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'Mullah Radio' takes overTTP, terms talks 'waste of time'
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
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Africa Horn
Kenya tells Somalis to avoid rebel sites, hints at new strikes
[Al Ahram] The Kenyan army warned residents in Somalia's southern regions to stay clear of rebel bully boy camps and road blocks, hinting that new attacks against Islamist Death Eaters were imminent.

Last week, Kenya launched air strikes and a drone attack against al-Shabaab
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
rebels after the group grabbed credit for a raid by gunnies on a Nairobi shopping mall in September that killed at least 67 people.

"We ask good people of Somalia in areas of Gedo, Mid Juba and Lower Juba to stay far from al-Shabaab bases/camps/roadblocks," army front man Major Emmanuel Chirchir said on social media.

A "round of visitations" was imminent, he said.

Chirchir declined further comment when contacted by Rooters.

A second front man, Colonel Cyrus Oguna, asked if this meant there were plans for new strikes, told Rooters: "We always have plans to attack a couple of places."

Kenya, which is fighting in Somalia under the banner of 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...
peacekeepers, said its war planes destroyed al-Shabaab training camp on Oct. 31, an attack the Death Eaters denied. A Kenyan drone killed two senior al-Shabaab commanders in a missile attack on their vehicle.

But commanders of the near 18,000-strong AU peacekeeping force say it lacks troop numbers and firepower to extend territorial gains against al-Shabaab, which still controls swathes of rural areas in southern and central Somalia.
Posted by: Fred || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab

#1  "We ask good people of Somalia in areas of Gedo, Mid Juba and Lower Juba to stay far from al-Shabaab bases/camps/roadblocks," army front man Major Emmanuel Chirchir said on social media.

My men will be arriving via Unimogs beginning Tuesday around noon, and staying through sundowners on Friday.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/08/2013 6:44 Comments || Top||

#2  "We ask good people of Somalia ...
That presumes there are more than one good person there.
Posted by: Glenmore || 11/08/2013 8:39 Comments || Top||

#3  ..the minimum usually is 10 to preclude judgement.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 11/08/2013 9:02 Comments || Top||

#4  "And he said: 'Oh, let not the LORD be angry, and I will speak yet but this once. Peradventure ten shall be found there.' And He said: 'I will not destroy it for the ten's sake.'"

Of course ten could not be found, and we know what happened next. Fire and brimstone from the sky.
Posted by: Glenmore || 11/08/2013 9:12 Comments || Top||


Somalia's 'one-legged' Shebab still far from defeat
[Pak Daily Times] With reinforcements expected, Somali and African forces fighting Shabaab forces of Evil speak confidently of victory, but analysts warn of tough battles ahead and say that military campaigns alone will not bring peace.

The al Qaeda linked Shabaab have fled a string of towns in the past two years ahead of the advancing 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...
force in Somalia (AMISOM) -- fighting alongside Somalia's rag-tag army, various aligned militia forces and Æthiopian troops -- and commanders brag that the Islamists are on the back foot. "Al-Shabaab
... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
is standing on one leg, and we are doing our best to hack off that leg and liberate the small areas they still control," Somalia's Minister of Defence Abdihakim Haji Mohamud Fiqi told AFP.

"Their military strength is weakened, they are now launching just desperate attacks."

United Nations
...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks...
Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson said last month that AMISOM advances had "ground to a halt" because it lacked a sufficient number of troops. Diplomats say the UN Security Council is expected to soon authorise 4,000 more troops for the African Union force in Somalia, boosting the five-nation fighting force by a quarter to some 22,000 strong.

But even as the forces of Evil have lost ground, Shabaab commanders have increasingly developed the force's capability to carry out guerrilla attacks, regular events inside Somalia including storming a UN compound in June.

But they have also showed their ability to stage attacks in neighbouring Kenya, with the September massacre of shoppers and staff in Nairobi's upmarket Westgate mall in which at least 67 people were killed.

Repeatedly retreating ahead of advancing AU forces, choosing later to stage hit-and-run attacks, the Shabaab face a shrinking space to operate in openly, with key towns left in southern Somalia including the port of Barawe in Lower Shabelle, and the bastion of Badhere, in Gedo region. Commanders are hunted by US drones, with a missile strike last month killing a top suicide bomb-maker.

But according to a recent UN monitoring report, Shabaab have built up a powerful "Amniyat" secret service, under strict command of the hard boy's chief Ahmed Abdi Godane, a secretive and ruthless leader who Washington have offered a $7 million bounty for. "Even if international efforts to dismantle the group's fighting forces succeed, the chances that the cells under the leadership of Godane will continue operating is high," said Andrews Atta-Asamoah, of the South Africa-based Institute for Security Studies (ISS). "The ongoing military operation against the group might face a long fight."

In many frontline zones, territory patrolled during the day by AMISOM is controlled at night by Shabaab.

