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Saif al-Islam Gaddafi captured in Libya
Today's Headlines
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Page 6: Politix
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Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Happy Birthday/Daily Gam Shot

Jodie Foster aka Sarah Tobias in "The Accused" aka Clarice Starling in "The Silence of the Lambs" aka Meg Altman in "Panic Room" aka Madeleine White in "Inside Man" aka Eleanor Arroway in "Contact" aka Linda in "Five Corners" aka Erica Bain in "The Brave One" aka Nell Kellty in "Nell" aka Iris in "Taxi Driver" aka Annabelle Bransford in "Maverick" aka Kyle Pratt in "Flightplan" aka Meredith Black in "The Beaver" (age 49)



For Fred's "Women Who Bathe" Collection
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 11/19/2011 1:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Happy Birthday/Daily Gam Shot 11/18

Peta Wilson (Australian) aka Nikita in "La Femme Nikita (TV Series 1997–2001)" aka Mina Harker in "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" aka Bobbie-Faye in "Superman Returns" aka Anny Ondra in "Joe and Max (TV 2002) (as in Louis & Schmeling" aka Girl of His Dreams in "The Sadness of Sex" aka Vickie Kittrie in "Mercy" aka Cpl. Jennifer Vaughn in "One of Our Own" aka Alyssha Rourke in "Loser" aka Sherrie in "Beautiful" (age 42)



G'day Mate
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 11/19/2011 1:08 Comments || Top||


--Tech & Moderator Notes
Euro crisis
Posted by: tipper || 11/19/2011 09:57 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Afghanistan
Bomb Kills Four Afghan Children
[An Nahar] Four Afghan children were killed on Friday when a bomb went kaboom! as they played near their home in the warring country's troubled east, which borders Pakistain, officials said.

The blast in Nangarhar
The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country..
province is the latest reminder of the high corpse count suffered by civilians in the current war since the 2001 U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban from power.

"Four children were killed and six others were slightly injured as a result of roadside kaboom kaboom," said Ahmad Zia Abdulzai, a front man for the governor of Nangarhar. "The incident took place around 9:30 am (05:00 GMT)."

But the interior ministry said the kaboom was caused by a mortar apparently left over from Afghanistan's decades of war.

Afghanistan faced years of conflict before 2001 and bombs dating from this period regularly cause deaths and injuries, often to curious children.

However,
you can observe a lot just by watching...
most bombings are linked to an insurgency being waged by the turban Taliban.

The United Nations
...an idea whose time has gone...
said the number of civilians killed in the war during the first half of this year rose 15 percent to 1,462, with gunnies responsible for 80 percent of the deaths.

There are around 140,000 international troops, mainly from the United States, in Afghanistan helping government forces combat a Taliban-led insurgency.

Posted by: Fred || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Africa North
Saif al-Islam Gaddafi captured in Libya
Interim Tripoli government says son of Muammar Gaddafi was arrested while attempting to flee to neighboring Niger.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the fugitive son of Libya's deceased former dictator, has been arrested in southern Libya, according to offcials from the country's new government.

Muammar Gaddafi's second and highest-profile son was captured along with several bodyguards by fighters near the town of Obari in the western mountain town of Zintandetained, in Libya's southern desert, said the interim justice minister and other officials.

Saif was said to be in good health, the justice minister added. He was captured with two aides trying to smuggle him out to neighboring Niger, militia commander Bashir al-Tayeleb added.
Posted by: tipper || 11/19/2011 06:49 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Saif was said to be in temporary good health
Posted by: Frank G || 11/19/2011 8:00 Comments || Top||

#2  More details from the Telegraph and AFP?
Posted by: trailing wife || 11/19/2011 11:39 Comments || Top||

#3  I've no idea how that question mark got there -- it was supposed to be a period. PIMF!
Posted by: trailing wife || 11/19/2011 11:59 Comments || Top||


Islamists dominate Egypt's Tahrir Square's dense Friday protest
[Al Ahram] Hundreds of thousands of protesters descended on Tahrir Square Friday to call for one principal demand: an end to military rule and a swift transfer of power to an elected president by April 2012.
Although labelled the 'Friday of One Demand', repudiation of the supra-constitutional principles, dubbed "El-Selmi's Document," equally resounded across the square.

The supra-constitutional principles, proposed by Deputy Prime Minister for Political Affairs Ali El-Selmi, have been the source of much ire by the vast majority of political parties and groups, especially Islamists, who believe they will win a majority in the forthcoming parliamentary elections, and thus would have an upper hand in drafting the constitution.

The so-called Selmi document, critics say, will grant the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) unfettered powers and place undue conditions on the formation of a constituent assembly charged with drafting Egypt's new constitution.

For months now, the ruling SCAF has increasingly found itself in sticky situations for a multitude of reasons including: the chronic security vacuum, the continuing military trials of civilians, a deteriorating national economy and for "ignoring" the demands of the January 25 Revolution.

Upon assuming power following the overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak
...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011...
on 11 February, the SCAF vowed to end its interim rule after a six-month transitional period.

