[Libya Herald] Six Qataris were arrested at Benghazi's Benina airport this morning in possession of fake Libyan passports while trying to take a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul, officials at the airport have told the Libya Herald.
A source with the airline said that passport control officials became suspicious when they heard the men speaking with non-Libyan accents. The six were detained and Qatari passports were then found in their possession, he added. Other reports say that LD 180,000 was also found in their luggage.
A spokesman for the Foreign Ministry has confirmed the arrest. He added that the Ministry of Interior was launching an investigation into the incident.
Relations with the Gulf emirate, while officially close, have been strained by any number anti-Qatari incidents last year. They included protestas alleging Qatar interference in Libya through support for the Muslim Brotherhood, and attacks on Qatar Airlines offices, forcing the airline to suspend flights to the country.
Qatar was a major supporter of the revolution in 2011.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Gunmen killed an officer from the Egyptian national security agency in the Nile Delta city of Zagazig on Saturday, officials said, the latest in a string of attacks on police and troops.
Attacks on the security forces have surged since the army ousted Islamist 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... in July, and as the military-installed authorities have pressed a deadly crackdown on his supporters.
The attackers shot Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Eid as he was getting out of his car after travelling to his home in Zagazig, security officials said, adding he later died of his wounds in a hospital.
Eid was in charge of the "extremist groups' file" and he had helped to draft a report accusing several leaders and members of Morsi's Moslem Brüderbund of inciting violence and carrying out attacks, state news agency MENA reported.
In November, gunnies killed another national security officer, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Mabruk, who was in charge of the Brotherhood file.
Mabruk had been involved in preparing charges against Morsi and the Brotherhood's supreme guide Mohammed Badie ahead of their trials, a security official said at that time.
Saturday's killing came after an Egyptian court adjourned until Monday Morsi's trial over charges related to jailbreaks and attacks on cop shoppes during the uprising that toppled strongman Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... in 2011.
Prosecutors say the attacks on cop shoppes and the jailbreaks, in which Morsi and other political prisoners escaped, were a Brotherhood-led conspiracy to sow chaos in Egypt.
Morsi is also currently standing trial in two other cases -- one on charges of espionage and carrying out "terror attacks" and another over the killing of protesters during his presidency.
He is also expected to be tried for "insulting the judiciary", but no date has yet been set for the case.
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02/23/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] A rocket-propelled grenade went kaboom! Saturday near the Tunisian consulate in the restive eastern Libyan city of Benghazi without causing any casualties or damage.
An Agence La Belle France Presse photographer on the scene said the kaboom left a crater in the ground in front of the diplomatic mission, and caused minor damage to its outer wall.
A source at the consulate told AFP the kaboom did not harm anyone, and a police officer at the site said the blast was caused by a rocket-propelled grenade.
Benghazi, cradle of the 2011 armed uprising that toppled veteran Libyan dictator Muammar Qadaffy ...who single-handedly turned a moderately prosperous kingdom into a dictator's fantasyland and was then murdered by his indignant subjects 42 years later... , has seen near-daily attacks on security and other targets in recent months as the weak central government has tried to rein in former rebel brigades turned militias.
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02/23/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Three Moslem civilians in conflict-torn Central African Republic were rubbed out on Saturday when the taxi carrying them was stopped by an angry mob, witnesses said.
The three men were travelling in the Combattant neighborhood near the airport in the capital Bangui, where French and African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... troops are headquartered.
A crowd chanting anti-Moslem slogans forced their taxi to stop, and then killed them.
"It was extraordinarily violent. They were executed in cold blood," one witness told Agence La Belle France Presse.
A French army front man confirmed three bodies had been found in the area and said French troops had fired warning shots to force the crowd away from the corpses.
The bodies, which were later taken to the hospital morgue, bore bullet and machete wounds, an AFP correspondent said.
The Central African Republic has been torn by communal violence since the mostly Moslem Seleka rebels overthrew the government in March 2013 and handed power to their leader, Michel Djotodia -- who was himself forced out last month for failing to rein in atrocities by his former fighters.