"AMISOM reinforcements -- especially if air capability is increased such as helicopter gunships -- will allow the force to take further towns," said a security expert working on Somalia. "But the more territory they take, the more supply lines will be stretched... the Shabaab continue to control rural areas in between."

In coming months, renewed AMISOM-led offensives against Shabaab's positions in southern Somalia will likely intensify, with the force optimistic extra troops can help it advance again. AMISOM, announced a fresh push last month in southern Somalia to "deny Al-Shabaab freedom of movement" and "reduce their ability" to carry out attacks. "Given additional troops... and given 'force multipliers' like helicopters and armoured vehicles, we shall be in position to defeat the Shabaab," said AMISOM front man Captain Deo Akiiki.

Long-term targets include seizing Barawe -- a reputed suicide commando training centre for the forces of Evil -- some 180 kilometres (110 miles) south of the capital Mogadishu. Taking Barawe would help cut coastal resupply routes and link up AU forces physically split between Mogadishu and the far south of Somalia. "Making the Shabaab lose access to sea is crucial, because at the moment they use Barawe as a supply route," Akiiki added, adding that capturing Barawe would "cut their veins".

At the same time, Somalia's central government is trying to improve collaboration with breakaway regions, notably the southern Jubaland zone, controlled by a warlord previously opposed to the rule of central government but who is also battling the Shabaab. "Taking territory from the Shabaab and targeting commanders is key, but that won't stop the hard core of the Shabaab continuing terrorist attacks," the security expert added. Others warn that alongside military assaults must be an attempt to talk to less radical elements.

"Radical elements within the leadership can be contained through the ongoing military solution," Atta-Asamoah added, but arguing that what is "really missing in the search for a solution is the question of opening dialogue" with those Shabaab who might switch sides.
Posted by: Fred || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab

#1  Military solutions are a good way to get experienced troops and train up a cadre. The Sheboobs haven't got as much money and equipment. They tend to live in isolated areas where they can be contained and chewed up at a convenient rate.

In the long run what is their plan? Just staying alive and desperate boogah boogah. Even if the conflict drags on for a while who is getting killed? Just more Moslems. Sell the monkeys some ammunition. You are worried about the carnage? Fugedaboutit. PBUH is their middle name.

Posted by: Spereting Tingle4064 || 11/08/2013 5:46 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Mohamed Morsi to discuss reconciliation process with Islamists
[India Express] Ousted Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi
...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator...
is expected to meet a number of lawyers and political figures to discuss the progress in reconciliation between the Moslem Brüderbund and the military-backed interim government.

A delegation made up of former prime minister Hisham Kandeel, former presidential candidate Mohammed Selim al-Awa and Morsi's former vice-president Mahmoud Mekki, will meet Morsi in prison.

The court has agreed to allow visits, but has not yet determined an exact timing for it, said Mohammed el-Damati, spokesperson of the defence team of Morsi and other Moslem Brüderbund members.

Mahmoud el-Khudairy, former chairman of Legal Committee in the dissolved Parliament, said that releasing Morsi and other Brotherhood leaders would be a big step towards achieving reconciliation and political stability.

The Anti-coup Alliance, which has been demanding for the release of 62-year-old Morsi, said that it will not take any decisions on reconciliation without first holding talks with him, media reports said.

The former president will meet a number of political figures to discuss the results of the steps towards reconciliation between the Moslem Brüderbund and the current government, the reports said.

"There are still chances for reconciliation between the Brotherhood members and the government," former Minister of Justice Ahmed Mekki said.

Meanwhile,
...back at the barn, a little lightbulb figuratively appeared over Bossy's head...
lawyers who met Morsi inside the Police Academy during his first trial session tried to convince him that it is important to assign a lawyer for his defence. Morsi earlier said he will not appoint a lawyer to defend him during his trial for inciting the murder of anti-regime protesters. The next hearing in the case has been set for January 8.

Meanwhile,
...back at the mall, Clarissa spent the day shopping for new underwear. Tonight was going to be a special occasion...
Morsi's wife and two sons visited him for the first time in prison on Wednesday. During the hour-long meeting, Morsi received a bag that contained some clothes and foods, fruits, mineral water and soft drinks.
Posted by: Fred || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Tunisia Lawyers Accuse Government over MP's Murder
[An Nahar] Tunisian lawyers on Thursday said the weapon used to kill a prominent opposition MP came from the interior ministry, which they said was concealing a probe into the liquidation.

The interior ministry rejected the accusation and condemned what it called "a systematic smear campaign" targeting the security apparatus.

Secular opposition leader Chokri Belaid was bumped off outside his Tunis home in early February, in a brazen daytime killing that triggered a major political crisis in the birthplace of the Arab Spring.

The group of lawyers claiming to seek the truth about Belaid's murder said that on May 29 the ministry received the results of an inquiry carried out by a Dutch forensic organization at the request of the Tunisian judiciary.

"The ministry concealed the report and didn't hand it to the judiciary," Mokhtar Trifi, former president of the Tunisian League for the Defense of Human Rights, told news hounds.

