Ministry of Defense (MoD) on Tuesday said Afghan security forces have plans to gear up their anti-terror campaign in winter against militants' traditional strongholds in certain regions across the nation aimed at clearing areas under Taliban' control.
"We are working on the ongoing Shafaq Operation to clear all areas under the control of insurgents during [upcoming] winter," the Defense Ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri said.
It is said that Taliban's recent military shifts and government's failure of tackling the group drawn strong criticism from the Afghan political elites and the public with many blasting the Afghan security institutions for what they call poor leadership and a weak management of the ongoing turmoil that has rattled the peaceful life of Afghans in multiple fronts.
"Taliban militants takeover districts, but government still has no plan to retake the areas from them," said head of parliament's defense committee Hashim Alokozai.
"Whenever you keep the forces on standby, they leave implications on their moral, they lose their moral and become weak," former deputy minister of interio Mirza Mohammad Yarmand said.
It is said that the Taliban outfits have sustained their firm control over Baghlan's Dahnae-e-Ghori, Gul Tapa, Aqtash and Kalbad districts and some areas of Chahardara district while the group also controls Kunduz's Dasht-e-Archi and Qala-e-Zal districts.
Reports indicate that in south and north also there is a similar situation in the wake of Taliban's control over Nawa district in Ghazni, Khak-e-Afghan district in Zabul, Kohistanat district in Sar-e-Pul province, Yamgan and Wardooj districts in Badakhshan – including their grip on some key districts of Helmand such as Baghran, Khanshin, Nawah and Nawmesh.
"We are planning to carry out operations to retake certain parts of Baghlan including Dand-e-Ghori, Dahana-e-Ghori and Baghlan-e-Markazi," said Baghlan police chief Noor Habib Gulbahari.
The statements come at a time that the Taliban continue to waging an unusually aggressive campaign of violence in Afghanistan, unleashing deadly bombings in major city across Afghanistan.
#2
A Desperate Offensive during the cruel Afghan Winter, followed by the lion-like cruel Afghan Spring and the ever too short blistering heat of the annoyed Afghan Summer.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Afghan Intelligence, National Directorate of Security ...the Afghan national intel agency... (NDS) Chief, Masoom Stanikzai has met with the brother of Mullah Mohammad amid reports secret peace talks have revived in 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... According to the sources in Taliban group, quoted in a report by The Guardian, among those present at the meetings held in September and October was Mullah Abdul Manan Akhund, brother of Mullah Omar ... a minor Pashtun commander in the war against the Soviets who made good as leader of the Taliban. As ruler of Afghanistan, he took the title Leader of the Faithful. The imposition of Pashtunkhwa on the nation institutionalized ignorance and brutality in a country already notable for its own fair share of ignorance and brutality... , the former Taliban chief who led the movement from its earliest days until his death in 2013.
The sources further added that the Afghan officials and the Taliban group representatives have met for at least two times since the efforts stalled in the format of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) earlier this year.
Mullah Omar’s son, Mohammad Yaqoob, is expected to soon join the Doha group, a Taliban source told The Guardian, in a move that would further bolster the authority of the office.
No Pak official took part in either the October or September meetings, according to a member of the Taliban’s leadership council, the Quetta Shura ...Mullah Omar's command center, located in Quetta, that the Pak govt hasn't been able to find since its establishment in November, 2001. Honest... .
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2016 00:00 ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The fundamental human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... of all Afghans must be respected, including the rights of religious and ethnic communities, said UNAMA in a Human Rights special report released today on the 23 July 2016 attack in Kabul ...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... that killed 85 civilians and injured more than four hundred. Yes. A special report from a UN agency should put a stop to that sort of thing, by Gum!
