#3
And she put her hand in her bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead, that the stone sunk into his forehead; and he fell upon his face to the earth.
[Shabelle] A heavy shootout broke out between Somali government troops supported by Æthiopian forces and Al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... snuffies in Baladweyne, the capital of Hiiraan region, officials said on Monday.
The fighting erupted after heavily armed snuffies belonging to Al Qaeda linked Al-Shabaab launched an ambush attack on bases manned by Somali and Æthiopian troops near Baladweyne Airport, causing unconfirmed casualties.
Somali officials in town told Shabelle Media station in Mogadishu by phone that the battle caused heavy casualties on both warring sides during the night time combat.
"They [Al-Shabaab Death Eaters] launched propelled armed grenades and machine guns in a planned ambushagainst allied forces at the outskirts of Baladweyne airport, sparking face to face festivities that raged for several hours" said the official.
The government official added that the Somali and Æthiopian forces are now in control of the town after the Shabaab fighters were forced to withdraw.
Al-Shabaab fighters frequently carry out coordinated killings and roadside kaboomings against allied forces in Baladweyne town and other parts of Hiran region controlled by Allied forces
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Egypt's Ministry of Education commenced procedures to seize the management of 147 schools belonging to the Moslem Brüderbund following a government decree to freeze the group's assets and activities.
The schools -- which are located in a number of governorates including Cairo, Giza, Alexandria, Assiut and Gharbiya -- will be placed under the financial and administrative supervision of the ministry, reported Al-Ahram's daily newspaper.
Another 85 schools under investigation were exempted from the move due to having multiple owners, many of whom are not Brotherhood members.
The ministry will nominate new headmasters for the 147 schools, as well as restructure their boards of directors, to replace existing members with members of parents' associations and teachers, who would receive extensive administrative training, sources told Al-Ahram.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Police fired tear gas Monday in festivities with Islamist students of Cairo's al-Azhar University who hurled stones and torched vehicles during a demonstration backing ousted president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... , officials said.
Violence in and around the university's dormitory erupted when a few hundred students began protesting and poured onto nearby streets, security officials said.
Four civilian and two police cars were set ablaze by protesters, who also threw rocks at police, security officials said.
A security official said students cut off the main road in front of the university and disrupted traffic, after which the police intervened.
The interior ministry said police fired tear gas to disperse the students and push them back into their dorms.
Another security official said 58 "rioting students" had been placed in durance vile Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! .
The Islamist Anti-Coup Alliance which has staged regular protests backing Morsi called for new protests on Tuesday under the slogan: "Students lead the revolution."
Pro-Morsi protests have largely been confined to universities in recent weeks as security forces have cracked down on demonstrations elsewhere in the city.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
I remember when the MSM described the Taliban as students.
#2
I certainly am quite pleased with the Egyptian government's response to the Brotherhood. Too bad the rest of the world doesn't seem to understand the danger radical islamists pose to civilized society.
#3
I certainly am quite pleased with the Egyptian government's response to the Brotherhood.
Yeah, Egypt is in better shape than my psychotic powers predicted. Sure, they still have the economy, food, and a population of Egyptians (poor, uneducated, etc) to deal with. But at least the MusBros are not taking them backwards.
Pity our government came down on the wrong side. Again. Can you say 'Honduras'?
[MAGHAREBIA] Algerian counter-terrorism forces on Saturday (December 7th) ambushed a wanted terrorist north of Laghouat, El Khabar reported. Abou Abdul Jalil was responsible for co-ordinating al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb activities in Djelfa, Laghouat and Biskra. In 2001, he was sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] A Sudanese man was reportedly rubbed out in Kufra today after troops tried to separate Zway and Tebu youths.
The circumstances are unclear but a Tebu source told the Libya Herald that after a verbal confrontation between groups of Zway and Tebu had turned ugly, troops from the 17th February Martyrs Revolutionary Brigade had to force rivals apart. However, some men learn by reading. A few learn by observation. The rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves... it is alleged that a Zway youth returned with a Kalashnikov and in Market Street, the town's principal thoroughfare, opened up at random on the Tebus, injuring two and fatally wounding a Sudanese, who died on his way hospital.