The group of lawyers identified seven ministry employees whom it said were implicated in the cover up, including Interpol representatives in Tunisia.

In a report distributed to the press, the group said that Belaid was shot with a 9mm Beretta pistol, a weapon it claimed was only used in Tunisia by interior ministry personnel.

The interior ministry denied the accusations on its Facebook page.

"The interior ministry insists that police and National Guard units do not possess the type of weapon mentioned in the Dutch report as was claimed," it said.

The interior ministry has blamed Islamist hard boyz for the killing of Belaid and another leftist opposition MP, Mohammed Brahmi, on July 25, saying the same weapon was used in each attack.

Both liquidations prompted thousands of protesters to take to the streets demanding the fall of Tunisia's Islamist-led government, which has been sharply criticized for failing to curb a surge in jihadist violence.

Belaid's murder eventually forced the resignation of Islamist prime minister Hamadi Jebali, and Tunisian political life remains paralyzed by the crisis that followed Brahmi's killing.
Posted by: Fred || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Egypt rights organisations say new terror law will re-establish police state
[Al Ahram] Twenty Egyptian human rights organisations published a joint statement on Thursday arguing that a draft counter-terrorism bill currently under consideration would reinstate the "police state" in Egypt if implemented. The statement claims that the counter-terrorism law, drafted by the interior ministry in September, would "serve as the legal basis for the re-establishment of the police state" which arguably controlled the country before the January 2011 popular uprising that ousted longtime autocrat Hosni Mubarak.

Among the signatories of Thursday's statement were the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights (EIPR), The Hisham Mubarak Law Centre, the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, and the Arabic Network for Human Rights information.

"Continuing the same practices of the Mubarak regime, such as setting aside the principle of rule of law and resorting instead to repressive security measures and exceptional laws which undermine human rights and the foundations of the rule of law, will only serve to increase the occurrence of acts of armed violence and terrorism," the statement read.

According to the statement, the current bill broadens the definition of "terrorist acts" to those activities that are not essentially related to terrorism, including "disrupting the authorities from carrying out some of their activities," "[carrying out] acts which seek to hinder the implementation of the constitution or the law" and "preventing educational institutions from carrying out their work." An "act of terrorism," as defined by the proposed bill, also extends to "any behavior which damages the communications or information systems, the financial systems, or the national economy," the statement adds.

Such broad provisions could open the way to harassment of "peaceful political opposition members, human rights activists, and a broad range of groups working to defend democracy and human rights," the human rights organisations stated.

Egypt has witnessed a volatile security situation since former president Mohamed Morsi was ousted in July amidst mass protests against his rule. Since Morsi's ouster, attacks against police stations, security forces and state installations have increased.

Militants in Egypt's restive Sinai Peninsula have stepped up attacks against security forces in the north, prompting the army to launch a major counterinsurgency operation in the region. Churches have also come under attack nationwide, as extremist Islamists often hold Christians responsible for Morsi's overthrow.
Posted by: Fred || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  Eqypt has varied between dictatorship, police state and a war of all against all. Hillary would say, "What difference does it make?"
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 11/08/2013 11:21 Comments || Top||

#2  Lara Logan might have some useful thoughts on this issue.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 11/08/2013 11:22 Comments || Top||


Egypt court adjourns case against former Army chief Tantawi
[Al Ahram] The State Commissioners Authority has adjourned a case brought by relatives of protesters killed during the December 2011 Cabinet festivities until 5 December 2013.
The lawsuit was filed to repeal a decree by ex-president Mohammed Morsi
...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator...
granting immunity to former military council leader Field Marshal Tantawi, his former deputy General Sami Anan, and former military police commander General Hamdi Badeen over the incident.

The Authority adjourned the case after appointing the State Lawsuits Authority to review a report on the festivities by the Second Revolution Fact-Finding Committee.

The committee was formed by Mohammed Morsi shortly after he became president.

Its final report has not been released despite being finished several months ago.

The Cabinet festivities between protesters and security forces resulted in the killing of at least 17 people and hundreds of injured.

Several lawsuits have been filed against Tantawi and Anan accusing them of being responsible for the killing of protesters at Maspero, Mahmoud Mahmoud Street and the Cabinet building.
Posted by: Fred || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Arabia
Saudi Arabia has nuclear weapons 'on order' from Pakistan
Sources say Saudi Arabia has invested in Pakistani nuclear weapons projects, and believes it could obtain atomic bombs at will. While the kingdom's quest has often been seen in the context of circumventing Iran's atomic program, it now seems possible that the Saudis might be able to deploy such devices more quickly than the Islamic republic.

Earlier this year, a senior NATO decision maker saod that he had seen intelligence reports that nuclear weapons made in Pakistan on behalf of Saudi Arabia now stand ready for delivery.

Last month a former head of Israeli military intelligence, Amos Yadlin, told a conference that if Iran got the bomb, "the Saudis will not wait one month. They already paid for the bomb, they will go to Pakistan and bring what they need to bring."

