#5
persuade him that ’We’re the good guys, they’re the bad guys,’"
Unlike somebody like you Rex (a favorite name for Alsatians when I was a kid in Sov. U.) who treasures his business relation with Saudis (just like the Bushes), Trump didn't need Bibi to teach him who the good guys in ME are.
#10
Seriously? We need to invade and conquer a nation of 80 million...to avoid a dirty bomb? Really?
These crimes you seek to prevent in the future are imaginary. The crimes you advocate to commit in the present...they are real.
Comments #6-9 are name-calling, not arguments. I'm not convinced a new war with no defined goal, mass casualties, and a cost of trillions in expenses is a good idea for the American people. Change my mind.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
09/21/2019 5:08 Comments ||
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#11
Seriously? We need to invade and conquer a nation of 80 million...to avoid a dirty bomb? Really?
No one invaded Japan in 1945 and they turned out to be very compliant and accommodating. Great friends and trade partners today in fact. A simply attitude adjustment was all that was necessary.
#13
Honestly attacking Iran sounds like a much better way to end up with a dirty bomb than otherwise.
We're not going to invade and conquer Iran? Like we did Iraq? So what's the plan, then? What's the win condition? How do we know when we've succeeded? Regime change? Like we did in 1979 when we greenlighted the Ayatollah Khomeni to overthrow the Shah? Because that worked out so well.
Remember the neocon plan for Iraq? Take Baghdad, disband the Iraqi army, and...
Well, that was their plan. That was as far as it went. They literally did not plan for the aftermath. The US military had to deal with the mess that the neocons created. Thousands of Americans died for a lie. A huge amount of wealth was squandered.
Posted by: Herb McCoy ||
09/21/2019 6:11 Comments ||
Top||
#14
Thousands of Americans died for a lie. A huge amount of wealth was squandered.
No, Saddam had WMD (Tabun, Mustard & nerve agents to name a few). The al-Muthanna site north of Baghdad and a few others, had nothing to do with Iraqi Pesticide Production I can assure you. The Tuwaitha site in the graphic (bombed by IS), was indeed a nuclear reactor and research facility. BTDT.
The cost in American blood and treasure can certainly be debated.
#16
The Cowardly Herb sets up a strawman and annihilates it. Invasion? Nobody but you is talking that. Agitprop commie and mullah symp
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/21/2019 8:09 Comments ||
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#17
It bothers me that an ally that’s that close and important to us would do that to us.
Dear Rex,
Every country's leader advances the interests of his country - not the interests of other countries, including our own country. This is true of the leaders of our closest allies, including Britain. This is also true of our own country's leaders.
For example, Eisenhower did not hesitate to act in our nation's interest, and directly against the interest of our closest ally, the UK, in the Suez Crisis.
And yes, the art of statecraft involves not telling others everything you know, and sometimes not telling them the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
That's called diplomacy. Do you understand now why you were such an abysmal failure as our nation's top diplomat?
#18
Whine, Rex, Whine.
It sounds like Rex couldn't hide his inner contempt for his boss (Trump) and failed in his job of getting the State department "enough" under the control of the new administration. He probably was wined and dined by the apparatchiks at State, said too much and was "surprised that it got back to Trump". He also didn't do what his boss expected...so bye bye.
A number of Rantburgers reported what they (and their friends and relations) saw there at the time, and their displeasure with mainstream media reporting that lied and said there was nothing there. Perhaps you were otherwise occupied at the time, Herb, or you’d remember, too.
#22
I am concerned with this statement from the entity that names itself "Herb McCoy":
"The crimes you advocate to commit in the present...they are real." I bolded the important part.
Who the hell are you to say that 'we advocate the commission of crimes'?
This is the last time I will read a thread that you befoul.
Mods, please consider that the entity that identifies itself as Herb McCoy just placed a libelous statement in a Rantburg comment chain. Think about why, and to what end.
In my opinion, it needs to be cleaned out.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
09/21/2019 13:21 Comments ||
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#23
O' entity that is Herb McCoy,
self-flagellant whipping boy.
Let it be known unto thee,
that demonic pestilence doth flee,
the moment TW says 'Oy' !
#24
Mods, please delete my comment #22. Not needed now. Thanks.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
09/21/2019 13:38 Comments ||
Top||
#25
Or not.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
09/21/2019 21:41 Comments ||
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#26
Not needed now that is.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
09/21/2019 21:42 Comments ||
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#27
If Iran attacked the Saudi facility (and I doubt the Houthis did it), this is an act of war. Period.
Reacting to it is no "crime". I guess (or hope) the Pentagon has a few smart plans ready if things escalate. The next Iranian missiles could reach a US warship. Then what Herb?
That doesn't mean invasion, but I guess the end of the Iranian air force and navy.
Posted by: European Conservative ||
09/21/2019 21:53 Comments ||
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#28
Letting it go, WM?
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/21/2019 22:41 Comments ||
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[IsraelTimes] Measures against central bank come after administration vowed response to blasts blamed on Tehran that damaged 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... ’s oil infrastructure.
US President Donald Trump ...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons...... on Friday announced new sanctions on Iran’s central bank, calling the measures the toughest ever imposed on another country by the United States.
"We have just sanctioned the Iranian national bank," Trump told news hounds in the Oval Office.
"These are the highest sanctions ever imposed on a country," he said.
The Trump administration has vowed a response after US officials blamed Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... for weekend blasts on Saudi Arabia’s oil infrastructure, which caused a sharp hike in global crude prices.