Social media later that a 59 year-old Zway was shot and killed in Market Street by a Tebu gang but other posts claimed that the man died when Zway youths tried to take over an armoured vehicle from an army unit.
The Tebu source said that the town was tense this evening and further violence was feared.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] A leading member of a Sinai-based Islamist militant group was killed on Monday by security forces. Spokesman for the Egyptian Armed Forces Ahmed Ali announced on his official Facebook page that the Takfiri leader Ibrahim Abou Eita -- known as Abu Suhaib of the Islamist group Ansar Beit Al-Makqdis -- was killed in an exchange of gunfire with security forces as he was riding his motorcycle.
The statement added that another man with Suhaib, Hamdan Salem, had been arrested and will be interrogated.
Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, an Islamic militant group, has claimed responsibility for several recent attacks targeting security personnel, most notably the death of high-ranking police officer Mohamed Mabrouk, who was shot dead on 17 November outside of his home.
Mabrouk had been involved with drafting charges against ousted president Mohamed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood. He was in charge of the Brotherhood's file at the Interior Ministry's National Security Agency.
The same group also claimed responsibility for September's failed assassination attempt on Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim in Cairo .
Other claims include an October attack on security headquarters in south Sinai which left two dead and 48 injured, along with over a dozen others from the last two years on a gas pipeline linking Egypt, Israel and Jordan.
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12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] French troops yesterday began disarming fighters in the Central African Republic after a swell in sectarian violence that has claimed hundreds of lives and terrified inhabitants.
But Gay Paree warned the task would be difficult as former Seleka rebels who seized power in a March coup shed their combat gear to avoid detection, and clashed sporadically with soldiers dispatched to quell violence in the unstable country.
Announcing the beginning of the disarmament, the army's general staff said the process was going smoothly for the moment, despite a brief shoot-out yesterday morning between soldiers and gunnies near the airport.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius warned that the disarmament would not be "an easy task".
"The problem is that many of the former Seleka (rebels) have traded their uniforms for civilian clothes... and it is difficult to identify individuals," he said on La Belle France Inter radio.
La Belle France is deploying 1,600 soldiers to its former colony, which has plunged into chaos since the Seleka rebels seized power, with reports of widespread rape and public killings taking place.
Fabius said former Seleka rebel leader turned interim president Michel Djotodia had appealed to his former fighters to give up arms, but some have gone rogue and imposed a reign of terror in the countryside.
The capital Bangui has also been the scene of bloodshed over the past three days, and nearly 400 people have been killed in the violence, Fabius said.
"We have explained to everyone by radio and through other available media that they should bring back weapons," Fabius said.
"If this does not yield sufficient results, force will be employed," he said.
French President Francois Hollande ...the Socialist president of La Belle France, an economic bad joke for la Belle France but seemingly a foreign policy realist... , who sent troops into the west African country of Mali earlier this year to stop Islamists and Tuareg rebels from advancing on the capital Bamako, has said La Belle France cannot turn a blind eye to the massacres perpetrated in the Central African Republic.
But the military intervention has prompted criticism from the public over its cost at a difficult time for the French economy.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] An unmanned drone struck a car Monday in southeastern Yemen, killing three suspected al-Qaeda gunnies, a security official said.
The drone targeted a vehicle in the village of al-Qatan, in the province of Hadramawt, where Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) remains active despite Yemeni military operations and U.S. drone strikes targeting its leaders.
The U.S. military operates all the unmanned drones flying over Yemen, but U.S. officials rarely discuss the covert campaign.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
I suspect "a missile" from the drone struck the car
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/10/2013 9:48 Comments ||
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#2
Could been one of those new-fangled Amazon delivery drones with a fresh shipment of C4...
[Bangla Daily Star] A 12-year-old boy was killed by stray bullets and 10 others were maimed yesterday, as Jamaat-Shibir men fought with law enforcers in Sirajganj during Jamaat's nationwide hartal ... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ... that coincided with the opposition's blockade across the country.
Along with the activists of the BNP-led 18-party alliance, Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... men resorted to vandalism and arson in different parts of the country, leaving more than 67 people injured.
Meanwhile, ...back at the pond, Gloria slowly backed away from the eight-foot bull frog. If the creature croaked she would surely be deafened... the alliance extended its 72-hour blockade, which started at 6:00am on Saturday, till 6:00am on Friday, causing further sufferings to people.
