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ISIS destroys part of another ancient temple in Syria's Palmyra
Today's Headlines
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Africa Horn
Kenya has no rule to kill terror suspects – police
Though they perhaps should...
NAIROBI, Kenya - The National Police Service has strongly dismissed claims that police were behind forceful disappearance of terror suspects.

Rights defenders and political leaders have made allegations of disappearances in Northern Kenya, the coastal region and Nairobi.

Kenya Police Spokesman Charles Owino says they have registered cases of youths who have fled to the war torn Somalia to join the Al-Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab militia.

“We know a number of youths are missing… some have been killed during attacks there. We have parents telling us their youths are in Somalia,” he said.

Owino said according to intelligence reports, some youths in Somalia have been hoodwinking their relatives that they had been kidnapped by the police

“They are lost…we don’t want to discriminate anybody…we have no policy to kill anyone!”

In an interview with Capital FM News on Friday, Owino cautioned against making such remarks saying other than being baseless, they will serve to radicalise more youths.

“The term extra-judicial killing is a term that is being misused…it can only mean it’s a policy by the government which is not,” he asserted.

He called for patriotism for all those who advocate for human rights and members of the public saying, “It does not mean you stop questioning when things go wrong.”

Owino was however quick to admit that yes police were also not ‘angels’ and that’s why the Police Internal Affairs Unit and the Independent Policing Oversight Authority exist. He gave an example of two police officers arrested during the week in Eastleigh area after they allegedly engaged in robbery.

He advised those harbouring complaints against the police service to report to the two units and more so IPOA – which an independent body monitoring the police.

“If you cannot trust us, there is IPOA,” he pointed out.

A section of political leaders from Northern Kenya and activists led by Al-Amin Kimathi have alleged that a number of youths had fallen victim to police brutality.

Owino however accused them of not being loyal to the country while urging members of the public to support police in fighting terror as the threat remains real. He challenged human rights defenders to speak against radicalisation instead of demonising the police service.

“As a service, we have no business in killing anybody. We want people alive,” he said. “We are interested in arresting people alive so that we can get information.”

He cautioned, “Our brothers and sisters (activists) who are going to beg for money in the name of advocating for rights to be fair to the nation and themselves.”

Human rights defenders have since started a countrywide awareness campaign meant to sensitise terror suspects on the need to honour police summons.
That'll turn out well...
Wajir West Member of Parliament Abdikadir Ore Ahmed on Monday said the campaign will help in sealing loopholes that may lead to excessive use of force during arrest and interrogation of terror suspects.

“We have come to create awareness so that Kenyans and the world know about their rights which are enshrined in the Constitution,” he stated. “We want to fight terrorism so that we have a safe Kenya that we can live in peace and harmony.”

During an interview with Capital FM News, the Wajir West legislator lamented that tens of terror suspects have been reported missing. He alleges that some have been found dead while the whereabouts of others is yet to be known.

Ahmed is already working on a petition over the matter where “relatives will be called upon to give testimonies to the committee on security and administration so that the Interior Secretary can be taken to task.”

The MP alleges that suspects have been mishandled in the process of fighting terror; a move he cautions may end up “radicalising youths further.”

On his part Kimathi has called for an all inclusive approach in dealing with violent extremism and terror while cautioning that forceful arrests may affect the war on terror negatively.
Because you shouldn't treat terror suspects forcefully...
“Many people fear that they may disappear if such summonses are made by police…we want to support the police efforts in fighting terrorism but in the manner provided by the law,” he pointed out advising anybody who is summoned to be accompanied by lawyers and other witnesses.
Posted by: Steve White || 08/31/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:


Bangladesh
DB: One of Niloy killers identified
[Dhaka Tribune] The detectives yesterday claimed that one of the four assailants who hacked secular blogger Niladri Chatterjee to death at his Goran flat on August 7 had been identified by witnesses.

To confirm his identity, the Sherlocks have sent the DNA samples of four persons, locked away
You have the right to remain silent...
recently for their suspected involvement with banned holy warrior group Ansarullah Bangla Team, to the Dhaka Medical College forensic lab.

"Some witnesses who saw the killers coming out of the building have identified one of them, who is now in DB custody," DB Joint Commissioner Monirul Islam said in response to a query during a press briefing at the DMP media centre.

He said the four accused, arrested in connection with the murders of Niladri -- better known as Niloy Neel, Avijit Roy and Ananta Bijoy Das, would be interrogated in TFI (Taskforce for Interrogation) Cell. "We will get their DNA samples tested."

