The Somali city of Kismayo "should be handed over" to the central government, regional leaders said at the end of a summit Sunday, a decision that puts pressure on Kenyan troops who face charges of backing a powerful militia in the disputed port city.
African leaders said in a statement at the end of a summit in Kampala, Uganda's capital, that Kismayo's airport and seaport should be under the control of Somalia's central government, which has struggled to assert its authority there despite the exit of al-Shabab militants.
The statement said a "multinational force" should be urgently deployed in Kismayo. It also urged the central government in the capital, Mogadishu, to "reintegrate" into the national army all the militias that have no links with al-Shabab militants.
The Kampala summit was organized under the banner of the African Union peacekeeping force deployed in Somalia, known as AMISOM, and was for countries that have troops in Somalia. The prime minister of Ethiopia and the presidents of Uganda, Kenya and Somalia attended the summit.
The decision on Kismayo puts pressure on Kenya, whose troops in the strategic Somali city have been accused of backing one militia, the Raskamboni brigade, against others in deadly fighting there. The Raskamboni brigade -- which helped Kenya to push al-Shabab militants out of Kismayo last year -- is led by Ahmed Madobe, a Somali warlord who has established a local administration in Kismayo that is independent of the central government. Madobe is a key power broker around Kismayo, although he is not backed by the federal government in Mogadishu.
After the Raskamboni brigade took the upper hand in fighting for control of Kismayo, Somalia's government said last month it wanted a "more neutral African Union force" there, an apparent indictment of the conduct of Kenyan troops in Somalia.
Kismayo is important for Kenya, which seeks a friendly buffer zone near its border with Somalia -- one of the main reasons it sent troops to Somalia in late 2011 to fight the rebels of al-Shabab, Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaida. But the rival militias now at war there appear to be interested in the economic engine of Kismayo. Its port generates large and reliable income, and has been the export point of Somali-made charcoal that the U.N. has deemed illegal.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Sounds like a splendid idea, whatever it was. Stay out of it !
BOSSASO, Somalia --- Former Puntland President Gen. Mohamud Muse Hersi (Adde Muse) has told that Puntland will split into regions and districts on Saturday, Garowe Online report.
Speaking on a Puntland radio station, Adde Muse said he travelled from my Diaspora home in Canada to "work for peace" and "help my people". On the contrary, Adde Musse fled to Ceel-Afweyn district of Somaliland where he formed an armed clan militia who took part Puntland's first-ever deadly civil war in 2002 and later, without bringing to account for his action was elected as Puntland President in 2005.
Those statements aren't irreconcilable...
Continuing, He added that "Puntland will crumple region by region and district by district".
Speaking about his view towards that Puntland Government suspended cooperation with the Somali Federal Government in Mogadishu until the country's genuine constitution is restored; Gen. Adde Muse called the public decision as "Private one" as thousands of students who successfully took their PNEB (Puntland National Examination Board) exams are unlikely to join universities after the Somali Federal Government mishandled their Sudanese scholarships.
On May 29, two weeks before Puntland's suspended democratic elections, Puntland Information Minister Mohamud Aideed Dirir, who has now become Puntland's Planning and International Cooperation Minister, criticized the negative role Gen. Adde Muse was playing to sabotage the Local Council Elections in Qardo.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2013 00:00 ||
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GAROWE, Somalia - Puntland government in northern Somalia has rebuffed a coastal agreement in which the Federal government of Somalia signed with the Atlantic Marine and Offshore Group on Saturday, Garowe Online reports.
For the Dutch it's all about the oil. For the Punties it's all about the graft...
In a press statement released by Puntland Ministry of Maritime transport, Ports and Counter Piracy, Puntland government warned of criminal offense and threat to its sovereignty and resources by assuring that Puntland territorial waters are under the full control of the Puntland government.
The government called on the contract signed on July 30, between the Defence Minister of the Somali Federal Government and the Dutch Company Atlantic Marine and Offshore Group with President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud present unacceptable and unsuitable in Puntland state according to the statement.
Continuing, the statement read: The agreement clearly undermines the Regional Somali States (Kampala Process Members) efforts of maintaining Somali Sovereignty and control over its territorial waters.
Puntlands statement with the signature of Puntland Minister of Maritime transport, Ports and Counter Piracy Eng. Saeed Mohamed Rageh further noted that Puntland Government will not honour such agreements as the recent coastal agreement violates the points documented under Somali Maritime Resource and Security Strategy agreement which was agreed upon by the countrys regional states.
Somalias Puntland government has been enforcing its authority in waters and deployed its coast guard into Puntland waters to protect the exclusive economic zone, according to ministry officials.
The Somali Federal Governments coastal contract with the Atlantic Marine and Offshore Group allows the Dutch Company to monitor and patrol the countrys Exclusive Economic Zone by using Long Range Patrol Vessels.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Salafist El-Nour Party spokesperson Sherif Taha said in a statement Sunday that Interim Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi has not sent an invitation for dialogue to Islamist parties and has met only non-Islamist parties, condemning this as an "increase to the already existing polarisation."
Consequences. In this case, as ye treat others, so shall ye be treated when you lose power. This is why it behooves slave owners to be kind.