BNP Spokesperson Salahuddin Ahmed yesterday afternoon announced the extension of blockade via a video message from an unknown location.
Soon after yesterday's shutdown, the Jamaat-e-Islami called another nationwide dawn-to-dusk hartal for today to protest the death warrant for its leader Abdul Quader Mollah, condemned to death for crimes against humanity during the Liberation War.
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12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] A Chhatra Shibir leader was killed and two were maimed in an kaboom while making bombs at a remote hilly village in Sitakunda upazila yesterday.
The dead is Md Rasel, 23, organising secretary of the Sitakunda upazila unit Islami Chhatra Shibir ... the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh... , the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... .
The incident occurred around 5:30pm on a hill in Yakubnagar village, some seven kilometers to the north-west off Sitakunda, Md Shahadat, additional superintendent of Chittagong (north) police, told The Daily Star last night.
The blast tore a hole in the hill and burnt trees and grasses within several meters, he added.
One of the maimed was identified as Anis. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... both the injured managed to escape the scene.
Law enforcers reached the spot around 9:30pm and raided some areas in the village to arrest the injured Shibir men and others involved in making bombs.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
"The blast tore a hole in the hill and burnt trees and grasses within several meters, he added."
These are the same people who brought you the BanglaDesh War which killed 3,000,000 dirty nasty kuffir Hindus and Christians back in 1971. Let's all laugh about their "pure" Islamic State. Can't you just see Abdrool and Muckmud crossing those red and green wires?
Let's hope they will do a replay in their mother's kitchen soon.
[Bangla Daily Star] Blockaders torched two buses and vandalised a human hauler in the capital's South Jatrabari and Sobhanbagh today, the third day of the countrywide blockade enforced by the BNP-led 18-party opposition alliance.
Hartal picketers torched a bus at Sobhanbagh around 6:30pm, the officer-in-charge of Dhanmondi Police Station told The Daily Star.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Hubba Hubba Club, Nunzio had his hands full of angry bleached blonde... an Islami Chhatra Shibir ... the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh... activist sustained bullet injuries during a chase and counter chase with coppers at Sayedabad.
Ashraful Islam, 24, was admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Police opened fire when Shibir activists brought out a procession there in support of their hartal ... a peculiarly Bangla combination of a general strike and a riot, used by both major political groups in lieu of actual governance ... . Amid the ongoing blockade, Jamaat-e-Islam which is a key component in the 18-party alliance is enforcing a nationwide daylong shutdown protesting death warrant against Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah.
Police placed in durance vile Book 'im, Mahmoud! one Mahinur Akhter, 35, as he went kaboom! a crude bomb in front of Westin Hotel at Madhybadda in Gulshan, said Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Gulshan Police Station.
Besides, the opposition today afternoon extended its 71-hour blockade till 6:00am on December 13 demanding rescheduling of the parliamentary election, installation of a non-party polls-time government and release of leaders.
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12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] A court in Azerbaijan on Monday placed in durance vile Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! another 10 people on charges of plotting attacks during the Eurovision Song Contest hosted last year by the ex-Soviet state.
A source at the court for serious crimes in the capital Baku told Agence La Belle France Presse they were sentenced to jail terms of three to 10 years.
The verdict brings to at least 46 the number of people convicted on charges of planning attacks during the Eurovision pop extravaganza, which Azerbaijan hosted in May 2012.
The security ministry in the tightly controlled Caspian Sea country claimed to have foiled a bid to stage attacks during the glitzy songfest and tossed in the slammer Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! some 40 suspects.
The ministry said at the time that the group had links with neighboring Iran and was planning attacks on the concert hall where Eurovision was held, as well as on Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, police buildings, hotels used by foreigners, mosques and other religious sites.
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12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] A blast in the congested residential locality in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. on Monday evening left one person injured, Rescue 1122 authorities told APP. The injured was immediately rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital. The blast occurred in street No. 5 in front of a house, Faqirabad Colony in Peshawar City. The nature of the blast is yet to be ascertained. However, man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... initial report said it was a cylinder blast. The blast was heard in major localities of the provincial metropolis and people were seen coming out form their houses in panic.