Detectives arrested Ansarullah members Kauser Hossain Khan and Kamal Hossain Sarder on August 27, and Saad Al Nahiyan and Masud Rana on August 13. They are now being interrogated in DB custody. All of them except for Masud are charge-sheeted accused in a case filed over the attempted murder of blogger Asif Mohiuddin.

DB Deputy Commissioner (east) Mahbub Alam told the Dhaka Tribune that the Sherlocks suspected that a five-member team had participated in the murder of Niloy. "We will be able to solve the case after getting the DNA test results."

He, however, refused to disclose the name of the killer who was identified by some witnesses saying that it could hamper the investigation.

A DB source, wishing anonymity, said that the identified killer was one among the duo arrested on August 13.

Secular writer and war crimes trial campaigner Niloy was hacked to death by four person or persons unknown at his Goran residence in Dhaka on August 7. His wife and sister-in-law were held in the balcony when the killers hit Niloy inside the flat.

Niloy is the fourth blogger to be killed since February allegedly for their writings critical of religions and religion-based politics.
Posted by: Fred || 08/31/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Ansarullah Bangla Team


Three more give deposition in blogger Rajib murder case
[Dhaka Tribune] Three more prosecution witnesses yesterday gave depositions in the case filed over the killing of Gonojagoron Moncho activist Ahmed Rajeeb Haider murder in the capital.

Judge Syeed Ahmed of Dhaka Speedy Trial Tribunal-3 recorded the deposition of Md Mostafa, Akram Hossain Mithu and Abdul Mannan.

The tribunal also fixed September 8 for the next hearing.

With this, a total of eleven witnesses including Rajeeb's father Dr Nazimuddin, younger brother Newaz Mortaja Haider, cousin Kazi Galibul Islam gave depositions in the case.

Detective Branch (DB) of Police Inspector Nibaran Chandra Barman submitted a charge-sheet accusing eight persons including Ansarullah Bangla Team Chief Mufti Jasim Uddin Rahmani in the case.

The eight charge-sheeted accused are Ansarullah Bangla Team chief Mufti Jasimuddin Rahmani, Redwanul Azad Rana (absconding), Md Faisal Bin Nayem alias Dweep, Maksudul Hasan alias Anik, Md Ehsan Reza alias Rumman, Nayem Sikdar alias Iraj, Nafis Imtiaz and Sadman Yasir Mahmud.

All of the seven are the former students of North South University. Rajeeb was hacked to death at Pallabi in the capital on February 15, 2013. His father Dr Nazimuddin later filed a murder case with Pallabi cop shoppe.
Posted by: Fred || 08/31/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under: Ansarullah Bangla Team


Europe
Some Background Information on the August 19th Riot in Suhl, Germany
The article is in German (Google translation)

In the days before the riot there were tensions between an Afghan convert to Christianity and Muslims. No Muslim was willing to Share a room with the Christian. The Christian was also 'mobbed' by the Muslims during daytime, though the article doesn't give any specifics. Given that the Afghan committed a death penalty offense under Sharia I wouldn't be surprised if his life was threatened.

On the evening of August 19th there was a heated argument between the Christian convert and Syrian Muslims. The convert tore a page out of a Koran and flushed it down the toilet. No information re the ownership of the Koran is given.

The lynch mob then chased the convert who found refuge in a guard's office.

Syrian, Afghan and Iraq Muslims formed the mob.
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 08/31/2015 08:12 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Excellent find, Elmerert Hupens2660. Thank you!
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/31/2015 12:58 Comments || Top||

#2  This is a link to a German language Spiegel TV report on the event.

At 1:54 there's footage of the riot from inside the building. The videographer is an Iraqi Christian (no information whether he's a convert) who feels threatened at the facility and wants to remain anonymous. He claims that Islamists incited the rioters.

The target of the riot is described as an Afghan passport bearer of Iranian descent.

If this Suhl facility wasn't a specially designated place where the most extreme islamofascists were sent and instead housed a more or less representative sample of the refugee population we're letting thousands of Tsarnayevs and Attas enter Europe and the West.

Interesting times.
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 || 08/31/2015 14:21 Comments || Top||


Fifth Column
Anjem Choudary suffers beating while in prison
Britain First has learned through a source inside Belmarsh Prison that hate preacher Anjem Choudary has been attacked and beaten.

This attack has not been reported by the mainstream media but appears to be true.

We have no reason to believe that someone working inside the prison would lie and make something like this up. The authorities would want to keep something like this secret so as not to upset Choudary's Islamist supporters.

Britain First, however, doesn't tip-toe around Islamic extremists.


Posted by: Frank G || 08/31/2015 14:16 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Al-Muhajiroun

#1  The. Horror.
Posted by: Pappy || 08/31/2015 15:23 Comments || Top||

#2  We have no reason to believe that someone working inside the prison would lie and make something like this up.

