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ISIS leader al-Baghdadi's convoy hit by air strike in Iraq
Today's Headlines
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Afghanistan
Pentagon to make ‘condolence payments’ to Kunduz victims
[IsraelTimes] 22 confirmed dead, 33 still missing from October 3 airstrike on Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan

The Pentagon announced Saturday it would make payments in compensation for those killed and injured by US Arclight airstrikes on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in the northern Afghan city of Kunduz.

The group, known by its French acronym MSF, has demanded an independent international investigation.

It says 33 people are still missing after the October 3 attack, in addition to 12 MSF staff and 10 patients already confirmed dead.

"The Department of Defense believes it is important to address the consequences of the tragic incident," Pentagon front man Peter Cook said in a statement, adding that US Forces-Afghanistan (USFOR-A) also has the authority to pay for repairs to the hospital.

"One step the department can take is to make condolence payments to civilian non-combatants injured and the families of civilian non-combatants killed as a result of US military operations."

Cook said USFOR-A would determine "appropriate payments" through discussions with those affected.

The attack caused MSF to close the trauma center, seen as a lifeline in a war-battered region with scant medical care.

The strike came just days after the Taliban overran the city, with many residents maimed after pitched street battles.

US President Barack Obama
It’s very rare that I come to an event where I’m like the fifth- or sixth-most interesting person....
has apologized to MSF, admitting the strike was a mistake.

Three separate probes -- by the US military, NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions...
and Afghan officials -- are under way.

But the charity, which has condemned the attack as a war crime, is stressing the need for an international investigation, saying the bombing raid contravened the Geneva Conventions.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [9 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Dresden, GE. 13 and 15 February 1945.
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/11/2015 2:15 Comments || Top||

#2  or Operation Meetinghouse air raid of 9–10 March 1945.

That was the 'old days' of waging war, not PR. Back when we 'won' wars we spent lives and resources on.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 10/11/2015 8:04 Comments || Top||

#3  Grom tell me you're not doing sock puppets.
Posted by: Shipman || 10/11/2015 10:38 Comments || Top||

#4  Besoeker & P2K??????????
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/11/2015 11:30 Comments || Top||

#5  Whoops rong article, sorry, my dawg.
Posted by: Shipman || 10/11/2015 13:54 Comments || Top||

#6  "Cook said USFOR-A would determine “appropriate payments” through discussions with those affected."

Please define "affected."

An ugly way to win the lotto, but a win is a win.
Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 || 10/11/2015 17:48 Comments || Top||


Rabbani Urges Public Mobilization to Combat Insurgency
[Tolo News] Minister of Foreign Affairs Salahuddin Rabbani has called for extended public mobilization in a bid to counter terrorism and foil growing insurgency -- which he believes is being fueled by foreign intelligence services.

Speaking at a meeting with tribal elders from Takhar, Baghlan, Badakhshan and Parwan provinces, he said Lions of Islam have no mercy on any ethnic group or party and called on people to mobilize against atrocities inflicted by holy warriors.

Rabbani is currently visiting the northern regions in an effort to seek support from the public to help curb activities by holy warriors.

However many people blame government for failing to take strategic measures to improve security as it deteriorates across the country.

While visiting the north, Rabbani also met with former Mujahideen commanders. The majority of whom accused the current political system of pushing Mujahideen to the sidelines.

In their meetings with Rabbani, elders and former Mujahideen commanders of Baghlan spoke about the fall of Kunduz, saying that Baghlan residents foiled Taliban's intention to collapse their province.

Rabbani praised the provinces people for foiling the plots of Taliban and foreign intelligence services.

As Lions of Islam still try to gain a foothold in the north, Baghlan officials warned on Saturday that nine northern and northeastern provinces would be under serious threat if government does not stamp out insurgency.

Meanwhile,
...back at the Hubba Hubba Club, Big Shirley was still trying to snatch Nunzio bald-headed. She was already halfway there...
the Afghan Ministry of Interior (MoI) has also said it strongly supports the cooperation of the people to help strengthen the security situation.

"Baghlan is a key and strategic province as it works as a connecting bridge between nine provinces. Government's negligence toward Baghlan is in fact neglecting all the northern provinces," head of Baghlan provincial council Safdar Mohseni said.

"If we are dispersed, the floods will come and it will wipe us out, so people must join hands and fight," former Mujahideen commander Leqa Andarabi said.

The statements come at a time that currently areas such as Baghlan-e-Markazi, Tala Barfak district and several other regions in the province are under serious threat.