The report, entitled "Attack on a Peaceful Demonstration in Kabul, 23 July 2016," reviews the challenging context of the demonstration, the planning and preparedness of Afghan Security Forces, their behavior during the demonstration and immediate response to the attack and its aftermath. It raises, where relevant, human rights concerns for the Afghan authorities. The report also discusses the risk mitigation measures that were taken by the Afghan Security Forces and demonstration organizers. It is not intended to replace the Government’s own criminal investigation into the incident.
A protest body known as the ’Enlightening Movement’ organized a large-scale peaceful demonstration in Kabul on 23 July, at the end of which two jacket wallahs detonated their explosives’ belts against the demonstrators, the second one misfired and the attacker was shot by Afghan Security Forces. Almost all of the casualties were male and from the Hazara community which is predominantly Shia Moslem.
The report concludes not only that the 23 July attack deliberately targeted civilians with the apparent aim of spreading terror amongst the civilian population but also was a serious violation of international humanitarian law, which may amount to a war crime. The attack was the deadliest single civilian casualty incident in Afghanistan since UNAMA started its civilian casualties documentation in 2009.
The report notes that the attack appears, disturbingly, to have deliberately targeted persons belonging to a specific ethnic and religious community. ISIS, also known as 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.... , grabbed credit for the attack, employing language that advocated religious hatred and violence. The attack also had a serious negative impact on the demonstrators’ rights to freedom of opinion and expression, as well as peaceful assembly.
The release of the report comes at a time of mounting concern at an emerging pattern of sectarian violence attributed to ISIS. On 11 and 12 October, two separate attacks against Shia congregations commemorating Ashura in Kabul and in the northern province of Balkh killed at least 35 civilians and injured more than 100. ISIS issued an online statement claiming responsibility for the October attack in Kabul using language similar to that used in the claim for the 23 July attack.
UNAMA offers recommendations in its report to promote respect for the fundamental human rights of all Afghans, including the rights of religious and ethnic communities, as well as the need for the completion and implement of a strategy to prevent violent extremism.
The Mission reiterates that international humanitarian law prohibits deliberate attacks against civilians and civilian property, including places of worship.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2016 00:00 ||
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[AlAhram] Egypt's President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has extended a state of emergency in designated areas of the North Sinai governorate for three more months starting 31 October, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported on Tuesday.
The initial decision to impose the state of emergency came in August 2013 by then-interim president Adly Mansour after violent unrest gripped the country following the ouster of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi.
The decision has since been continuously extended for three months at a time, with the latest extension in May 2016.
Cairo – Tensions are tightening in the Libyan capital, Tripoli as militias of the parliament prepare to regain control over the offices of U.N.-backed government of national accord headed by Fayez al-Sarraj.
Sarraj said that he had issued a directive to arrest each one involved in breaking into the High Council of State.
A parliamentary official, who asked to remain anonymous, told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that in the upcoming few days, Sarraj and his government will be thrown out of the government, and in case they resort force, they won’t be allowed to stay in the capital.
The official also hinted that presidential council in the main marine base in Tripoli could be a target.
Government and parliament of Khalifa Ghweil fully enforced its power over the capital, according to the official. He added that Sarraj’s government only has now the marine base.
A security official told Asharq Al-Awsat that clashes erupted between Tripoli factions of the ministry of interior and the presidential security forces that turned against the High Council of the State. The clashes led to the killing of a women and injuring six others. He also said that the situation could escalate.
During the graduation at the police academy, Sarraj said that he gave his orders for the ministry and all security forces to arrest anyone who had planned or was involved in the invasion of state institutions.
Media bureau of Sarraj also reported that he had ordered officials to empty those offices and secure their premises.
Furthermore, media bureau of Sarraj posted images during the graduation. Sarraj also toured Bouslim and al-Khadraa Hospitals.
Justice and Construction Party, political part of the Muslim Brotherhood, condemned the attack on the state council center. The party described the attack as “outlaw actions that will lead to the destabilization of the capital.”
The party also called upon Sarraj to activate the presidential guards and the needed arrangements mentioned in the political agreement. Justice and Construction also asked the international community to take a clear position towards those who are hampering the execution of the agreement.
