#1
I believe the U.S. combat role officially ended last month, so it would appear writing the 'disappearances' off to combat loss is no longer appropriate. No mention of Reports of Survey or AR 15-6 investigations, or Sensitive Item reporting. My how times they have changed.
Posted by: chris ||
11/14/2014 12:45 Comments ||
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#3
Do they no longer have Property Book Officers in the military? In my day, I never saw anything with a serial number on it that was not at least signed for by a PBO, and then a company commander.
#6
Any destabilization of the KSA, includ possib takeover by the Hard Boyz = ISIS/ISIL, Other will be cause for the US + UK [NATO-EU? Russia?] to mil intervene + send in combat troops.
Ditto as per IRAN + TURKEY + EGYPT, etal.
I suspect this is covertly the real reason US JCoS Chair Dempsey said the US was considering sending in ground troops, notsomuch the New = Old news of the ISIS, Al-Nusra alliance.
The international media have put the spotlight on thousands of North Koreans sent to labor on building sites abroad in conditions of virtual slavery. Extensive reports in the Guardian and the Financial Times have found that the North Korean regime pockets practically all the money they earn racing against time to build the World Cup facilities in Qatar and elsewhere.
They are involved in construction of the 86,000-seat main stadium for the 2022 World Cup, a top-class hotel complex and two golf courses in Lusail, a new planned city 20 km north of the Qatari capital of Doha.
Most of their fellow workers from Vietnam, India and Nepal get off at dusk, but the North Koreans often labor on in the glare of fluorescent lamps until late at night.
Some 2,800 North Korean workers in Qatar start at 6 a.m. and continue till after midnight, except for a break for food. But they have to give 90 percent of their salary to the regime. A North Korean official admitted to the Guardian that the workers are not paid directly but claimed the money is paid "to their families."
Uncle Pudgy gets a nice cut...
In reality, the Qatari government stands accused of being driven by North Korea's "state-sponsored trafficking for forced labor."
If we had a CIA worth anything at all we'd be helping these workers defect...
The dailies said a North Korean worker typically earns 3,000 rials including overtime pay, but they receive a mere 10 to 15 percent of their salary, with the rest lining the pockets of North Korean leaders. With no money in hand, the North Koreans stay in their quarters on holidays and need to borrow money from project managers "if they need small things like cigarettes," the Guardian reported.
But they cannot even conceive of escaping because their families are in effect held hostage back in the North.
So the CIA works to rescue the families...
The Guardian estimates that there are up to 65,000 North Koreans working in around 40 countries. But one activist group here estimates that the number is nearer 150,000, with over 90,000 in China alone.
Nevertheless, many North Koreans want to work overseas because they are at least fed one or two decent meals a day. Their number is believed to have doubled or tripled since Kim Jon-un took power in the North in 2012. Some 20,000 toil as loggers and construction workers in Russia and around 7,000 others on various construction sites in Africa, including Namibia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Libya.
Until the early 1990s they were paid their salary directly. But amid global sanctions and growing economic troubles for the regime, their salaries are instead deposited in accounts controlled by the North Korean regime.
The abuses have received widespread attention from European governments, parliaments and the press in recent days. Last month, the EU and Japan submitted a draft resolution on the North's human rights issues to the UN General Assembly. It calls for punishing those responsible for the violation of human rights there.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/14/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
And they will say to me " You destroyed any chance of our survival.
#8
...they were running a strong Sub-Saharan slave trade to Cairo-Damascus-Baghdad long before Chris bumped into what became known as the Americas. It's in their blood.
Turkey on Thursday freed without questioning or charges 12 radical nationalist protesters who attacked three US sailors in the centre of Istanbul in an assault that alarmed the American military.
Several dozen members of Turkiye Genclik Birligi (Turkish Youth Union/TGB) attacked the visiting US sailors on Wednesday afternoon while their vessel the USS Ross was moored in the centre of Istanbul on its way back from exercises in the Black Sea. They threw red dye and sought to force white sacks as hoods on the sailors in the Eminonu district on the Istanbul waterfront, a popular tourist hub.
The case of the 12 protesters arrested over the action was referred earlier Thursday to the court of justice in Istanbul, the Dogan news agency said. However they were all later released without charge and without even being questioned by prosecutors, it added.
TGB chairman Cagdas Cengiz said outside the courthouse that it was "our duty as Turkish youths" to attack the soldiers.