Addressing Rabbani, acting governor of Baghlan Sultan Mohammad Ebadi said: "Honorable minister, when Kunduz collapsed Baghlan was also on the verge of collapse, but our courageous people acted and vowed to defend their country. I myself saw an old man who wore a military uniform and was chanting slogans to defend Baghlan. The fact is that the firm determination of the old man also energized our moral."
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Afghanistan should avoid speaking language of Pakistan's enemies: Nisar
[DAWN] Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan
...Currently the Interior Minister of Pakistain. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Nawaz Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that. since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture...
on Saturday said the Afghan leadership should not speak in the language of Pakistain's enemies since "the two brotherly countries had cordial relations."

Addressing a presser in Quetta, the interior minister said terrorist acts inside Pakistain were being planned and executed from Afghanistan, of which Pakistain had proof.

Balochistan
...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
Chief Minister Dr. Malik Baloch and other high level officials were also present on the occasion.

"If international forces based in Afghanistan could not end terrorism, what can Pakistain do? Pakistain is not Afghanistan's watchman."

The interior minister said heinous terrorist attacks, including the Army Public School massacre, were planned in Afghanistan and that Pakistain had solid evidence to back this claim.

When asked about the prevailing tension between the two countries, Nisar said:

"The tension is unilateral. We are a responsible government, and soon after the army school attack, the army chief visited Kabul
...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either....
and shared information with the Afghan leadership."

Responding to a question, the interior minister said there was solid proof of foreign intervention in Balochistan.

"For the first time, evidence of foreign intervention from Afghanistan, in Balochistan, Fata, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
, was shared with the United Nations
...the Oyster Bay money pit...
.

"Our permanent member Dr. Maleeha Lodhi shared information of intervention with the UN," he said, adding that more sensitive information would be share with "other countries as well."
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  Can't wait for Esperato Nuggets.
Posted by: Shipman || 10/11/2015 10:39 Comments || Top||

#2  never met a country with more enemies than Pakistan.
Posted by: paul || 10/11/2015 14:08 Comments || Top||

#3  Did his meet the Quetta Shura on his travels.
Posted by: paul || 10/11/2015 14:10 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Kenya frees 8 Muslim clerics suspected of recruiting youths for Shaboobs
NAIROBI, Kenya – A Kenyan court has set free 8 of 12 Muslim clerics who were arrested in Kenya’s northeastern town of Mandera on Tuesday.

The 12 clerics who were arrested by a Kenyan Anti-Terror Police Unit were suspected of radicalizing and recruiting youths for the al-Shabab militia group in Kenya’s Muslim dominated North Eastern region. Local media reported that the Anti-Terror Police Unit had approached the court on Thursday to ask the court to release the eight.

“We want them to be reporting at the offices to aid investigations that are still underway for the remaining four suspects and we have considered their constitutional rights and by this fact, we came to court before the five days granted on Tuesday expired,” the Daily Nation website quoted police as saying.
Have secret informers put the word out into the Shaboob community that the eight clerics were released because they ratted out the Shaboobs. The problem will solve itself...
On Tuesday, Kenyan police were given five days on Tuesday to produce evidence against 12 Muslim clerics, local media reported. The Anti-Terror Police Unit had requested 14 days to question the men, who were taken into custody Sunday on suspicion of radicalizing and recruiting youths to join the al-Shabab militant group.

The clerics were arrested in a mosque in Mandera, a town near the border with Somalia that has been the site of intense militant activity. Last year, 28 teachers were killed by al-Shabab in Hareri on the town’s outskirts.

The Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims’ Director General Abdul Latif told Anadolu Agency on Friday that the Anti-Terror Police Unit had given in to “pressure” by Muslims in Kenya.

“We have always called for justice and fair treatment; we told them that if the Muslim clerics are innocent then they should be released immediately without them suffering,”Latif said. “They did just that, racial profiling of Muslims as terrorists should stop, we want the government to stop this.”
Posted by: Steve White || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab

#1  search for moderate muslim cleric continues......
Posted by: paul || 10/11/2015 13:12 Comments || Top||


Bashir launches Sudan dialogue boycotted by opposition
[Al Ahram] President Omar al-Bashir
Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to Arabize Darfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it.
launched talks in Khartoum Saturday on Sudan's ailing economy and the insurgencies in its border regions, despite a boycott by mainstream opposition and rebel groups.

Bashir, wanted by the International Criminal Court
... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ...
for war crimes, announced the dialogue in January 2014 but spent more than a year making preparations and negotiating conditions with opposition groups.

Most groups boycotted Saturday's conference, calling instead for a meeting abroad to agree on terms for talks, but Bashir said they could still join.

"We have not and will not close the door to them," he said at the conference's opening session.

Bashir also said he could declare a permanent ceasefire with rebels battling him in the western Darfur region and in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states.

"We announce our wish -- if the other side shows a credible commitment -- to have a permanent ceasefire," he said.

Last month, Bashir issued a decree declaring a two-month ceasefire and pardoning any rebel leaders who attend the talks.

But the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North, which has been battling government forces in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, and the main Darfur rebel groups did not respond.