The U.N. special envoy for Libya, Martin Kobler, tweeted Monday: “Saddened by civilian casualties in Tripoli”. He went on to call for unity in the country.
[Ynet] Nigeria's government is negotiating the release of another 83 of the Chibok schoolgirls taken in a mass abduction two-and-a-half years ago, but more than 100 others appear unwilling to leave their 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... Islamic bully boy captors, a community leader said Tuesday.
The unwilling girls may have been radicalized by Boko Haram or are ashamed to return home because they were forced to marry holy warriors and have babies, chairman Pogu Bitrus of the Chibok Development Association told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named in a telephone interview.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/19/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
Stockholm Syndrome?
Maybe what they have is better than what they had?
Child out of wedlock = "Family Dishonor," and we all know what that means.
As Rantburger SteveS said yesterday: I feel confident a cease-fire can be achieved as long as it doesn't require people to stop shooting at each other.
[AlArabiyah] Saudi Arabia is prepared to agree to a ceasefire in Yemen, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Monday, adding that he was cynical about efforts for peace after numerous previous ceasefire attempts had failed.
We would like to see a ceasefire yesterday," Jubeir told reporters in London. "Everybody wants a ceasefire in Yemen, nobody more so than the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the coalition members."
He accused the Houthis of reneging on previous deals.
"So yes, we come at this with a lot of cynicism. But we are prepared, the Yemeni government is prepared, to agree to a cessation of hostilities if the Houthis agree to it. The coalition countries will respect the desire of the Yemeni government," Jubeir said.
British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, together with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, met Jubeir and officials from the United Arab Emirates on Sunday and said the conflict in Yemen was causing increasing international concern.
The Houthis still control Sanaa and large areas of northern and western Yemen, but Jubeir said it was a matter of time before they were defeated.
"The momentum is going against them in Yemen. They're losing more territory; more people are mobilized against them. They are not paying their bills, businesses are not extending credit to them," Jubeir said.
Jubeir said the Sunni Kingdom was being very careful to abide by humanitarian law in the Yemen conflict. He said that those responsible for the funeral bombing would be punished and victims would be compensated.
[AlAhram] A French Moslem won a court order on Tuesday lifting a travel ban she says was imposed due to her ultra-conservative Salafist beliefs, in a case exposing tensions between La Belle France's official secularism and its Moslem minority.
The 19-year-old, who was raised Catholic and converted to Islam two years ago, said she had wanted to go to 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... to study but her mother alerted the authorities, suspecting her daughter had fallen into the hands of jihadist recruiters.
Continued on Page 49
[Wash Times] A man who came to the U.S. as a refugee from Iraq admitted in court papers Monday that he taught himself to build detonators for improvised explosive devices, trained to use automatic rifles and plotted to sign up as a martyr for the Islamic State group.
Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan’s case is a black eye for the Syrian refugee program, which officials said they modeled on the Iraqi program, using lessons learned to create the vetting system that President Obama and other top officials have promised would weed out terrorists.
But Al Hardan managed to get into the U.S. in 2009 as a teenager after spending time in refugee camps in Jordan and Iraq. Two years after he arrived, he was granted a green card by the Obama administration and quickly began to plot to join one of the terrorist networks fighting in the Middle East.
Federal agents sniffed him out in 2014 and had an informant make contact with him, observing Al Hardan take a loyalty oath to the Islamic State and train with an AK-47 rifle. He agreed to plead guilty to one terrorism charge and will be sentenced in January.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the agency that approved Al Hardan’s refugee application, said it wouldn’t comment on his specific case, but insisted it is taking steps to weed out terrorists. Con't.
#5
The same story as the lads who blew uo the Boston Marathon and a number of others: brought here as kids, did not adjust well, turned radical because the fault could not be something in themselves.