"This protest was a salute to all the oppressed nations. From now on, American soldiers will never have an easy time here. They will not be able to go around freely," he said, quoted by the Milliyet daily.
An MP for the mainstream secular opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) also praised the action.
"These young people have done what was necessary. Turks are hospitable but have always sided with the oppressed," said Suheyl Batum.
The TGB claims to be loyal to the principles of modern Turkey's founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and also staunchly opposed the ruling Islamic-rooted party co-founded by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Its thinking is marked by vehement anti-Americanism and it also strongly opposes Turkey's bid to join the European Union.
The attack -- which came amid tensions between NATO allies the United States and Turkey over the crisis in Syria -- caused alarm in Washington. The Turkish foreign ministry also condemned the incident saying it was "disrespectful" and "could in no way be tolerated".
The USS Ross had been moored in the centre of the city just beneath the Topkapi Palace, the historic home of the Ottoman Sultans. Shore leave was cancelled for the rest of the stay for the crew after the incident, the Pentagon said.
The USS Ross on Thursday afternoon sailed out of Istanbul as planned and then through the Dardanelles Strait towards the Aegean Sea, the Hurriyet daily said.
#4
We have to recognize Turkey occupies some highly strategic geography. Because of that geography we will need to make concessions. We don't have to like Turkey, but we do have to minimize their animosity.
#7
Freed huh.
Not Ataturks/anti-erdys then.
With the dyes and the hoods and the footage I'm going with staged event.
Leaves me with two possibilities - Pro-Erdys or ISJV cheerleaders.
How about 50 miles inland Russia east west to Constantinople, rest 50 miles down around south to Syria border NATO, free Kurdistan, the renaming of Turkey to New Pigeon with capital centered at Erdagon's fresh new palace. I'll pick up the tab after visiting Hagia Sofia.
[Ynet] The Supreme Court of Canada has declined to hear the case of Canadian man facing extradition to La Belle France in connection with a 1980 Gay Paree synagogue bombing that killed four people.
Hassan Diab, a 60-year-old Canadian of Lebanese descent, is now eligible for immediate removal and could be extradited within days.
The high court did not release reasons for the decision. The Ontario Court of Appeal ruled earlier this year a lower-court judge and the federal justice minister made no legal errors in concluding Diab should be handed to French authorities. Canadian police incarcerated Please don't kill me! Diab in 2008 in response to a request from La Belle France, where he is wanted on charges of murder and attempted murder in the October 3rd, 1980 bombing.
[DAWN] MULTAN: The district coordination officer has said some suspects have been identified in connection with the alleged Daesh (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.... ) wall-chalking appearing in the city about a week ago.
Talking to the media here on Thursday, DCO Zahid Saleem Gondal said the investigations were under way and intelligence agencies were working on the issue. He said action would be taken against the elements involved in the wall-chalking in the light of the probe findings.
"So far no arrest has been made in this regard," he added.
Refusing to disclose the names of the suspects and the organizations they belonged to, the DCO said the matter was being investigated.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2014 00:03 ||
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[DAWN] Footprints of the myrmidon group known as Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... have now also started appearing in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... 's town of Bannu, days after similar reports of the bully boy group's presence were received from other parts of the country.
Wall-chalking welcoming IS ‐ which is also known by the names of Daish and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) ‐ have now appeared in various parts of Bannu city including its cantonment area.
Bannu borders North Wazoo tribal agency, known to be the Pak Taliban nerve-centre where the Pak military is carrying out Operation Zarb-e-Azb ..the Pak offensive against Qaeda in Pakistain and the Pak Taliban in North Wazoo. The name refers to the sword of the Prophet (PTUI!)... to flush them out.
"We welcome the head of Syrian Daish Group Abu Bakkar Al Bagdadi and pay him tributes," says the graffiti in Urdu language in various parts of Bannu district.
The message from little-known group 'Awami Baghi Group Bannu Waziristan' appears to endorse a reported threat alert issued earlier by the Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... Home Department that the group has recruited more than 10,000 fighters from Kurram tribal agency and Hangu district ... Hangu is famous for its greenery, hills, beauty and water. Most of the people of this area are Bangash & Orakzai Pashtuns. Part of the Bangash are Shia. The Orakzai and the Sunni Bangash are determined to kill them... of Khyber Pakhtunkhawa.
