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Today: 77 articles and 146 comments as of 12:10.
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Area: WoT Operations    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
Egyptian military kills 27 terrorists in recent operations
Today's Headlines
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Page 6: Politix
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Africa North
Jihadists Deny Mali Leader Killed in French-Led Attack
[Ananahar] al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb Tuesday denied that Malian jihadist leader Amadou Koufa
... a radical preacher and one of the top deputies in Mali's most prominent jihadi group, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Moslemin (JNIM). JNIM is an umbrella organization of regional terrorist groups including al-Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM) Sahara Emirate, al-Mourabitoun, and local groups Macina Liberation Front (MLF) and Ansar al-Din (AAD)...
had been killed during a November raid by French forces, according to a statement released by the Mauritanian news agency Alakhbar.

International media reported that Koufa was killed along with 34 others but he was not at the site and he was neither killed nor maimed, AQIM chief Abdelmalik Droukdel
... aka Abdel Wadoud, was a regional leader of the GSPC for several years before becoming the group's supremo in 2004 following the death of then-leader Nabil Sahraoui. Under Abdel Wadoud's leadership the GSPC has sought to develop itself from a largely domestic entity into a larger player on the international terror stage. In September 2006 it was announced that the GSPC had joined forces with al-Qaeda and in January 2007 the group officially changed its name to the Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb....
said, according to the transcript of an audio recording translated into English and broadcast by Alakhbar, which frequently publishes statements attributed to bad boy groups.

Malian and French authorities had said Amadou Koufa was killed in a raid led by French troops in the centre of the country.

Koufa, a radical preacher, surfaced three years ago and was blamed for several violent attacks and for stoking sectarian conflict.

Droukdel claimed the announcement on the disappearance of the jihadist was a "manoeuvre" by Gay Paree to divert the attention of the French people from what was happening in the street, an allusion to the "yellow vest" protests.

On November 23, the French army said it had conducted an operation the previous night in central Mali, Koufa's stronghold, which resulted in "30 terrorists" being "neutralised".

French armed forces minister Florence Parly had hailed the action "which made it possible to neutralise an important terrorist detachment in which was probably one of Iyad Ag Ghali's main assistants, Amadou Koufa".

Malian military sources had confirmed the death of Koufa, who had appeared in a video two weeks earlier with Iyad Ag Ghali, the leader of the Group to Support Islam and Moslems (GSIM), which has repeatedly struck military and civilian targets in Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso
...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and will leave office feet first, one way or the other...
"The terrorist Amadou Koufa died of his injuries after the French military intervention, following information provided by the Malian army, General Abdoulaye Cisse, chief of operations of the Malian army, said.

La Belle France helped Malian forces stave off a jihadist insurgency that took control of large parts of the north in 2012, but large swathes of the country remain out of the government's control.

The former colonial ruler has deployed the 4,500-member Barkhane force in the region to repel attacks and stem insurgency.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/13/2018 00:15 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa

#1  He's not dead! See? Here's his head!
Posted by: gorb || 12/13/2018 1:35 Comments || Top||

#2  Begging the question, who would want to admit being killed by the French...
Posted by: Woodrow || 12/13/2018 8:00 Comments || Top||

#3  I came here to make the exact same joke... that's terrifying...
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 12/13/2018 8:00 Comments || Top||


Arabia
UN Reports More Suspected Iranian Missiles Found in Yemen
[AnNahar] More suspected Iranian-made weapons have been found in Yemen, the UN says in a report that will be discussed Wednesday by the Security Council.

The Gulf monarchies and United States accuse Iran of supporting Houthis in Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
-- and see this as justification for the military campaign they have been waging in Yemen since 2015.

Iran supports the rebels politically but denies supplying them with arms.

The report from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres' office says his staff examined two container launch units for anti-tank guided missiles recovered by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen.

"The Secretariat found that they had characteristics of Iranian manufacture," the report said.

"The Secretariat also examined a partly disassembled surface-to-air missile seized by the Saudi-led coalition and observed that its features appeared to be consistent with those of an Iranian missile," it added.