Violence has continued unabated since then, as vigilantes from the Christian majority have retaliated against the country's Moslems.
United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... chief the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... called Thursday for at least 3,000 troops to reinforce the French and African soldiers, who have struggled to contain the bloodshed.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
The three men were travelling in the Combattant neighborhood near the airport
somehow it doesn't sound like a sleepy bucolic town
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/23/2014 9:44 Comments ||
Top||
#2
How did the mob know the men in the taxi were moslems?
And what were said moslems doing in C.A.R. anyway?
Posted by: Barbara ||
02/23/2014 13:58 Comments ||
Top||
#3
The Central African Republic has been torn by communal violence since the mostly Moslem Seleka rebels overthrew the government in March 2013 and handed power to their leader, Michel Djotodia -- who was himself forced out last month for failing to rein in atrocities by his former fighters.
Violence has continued unabated since then, as vigilantes from the Christian majority have retaliated against the country's [minority Moslem population.]
A total of four youths were found shot to death Thursday in the southern Chihuahua state municipality of Bocoyna, according to Mexican news accounts.
A news item which appeared on the website of El Punte Libre news daily said that a Mexican Army unit was dispatched to a stretch of road near the village of San Juanito, where soldiers found the victims naked to the waist, shot once in the head and stuffed inside a pickup truck.
The victims were identified as Daniel Abraham Dominguez Rodriguez, 20, Irving Noe Aleman Rodriguez, 19, Oscar Francisco Molina Mafiodo, 19, and Saul Adriel Paredes Martinez, 20.
The victims were reported kidnapped before they were found dead.
This latest find comes on the heels of a major confrontation between local criminal elements and Chihuahua state police, which came to a head last week as two state police agents were killed and another four were wounded in an ambush near San Juanito. The ambush was a response by the criminal group to a raid the day before which killed three criminal suspects, and resulted in three arrests.
That gunfight took place because, according to recently installed Fiscalia General del Estado (FGE), Jorge Gonzalez Nicolas, state police were ordered into area to conduct counternarcotics operations more "aggressively", which were previously left alone by his predecessor, Carlos Manuel Salas,and were reversing Salas' previous policies. That policy suggested a connection between Salas and organized crime in the state.
Salas left his post last October after being appointed three years before in the wake of the 2010 election.
That supposed nexus was charged by local criminal groups in 2011, which went on a state murder spree of state police commanders in Chihuahua city claiming Salas maintained a connection with the Juarez dug cartel. Similarly, his predecessor, Patricia Gonzalez, spent the last two years of her term as FGE under the same charges by criminal elements.
Gonzalez lost her brother to a brutal organized crime hit in 2010, and despite an investigation by the national attorney general, Procuraduria General de la Republica, none of those charges were ever proved.
In a related development last week, Jorge Gonzalez Nicolas said his office was beginning an investigation into links between Salas and organized crime.
Saturday, however, FGE western district spokesman Alexa Lara said that state police presence in Bocoyna would be "withdrawn", but that the police were not going to completely retire from the area, essentially, doing what the FGE office said Salas had done, which had indicated a possible nexus with organized crime.
In a news account published in the online edition of El Diario de Chihuahua, the Lara characterized the situation as "calm" but "tenuous", and Mexican Army patrols have been intensified in the region.
The news story goes on to note that police would be rotated in and out of the area and the number of police elements would be "random", presumably as a security measure
Meanwhile the municipal government of Ciudad Madera in far western Chihuahua state, announced Thursday that a long abandoned project to build an army base was to be resumed.
Madera, like most of the territory from Chihuahua city south is within the area of operation of the Mexican 42nd Military Zone. Typical Mexican Army bases house company sized elements, or about 100 effectives.
Chris Covert writes Mexican Drug War and national political news for rantburg.com and BorderlandBeat.com He can be reached at grurkka@gmail.com
The Associated Press has learned that the head of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel was captured overnight by U.S. and Mexican authorities at a hotel in Mazatlan, Mexico.