Gary Samore, until March 2013 President Obama's WMD tsar, said, "I do think that the Saudis believe that they have some understanding with Pakistan that, in extremis, they would have claim to acquire nuclear weapons from Pakistan."
Posted by: ryuge || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  So we don't have to nuke Iran and we don't have to nuke the Soddies. All we have to do is sit back and watch them nuke each other.

H/T Drudge, Netanyahu says deal that Kerry is about to negotiate with Iran is a very, very bad deal. But then, what can we expect from Baraq Hussein?
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 11/08/2013 11:23 Comments || Top||

#2  From a Saudi point of view, getting their own nukes makes sense, and they can most likely afford to pay for them.
From a traditional US point of view, nuke proliferation will lead to disaster, one way or the other. Do not discuss this!
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 11/08/2013 11:33 Comments || Top||

#3  I realize the point of having nuke weapons is to not use them, but I can't help wondering: if push came to shove, would you bet the farm on technology stamped Made in Pakistain?
Posted by: SteveS || 11/08/2013 13:03 Comments || Top||

#4  Uh..... Um lemme have uh 5 no, uh, 9 happy glow packs, uh, um fail safe? No, extra tritium tho pls k TIS.
Posted by: Shipman || 11/08/2013 18:44 Comments || Top||


Britain
Al Qaeda is 'lapping up' Edward Snowden spy leaks: UK spy chief
[Al Ahram] Britain's enemies are rubbing their hands with glee about former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden's leaks to the media, one of Britain's spy chiefs said on Thursday. "The leaks from Snowden have been very damaging, they've put our operations at risk. It's clear that our adversaries are rubbing their hands with glee, al Qaeda is lapping it up," John Sawers, the head of MI6, Britain's foreign intelligence service, told parliament.
Posted by: Fred || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda

#1  "put our operations at risk" is gov-speak, just as the FDA says "unapproved drugs present current risks...We don't know what's in them. We don't know if they're going to work properly. We don't know how they're made and that's a real concern."

--- Where can the juicy details of actual harmful results of the Snowden leaks be found? Did he name under cover operatives, for example?
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 11/08/2013 11:17 Comments || Top||

#2  There is a point at which the cure is worse than the disease.
Posted by: Woodrow Guelph8541 || 11/08/2013 22:54 Comments || Top||

#3  If this is true.... then why is Snowden still consuming oxygen?
Posted by: CrazyFool || 11/08/2013 23:37 Comments || Top||


How British terror suspect escaped surveillance
Details have become known of how a terror suspect escaped from surveillance after changing into a burka at a mosque.

Somali-born Mohammed Ahmed Mohamed used a sharp instrument to cut off his electronic tag on Friday. Police were alerted when the tag was removed but Mohamed fled. A search is now under way. Mohamed is currently seeking damages from the government in a human rights challenge over allegations of torture.

Mohamed arrived at the An-Noor Masjid and Community Centre, in west London, on Friday morning, and was seen inside at 3:15 p.m. When he removed the tag, it issued a "tamper-alert" to its makers, a private security firm. They called the suspect and contacted the Home Office after he failed to answer. Police were alerted but he had disappeared by the time they arrived.

Mohamed is believed to have close links to al-Shabab, but officials said there was not enough evidence to bring a criminal case against him in court.

Mohamed is now the subject of a police-led manhunt and could face up to five years in prison if caught. He is the second terror suspect under a TPim order to go missing. TPims restrict the movements of people thought to be a risk to the public, but who cannot be tried for reasons of national security and who cannot be deported.

As of September, nine men - eight of them British - were under TPim surveillance.
Posted by: ryuge || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab

#1  Brit born Pakis and Somalians are the biggest threat to the UK.
Posted by: Ulusoth Shereter7931 || 11/08/2013 5:16 Comments || Top||

#2  Brit born Pakis and Somalians are the biggest threat to the UK.

Not British school teachers?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/08/2013 6:07 Comments || Top||

#3  Good point g(r)om; second-biggest threat.
Posted by: Glenmore || 11/08/2013 8:18 Comments || Top||

#4  NHS being number three?
Posted by: Pappy || 11/08/2013 10:58 Comments || Top||


Down Under
Aussie ex-Gitmo prisoner seeks to clear his name
David Hicks, the former Australian Muslim convert held for years in America's notorious Guantanamo Bay prison, will try to clear his name through an appeal against his conviction for providing material support for terrorism. The crime did not exist at the time of his arrest and did not come into force until five years later. The legal team representing Hicks also alleges he was tortured.

Hicks was captured in Afghanistan in 2001 by Northern Alliance troops and sold to United States forces for $1000. He was held for more than six years at Gitmo before being returned to Australia, where was treated as a pariah by former Prime Minister John Howard's Liberal government and called a "traitor" in the media.