The SPLM-N has said the military launched air raids on South Kordofan after the ceasefire was announced.

Saturday's opening was attended by Arab League
...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing...
chief Nabil al-Arabi as well and dozens of smaller political parties, many allied to Bashir's ruling National Congress Party.

Several small rebel factions from Darfur also attended the opening.

The talks are aimed at finding a solution to the country's ailing economy and the conflicts in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

Sudan has been under a US trade embargo since 1997 over charges of rights abuses and backing hard boy Islamist groups.

Its economy suffered a further blow when South Sudan became independent in 2011, taking with it three-quarters of the country's oil production.

Darfur has also been mired in violence since 2003, when black hard boyz mounted a campaign against the Arab-dominated Khartoum regime because they felt they were being marginalised.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan


Africa North
International support for UNSMIL's presidential council proposals
[Libya Herald] There has been a widespread international welcome for UNSMIL's announcement of the six names for the Presidential Council. US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry
Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State...
said that it marked the "completion of the Libyan political framework".

He continued: " the announcement of the names of the big shots for a Government of National Accord is a significant milestone in the Libyan political process. I welcome these important steps and commend the courageous Libyan delegates who have spent the past year in difficult negotiations to create an inclusive new government".

He pressed all sides to now move forward on an agreement that would provide the Libyan people with safety, security and the rule of law that they deserved.

" I urge members of the House of Representatives and the General National Congress to immediately endorse the final text and the slate of leaders for the Government of National Accord". That done, he said, the United States stood ready to support the new government.

The EU High Representative for foreign affairs, Federica Mogherini, said that the Europeans were also ready to offer immediate political and financial support, the latter to the tune of €100 million.

"The Libyan delegates have displayed a sense of responsibility, leadership and a spirit of consensus at a critical time in the history of their country" she said, "I commend their work and that of the United Nations
...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships...
Secretary-General's Special Representative Bernardino Leon".
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Tripoli government to tighten rules on marrying foreigners
[Libya Herald] The Tripoli
...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn...
-based "government" plans to tighten rules permitting Libyan citizens marrying foreigners, its social affairs minister, Samira Al-Ferjani, has announced.

Plans are in hand, she said, to set a committee in each municipal area to which Libyans hoping to marry foreigners must apply for permission. If granted, it would then issue a marriage certificate, recognised by the Libyan authorities and ensuring the spouse and children had the same rights as ordinary Libyans.

According to Ferjani, who said that a committee had been studying the issue for ten months, there had been too many problems relating to mixed marriages. Numerous marriage certificates had been forged, she said, and in cases where the marriage had not been registered at an embassy abroad, the children's rights in Libya were then affected.

There were concerns too, she added, relating to Libyans marrying non-Sunni Muslims, mentioning specifically those who had married "Alawites, Druze and Shiites". It was causing problems, she claimed. There was a need to "preserve the Libyan and Islamic identity," she added.
"There are those who belong to the master version of the Master Religion... and then there are all the icky secondary and tertiary persons who must not be allowed to be treated equally," she summarized.
Reports that the local foreign marriage committees would have to refer applications to the Grand Mufti's Dar Al-Ifta (Fatwa house) for approval have not been confirmed.

In 2013, the Ministry of Social Affairs endorsed the Grand Mufti's call banning women from marrying foreigners.

Sheikh Saddeq Al-Ghariani based his call on "several complaints" he said he had received that Shiite and Druze men from Iran and Syria were "taking advantage of the loose security grip in Libya and the country's chaotic situation in the public administration".

He had asked the government not to approve marriage contracts between Libyan women and non-Libyan men for fear that the women would be misled into marrying men from other sects, "even if the men are Muslims or Arabs".

Apart from the issue of Libyan women marrying Syrians or Iraqis, there certainly have been numerous reports of foreign women living in Libya reduced to poverty after their Libyan husbands abandoned them. There have also been cases where beacuse the marriage was not registered under Libyan law the children cannot go to school, receive free medical treatment, have a passport or any other right flowing from citizenship.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  Have to stop that long list of foreigners trying to obtain Libyan "green cards" through marriage.
Posted by: Sven the pelter || 10/11/2015 0:06 Comments || Top||

#2  Nothing new here.

Those rules were in place much earlier.

A Libyan woman wrote a marriage contract on me and she said that it would have to go to court and she would have to explain why she was marrying a foreigner instead of one of those fine upstanding young Libyans.

Because she was divorced and over 35, her pickings were slim to use her words, but the court didn't see it that way.

That's when my boss shipped me back to the US when he got wind that the family of the woman was VIOLENTLY opposed to her marrying an American...
Posted by: Bill Clinton || 10/11/2015 11:23 Comments || Top||


Zintan breaks ranks
[Libya Herald] The Zintan Military Council has apparently rejected the House of Representatives' extension of its term beyond 20 October and said that it is "disappointed" with the outcome of the "long-awaited" National. Accord.

