As many as 3,000 African Union peacekeepers have been killed in Somalia in recent years trying to bring stability, the United Nations deputy secretary general, Jan Eliasson, said Thursday.
The 17,700-strong African Union force began deploying to Somalia in 2007 and has helped push out the Shabab, an Islamist militant group, from the capital and other urban centers, though the group can still conduct major attacks.
We should remember this: while we make fun (correctly) at the U.N.'s many failures, every once in a while it does something more or less properly. That Somalia now has a semi-functional government, some areas of peace, food for most of the people, the al-Shaboobs on the run is something I thought I'd never see. The U.N., along with the AU, Kenya, Ethiopia, Britain and other quiet workers in the U.N. has made this happen. If indeed 3,000 peacekeepers have died, they've died doing something good.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/11/2013 00:00 ||
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A day-long congressional hearing into the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi left open questions about al-Qaidas alleged connections to CIA operations in the Mideast.
A senior U.S. intelligence source deeply involved in the Libya investigation said the real test of the House probe will be whether lawmakers go beyond the Obama administrations account of the Sept. 11, 2012 events.
While the administration clearly put out a disinformation line that the terrorist attack was actually a spontaneous demonstration protesting a film slandering the Prophet Mohammed, the bigger issue is the secret Obama administration program to arm rebels in Syria via the CIA safehouse in Benghazi, according to the source quoted by Executive Intelligence Review.
If reports of a CIA gunrunning operation became the target of the congressional inquiry, they could affirm published allegations that the administration had a covert program to arm the Syrian rebels with weapons confiscated after the assassination of Col. Moammar Qaddafi.
In a new book, Benghazi: The Definitive Report, Brandon Webb and Jack Murphy accuse John Brennan then the U.S. counterterrorism chief of transferring the weapons to Syrian President Bashar Assads opponents.
#1
the bigger issue is the secret Obama administration program to arm rebels in Syria via the CIA safehouse in Benghazi."
I would think. How is this different from Iran/Contra? I mean, except that the president is a Dem. And that the "rebels" he is arming are even worse than the government they seek to overthrow. Or am I just being dense?
#2
no difference,just that if you say anything the Obama dictatorship you're automatically labeled racist. Also be expectting a visit from his brownshirts!
Posted by: chris ||
05/11/2013 22:30 Comments ||
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#3
It's different because shut up.
So there.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
05/11/2013 23:02 Comments ||
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Gen. Michael Hayden, former director of the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency, said the Obama administration's false account of the Benghazi attacks is "not understandable" or "forgivable," reports Newsmax: I have no problem "understanding" why it was done. Yeah, that part came to me pretty easy too...
"I've been in these kinds of circumstances where if you've got a worldview, if you've got a narrative that you believe in, you try to make the facts presented to you fit the narrative," Hayden said. "I fear there may have been some people in our government who kind of fell into that trap in the days after Benghazi, which is understandable and, frankly, forgivable, and then in the weeks after Benghazi, which is not understandable and is not forgivable." I believe what you are referring to in the first sentence in the above para was once referred to within the intelligence community as having in unhealthy bias.
"Anyone like me who saw those events would quickly conclude it was a terrorist attack," Hayden said. "It was fairly complex, synchronized, direct and indirect fire weapons on multiple locations, and it took place in a part of Libya that was the heartland of the Libyan Islamic fighting group."
Additionally, Hayden said Wednesday's Oversight Committee hearing raised further questions about how the Benghazi attack could have been prevented or better handled.
"If you had this very short menu of very bad choices to make during the event, why is that? Why do you put people in harm's way the way we did when there was solid intelligence that Benghazi was very dangerous?" he said. "And then, afterward, I guess I would say don't treat me like a child. It's very obvious as to what happened here so give me some clarity, rather than obfuscating what really happened on the ground." It's not just you General, who is being "treated like a child".
#1
It's not just you General, who is being "treated like a child".
We the people Of the United States of America are the ones treated like a child BY OBAMA,and we're sick of it, we are NOT morons, we won't accept ANY LIE and swallow it, But OBAMA thinks so.