Unlike Britain and the governments of other nationals held in the prison, Australia made no efforts to free Hicks or demand an early trial, accepting the US position without question. Howard said, "He knowingly joined the Taliban and al-Qaeda. I don't have any sympathy for any Australian who's done that."

Hicks, who renounced Islam at Gitmo, is now challenging his conviction in the US Court of Military Commission after a Court of Appeals ruling last year that the charge could not be applied retrospectively. His lawyers also said in court documents that Hicks' guilty plea had been forced by his extended detention, torture and abuse.

The documents said, "Over the course of more than five years, Mr Hicks was repeatedly beaten, sexually assaulted, threatened with deadly violence, injected with unknown substances and subjected to an entire arsenal of psychological gambits ... that had as their aim the destruction of his personality. He was stripped naked, deprived of sleep for extended periods, cast into solitary confinement, contorted into shapes that no human body should be forced to assume, and told that he would never again set foot on his native soil."
Posted by: ryuge || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda

#1  The legal team representing Hicks also alleges he was tortured.

"They turned me into a newt!"
Posted by: SteveS || 11/08/2013 16:46 Comments || Top||

#2  Ummmmmm...no. Admitted under oath:

Hicks admitted he had trained with al-Qaeda, fought with the Taliban and that a friend of his believed he had approved of the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The judge revealed that the plea bargain included a provision that he would get no credit for the five years he has already served in Guantanamo Bay and that had agreed not to sue the US for any illegal treatment he had received. The plea bargain included a ban on him speaking to the media for one year, and agreement that if he made any money from selling his story the money would go to the Australian Government. He also agreed that he had "never been illegally treated by any persons in the control or custody of the United States".
Posted by: tu3031 || 11/08/2013 21:58 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Snowden persuaded other NSA workers to give up passwords.
[Rooters] This really fails the smell test. I never had a systems administration person ask me for my password. I suspect hacking. Even if true, why would the employee then not immediately change his PW to protect himself.
Yup. I think this is a little Russian 'wolf meat'...
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/08/2013 08:05 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I dunno, social hacking is easiest hacking.
Posted by: Shipman || 11/08/2013 18:46 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Pakistan denies reports Saudis funded nuclear program
[Dawn] Pakistain's Foreign Office on Thursday strongly denied
No, no! Certainly not!
reports 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...
funded the country's nuclear weapons program calling the news item as "baseless, fake and provocative."

Citing different sources, BBC Newsnight had reported that Saudi Arabia can obtain atomic bombs from Pakistain 'at will.'

Speaking to BBC Urdu, Foreign Office Spokesman Aizaz Chaudhry said that Pakistain is a responsible nuclear power.

The country has a robust control system for its nuclear weapons and also had taken extensive protection measures for ensuring their security, the front man said.

He also said the country's nuclear program is at par with the international standards and in compliance with the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Pakistain has been disposing off the west's reservations regarding safety of the country's nuclear assets, stressing that these were in safe hands.

Referring to his conversation with an unnamed NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all....
official earlier this year, diplomatic and defence editor of Newsnight Mark Urban said the official had seen such covert reports which point to a deal between Saudis and Pakistain.

According to those reports, he said, Pakistain's nuclear weapons are ready to be delivered to Saudi Arabia.

A presser by former Israeli military intelligence chief Amos Yadlin was also highlighted in the report. Yadlin had told the media that Saudis will not even wait for a month in acquiring the atomic bomb in case Iran succeeds in making one. He said Pakistain had already been paid by the Saudis in that regard.
Posted by: Fred || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Nawaz decides not to review US-Pakistan ties
[The Hindu] 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...
has ruled out reviewing all aspects of Pakistain's relations with U.S. after Interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan's outburst last week blaming the U.S. for sabotaging peace talks by targeting Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) leader Hakimullah Mehsud.

Reacting to Mehsud's death Mr. Khan last Saturday said that the entire perspective of Pakistain-U.S. relations are going to be reviewed and also the level of cooperation in a meeting of the Cabinet committee on national security. Every aspect of U.S.-Pakistain cooperation will be discussed and reviewed, he said. The meeting of this committee has not taken place either.

However,
the way to a man's heart remains through his stomach...
official sources on Thursday said the issue was not discussed with the Prime Minister and the rhetoric of one Minister cannot become a policy statement. The sources said it would be business as usual with the U.S. and a review of ties was not going to take place.

The government had also served a demarche on the U.S. Ambassador protesting the drone strike. Mr. Khan said the drone strike was an attack on the grinding of the peace processor and a deliberate attempt by the U.S. to foil it.
Posted by: Fred || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Minister for improving standards of education
[Pak Daily Times] State Minister for Education, Training and Standards in Higher Education Engineer Balighur Rehman has said that his government is focusing on reinventing education for life so that education could be transformed into a meaningful activity.

The minister, who recently attended an international summit on education in Doha, appreciated a fund launched at the meeting to provide financial assistance as well as expertise and training to institutions working for the promotion of education.