Of course not! Buy the man's pints and demand that he report the next beating as well. Darts are boring. Drink up !
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/31/2015 15:27 Comments || Top||

#3  Hope it was painful...
Posted by: Raj || 08/31/2015 17:32 Comments || Top||

#4  The authorities would want to keep something like this secret so as not to upset Choudary’s Islamist supporters.

That is the crux of the problem--authorities are cow-towed by PC. This turd suffered a beating? Couldn't happen to a nicer guy. Is he still able to walk and talk? If so, try harder next time. He's the guy who said the black flag of Islam would fly over the Whitehouse. Ends up, he may have been right about that. The chief occupant might as well fly this piece of dreck judging from his pro-Islamic actions.
Posted by: JohnQC || 08/31/2015 17:53 Comments || Top||


Female soldier tells mourning mother 'rich people don't become soldiers, don't die'
[Hurriyet Daily News] A non-commissioned female officer, accompanying the mother of a killed soldier during his funeral, took the attention of the media when she said that rich people would not become soldiers nor be martyred, while trying to soothe the mother's pain.

In an attempt to comfort Cennet Özata, the mourning mother of 23-year-old Mustafa Kemal Özata, who departed this vale of tears days after being maimed in festivities with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), the female officer said the rich would not die in festivities as they would not become soldiers at the fallen soldier's funeral, held in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
's central province of Konya on Aug. 29.

"Aunty, don't I know? Would the rich become soldiers? No. The rich would neither become a soldier nor a martyr," said the female soldier, as Cennet Özata was explaining her hard economic situation while raising all seven of her children.

Specialized Sgt. Özata, who was injured in festivities in the southeastern province of Hakkari's Yuksekova district on Aug. 14, departed this vale of tears on Aug. 28, at the GATA military hospital in Ankara where he was being treated.

His mother said his son had to work in bazaars after graduating from high school and added that her husband was a driver.

The female soldier's words came a week after the brother, also an officer, of a killed soldier had lashed out the country's main political figures, during his younger brother's funeral ceremony.

Lt. Col. Mehmet Alkan, the elder brother of slain army captain Ali Alkan, who was killed after PKK murderous Moslems attacked a military outpost in the southeastern Sirnak province's Beytussebap district late Aug. 21, directly targeted politicians during the funeral in the southern province of Osmaniye on Aug. 23, where more than 15,000 people, including several members of the parliament participated, while also questioning the reasons behind the latest outbreaks of violence.

"Why do those who have been saying 'solution' since yesterday now say war?" Alkan asked, in reference to the Kurdish grinding of the peace processor, which came to a halt late July after being conducted for more than two years, bringing an end to the 30-year-long festivities between the Turkish security forces and PKK bad boys.

"This son of our homeland was just 32 years old. He couldn't get enough of his country or his beloved ones yet. Who is his murderer?" Alkan asked at the ceremony.

Following the outburst, which was caught on camera, sources told daily Hurriyet that the gendarmerie general command is set to start disciplinary proceedings in accordance with internal procedures.

Meanwhile,
...back at the the conspirators' cleverly concealed hideout the long-awaited message arrived. They quickly got to work with their decoder rings...
speaking to Hurriyet, Interior Minister Sebahattin Özturk said the lieutenant colonel's reaction was "understandable but wrong."
Posted by: Fred || 08/31/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Back in the old days, you had fill a military position for title, lands, and relative wealth. The 'rich' lead from the front or were expected to. 'Knighted' meant something. Somehow the clerical staff and (political) clergy seems to have bagged that setup.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/31/2015 0:21 Comments || Top||

#2  Now the rich become politicians.
Posted by: Bobby || 08/31/2015 7:07 Comments || Top||

#3  Now the rich go to work for NGO's.
Posted by: ed in texas || 08/31/2015 7:55 Comments || Top||

#4  ...which are convenient finishing-schools for politics.
Posted by: Pappy || 08/31/2015 11:21 Comments || Top||

#5  Under the Normans if you were poor but big enough and willing to risk it all you could go to war and lift yourself up a notch or two. Yeah they had a bunch of unnecessary wars but they avoided the feudal conscription of earlier eras and created a very effective military in the process.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 08/31/2015 15:21 Comments || Top||

#6  Cue Fortunate Son - CCR
Posted by: BrerRabbit || 08/31/2015 18:32 Comments || Top||

#7 
Posted by: Pappy || 08/31/2015 20:32 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Heavy losses will be inflicted on India if war imposed on Pakistan: Asif
[DAWN] Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Sunday said if India tried to impose war on Pakistain, heavy losses will be inflicted on India, "which she will remember for decades," reported Radio Pakistain.
They're celebrating the fiasco of the 1965 war as a Famous Victory™. They didn't learn anything, nor will they ever.
Talking to journalists during his visit to Kundunpur village along the working boundary in Sialkot, Asif said cowardly acts by Indian forces had "strengthened our forces' determination to defend our motherland."
They now have nuclear weapons and my guess is that they'll use them at first opportunity.
"The armed forces will defend every inch of their motherland at every cost."