Wall chalking was reported to be seen on City Road, Cantt Road, Dera Ismail Khan ... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ... road and Miranshah ... headquarters of al-Qaeda in Pakistain and likely location of Ayman al-Zawahiri. The Haqqani network has established a ministate in centered on the town with courts, tax offices and lots of madrassas... road in Bannu.
Earlier, pamphlets believed to be from IS were also distributed in various parts of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. and the Afghan refugee camp but were later seized.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] President Mamnoon Hussain asked the international community on Thursday not to impose more polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... -related sanctions on Pakistain.
Talking to foreign diplomats at a ceremony organised in connection with 12th anniversary of the Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... Council on Foreign Relations (KCFR) at the Presidency, the president highlighted different issues related to the government's internal and foreign policies, from polio to the ongoing military operation in the tribal areas and Pakistain-India relations.
The president's spokesperson quoted the president as saying: "The international community should be sympathetic [towards] Pakistain in eradicating polio, rather than imposing more sanctions."
The president was of the view that the polio virus had travelled to Pakistain from Afghanistan due to the wars that had ravaged the neighbouring country. "Pakistain is not responsible for the spread of polio, but wars in Afghanistan," he claimed. I weep for you,' the Walrus said:
I deeply sympathize.'
The president's views on the matter belie various international reports that count a lack of access to target areas and a forced ban on vaccination by the outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) as the main reasons for the unfettered spread of polio across the country.
Defending the government, President Hussain said: "The government is making all-out efforts for the eradication of polio and these efforts would bring fruitful results."
The president was confident that Operation Zarb-e-Azb ..the Pak offensive against Qaeda in Pakistain and the Pak Taliban in North Wazoo. The name refers to the sword of the Prophet (PTUI!)... in North Wazoo would not only bring an end to extremism, but also help in the eradication of polio from the country. He commended the determination and bravery displayed by the Pakistain Army in the ongoing action against terrorists.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2014 00:00 ||
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Nestled among the valleys of Pakistan’s mountainous northwest, a tiny religious community that claims descent from Alexander the Great’s army is under increasing pressure from radicals bent on converting them to Islam. The Kalash, who number just about 3,500 in Pakistan’s population of 180 million, are spread over three valleys along the border with Afghanistan. For centuries they practiced polytheism and animal sacrifice without interference from members of Pakistan’s Muslim majority.
But now they are under increasing danger from proselytising Muslim militants just across the border, and a hardline interpretation of Islam creeping through mainstream society — as Pook Shireen discovered. After falling unconscious during a car accident, the mid-20s member of the paramilitary Chitral Scouts woke to find that people with him had converted him to Islam.
“Some of the Muslim people here try to influence the Kalash or encourage them by reading certain verses to them from the Koran,” said his mother, Shingerai Bibi. “The men that were with him read verses of the Koran and then when he woke up they said to him, ‘You are a convert now to Islam’. So he converted.” Bogus hocus-pocus, for sure.
#3
The Chitrali Muslim's chief virtue
Is that he is not keen to hurt you,
But when you are sleeping,
Comes creeping and peeping
To check out your junk and convert you.
[Iraq News] Reliable source revealed that âThe Commanding General of the Iraqi Armed Forces, Haider al-Abadi, issued a decree to dismiss the Media Advisor of the Iraqi Defense Ministry, General Mohammed al-Askari from his post.â
The source told IraqiNews.com âAskari has been transferred to another department within the Defense Ministry.â
Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has decided on Wednesday to dismiss 26 high rank military officers and refer 10 others for retirement.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2014 00:00 ||
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[Iraq News] The Minister of Interior, Mohammed al-Ghaban, hosted the Saudi Deputy Interior Minister, Abdul Rahman Rabia, at his residence on Thursday.
The Minister's media office reported in a statement received by Iraqi News "The two sides discussed the security cooperation in combating terrorism forces."
The Saudi Foreign Minister, Saud al-Fasail, assured to the Iraqi President, Fuad Masoum, that the Saudi Embassy will be inaugurated in Baghdad in the near future.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Already propped up by rich sponsors, the Hashemite Kingdom has been dealing with the global financial crisis and a war that cut off its preferred trade route.
The 20th anniversary of the signing of the peace treaty between Jordan and Israel, October 26, saw the Hashemite Kingdom coping with a severe economic crisis and a no-less-difficult geopolitical challenge, each of which was feeding the other. Given this precarious position, Amman fears a mass migration of Paleostinian refugees, which could deal a fatal blow to the regime.