Taha further crtiticised claims that a separate meeting will be held with Islamists, adding that this "divides the country further" and that the premier should have sent invitations to all parties at once.
"We also condemn [the] lack of transparency, as the meeting with non-Islamist parties was not publicised," Taha said, confirming that until now El-Nour Party has not been invited to this meeting.
According to media reports, El-Beblawi, who is also a founding member of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party, met with several members of National Salvation Front parties late Saturday.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] A pro-Morsi Islamist coalition has called for fresh rallies on Tuesday as international mediators hold talks to put an end to the country's mounting polarisation.
The National Alliance to Support Legitimacy, consisting of Islamist parties and groups, called for yet another swathe of mass demonstrations backing deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi, paying no heed to the government's orders to end ongoing protests at two sites in Greater Cairo's Nasr City and Giza districts.
International envoys, from the US, EU and Arab Gulf states, are currently in Cairo to help resolve the political crisis set off by Morsi's overthrow on 3 July.
"Coup makers continue to grope for excuses to disperse sit-ins and shut mouths, [establishing] military authoritarianism and a police state," read a Sunday statement by the Islamist grouping.
Many leaders of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood have been rounded up following his removal on charges of inciting violence. The toppled leader himself has been formally remanded in custody, facing investigations into an array of accusations including murder and plotting with Palestinian group Hamas.
An Egyptian court on Sunday set a trial date for six top Brotherhood leaders on 25 August, further infuriating Morsi's loyalists.
The statement went on to accuse the 'coup leaders' of plotting to carry out explosions it said they would blame on pro-Morsi protesters "in preparation for storming [their] sit-ins and breaking them up by force." The coalition, nevertheless, went on to assert it would abide by peaceful means of demonstration, voicing rejection of any bloodletting.
Egypt's army-backed government reiterated its calls on Saturday for supporters of Morsi to abandon their protest camps, promising them a safe exit.
"If you think you're upholding the Muslim Brotherhood, your safe exit from the squares will allow the group to return to its role within the democratic political process," interior ministry spokesman said.
Thousands of Morsi's loyalist have manned two sizeable sit-ins in Cairo to demand the reinstatement of the deposed leader, deepening political divide in a state reeling from turmoil since the overthrow of longtime strongman Hosni Mubarak.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2013 00:00 ||
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[CBSNEWS] Egypt's highest security body warned Sunday that the clock is ticking for a peaceful end to the standoff over sit-ins by supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi, suggesting that authorities will break up the protests unless mediation efforts produce results soon.
More than a month after the military overthrew Morsi, thousands of the Islamist leader's supporters remain camped out in two main crossroads in Cairo demanding his reinstatement. Egypt's military-backed interim leadership has issued a string of warnings for them to disperse or security forces will move in, setting the stage for a potential showdown.
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08/05/2013 00:00 ||
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Allies of deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi told mediators on Saturday they respected the popular will expressed in mass protests that led to his downfall, suggesting they might be backing away from a demand he be reinstated.
Folding like lawn chairs, are they...
Tarek El-Malt, spokesman for the pro-Mursi delegation that met envoys from the United States and the European Union, said his camp sought a resolution to Egypt's crisis based on the constitution that was suspended after he was deposed.
Speaking to Reuters by telephone, Malt said Mursi's allies told the envoys they wanted the constitution restored and said it held "more than one solution" to the crisis. He added that General Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, the army chief who overthrew Mursi, must not be part of a political deal without Mursi.
Asked whether the delegation had told the envoys that Mursi must be reinstated, Malt said that would be worked out in the details, notably not reiterating the demand for his return.
"This is part of the political initiatives," he said. "We did not get into the details of the political initiatives".
Under the bus you go, Mursi. The Brüderbünd recognizes that he's dispensable so long as they get back into power.
He said if those who opposed Mursi continued to insist that he should not be part of the "political equation", then "the steadfastness and sit-ins of the millions in the streets for five weeks requires that Sisi must also not be in the political equation."
A member of the Muslim Brotherhood-allied Wasat Party, Malt is the appointed spokesman of the delegation that met with US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns, US Ambassador Anne Patterson and European Union special envoy Bernardino Leon.
The delegation also includes top members of the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP).
Later, senior Brotherhood politician Essam El-Erian said restoring the 2012 constitution meant Mursi would see out his term. However, diplomats say the Brotherhood understands Mursi, detained at a secret location, will not return as president but they want a face-saving legal formula for him to step down.
"Those empowered to speak for the FJP understand that Mursi is not coming back. But they are maintaining that as a negotiating position," a Western diplomat said.
Another diplomat involved in the talks said pro-Mursi alliance had shown flexibility in Saturday's meeting.
Relaying the messages delivered to the envoys, Malt said: "I respect and hold in regard the demands of the masses that went out on June 30, but I will not build on the military coup."
He added that the demands of the Mursi supporters must also be respected. Mursi supporters still protesting in Cairo want the constitution and Mursi reinstated.
Reinstate Mursi and it's the same-old all over again. Reinstate the Brüderbünd-written constitution and you'll get another Mursi...
"We have the readiness and flexibility to accept political solutions to get out of this crisis as long as they are based on constitutional legitimacy, by which we mean the return and reactivation of the 2012 constitution," Malt said.