This has not been the case, as the ruling military council has maintained its hold on power for over 10 months. Egyptians from across the political and ideological spectrum have in turn run out of patience, taking to the streets to call for a fixed timeline bookended by the speedy departure of the military rulers.

Islamists dominated Tahrir's Friday rally in what was a show of force by groups and parties from Egypt's broad political and ideological landscape. The result was the largest gathering in Cairo's revolutionary square since the last time Islamists coalesced in Tahrir for what was mockingly dubbed "Kandahar Friday" on 29 July.

Of the participating Islamists, the Moslem Brüderbund and its political arm, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), were the most visible, outnumbering their counterparts. The group has notably boycotted most of the million-man marches that took place following the popular 18-day uprising.

Apart from flags, shirts and green caps emblazoned with the groups logo, two criss-crossed swords, the Islamist group came readied with their banners bearing emblems of the FJP and the Brotherhood's student groups. Several banners indicated the various members' governorate of origin in a show of their mobilisation power.

Salafists
...Salafists espouse an austere form of Sunni Islam that seeks a return to practices that were common in the 7th century. Rather than doing that themselves and letting other people alone they insist everybody do as they say and they try to kill everybody who doesn't...
were also heavily represented in Tahrir, particularly by Al-Nour (Light) and Al-Asala (Authenticity) parties, believed to be the two largest Salafist parties in Egypt.

The Islamist and Salafist currents have been strongly opposed to Selmi's proposed principles from the get go.

"This document has absolutely no legitimacy, it wasn't voted on and those who drafted it were not chosen by the people," a Salafist sheikh said from one of the podiums. "The military council came up with it as a buffer for the other [non-Islamic] political currents, but they have also rejected it."

Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya also participated in the demonstration, stating that the proposed principles "do not reflect the will of the people". Al-Jamaa spokesperson Assem Abdel Maged said stressed that "the will of the people is the most important thing, and the 'El-Selmi document' goes against this will."

Al-Jamaa also called for the release of blind holy man Omar Abdel Rahman who has been jugged for nearly two decades. A leading figure of Al-Jamaa, Abdel Rahman was given a life sentence for his "involvement" in the 1993 World Trade Centre ‎bombing.

His family along with members of Al-Jamaa have for months been calling on the SCAF to lobby for his release.

Other unaffiliated Islamists lifted images of the late Al-Qaeda criminal mastermind, the late Osama bin Laden
... who no longer exists...
, praising him as a martyr.

April 6 Youth Movement was the largest non-Islamic political force in Tahrir though a wide range of other political forces took part in the event, such as the Revolutionary Socialists, the Bedaya (Beginning) Movement, the Socialist Popular Alliance Party, the Revolution Youth Coalition and the No to Military Trials campaign.

Syrian protesters made their way into the mix, protesting against much reviled Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad. They branded him a killer and called for his immediate removal from power.

Hundreds of Egyptian and Syrian protesters carried a huge flag of the former Syrian Republic - before the 1963 Baathist coup - while others waved normal-sized Egyptian and Syrian flags, as they all demanded Assad's departure.

There were, however, a handful of political parties who boycotted Friday's protest. The liberal Wafd Party, for one, announced its rejection of today's demonstration. In statements to the media, the Wafd's Secretary-General Fouad Badrawy stressed that the country was desperately in need of stability during the current, critical interim phase.

The liberal Free Egyptians Party also boycotted Friday's protest, along with the Nasserist Karama Party. The latter gave further reasoning to its boycott, stating that the protest had been "hijacked by other powers," in reference to Egypt's powerful Islamist forces.

The leftist Tagammu Party and the Egyptian Communist Party had also announced plans steer clear of Friday's protest.

As Friday's big protest winds down, the day has been marked by peaceful protest with no festivities or confrontations as some anxiously speculated.

It remains unclear whether demonstrators will stage a sit-in, as they continue to debate this option among themselves. Many Islamists, however, opted to leave by dusk.

Popular preacher Safwat Hegazi took to the podium, urging the Brotherhood, Salafists and Al-Jamaa to unite. Furthermore, in a dig at the SCAF, he assured his listeners that parliamentary elections will be held under no matter what happens.

"Securing the elections should be our responsibility," he said. "We need to make sure the ballots will be safe and also blow the whistle on the candidates from the [now-dismantled] National Democratic Party," said Hegazi, whose speech was followed by the departure of many Islamist leaders.

Islamist presidential hopeful Selim El-Awa also gave a speech but promised to remain in Tahrir until all demands are met. Awa used his speech to condemn the 'Selmi document' and demand that the military council hold to the three-stage election schedule.

Other Islamist forces threatened to "peacefully escalate the revolution" should the SCAF show no response.
Posted by: Fred || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Arabia
Colonel Potted in Aden
[Yemen Post] According to security sources in the southern Yemeni sea-port city of Aden, a high ranking military officer would have been killed on Wednesday evening in a surprise attack. The government is already suspecting al-Qaeda of being behind the assault as the group has been increasingly targeting officials in the region over the past few months.