A recent article in the Dayan Center's Iqtisadi journal, which covers the Middle East economies, Dan Poniachik wrote that annual growth in Jordan, which stood at 7.9% between 2005 and 2008, fell to 2.5% in 2010-2013.
The global crisis of 2008 hit Jordan too. Foreign investment declined substantially, while inflation increased and unemployment grew, especially among the young. But the main cause for this economic downturn is the turmoil in Iraq and Syria. Jordan has in recent years taken in nearly 2 million refugees from these countries - an unbearable burden on the country's 6.5 million citizens.
In the West Bank today, many have permanent Jordanian citizenship or hold temporary Jordanian passports.
These refugees join the tens of thousands of Paleostinians who moved from Jordan to the West Bank with the establishment of the Paleostinian Authority in the mid-90s, but rushed back in the days of the Second Intifada, between 2000 and 2005. In the West Bank today, many have permanent Jordanian citizenship or hold temporary Jordanian passports.
Since 2011, some 20,000 Jordanian and Turkish trucks have travelled from Haifa to Jordan via the Jordanian border crossing near Beit She'an (beyond the Sheikh Hussein Bridge).
The war in Syria has dealt a severe blow to Jordan, who saw most of its trade with Europe pass through the Syrian ports of Latakia and Tartus. Jordan tried to replace them with the Suez Canal, but high costs ultimately forced them into using Haifa port. Since 2011, some 20,000 Jordanian and Turkish trucks have travelled from Haifa to Jordan via the Jordanian border crossing near Beit She'an (beyond the Sheikh Hussein Bridge).
Wealthy friends
Despite everything, the Jordanian rule has held â primarily thanks to massive financial support from 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... , the Gulf Emirates, the United States and the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... However, corruption finds a dozen alibis for its evil deeds... according to Prof. Asher Susser of Tel Aviv University, "the Jordanian nightmare" is a collapse of the West Bank that would bring to Jordan another wave of refugees.
That is to say, a return of Jordanian citizens temporarily living under Israeli control. No wonder they've no motivation to make peace -- they're there for the jizya.
Paleostinians already comprise about 70% of Jordan's citizens and are integrated into political and economic life.
Previous waves of immigration by Israeli Arabs almost toppled the Hashemite regime: after 1948 the Paleostinian underground murdered King Abdullah I, and after the 1967 Six-Day War, the Jordanian army was forced to wage war on the Paleostinian organizations loyal to the PLO.
With this in mind, it is hardly surprising that the Jordanian regime is pressuring Israel to maintain the status quo on the Temple Mount, and prevent any further crises that could destabilize the regime in Amman.
[Ynet] Police chief, deputy foreign minister briefs foreign dignitaries on escalation on Temple Mount; videos and photos show rioters launching fireworks and Molotov cocktails from within al-Aqsa mosque.
More than 60 foreign ambassadors and diplomats gathered on Wednesday at the Foreign Ministry for a special briefing held by Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino and Deputy Foreign Minister Tzachi Hanegbi on the escalation of violence in Jerusalem, with a focus on the festivities that have occurred at the Temple Mount.
The meeting was part of a diplomatic campaign led by the Foreign Ministry in the past few days in order to refute the allegations by the Paleostinian Authority that Israel has changed the status-quo at the Temple Mount and plans to harm the al-Aqsa mosque.
At the briefing, members of the diplomatic corps where shown photographs and videos depicting the acts of incitement and violence at the Temple Mount.
One video showed Paleostinian rioters building a barrier made out of trash cans and furniture that was in the al-Aqsa mosque and hurling fireworks from within the mosque filled with carpets, wooden beams and other materials that could catch fire easily.
The foreign ambassadors and diplomats also saw a video that showed Israeli police forces showing restraint against rioters, who had amounted inside the mosque and were launching fireworks from close range at Israeli officers who did not use tear gas against the rioters.
The footage shows severe damage caused to the furniture and carpets in the mosque from the fireworks, while older Moslem worshipers are seen standing on the side while their request to pray is denied because of the rioters in the mosque.
Alongside the video footage, embassy representatives were shown photographs that depicted rioters throwing Molotov cocktails from within the al-Aqsa mosque, known to Jews as the Temple Mount, and hurling them towards Israeli coppers.