In a social media statement, which if indeed genuine, will give widespread pause for thought, it said: "We the Libyans take the responsibility of failure and its long-lasting consequences. We should stop blaming other people and instead, get back to negotiations among ourselves, without the participation of those with finished legitimacy". It continued, "The GNC finished its legality on 2 February 2014 and the HOR will run out of its legitimacy on 20 October this year".

The military council said that the appearance of a third deputy prime minister from the south, to complement his colleagues from the east and the west of the country, appeared to advocate "the separation of Libya into three regions and the return to the obsolete time from the early 1960s".

According to the posted statement, the Zantanis said " We are also perplexed to see the names of those warmongers and those who destroyed the country in leadership positions of this proposed government under UN supervision".

The statement went on to say: " We don't say that the United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
has failed, as they are coming from different cultures and it is difficult for them to understand us".

Speaking of the agreement, the release continued, "Those who reject this invitation, [to join to Accord] including those who extended their terms [meaning both the GNC and HoR], and ones who are not convinced with any reason, should be excluded from such internal dialogue".

The Zintani statement ended by warning that there was a clear constitutional vacuum. It said that most politicians spent their time out of the country and that the only meetings they attended were those that affected their terms of office.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [4 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  Background:

The coalition of Zintan militias, under the umbrella organization of the Al-Zintan Revolutionaries’ Military Council, is considered to be the second strongest armed force in the country after the Misrata militia group. The Council was formed in 2011 and has 23 member militia groups which are organized into five brigades. These groups are based in the city of Zintan and the nearby Nafusa Mountains to the south of Tripoli.

The most well-known brigade of the Al-Zintan group is the Martyr Muhammad al-Madani Brigade, which has about 4,000 fighters.

The Al-Zintan militias formed one of the three major fronts during the 2011 uprising and were part of the surge into Tripoli at the end of the uprising. Following this, they held and managed the Tripoli international airport up until April 2012.

Their current leader is Mukhtar Khalifah Shahub who previously served as a Libyan navy officer.

The Al-Zintan group opposes both Congress and Islamists, giving them cause to align with Haftar’s Libyan National Army. Two Zintan militias attacked the national congress building in Tripoli two days after the Libyan National Army attacked Benghazi this May. They are now positioned across southwest Tripoli.

The Zintan militias have clashed with other city militias somewhat frequently and possess a good deal of artillery as well as armored cars. They wear army-style uniforms similar to those worn by regular forces and have a strong and efficient chain of command. Other assets include various forms of media, such as a satellite channel called Libya al-Watan, multiple websites, and pages on Facebook.
Posted by: Pappy || 10/11/2015 7:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Thanks Pappy, I read Zartan and prepared to put my fighting shoes on in their, no crab boil no peace!
Posted by: Shipman || 10/11/2015 10:41 Comments || Top||


Salafist Nour Party mobilised to win West Delta 15-seat constituency
[Al Ahram] The ultraconservative Salafist Nour Party, the only Islamist party campaigning in Egypt's parliamentary elections, will have around 200 independents and 15 party-based candidates running.

The first stage of the elections, scheduled for 17 to 28 October, will be held in 14 governorates. The Higher Election Committee (HEC) in charge of supervising the polls announced Saturday that there will be a total of 286 seats up for competition in this stage, with 2,573 independent candidates competing for 226 seats in 103 constituencies, and 240 party-based candidates competing for 60 seats in two constituencies.

Senior Nour Party official Shaaban Abdel-Alim told Al-Ahram Online that "the party originally sought to field 220 independent candidates, but we have finally decided to reduce this number to less than 200 candidates."

"Besides, we decided to field 60 candidates in just two -- rather than four -- party-based constituencies: the West Nile Delta constituency (with 15 seats), and the Cairo, South and Middle Delta constituency (with 45 seats)," Abdel-Alim said.

"The party's officials agreed that we should focus on the party's power bases in the West Delta and Cairo constituencies rather than fielding candidates in all of Egypt," said Abdel-Alim, adding that "we know that we are facing a war from secular forces, but we want to send them a message that we want to be partners in the coming parliament rather than to be monopolisers."

The last few days saw the party stepping up election campaigns in different constituencies. The party's chairman and former MP Younis Makhyoun toured 11 Upper Egypt governorates which form part of the first stage of the polls.

"We do not have a list of party-based candidates in these governorates, but we do have many running as independents there," Abdel-Alim said. "In all of his tours, Makhyoun was keen to tell the party's candidates and supporters that the party stands behind the regime of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi as long as it achieves the national interests of the country and that the party puts the state's supreme interests above personal and partisan considerations."

Abdel-Alim will be running as an independent in the Upper Egypt governorate of Beni Suef.