#6
The same story as the lads who blew uo the Boston Marathon and a number of others: brought here as kids, did not adjust well, turned radical because the fault could not be something in themselves.
[NYDailyNews] A New York City college student was killed last fall while fighting for ISIS in Syria, new papers filed in Manhattan Federal Court show.
Samy Mohammed El-Goarany, 24, traveled to 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.... stronghold in February 2015 after "expressing an increased interest in turban forms of Islam," prosecutors say. He died in November 2015.
Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara's office has charged that Ahmed Mohammed El Gammal facilitated El-Goarny's trip.
The new court papers -- part of Bharara's push to use communications between El-Goarany and El Gammal in trial -- reveal additional details about their alleged relationship.
El-Goarany messaged El Gammal on Facebook in August of 2014, after seeing he had posted pro-ISIS comments online, the filing says.
They swapped messages and El Gammal ultimately traveled from Phoenix to New York City that October to meet with El-Goarany.
El Gammal then plotted with a co-conspirator in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... who could help set El-Goarany up in the terrorist organization, Bharara's office claims.
El Gammal was arrested in August 2015 for providing and conspiring to provide material support to ISIS. He was also hit with charges of aiding and abetting the receipt of military training from ISIS, and conspiring to receive training from the group.
Shortly after El Gammal was nabbed, his co-conspirator in Turkey asked El-Goarany to make a video to vindicate him. The video, he said, was to show that El-Goarany went to Syria on his own -- and that El Gammal "had nothing to do" with his decision.
El-Goarany, who’d attended a college in Manhattan, recorded the video on Sept. 8 2015.
"I came here and I made this video to let you know that I came here out of my own will. It was my own choice, and it was out of my own resources," El-Goarany said, according to prosecutors. "I didn’t come to this decision with anybody’s influence or anybody’s recruitment. I came here. It was my decision and mine alone. Nobody financed me to come here. Nobody bought my plane ticket. All that with my own money. Nobody showed me the way to get here."
He insisted that "nobody" included "Ahmed Mohammed El Gammal, in America. And I’m making this video just to let the authorities know this. This is my statement, and use it however you wish."
El Gammal's lawyer doesn’t want the "help" and is fighting against the video's use in court, claiming it can't be verified and would be "overly prejudicial" against her client.
El-Goarany’s parents, who live in Middletown, declined comment.
Samy Mohammed El-Goarany abruptly traveled to The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... without telling his friends or family in January 2015. He received religious and military training and continued on to Syria by February.
Samy sent el Gammal a message that read, "It's been a long time, but I'm doing well and just want you to know I'm safe and secure and everything is going according to plan," the documents say.
One social-media account created by Samy showed him standing near a bullet-riddled mural of a Syrian political figure. Samy also sent a text to a friend telling him he was living in "bilad al Island, and it's beautiful."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/19/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
The new court papers -- part of Bharara's push to use communications between El-Goarany and El Gammal in trial -- reveal additional details about their alleged intimate sexual relationship.
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/19/2016 12:18 Comments ||
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[Ynet] The International Committee of the Red Thingy (ICRC) appealed to all sides--including ISIS--on Tuesday to show humanity on the battlefield and spare civilians in the Iraqi city of Mosul, as the Mosul offensive, made up of Iraqi government forces, allied militias, Iraqi Kurdistan, limited US ground forces and US and allied air support prepare themselves for an attempt to re-take the city of 1.5 million from ISIS rule.
ICRC Regional Director Robert Mardini said the agency had reminded the allies trying to dislodge the Death Eaters - the Iraqi government, Kurdish authorities and the US-led coalition - of their duties under international humanitarian law.
It had not yet managed to establish dialogue with ISIS on the "basic rules of war."
"But our ambition," said Mardini. "And we will do everything we can, (is) to establish dialogue with this group because it is holding the city of Mosul, and we absolutely need to have this dialogue kick-started. So all I can say now is we will continue to try and try harder," Mardini said.