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12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Law enforcers during the ongoing drive against criminals apprehended around 17 suspects including Lyari ...one of the eighteen constituent towns of the city of Karachi. It is the smallest town by area in the city but also the most densely populated. Lyari has few schools, substandard hospitals, a poor water system, limited infrastructure, and broken roads. It is a stronghold of ruling Pakistan Peoples Party. Ubiquitous gang activity and a thriving narcotics industry make Lyari one of the most disturbed places in Karachi, which is really saying a lot.... gangsters and hit mans on Monday.
As per reports, Anti-Extremist Cell of Crime Investigation Department (CID) chief SP Chaudhry Aslam Khan while addressing a presser at his office disclosed the arrests of five alleged Lyari gangsters Saeed Kareem, Aurangzaib, Mohammad Amin, Saud Faisal and Sameen Raza. The arrests were made after an encounter during a raid conducted on a tip-off at Hawkesby road within the jurisdiction of Maripur cop shoppe.
SP Khan said that a special team had been constituted on the directives of Additional IG CID Iqbal Mehmood and DIG CID Dr Ameer Sheikh to arrest the culprits involved in terrorist and criminal activities in the metropolis.
The officer said that the accused persons during the initial course of investigation said that they had killed a Rangers official Hanif and a woman when Rangers conducted raid at their hideout in Cheel Chowk area on April 2013.
"They were also involved in killing of Civil Lines SHO inspector Fawad Khan by attacking the police's armoured personnel carrier (APC) during the eight day long police operation in Lyari last year," SP Khan explained. "They also killed a CID cop, Fayyaz by attacking the police from all sides when an extra contingent of law enforcers were conducting an operation in Lyari's Kalakot area."
SP Khan further said that besides killings of officials of the Rangers and police, the accused persons had also been involved in a number of cases of assassinations, extortion, kidnapping for ransom, police encounters and other heinous crimes.
"Weapons including three hand grenades, three pistols and a cycle of violence have been recovered from their possession, and further investigation is underway," he said.
Separately, CID police also incarcerated Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! an alleged hit man during a raid conducted in Garden area. According to CID's Sectarian Cell in-charge Fayyaz Khan, the accused identified as Fahad alias Fahad K-2 belongs to a political party, who during the initial investigation revealed to have killed at least seven workers of different political parties.
Meanwhile, ...back at the comedy club, Boogie was cracking himself up, but nobody else seemed to be getting the non-stop jokes... police in Sohrab Goth arrested another alleged hit man after an encounter. According to police officials, the accused identified as Asif belongs to a political party and was involved in a number of murders.
Police officials privy to the matter told that the accused was also being questioned about his possible involvement in attacking the police van carrying police commandos in Korangi's Chakra Goth in August 2011 that claimed six lives and maimed several others.
Pakistain Rangers Sindh nabbed 10 criminals during separate raids conducted in Landhi Number 6, Dawood Challi, Majeed Colony, Staff Colony in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Angara Goth, Malir Khokrapar, North Nazimabad Block-I, Nazimabad, Liaqatabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal Block 12 and Shah Baig Lane in Lyari. The officials also recovered huge caches of weapons including two LMGs, a sniper and .22 rifle, 9mm pistol and a large quantity of mixed ammunitions.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] A series of attacks, including a boom-mobile outside a cafe, killed at least 21 people in Iraq on Monday, officials said.
Iraqi authorities have struggled to quell a surge in violence -- mostly from myrmidon attacks and bombings -- that engulfed the country following a deadly security crackdown on a Sunni protest camp in April. Since then, the level of bloodshed has soared to heights unseen since Iraq stood on the brink of civil war in 2006 and 2007.
The deadliest of Monday's attacks took place outside a cafe in the town of Buhriz, about 60 kilometers (35 miles) north of the capital, Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... , killing 12 people and wounding 24, police said.
Three more bombings around the country killed an additional six people.
A roadside kaboom targeted an army patrol just south of the capital, killing one Iraqi soldier and maimed two others, while in Storied Baghdad's eastern Basmaya district a bomb at an outdoor market killed three people and maimed seven, police said.
In a village just north of Storied Baghdad, three coppers were killed and 10 were maimed when a boom-mobilewent kaboom! near their checkpoint.