"Israel has maintained and will continue to maintain the status-quo at the Temple Mount and Jordan's special role as the protector of Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem and will oppose any attempt to change it," Hangebi said during the meeting with ambassadors.
"Any other statement is a private opinion that does not represent the government of Israel," Hanegbi added.
"Israel has freedom of religion for all faiths and is committed to the protection of holy sites. Unfortunately, we are witnessing the upsurge of violence by Paleostinians that is being backed up by incitement by Paleostinian officials," Hanegbi continued.
Danino said to the ambassadors and diplomats: "The main role of Israel's police is to maintain public peace and security throughout the country and especially in Jerusalem, which is a central part of our mission."
During the briefing, the Foreign Ministry staff handed out an official document to the ambassadors which stated that: "In the past few months, radical Paleostinians have attempted to disrupt the status quo and have prevented Jews and Christians from visiting the Temple Mount.
"Paleostinian rioters, incited by Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, and radical factions of the Islamic Movement, attacked visitors and coppers alike with stones and fireworks ‐ while using the al-Aqsa mosque as a base for their actions. Israeli authorities were able to contain the attempts by Islamic forces of Evil to escalate the situation at the Temple Mount.
"The ridiculous accusations that Israel is planning to harm al-Aqsa mosque has no basis. The fact that not only Islamic turbans but central Paleostinian leaders are behind these accusations is dangerous and frightful.
"Anyone who violates the law will be handled accordingly by police, whether he is Moslem, Jewish or belonging to any other religion. Israel considers freedom of religion and worship as a supreme value. Jewish holy sites such as the Western Wall are open to visitors of all religions as are Christian holy sites in Jerusalem," the document said.
[Ynet] Secretary of state also meets separately with Abbas to discuss ways to end J'lem violence, renew peace talks; 'Israeli violations are a red line, cannot be tolerated,' says Abbas front man.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... and Jordan's King Abdullah II met Thursday evening in Amman, Jordan to discuss rising tensions in Jerusalem.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Jordan's King Abdullah II met Thursday evening in Amman, Jordan to discuss rising tensions in Jerusalem.
Around 100 residents, among them schoolchildren, tried to block the main road in protest after police blocked off several of Issawiya's entrances with concrete blocks. Police fired tear gas, percussion bombs and rubber bullets to break up the rally.
Months of unrest have escalated in recent days, spreading from East Jerusalem to the West Bank and Arab communities across Israel, and raising fears of a new Paleostinian uprising.
'Red line'
The meeting between Abbas and Kerry, who arrived in Jordan late on Wednesday, comes a day after Israel approved plans for another 200 settler homes in a neighborhood of East Jerusalem, a move sharply criticized by Washington.
Much of the unrest in Jerusalem has been fuelled by religious tensions at the Al-Aqsa mosque compound, a site holy to both Moslems and Jews.
The Paleostinians have been deeply angered by a campaign by far-right Jewish fringe groups to secure prayer rights at the shrine, although Israel has repeatedly stressed it has no plans to change the decades old status quo, under which Jews can visit but not pray there.
Abbas's front man said he would tell Kerry of the Paleostinians' growing concerns over Israel's actions, particularly in Jerusalem.
"The Paleostinian position will be made crystal clear: the Israeli violations are a red line and cannot be tolerated - especially with the tension and Israeli escalation in Al-Aqsa and Jerusalem," Nabil Abu Rudeina told AFP.
'End provocative acts'
In a letter to the UN Security Council sent on Wednesday, Paleostinian ambassador Riyad Mansour demanded international intervention.
"The flagrant disrespect for this holy site and for Paleostinian worshippers, marked by daily incursions into the compound... must be taken seriously by the international community as they are stoking religious sensitivities and aggravating tensions, with the potential to spiral out of control," he said.
Clashes at the mosque compound have drawn sharp criticism from both the Paleostinians and Jordan, which has custodial rights at the shrine.
Ahead of Kerry's arrival, King Abdullah met Abbas in Amman for talks in which he expressed his "total rejection" of Israel's "repeated aggressions and provocations in Jerusalem," a palace statement said.
In a move likely to further heighten tensions around the compound, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch said late Wednesday he would introduce metal detectors and facial-recognition technology at the entrances.
"We'll increase the supervision of people entering the compound, both Jews and Moslems," he said. Metal detectors were removed from the compound's gates in 2000.
The US State Department sharply condemned Israel's announcement of 200 new homes in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramot.