Colonel Abdul Hakimal-Qahdi was killed when a group of unknown gunnies opened fire onto his vehicle in the Cairo neighborhood of Aden.

Eye-witnesses revealed that they had seen 2 gunnies approached the Colonel's vehicle, shooting several rounds directly at him. Hakimal-Qahdi died instantly.

Such attacks have become quite common since Yemen is suffering a worsening security situation with gangs being allowed to roam freely as the government is struggling to maintain its "head above water" so do speak.
Posted by: Fred || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia


Thousands rally in Bahrain against island's rulers
Thousands of Shia-led protesters calling for greater rights have streamed into an area outside the capital Manama.

Friday's rally is one of the largest demonstrations in weeks against the Gulf kingdom's Sunni rulers. Some of the protesters carried tents, suggesting an attempt to occupy the site in A'ali, about 1.5 miles (three kilometers) southeast of Manama.

Others waved flags from nations where Arab uprisings have toppled regimes, such as Libya and Tunisia. Security forces did not make an immediate attempt to intervene.

Bahrain's majority Shias began protests in February calling for a stronger voice in the nation's affairs. Sunni leaders have offered reforms, but refuse to give up control of top government posts.
Posted by: Fred || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Now that's what I call "high on Islam"...
Posted by: tu3031 || 11/19/2011 1:53 Comments || Top||


U.N. Urged to Take Saleh to Criminal Court amid Rival Demos
[An Nahar] An opposition MP on Friday urged the U.N. Security Council, which is to meet on Yemen, to refer President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh
... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it...
to the International Criminal Court
... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ...
over bloodshed linked to his refusal to quit.

"We call on the Security Council to impose sanctions on President-for-Life Saleh
... exemplifying the Arab's propensity to combine brutality with incompetence...
and to refer him to the ICC," said Fued Dahaba, from the opposition Islamist party Al-Islah, leading weekly Mohammedan prayers near Sanaa's Change Square.

The Security Council is scheduled to meet on Monday to discuss Saleh's refusal to hand over power under a Gulf plan in return for immunity from prosecution, as increasing violence ramps up the pressure for international action.

The 15-member Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 2014 on October 21 condemning attacks on demonstrators by Saleh's forces and strongly backing a Gulf Cooperation Council plan under which Saleh would end 33 years in power.

Several hundred demonstrators have been killed since anti-government protests started in late January.

Saleh's forces have killed at least 94 people and maimed 800, mostly in Sanaa and Taez, over the three weeks since the resolution was passed, according to a toll compiled by young anti-regime protesters.

"The solution is now for (Saleh) to be put on trial, not by the signing of the (Gulf) initiative," said Dahaba before a huge crowd gathered for Friday prayers at the square that has become a focal point of protests.

Saleh's supporters took part in separate prayers at Sabbine Square near the presidential palace. "The people want Ali Abdullah Saleh ... The people want security," they chanted.

Posted by: Fred || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The UN is not a government. Nobody has elected a single member of the UN. They can not pass laws, they can not press "criminal" charges unless they make a complaint in a court of a sovereign nation.

The UN is a diplomatic body and I am getting pretty tired of their running around the world acting as if they are some sort of government.
Posted by: crosspatch || 11/19/2011 15:52 Comments || Top||


Europe
Lawfare: Dutch state taken to UN human rights commission over Wilders
The case against Geert Wilders continues: having lost in the Dutch court after three tries, leaders in the Dutch Muslim community take it to the UN.
Three Dutch Moroccans have made a complaint against the Netherlands to the UN commission for human rights, claiming the Dutch state has not protected them from incitement to hatred instigated by Geert Wilders, Nos television reports.
The Dutch muslims may not have read the infidel Saul Alinsky, but they're following his plan to a T...
The three, who are not named in the court filing, say the 'systematic incitement to hatred and discrimination against Muslims and other migrants' committed by Wilders has left them feeling 'discriminated against, humiliated and threatened'.
Separate from actually being discriminated against, humiliated and threatened.
'They are of the opinion that Wilders by his continued hate speech has poisoned the social climate in the Netherlands that has become more and more anti-migrant and anti-Muslim,' the statement says.

Wilders was taken to court for discrimination and inciting hatred last year but found not guilty this spring after the public prosecution department called for all charges to be dropped.

One-sided

The reluctance of the public prosecutor to take action against Wilders meant the 'judge [at that trial] was only provided with one side of the legal argument due to the almost perfect harmony between the prosecution and defence,' the UN filing states.

The three say international human rights treaties should protect them against discrimination and the UN commission should ensure those treaties are upheld.