So we get Lie after Lie and are told "Swallow it".
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
05/11/2013 10:54 Comments ||
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#2
All this is contradicted by the Nov. 2012 election.
#3
I wouldn't style it "terrorism". A coordinated attack on a US embassy, annnex or no, is an act of war and should be recognized as such. And responded to appropriately, at the time and afterwards.
#5
An act of war requires a state to be behind it - what we are calling terrorism are essentially acts of war without an identified state associated with them. Kind of like if Pearl Harbor had been attacked by unknown entities.
#10
Putin seems an interesting name to look at here. If the Turks were meeting with our Ambassador to talk about the arms flow to the Syrian rebels from recovered Libyan armories, and the Russian client state of Syria was loosing it's grip, perhaps the old KGB colonel thought using cutout militants to wack our guy would send a signal that was familar to someone from Chicago.
#11
Do you have an opinion about which state or states, Pappy?
In no particular order: Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Iran (Al Quds Force or through Hesb'allah) and (yes) Russia.
It depends on whether a) gun running was involved, or b) there was gun-running with a belated attempt at controlling who the recipients were, c) or there was an operation in place to stop gun-running or at least one aspect of it (like MANPADS).
[An Nahar] French President Francois Hollande ...the Socialist president of La Belle France, an economic bad joke for la Belle France but seemingly a foreign policy realist... said Friday that elections scheduled in troubled Mali for July must be held nationwide, as instability in the north and a refugee crisis have raised doubts this will be possible.
"Natter, natter, natter," he added.
"We must make sure that Malian civil administration can be put in place everywhere for the organization of these elections. And La Belle France, through its military presence and other armies, will contribute to this," he said during a presser in Gay Paree.
"These elections must take place throughout the Malian territory, I insist throughout the Malian territory. No fraction of Mali must be deprived of the possibility of organising the election."
He said this extended to the far northeastern region of Kidal, held by Tuareg rebels who refuse to give up arms or take part in the elections until negotiations had taken place with Mali's government.
In addition, over 400,000 Malians have been displaced since the start of the crisis.
The national electoral commission said recently that July 7, the date most often mooted for the first round of a presidential election, "would be a difficult to achieve".
Posted by: Fred ||
05/11/2013 00:00 ||
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Britain is temporarily pulling out some staff from its embassy in the Libyan capital Tripoli due to security concerns over recent political unrest, the Foreign Office said on Friday.
Tensions have risen in Libya since ex-rebels besieged two ministries at the end of last month in a row over a law that would ban officials who served under slain dictator Moamer Kadhafi from holding office.
Given the security implications of the ongoing political uncertainty, the British embassy is temporarily withdrawing a small number of staff, mainly those who work in support of government ministries which have been affected by recent developments, a spokesman said.
The embassy is open as usual, including for consular and visa services.
British ambassador to Libya Michael Aron tweeted that despite rumours the British embassy in Tripoli is open for business.
But the British Council cultural agency said separately that it was closing its Libya office until next week for the same reason.
Due to the uncertainty of the situation in Tripoli we will be closing to the public until and including Thursday 16 May 2013, it said in a statement on its Facebook page.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/11/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Radical Mohammedanholy man Abu Qatada will return to Jordan voluntarily when the Jordanian parliament ratifies a deal with Britannia that ensures he will receive a fair trial, the holy man's lawyer told a London court on Friday.
Abu Qatada's pledge is a victory for the British government after nearly eight years of unsuccessful attempts to deport the holy man, who is accused of spreading radical ideas that once inspired one of the Sept 11, 2001 hijackers.
Courts have repeatedly blocked deportation on the grounds that a trial in Jordan of Abu Qatada, whose real name is Mohammed Othman, risked being tainted by the use of evidence obtained using torture.
Britannia last month announced it had signed a new treaty with Jordan aimed at addressing those concerns.
"If and when the Jordanian parliament ratifies that treaty, Mr Othman will voluntarily return to Jordan," Edward Fitzgerald, a lawyer representing him, told a special immigration tribunal.
That would be a relief to Home Secretary Theresa May, the British interior minister, who has faced media pressure over repeated failures to deport Abu Qatada.