The Nour Party's strongest power base is in the Nile West Delta constituency, which covers three governorates; Alexandria, Beheira and Marsa Matruh. Many of the party's candidates who won seats in the 2012 parliamentary elections are hoping to repeat their earlier success.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [11 views] Top|| File under: Salafists


Arabia
Analysis: The limits of Iranian power
While regional news remains dominated by the dramatic events under way in Syria, further south and east important developments are taking place in one of the more neglected arenas of the regional struggle - Yemen.

Events in Yemen are noteworthy because they counter the notion that as a result of the Obama administration's exit from the region and in the wake of the nuclear agreement, an unstoppable Iranian advance across the Middle East is inevitable.

In Yemen, what is taking place is the halting of an Iranian client by forces supported by the Arab Gulf states, most importantly Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Iran-supported Ansar Allah movement, more popularly known as the Houthis, seized control of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, in March. The government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi was forced into exile in Saudi Arabia. The Houthis and their allies then began a march to the south, intending to seize the Gulf of Aden and unite the country under their control.

Preventing this was a matter of strategic importance for the opponents of the Houthis and of their Iranian backers. Control of southwest Yemen would have given the Houthis (and hence the Iranians) the ability to choke off energy supplies making their way from the Persian Gulf to the Suez Canal via the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait.

Saudi and Emirati assistance to Yemeni government forces seeking to prevent this outcome began on March 26. Egypt, Morocco, Jordan, Sudan, Kuwait, Qatar and Bahrain also joined the coalition against the Houthis. These countries provided air support to government forces.

The Houthi offensive, in which the Zaidi Shi'a tribesmen were supported by military elements loyal to the ousted dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh, stalled in the face of Saudi-supported resistance.

The Houthis came close to capturing Aden City in late March. But that was the furthest point of their advance.

In the course of the summer, Saudi- and UAE-supported forces succeeded in driving the Houthis out of Aden, enabling Hadi to return to the city.

As of now, after the death of around 4,900 people in the conflict, the Houthis have agreed to adhere to a seven-point plan brokered by the UN at talks in Muscat, Oman. The plan includes a cease-fire and the return of the government to Sanaa.

It is not yet clear if the cease-fire will be implemented, and skepticism is justified. But if the reports are correct, the Houthi declaration follows a series of defeats they have suffered at the hands of the Saudi- led coalition in recent weeks.

Coalition forces recently secured the Bab el-Mandeb area and also captured the strategic Marib Dam in Marib province, held by the Houthis since the spring. Saudi-supported forces are poised to begin an assault on Taiz province, one of the last remaining strongholds of the Houthis in the south of the country.

The largely ignored events in Yemen reflect the reality of an ongoing Saudi-Iranian contest, which itself forms part of the broader Sunni-Shi'a conflict currently bisecting the Middle East. Success in restoring the Hadi government in Yemen, if it takes place, will be a major boost to the Saudis, who fear being encircled by pro-Iranian forces, given Iranian influence in Iraq and Yemen.

Other than the strategic issue of control of Bab el-Mandeb, why should events in Yemen matter outside of its immediate environs? They matter for the following reason: In the series of Saudi-Iranian proxy wars taking place across the region, the Iranians appeared to enjoy a clear advantage.

Iran being a revolutionary republic, possessing an instrument specifically designed for the establishment and promotion of proxy political-military organizations (the Quds Force of the Revolutionary Guards), their ascendancy seemed assured. Many rightly fear that once the Iranians begin to receive sanctions relief following the conclusion of the agreement on their nuclear program, they will be free to continue and increase their support for the long list of regional proxies they maintain.

But in Yemen, the Saudis appear to have held an Iranian proxy to a draw. The Houthis are not destroyed, but their victory and serious strategic gains for the Iranians have been prevented.

This process fits into a larger picture, in which Iranian interference - in Yemen, in Syria, in Iraq - appears more usually to lead to the division of countries and ongoing civil war rather than to a clear Iranian triumph.

Only in tiny Lebanon can an Iranian proxy (Hezbollah) be said to have established a position of acknowledged military superiority.

But even there, Hezbollah does not seek to rule alone.

Thus, Iran finds itself in a position of involvement in a whole series of conflicts in the Middle East, supporting powerful players, while prevailing as yet in none.

Events in Yemen this week offer further proof that any notion of an Iranian juggernaut sweeping over the Middle East as a result of US withdrawal from it is exaggerated.

The Iranians and their allies are powerful regional players, but inbuilt limitations are likely to prevent them from achieving the regional hegemony they dream of.

Iranian regional machinations are set to continue exacerbating strife and division across the region, but without clear victories for Tehran.
Posted by: Sven the pelter || 10/11/2015 01:04 || Comments || Link || [19 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Thus, Iran finds itself in a position of involvement in a whole series of conflicts in the Middle East, supporting powerful players, while prevailing as yet in none.