He added that political solutions must be hammered out with the National Salvation Front - the loose coalition of non-Islamist parties that backed Mursi's overthrow and which includes interim Vice-President Mohamed ElBaradei.
"We (will) sit together and we will assess proposed political initiatives and reach solutions that respect all popular desires. But the army will not have a role in political solutions," he said. "The army must remain neutral and not interfere in political life."
Malt said a period of calm was needed to build confidence among all parties. He said this would include a renunciation of violence, the release of what he called political detainees and allowing Islamist television stations to reopen.
All to benefit the Brüderbünd...
The army-backed government says the Brotherhood has incited violence, accusing it of engaging in terrorism. Malt said the delegation had underscored the pro-Mursi camp's commitment to peaceful protests.
They also condemned violence in the Sinai Peninsula, where attacks by militant Islamists have escalated since Mursi's downfall.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2013 00:00 ||
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From TFA:
China military development has become a key focus of US security policy as well as that of virtually all Asian-Pacific states. The Burke Chair is issuing a new report on the trends in Chinese strategy, military spending, and military forces based on Chinese defense white papers and other official Chinese sources; US reporting by the Department of Defense and other defense agencies; and other government sources, including Japanese and Korean defense white papers and the International Monetary Fund. The analysis also draws on the work of experts outside of government, various research centers, and NGOs.
#1
ION see also CHINESE MILITARY FORUM > [People's Daily Online] MARITIME POWER KEY TO CHINA'S FUTURE.
* SAME, FREEREPUBLIC > PLA GENERAL ADMITS CHINA IS DEVELOPING A LARGE [USN LHA-style?] AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT SHIP.
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [VOA News] CHINA TRYING TO CHANGE REGIONAL STATUS "WID [aggressive displays of] MILITARY FORCE": JAPAN.
* SAME > [India Today = Times of India] PLA CUTS OFF INDIAN ARMY FROM ITS FORWARD BUNKERS | CHINESE TROOPS ADOPT NEWEST TACTIC: STOP INDIAN ARMY FROM PATROLLING IN ITS OWN TERRITORY.
China + PLA once again doing a "Senkaku/Diaoyu"???
* BHARAT RAKSHAK > [Yomiuri Shimbun]JAPAN DEFENCE MINISTRY CONSIDERING "ATTACK" CAPABILITIES, espec in response to any Ballistic Missle attacks.
* SAME > [The Hindu] INDIA TURNING BHUTAN INTO A "PROTECTORATE", SAYS CHINESE COMMENTARY [Global Times].
Once again, YEAR 2018 = roughly the benchmark year when the US hopes to firmly or permanently establish GMD-TMD in East Asia vee its Regional Allies: + also when JAPAN HOPES TO HAVE ITS POST-WAR CONSTITUTION SUCCESSFULLY AMENDED AS PER JAPAN BEING ALLOWED TO POSSESS NUCWEAPS + ITS JSDFS BEING ALLOWED TO ENGAGE IN NON-"DEFENSIVE", INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES OR VENTURES.
YEAR 2018 = WHEN JAPAN HOPES TO BEGINS ITS "LOMNG MARCH" BACK TO BEING A MAJOR WORLD POWER IN MANY OR ALL GEOPOL DIMENSIONS, INCLUD NUCLEAR, NOT JUST REGIONAL OR ECONOMIC.
Photo from before incident, when the good doctor was still able to shave himself and wipe his own bottom.
Survivors of the Fort Hood massacre are suing the U.S. government for allowing a jihadist soldier to rise through the ranks unchecked because of 'political correctness'.
Major Nidal Hasan, 42, is charged with 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder for after launching an attack at the Texas Army post in November 2009.
And on the eve of his trial, which is due to get underway on Tuesday, 148 victims and their relatives are launching a legal claim against the government for $750million (£491 million) for failing to prevent the killings from happening.
It is alleged military chiefs under the George W Bush and Barack B.O. regimes allowed Major Hasan to progress through the ranks despite his increasing jihad extremism because of 'political correctness'.
Reed Rubinstein, the lawyer acting for the group, told the Sunday Telegraph that Major Hasan w as awarded 'preferential treatment' because of his 'ethnicity and his religion'.
He said: 'The rules on the conduct of military officers were ignored. He was a terrible physician and had no business treating soldiers. Yet, because of where he came from, and how he prayed to his god, they promoted him and set him loose and ignored his open, very obvious jihadism.'
Mr Rubenstein added that the group wanted the government to meet 'its responsibilities to those harmed by its negligence' over Major Hasan.
Major Hasan doesn't deny that he carried out the November 2009 rampage at Fort Hood, one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history.
The attack occurred in a building where hundreds of unarmed soldiers, some about to deploy to Afghanistan, were waiting for vaccines and routine checkups.
Hasan walked inside with two handguns, climbed onto a desk and shouted 'Allahu Akbar!' - an Arabic phrase meaning 'God is great!' - then he fired, pausing only to reload.
There are dozens of witnesses who saw it happen but military law prohibits him from entering a guilty plea because authorities are seeking the death penalty.
If Hasan is convicted and sentenced to death there are likely years, if not decades, of appeals ahead. He may never make it to the death chamber at all.
Ahead of his trial, the Army psychiatrist spoke to the American media for the first time last week and said that the U.S. government is at war with Islam.