He did not say what channels the ICRC might use to contact the Lion of Islams.
"We need to keep hope, and maybe the situation in Mosul is a point in time when also all parties to the conflict, including ISIS, will see the benefits of having the basic rules of war and the basic rules of dignity prevailing in the battle because it gives guarantees for humane treatment of all."
Aid agencies are bracing for what they fear could be a humanitarian catastrophe.
Some 900 ICRC staff are deployed across Iraq and have spent months gearing up for its response to the crisis, said Mardini. In the first phase of fighting, the ICRC is poised to provide food, water and shelter for nearly 270,000 people fleeing Mosul.
While responding to the possibllity of ISIS using chemical weapons, Mardini said that the agency had reinforced 13 medical centers in areas surrounding Mosul, including one prepared to treat any victims of gas attacks.
Explaining what he meant by the basic rules of warfare, Mardini said, "It means not targeting civilians, it means not targeting civilian infrastructure, it means not attacking medical facilities and medical personnel, it means avoiding use of heavy explosive weapons in densely populated areas."
"Our message to those who are fighting is very simple: put civilians first. Preserve your humanity in the heat of battle, show that humanity matters to you."
In the two years since it captured large tracts of Iraq and Syria and declared an Islamic caliphate, ISIS has become known for mass atrocities, including rape and beheadings, and Mardini acknowledged that appealing to its humanity might seem idealistic.
"It might sound naive in the wake of what we have seen so far, but our position is to firmly pursue the same line and to bet on the humanity in each and every group involved in the fighting," he said.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/19/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
It had not yet managed to establish dialogue with ISIS on the "basic rules of war."
#2
ICRC initial negotiating bid: Only one gallon of petrol allowed for each burning of a live caged prisoner...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/19/2016 1:25 Comments ||
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#3
shouldn't the ICRC include the Red Crescent in its name
or maybe the red crescent folks are busy digging tunnels for Hamas
Posted by: lord garth ||
10/19/2016 8:09 Comments ||
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#4
"It might sound naive in the wake of what we have seen so far, but our position is to firmly pursue the same line and to bet on the humanity in each and every group involved in the fighting"
Reminds me of someone in a book I read once... Dolly...Molly... Polly...
#5
Polly Purebread right?
Or was it the doilies of Grim Gables?
I have ever had a a liking for Macassar r Fire mysteries, we're all human here you know.
Still looking for tasteful 8x10 B&W glossies of chainsaw accidents.
[Ynet] After years of political turmoil, economic frustration is putting pressure on the al-Sissi administration to remedy its multi-faceted shortcomings; Israeli and American officials see assisting Egypt as a vital security interest.
Israel is preparing for a series of large-scale projects with Egypt after many years of separation in economic cooperation between the two countries.
The joint discussions on the projects reflect not only a rapprochement between the two countries, but also an urgent need for improved infrastructure in Egypt given the severe economic crisis that threatens the political stability of the country.
After the signing of the 1979 peace agreement, economic cooperation between the two countries saw a significant boost, which was gradually reduced after Egypt expressed little interest in its renewal.
More recently however, Egypt has raised interest in several projects with Israel--among them, desalinization of sea water to address concerns over water levels in the Nile River, which could lead to a dramatic shortage of water available for drinking and irrigation.
Only a portion of the financial commitments from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait have been received. Furthermore, the request to the IMF for $12 billion was granted on a series of conditions regarding a reduction of bureaucracy, increasing taxes and reducing subsidies--measures which could incite the Egyptian public.
Israel is also preparing to provide cooperation and assistance to Egypt in the fields of solar energy, electricity production, agriculture, irrigation and gas. Additionally, Egypt is also examining the possibility of extending its cooperation to the tourism sector, as the billions invested in an expansion program in the Suez Canal have yet to yield the expected revenue.
One of the major factors providing the impetus to the new cooperative efforts stems from political factors which intimately affect Israel’s security.