Not considered: That it's intended as a long-term, learning experience.
Posted by: Pappy || 10/11/2015 7:15 Comments || Top||

#2  what the Iranians need is to have to deal with an armed, motivated internal opposition. Make them focus at home rather than mischief abroad
Posted by: Frank G || 10/11/2015 10:33 Comments || Top||

#3  Obama, or rather ValJar, wouldn't let that happen.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 10/11/2015 10:45 Comments || Top||

#4  Iran's Kurds are rambunctious, too. Rudow tracks their interactions with Iran's troops -- it's a very good thing the Kurds continue to have larger families.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/11/2015 14:21 Comments || Top||

#5  They shall soon enough have power enough.
Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 || 10/11/2015 17:43 Comments || Top||


Bahraini Forces Take down 'Ashura' Flags, Banners
[ALMANAR.LB] Bahraini authorities on Thursday took down flags and banners for Ashura season which the Shiites majority in Bahrain commemorates on the onset of the Hijri year of the Islamic calendar in a flagrant violation of freedom of beliefs.

Social media activists posted photos of the civil defense forces accompanied by a large number of Interior Ministry security forces, who were roaming through the streets of Eskan A'ali to take down any banner or flag related to Ashura.

Bahrain's Shiite majority complains about the discrimination and marginalization exercised against them. Human rights organizations say that the authorities have imposed restrictions on Shiite religious freedom since the eruption of the widespread protests in 2011.

The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) headed by Cherif Bassiouni and appointed by Bahrain's king, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, documented that the authorities demolished 38 Shiite mosques and committed other violations against Shiites in Bahrain.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:


Down Under
Australia police stop anti-Islam rally becoming violent
[AA.TR] A strong police presence prevented anticipated violent festivities Saturday between rival protesters supporting and opposed to plans to construct a mosque in an Australian city.

As hundreds of anti-mosque protesters confronted hundreds of anti-racism protesters in Bendigo, a regional city in Victoria state, hundreds of police managed to keep the two factions apart.

Several scuffles broke out -- one in which two protesters were incarcerated
Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages!
for carrying knives -- but organizers of both groups told Anadolu Agency that it was generally a peaceful event.

A previous anti-mosque protest in August had forced the center of the city to be shut down due to confrontations.

Praise for the Victoria Police's even-handed actions appeared to be unanimous.

Victoria's Minister Police Wade Noonan told Anadolu Agency that police "did outstanding work in Bendigo," and expressed his gratitude "on behalf of all Victorians."

"It is clear from the low turnout in Bendigo that Victorians reject racism," he added.

The coordinator of the United Patriots Front, Blair Cottrell, told Anadolu Agency that he estimated there were 3,000 anti-mosque demonstrators. Victoria Police, however, estimated the turnout was closer to 350, with another 250 people joining the anti-racism/pro-diversity demonstrators.

Both the United Patriots Front and No Room for Racism exchanged heated slogans.

While anti-mosque protesters shouted "Aussie, Aussie. Aussie, Oi Oi Oi" and "no mosque," the anti-racist protesters retorted with "Nazi scum off our streets."

The rival protests were triggered by Victoria's planning tribunal approving a permit for Bendigo's first mosque despite opposition to the project from some local residents.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  the problem here is that police allow counter-protesters to organise at the same time and place

which is inciting violence

they go on purpose to shut down the first group of protesters with a violent street fight, openly advertising this is what they are about - shutting them down

this is anti-free speech. they should let the first group have their whinge, then oganise their counter rally for the next day.

But they do not - because they get rewarded

the media reward them by giving them a platform for their views.

If instead they reported them as anti-free-speech counter-protesters and blocked them from getting any message in the paper, and printed only views from the first group

and if the police refused to give permission for counter rallies at the same place/time and arrested any troublemakers

then we would have a lot more respect for freedom of speech and the whole culture of PEACEFUL protest could be brought back. everyone would have a chance to have their say
Posted by: anon1 || 10/11/2015 6:11 Comments || Top||

#2  "nti-racism protesters"

your bias is showing
Posted by: Frank G || 10/11/2015 10:35 Comments || Top||

#3  anti

need coffee
Posted by: Frank G || 10/11/2015 10:35 Comments || Top||

#4  IMO, "nti-racism protesters" sounds better.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/11/2015 11:29 Comments || Top||


Europe
Dutch PM condemns attack on shelter for Syrian refugees
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Saturday condemned an attack by masked men on a shelter housing Syrian refugees, the country's worst such incident since large numbers of migrants began arriving in Europe this year.

A group of about 20 men hurled fireworks and eggs at the temporary refuge in a sports centre in the city of Woerden, near Utrecht, late on Friday.

City mayor Victor Molkenboer said the incident had "an enormous impact" on the refugees. "It recalled traumatic experiences for them," he told a news conference.