A probe into the origin of the weapons continues, it said.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was expected to attend Wednesday's meeting on Iran, scheduled to start at 1500 GMT.

Guterres' report mainly addresses Iran's obligations under the 2015 nuclear deal it struck with six major powers. The United States pulled out of the accord in May and has reimposed sanctions on Iran.

The report concludes that Iran continues to abide by the nuclear accord, under which it won sanctions relief in exchange for limiting its nuclear program.

The UN has said in the past that Yemen's Houthis have fired Iranian-made missiles at 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...
. But it said it could not be certain that these weapons were in fact supplied by Iran in what would be a violation of UN resolutions.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/13/2018 00:15 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran Proxies


Saudi Arabia announces creation of entity for Red Sea, Gulf of Aden countries
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] 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...
announced an agreement to create an entity of countries along the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

They stated that the entity will enhance security, investment and development for countries by the Red Sea.

The Red Sea entity is an initiative by King Salman
...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Lord of Most of the Arabians....
in order to achieve stability in the region. The entity will include Egypt, Sudan, Djibouti, Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
Somalia and Jordan.

Representatives from Egypt, Djibouti, Somalia, Sudan, Yemen and Jordan gathered in Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss the initiative.

"This is part of the kingdom's efforts to protect its interests and those of its neighbors and ... to stabilize the region that we live in and to try to create synergies between the various countries..." Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told news hounds after a day of closed-door meetings.

"The more cooperation and coordination that you have among the countries of this region, the less negative outside influence will be on this region," he said.
Posted by: Fred || 12/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia


King Salman addresses Islamic scholars on need to counter negative image
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques , Saudi King Salman
...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Lord of Most of the Arabians....
bin Abdulaziz, asserted 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...
, which was established on values of moderation and temperance will continue its commitments and initiatives that aim to achieve the hopes of Moslems worldwide.

The statement was made during a speech delivered on behalf of King Salman by Prince Khalid Al Faisal, the King’s adviser, at the opening of the International Islamic Unity Conference which is organized by the Moslem World League in Mecca.

The conference was titled "Islamic unity - the risks of classification and exclusion."

Prince Khalid Al Faisal welcomed the participants to the conference and conveyed to them greetings of King Salman.

King Salman’s statement was as follows:

I highly appreciate the presence of these elite scholars of the nation to this conference, out of their duty in healing the gap threatening their nation, to reject disputes, to unite, and to agree on one notion to direct at the world.

We have hope in this enlightening knowledge, to omit the nation’s stumbles and achieve unity, which is not directed against anyone, but rather it seeks solidarity for the good of humanity.

NECESSITY OF OVERCOMING NEGATIVE IMAGES
A quick look at our current reality, is enough to make us realize the necessity of overcoming the negative images that burdened our present and historical accumulations and its impact on the Islamic nation path. Thus we are invited to spread awareness, correct the wrong concepts and understand the different concept by creating links of discussions and cooperation towards harmony and hard work.

Look to the future with a promising perspective filled with a spirit of brotherhood and solidarity.

The International Islamic Unity Conferencemade a good choice by selecting "Islamic unity - the risks of classification and exclusion", as a title for this conference and made "promoting the concepts of national state and its common values" one of its pillars as an attempt to consolidate the word of the nation’s scholars, and thinkers.

The centrality of Islam and moderation, which spread on the basis of its civilization, to cover about two-thirds of the world.

ADDRESS OBSTACLES THAT HINDER UNITY
Our whole Islamic world looks forward today for this gathering and hopes that your distinguished conference will address the obstacles that hinder establishing its ultimate unity and promotes its separation that God had warned us from.

Undoubtedly, you are gathered today for a difficult mission, considering that it addresses many accumulations and hostilities more than the haters of the Islamic Nation who drive a fierce campaign against their religion, morals, culture and civilization.

They attribute to Islam what is not, taking advantage of the bully boyz in both direction.