A UN human rights commission ruling, which can take years, is not legally binding, Nos says.
Posted by: || 11/19/2011 11:40 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  To paraphrase the cowboy expression, "...and the horse they rode in on."
Posted by: Anonymoose || 11/19/2011 15:51 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
US investigates cyber attack on Illinois water system
Thanks, AP. Link fixed
Posted by: Skidmark || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Link broken. TRY THIS.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 11/19/2011 0:44 Comments || Top||

#2  I do not understand why utilities have their infrastructure accessible to the internet. Perhaps they are on some intranet, but even if that were so, the supposed safety of an intranet is only as good as the security mindset of the organization.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 11/19/2011 6:05 Comments || Top||

#3  The "authorities" will start paying attention to network security and connectivity right after one of their number dies in a fire because the water pumps were hacked, or in a collision because the traffic signals were hacked, etc. The engineers know that having such systems tied to the internet is beyond idiocy, but they get overruled by the pointy-haired morons.
Posted by: PBMcL || 11/19/2011 10:26 Comments || Top||

#4  This might just be the 'camel's nose under the tent' that begins the over-arching FCC Big Brother internet pooleece; cuz we gotta be careful 'bout this stuff.
Posted by: USN, Ret. || 11/19/2011 11:16 Comments || Top||

#5  True USN, there are too many who view anything not under their control as 'just not under their control YET'.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 11/19/2011 11:40 Comments || Top||

#6  Whiskey Mike Hello!, Those who provide security programing or company E Mails need the ability to communicate. This may all change but the internet is an artery. I would venture to say at some point wireless communication or even a power source or delivery might allow access. Memory card or just watching a movie taped at home to view at work. Security of the future is here now. Iran is a good example. The race is on. The world wanted this computer age but it has brought us unintended consequences. I'd like to know where all the free time went, and vacations.
Posted by: Dale || 11/19/2011 13:27 Comments || Top||

#7  Real easy way to tell if this was real-- if it disappears and future inquiries are met with a blank stare or terse "no comment on current investigations", then it is really real. Otherwise, just another justification for budget by [insert favorite agency here]
Posted by: nguard || 11/19/2011 14:11 Comments || Top||

#8  No such agency.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike || 11/19/2011 14:42 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Two Britons 'killed in Pakistan drone strike'
[One Pakistan] The government is looking into reports that two UK nationals accused of turban links were killed in a US drone strike in Pakistain's tribal region, the Foreign Office said Friday.

The men were named as Ibrahim Adam, 24, and Mohammed Azmir, 37, by their family and friends, the Press Association reported.

They were killed in the lawless Wazoo tribal region bordering Afghanistan at least three months ago, it reported.

"We're aware of reports and looking into them further," a Foreign Office front man told AFP.

A government source said that getting confirmation would take time because the area is remote.

Adam, from Barkingside, east London, was wanted by British authorities after absconding from a government "control order" used to limit the movements of suspected Islamic fascisti in May 2007.

Azmir, a father of three who lived in Ilford, Essex, was slapped with a Treasury order in February 2010 freezing his assets over concerns that he was involved in funding terrorism.
Posted by: Fred || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda

#1  Clive and Nigel Bite the Dust: Film at eleven...
Posted by: tu3031 || 11/19/2011 1:55 Comments || Top||

#2  Two more muslims off the welfare.Tax payers will be happy!
Posted by: Paul D || 11/19/2011 8:19 Comments || Top||


Police say no leads on kidnapped American
[Dawn] Three months after a group of gunnies kidnapped a sick and elderly American development expert in Pakistain, police said Friday they believe he is still alive but have no leads in the case.

Police in the eastern city of Lahore said they have released the only witnesses, have no scene of the crime evidence and cannot fathom a motive for the abduction on August 13 of Warren Weinstein.

The 70-year-old country director for US-based consultancy J.E. Austin Associates was snatched after gunnies used his driver to trick their way into his room at his Lahore home just days before he was due to return to the United States.

Three security guards and Weinstein's driver had been held in jug over suspicions that somebody close to him leaked details of his movements.

"We kept the driver and guards for three months and interviewed them at length. We couldn't find anything from those people," special investigations officer Abdul Razzaque Cheema told AFP.

"We couldn't get proper fingerprints from there (the house). We checked the (CCTV) camera but due to darkness there was nothing. So from the scene of the crime we couldn't find anything and we have no information coming." Weinstein suffers from asthma, heart problems and high-blood pressure, and fears have been growing for his health if still being held captive in Pakistain, which is deeply troubled by Taliban and al Qaeda-linked violence.

But "there is no confirmation that he's dead," said Cheema. "Nobody has hinted to us he's dead. No, not at all. We consider him alive," he added.

Diplomatic relations between Pakistain and the United States have been severely compromised this year by the American raid killing the late Osama bin Laden
... who used to be alive but now he's not...
on May 2 and Pakistain's earlier detention of a CIA contractor over double murder charges.

But although anti-Americanism runs high in Pakistain and kidnappings of Paks are commonplace, abductions of Westerners are rare and practically unheard of in Lahore.

Criminal kidnappings usually yield a demand for ransom within three weeks, said Cheema, and most hostages are released within three months. "So I don't know who these people are," he said.

"Nobody has grabbed credit. Normal criminals they go for kidnapping for ransom, but not foreigners," he said.
Posted by: Fred || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  ISI OBL revenge op?
Posted by: PBMcL || 11/19/2011 10:32 Comments || Top||

#2  no doubt their breeders and droppings that remained at home will still be on the "Widows and Orphans" Dole
Posted by: Frank G || 11/19/2011 13:43 Comments || Top||


Two militants shot dead in Peshawar
[Dawn] Two cut-throats were killed and a policeman sustained minor injury in an encounter in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar on Thursday, officials said.