A senior U.S. law enforcement official said Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was taken alive overnight in the beach resort town. The official was not authorized to discuss the arrest and spoke on condition of anonymity.
[DAWN] A suspected terrorist was blown up when a bomb he was planting along a roadside went off here on Sunday morning.
A police official said that the terrorist was planting an improvised bomb along Nasir Bagh Road on the outskirts of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. , but it went off accidentally, blowing him up. He said that as the area was away from population no other casualty was occurred.
He said that the outlaw couldn't be identified as his body parts were found scattered on the spot. "We found only legs and shoes of the hard boy, and rest of body parts were torn into pieces due to the impact of the IED," he added.
"We did find three ears, though, which is puzzling. Inbreeding, perhaps?"
The official said that the police could be the possible target as they had started patrolling the roads to provide security to the health teams, who would vaccinate children against various diseases across the provincial metropolis on Sunday (today) under the provincial government's Sehat ka Insaf programme.
The IED, said the official, was remote controlled and weighed about five kilogram.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
So a remotely controlled IED went off "unexpectedly", eh? Methinks perhaps that cell has a mole somewhere. :-)
[DAWN] At least nine suspected hard boyz were killed on Saturday when gunship helicopters pounded bad boy hideouts in Thall village in Hangu district ... Hangu is famous for its greenery, hills, beauty and water. Most of the people of this area are Bangash & Orakzai Pashtuns. Part of the Bangash are Shia. The Orakzai and the Sunni Bangash are determined to kill them... , security officials said.
"Gunship helicopters engaged the hideouts after confirmed reports of the terrorists' presence," said one of the unnamed security officials.
Officials said the military launched the attack after confirming reports about the presence of hard boyz in Thall.
They spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.
According to sources, gunship helicopters pounded suspected bully boys' positions in Tora Wari and Dar Samand areas of Thall, following which nine hard boyz were killed whereas several hideouts were destroyed.
Sources added that gunships continued to hover after the shelling whereas panic spread in the area.
Hangu borders the northwestern tribal region of Orakzai, one of Pakistain's seven lawless districts on the Afghan border considered to be the hub of Taliban and Al Qaeda-linked bully boys.
These were the second air attacks against Pak Talibs this month in retaliation at strikes by bad boys, which have derailed peace talks.
Earlier this week, at least 35 hard boyz were killed as fighter jets targeted suspected bad boy hideouts in three different tehsils of the North Wazoo tribal region.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... had authorised the strikes, according to a source in his office.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP), an umbrella grouping of numerous bully boy factions, has been waging a bloody campaign against the Pak state since 2007, carrying out a number of bomb and gun attacks, often on military targets.
Peace talks between the Taliban and the government, announced on January 29, stalled this week due to a recent surge in bad boy attacks and a claim by a Taliban faction on Sunday that it had killed 23 kidnapped soldiers.
Government mediators have set a ceasefire as a precondition for another round of talks but Shahidullah Shahid, a front man for the TTP, on Friday blamed Islamabad for the deadlock and asked the state to declare a ceasefire first.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
When will we see the baby-ducks-n'-bunnies-body-count?
Huuuudddnnaaaaa! Arm up while you can, O my brothers!
[An Nahar] Iraq's defense ministry on Saturday announced a 72-hour halt to military operations in the city 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... which has been held by anti-government fighters for weeks.
The announcement raises the possibility of negotiations to end the crisis, during which gunnies have also seized parts of Ramadi, capital of Anbar province, highlighting both the reach of gunnies and the weakness of security forces.
While the loss of control in the two Anbar cities has posed a major challenge for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's government, a successful resolution to the crisis could give the premier a boost ahead of parliamentary polls scheduled for April.
"Military operations taken against selected terrorist organization targets in Fallujah have been stopped for a period of 72 hours" starting from the night before, the defense ministry said in a statement.