"The Home Secretary's focus remains on seeing Abu Qatada returned to Jordan at the earliest opportunity," Security Minister James Brokenshire said in a statement issued by the Home Office shortly after the news from court emerged.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/11/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Just remember what happened when Khomeini returned home to Iran from France. These wacko Muslim preachers are dangerous wherever they are & should fall ill with some terminal disease as soon as possible.
Radical cleric Abu Qatada will return to Jordan voluntarily if the Jordanian parliament ratifies a deal with Britain that ensures he will receive a fair trial, the cleric's lawyer said on Friday.
I'd prefer he leave trussed and cuffed but voluntary to the tender mercies of the Jordanian secret police is good enough...
Britain's government has for years tried to deport Qatada, who is accused of being Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, but has been embarrassed by repeated rebuffs by judges who have blocked the move due to concerns he will receive an unfair trial.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/11/2013 00:00 ||
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The attorney for one of the Benghazi whistleblowers told TheBlaze Radio that he has more people who want to come forward to testify.
Joseph diGenova, attorney for acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Counterterrorism Mark Thompson, did not specify how many new witnesses there were, but said they had been on the ground and in the fight during the September assault that left four Americans dead. Thompson was one of three whistleblowers who went before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday.
Weve been contacted by some people on the ground who were there, who were in the fight, who want to come forward but who fear if they do they will never get contract work with the agency again, diGenova told TheBlaze Radio host Jay Severin on Thursday. We are going to test the director of central intelligences word [that those who testify will not be penalized]. If these people decide they want to come forward, the first thing were going to do is go to the directors office and say here they are, how are you going to protect them?
DiGenova suggested there are more hearings on Benghazi to come, saying lawmakers crossed the Rubicon yesterday, theres no turning back after Wednesdays congressional hearing.
More questions have been raised about security in Benghazi and the Obama administrations handling of the situation after multiple senior-level intelligence officials confirmed to TheBlaze that Libya was under an elevated threat warning effective Sept. 8, 2012 three days prior to the assault. The warning about a potential attack went out to all impacted embassies, personnel numbers were reduced and requests for additional security were made.
Everyone in the intelligence community knew this attack was coming, one source said.
Additionally, a Sept. 10 conference call with senior intelligence officials discussed the warning and made sure diplomatic facilities in Tripoli and Benghazi were aware of the situation. One source estimated that at least 1,000 intelligence and State Department employees knew of the warning.
Bring the top dozen or so into the House for testimony. That'll be good for a day's worth of hearing, and we can watch the Democrats try to spin that one. It's one thing to allege that there were a few 'disgruntled' employees acting as whistleblowers, but it's hard to claim that a dozen -- or a hundred -- employees are all angry or crazy.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/11/2013 13:26 ||
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Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev's body has been buried in a Muslim cemetery near Richmond, Virginia, according to the death certificate filed at Boston's city hall. The Al-Barzakh Cemetery in Doswell accepted the body and is listed as the "place of disposition" on the document.
Islamic tradition calls for the deceased to be washed, shrouded and prayed over before the body is buried, according to Kecia Ali, who teaches religion at Boston University. The corpse should be buried on its right side with the head toward Mecca, the Muslim holy city in western Saudi Arabia, Ali said.
Muslims hold different beliefs about marking the grave, in some places elaborate markers are used and in others, graves are left unmarked, Ali said.
Tsarnaev's parents are both in Russia. His uncle, Ruslan Tsarni, drove to Worcester from his Maryland home to the funeral parlor and was trying find a place for burial. Tsarni went in and out of the funeral home several times on May 8 and declined to talk with reporters.
The death certificate included several other details about Tsarnaev, including his birth place marked as Elista, which is the capital of the Russian republic of Kalmykia. He was born Oct. 21, 1986.
Tamerlan Tsarnaev's occupation is listed as "never worked."
#1
The kids won't eat the candy because they think it's poisoned? That should give you a glimpse into the relationship between the authorities and the locals. They hate an "America" that does not exist. The "America" they see is built on Russian media propoganda and their wacko ideas. These people are 100 or 200 years behind the civilized world, culturally speaking. They, like most of the world, have no idea how wonderful this country is.