"We are deeply concerned by this decision, particularly given the tense situation in Jerusalem," said spokeswoman Jen Psaki ...a valley girl who woke up one morning and found she was spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of State... Middle East Quartet ... The Quartet are the UN (xylophone), the United States (alto), the European Union (soprano), and Russia (shortstop). The group was established in Madrid in 2002 by former Spanish Prime Minister Aznar, as a result of the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Tony Blair is the Quartet's current Special Envoy.... envoy Tony Blair urged Israeli and Paleostinian leaders to call for restraint and "an end to hostile and provocative acts", including settlement construction.
UN chief the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... demanded both sides do everything possible "to avoid further exacerbating an already tense environment".
[HOSTED.AP.ORG] Militant leaders from 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.... group and al-Qaeda gathered at a farm house in northern Syria last week and agreed on a plan to stop fighting each other and work together against their opponents, a high-level Syrian opposition official and a rebel commander have told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
Such an accord could present new difficulties for Washington's strategy against the IS group. While warplanes from a U.S.-led coalition strike gunnies from the air, the B.O. regime has counted on arming "moderate" rebel factions to push them back on the ground. Those rebels, already considered relatively weak and disorganized, would face far stronger opposition if the two heavy-hitting hard boy groups now are working together.
Continued on Page 49
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[NY Times] American Arclight airstrikes on the Syrian city of Raqqa, the vaunted capital of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... 's self-proclaimed caliphate, have scattered its fighters and disrupted the harsh system they had imposed, residents and visitors there say. But they see no gratitude toward the United States. In that case, kiss our national ass.
Rather, they suggested in interviews, many people are angry at the Americans. Food and fuel prices in Raqqa have soared, power blackouts have prevailed, and order is now threatened by a vacuum of any authority.
For all their violence and intolerance toward disbelievers, the fighters of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL, at least functioned as a government, providing basic services and some semblance of stability.
"People don't want some outside power to attack," Khalid Farhan, a Raqqa resident, said during a recent trip to Turkey.
The anger in Raqqa underscored the potentially destabilizing consequences of the United States-led military campaign, in a place where there was little desire to see the Syrian government or other rebel groups return to power. The campaign also risks further alienating Syrians in opposition areas in the north who were already angered by the Obama administrationâs narrow focus on destroying the Islamic State and refusal to counter attacks by the Syrian military.
It was not that the militants were popular in Raqqa, according to nearly a dozen residents, who spoke in interviews in the city or across the border in Turkey. Rather, the Islamic State had become an indispensable service provider.
Some people in Raqqa said they had seen a benefit from the American aerial assaults, which seemed to have halted the indiscriminate bombings by the Syrian Air Force. But for the most part, the American strikes had shaken âa sense of calm,â especially among conservative Sunni Muslims in northern Syria, who, despite their unease with the militants, had adapted, said Hassan Hassan, an analyst of Syria based in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.
The rule of the Islamic State militants in Raqqa contrasted sharply with the chaos that had existed before, when there was âinfighting between rebels, or shootings, or warlords controlling oil fields,â Mr. Hassan said. After the Islamic State exerted its control, residents spoke more frequently about receiving their ârights,â he said.
âPeople say ISIS is the first group that is able to take complaints seriouslyâ â for instance, arbitrating old property or financial disputes, Mr. Hassan said. The group also won favor by occasionally punishing its own members, and even leaders, who had been accused of abuses, Mr. Hassan and residents said.
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11/14/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
If the people prefer ISIS then they are part of the enemy, not collateral damage. Bomb on.
[Ynet] CNN cites US official as saying administration believes that 'to genuinely defeat ISIS, we need not only a defeat in Iraq but a defeat in Syria.'
US President Barack Obama The point I was making was not that Grandmother harbors any racial animosity. She doesnât. But she is a typical white person... wants his advisers to review the administration's Syria policy after determining it may not be possible to defeat 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.... holy warriors without removing Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs... , CNN reported on Wednesday.
Eh? Surely they have that backward -- only by leaving Assad in place can ISIS be defeated.
Citing senior US officials, the network said Obama's national security team held four meetings in the past week that were driven by how the administration's Syria strategy fit into its campaign against Islamic State, which has seized large parts of Syria and Iraq.
"The president has asked us to look again at how this fits together," CNN quoted one bigwig as saying. "The long-running Syria problem is now compounded by the reality that to genuinely defeat ISIL, we need not only a defeat in Iraq but a defeat in Syria." ISIL is another acronym for Islamic State.