Kundunpur was among the villages badly affected by the recent firing and shelling from Indian border forces along the working boundary.

The defence minister said India's "real face had been exposed as it was supporting terrorism in Pakistain and creating tension on borders through unprovoked firing along the working boundary and the Line of Control."

Asif went on to say that India is diverting attention from its "internal failures" by creating tension on borders.

Condemning the recent ceasefire violations by Indian troops along the LoC, Asif said the "sacrifices of our deaders will not go waste."

The minister said Pakistain had proof of India's interference in Pakistain, adding that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
will present the evidence at the upcoming United Nations
...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense...
General Assembly meeting in September.
Posted by: Fred || 08/31/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  Pakistan has regularly LOST all its wars with India. Paki soldiers are not noted for their courage, leadership, or brains.

In Bangladesh they lost the war against India in about ten days. India waded into the Pakis on 3 December and the wr was signed of by Pakis surrendering 93,000 prisoners on the 13th. Then it was off to the Prison camps in the Rann of Kutch where India sold the Paki prisoners back to Paki and the Pakis paid.

I think the word "piss-stain" covers the Paki military pretty closely.Can you say "Moslems" , boyz and gurlz. Big mustache and stinky old boots and no balls. Good at burning down girl's schools.
Posted by: Glerese Forkbeard1669 || 08/31/2015 6:23 Comments || Top||

#2  Absolutely nothing the Pak government says should be believed unless seen or proven through experience. Its body count in the Waziristans is a case in point, as is the daily murder count in Karachi, the number of illegal madrassahs, the addict population, etc., etc., etc.
Posted by: Clomp Omagum5939 || 08/31/2015 8:21 Comments || Top||

#3  Allowing terrorists to operate from one's territory is not war?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/31/2015 10:03 Comments || Top||

#4  Dawn ran facsimile headlines from the lead-up to the 1965 war. I should have posted the link. Belatedly: See here
Posted by: Fred || 08/31/2015 10:55 Comments || Top||

#5  Asif went on to say that India is diverting attention from its "internal failures" by creating tension on borders.

talk about projection
Posted by: Frank G || 08/31/2015 12:22 Comments || Top||

#6  #4 - nice find, Fred
Posted by: Frank G || 08/31/2015 12:25 Comments || Top||

#7  Some 'Burg-worthy snarkasm in the comments at Fred's link. For ex: By the news articles here it sounds as though Pakistan beat India very solidly in 1965.
Posted by: SteveS || 08/31/2015 13:05 Comments || Top||


U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice Meets With Pakistan's Sharif in Islamabad
[VOANews]. U.S. National Security Advisor Susan Rice is in Pakistan to meet with the prime minister and other top officials to discuss a range of topics, "particularly terrorist and militant attacks emanating from Pakistani soil," according to the U.S. State Department.

After Rice met with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Sunday in Islamabad, the Pakistani leader's office said little about the content of the talks, noting that they focused on matters of bilateral interest and the future of Pakistan-U.S. relations.

Rice has also held delegation-level talks with Mr. Sharif's advisor on national security and foreign policy, Sartaj Aziz, and planned to meet with Pakistan's military chief General Raheel Sharif.

Ahead of Sunday's talks the U.S. State Department said Rice was likely to discuss Pakistan's role in Afghanistan's effort to negotiate peace with the Taliban and the recent rise in tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi.

From The Hindu:
Amid rising tensions and firing on the Line of Control, U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice is in Islamabad for a day-long visit to discuss “regional security issues”, sources in Islamabad said.

Ms. Rice, who was on a scheduled visit to China on Saturday, had not announced the Pakistan stopover before leaving for Washington, giving rise to speculation that she will discuss the India-Pakistan situation, a week after talks between the NSAs were called off.

Ms. Rice is also expected to discuss the U.S.’ decision to hold military funding over Pakistan’s lack of action against the Haqqani network, the suspended talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s visit to the U.S. in September. According to officials in Pakistan, Ms. Rice will meet Mr. Sharif, NSA Sartaj Aziz and Army Chief Gen. Raheel Sharif during what one Pakistani national TV website called an “emergency visit.”