Also, a government school and a basic health unit were blown up by suspected cut-throats in two separate incidents in Charsadda district.

A front man for Peshawar police said that cut-throats attacked a patrolling party of Badhber cop shoppe near Mamrez police post at Telaband. He said that coppers from different stations were called to hunt down the assailants.

The attackers had taken cover behind the wall of a house and opened firing on coppers, inuring SHO Khushdil Khan, he said, adding the attackers were also bumped off during a one-and-a- half hour encounter.

Sources said that one of the killed cut-throats was identified as Nawab, an Afghan national. Police also recovered two Kalashnikovs, four hand grenades and six magazines from the killed thugs.

Meanwhile,
...back at the Senate, Odius Sepulcher called for war against the Visigoths...
an improvised bomb went off in main Charsadda Bazaar on Thursday night and badly damaged a government high school for boys.

However,
some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them...
the watchman of the school and other people in the area remained unharmed.

In another incident, a basic health unit was blown up by suspected cut-throats in Mansooka area of Shabqadar in Charsadda in the wee hours of Thursday.

"An improvised bomb, planted at the health facility, went off at 3:30am, destroying the boundary wall and developing cracks in the walls and roof of its two rooms," sources said.

They added that the kaboom was so powerful that it was heard far and wide in the district, creating panic and fear among people.

In Bannu district, a CD shop was blown up by unidentified persons in Taji Kallay bus stand in the limits of Ghori Wala cop shoppe on Thursday.

Police said that a bomb, planted at the CD centre on Dera Ismail Khan
... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ...
Road, went off with a bang at midnight and destroyed the shop completely.

Another bomb was found in Sadar Bazaar in the limits of Ahmad Khan Chowk cop shoppe. The Bomb Disposal Squad disposed off it successfully.

In Lakki Marwat, police with the help of security forces thwarted a terror bid by defusing a bomb near Malang Adda on Thursday.

The residents of the area noticed suspicious material under a culvert on Tajori Road and informed local police. A heavy contingent of law enforces reached the place and besieged the area.

Later, personnel of Bomb Disposal Squad with the help of security forces defused the bomb, weighing seven kilograms.

Meanwhile,
...back at the hoedown, Bob finally got to dance with Sally...
police claimed to have placed in long-term storage more than 150 suspects during a fortnight crackdown on anti-social elements in different parts of Lakki district.
Posted by: Fred || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Iraq
Al-Qaeda reappears in Iraq’s 'Triangle of Death'
BAGHDAD: Al-Qaeda and its affiliates have been given an opening to revive operations in former strongholds by the US pullout from Iraq's northern and western provinces, a senior Iraqi official said.
Nice going, Barack...
Nearly nine years after the US-led invasion, the American military has handed the Iraqi government most of its military bases around the country, and the remaining 23,000 American troops will leave by the end of the year.

Iraq says its forces are now able to contain insurgents. But with US troops leaving, weaknesses in Iraqi forces are already coming to light in hotspots like Diyala province and the Mosul area, senior Interior Ministry official Adnan Al-Asadi told Reuters in an interview.

AL-Asadi said the number of US military personnel deployed in a strategic triangle in northern and western Iraq was not large but their aircraft cover and capabilities had been useful to control an area where insurgents have traditionally operated.

"When the US withdrew from this triangle which is Diyala, Salahuddin, Anbar and Mosul ... a gap was left behind," he said. "Al-Qaeda has redeployed in the area ... Al-Qaeda is present, it appears and disappears and carries out operations, attacks and retreats. It's a guerrilla war, but they are no longer able to hold ground."

Bombings and killings persist on a daily basis and a stubborn insurgency linked to Al-Qaeda, as well as Shiite militias, remain capable of lethal attacks.

Al-Asadi said intelligence indicated men linked to Al-Qaeda are deployed in Diyala, Anbar and the southern desert of Nineveh, with some of their leaders in Salahuddin, but that they hid by staying in small groups of three or four and acting as goat or camel-herders.

Al-Asadi said the Iraqi Army and federal police conducted a large raid around three weeks ago to bomb a remote area where Al-Qaeda fighters were operating, and most insurgents were forced out to neighboring areas while some were arrested in Mosul.

Officials say Al-Qaeda affiliates carry out attacks on local government buildings and national security forces to try to destabilize the central government and demonstrate that it cannot provide security as the American troops leave.

Government officials have long expressed concern that former Baathists would try to disrupt the government when US troops depart. The party was banned after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam, who was later tried and executed. Iraq arrested hundreds of former military officers and members of the Baath Party last month, a move some officials said had foiled a plot, while others said it was a precautionary measure before the US withdrawal.