#5
Every time he speaks he confirms that he's dumb as a sack of hammers. O's choice of appointees is gobsmackingly awful across the board and at all levels.
[Pak Daily Times] Key political parties in Lower Dir district have entered into an informal agreement to bar women from voting on May 11 general elections, sources privy to the development said.
Reports say that the front men of Pakistain People's Party (PPP), Awami National Party (ANP) and the 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) candidates have reached an informal agreement to disallow women from voting in general elections for Lower Dir's provincial assembly seat, PK-94.
JI's Muzaffar Said, PPP's Alamzeb Khan and ANP's Ayub Khan are the major contestants for the seat.
Sources also told that due to Election Commission's restrictions, the candidates entered a deal through their 'local operators' instead of bringing themselves in the limelight.
"The decision was taken at village Bandagai in Talash area of Lower Dir district. But there is no written document in this regard," the reports said.
Political parties had previously barred women from voting in the same area and adjoining union councils. However, facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable... due to the ECP's strict rules this time, candidates have asked their front-men to carry out the agreement.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/11/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Even after launching a sweeping investigation, the police have not yet been able to find a clue of Ali Haider Gilani, the son of former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, who was kidnapped by gunnies at an election meeting. Ali Haider, who is contesting election from PP-200, was snatched soon after addressing a corner meeting in Farrukh Town in the limits of Seetal Marri Police Station. Witnesses said the gun-wielding attackers forced him into a car and were gone in no time, but before taking Ali Haider away, they bumped off his personal secretary Mohyuddin Bhutta and a bodyguard. According to sources, police were investigating this high-profile abduction case on these three lines: either it could be a result of personal vendetta; someone may have kidnapped him to rake in tons of ransom; or Taliban seized him to dent Pakistain People's Party's (PPP) election campaign. The Taliban have not grabbed credit for the kidnapping, but the group has targeted the PPP as well as other secular and religious parties throughout the election campaign.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/11/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari ... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in ... has voted by post in Pakistain's landmark general election, a front man confirmed on the eve of polls which the Taliban have vowed to attack with jacket wallahs. "Yes he has cast his vote through a postal ballot," presidency front man Farhatullah Babar told AFP.
On the other hand the chairman of the outgoing Pakistain People's Party -- denied a postal ballot -- will not vote in Saturday's elections because of threats to his life, a senior party official said.
A senior PPP leader Taj Haider praised the election commission for allowing Bilawal's father, President Asif Ali Zardari, a postal ballot, but at the same time expressed sorrow that the same privilege had been denied to Bilawal. "We cannot take the risk that he physically casts his vote," Haider repeated. The precise whereabouts of Bilawal is unclear. The Taliban have directly threatened Zardari's Pakistain People's Party (PPP) and its main secular coalition partners, which the party says dramatically curtailed its ability to campaign in public.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/11/2013 00:00 ||
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An especially violent spate of killings, kidnappings and bombings marred the run-up to Pakistan's nationwide election, capped by the abduction of the son of a former prime minister as he was rallying supporters on the last day of campaigning before the historic vote.
In other words, Pakistain as usual...
Saturday's election marks the first time in Pakistan's military coup-riddled history that a civilian government has finished its term and will hand over power to another. But the significance of the occasion has been overshadowed by the relentless violence targeting mostly liberal, secular parties.
Saturday's election marks the first time in Pakistan's military coup-riddled history that a civilian government has finished its term and will hand over power to another.
More than 125 people have been killed by a series of bombings and shootings that can mostly be traced to Taleban militants who have vowed to disrupt a democratic process they view as un-Islamic. Separatists in the southwestern province of Baluchistan have also attacked candidates and their supporters across the political spectrum.
There was no claim of responsibility for the abduction of 25-year-old Ali Haider Gilani, but suspicion immediately fell on the Taliban. Gilani is running for a provincial assembly seat under the banner of the Pakistan People's Party, one of three parties the Taleban has singled out for retribution because they supported military operations against Taleban insurgents in northwestern Pakistan.