The United States already maintains sweeping sanctions on Iran including on its central bank, with anyone who deals with it subject to prosecution.
Elaborating on Trump’s remarks, the Treasury Department said it was authorizing sanctions on the central bank not only over Iran’s alleged nuclear work but for "terrorism."
Such a designation may be more difficult to lift, even if Trump loses next year’s election to a Democrat who wants to ease sanctions as part of a future deal.
"Iran’s brazen attack against Saudi Arabia is unacceptable," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement.
"Treasury’s action targets a crucial funding mechanism that the Iranian regime uses to support its terrorist network, including the Quds Force, Hezbollah and other murderous Moslems that spread terror and destabilize the region," he said.
The Quds Force conducts international operations for Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards, who are in charge of protecting the holy manal regime.
Hezbollah, the Shiite terror group and political party in Leb, is among Iran’s closest regional partners.
The Treasury Department said that the Iranian central bank has provided "billions of dollars" to the two units, which were both previously designated as murderous Moslems by Washington.
The United States also imposed sanctions on Iran’s sovereign wealth fund, whose board of trustees include President Hassan Rouhani ...Iran's moderate president, which he is, relative to his predecessor, which doesn't mean he's anything but a puppet of the nearest holy man... , as well as Etemad Tejarate Pars, a company that the Treasury Department said had sent money internationally on behalf of Iran’s defense ministry.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/21/2019 00:00 ||
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#1
Pictures of starving Iranian women and pickaninnies in 5, 4, 3...
[DAWN] The Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... police are likely to carry out a massive administrative reshuffle and have sought details of officials serving on key assignments for the last three years.
According to sources, details of coppers and officers serving with the district police, Punjab Constabulary, Special Branch, Counter-Terrorism Department, Punjab Highway Patrol, traffic police, welfare and finance and Special Protection Unit (SPU) have been sought by the provincial police chief.
The sources said the details of posting, place and period of posting had also been sought from all station house officers (SHOs), Moharrars being posted repeatedly in the same cop shoppe for three years and accountants who had served in the same district for more than three years.
[IsraelTimes] Alleged IDF Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s targeting Iranian-backed paramilitaries have heightened divisions between the Shiite groups and Iraqi government.
As the United States and Israel escalate their push to contain Iranian influence in the Middle East, countries in Tehran’s orbit are feeling the heat.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/21/2019 00:00 ||
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#1
Iraq become Iranian client state (as it used to be before Arab conquest) under Bush/Obama.
[DAWN] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced local media headlines on Friday suggesting power is slipping from his grasp after an election in which he trails his main rival with nearly all votes counted.
The right-wing leader failed on Tuesday, for the second time in five months, to secure a clear election victory and the centrist Blue and White party led by ex-armed forces chief Benny Gantz rebuffed his calls to join a unity government on Thursday.
Near-final results released on Friday by the Knesset's election committee showed Blue and White will be the largest single party in the new parliament with 33 of the 120 seats, with Netanyahu's Likud winning 31 seats, three less than it had before.
Israeli newspapers and commentators depicted the 69-year-old leader as in a weakened position, with headlines such as: "Himself Alone" and "Political Death Spasms".
Israeli president Reuven Rivlin will on Sunday start consultations with the parties about choosing a leader to put together a coalition.
There were only narrow differences in the two main parties' campaigns on many important issues, and an end to the Netanyahu era would be unlikely to bring significant changes in policy on relations with the United States, the regional struggle against Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence. The word Iran is a cognate form of Aryan, the abbreviation IRGC is a cognate form of Stürmabteilung (or SA), the term Supreme Guide is a cognate form of either Shah or Führer or maybe both, and they hate JewsZionists Jews. Their economy is based on the production of oil and vitriol... or the Paleostinian conflict.
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09/21/2019 00:00 ||
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faced local media headlines on Friday suggesting power is slipping from his grasp
Just like your media with "orange man bad", ours has "Bibi has to go" mantra. Gantz doesn't have 57 votes. He has a block of 44 votes in his pocket (the other 13 are United Arab Party - the enemy). Bibi has 55 with orthodox parties. Liberman holds 8.
Gantz can't form a coalition without Liberman - and nobody knows what Liberman wants. And either religious parties - in which cases he betrays most of his voters, or Arab parties - in which cases he betrays most of his voters (as well as everybody else).
Plus, Gantz wouldn't be very good in coalition negotiations.
[Rudaw] US envoy to the international anti-Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really 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 western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS ...embracing their inner Islamic Brute... ) coalition said on Friday that the US will work to stop "penetration" from the Syrian regime into Kurdish-controlled northeast Syria.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
09/21/2019 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.
...Arabic for 
...embracing their inner Islamic Brute...
...Portuguese politician and diplomat, ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations. Previously, he was the UN High Commissioner for Refugees between 2005 and 2015. He was the Prime Minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002 and was the Secretary-General of the Socialist Party from 1992 to 2002. He served as President of the Socialist International from 1999 to 2005. In both a 2012 and 2014 poll, the Portuguese public ranked him as the best Prime Minister of the previous 30 years...
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...His ancestors didn't own any slaves...
No, Saddam had WMD (Tabun, Mustard & nerve agents to name a few). The al-Muthanna site north of Baghdad and a few others, had nothing to do with Iraqi Pesticide Production I can assure you. The Tuwaitha site in the graphic (bombed by IS), was indeed a nuclear reactor and research facility. BTDT.
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites. Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979. The nation is today noted for 