And in the southwestern suburbs of Storied Baghdad, a roadside kaboom struck a car carrying anti-al-Qaeda Sunni fighters, killing two and wounding three, police and hospital officials said.
The Sunni militia group, known as the Sahwa, joined forces with US troops at the height of the Iraq war to fight al-Qaeda. Since then, Sahwa members have been a frequent target for Sunni myrmidons, who call the faceless myrmidons traitors.
Hospital officials confirmed the casualty figures for all the attacks. All officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Monday's attacks, but myrmidon groups frequently target civilians in cafes and public areas, as well as members of the security forces, in an attempt to undermine confidence in the Shiite-led government and stir up Iraq's already simmering sectarian tensions.
The attacks came a day after a series of bombings in and around Storied Baghdad killed at least 39 people.
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12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) is threatening to begin new attacks in Mindanao following the signing of the annex on power sharing in the framework agreement between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
MNLF spokesman Absalom Cerveza issued the threat warning yesterday a day after the government and the MILF signed the power-sharing deal. He said, Certainly, that would lead to another war. They can sign everything. If they want to continue, then let the war continue."
The Philippine government is downplaying the influence of Nur Misuari over the MNLF by saying that the group is divided into three factions. Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles has reportedly asked the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to exclude Misuari as MNLF representative to the scheduled tripartite meeting in Indonesia next year..
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) dared Misuari to come out of hiding to prove his innocence on the charges of rebellion and other related crimes. AFP Public Affairs Office chief Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said, A warrant has been issued against him and if he is innocent, he should come out and prove his innocence. .
The AFP maintains that Misuari contrary to reports that he is in hiding in the Middle East with his family is actually holed up in Talipao, Sulu.
Posted by: ryuge ||
12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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Philippine government negotiators and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) announced a major breakthrough, reaching a power-sharing agreement that could lead to a treaty in January 2014.
In a joint statement, the two panels said their agreement settled the delineation and sharing of power between the central government and the new Bangsamoro political entity to be set up in Mindanao. The statement issued on Sunday at the end of their 42nd meeting in Kuala Lumpur was signed by Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, the chief government negotiator, and her MILF counterpart Mohagher Iqbal.
With the agreement, the two panels said one more contentious issue on the decommissioning of the MILF's military component would be tackled when they are to resume negotiations in January next year.
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12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Syria's regime captured from rebel fighters a key town near Lebanon on Monday, as doubts were cast on any breakthrough at a Geneva peace conference slated for next month.
France's foreign minister, Laurent Fabius, downplayed the chances of a peace agreement being reached in Geneva, while expressing confidence the January 22 conference would go ahead.
But his British counterpart lamented the fact that after 1,000 days of conflict in Syria, more than 100,000 people have been killed, 2.2 million driven abroad, and 2.5 million cut off by the fighting.
"Today is 1,000 days since Syrians took to the streets calling for freedom. It is time to end the conflict in #Syria," Foreign Secretary William Hague tweeted.
The conflict flared in March 2011 with peaceful pro-democracy protests inspired by the Arab Spring but escalated into a full-scale civil war after President Bashar al-Assad's regime launched a brutal crackdown.
And the violence again showed no signs of abating on Monday, with a powerful storm forecast to make matters worse for Syrians, including those who have sought shelter in neighbouring countries like Lebanon and Jordan.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said regime forces regained control of the strategic Damascus-Homs highway after seizing most of the town of Nabak in the Qalamoun region.
The army has been fighting for weeks to secure the Qalamoun region, north of Damascus, in a bid to sever rebel supply routes across the nearby border with Lebanon.
But Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP that the army had secured most of Nabak, including all of the western part of the town adjacent to the highway.
Pro-government newspaper Al-Watan said the highway, essential to move troops and weapons and cement regime control from Damascus to the central province of Homs, would reopen soon.
The highway has been closed for about 20 days because of fighting that also prevented the delivery of fuel to the capital, Damascus, where shortages have taken a toll on daily life.
Al-Watan also quoted a military source as saying regime forces had killed or captured some 100 opposition forces in Nabak, and seized a large weapons cache.