Al-Asadi said the Al-Qaeda-tied group Islamic State of Iraq and banned Baathists posed the biggest security challenge with the US withdrawal, while other outlawed groups are expected to fade away.
Posted by: Steve White || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Idiots. All they (al-Qaeda) have to do is lie low and prepare for the January takeover.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 11/19/2011 9:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Once the US is gone, there is nothing preventing the Shiite majority from encouraging the remaining Sunnis to leave, if they are too pestiferous.
Posted by: Anonymoose || 11/19/2011 17:15 Comments || Top||

#3  As per TOPIX/WORLD NEWS + MIL BLOGS, ditto for post-2014 Afghanistan widout the presence of a large US = US-NATO Milfors.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 11/19/2011 20:53 Comments || Top||


Iraq bombs kill eight in worst violence in weeks
[Bangla Daily Star] Bombings against a policeman's home and three mosques killed eight people and maimed 13 yesterday, security officials said, in the worst violence to hit Iraq in weeks.

A bomb targeting the home of a policeman in the Saqlawiya district outside the one-time turban stronghold of Fallujah,
... the City of Mosques, which might have somthing to do with why it's not called Center of Prosperity or a really nice place to raise your kids...
about 60 kilometres (37.5 miles) west of Storied Baghdad
...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate...
, killed four people early yesterday, police Captain Omar Abbud said.

The policeman, a member of the local anti-terrorism force, was not present at the time of the attack, but the bomb killed his 55-year-old mother and three other members of his family, Abbud said.
Posted by: Fred || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State of Iraq

#1  "the bomb killed his 55-year-old mother and three other members of his family"

You stay classy, insurgents.
Posted by: American Delight || 11/19/2011 10:35 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
One soldier killed, one injured in southern Thailand
A soldier was killed Friday and another was wounded in a bombing while patrolling Pattani’s Yarang district. The explosion killed Sgt Kongsin Chankampa, 43, and injured Pvt Songkran Promtrai, 21.

An initial investigation found that while the two army officers were on foot patrol, an unidentified attacker detonated an improvised explosive device hidden near a bridge.

In other developments, Maj-Gen Supat Vichitkarn met Friday with local education representatives in the three southern border provinces to discuss adjustments to security measures on teacher protection.

The meeting came after five teachers of Ban Lahan School Thursday afternoon were shot in Narathiwat province. The wounded were School Director Sitthichai Wannajitcharoon, 51, Pimonrat Promthongrak, 42, Sahawan Wannajitcharoon, 30, Mayuree Kasitwuth, 58 and Panatda Kwanpan.

11 schoolteachers, including the victims, on two vehicles were going to their homes after school. The vehicles were approached by a gunman wearing a uniform looking like that of a government soldier, who shot at them and then fled. All five of the injured remain hospitalised.

Following the attack, Ban Lahan School was closed today and will resume classes on Monday.
Posted by: ryuge || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Al-Rashidiyeh Camp Salafists Behind Tyre Bomb Blasts
[An Nahar] Salafist
...Salafists espouse an austere form of Sunni Islam that seeks a return to practices that were common in the 7th century. Rather than doing that themselves and letting other people alone they insist everybody do as they say and they try to kill everybody who doesn't...
s based in the Paleostinian refugee camp of al-Rashidiyeh might be behind the bombings that targeted a hotel and a liquor store in the southern city of Tyre, An Nahar daily reported Friday.

The newspaper said Sherlocks have found unconfirmed leads that Salafist groups in al-Rashidiyeh could have bombed the Queen Elissa hotel and the shop on Wednesday in an effort to combat the liquor trade in the area.

Voice of Leb radio station (100.5) said that the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch has questioned 10 witnesses and stressed that reports about the involvement of Salafists in the bombings are not true.

More than one person participated in the planning for the blasts, VDL said.

A security official has estimated the hotel bomb weighed about 3 kilograms and the explosives used to attack the shop about 1 kilo.

Andrea Tenenti, the deputy front man for the U.N. Interim Force in Leb, has said "there are no indications whatsoever that UNIFIL was targeted by the kaboom."

He said that two U.N. staff members were in the hotel but were not harmed, and that two UNIFIL vehicles were damaged.

Tyre is a predominantly Moslem city and serving alcohol is common at hotels and restaurants.

Posted by: Fred || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Jund al-Shams


Assad's uncle calls for him to step down
[Emirates 24/7] Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
The Scourge of Hama...
must step down quickly to stop the country spiralling into civil war, but should be allowed to stay in the country as he is not responsible for the unrest, the incumbent leader's uncle Rifaat Al Assad said on Thursday.

In an interview with French television, Rifaat Al Assad said months of civil unrest had effectively deprived Syria of leadership, and it now risked being torn apart by armed militias and could face a worse upheaval than neighbouring Leb's civil war in the 1970s and 80s.

Out of a sense of patriotism, Bashar Al Assad should speed up his departure, he said, but his presence in Syria was not untenable as blood had been shed on both sides, among supporters and opponents of the government.

"He has to go, but without leaving the country. He isn't responsible, it's a historical accumulation of many things, and I'd like him to convince himself to step down," Rifaat Al Assad told LCI television.

Rifaat Al Assad is a former military commander, widely held responsible for crushing an uprising in 1982 against then president Hafez Al Assad, Bashar's father, in which many thousands were killed.