However,
a clean conscience makes a soft pillow...
with your strong will and firm knowledge, you are able to achieve this International Islamic Unity, the dream of your nation throughout the globe, so that the nation would continue its historical role as a role model for the whole world.

Saudi Arabia, which was established on moderation and tolerence, which oversees the service of the two holy mosques and the guests of Rahman will continue its obligations and initiatives to achieve the hopes of Moslems.

I ask God almighty, to grant you success and fulfillment in your noble mission, and to help us all for what He loves and pleases.

Posted by: Fred || 12/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia

#1  ...TRANSLATION: "Don't blow shiat up so much, and knock off killing people. Allan snackbar, peace out."

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 12/13/2018 5:35 Comments || Top||

#2  Saudi Arabia was founded on 'values'. Who knew?
Posted by: Cesare || 12/13/2018 10:34 Comments || Top||


Yemen govt delegation rejects joint supervision of Hodeidah with UN
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The delegation of the Yemeni government participating in the Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
talks in Sweden questioned the feasibility of a proposal submitted by the UN, which called for the formation of a "joint entity" to the administer the city of Hodeidah after the withdrawal of armed Houthi
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ...
militias and military forces from the city.

"The proposal will create legal and institutional problems and will not be enforceable, but will create additional difficulties on this authority’s credibility," said Marwan Dammaj, Yemen’s minister of culture and member of the legitimate government’s delegation.

Dammaj added that the government is committed to the withdrawal of Houthi militias from the city, and proposes to re-position the armed forces in the city’s camps, and for security entities under the ministry of interior to manage the security of the city.

Negotiations are still ongoing in Rimbo, Sweden, on all outstanding issues, including Hodeidah, Taiz, Sanaa Airport, the economic situation and the negotiating framework.

The consultations continue to be surrounded by a belt of international diplomatic pressure as Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is expected to join the delegations in Sweden this evening to push parties to achieve concrete results in the last remaining hours on Thursday.

"It is important that the two sides agree on points that both can implement and make no promises that are difficult for them to meet," a Western diplomat told Al Arabiya English.

"The two sides must abide by the rules of mutual respect and try to avoid rhetoric of escalation and threats," the diplomat, an ambassador involved in the negotiations in Sweden, said.

Posted by: Fred || 12/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Yemeni warring parties agree to reopen Sanaa Airport
[ALMASDARNEWS] The warring parties in Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
have reached an agreement on Wednesday to reopen the Sanaa International Airport.

According to the Rooters News Agency, the warring parties were pressured by Western nations to take their first confidence-building steps towards ending the conflict.

The warring parties are now discussing a potential ceasefire in the Houthi-held city of Hodeidah in western Yemen.

Posted by: Fred || 12/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under: Houthis

#1  Iranian arms shipments in 3...2...1...
Posted by: Frank G || 12/13/2018 10:44 Comments || Top||


Bangladesh
100 injured in BD poll campaign violence
[DAWN] Bangladesh’s election campaign turned violent on Tuesday with scores injured at political rallies across the country, as police fired pellet guns into crowds and stick-wielding mobs attacked rival candidates.

Police said festivities broke out in at least seven major towns on just the second day of campaigning, injuring nearly 100 people who turned out to cheer the two major parties contesting the December 30 poll.

The unrest follows a crackdown on the Bangladesh Nationalist Party in recent weeks, with hundreds of supporters from the main opposition movement thrown behind bars before campaigning had even begun.

In Thakurgaon, a northern district, a motorcade for the BNP’s secretary general Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was set upon by a huge crowd swinging batons.

Posted by: Fred || 12/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Britain
Remembering 21 December 1988 and Lockerbie
[BBC] Marjory McQueen was in the living room of her home in Lockerbie watching television with her teenage daughter Victoria.

It was the shortest day of the year and there were just four more days until Christmas. For the McQueen family, like millions of others in the UK, the must-see midweek show was This is Your Life.

Children’s entertainer Harry Corbett was the celebrity being surprised by presenter Michael Aspel who was dressed as Sooty, one of Corbett’s glove puppet creations.