The decision was taken "in response to goodwill and frequent communications with the forces of good and people calling for peace, and to stop the bloodshed in Fallujah," it added.
Security forces have carried out shelling and strikes inside Fallujah, just a short drive from Storied Baghdad, and periodically clashed with gunnies in the area.
The defense ministry announcement comes a week after Maliki visited Ramadi for talks with provincial officials and the leaders of powerful local tribes.
The Iraqi government has also pledged compensation for Anbar residents whose property was damaged in the violence, and training for rustics who fought on the side of security forces.
The measures were the latest in a bid to placate people in Anbar province, and Iraq's broader Sunni Arab minority, who have complained of marginalization by the government and of being unfairly targeted by heavy-handed security measures.
The crisis in the desert province erupted in late December when security forces dismantled Iraq's main Sunni Arab anti-government protest camp just outside Ramadi.
Anti-government fighters subsequently seized parts of the picturesque provincial capital and all of Fallujah to its west.
It is the first time anti-government forces have exercised such open control in major cities since the peak of the deadly violence that followed the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.
More than 370,000 people may have been displaced the violence in Anbar, according to the U.N.
The Fallujah ceasefire came after a localized version of the Anbar crisis in the Sulaiman Bek area, north of Storied Baghdad, was said to have ended.
Militants had seized part of the Sulaiman Bek area, which includes a town with the same name and several villages, on February 13, setting off a cycle of festivities in which dozens of people -- bully boys, security personnel and civilians -- were killed.
On Saturday, local official Talib al-Bayati said soldiers and police had been fully in control of the area since Friday, and the army was reinforcing it with watchtowers and sand barriers.
Security forces were preventing residents who fled the violence from returning to their homes, he said.
Violence in Iraq has reached a level not seen since 2008, when the country was emerging from a period of brutal sectarian killings.
More than 580 people have been killed so far this month and upwards of 1,550 have died since January 1, according to Agence La Belle France Presse figures based on security and medical sources.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Iraqi security forces have retaken a northern area from bully boyz after more than a week of heavy fighting during which parts of it repeatedly changed hands, an official said Saturday.
Militants initially seized parts of Sulaiman Bek on February 13, setting off a cycle of festivities in the area which includes a town and several villages.
Dozens of people -- Death Eaters, security personnel and civilians -- were killed in the fighting.
Sulaiman Bek "has now been completely liberated, and there are no longer any gunnies, just police and soldiers", local official Talib al-Bayati told AFP.
The army was reinforcing the area with watchtowers and sand barriers, Bayati said, adding that security forces were also preventing residents who had fled the fighting from returning to their homes.
Army Staff Lieutenant General Abdulamir al-Zaidi had said that security forces held Sulaiman Bek as of Thursday, but Bayati said it was the next day before they were fully in control.
It was not immediately clear if the bully boyz were forced out during festivities or chose to withdraw.
The situation in Sulaiman Bek is a small-scale version of the crisis being playing out in the mostly Sunni province of Anbar west of Storied Baghdad.
Anti-government fighters have held the city of Fallujah and part of Ramadi in Anbar for weeks.
The takeovers there mark the first time anti-government forces have exercised such open control in major cities since the bloody insurgency that followed the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.
More than 370,000 people may have been displaced by the Anbar violence, according to the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... .
Sulaiman Bek has been hit by numerous attacks over the past year, and was briefly seized by bully boyz in late April.
In July, some 150 bully boyz launched an attack with mortar rounds, rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons, and also executed 14 Shiite truck drivers on a nearby highway.
Violence in Iraq has reached a level not seen since 2008, when the country was just emerging from a period of brutal sectarian killings.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State of Iraq & the Levant
#1
Sulaiman Bek is north of Baghdad.
Klik or drop this into Google: 34.790581,44.665793
Salman Pak was a rather nasty Saddam WND playground located south of Baghdad.