"Pakistain will benefit from 'The Future of Fund' to improve education, especially for girls, involving innovative ideas," he said.
Posted by: Fred || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


JI opposes another APC on talks with Taliban
[Pak Daily Times] 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...
(JI) chief Syed Munawar Hasan has opposed another All Parties Conference (APC) on talks with the Taliban, and urged the PML-N government to implement decisions taken at the previous APCs. He warned that calling another APC would be "a plot to harm the collective will of the nation and to serve US interests". According to a blurb, Munawar said that another APC on "US wishes would be a farce, sheer waste of time and a conspiracy to harm the country's solidarity".

The JI chief said that the Taliban and their supporters were struggling for peace in the country and fighting against US terrorism
The JI chief said that the Taliban and their supporters were struggling for peace in the country and fighting against US terrorism, adding that they were one entity as the end of US brutalities and the protection of Pakistain's independence and illusory sovereignty were their common goal. He said the Taliban might have committed various blunders but it would be unjust to ignore their sacrifices against the US and to hold them accountable for their lapses. "If the government can have dialogue with Baloch nationalists and Sindhi nationalists, why not with the Taliban"," he said.
Posted by: Fred || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami


Mullah Fazlullah new head of Taliban
[CSMONITOR] The man who will be the Pak Taliban's next leader is not one to shy away from recklessly bold statements -- from riding defiantly by his enemies on a white horse to plotting last year's liquidation attempt on Pak schoolgirl Malala Yousafzai.

On Thursday, the Pak Taliban announced that they have chosen Maualana Fazlullah to replace Hakimullah Mehsud, who was killed in a US drone strike last week.

Mr. Fazlullah -- a hard-line holy man whose power has been growing since 2007 -- has been thought to be in hiding in Afghanistan after the Pak military ran his Swat
...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat...
Valley-based Taliban faction out of the region.

By some accounts, Fazlullah is a surprise choice, since the previous leaders of the Pak Taliban were both from the Mehsud family. But his influence within the Pak Taliban -- a loose organization of Death Eater groups that is affiliated with but distinct from the Afghanistan Taliban -- has been evident for years. He now has strong ties to Afghan Death Eaters, too.

In 2007, Christian Science Monitor correspondent David Montero traveled to the Swat Valley to profile "the rise of a powerful holy man" who "exposes economic and political failures in a government-administered area." That person? Maualana Fazlullah.

Mr. Montero documented Fazlullah's first dramatic show of his power, two years before his forces took over the Swat Valley:

In this valley of orchards near Afghanistan, 90 police hid along the banks of a riverbed in March, preparing to arrest the powerful Pak holy man Maualana Fazlullah. Informants said the target, charged with terrorism, would soon appear with a modest contingent of followers. Instead, Mr. Fazlullah rode into sight on a white horse, surrounded by hundreds of people.

When the officers advanced, brandishing tear gas and batons, word flew through the town. Thousands more supporters turned out to further protect Fazlullah. The officers backed off in an incident that shocked the country, exposing as it did the state's powerlessness to apprehend a wanted terrorist.

The rise of Fazlullah "signals a dangerous tipping point," Montero wrote at the time.

Allow him to persist, many observers say, and others will be emboldened to roll back the state's policies of moderation -- small but symbolically important gains in women's empowerment, girls' education, and religious tolerance.

"My opinion is, if you take him out today, there will be a reaction," says Asfandiar Amir Zeb, a former mayor of the district of Swat. "Leave it for a month, there will be a bigger reaction. If you leave it for six months, you won't be able to catch him."

Fazlullah's influence did indeed grow. His Taliban forces overtook the Swat Valley in 2007, but were defeated two years later by Pak Army forces. In 2012, Fazlullah helped orchestrate from afar the shooting of activist Malala Yousafzai, a resident of the Swat Valley, on her way to school -- and his front man said she would be shot again if she returned.

Back in 2007, as Montero's reporting shows, Fazlullah was sowing the seeds of his message against girls' education:

Since he began preaching two years ago, Fazlullah has drawn more than 15,000 weekly to his Friday prayers. His vision of Death Eater Islam reaches thousands more in the valley by way of his illegal radio station, which he used until recently to warn parents not to send their girls to school.

"Tell me, what wrong have I done? I am preaching religion, and religion is not terrorism," Fazlullah says in a brick room on the site of his new madrassah, surrounded by bearded aides.
Posted by: Fred || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP

#1  I bet he fingered Hakimullah Mehsud - isn't that how one advances in the system?
Posted by: Glenmore || 11/08/2013 8:20 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Kerry Warns of a Third Intifada if Peace Talks Fail
[An Nahar] U.S. 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...
delivered on Thursday a grim warning to Israel that failure to make peace with the Paleostinians could trigger a new uprising.

"The alternative to getting back to the talks is the potential of chaos," Kerry said in a joint interview with Israel's Channel 2 and the Paleostinian Broadcasting Corporation.