The U.S. has expressed its disappointment over the cancellation of NSA talks and the increase in the tensions in the past few weeks. Ms. Rice’s visit also comes a day after U.S. Under Secretary of State Nisha Biswal was in Delhi for talks ahead of the coming Indo-U.S. Commercial and Strategic Dialogue to be held in Washington from September 21 to 23. During her interactions with MEA officials, Ms. Biswal is understood to have discussed the cancellation of talks and the tensions as well.
Posted by: Pappy || 08/31/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Rice has a history of screwing up, beginning with the Sudan in the mid nineteen nineties and her unwillingness (backed by the feckless Clinton foreign policy apparatus) to take Bin Laden off Sudanese hands. She is the quintessential example of the aphorism, 'screw up and move up.'
Posted by: Clomp Omagum5939 || 08/31/2015 8:29 Comments || Top||

#2  Rice has a history of screwing up,

She's a tool, just like her boss. They do what their handlers instruct them to do.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/31/2015 11:03 Comments || Top||

#3  ZOOOOOOOMG, Susan Rice is still around + still NSA to the Bammer???

Who knew???
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 08/31/2015 19:52 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
IDF: Palestinian family who fought soldier is known to us
[IsraelTimes] Sister of boy at center of tussle received Turkish award in 2012 for screaming at Israeli soldier in viral video

A family filmed Friday grappling with an Israeli soldier is known for repeatedly provoking troops, the Israel Defense Forces said Sunday.

The video of the soldier being attacked Friday by women and kiddies near the village of Nabi Saleh, as he tried to arrest a 12-year-old boy for throwing stones, has received some two million views on social media.

Members of the Tamimi family had been involved in previous scuffles with the army, and 12-year-old Mohammed's sister, A'hd, was given an award by The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
for her harassment of an Israeli soldier in a viral 2012 video, Channel 2 reported.

"This is not the first time that the Tamimi family has clashed with IDF soldiers," the army said, adding that the family often provoked soldiers in a violent manner during regular Friday demonstrations in Nabi Saleh.

In the footage last Friday, the soldier appears to forcefully restrain Mohammed Tamimi, whose arm is in a cast. On several occasions, he grabs the child around the neck, and presses his head against a boulder to keep him still.

A group of women and kiddies, including A'hd and and her mother, begin fighting with the soldier, punching him repeatedly while he holds down the boy. At one point, A'hd bites his hand.

Footage of previous incidents shows A'hd screaming and cursing at Israeli soldiers on two separate occasions.

As a 13-year-old, A'hd gained fame among Paleostinian activists in a November 2012 incident in which where she led a group of children, including her brother Mohammed, in arguing with Israeli soldiers. In a video of the incident she can be seen raising her balled fist at a soldier.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him...
praised her and gave her a "Courage Award" in Istanbul. A'hd encouraged Erdogan to support boycotts of Israel.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/31/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  perhaps they need to move to Gaza
Posted by: Frank G || 08/31/2015 6:55 Comments || Top||


Palestine's Hamas not invited to PLO council meeting
[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] A leading member of Paleostinian resistance group Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, on Sunday said his movement had not been invited to attend next month's scheduled meeting of the Paleostinian National Council (PNC).

"This is a coup against legitimacy represented by Hamas, which holds the most seats in the Paleostinian Legislative Council [parliament]," Hamas member Hassan Youssef told Anadolu Agency.

The PNC, which is responsible for electing members of the Paleostine Liberation Organization (PLO)'s executive committee, is set to convene in mid-September in Ramallah.

The last time the council convened was in 1996.

Last week, Paleostinian Authority President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
resigned from the PLO's executive committee -- along with a number of other members -- in a move seen by some observers as an attempt to justify convening the PNC.

Hamas, Youssef asserted, would not attend the planned PNC meeting "even if it was invited".

"Holding the PNC meeting has nothing to do with getting Paleostine's house in order," he said.

In a veiled reference to Abbas' Fatah movement -- Hamas' longtime rival -- Youssef added: "It's simply aimed at facilitating a certain party."

According to a PLO source, meanwhile, Hamas' political bureau has already told the organization that Hamas representatives would not be attending the PNC meeting.

The PNC is comprised of 740 members representing all Paleostinian factions (except resistance groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad
...created after many members of the Egyptian Moslem Brotherhood decided the organization was becoming too moderate. Operations were conducted out of Egypt until 1981 when the group was exiled after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat. They worked out of Gaza until they were exiled to Lebanon in 1987, where they clove tightly to Hezbollah. In 1989 they moved to Damascus, where they remain a subsidiary of Hezbollah...
), members of the legislative council, union representatives and independent figures.
Posted by: Fred || 08/31/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Southeast Asia
Turkish embassy refutes reports Bangkok bomb suspect is Turkish citizen
"Wudn't one of us."
[Hurriyet Daily News] A foreigner detained by the Thailand police in connection with the deadly Bangkok bombing is not a Turkish citizen, according to the Turkish Embassy in Bangkok.