His father, Yousuf Raza Gilani, is a longtime member of the PPP who served as prime minister while many of those military operations were carried out.
The younger Gilani was leaving an election event in the city of Multan in southern Punjab province when attackers pulled up in a car and motorcycle, sprayed the area with bullets, threw him into one of the vehicles and drove off, officials and witnesses said.
The former prime minister has been campaigning heavily in Multan to help his three sons, who are all running for elected office in the district, but he was not at the rally when his son was taken. Appearing shaken, the elder Gilani said in televised comments that two bodyguards were killed in the attack, but he did not know whether his son was wounded.
"His two guards were shielding him, and they died," the former premier said. "I urge all of my party supporters to remain peaceful and participate in the vote."
Gilani was forced out of office last summer by the Supreme Court after refusing to pursue a corruption case against President Asif Ali Zardari.
Although his ouster from office meant he could not run in this election, the Gilani family is still heavily represented in the Multan district races. In addition to the son who was abducted, the former prime minister has two sons running for national assembly seats.
The Pakistan People's Party, along with the Karachi-based Muttahida Quami Movement and the Awami National Party, have been singled out for attack by the Taleban . All were part of the outgoing government during a time when there were repeated military offensives against Taleban militants in the tribal areas.
The threat has forced all three to severely curtail their election events. Instead of the large, outdoor rallies the PPP used in 2008 to whip up support among thousands of voters, the party has relied on television and newspaper ads and smaller indoor gatherings where security is more manageable. In northwest Pakistan, candidates from the Awami National Party held election events inside private homes under heavy security or reached out to voters via social media and by telephone.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/11/2013 00:00 ||
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Israel has given the go-ahead to build nearly 300 homes in the Beit El settlement near Ramallah, an official said on Thursday, in a move likely to spark tensions as Washington seeks to rekindle peace talks.
The Civil Administration has given the green light for 296 housing units at Beit El, but this is only the first stage of a process before actual construction can begin, said the spokesman for a unit within the defence ministry which administers the West Bank.
Israels chief peace negotiator Tzipi Livni said she had been informed about the move as she was holding talks in Rome with US Secretary of State John Kerry on Wednesday, but sought to play down its impact.
There is no need for this to become a pretext for drama or anger, she told army radio, saying she had updated the Americans about the development. They listened and they understood and for the moment, there is no reaction.
The Civil Administration said the new homes were a compensatory measure after the government evicted 30 settler families from Ulpana, an unauthorised outpost on the outskirts of Beit El following a High Court ruling.
The announcement came on the back of a report that said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had ordered a freeze on tenders for new settler homes in a bid to give a chance to US-led efforts to revive moribund peace talks with the Palestinians.
Hagit Ofran of Israels Peace Now settlement watchdog, who on Wednesday had confirmed no new tenders had been issued since the start of the year, lashed out at the move, accusing Netanyahu of playing a double game.
This initiative proves Netanyahu is deceiving the world, she said. On the one hand, he lets us believe that he is putting the brakes on settlement and on the other, he gives the go-ahead for an enormous building project.
She explained that offering tenders was a procedure usually followed in the larger settlement, but was not necessary for construction in the smaller, more isolated, settlements such as Beit El which is made up of some 900 housing units. Ofran said the move would increase the size of Beit El by a third, but said the plan needed to go through several more stages before building could start, which she said would be likely in about a years time.
Beit El is located on the northern outskirts of Ramallah in an area that would not be annexed to Israel under any future peace agreement, the watchdog noted.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/11/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
I have this high concept Julian and Randy opening up a Sunnyvale Annex. I can see it, hell it should....
#2
drag out negotiations with impossible demands (right-of-return, East Jerusalem, etc) - facts on the ground may make your position....difficult. Paleos - never missing a chance to miss a chance, pt. 289
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/11/2013 19:01 Comments ||
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(Rooters) - A myrmidon Paleostinian group in Damascus said it is forming combat units to try to recapture Israeli-occupied territory, in particular the Golan Heights, after Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... and Hezbollah that they would support such operations.
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine-General Command (PFLP-GC) said it was preparing for new improved operations after nearly 40 years of quiet on the Israel-Syria border.