As the programme got into its rhythm, Marjory became unsettled by a noise ‐ "I think I hear thunder," she said to 14-year-old Victoria.

But instead of rumbling away, the thunder kept getting louder. "Oh, I wonder if the boiler’s about to explode," the 42-year-old thought.
"The whole sky turned orange and there were flames hundreds of feet up into the air."

Marjory McQueen

Marjory, whose doctor husband Ken was out with friends, was so baffled by this sound she ventured into the cold wintry night.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/13/2018 07:21 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Khadaffy will never do anything like that again.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/13/2018 11:29 Comments || Top||

#2  ..yeah, but you can count on the Euros to repeat the release for oil deal in one form or another.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/13/2018 11:36 Comments || Top||


Europe
German exports to Iran soar ahead of US sanctions
[Ynet] German exports to Iran soared in October, a month before the United States re-instated sanctions on the Islamic Theocratic Republic to choke its oil and shipping industries, data seen by Rooters showed on Tuesday.

The surge signals willingness among Germany's small to medium-sized firms, or Mittelstand, to continue doing business with Iran despite the risk of being blacklisted by the United States for defying its sanctions.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  And why are we wasting another dime or life for them?
Posted by: Procopius2k || 12/13/2018 11:37 Comments || Top||


'We knew it would happen some day': France's 'capital of Christmas' left to count cost of terror
You can pay us jizya directly, O kufr, or take the hit to your economy and lifestyle.
[TheLocal.fr] "We knew his was going to happen one day," a Strasbourg resident told French daily Libération. "We knew the city was a target, especially at Christmas. We just weren't expecting it to happen tonight."

"There's no such thing as zero risk," mayor Roland Ries told AFP in 2017.

"This is a first for Strasbourg, it's really a peaceful city," said medical student Antoine. "It's hard to imagine what comes next, because we've never been through something like this."

The famed Christmas market has long been a prime target, with French authorities foiling a bomb plot as far back as December 2000, when four men suspected of Al Qaeda links were locked away
Book 'im, Mahmoud!
Strasbourg’s reputation for being the French 'Capital of Christmas' is a well-founded one. The city’s Marché de Noel is believed to be the oldest in Europe, the first Christkindelsmärik being held in 1570.

Last year, it drew two million visitors from La Belle France and further afield, more than any other Christmas market in the country. Strasbourg’s most celebrated festival also offers a huge financial boost to the eastern city every year, and there has even talk of it becoming a UNESCO heritage site.

Access to the island formed by the River Ill is tightly controlled via the nearly 20 bridges connecting it to the rest of the city.

All these sources of pride and profit are now under threat following Tuesday’s gunning down of fifteen Strasbourg Christmas market-goers by a lone assailant, two of whom have died and twelve of whom are injured.

The psychological scars and subsequent fear effect that such ruthless attacks leave on a city’s spirit will no doubt hit attendance hard at this and other marchés de noel across La Belle France in the days to come.

So far Strasbourg mayor Roland Ries along with the organizers of Strasbourg’s Christmas Market (which was scheduled to run from November 23 to December 30) have only announced that market stalls be be closed on Wednesday December 12, as well as all other related events being cancelled in the city five kilometres from the German border.

If Christmas 2018 were to be literally cancelled as a result of the attack, vendors, hotel owners and anyone else with financial links to the city’s tourism industry would feel the pinch.

According to 2016 figures published by Alsace’s Regional Tourism Observatory, Strasbourg’s Christmas market costs the city €2 million to organize but pours €250 million back into the local economy every year.

December alone represents 15 percent of Strasbourg hoteliers’ annual turnover, with occupation reaching 80 percent during the busy Christmas period. Such is the demand from home and abroad for accommodation that prices are put up by 30 percent during December, making a one-stay in a three-star hotel more expensive on average than Gay Paree.

And while Strasbourg may stand head and heels ahead of the rest of La Belle France when it comes to Christmas-themed hype and profits, the historic and cultural region in which it lies ‐ Alsace (what is now known as Grand-Est region) ‐ is an overall Christmas market powerhouse.