The Observatory, which relies on activists and medics on the ground for its reports, has said the fighters from Lebanon's Shiite movement Hezbollah have been battling alongside Syria's army in the region.
Hezbollah has helped Syrian loyalist forces recapture other towns from rebels, including Sbeineh, an enclave south of Damascus, in November, and the key town of Qusayr near the Lebanese border in June.
On the diplomatic front, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius played down expectations that the peace conference dubbed Geneva 2 will yield any breakthrough.
"I believe that it will take place but... it is very difficult to imagine a quick positive outcome," said Fabius.
"The Geneva conference -- and I must say it's no surprise -- is taking place under very difficult conditions."
There is still no certainty the UN-backed talks, which seek to put in place a transitional government, will go ahead.
The main opposition National Coalition has said it will attend with conditions, while some key anti-regime figures have refused and others have said no final decision has been made.
The opposition is insisting Assad play no role in Syria's future -- a demand flatly rejected by the regime.
On the humanitarian front, refugees who have sought haven in camps in neighbouring countries braced for a harsh winter, particularly in Lebanon which was expecting a storm.
Lebanese authorities, with the help of the UN refugee agency, are mobilising to protect thousands of refugees who live in makeshift, informal shelters, before snow and heavy rain hit on Tuesday night.
"There are a large number of informal camps... and quick action is required with the approach of the storm," said Lebanese Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour.
Abu Faour said authorities, working with the army and international aid agencies, had begun distributing plastic sheeting, wood planks, heaters and food to the refugees.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
I've lost track here. Which side are we rooting for this week?
[An Nahar] Investigations in the double suicide kaboom on the Iranian embassy in Bir Hassan in the southern Beirut suburbs unveiled the identity of a new suspect, who allegedly is said to be the connection between the jacket wallahs and the plotters.
According to al-Akhbar newspaper published on Monday, 24-year-old Sheikh Bahaa Eddine H. is suspected to be the link between the two suicide bombers and the side that planned the kaboom.
The whereabouts of Sheikh Bahaa is unknown and Sherlocks believe that he has close ties with Sheikh Sirajeddine Zuraiqat, the leader of the Abdullah Azzam brigades, an al-Qaeda affiliate that grabbed credit for the suicide attacks.
The group said group it was targeting the Iran-backed by Hizbullah, which is fighting alongside Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs... 's troops against Sunni-led rebels in neighboring Syria.
The report also said that Sheikh Bahaa had close ties with Moein Abu Dahr, one of the two suicide attackers behind last month's kaboom that hit the Iranian Embassy ...You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy!... .
Sheikh Bahaa, hails from the Ein el-Hellhole Paleostinian refugee camp.
Gen. Sobhi Abu Arab, the head of the Paleostinian National Security Forces in Leb, expressed surprise in comments published in al-Akhbar that Sheikh Bahaa is allegedly involved in the attack on the Iranian Embassy.
Abou Arab said that he received phone call s from Lebanese security agencies calling for his cooperation to hand over Sheikh Bahaa.
He stressed that the father of Sheikh Bahaa stressed that his son is innocent but contacting him to convince him to hand himself over to the security agencies.
Sources told the newspaper that Sheikh Bahaa is still at the Ein el-Hellhole camp.
Lebanese authorities had identified the two men who launched the double suicide attack on the Iranian embassy in Bir Hassan in the southern Beirut suburbs in November.
The southern city of Sidon was the home of Moein Abu Dahr, the Lebanese bomber in the deadly attack in the Bir Hassan neighborhood of Beirut's southern suburbs.
Abu Dahr's father told authorities he believed his son was involved after the army released a photograph of one of the suicide attackers. A DNA test identified his son as the bomber.
The other is Adnan Mohammed, a Paleostinian from the Ein el-Hellhole refugee camp.
Mohammed lived in Zahrani near Sidon.
Both men are staunch supporters of Salafist holy man Sheikh Ahmed al-Asir ...Leb Salafist holy man with the usual grouch against Shiites. Currently on the run, he seems intent on reigniting the Leb civil war... .
Posted by: Fred ||
12/10/2013 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in the Levant
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.
[Al Ahram] Syria's regime captured from rebel fighters a key town near Lebanon on Monday, as doubts were cast on any breakthrough at a Geneva peace conference slated for next month.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