In the past, Major Nidal Hasan has only spoken via telephone with Al-Jazeera ... an Arab news network headquartered in Qatar, notorious for carrying al-Qaeda press releases. The name means the Peninsula, as in the Arabian Peninsula. In recent years it has settled in to become slightly less biased than MSNBC, in about the same category as BBC or CBS... , the transcript of which is evidence in his upcoming trial.
'My complicity was on behalf of a government that openly acknowledges that it would hate for the law of Almighty Allah to be the supreme law of the land,' Hasan said in the lengthy statement released to Fox News on Saturday.
He then says in reference to a war on Islam, 'I participated in it.'
'I would like to begin by repenting to Almighty Allah and apologize to the Mujahideen, the believers, and the innocent. ... I ask for their forgiveness for participating in the illegal and immoral aggression against Mohammedans, their religion and their lands,' he said in the statement.
He has twice dismissed his lawyers and now plans to represent himself at trial. He's suggested he wants to argue the killings were in 'defense of others' - namely, members of the Taliban fighting Americans in Afghanistan. The trial judge, Col. Tara Osborn, has so far denied that strategy.
Thirteen officers from around the country who hold Hasan's rank or higher will serve on the jury for a trial that will likely last one month and probably longer. They must be unanimous to convict Hasan of murder and sentence him to death. Three-quarters of the panel must vote for an attempted murder conviction.
No active-duty U.S. soldier has been executed since 1961.
The last man executed in the military system was Pvt. John Bennett, hanged in 1961 for raping an 11-year-old girl. Five men are on the military death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, but none are close to being executed.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/05/2013 00:39 ||
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#1
Classify it as an enemy action (i.e. terrorist event), and you'd not have this issue. Damned PC Perfumed Princes of the Pentagon strike again. I thought we learned all about Courtney Massengale years ago. Seems this generation of flag officers forgot or deliberately ignored those hard learned lessons.
#5
Three incidents which strategically were huge battle losses for the United States in this war have been caused by poor junior officer leadership in non-combat units. Abu Graibh, Bradley Manning, and this asshole are failures of direct leadership. The first two should have been stopped at the E-8/O-3 level. Hasan's bosses failed as military officers let alone doctor's who specialize in identifying crazy people.
#6
Its going to be difficult to actually approve negligence. You will have to identify individuals. Then you will have to identify actions that they were required to take (not just actions that rational people would have taken) and show that they didn't take those actions. Also, the shooting was in 2009 and there is a procedure with statutory limits regarding filing claims and filing lawsuits for negligence.
Posted by: lord garth ||
08/05/2013 15:06 Comments ||
Top||
#7
What negligence? The word from on high was "Muslims are good, there is just a small group of extremists etc..."
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
08/05/2013 21:41 Comments ||
Top||
#10
IIUC, the basic argument of the victims' + survivors' families is that MAJOR HASAN became radicalized unto Radical Islamism while in Army service, + that the latter "knew or should've known" that it wouldn't end well, but failed to do something substantive or decisive to stop it.
The United States says most of its diplomatic missions in the Middle East and North Africa will remain closed all week. More than 20 embassies and consulates were closed Sunday due to security concerns.
The State Department said Sunday a small number of additional posts will be closed, while others will reopen Monday. It said the extension was not related to new security threats, but that officials were simply exercising caution.
Sunday's move to close U.S. embassies and consulates came several days after American officials warned of a possible al-Qaida attack.
Most of the more than 20 diplomatic missions are in Muslim countries, where Sunday is a regular business day, and included embassies in Iraq, Libya and Yemen. The embassy in Baghdad will reopen on Monday.
The United States has issued a global travel alert to American citizens that said the potential for terrorist attacks is strong in the Middle East and North Africa.
The State Department says diplomatic posts in the following places will be closed all week: Abu Dhabi, Amman, Cairo, Riyadh, Dhahran, Jeddah, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Manama, Muscat, Sanaa, Tripoli, Antanarivo, Bujumbura, Djibouti, Khartoum, Kigali, and Port Louis.
The following embassies and consulates were closed Sunday, but will be allowed to reopen on Monday: Dhaka, Algiers, Nouakchott, Kabul, Herat, Mazar el Sharif, Baghdad, Basrah, and Irbil.
U.S. lawmakers and former high-ranking officials called the decision to close diplomatic missions and to issue the global travel alert an extraordinary move.
Other countries took similar actions, and the international police organization Interpol issued its own security alert.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) chairman Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems... has stated that he will take Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... to court for calling him an agent of the Jews, DawnNews reported.
Speaking at a presser in Islamabad, he said that Maulana Fazlur Rehman should tell the people as to who secretly met with the US Amabassador and expressed his wish to become the prime minister.
Imran Khan said that a legal notice will soon be sent to the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spends more time running his madrassah. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... (JUI-F) chief.
The JUI-F chief has made statements in the past attacking Imran Khan. Tensions between the two politicians reached a new level after the May 11 General Elections.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman had denounced the PTI win in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... and stated that the polls were rigged.
He also said that he did not accept the PTI's mandate in the province.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman has also called Imran Khan a "western agent" and claimed that Khan wants to destroy Pak society by injecting his 'western thoughts' in it,
Imran Khan on the other hand has also returned criticism at the JUI-F chief stating that Fazlur Rehman had been using religion for political gains.