A White House National Security Council official told Rooters: "The strategy with respect to Syria has not changed."
A foolish consistency...
The official said Obama's national security team "meets frequently to determine how best to carry out the strategy he set forth to counter ISIL in Iraq and Syria through several military and non-military lines of effort."
"While the immediate focus remains to drive ISIL out of Iraq, we and coalition partners will continue to strike at ISIL in Syria to deny them safe haven and to disrupt their ability to project power," the official added.
January 2017 cannot come soon enough.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
11/14/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Not s lot of focus in that approach.
I think Assad is a can that can be kicked down the road. I believe a focus on the men in black and their evil twins in Al Nusra is what is needed now.
#3
If he really wanted to defeat ISIS wouldn't it be more logical to ouster the Quatari regime supports and funds ISIS instead of a guy who fights it?
That is, assuming Barak Husein Obama who paved the way for a,n Islamic uptake of Syria and went out of his way to give Egypt to the Islamists, mlater to try to keep them in power, reallay wants to fight ISIS instead of helping it.
#10
The ISIS/ISIL is exclusive or exists independently of Baby Assad, so getting rid of the latter is unlikely to stop anything ala the ISIS + ISIS new BFF Al-Nusra, etal.
The Bammer = USA, OTOH, may lose the support of important allies at a crucial time ... ...
* TOPIX, DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > HARPER: CANADA AT WAR WID ISIL, NOT SYRIA, i.e. Baby Assad.
[Ynet] Iran has confirmed it tested a new centrifuge that could speed up its enrichment of uranium but rejected a US think-tank's suggestion the move may have violated last year's nuclear deal with world powers. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham gave no indication that Iran had stopped feeding natural uranium gas into the so-called IR-5 centrifuge. Washington said on Monday Tehran had ceased the activity.
Asked about the US statement, Iran's ambassador to the ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Reza Najafi, said there had been intermittent testing of the IR-5.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
11/14/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Militant leaders from 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.... group and al-Qaeda gathered at a farm house in northern Syria last week and agreed on a plan to stop fighting each other and work together against their opponents, a high-level Syrian opposition official and a rebel commander have told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
Such an accord could present new difficulties for Washington's strategy against the IS group. While warplanes from a US-led coalition striked Death Eaters from the air, the B.O. regime has counted on arming "moderate" rebel factions to push them back on the ground. Those rebels, already considered relatively weak and disorganized, would face far stronger opposition if the two heavy-hitting murderous Moslem groups now work together.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
11/14/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
I think this trumps chump's fixation with pencil's regime
[Iraq News] On Thursday, the ISIS group released an audio tape of the ISIS leader, known as His Supreme Immensity, Caliph of the Faithful and Galactic Overlord, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ...formerly merely the head of ISIL and a veteran of the Bagram jailhouse. Looks like a new messiah to bajillions of Moslems, like just another dead-eyed mass murder to the rest of us... calling for attacks in 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... and what he called "volcanoes of jihad".
Baghdadi's message was released by ISIS-allied al-Furqan media group. Baghdadi claimed that the US-led campaign against ISIS is falling. He said, "America and its allies are terrified, weak, and powerless."
In his 17-minute message, Baghdad called, "Oh soldiers of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... , continue to harvest the enemy soldiers. Erupt volcanoes of jihad everywhere. Light the earth with fire under all the tyrants and their soldiers and supporters."
Noteworthy, Baghdadi was rumored to be killed or injured in an air strike last week, but the audio message was apparently recorded last week as it mentions Obama's decision to send 1,500 additional advisors to train Iraqi soldiers.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2014 00:00 ||
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[ARABNEWS] The head of the Lion of Islam State group has said it will fight to the last man.
The comments by the murderous Moslem group's leader, Abu Bakr Baghdadi, came in an audio statement, his first since a US-led alliance began conducting Arclight airstrikes targeting the group in Iraq and Syria.
In the statement, released Thursday on social media networks, he says his fighters "will never leave fighting, even if only one soldier remains."
The recording appeared authentic, and his voice appeared to correspond with previous recordings released by the group.
Baghdadi's statement came after rumors that he was maimed in an Arclight airstrike. It was not clear whether the recording was made before or after the incident.