Klik or drop this into Google: 33.101716,44.591482
[Jerusalem Post] While Hamas is not interested in escalation with Israel, army sees growing increase of smaller terror factions in Gaza trying to launch attacks, source says. Saying one thing, doing yet another, Standard Paleo Operating Procedure.
Levels of violence from terror groups in Gaza are gradually increasing, a senior military source told The Jerusalem Post over the weekend. Terror groups become emboldened by recent western political pressure on Israel? What an amazing coincidence.
The source said he believed Hamas is not interested in an escalation with Israel at this time because of its internal Gazan interests, and that it was still restraining smaller terrorist groups from heating things up. At the same time, we understand that Hamas is not doing all that it can to stop attacks.
Less established Gazan terror factions are trying to launch terrorist attacks against Israel continuously, he added.
The situation is stable, but we are seeing a creeping escalation. A few months ago, there were not many rockets. Now were seeing more of them. Were seeing more friction along the fence than in the past, he said.
On Friday, hundreds of Palestinians approached the border fence that separates northern Gaza from Israel, entering a closed security zone, where they began damaging the fence. IDF soldiers dispatched to the area called on the suspects to leave, fired warning shots and when that failed, fired at their legs, striking and injuring several Palestinians. The duel use response. Stops the aggressor and also provides effective marksmanship training.
We believe these guys are being sent to the fence by a party that has an interest in letting off some domestic pressure. We are not prepared to let threats reach the fence. Live fire is a tool to stop this, the source said. What, no bean bag warning shots ?
Last week, the IDF uncovered a very large explosive device on the border with southern Gaza. The bomb would have almost certainly caused losses in life had it been triggered as an army patrol passed by, the army believes. We are seeing hostile terrorism along the fence, the source said.
Bombs are a threat we know well, and one we can deal with. We know how to secure ourselves, and were able to identify unusual things on the ground, like attempts to plant bombs he said. The enemy we are facing is learning. We try to improve our operational capabilities in the most effective way we can, to deal with this threat.
Although the Gaza sector is relatively stable, the number of Palestinian rockets launched against southern Israel from the Hamas-run enclave have risen in recent months, as have IDF retaliatory strikes. The threat of attack tunnels, which can be used to send terror cells into Israel to target soldiers and civilians, remains acute, the source said. We are dealing with this, but I cant expand further, he said.
The IDFs Southern Command holds regular security evaluations to gauge the latest threat levels, the source said, adding, Were always seeking to update our understanding of the threats. Sun Tzu: Know your enemy and know yourself and you can fight a hundred battles without disaster.
#1
Hamas's new CMP's goal:
Up the aim of all those who enroll,
Practice chanting and hooting,
Simulate weak-foot shooting,
And compete in three-legged patrol.
[Jerusalem Post] Palestinians in the village of Abu Dis, which lies just outside of the Jerusalem municipal boundaries, staged a procession over the weekend to mark the 45th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, the Marxist faction and a member organization of the Palestine Liberation Organization. They've accomplished so much in nearly half a century.
Dozens of Palestinians were seen brandishing AK-47 and M16 semiautomatic rifles as well as hand grenades and pistols while clad in military gear, according to Israel Radio. A number of shots were fired in the air during the festivities. Camo, guns, a shot now and then. Sort of a Mooslim Duck Dynasty ?
In recent months, Palestinians have increasingly been displaying firearms out in the open, particularly in the refugee camps of the West Bank, this after years in which the Palestinian Authority banned the practice. Reverting to what they know best, violence.
The sight of Palestinians openly and brazenly brandishing firearms in open throughout PA-ruled areas has gradually returned to the landscape, particularly in areas like the Balata, Dheishe, and the Jalazone refugee camps, according to Israel Radio. Witnesses said that armed gunmen from Hamas and Islamic Jihad have also started to make public appearances in the Jenin refugee camp. A hamentaschen door-to-door sales campaign no doubt.
Unlike those areas, however, Abu Dis in in Area B, which means that security responsibility for the region falls on Israels shoulders.