The PTI chief has also said that people like his JUI-F counterpart have given Islam a bad name.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2013 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] The Khyber Pakhtunkhawa (KP) government has sanctioned Rs198.200 million for enhancing the security of jails to counter hard boys' threat in the wake of intelligence reports.
This amount will be used for extra deployment of troops and equipping the force with latest gadgets.
Meanwhile the Punjab government has decided to deploy Rangers at at least seven jails of the province which are facing threats from hard boyz and krazed killer elements.
A Home and Tribal Affairs Department official letter issued by Section Officer Anti Narcotics, Foreigners and Media Qamar Ali on August 2 said: "The government of Khyber Pakthunkhwa Home & Tribal Affairs Department has sanctioned and released an amount of Rs198.200 million for enhancing security of jails in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa." ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
Following the Dera Ismail Khan ... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ... Jail break on July 29, the intelligence agencies have issued warning of similar attacks on other jails, especially the Haripur Jail which also has a number of high value prisoners.
The KP government has also sanctioned and released an amount of Rs50 million for strengthening Directorate of Prosecution and Provincial Crisis Management Cell (PMDC) of the Home and Tribal Affairs Department
One the other hand in the wake of Dera Ismail Khan Jail break and threat to Punjab jails, the Jail Authorities and Rangers have revised the jails security and devised a plan to jointly take care of security in at least seven sensitive jails of the province where hardcore elements are jugged Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out!
Director General Rangers Major General Bilal Hussain, while speaking to the media at the Rangers Headquarters after a meeting with IG Jails Punjab Mian Farooq Nazir, said that a viable security plan has been devised for strengthening Jails security, which also includes the capacity building and training of forces.
He said that the plan would be put in place after carrying out the feasibility of the jails and Rangers would be deployed at sensitive jails.
He remarked that at least 5 to 7 jails in Punjab are sensitive where fool proof security arrangements would be made to avert any mishap.
According to official data there are hundreds of hardcore krazed killer elements and snuffies in Punjab jails, where there could be a possible hard boy attack to set free these people.
Inspector General Jails Mian Farooq said that serious threat alerts have been issued for jails and all possible measures are being taken to counter those threats.
He said that the latest jammers will be installed in jails to counter the use of mobile phones and electronic equipment, while existing equipment would also be upgraded.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2013 00:00 ||
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Erbil -- A Kurdish military delegation that arrived in Baghdad yesterday announced the resumption of talks with the Iraqi Defense Ministry over Erbils readiness to deploy Peshmerga forces across Iraq for the purposes of confronting terrorism.
Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Ministry of Peshmerga secretary-general Jabbar Yawar told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Kurdish military delegation informed the Iraqi side of the Peshmerga ministrys complete readiness to send its forces to any spot in Iraq to confront terrorism, in the event of the federal Ministry of Defense requesting this.
He added, Terrorism is a scourge that we must all work together to confront and eradicate, we are ready for any form of military, security, and intelligence coordination and cooperation with the Iraqi forces to confront terrorism and armed militias.
Yawar emphasized, This was confirmed by the KRG presidential statement in terms of the deteriorating security situation that has taken place in Iraq recently, on the basis that what threatens Iraq will also threaten us, and we are part of the Iraqi defense force, carrying out our duty towards our people and the people of Iraq as a whole
Yawar, along with Gen. Shirvan Abdel-Rahman, was in Baghdad to meet with senior military officials.
Speaking exclusively to Asharq Al-Awsat, he revealed: Our discussions started from the point at which they had stopped at the last meeting we reviewed all the points that we had previously discussed to develop a specific mechanism for implementation.
We also discussed military plans for greater joint coordination and cooperation in managing the security file, he added.
An official statement posed on the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan website on Saturday confirmed that a military delegation from the Kurdistan region arrived in Baghdad under the supervision of Shirvan Abdel-Rahman and Jabbar Yawar to discuss previous agreements [between the KRG Ministry of Peshmerga and Iraqi Defense Ministry] and ways of activating these.
The statement added that the latest round of meetings comes after mutual visits between Baghdad and Erbil, with the two sides agreeing on the need to find appropriate solutions to outstanding issues.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2013 00:00 ||
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Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat says Israel will free the first of four groups of long-held Palestinian prisoners next week as part of the deal to resume the peace talks for the first time in three years. Erakat said in a statement that 26 men will be released August 13.
Israeli negotiator, Justice Minister Tzipi Livni, has said the release will be carried out only if the Palestinians prove to be a serious partner in the negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu overcame strong opposition in his Cabinet to approve the Palestinian prisoner release.
Next time just shoot them...
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has said Israel must free long-held prisoners in order for negotiations to proceed. Israeli media have said the prisoners include Palestinians convicted of decades-old deadly attacks against Israeli civilians and security forces.
The prisoner release drew opposition from ultranationalist ministers who said it would be a reward for "terrorism." According to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu told his ministers the prisoner decision was "difficult" for him and the families of those killed, but also necessary to renew the peace process.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/05/2013 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] TV station affiliated with Shiite group provides glimpse into deployment in south Beirut following July boom-mobileing. 'When sun sets, every stranger who enters becomes suspicious'
Paranoia runs deep...