The unidentified foreigner, who is being held in military custody at some holy man's guesthouse an undisclosed location, was captured during an Aug. 29 morning raid on a flat on the eastern outskirts of Bangkok.

Investigators say he was found with bomb-making equipment and dozens of fake passports, including a Turkish passport that was made public after the arrest.

The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
requested further information from Thailand through diplomatic channels and via Interpol. However,
by candlelight every wench is handsome...
the embassy in Bangkok denied reports that the suspect was a Turkish citizen, Dogan News Agency reported on Aug. 30.

Thai Defense Minister Prawit Wongsuwong also called on both the media and Thais to "be patient."

"Don't talk about Turkish or not Turkish," Wongsuwong told Agence La Belle France Presse. "We have to investigate."

National police front man Prawut Thavornsiri said officers believed the suspect was part of a criminal group who helped illegal migrants obtain counterfeit documents - and that the kaboom was retaliation for a recent crackdown by Thai authorities.

"They [the gang] are unsatisfied with police arresting illegal entrants," Thavornsiri told Thailand's Channel 3 in a telephone interview without elaborating how Sherlocks knew this.
An Nahar adds:
Outside police headquarters Prawut told news hounds that Sherlocks were sifting through more than 1,000 phone numbers as well as hundreds of passport pages to track the gang, while DNA samples had also been taken from the suspect.

Investigators are also working "with several embassies" to ascertain the man's identity as well as using multiple translators, he added.

Asked which languages, Prawut confirmed English but would not be drawn on the others. Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwan also told AFP the suspect is known to speak some English. However the suspect appeared to be refusing to cooperate with Sherlocks.

"The interrogation is not making progress because the suspect is not really giving useful information," army chief General Udomdej Sitabutr told AFP.

"We have to conduct further interrogations and make him better understand so he will be more cooperative -- while we have to be careful not to violate the suspect's rights," he added.

Bangkok's crime groups have long had a reputation for producing counterfeit documents, while Thailand has been a major regional hub for both people-smuggling and people-trafficking.
Posted by: Fred || 08/31/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Human Trafficking

#1  The Secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 08/31/2015 0:22 Comments || Top||

#2 
The detained man was reclusive but always appeared focused and walked with intent. They said he was sometimes seen on his knees praying outside the room.
Posted by: 3dc || 08/31/2015 0:27 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iran: Russia to deliver its S-300 missile system by year’s end
[IsraelTimes] Tehran official says deal with Moscow selling Islamic Theocratic Republic surface-to-air missile systems has been finalized

Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said Sunday that Russia has agreed to begin delivering its advanced air defense system to Iran "by the end of the year."

The Lebanese Al Mayadeen news outlet quoted Dehghan as confirming the delivery date of the Russian-made S-300 surface-to-air missile system.

The report added that Tehran officials were in talks with Moscow regarding the acquisition of 30 Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets.

Reports of the finalized deal come several months after Russia repealed its embargo on Iran, when both countries began to expand military ties the wake of a historic nuclear deal reached between Iran and six world powers last month.

The talks were held last week on the sidelines of the Moscow MAKS 2015 air show, and were attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin
...Second and fourth President and sixth of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...
and Iranian Vice President for Science and Technology Affairs Sorena Sattari, Iranian media reported.

Israel has long sought to block the sale to Iran of the S-300 system, which analysts say could impede a potential Israeli strike on Tehran's nuclear facilities. Other officials have expressed concern
...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended...
that the systems could reach Syria and Hezbollah, diluting Israel's regional air supremacy.

The S-300 is capable of tracking multiple planes at once and some versions have an interception range of 200 kilometers, and is considered to be one of the most sophisticated anti-aircraft weapons in the world.

Russia initially agreed to sell the advanced system to Iran in 2007 but then balked, saying at the time it was complying with a United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
arms embargo.

Shortly after the Lausanne outline for the nuclear deal between P5+1 powers and Iran was signed in April, Russia announced it was lifting the ban on selling the advanced missile defense system to Iran, despite US and Israeli objections.