Indeed, in talks recently held between senior Israeli and American officials, concerns were raised over the stability of the Egyptian regime, with the two allies agreeing that in the absence of any fundamental improvement in the Egyptian economy, social unrest could precipitate the pouring of Moslem Brüderbund forces into the streets to undermine the rule of General al-Sisi.
Similarly, heads of government in Egypt view the economic crisis as a major strategic threat to their country and, as such, they are placing emphasis in Egypt and abroad on efforts to increase revenue and expand infrastructure.
Egypt's economic crisis has been greatly exacerbated by the ongoing fighting raging in Sinai and Libya as well as its support to 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... in Yemen. In addition, only a portion of the financial commitments from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait have been received. Furthermore, the request to the IMF for $12 billion was granted on a series of conditions regarding a reduction of bureaucracy, increasing taxes and reducing subsidies--measures which, in the short term, could incite the Egyptian public.
That the natural order of things is that Muslims benefit from Dhimmi efforts, very likely. Though they'll fuss at the idea of treating Jews as equals instead of the kaffir that they by definition are, ignoring the fact that these Jews are unconquered after generations of efforts overt and covert less overt.
#4
ISIS has already done great damage to the Egyptian economy. More than a dozen attacks on the Sinai gas pipeline ended sales of gas to Jordan, Israel and Lebanon.
[ALMASDARNEWS] Last month, the Lebanese Armed Fores tossed in the slammer Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! one of the founders 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.... of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in Leb.
The ISIS leader was identified by the Lebanese intelligence services as 'Imad Yassine, a top ranking member of the terrorist organization that was operating inside the 'Ayn Hulwe Refugee Camp in Saida (Sidon).
On Tuesday, the Lebanese Security Forces released information regarding his planned attacks against the Lebanese people.
According to a military communique, Yassine was planning terrorist attacks at several petrol stations in al-Zahrani, the electronic station in al-Jiyah, al-Jadeed TV building, Monday Market in Nabatiyeh, KFC restaurant in Jounieh, and the casino in Jounieh.
Yassine also confessed to killing at least 8 people in Leb, while also participating in 5 terrorist attacks in the 'Ayn Hulwe Camp.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
In July Yassine received orders from IS foreign operations chief Abu Khaled al-Iraqi to initiate "Iraq-like bombings" across Lebanon.
Yassine had operated without hindrance from Ain el-Hilweh camp, Lebanon's most notorious haven for Islamist extremists. By "long-standing convention", the Lebanese army does not enter the twelve Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon. Thus Palestinian factions handle their own security. Ain itself is home to more than 54,000 registered Palestinian refugees who have recently been joined by untold thousands of Palestinians fleeing Syria.
#2
I think it was in Ain el Hilweh that it was noticed in the past year or so that most of the Palestinians registered there were actually living outside the camp, having rented or sold their camp residences to poor refugees who could afford nothing better.
Iran on Monday launched a series of war drills that included the use of American-made planes amid accusations by top officials that the United States is violating last summer’s comprehensive nuclear agreement, according to regional experts and Persian-language media reports.
Anyone surprised by this? The Mad Ayatollahs fleeced Obama and now are looking to do it again. Why shouldn't they? He hasn't stood up to anyone other than Republicans the last eight years...
...Republicans and Israel. The IRS took care of the TEA partiers on their own initiative.
Iran’s Artesh Air Force kicked off a three-day series of drills aimed at displaying the Islamic Republic’s air might, according to Iranian military officials who told the country’s state-run press that the drills are in preparations for upcoming war.
“The goal of holding this drill is the creation of readiness so as to be able to combat any threat, and should a war occur, the Air Force will be the first force to enter the battlefield,” Iranian Air Force Gen. Masoud Rouzkhosh was quoted as saying, according to independent translations of the original Farsi provided to the Washington Free Beacon. “The newest armaments of the Air Force like precision-guided bombs and laser-guided missiles will be used in this year’s drill.”