Three villagers and an assistant village leader were gunned down in two separate incidents in Yala province yesterday.
In the first incident, witnesses say three villagers were sitting inside the shop when another four men arrived on two motorcycles. The gunmen approached the three villagers and shot at them with handguns and assault rifles before fleeing. The victims died at the scene. Police think the attack was carried out by terrorists militants under Hundum Musordee's group, which has been incitubg violence in Kabang district.
The second shooting took place in Raman district, where an assistant village leader was killed. He was working in the rubber plantation when he was shot with a handgun, and he died at the scene.
[An Nahar] Syria's air force staged more air raids Saturday on the key rebel-held bastion of Yabrud north of Damascus, as festivities also raged on the capital's outskirts, a monitoring group said.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also said that in the northeast, Kurdish fighters seized the town of Tal Barak from jihadists.
Regime forces launched a new round of aerial and tank bombardment on several areas in and around Yabrud, the main town in the Qalamun mountain range and with a mixed Moslem and Christian population, two weeks into a campaign aimed at seizing it from rebels.
The Britannia-based Observatory said Saturday's attacks targeted several mountainous areas around Yabrud as well as the town itself, which was once home to some 50,000 people.
Because of the violence, some "12,800 people" have fled across the border into the Lebanese town of Arsal in just 12 days, the UNHCR estimates.
Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... fighters are supporting the regular Syrian army in Qalamun. The party says most of the vehicles used in boom-mobileings of its Leb strongholds came from Yabrud.
"Hizbullah is fighting to close off the border, while the army wants to secure control of the international highway" linking Damascus and the central city of Homs, an activist in Qalamun told AFP by Skype.
Calling himself Amer, he said he believed the bombing had intensified as the army and Hizbullah "fail to make the advance on the ground they want. So they are besieging and punishing Yabrud".
In northeast Damascus, fresh fighting raged in Jubar district, one of the areas hit by an August 21 chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds of people.
Most of Jubar is under rebel control, and it has seen a massive escalation of fighting since February 9 as the army seeks to crush resistance there, the Observatory said.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Alamo, Davy was wondering if Buck was okay. He suspected he wasn't... Kurds in the northeast battling the jihadist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... seized Tal Barak town between the main Kurdish cities of Qamishli and Hasakeh.
Fighting over the town killed 25 gunnies, 22 of them ISIL members, from late Friday through dawn Saturday, said the Observatory.
Kurds have fought ISIL for many months in majority Kurdish areas, which the jihadists want to take over because of their resources and strategic location next to Iraq and Turkey.
More than 140,000 people have been killed in Syria's nearly three-year war, and millions more have been forced to flee their homes.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The residents of the Bekaa border town of Arsal contacted several March 14 alliance officials to rebuke arrests carried out by a Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... checkpoint erected on the outskirts of the village, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported on Saturday.
According to the newspaper, Hizbullah members detained several residents from Arsal and questioned them, which angered the residents of Arsal.
The reported pointed out that Hizbullah was previously demanded to remove the erected checkpoints and to hand over security to the army, however, the party failed to comply.
The town lies 12 kilometers from the border with Syria and has been used as a conduit for weapons and rebels to enter Syria, while also serving as a refuge for people fleeing the conflict.
Arsal's residents support the revolt against Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath... , and the town has become home to thousands of Syrians who have fled the fighting. It has also turned into a route for the trafficking of arms and fighters from and to Syria.
Leb is sharply divided over the war in Syria and Arsal is a particular flashpoint as refugees from the uprising and fighters and smugglers hostile to the regime of Assad traverse the border.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The bombings claimed by the Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades ... Leb's current al-Qaeda affiliate, named after a guy whose car the current head of al-Qaeda had boomed... aimed at provoking Shiites residing in Beirut's southern suburbs against the Sunnis in the area, the al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Saturday.
Detained top Qaeda-linked myrmidon Naim Abbas confessed that the Shiites were expected to have a bloody reaction against the Sunnis in Dahiyeh.