Rifaat turned against the government in the 1980s and now lives in exile. Earlier this year, his son and Bashar's cousin Ribal, who lives in exile in London, urged the Syrian leader to attempt a rapprochement with opponents to avoid civil war and an outbreak of regional conflict.

On Thursday, Ribal told BBC radio the government just wanted to cling to power. "They don't want any dialogue, they are ready to do whatever," he said.

He called for the opposition to be united, to include all the country's different ethnic groups, sects and religions, as part of a process towards a peaceful transition. This could allow his cousin to "get out, if somebody could give him refuge", he said.

"I have been talking to people in the military and in the military secret service lately in Syria who also are tired and are against what is happening," he said. "They are tired of the violence that's being used against people."
Posted by: Fred || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Syria Forces Kill 20, Including 4 Children, in Friday Protests
[An Nahar] Syrian security forces on Friday rubbed out 20 civilians, including four children, in the regions of Hama, Daraa, Homs and Reef Damascus
...Capital of the last overtly fascist regime in the world...
, the Local Coordination Committees said, on the eve of an Arab League
...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing...
deadline for Syria to stop its lethal crackdown on protesters and as Turkey warned of the risk of civil war.

The latest bloodletting came as thousands of protesters erupted into the streets in defiance of massive security deployments to urge nations to expel Syrian ambassadors, activists said.

Turkey said the risk of civil war was real -- a warning also echoed by analysts monitoring developments in Syria amid growing reports that mutinous soldiers are attacking regime targets.

The foreign minister of Turkey, a once close ally who has become disillusioned with Assad and his regime, sounded the alarm.

"I say there is a risk of transforming into civil war," Ahmet Davutoglu told Agence La Belle France Presse, pointing to army defectors attacking key regime targets.

"It is now the right time to stop this massacre, and therefore the Arab initiative is important," he said. "If it is not successful of course there is always a risk of civil war or high level tension in Syria."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reported a toll of 12 dead across the country on Friday, said a 14-year-old boy was among the dead, and said dozens of people were maimed by gunfire nationwide.

State television reported that a kaboom in Hama killed three members of the security forces and critically maimed an officer, while state news agency SANA said two were killed.

SANA also reported that said five security personnel were maimed when gunnies fired on them in Daraa, where a bomb squad defused an bomb.

Activists called the protests after weekly Mohammedan prayers on Friday to urge countries around the world to expel Syrian ambassadors.

"They are the ambassadors of crime. Expel them, oh free ones," the Syrian Revolution 2011, one of the main groups behind the protests, said on Facebook.

Another umbrella group of activists, the Syrian Revolution General Commission, also called for nationwide protests "until the regime falls."

But counter-rallies were held in some parts of Damascus, SANA reported, with people demonstrating against Arab pressure on Syria and foreign intervention in domestic affairs.Syrian security forces on Friday rubbed out 20 civilians, including four children, in the regions of Hama, Daraa, Homs and Reef Damascus, the Local Coordination Committees said, on the eve of an Arab League deadline for Syria to stop its lethal crackdown on protesters and as Turkey warned of the risk of civil war.

The latest bloodletting came as thousands of protesters erupted into the streets in defiance of massive security deployments to urge nations to expel Syrian ambassadors, activists said.

Turkey said the risk of civil war was real -- a warning also echoed by analysts monitoring developments in Syria amid growing reports that mutinous soldiers are attacking regime targets.

The foreign minister of Turkey, a once close ally who has become disillusioned with Assad and his regime, sounded the alarm.

"I say there is a risk of transforming into civil war," Ahmet Davutoglu told Agence La Belle France Presse, pointing to army defectors attacking key regime targets.

"It is now the right time to stop this massacre, and therefore the Arab initiative is important," he said. "If it is not successful of course there is always a risk of civil war or high level tension in Syria."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reported a toll of 12 dead across the country on Friday, said a 14-year-old boy was among the dead, and said dozens of people were maimed by gunfire nationwide.

State television reported that a kaboom in Hama killed three members of the security forces and critically maimed an officer, while state news agency SANA said two were killed.

SANA also reported that said five security personnel were maimed when gunnies fired on them in Daraa, where a bomb squad defused an bomb.

Activists called the protests after weekly Mohammedan prayers on Friday to urge countries around the world to expel Syrian ambassadors.

"They are the ambassadors of crime. Expel them, oh free ones," the Syrian Revolution 2011, one of the main groups behind the protests, said on Facebook.

Another umbrella group of activists, the Syrian Revolution General Commission, also called for nationwide protests "until the regime falls."

But counter-rallies were held in some parts of Damascus, SANA reported, with people demonstrating against Arab pressure on Syria and foreign intervention in domestic affairs.
Posted by: Fred || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Syria accepts Arab League peace mission
[Bangla Daily Star] Syria decided to accept an Arab League
...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing...
mission to observe the implementation of peace proposals aimed at ending violence amid rising concerns of civil war in the country.

11 people were rubbed out by security forces yesterday as they opened fire to disperse protesters urging countries to expel Syria's ambassadors, activists said. A blast in the restive city of Hama also killed three troops, they added.