Colmar, Nancy, Metz, Sélestat, Mulhouse, Haguenau: all these Alsatian towns and cities a stone’s throw from Strasbourg hold Christmas markets renowned for their warmth and authenticity.

None of them have announced they will close their marchés on Wednesday following the Tuesday attack on Strasbourg, but extra security forces will be deployed in all Christmas markets across Alsace and La Belle France as a whole.

Strasbourg authorities have previously considered the threat of a terror attack on the millions marketer-goers they receive each year, bumping up the security budget from €250,000 in 2015 to €450,000 in 2016 following several terror attacks in the French capital.

Increased security reinforcements have also been deployed in other Alsatian Christmas markets, even though none can be deemed as big a target for Death Eaters as the French capital of Christmas: Strasbourg.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists

#1  Know Islam, No Peace. No Islam, Know Peace.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 12/13/2018 8:22 Comments || Top||

#2  Alsace..My ancestral homeland. High time to warm up the guillotines and do public beheading of the sub-humans. That is, after all, the only thing they understand.

Oh and BTW, grease the blade with pig fat - because it's just cruel to use a blade with no lube.
Posted by: Warthog || 12/13/2018 9:32 Comments || Top||



The Grand Turk
Erdogan goes on offensive against US, accuses them of supplying Kurdish YPG with weapons
[ALMASDARNEWS] Ottoman Turkish President Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey...
went on the offensive against Washington on Wednesday after announcing his forces were preparing to kickoff their new offensive east of the Euphrates.

Erdogan accused the U.S. military of continuously supplying weapons to the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG), despite denying that they weren’t giving them heavy arms

"They (the U.S.) said they did not supply heavy weapons when we objected to them arming YPG. They said they will collect the current arms after the threat of ISIS is eliminated. Who are you deceiving? They are talking about a 150 square-kilometer zone where they (ISIS) are active. If it is about this zone, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
is ready to immediately eliminate any ISIS presence in the area," Erdogan said, as reported by the Daily Sabah.

According to Erdogan, the U.S. has failed to live up to its promises in Manbij, which has forced him to take action east of the Euphrates.

"Although Manbij is made up 80-85 percent of Arabs, there are terror organizations there and they are not being honest. They still can’t remove gunnies from there. Then we will do it," Erdogan added.

Posted by: Fred || 12/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte

#1  so?
Posted by: chris || 12/13/2018 1:39 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Suspected Terrorist Leading Migrant Group Demanding Entry Into US
[Daily Caller] A suspect in a 1987 bombing that wounded six American soldiers in Honduras is leading a group of migrants demanding entry into the United States.

Alfonso Guerrero Ulloa organized a march of approximately 100 migrants to the U.S. Consulate in Tijuana, Mexico, on Tuesday, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported. Ulloa delivered a letter to the consulate on behalf of the migrants, asking for either entry into the U.S. or a payment of $50,000 per person.

"It may seem like a lot of money to you," Ulloa told the Union-Tribune. "But it is a small sum compared to everything the United States has stolen from Honduras."

Ulloa has lived in Mexico since 1987 after fleeing Honduras in the wake of a bombing that wounded six soldiers. Ulloa was suspected of planting a bomb in a Chinese restaurant, but received asylum from Mexico, whose government described the suspected terrorist as a "freedom fighter."

An appropriations bill passed by Congress in December 1987 included Congress’s findings that "the bomb was directed at American soldiers and did in fact wound American soldiers and an American contractor." The report noted that Ulloa was a suspect in the bombing.
Posted by: Besoeker || 12/13/2018 02:04 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Commies


India-Pakistan
Pakistan rejects 'politically motivated' listing as violator of religious freedoms by US
[DAWN] As Washington announced that Islamabad had been added to a list of violators of religious freedoms, Pakistain on Wednesday rejected the "unilateral and politically motivated pronouncement", and suggested the US introspect over the "exponential rise" of Islamophobia
...the irrational fear that Moslems will act the way they usually do...
and anti-Semitism in America.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had on Tuesday said that Pakistain was joining 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...
, Iran, China, North Korea, Burma, Eritrea
...is run by the People's Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), with about the amounts of democracy and justice you'd expect from a party with that name. National elections have been periodically scheduled and cancelled; none have ever been held in the country. The president, Isaias Afewerki, has been in office since independence in 1993 and will probably die there of old age...
, Sudan and Tajikistan on a list of countries that have "engaged in or tolerated systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom".