However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... the scheme failed after Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... restrained from carrying out any counter reaction or targeting Sunni areas with explosive-laden vehicles to retaliate the bombings targeting its strongholds.
Abbas, according to the daily, said that a group monitoring Hizbullah's bastions noticed that the party increased the security measures in Haret Hreik, Rweis and Bir al-Abed, however, the measures in al-Shiyyah were less.
The report continues that the minimal security measures in Shiyyah prompted the leadership of Abdullah Azzam Brigades to set a plan to target the area with suicide kabooms to evoke Shiites against Sunnis and prompt them to target areas like Tariq al-Jadideh, which is mainly a Sunni neighborhood.
Earlier in February, the army announced the arrest of top myrmidon Naim Abbas, one of the leaders of the Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades. Following his interrogation, he told the army about two car rigged with explosives which were dismantled in Beirut's Corniche al-Mazraa district and the Bekaa area of al-Labweh.
A string of car and suicide kabooms have targeted Hizbullah strongholds in Leb in recent months, killing dozens of civilians.
The latest attack targeted the Iranian Cultural Center in Bir al-Hassan neighborhood, killing 11 people and wounding more than 100.
The attack was quickly claimed by the Abdullah Azzam Brigades that previously claimed a double suicide kaboom aimed at Iran's embassy in Beirut.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Abdullah Azzam Brigades
[An Nahar] The army intelligence raided on Saturday the house of an bully boy in the southern city of Sidon as a Paleostinian national was rubbed out in the Ain al-Hilweh Paleostinian refugee camp.
The state-run National News Agency reported that the army raided the house of Mahmoud Khalaf in old Sidon town, seizing a cache of arms and grenades.
The NNA described Khalaf as an "extremist."
Meanwhile, ...back at the Senate, Odius Sepulcher called for war against the Visigoths... a masked gunman reportedly shot up Abdullah Serriyeh, who owns a vegetables shop, in al-Fawqani street in Ain al-Hilweh refugee camp.
Serriyeh succumbed to his wounds soon after he was submitted to al-Nidaa Humanitarian hospital at the refugee camp.
The reasons behind the incident are still unknown.
In a separate incident, the car of Ahemd Kaoush was set ablaze in Ein el-Hellhole.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in the Levant
[An Nahar] The army on Saturday circulated the photo of a man it described as a "dangerous runaway," calling on whoever recognizes him to report to the military institution.
"We urge anyone who recognizes the dangerous runaway to call the Army Command's operations center on 1701 or to report by using the military institution's smart phone application LAF Shield," the army said in a communique.
Later in the evening, LBCI television said the circulated photo probably belongs to the second jacket wallah in Beirut's Bir Hassan kaboom that took place on Wednesday.
"It was found partially deformed on the scene of the blasts," it added.
On Wednesday, the army also made public a picture of a "dangerous runaway" which turned out to belong to Paleostinian Nidal al-Mghayyar.
Al-Mghayyar is one of the suicide bombers behind the latest deadly attack on the Beirut neighborhood of Bir Hassan.
The identity of the man in the picture was revealed after the father of al-Moghayar contacted the army intelligence as he realized the photo is that of his son.
Meanwhile, ...back at the pond, the radioactive tadpoles grown into frogs. Really big frogs, in fact... another photograph circulated by the Lebanese Army on Monday turned out to belong to Syrian national Fares Hussein al-Hmoud, who was an assistant to detained Qaeda-linked Death Eater Naim Abbas.
Abbas, a top Death Eater and one of the leaders of the Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades ... Leb's current al-Qaeda affiliate, named after a guy whose car the current head of al-Qaeda had boomed... was jugged ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... last week and he confessed during his interrogation about a car rigged with more than 100 kilos of explosives which was dismantled in Beirut's Corniche al-Mazraa district.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Abdullah Azzam Brigades
[An Nahar] Two troops were killed on Saturday and several others were maimed in a massive suicide car kaboom at an army checkpoint in the Bekaa town of Hermel.