Show of force in Dahiya: On Saturday, one month after the kaboom of a boom-mobile in Hezbollah's stronghold in Beirut's southern suburb, the Lebanese television channel Al-Jadeed provided a glimpse into preparations taken by the organization following the blast, in which dozens were maimed.
The story was broadcast one day after the general address of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, in which he emphasized to ardent supporters that it was in the Arab world's best interests that Israel disappear from the face of the Middle East.
The station's news hound explained at the beginning of the story that he was standing at the scene of the blast. "This destruction is similar to the destruction of the Second Leb War," he said. "But here in the parking lot in Bir al-Abed where a boom-mobilewent kaboom! one month ago, there are no Israeli fingerprints, this was revealed by the investigation of Hezbollah and Lebanese security forces." The news hound added that following this conclusion, many questions were raised regarding the identity of the persons behind the blast, "How did those behind this dare to play the game of death with Hezbollah?"
While covering the story, the correspondent shows Hezbollah personnel in the southern suburb walking around during the daytime hours with sniffer dogs, searching for explosives in cars and on the streets of Dahiya. "This game of death led Hezbollah to raise its alert to record levels," the correspondent said, adding that no one in the southern suburb of Beirut was ashamed that it had become a "Hezbollah state," and members of the organization were even proud of the fact.
When the sun set, the news hound said, the level of preparedness of Hezbollah in the southern suburb rose even further and the security measures taken at night were different from those during the day. According to the news hound, any stranger who entered the southern suburb of Beirut became immediately suspicious to Hezbollah personnel, until proven otherwise. During the night tour presented in the article, Hezbollah members examine people in cars and the contents of vehicles, as well as trucks coming into the area.
As mentioned, the story aired the day after the Friday World Jerusalem Day ceremony held by the Hezbollah, in which Nasrallah delivered a combative diatribe against Israel. "He who stands against the Zionist entity protects Paleostine and the future of his children and grandchildren," Nasrallah said passionately.
Yeah, yeah. Big words, grown threadbare from overuse.
Later that evening, the former Lebanese prime minister and chairman of Al-Mustaqba, Saad al-Hariri, replied to Nasrallah in a special speech from Jeddah. In it he said that Hezbollah had lost its power in the struggle against Israel, since it was using its arms against the Syrian people, and not Israel. His remarks joined the statement a day earlier of Lebanese President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... , who made it clear that in light of Hezbollah's fighting in Syria, the group's arsenal should be under the control of the state.
That's a lovely idea. Who, then, will bell this particular cat?
A month ago, Hezbollah Parliament members were quick to blame Israel for involvement in a suicide kaboom in the southern suburb of Beirut. At the same time, groups affiliated with Syrian rebels grabbed credit, but the Free Syrian Army which is fighting the regime of Bashir al-Assad said it had no connection to the incident.
[BBC.CO.UK] The US has offered Iran a "willing partnership", after President Hassan Rouhani was inaugurated in Tehran.
The White House said Iran now had a chance to allay fears over its nuclear programme and meet its international obligations.
Mr Rouhani used his inauguration speech to promise a government of moderation for all Iranians, but also called for international sanctions to be lifted.
US-Iran relations soured under ex-President Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad.
He regularly made inflammatory speeches denouncing the US and Israel.
Analysts said Mr Rouhani's inauguration speech was conciliatory in tone, and he appeared to be reaching out to groups inside and outside Iran.
"In international interactions, my government will try to build mutual trust between Iran and the regional and global countries," he told parliament.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[11 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
IMO Iran is hell-bent of becoming the world's first true Muslim/Islamic Nuclear Superpower - that means it M-U-S-T have potent NucWweaps in modern arsenal no matter the cost.
[NY Times] Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... of Syria on Sunday banned the use of foreign currencies in business transactions, part of the government's effort to prop up the Syrian pound, which has plummeted to 200 pounds to the dollar from 47 to the dollar in March 2011.
SANA, the government-run news agency, said that people offering goods and services for foreign currencies without the government's approval could be fined and sentenced to at least six months in jail. In cases involving deals valued at more than $5,000, the punishment could be up to 10 years of hard labor.
Syrians have grown increasingly desperate to move their money to foreign currencies as the civil war, now in its third year, ravages the economy. Currency exchange shops in central Damascus are often packed. Real estate and manufacturing deals are increasingly conducted in dollars. Even taxi drivers and others working in small, informal businesses often demand to be paid in foreign currencies.
Last month, the Central Bank was able to reverse a deeper plunge in the value of the pound, which briefly traded at more than 300 to the dollar, by selling off dollars at a deep discount to banks, said Steve H. Hanke, a professor of applied economics at Johns Hopkins University who studies troubled currencies. The banks then sold the dollars to the public for a modest profit.
Smaller currency traders in Damascus said they were under pressure to follow the banks' lead, but many refused to sell dollars so cheaply. Mr. Hanke said it was unclear whether the government could sustain such interventions as a long-term strategy. Still, the government's move had enough impact on the market that the informal and official dollar rates converged, he said.