Moscow believes the framework agreement permits the delivery of the missiles without waiting for removal of sanctions intended to deter Tehran from developing its nuclear program.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/31/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  Nice of Pootie to announce the timeline. This way, they can have a before and after comparison, if the Juice attack before the delivery. Or are the Juice working another angle, ala Stuxnet?
Posted by: Bobby || 08/31/2015 7:22 Comments || Top||

#2 
Posted by: || 08/31/2015 7:31 Comments || Top||

#3  This must be what Obama meant with the open mike statement: "I will have more flexibility in my second term."
Posted by: JohnQC || 08/31/2015 10:04 Comments || Top||

#4  And when IAF goes through this system if it wasn't even there...
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/31/2015 10:09 Comments || Top||

#5  The Soviet Russian S-300 tech-support desk is gonna be flooded with angry phone calls in Farsi?
Posted by: Pappy || 08/31/2015 11:28 Comments || Top||

#6  Is the S-300 any different from that supposedly oh-so-sophisticated air defense system they had in Syria that somehow went to sleep when the Juice bombed the Syrian nuke plant? I dunno, maybe Persians will have better luck, but Russians weapons in the hands of Arabs don't have a very happy track record.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 08/31/2015 11:44 Comments || Top||

#7  Actually, the simple staff worked perfectly---IDF been using mortars & AA guns captured in 67/73 up into the 1980es. Computer using staff...
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/31/2015 11:53 Comments || Top||

#8  Computer using staff...

I understand the Chinese gifted them with a copy of Windows 8.

Problem solved?
Posted by: Pappy || 08/31/2015 15:26 Comments || Top||

#9  I understand the Chinese gifted them with a copy of Windows 8.

I blame Bill and Melinda.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/31/2015 15:28 Comments || Top||

#10  Is the S-300 any different from that supposedly oh-so-sophisticated air defense system they had in Syria that somehow went to sleep when the Juice bombed the Syrian nuke plant?

Has anyone with a real air force ever flown against the S-300 other than in game scenarios?

Story I heard was the Syrians had an old-skool Soviet-era integrated air defense. The IDF spoofed it by essentially injecting signals into it (rather than just drowning it in noise) and making it think there were an insane amount of targets or none.

The S-300 is much more modern and presumably less vulnerable to countermeasures, at least according to the marketing brochures. It may be that the Russians would be willing to part with some inside dope on the system in return for 'considerations'. That might depend on whether a bombed-out Iran makes a better client state than an Iran feeling its freshly minted nuclear oats.
Posted by: SteveS || 08/31/2015 18:41 Comments || Top||

#11  All that is needed is a narrow avenue, a corridor. Make them turn the system on by spooking the crews with a series or array of unmanned aircraft, then take them out kinetically or electronically. These are proven strategies.
Posted by: Besoeker || 08/31/2015 19:09 Comments || Top||

#12  The Rooshuns recently replaced an S-300 deployment with an S-400 brigade near Kamchatka, so I assume those missiles are the ones they are selling to Iran.
Posted by: badanov || 08/31/2015 19:32 Comments || Top||


Beirut protests end with 3-day deadline for government
[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] Massive demonstrations in Beirut ended Saturday evening with protesters giving the government a three-day deadline for bringing corrupt officials to account, ending months of political paralysis and resolving a weeks-long sanitation crisis.

Initially, dozens of protesters had refused to leave Martyrs' Square and Riad al-Solh Square, the latter of which is home to Lebanese government headquarters, with a handful of masked stone-throwing demonstrators clashing with police.

Some protesters -- waving Lebanese flags and shouting anti-corruption slogans -- were tossed in the clink
Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
outside the government headquarters and parliament building.

The area has since been sealed off by police.

The protests began on Aug. 22, when hundreds of Lebanese demonstrators began an open-ended sit-in near government headquarters to protest perceived government corruption and a sanitation crisis that recently entered its third month.
Posted by: Fred || 08/31/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [10 views] Top|| File under:


Iran jails two people for 10 years on espionage charges
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] A Revolutionary Court in Iran has sentenced two people to 10 years each in jail on charges of spying for the United States and Israel, the judiciary front man said on Sunday without naming those convicted.

"These two people were sentenced to 10 years in jail by the Revolutionary Court," Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei was quoted as saying by the Fars news agency.

The announcement came as the world waits for news of Jason Rezaian, an Iranian-American news hound for the Washington Post who has been held for more than a year on espionage charges and whose final hearing took place earlier this month.

Ejei said he did not know whether Rezaian's verdict had been issued, according to Fars and other Iranian agencies.

Rezaian has been tried in closed-door hearings of the Revolutionary Courts, which deal with national security crimes and are criticised by foreign diplomats and human rights
One man's rights are another man's existential threat.
groups for their opacity, severe sentencing, and frequent use of the death penalty.
Posted by: Fred || 08/31/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


New "Foreign Legion" Law will Boost Iran’s Proxy Wars
A group of Iranian MPs have taken steps to clear the way for foreign nationals to be awarded citizenship in exchange for taking up arms for Iran.