"I mean, does Israel want a third intifada?" the top U.S. diplomat asked, using the Arabic word for uprising.

The first Paleostinian uprising against the Israeli occupation ran from 1987 to 1993, and was followed by a second one from late 2000 to 2005 in which rights groups estimated 3,000 Paleostinian and 1,000 Israeli civilians and troops died.

Kerry was speaking on his seventh trip to Israel and the West Bank as he seeks to put the troubled Israeli-Paleostinian peace negotiations back on track.

Angered by continued Israeli settlement building, the Paleostinians earlier this week threatened to pull out of the talks which only resumed three months ago after a three-year hiatus.

Kerry has slammed the settlements as illegitimate and said new construction should be limited.

He repeated grim predictions he made earlier this year that if Israel fails to make peace it will only find itself increasingly isolated by the international community.

"If we do not find a way to find peace, there will be an increasing isolation of Israel, there will be an increasing campaign of de-legitimization of Israel that's been taking place in an international basis," he said in a clip of the interview, shown ahead of the full broadcast.
Posted by: Fred || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: PLO

#1  Kerry is hereafter in prickmo.
Posted by: newc || 11/08/2013 0:52 Comments || Top||

#2  If we do not find a way to find peace, there will be an increasing isolation of Israel, there will be an increasing campaign of de-legitimization of Israel that's been taking place in an international basis,

Hey Jawn, in 4000 years we've been threatened by experts.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/08/2013 1:40 Comments || Top||

#3  He did stop just short of offering to fund the "third Intifada".... right ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/08/2013 5:52 Comments || Top||

#4  He did stop just short of offering to fund the "third Intifada".... right?

He wasn't talking to Paleos, Besoeker.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/08/2013 6:06 Comments || Top||

#5  If we do not find a way to find peace, there will be an increasing isolation of Israel

Cuba being (for obvious reasons) the exception, isolation generally facilitates the incubation of innovation and discovery. No 'dancing in the End Zone' g(r)om ;-)
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/08/2013 6:13 Comments || Top||

#6  A third? What, this year?
Posted by: RandomJD || 11/08/2013 6:32 Comments || Top||

#7  Jawn always wants others to give in to extortion...it's the Chicago way.
Posted by: AlanC || 11/08/2013 6:46 Comments || Top||

#8  Besoeker, you misunderstand: I think isolation from bankrupt losers of EU is a good thing for Israeli economy.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/08/2013 6:57 Comments || Top||

#9  Yes, a good thing for everyone in fact.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/08/2013 7:02 Comments || Top||

#10  Well, you have your own...
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/08/2013 7:06 Comments || Top||

#11  ...and because our foreign policy is working so well...: Furious Israel confronts U.S., rejects proposed Iran nuclear deal
Posted by: Uncle Phester || 11/08/2013 9:18 Comments || Top||

#12  Intifada ad Infinitum!
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 11/08/2013 11:31 Comments || Top||

#13  Kerry wants sun will go down at night. What a tool.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 11/08/2013 14:29 Comments || Top||

#14  Saudi Arabia, Iran's chief rival for regional influence, has made clear to Washington that it does not like the signs of a possible U.S.-Iran rapprochement.

With Champ voting "Present" will the Saudis look elsewhere for support? Like Russia? But Putin is Iran's friend, right? What if Pootie has to choose?
Posted by: Bobby || 11/08/2013 17:16 Comments || Top||

#15  Putin will chose Iran of course. From Russia's perspective Saudi Arabia is a player, while Iran is a playmate.
Posted by: Secret Master || 11/08/2013 20:21 Comments || Top||

#16  Putin could choose both - against the US.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 11/08/2013 20:34 Comments || Top||

#17  So what?
Posted by: tu3031 || 11/08/2013 21:46 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
'First step' deal on Iran's nuclear program expected as early as Friday
An initial deal to curb Iran's nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief seemed likely to be signed as early as Friday, after US Secretary of State John Kerry, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, British Foreign Secretary William Hague and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle were asked to arrive in Geneva at the invitation of EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

Before leaving for Geneva, Kerry met with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu on Friday morning for the third time in barely 48 hours, to discuss the impending deal.

Netanyahu said that Iran was getting "the deal of the century" and warned that signing a "first step" deal would bury "the possibility of having a peaceful resolution."
Sold out, again
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 11/08/2013 06:01 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  First step: bend over, grab ankles
Posted by: Spot || 11/08/2013 7:48 Comments || Top||

#2  Exclusive: Obama’s Secret Iran Détente
Posted by: Uncle Phester || 11/08/2013 10:46 Comments || Top||


Eid Subpoenaed for Interrogation on Tuesday over Tripoli Twin Bombings
[An Nahar] First Military Investigation Judge Riyad Abu Ghida issued on Thursday a subpoena against Ali Eid days after he was charged with helping a suspect in the Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
mosque bombings escape justice.