The Foreign Office (FO) today issued Islamabad's reaction to the listing, saying: "Pakistain rejects the US State Department's unilateral and politically motivated pronouncement ... Besides the clear biases reflected from these designations, there are serious questions over the credentials and impartiality of the self-proclaimed jury involved in this unwarranted exercise."

The FO explained measures that the government had taken to safeguard the rights of its citizens, including the use of legal and administrative mechanisms, adding that Islamabad submits compliance reports on its obligations with respect to fundamental freedoms as a party to seven of nine core human rights
...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless...
treaties.

Posted by: Fred || 12/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  "Religious Freedom" in Pakistan means that an (quote) Un-Believer (un-quote) (AKA non-Muslim) can be executed under the mandatory death sentence under the Blasphemy Laws in Pakistan(see § 295C) ... Right, interesting definition of "Freedom" that.
Posted by: magpie || 12/13/2018 18:12 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Israel, Russia reach ‘understandings’ on Iran in Syria: IDF
[ALMASDARNEWS] Israeli and Russian defense officials met in Moscow on Wednesday to discuss Iran’s presence in Syria and the IDF’s new operation along the border of Leb.

The Israeli delegation was reportedly led by Major General Aharon Haliva, who is the commander of the IDF’s Technology and Logistics Directorate.

According to the Times of Israel, "understandings were reached" between the two delegations.

"Understandings were reached between the delegations and they agreed to continue working together," a brief statement from the IDF said, as quoted by the Times of Israel.

The two delegations also discussed the IDF’s ongoing operation to destroy Hezbollah’s tunnels in the Upper Galilee region.

Russia is reportedly looking into the IDF’s reports, but has yet to issue any public statement on the matter.

Posted by: Fred || 12/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Southeast Asia
Fears grow over app to police minorities
[JakartaPost] The launch of a mobile application that allows members of the public to report beliefs they consider to be misguided or heretical has sparked fears that it could lead to increased persecution of minority groups in the country.

The app, called Smart Pakem (monitoring religious beliefs), was launched by the Jakarta Prosecutors Office (Kejati) and includes features such as a list of forbidden beliefs and banned mass organizations, a directory of fatwas issued by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and a form to report complaints or information about religious beliefs or sects.

"If there are reports from the public, we can immediately act on them. Before, people needed to write a letter, which was troublesome. Through this application, we will immediately know where the reports come from," Kejati Jakarta assistant for intelligence matters Yulianto said at the app’s launch on Thursday as quoted by kompas.com.

National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) commissioner Choirul Anam said the app could potentially lead to the violation of religious freedom.

"[The app] can result in persecution, violence and criminalization," he told The Jakarta Post on Sunday. "It is contradictory to the government’s desire to create a culture of mutual respect and tolerance, which is why I have asked the government and the attorney general to take it down."

Setara Institute researcher Halili Hasan echoed Choirul’s sentiments, saying the app further marginalized followers of minority religious beliefs, especially those who adhered to new or indigenous faiths.

"It is not up to the public to decide whether a belief is misguided or not," he told the Post. "The app just serves to widen divisions in communities and legitimizes people who believe it’s okay to persecute groups that are outside of the mainstream."

Indonesia has been widely criticized for its failure to protect its minorities, particularly followers of the smaller Islamic denominations considered heretical, such as Ahmadiyah and hundreds of indigenous faiths.

"The launch of the application will make the public more distrustful of one another, increase the potential for horizontal conflict and damage the dialogue about differing religious beliefs that has already started in the community," Ahmadiyah Indonesia Congregation (JAI) spokesperson Yendra Budiana said.