The government has increased salaries by more than 40 percent during the crisis, but since wages are demarcated in pounds, the raises have not offset the loss in buying power.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/05/2013 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
From TFA:
Watch enough YouTube videos of the fighting in Syria, and you'll start to notice it: a long-tubed gun, mounted on the back of either a jeep or large, fast pickup. Usually it's blasting bunkers, blockhouses, fortified positions, or places where snipers are hiding. It even goes after tanks. And whenever it fires, the gun seems to kick up way more hell behind it than what it sends out the barrel's front end. It's the M40 106mm recoilless rifle, an American-made, Vietnam-vintage weapon that got dropped from the Army and Marine inventory back during the early 1970s.
Until recently, the 106mm hadn't seen much action in the irregular wars that have swept the globe. Then M40s somehow came into the hands of rebels in Libya and Syria. Suddenly, the 106mm -- light, cheap, easily transportable, simple to operate, and packing a punch all out of proportion to its modest size -- has emerged as a possible Great Asymmetric Weapon of the Day.
#2
That long tube slender tube atop the main barrel in the video is a single shot, .50 cal tracer 'spotting rifle'. The spotting rifle [as the title implies], is a sort of 1950-60's ballistic laser which enabled the 106 gunner to mark the target prior to [quickly] firing the main gun. If you were good at estimating range and trajectory, looking through the 106 barrel and 'bore-sighting' to target would work as well. The weapon was designed primarily for use in a US Army Infantry company anti-tank platoon. It was mounted on the back of a 1/4 ton jeep where it could be fired and moved quickly by a crew of 3 as I recall. It is very accurate but has a back-blast which kicks up a lot of dust and can start fires in dried brush and grass. Standing behind a 106 while it is fired can ruin your afternoon.
The video was obviously an 'out in the open' training session. Appears at least some of the operators were quite impressed [meaning they had probably not had a lot of experience with it, most not being born until decades after its hayday]. The dismounted, ground mode is a challenge, it's very heavy and awkward to handle. The closer to the ground, the more back-blast dust and fire it kicks up, which can be easily seen by the enemy, hence the need to fire and unass the area. Other disadvantages are the logistics of re-supply. The rounds are large and come in wooden crates. I can't remember the basic load per anti-tank platoon, but it wasn't very many.
Smart money for Syrian rebels would be to mount the 106 in the back of a Toyota with a full tank of gas and keep it there. Employment of the 106 in Syria appears to be a new development. Real news would see the employment of the Davy Crocket.
#5
There were various ranges where old tanks were targets. Even an M48 would have a neat hole punched in its frontal armor by one of these. The range instructors made sure we all saw them.
Firing one is like being punched in the nose all over your body.
There were three types of ammo: shaped charge, plastic ("squash head"), and flechette.
I don't recall how many darts were in the latter round, but since they were like 3/4" brads with crude fins stamped out, it would be a lot of them. And you could, unlike with the 90mm, set the detonation range.
Problem with the spotting rifle is that you can see tracers both ways. Big WP head on the spotter. See the puff on the target, trigger the main round, hit the road.
'nother problem was that the thing weighed a lot compared to the jeep, so, with the center of gravity up about the driver's shoulder, you could roll it pretty easily.
The airborne equivalent was to mount it on a large motorized coffee table powered by a lawnmower engine. Called a "Mighty Mite".
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
08/05/2013 9:01 Comments ||
Top||
#6
90mm's used to prone to broken firing pins. Removing live rounds after the 2nd or 3rd misfire.... great fun. :-(
I had forgotten about the roll-overs Rich. I never have been able to understand the popularity of civilian Jeeps.
#7
Besoeker:
When heading out to the range, the RR jeeps would slow to a crawl going around a corner. The thing was only mobile in the sense that you didn't have to carry it on your back. Once you were going to fight with it, there you were. About the only thing you could usefully do with it was reverse into defilade and then carefully turn to go to an alternative position.
I happened to be at Bragg the summer of '70 on Hearts and Minds biz prior to deploying. There was the Jordan Alert where, I discovered, the 82d's alert bde didn't have platoon leaders. So enterprising company commanders sent their XOs to the club to find buddies who were jump-qualified.
Pretty much everybody with a combat MOS was going to go, one way or another. So you jump or you arrive and deplane like gentlmen, to be parceled out as replacements.
We heard the Syrians had sent 500 tanks, plus, we supposed, the TO mech infantry and SP arty.
I think we would have had 16 106 RR on the Mighty Mite in the 82d, but I don't think we would have had 500 rounds.
Unlike the clowns at Entebbe, the terrs this time had dispersed the hostages and so we didn't go. Had to finish a paper for a class instead. Bummer.
Turned out I didn't deploy to SEA.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
08/05/2013 13:20 Comments ||
Top||
#8
1970, Infantry AIT Fort Lewis. Missed SEA as well. Picked up a few gardens spots after that, nothing heraldic. A few more as a contractor. The 3/82 was just up the road at FOB Speicher near lovely Takrit Iraq. I was there when Saddam flew in on a UH-60 in the middle of the night. NCO I knew from the Bde was ordered to grab his people and set up a perimeter at the LZ over behind Division HQ. REMF's AT Division were all CHU bound, snoring away, not to be disturbed. He didn't know what it all about until the funeral entourage arrived. Saddam was planted the next morning in his beloved ancestral home.