Abu Ghida ordered the questioning of Arab Democratic Party Chief and former MP Eid on Tuesday over his link to the the bombings against al-Taqwa and al-Salam mosques in Tripoli on August 23.

Saqr charged on Tuesday Eid and his driver Ahmed Mohammed Ali with helping Ahmed Merhi and smuggling him to Syria.

Ali is being held by the Intelligence Bureau.

Abou Ghida also issued two arrest warrants against Ahmed Mohammed Ali and Chehade Shdoud.

Shdoud, who was tossed in the clink
Please don't kill me!
on Tuesday at the Abboudieh border-crossing, is charged with smuggling Sukeina Ismail to Syria.

Ismail is charged with terrorism over her links to the Tripoli blasts. She is charged with transporting the two cars that were used in the bombings from Syria to Leb, it added.
Posted by: Fred || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Telecommunications Committee to Hold Urgent Meeting Monday to Discuss Israeli Spying Stations
[An Nahar] The parliamentary telecommunications committee will hold an emergency meeting on Monday to tackle the recent spying stations installed by Israel along its border with Leb as caretaker Telecom Minister Nicolas Sehnaoui considered the matter "violation of the country's illusory sovereignty."

The head of the Committee, MP Hassan Fadlallah, said in comments published in As Safir newspaper on Thursday that the meeting will be held in presence of Sehnaoui and a specialized team in addition to the Foreign Ministry representative.

"No respectable country would accept these spying stations along its border, which is a clear, blatant violation and requires action on all levels to confront it," Fadlallah told the newspaper.

Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri
Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet...
revealed on Wednesday that Israel had set up a number of spying stations along its border with Leb, starting from al-Naqoura passing by Khiyam all the way to Shebaa."

The biggest espionage station is allegedly installed in al-Abbad and Jal al-Alam areas, which are located near the U.N. demarcated Blue line.

Sehnaoui told As Safir newspaper that the spying stations allows Israelis to detect everything from vibrations and waves and could breach the phone cables.
Posted by: Fred || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hezbollah

#1  If Israel is doing it from within it's borders and any rf radiation is under brain/body danger limits... tough titties. Anybody can look out of their own space. If it bothers you then figure out how to build a privacy fence.

Posted by: 3dc || 11/08/2013 0:48 Comments || Top||

#2  build a privacy fence

Heck, Israel will probably help build it - with the right specs.
Posted by: Glenmore || 11/08/2013 8:23 Comments || Top||

#3  So fences are OK this week?
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain || 11/08/2013 13:56 Comments || Top||


Government
Saxby warns against sending Gitmo detainees to Yemen for rehab
[Washington Examiner] The top Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee is urging the Obama administration to abandon any effort to help close Guantanamo Bay by sending detainees back to their home country of Yemen.

The administration is in talks with the Yemeni government and is working with the United Nations to establish a rehabilitation center outside the capital of Sana'a to help transition detainees from that country back to freedom, the White House told the Washington Examiner on Wednesday night.
From Bush overseas prisons and detention centers to GITMO, then back to Obama overseas prisons and detention centers. Ok, I get it.
More than half of the 164 prisoners who remain at Guantanamo Bay are from Yemen. Those plans do not sit well with Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., the ranking member of the committee charged with overseeing the administration's intelligence and counter-terrorism policies.
Those plans should not "sit well" with anyone.
Posted by: Besoeker || 11/08/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:



Who's in the News
34[untagged]
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3al-Shabaab
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2al-Qaeda
1Hezbollah
1Islamic State of Iraq & the Levant
1Jamaat-e-Islami
1Jemaah Islamiyah
1PLO
1Thai Insurgency
1Govt of Sudan

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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.
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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2013-11-08
  'Mullah Radio' takes overTTP, terms talks 'waste of time'
Thu 2013-11-07
  Nigeria president seeks state of emergency extension
Wed 2013-11-06
  Mortar round hits Vatican embassy in Damascus
Tue 2013-11-05
  152 soldiers sentenced to die for mutiny in Bangladesh
Mon 2013-11-04
  Blast inside Quetta seminary leaves two injured
Sun 2013-11-03
  Gunmen kill 30 in suspected Islamist attack on Nigerian wedding convoy
Sat 2013-11-02
  Egypt army arrests head of Sinai radical militant group, dozens others
Fri 2013-11-01
  Pakistani Taliban chief killed in drone strike: sources
Thu 2013-10-31
  Israeli warplanes strike shipment of Russian missiles at Syrian port: officials
Wed 2013-10-30
  Suicide blast in Tunisian resort of Sousse
Tue 2013-10-29
  Somalia's al-Shabab commanders 'killed' in strike
Mon 2013-10-28
  Bomb blast kills 18 wedding guests in Afghanistan
Sun 2013-10-27
  Bombings in Baghdad, Mosul kill at least 49
Sat 2013-10-26
  Nigeria says kills 74 'Boko Haram' Islamists in ground, air assault
Fri 2013-10-25
  Algerian troops find huge arms cache on Libyan border

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