Attorney General’s Office (AGO) spokesperson Mukri acknowledged that some might find fault with the app but said it was intended to help educate and inform the public about heretical and banned groups.

"You have to understand the philosophy behind the creation of this app. It is meant to educate the public and it is within the AGO’s authority.

"We want to create an inventory to make it easier for the public to check whether a group is banned or not," Mukri said.

"Also, if someone reports a group through the app, it doesn’t mean that it will be destroyed immediately. It just helps the AGO to investigate further."

As of Monday morning, the app is still available on the Google Play Store.

A 2004 law gives the AGO the authority to "conduct oversight over religious beliefs that can endanger the community and the country".

A 2015 regulation further specifies that the AGO can form central, provincial and municipal Pakem teams that are authorized to analyze reports about indigenous faiths and other religious beliefs as well as judge the impact that those faiths have on public order and peace.

In recent months, Pakem teams have been formed in Enrekang, South Sulawesi, Brebes, East Java, and Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra, among other places.

Choirul said the AGO’s role in overseeing religious beliefs should be abolished.

"If the AGO wants to create a peaceful climate, it should not criminalize differences in beliefs and respect the right to be different," he added.

Halili agreed, saying judging a religious belief or sect was outside the government’s domain.

"What is so wrong about people seeking spirituality in their own way? Pakem teams result in majoritarianism, where the many decide on what is good for the few," he said.

Mukri said he respected the right of people to criticize the teams, adding that they remained within the AGO’s authority. "We are only applying the authority that is given to us by the law."
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Now why didn't the #metoo gals think of that?

BTW I'm old school..I call the '#' - a pound sign.

"Pound Me Too" is probably not what the gals wanted as a tag line
Posted by: Warthog || 12/13/2018 9:36 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
US not leaving Syria until Iranian forces completely withdraw: envoy
[ALMASDARNEWS] During a briefing for the U.S. envoy to Syria James Jeffrey this week, the diplomat was asked how and when will America withdraw from Syria.

"Well, the United States forces are in Syria for one mission, which is the enduring defeat of ISIS/ISIS. That is a military mission that flows from congressional authorization in 2001 against terror post-9/11. That’s the military mission of our military there," he began.

Following his mention of ISIS, the U.S. envoy then turned his attention to Iran, who he said must completely withdraw their forces from Syria before America would consider leaving.

"When we say we’re going to be present not forever in Syria but present until our conditions ‐ enduring defeat of ISIS, as was said earlier, the withdrawal of all Iranian-commanded forces from the entirety of Syria, and an irreversible political process.

Jeffrey said that the U.S. will continue to apply pressure on the Syrian government through sanctions and other financial measures like restricting reconstruction funds.

"Also economic, both sanctions on this regime every way possible ‐ we’re announcing them all of the time, including particularly our focus is on oil transfers from Iran to Syria and money back. We’re pursing that very aggressively.

"And finally, our position, which has an awful lot of support, not to push refugees back, not to recognize the regime, and in particular not to allow reconstruction funds to flow to Syria until we see real progress on these other tracks," he would add.

Posted by: Fred || 12/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


US-backed commander says Turkey is unable to attack northeast Syria
[ALMASDARNEWS] The spokesperson for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) Kino Gabriel told Kurdistan 24 in a recent interview that The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire....
will not be able to attack northeast Syria because the situation greatly differs than that of Afrin.

The SDF spokesperson told the publication that the U.S. observation posts in northern Syria have secured the area and blocked any potential cross-border hostilities.

"The United States has established observation points and they participated in establishing security here. I don’t think we are going to witness more attacks in the near future," Gabriel said, adding that the observation posts allowed the SDF to concentrate their forces towards the ISIS fronts.

Gabriel blamed Turkey’s attacks last month for 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....
’s resurgence in several towns in the Euphrates River Valley.

"This allowed the SDF to push IS and to advance in some of the areas, after they halted their operation for some time due to Ottoman Turkish attacks in the past," he would add.

Posted by: Fred || 12/13/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte



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