[Ynet] The United States extended the closures of some embassies and consulates in the Middle East - which had been closed Sunday due to an al Qaeda threat - through August 10 due to caution but not the emergence of any new threat, the State Department said.
Other US diplomatic posts, including in Kabul, Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... and Algiers, that had been closed on Sunday, will reopen on Monday, the State Department said.
#1
It seems to me that Al Qaeda needs to initiate their TET Offensive as soon as possible if they want to stay a viable Islamist organization. The stars are aligned as far as reasons to justify their terrorism..
-Egypt- The Bros got overthrown and are in physical danger. Zawahiri's buddies are back in jail. If he wants to recapture Islamist glory he better do something quick.
-The End of Ramadan. No comment necessary.
-Hasan's trial is starting. The President is going to look awful when AQ takes US hostages and want to trade for the blind sheik and Hasan. Appeal to the Muslim public that AQ want to save these guys from more American torture.
-AQ needs to draw attention to the detainees in GITMO. Although here doesn't seem to be a public outcry about force feeding them anymore.
-They need to make a statement on the drone strikes to their allies in Pakistan.
#3
Picked it up from "chatter". Yes, chatter... you know, NSA collection stuff that we don't talk about [unless brought up by a disgruntled contract employee now living in Russia]. No sense just closing up shop for a few days and putting a lid on it. Gotta give credit to somebody in the regime right? Let no crisis go to waste...etc.
We pay close attention to "chatter" as well as tips and direct reporting from non-US intelligence sources....except where the Tsarnaev Bros. or the late Anwar al-Awlaki are concerned.
#5
I doubt there is an al Qaeda threat. This all strikes me as smoke and mirrors. Too much bad press for a bad president, so al Qaeda comes to the rescue.
#7
You have to understand that to the Administration and the media the term 'terrorist' means U.S. Citizens who are patriots, Tea Party members, Conservatives, Returning Vets, etc....
Definitely not Islamic radicals who only want to destroy us.
So by 'chatter' they likely mean people are starting to pay attention to Benghazi again, and the IRS/NSA/Etc... scandals.
And they desperately need a new 'Squirrel!' to keep people distracted. The Embassies will stay closed until they can find something else. They had hoped to ride the 'Zimmerman is a racist' headlines for awhile but so far Holder hasn't found anything.
On Friday, the U.S. State Department issued a worldwide travel alert for Americans, citing an unspecified al Qaeda threat. The bulletin said that the highest threat levels are the Middle East and North Africa, "and possibly occurring in or emanating from the Arab Peninsula."
On Saturday, unnamed U.S. officials told media outlets Yemeni intelligence agencies alerted Washington to the threat during the visit by the Yemeni president to Washington. U.S. officials speaking on the condition of anonymity further told press representatives that "chatter" among "operatives" from al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula had been taking place over the last several weeks, and increased over the last few days, lending further credence to the Yemeni warning.
Intelligence officials are dismayed that the administration provided so much detail on what prompted the closings, and that the disclosures could work against obtaining new information. Militants are now likely searching for the sources of the information to both the U.S. and Yemeni officials, and almost certainly will kill anyone they suspect of working with Western intelligence. In warning about possible al Qaeda attacks against Americans overseas, U.S. officials may have provided too much detail about intercepted chatter and the source of the information, and that may make it more difficult to get such tips next time, former and current intelligence officials say. Other sources are also likely to reconsider their relationship with the United States over the disclosures.
The statement that the threat could be from " the Arab Peninsula" suggests that the terrorist group planning the operation is al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). That group has brown stronger over the last two years, according to intelligence sources. It has garnered new adherents and developed new weapons. The United States views AQAP as such a significant threat that it not only uses drone attacks to target the group, but it has also sent advisors to Yemen to help the military combat AQAP on the ground. Intelligence, however, is the most successful method to counter terrorism.
"I can't even begin to tell you how many attacks we have stopped thanks to intelligence. But we don't go out and broadcast that to the world. It doesn't work that way," says an active intelligence officer in the Middle East. "Now? We are going to have to start all over again. We are operating blind."
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.
The Somali city of Kismayo "should be handed over" to the central government, regional leaders said at the end of a summit Sunday, a decision that puts pressure on Kenyan troops who face charges of backing a powerful militia in the disputed port city.
[Al Ahram] Salafist El-Nour Party spokesperson Sherif Taha said in a statement Sunday that Interim Prime Minister Hazem El-Beblawi has not sent an invitation for dialogue to Islamist parties and has met only non-Islamist parties, condemning this as an "increase to the already existing polarisation." 
Allies of deposed Egyptian President Mohammed Mursi told mediators on Saturday they respected the popular will expressed in mass protests that led to his downfall, suggesting they might be backing away from a demand he be reinstated.
... an Arab news network headquartered in Qatar, notorious for carrying al-Qaeda press releases. The name means 
The United States says most of its diplomatic missions in the Middle East and North Africa will remain closed all week. More than 20 embassies and consulates were closed Sunday due to security concerns.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
On Friday, the U.S. State Department issued a worldwide travel alert for Americans, citing an unspecified al Qaeda threat. The bulletin said that the highest threat levels are the Middle East and North Africa, "and possibly occurring in or emanating from the Arab Peninsula." 