He also said a US-led military campaign against his group in Syria and Iraq was failing. "Despite this Crusade campaign being the most fierce and severe of all, it is the greatest failure. We see America and its allies stumbling in fear, weakness, impotence and failure."
The speech was not dated but carried a reference to a Nov. 7 US announcement that President Barack Obama Itâs very rare that I come to an event where Iâm like the fifth- or sixth-most interesting person.... had approved sending up to 1,500 more US troops to Iraq.
"Oh soldiers of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... ...erupt volcanoes of jihad everywhere. Light the earth with fire against all dictators," Baghdadi said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/14/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Recording of His Supreme Immensity, Caliph of the Faithful and Galactic Overlord, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ...formerly merely the head of ISIL and a veteran of the Bagram jailhouse. Looks like a new messiah to bajillions of Moslems, like just another dead-eyed mass murder to the rest of us... released Thursday proves 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.... leader was not killed by kabooms in Iraq last Friday; leader claims Israel secretly part of international coalition fighting Islamic State.
An audio tape of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi was released on Thursday, reportedly disproving the rumors that he was killed in an kaboom last week in Iraq. Al-Bagddadi said that the military operation against the Islamic State has been "the most unsuccesful," and urged attacks against Arab countries - namely 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... There have been contradictory accounts out of Iraq following US air strikes on Friday about whether Baghdadi was maimed in a raid. The United States said on Tuesday it could not confirm whether he was killed or maimed in Iraq following a strike near the city of Falluja.
The speech was not dated but carried a reference to a Nov. 7 US announcement that President Barack Obama Republicans can come along for the ride, but they've got to sit in the back... had approved sending up to 1,500 more US troops to Iraq.
In the recording, al-Baghdadi said the military operation by the international coalition against the Islamic State group was one of the "most unsuccessful ever," and that Israel is "a secret partner" in the coalition. He also repeatedly slammed "he Jews"
"The leaders of the Jews, crusaders, heretics, their devils, their masters and their officials met. They thought assessed, planned, fortune and prepared for war against the organization of the Islamic State. So they came out with a failed plan," said al-Baghdadi.
"The agents of the Jews, the cusaders, their slaves, their dogs and their tails on the ground did not hold out against the Islamic state and will not endure. The Crusaders were defeated. With Allah's help they were defeated. Moslems win through Allah. The onslaught of jihad fighters will continue until they reach Rome with Allah help," al-Baghdadi continued.
Regarding Saudi Arabia, al-Baghdadi said the Saudi leaders were the "head of the snake," and urged Islamic State supporters to attack them and the Shiites in the kingdom.
"O sons of al-Haramayn (Saudi Arabia)...the snake's head and the stronghold of the disease are there...draw your swords and divorce life, because there should be no security for the Saloul," Baghdadi said, using a derogatory term to refer to the leadership of Saudi Arabia.
The Islamic State leader urged Arab countries to carry out attacks against Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and the Sinai Peninsula. Al-Baghdadi added that the US will soon have to bring in ground troops to fight the Islamic State.
"Oh soldiers of the Islamic State...erupt volcanoes of jihad everywhere. Light the earth with fire against all dictators," Baghdadi said.
According to al-Baghdadi, the Islamic Caliphate that the Islamic State is attempting to create has already spread to Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Egypt, Libya and Algeria.
Contradictory reports had emerged over the fate of Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi after US-led air strikes against the group hit at least two locations in Iraq last Friday night.
Last Saturday, the United States said it had no information to indicate al-Baghdadi was maimed near the Iraqi city of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... , or if he was even in the convoy that was targeted, US officials said on Sunday.
The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... , were asked about an account on Twitter that said Baghdadi had been maimed in the strikes.
Iraq's Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari said that no final conclusions should be made on the state of al-Baghdadi until further evidence will be found on the matter in an interview with the Saudi newspaper al-Watan on Thursday morning. Al-Jaafari added that Iraq had not received any verification that al-Baghdadi had been injured or killed.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
11/14/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
I'd give the speech a '6' on the Islamist Slobber Scale.
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.
Turkey on Thursday freed without questioning or charges 12 radical nationalist protesters who attacked three US sailors in the centre of Istanbul in an assault that alarmed the American military. 
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[DAWN] President Mamnoon Hussain asked the international community on Thursday not to impose more .png)
Wazoo
Quartet
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[Iraq News] On Thursday, the ISIS group released an audio tape of the ISIS leader, known as 