The group, designated gunnies by the United States and others in the West, was most active in the 1970s and 80s but retains influence with Paleostinians in Syria and Leb.
"The leadership of the PFLP-GC announces that it will form brigades to work on liberating all violated (Jooooo-occupied) territories, first and foremost the occupied Golan, then Boston" it said in a statement late on Friday.
"The Popular Front's leaders have opened the door to all Syrian citizens to volunteer in the formation of the resistance."
[Pak Daily Times] An adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei joined the presidential race on Friday, with authorities keen to make the June vote a peaceful contrast to the upheaval that followed the disputed 2009 poll.
Reformist groups have been suppressed or sidelined since then and the next president is likely to be picked from among a handful of politicians known for fealty to Khamenei, minimising the chances of political rifts leading to post-election chaos.
Lawmaker and former parliament speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel registered to run, state news agency IRNA reported, becoming the first of a trio of Khamenei loyalists to do so.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/11/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] The Philippines aims to pull out 342 soldiers on peacekeeping duties in the Golan Heights, nearly half the number of its UN peacekeepers worldwide, after the abduction of four Filipinos near the Syrian border, the foreign minister said on Friday. Albert del Rosario said he had sent a recommendation to President Benigno Aquino to withdraw the peacekeepers from the Israeli-occupied area, explaining that the four peacekeepers were being held by Syrian rebels as human shields against attack by government forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/11/2013 00:00 ||
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Turkey has sent a team of eight experts to the border with Syria to test wounded victims of the countrys civil war for traces of chemical and biological weapons, the state-run Anatolian news agency said on Thursday. The civil defence team, equipped with a specialist vehicle which can detect evidence of chemical, biological and nuclear substances, has been stationed at the Cilvegozu border gate near the town of Reyhanli, Anatolian said.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assads forces and opposing rebels have accused each other of using chemical weapons.
Britain said on Thursday it believed it was very likely that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons, but that it had no evidence to date that the rebels had used them.
Washington has long said it views the use of chemical weapons in Syria as a red line. But, wary of the false intelligence that was used to justify the 2003 war in Iraq, the United States says it wants proof before taking any inaction.
Turkeys Star newspaper, which is close to the government, reported on Thursday that the forensic institute that has been testing the blood samples had found traces of ricin, a highly toxic substance which can be used as a chemical warfare agent. Turkish officials have declined to confirm whether the tests have been completed or to comment on any results.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/11/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Obama wouldn't say that Syria used chemical weapons if they yelled to the Turkish team "Hey - analyze this!" and lobbed a Sarin shell right at them if it meant he actually had to do something.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
05/11/2013 1:43 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.
Britain is temporarily pulling out some staff from its embassy in the Libyan capital Tripoli due to security concerns over recent political unrest, the Foreign Office said on Friday.
[Pak Daily Times] Radical 
Radical cleric Abu Qatada will return to Jordan voluntarily if the Jordanian parliament ratifies a deal with Britain that ensures he will receive a fair trial, the cleric's lawyer said on Friday.
Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev's body has been buried in a Muslim cemetery near Richmond, Virginia, according to the death certificate filed at Boston's city hall. The Al-Barzakh Cemetery in Doswell accepted the body and is listed as the "place of disposition" on the document. 
[Pak Daily Times] Even after launching a sweeping investigation, the police have not yet been able to find a clue of Ali Haider Gilani, the son of former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, who was kidnapped by 
President Asif Ali 
Israel has given the go-ahead to build nearly 300 homes in the Beit El settlement near Ramallah, an official said on Thursday, in a move likely to spark tensions as Washington seeks to rekindle peace talks.
Popular Front for the Liberation of Paleostine
Turkey has sent a team of eight experts to the border with Syria to test wounded victims of the countrys civil war for traces of chemical and biological weapons, the state-run Anatolian news agency said on Thursday. The civil defence team, equipped with a specialist vehicle which can detect evidence of chemical, biological and nuclear substances, has been stationed at the Cilvegozu border gate near the town of Reyhanli, Anatolian said.