The source, who wished to remain unnamed, said Damascus
...Capital of the last remaining Baathist regime in the world...
had already informed the League of the decision on Thursday.

The political source said Syrian acceptance was subject to some changes designed to protect what he called "the country's illusory sovereignty and dignity" but they were not designed to hinder the mission.

The League on Wednesday gave Syria three days to agree or face sanctions.

The Arab League plan, drawn up earlier this month, calls on Syria to withdraw tanks from restive cities, cease its attacks on protesters and engage in dialogue with the opposition within two weeks.

Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Light of the Alawites...
agreed to the plan, but failed to honour it. The Arab League formally suspended Syria on Wednesday.

The Syrians are suspicious of Saudi motives which, they say, are to weaken Assad's Iranian allies.

Meanwhile,
...back at the wine tasting, Vince was about to start tasting his third quart...
Turkey added its voice yesterday to warnings that civil war threatens Syria, while La Belle France's top diplomat called for stepped up sanctions against Damascus, which he said had left it too late to reform.

Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu pointed to new attacks by army defectors, adding, "therefore I say there is a risk of transforming into civil war."

"It is now the right time to stop this massacre, and therefore the Arab initiative is important."

More than 370 people have been killed since Syria agreed to an Arab deal, said rights groups, in what appears to be the bloodiest month in the eight-month uprising.

The UN says more than 3,500 people have died since protests started in March. Syrian authorities blame the violence on armed gangs and bad boys.

Germany, La Belle France and the UK have tabled a UN resolution calling for an end to human rights
...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions...
violations in Syria and urging Damascus to implement the vaporous Arab League plan. The draft was also backed by four Arab countries.

But with the United Nations
...the Oyster Bay money pit...
Security Council divided, the resolution has been tabled in the human rights committee of the General Assembly, where there are no vetoes.

Russia and China, which hold a veto at the UN, have refused to condemn Syria. But La Belle France, another veto holder, yesterday urged for more sanctions.

Speaking after talks in Turkey, Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said: "We have called on [President] Assad to change but the regime did not want to know, which is not acceptable. We are ready to strengthen the sanctions."

He said La Belle France believed Syria "was not willing to implement a reform programme and now it is too late".
Posted by: Fred || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Syria wants amendments to Arab monitoring plan
[Al Ahram] Syria has asked for amendments to a plan to send Arab League
...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing...
observers to Syria to assess the situation there where troops are cracking down on anti-government protests, the League chief said on Friday.

The Syrian request is being studied, the League said.

The pan-Arab body based in Cairo has demanded an end to bloodshed and called for monitors to be sent to Syria as part of an Arab initiative aimed at ending the violence and starting talks between the government and the Syrian opposition.

The League suspended Syria this week. It has also drawn up a plan with civil society groups for a 500-strong fact-finding team that will include military personnel. Damascus
...Capital of the last remaining Baathist regime in the world...
had said it welcomed a League-backed mission whatever the make-up.

League chief Nabil Elaraby said in a statement he had received a letter from Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem "including amendments to the draft protocol regarding the legal status and duties of the monitoring mission of the vaporous Arab League to Syria" agreed by a League ministerial council on Wednesday.

"These amendments are now under study," the statement quoted Elaraby as saying.

He said the Syrian request was made in a letter received on Thursday evening.

The League has threatened sanctions if Syria does not heed by the end of the week the Arab peace plan that entails a military pullout from around restive Syrian cities and towns.

La Belle France and Turkey called on Friday for more international pressure on Syria to end the violent crackdown on opponents of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad,
Despoiler of Deraa...
while activists said security forces rubbed out five people protesting after weekly prayers.
Posted by: Fred || 11/19/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria



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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has dominated Mexico for six years.
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Two weeks of WOT
Sat 2011-11-19
  Saif al-Islam Gaddafi captured in Libya
Fri 2011-11-18
  Sufi Mohammad's sons acquitted by Swat ATC
Thu 2011-11-17
  Saleh again refuses to sign power transfer
Wed 2011-11-16
  Missile raid targeted top Shabaab leaders
Tue 2011-11-15
  Suspected suicide bomber killed near Afghan loya jirga site
Mon 2011-11-14
  Syria Calls for Urgent Arab Summit
Sun 2011-11-13
  Syrian brownshirts storm Saudi embassy
Sat 2011-11-12
  Iranian Terror Plot Against Bahrain Uncovered
Fri 2011-11-11
  Mexican minister who fought drug cartels killed in crash
Thu 2011-11-10
  Cash shortage threatens Pakistan flood aid
Wed 2011-11-09
  Kim Jong-il Death Rumors Rattle Markets
Tue 2011-11-08
  Syria Says U.S. behind 'Bloody Events', Urges Arab Help
Mon 2011-11-07
  19 Killed as Syrians Rally on Eid al-Adha
Sun 2011-11-06
  Suicide bomber kills six at mosque in Afghanistan
Sat 2011-11-05
  65 dead in Islamist raid on Nigerian town

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