The attack was claimed by Al-Nusra Front in Leb.
The suicide car blast destroyed the checkpoint which lies at the entrance of Hermel, and at which cars are routinely stopped and searched by army troops.
"A suicide kaboom took place near al-Assi bridge area at the entrance of Hermel," the state-run National News Agency reported.
"The blast killed two troops, among them an army officer, and maimed five others while other 10 civilians were also lightly injured in the bombing."
"One victim's body and 14 maimed were transferred to three hospitals in the region," the news agency said.
The NNA identified one injured civilian as Mohammed Dib Ayyoub.
Meanwhile, ...back at the the conspirators' cleverly concealed hideout Montefiore's foot was still stuck and the hound had completely soaked his uniform with slobber... al-Jadeen television and al-Mayadeen channel both said three people were killed in the bombing.
Military sources told LBCI television that among the maimed were three army recruits and two civilians.
"The maimed recruits are Imad Mahmoud Abou Zeid, Hassan Ali Jaafar and Elie Shhade Rizk while the civilians are Khodr Abu Bakr and his wife Rita."
Minister of Public Health Wael Abou Faour urged all hospitals in the region to admit those that were maimed in the blast.
The NNA provided details on the moment of the kaboom: "When army troops asked the driver to turn the lights on inside the car, he refused to do so and then detonated the vehicle."
Media reports also said the checkpoint was not the target.
"The attacker was entering Hermel and when army forces at the checkpoint suspected him, he detonated the booby-trapped car," LBCI said.
LBCI noted that the checkpoint where the car went kaboom! belongs to the border regiment whose mission is deploying troops on the Lebanese-Syrian border.
"Obtained information said two booby-trapped cars were located at the entrance of Hermel, and one of them only went kaboom! at the checkpoint," al-Mayadeen said.
In the evening, the army released a statement detailing on Saturday's developments.
"At 7:00pm a four-wheeled vehicle driven by a jacket wallah detonated at an army checkpoint, killing and wounding several troops and civilians," the released communique said.
The statement noted that the attacker blew himself inside the car when army forces tried to stop him after finding him suspicious.
It considered that Saturday's operation requires embracing the military institution.
"We will never stop facing anyone trying to harm Leb and we'll work to dismantle terrorist networks and prosecute runaways regardless of the sacrifices to be offered," the statement stressed.
"Once again, the army is paying in blood the price of fighting terrorism and attempting to safeguard civil peace in the country. The military institution has warned months ago of what is being planned for Leb and we have intensified our campaigns to arrest planners and executors of these terrorist acts."
"We have announced our readiness to confront terrorism that aims at creating chaos and inciting sedition in Leb."
Late on Saturday evening, Al-Nusra Front in Lebgrabbed credit for the attack.
"In a blessed martyrdom (suicide) operation, the Hermel area was struck on Saturday," the Al-Nusra Front in Leb said on Twitter hours after the blast.
It also posted photographs of children with amputated limbs, under the headline: "The crimes of the party of Iran (Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... ) in Syria".
Following the blast, the municipality of the Bekaa town urged citizens to stay away from the site of the kaboom.
Also, State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr tasked police forces with cordoning off the site of the kaboom and gather all found information and clues about the car and the bomber, according to the NNA.
"He also tasked forensic doctors with collecting humans remains and carry out the necessary DNA testing," the NNA added.
Hermel, in the Bekaa Valley where Hizbullah has a strong presence, has seen multiple attacks in recent months related to the war raging in neighboring Syria.
Until Saturday, the attacks had all killed civilians.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/23/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Nusra
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 ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
By Chris Covert
The Associated Press has learned that the head of Mexico's Sinaloa Cartel was captured overnight by U.S. and Mexican authorities at a hotel in Mazatlan, Mexico.
[DAWN] A suspected terrorist was blown up when a bomb he was planting along a roadside went off here on Sunday morning.
Wazoo
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