Filed on Page 2: WoT Background, because this is not a considered sentence for a committed crime, but merely the inevitable next step in a dreary dance.
[IsraelTimes] Businessman Siamak Namazi and father Baquer Namazi sentenced to 10 years
An Iranian-American businessman and his father have been sentenced to 10 years in prison in Iran, a state-run judicial news agency reported Tuesday, the latest dual nationals imprisoned since the nuclear deal.
The announcement by the Mizan news agency came a day after it released footage of businessman Siamak Namazi, a sign of the power still wielded by hard-liners in the Islamic Theocratic Republic.
The Mizan report said Namazi and his father Baquer Namazi, a former UNICEF representative who once served as governor of Iran’s oil-rich Khuzestan province under the US-backed shah, were convicted of "cooperating with the hostile American government." It did not elaborate.
Supporters of the Nazamis could not be immediately reached for comment. The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The report also said Nizar Zakka, a US permanent resident from Leb, also received a 10-year prison sentence. His supporters had earlier told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named about the sentence, though the Mizan report was the first official Iranian report of it.
The report also said two others had been convicted as well, without naming them or identifying their nationalities.
Iran does not recognize dual nationalities, meaning those detained cannot receive consular assistance. In most cases, dual nationals have faced secret charges in closed-door hearings in Iran’s Revolutionary Court, which handles cases involving alleged attempts to overthrow the government.
The Namazis were not released as part of a January deal that freed detained Washington Post journalist Jason Rezaian and three other Iranian-Americans in exchange for pardons or charges being dropped against seven Iranians.
That deal also saw the US make a $400 million cash delivery to Iran.
Analysts and family members of those detained in Iran have suggested Iran wants to negotiate another deal with the West to free those held. In September, Iran freed a retired Canadian-Iranian university professor amid negotiations to reopen embassies in the two nations.
[IsraelTimes] The United States is demanding the release of an Iranian-American businessman and his 80-year-old father who were handed tough sentences in Tehran on espionage charges.
“We are deeply concerned about reports that US citizens Siamak Namazi and Baquer Namazi have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner says in a statement. “We join recent calls by international organizations and UN human rights experts for the immediate release of all US citizens unjustly detained in Iran, including Siamak and Baquer Namazi, so that they can return to their families.”
Siamak Namazi, a well-connected business consultant who has supported reformist politicians in Iran, was arrested as he arrived in Tehran a year ago. His father, Baquer, was detained in February when he came to Iran to seek his son’s release.
The US also expressed concerns about reporters of the “declining health” of the elder Namazi.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
10/19/2016 00:00 ||
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[ALMASDARNEWS] The front man of Jabhat Fateh al-Sham ...formerly al-Nusra, the current false nose and mustache of al-Qaeda in the Levant... (formerly al-Nusra ...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli al-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ... Front) has resigned from his position, citing in his announcement that he will be pursuing 'a number of projects independently' without specifying what they were.
The front man is Egyptian-Australian Islamist "Mustafa Mohamad", and claims his only role in the terrorist organization was to educate people.
Why he chose to join a terrorist organization for a 'humanitarian role' was not specified, but he praised the decision of the terrorist group to disassociate itself from al-Qaeda.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/19/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Nusra
#1
Going to work for US DOS spokeshole? Harf!
Posted by: Frank G ||
10/19/2016 12:03 Comments ||
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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.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The fundamental 
Cairo – Tensions are tightening in the Libyan capital, Tripoli as militias of the parliament prepare to regain control over the offices of U.N.-backed government of national accord headed by Fayez al-Sarraj.
[ALMASDARNEWS] Last month, the Lebanese Armed Fores 
Iran on Monday launched a series of war drills that included the use of American-made planes amid accusations by top officials that the United States is violating last summer’s comprehensive nuclear agreement, according to regional experts and Persian-language media reports.
[ALMASDARNEWS] The 