Proposed amendments to Iran’s Civil Code referring to naturalization, called “Facilitating Naturalization of non-Iranian Veterans, Warriors and Elites,” will offer citizenship to foreigners who join Iranian military units, whether it be border patrol, advances on Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, public order operations, or any of Iran’s less “official” military initiatives, including support for Hezbollah. Under the amendments, “revolutionary heroes” will be able to become citizens without having to go through existing naturalization requirements, or even having to obtain the approval of the Council of Ministers, the body traditionally responsible for these matters.

Parliamentarians who signed the bill say people who “serve the revolution,” including people who have contributed to Iran’s scientific progress, will be entitled easier access to the citizenship they deserve. But human rights activists and lawyers say the amendments are part of a political and militaristic strategy to entice immigrants, including Afghans who have resided illegally in the country since 1979, into fighting Iran’s proxy wars.

If passed, the amendment to Article 980 will allow a new working group — the Committee for Granting Naturalization to non-Iranian Veterans, Warriors and Elites — to decide whether a non-Iranian “revolutionary” will be granted Iranian citizenship. The MPs who tabled the bill on January 12 include conservative parliamentarians Ruhollah Hosseinian, Jabar Koochaki Nejad, Abdullah Sameri, Alireza Salimi and Nader Ghazipour. They are currently waiting for the new addition to be reviewed in parliament.

So who is affected by the changes to this law, and what is it really trying to achieve?

The establishment of the new committee is controversial. If the amendment to the existing naturalization law passes through parliament the new committee, with its new powers, will be made up of representatives from various Iranian authorities, including the Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution (Sepah), police forces, the Foundation of Islamic Revolution Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, several ministries, including Intelligence; Science, Research and Technology; Health and Medical Education; and Foreign Affairs, as well as the representatives from the office of the country’s public prosecutor, Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi. A representative from the Islamic Consultative Assembly will also serve as an observer member on the committee.
Posted by: Pappy || 08/31/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran

#1  So we have allowed financial support of the terrorist groups Hezbullah and Hamas under this current POTUS? There was a time this would have had a clear cut name and been handled accordingly.
Posted by: JohnQC || 08/31/2015 10:01 Comments || Top||

#2  Running out of Iranians willing to fight & die for MM?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/31/2015 10:13 Comments || Top||

#3  Running out of Iranians willing to fight & die for MM?

Most likely. The million-plus survivors of the Iran-Iraq war are now fathers and grandfathers. Their offpring aren't inclined to run off and die for the Revolution. The mullahcracy also paid a heavy price both monetarily and in public support last time around (though being Iranian, they've figured out ways to profit from their "compassion.")

There's long been an "immigrant" presence in Iran's security units, most notably in the Basiij. Given there's a lot of refugees floating around the edges of Iran, the mullahs figure there's a good pool to draw from to do "jobs that Iranians won't do."
Posted by: Pappy || 08/31/2015 11:55 Comments || Top||

#4  Romans giving citizenship to auxiliaries---I remember how it ended.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/31/2015 15:57 Comments || Top||

#5  "Service guarantees citizenship"
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 08/31/2015 16:30 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
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Two weeks of WOT
Mon 2015-08-31
  ISIS destroys part of another ancient temple in Syria's Palmyra
Sun 2015-08-30
  Local Syrian ceasefires break down as shelling resumes
Sat 2015-08-29
  Chad Sentences 10 Suspected Boko Haram Members to Death
Fri 2015-08-28
  Drone Strike in Nangarhar Kills 4 Taliban Commanders
Thu 2015-08-27
  IS Suicide Bombing Kills 2 Iraqi Army Generals in Anbar
Wed 2015-08-26
  Over 60 Taliban Insurgents Killed In Musa Qala Clashes
Tue 2015-08-25
  31 Taliban Insurgents Killed in Foreign Troops Air Strikes in Helmand
Mon 2015-08-24
  Four Qaeda suspects killed by 'US drone' in Yemen
Sun 2015-08-23
  Israel hits Syrian targets following rocket fire it says was ordered by Iran
Sat 2015-08-22
  IS No. 2 killed in Mosul
Fri 2015-08-21
  Two Americans overpower gunman (of Moroccan origin) in France train shooting
Thu 2015-08-20
  Foreign suspect sought in Bangkok bombing
Wed 2015-08-19
  ISIS Beheads Elderly Archeologist In Palmyra, Syrian Official Says
Tue 2015-08-18
  Yemen: More than 80 dead in 24 hours of fighting for Taiz
Mon 2015-08-17
  Punjab home minister Shuja Khanzada killed in terror attack


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