Police said on Saturday they had locked away
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
and charged 11 suspects aged between 19 and 30 over the attack, in which no injuries were reported.

Rutte was due to visit the shelter, which is home to nearly 150 refugees and one of more than a hundred makeshift refuges set up in the Netherlands in recent weeks.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:


The Grand Turk
Nationalist party blames Turkish foreign policy for Ankara attack
[Hurriyet Daily News] Devlet Bahceli, head of The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
's Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), blamed Turkey's foreign policy, while commenting on the kaboom in Ankara, which claimed at least 95 lives, on Oct. 10.

"Turkey has been paying the price of the sympathetic and warm approach to terror and biased and non-national approach in foreign policy."
"Turkey has been paying the price of the sympathetic and warm approach to terror and biased and non-national approach in foreign policy. Both President [Recep Tayyip]Erdogan and PM [Ahmet]Davutoglu should immediately demonstrate the necessary will to reconstruct the national security."

"As a similar bombing reminding of the atrocious attack in Suruc has erupted in Ankara and they were dragging feet against potential provocations, a new disaster has been invited," he said in a statement, referring to a July 20 attack in the southeastern district of Suruc, which claimed 33 people lives.

"The important issue to interrogate is the irresponsibility and negligence, as the jacket wallahs have taken the risk to enter our capital and still our security and intelligence institutions had no information," Bahceli said.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:


Erdogan condemns Ankara bomb attack
[Hurriyet Daily News] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him...
has condemned in a written statement the Oct. 10 deadly kaboom on a peace rally in Ankara as "hateful."

"I fiercely condemn the hateful attack against our unity and solidarity and our country's peace," the president said.
"I fiercely condemn the hateful attack against our unity and solidarity and our country's peace," the president said.

"Those who practice double standards against terrorist attacks and organizations are giving the biggest support to terrorism."

"There is no difference between the previous attacks against our soldiers, coppers, village guards, public officials and innocent citizens and this terrorist attack against civilians at Ankara train station today."

The president offered his condolences to the families of the victims.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:

#1  ...but, but, I'm one of them.

(Letting 'them' use Turkish territory to cross over to attack the Kurds).

You play with fire, you get burned.
Posted by: Procopius2k || 10/11/2015 8:00 Comments || Top||

#2  what leader follows kamal ataturk vision of the country?
Posted by: paul || 10/11/2015 13:19 Comments || Top||


Demirtas slams Erdogan, gov't for attack that claimed 86 lives
[Hurriyet Daily News] Selahattin Demirtas, the co-chair of the People's Democratic Party (HDP) whose members are among the victims of the Oct. 10 Ankara attack, harshly criticized both government and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him...
for poor inspection on recent similar attacks.

"We have lost almost 150 of our people before and after the elections," he said in Ankara, referring to the June 7 elections that failed to produce a one-party or coalition government but brought the HDP to the parliament as a party group as it surpassed the 10 percent election threshold. "There is nobody who has been designated as 'responsible' around. There is no effective investigation. There will be none regarding today's attack either. This is not an attack against unity of our state and nation. This is an attack by our nation against our people," he said.

According to official figures, 86 people were killed at the attack at the start of a peace rally in the Turkish capital, as dozens remained in intensive care or surgery.

"Until this day, No perpetrator has been revealed. They are able to arrest somebody just because he tweeted. They are able to arrest somebody just upon an order by the palace," Demirtas said, in an apparent reference to President Erdogan.

"From our perspective, this is not a dark and deep attack or an attack which is launched by external forces," he said.

On June 5, two days before the general elections, four people died in a twin kaboom on a HDP rally in Diyarbakir, one of the strongholds of the party in the southeast, where Demirtas was scheduled to address the crowd. He then called calm after the attack.

The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
is once again heading for a re-election on Nov. 1.

A sum of 33 people died in a July 20 attack on a socialist youth group by the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in the southeastern district of Suruc.

Demirtas, who likened the Ankara attack to Suruc and Diyarbakir raids, questioned why none of the governmental or bureaucratic authority has so far acknowledged failure and presented their resignation.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:


Those responsible for Ankara attack should resign: CHP
[Hurriyet Daily News] All political figures who have negligence in the Oct. 10 attack in Ankara, where at least 95 people were killed, should resign, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) said in a written statement.

"We demand an inspection on the reasons for such a big weakness at the security and intelligence bodies," read the statement.
"We demand an inspection on the reasons for such a big weakness at the security and intelligence bodies," read the statement.

"We want all political figures with responsibility who have negligence in this incident resign even it is too late."

"Even we feel pain and anger, we should stick to common sense," it said.

The party has cancelled election campaign activities for three days, just like its political rivals.
Earlier in the day, Interior Minister Selami Altinok ruled out any responsibility, saying that he did not consider resignation.

CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaorglu said after the attack that the party was ready to lend any support to end terrorism.

"We are ready with all our power," he said.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under:


Four terror groups may be behind Ankara attack: Turkish PM
[Hurriyet Daily News] Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu declared a three-day national mourning after the Oct. 10 twin kaboom on a peace rally in Ankara, also singling out four outlawed organizations as possible suspects of the country's largest terror tragedy ever.

The prime minister named these organizations as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), along with two “leftist” organizations, namely, the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) and the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP).
"The organizations that possess such a capacity are obvious," the Prime Minister said during a press meeting in Ankara in the evening.

The prime minister named these organizations as the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), along with two "leftist" organizations, namely, the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party-Front (DHKP-C) and the Marxist-Leninist Communist Party (MLKP).

Although the identity of the culprits remains unknown, Davutoglu said there are "very strong signs" the Ankara blasts were carried out by two jacket wallahs.

The prime minister said he wants to consult two parties, the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) on the issue, but he ruled out any contacts with the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) after the Kurdish-issue focused party's co-chair Selahattin Demirtas's statement that slammed the government for the attack.

"Demirtas's conscience and mind were handcuffed. I am here if anyone asks for an account," the prime minister said.

"This attack has targeted not a single group, citizens who joined the rally or a political community but targeted our people as a whole," Davutoglu said.

"While we are heading toward elections [on Nov. 1]... such an attack has directly taken aim at democracy and democratic rights and freedoms," he added.

The MHP has rejected the PM's offer but Davutoglu and CHP leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu are expected to meet on Oct. 11.

"Today is the day to be in solidarity shoulder-to-shoulder."
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [16 views] Top|| File under:


Twitter reports 'access issues' in Turkey after attack
[Hurriyet Daily News] Many users in Turkey were unable to access Twitter on Oct 10, the social networking site said, after at least 86 people were killed in the capital Ankara in twin bombings
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:


At least 95 killed in twin blast in Turkey's Ankara ahead of peace rally
[Hurriyet Daily News] Interior Minister Selami Altinok ruled out any responsibility [for the kabooms], saying that he did not consider resignation.

Altinok said there was some brief information on the type of the attack and the organization behind it, but he would not share it due to intelligence concerns.

"I hope to go to the ballot boxes under healthy conditions," said the minister, referring to the Nov. 1 re-elections.

Seperately, the Justice and Development Party (AKP) Ömer Celik also said the attack aimed at the elections. Reiterating that the AKP and its leader Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu suspended their election campaign activities for three days, Celik underlined need for a "united stance."

"This terrorist activity is aimed at creating chaos, instigating certain street movements and the election environment. We should calmly fail these attempt," he said.

"The attack aims at creating trauma among the society. It is extremely planned and organized. We are passing through the biggest grievances of our history. It is virtually an attempt of massacre. It aims at shaping civil dynamics of The Sick Man of Europe The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
It aims at turning Turkey into an inward-oriented mood at a time when there are very important foreign policy developments taking place. This attack which took place in Ankara may take place at anywhere, there is need for a joint stance," the spokeperson said.

"We do not consider this attack as launched at a certain group or party, this attack is launched against all colors of Turkey."

The blasts were at the two sides of the exit of the main train station in the city, where the People's Democratic Party (HDP) supporters were gathering.

The cause of the blasts was not immediately clear, but the prime minister has said there is strong evidence that attacks were carried by two jacket wallahs.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency reported that it could be a jacket wallah, as eye witnesses said human flesh was all over the scene.

Blasts occurred ahead of a planned "peace" march organized by labor unions and a number of NGOs to protest against the conflict between the state and forces of Evil of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) in southeast Turkey.

Organizers have cancelled the meeting, calling on participants from other cities to return. They also called on people to donate blood for numbers of injured people at Ankara hospitals.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Violates Rule #1 of Besoeker's tenets of how to stay alive.

1. Avoid protest rallies and large gatherings of people.
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/11/2015 3:16 Comments || Top||

#2  And attractive but wild-eyed wymen.
Posted by: Shipman || 10/11/2015 10:43 Comments || Top||

#3  @#1: Excellent. Would like to see the rest of 'em!
Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 || 10/11/2015 18:02 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Lawyer: Officer recommends no jail time for Bergdahl
The officer in charge of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl's Article 32 preliminary hearing has recommended that the soldier accused of desertion avoid jail time for his actions, according to Bergdahl's civil defense attorney.

Lt. Col. Mark Visger's report to Gen. Robert Abrams, the head of Army Forces Command who is in charge of the case, also will advise that the matter be decided at a special court-martial, lawyer Eugene Fidell told Army Times on Saturday, confirming reports in other media outlets. Soldiers facing special courts-martial can receive no more than a year in jail and no worse than a bad-conduct discharge; punishments regarding hard labor and pay forfeiture have similar restrictions.

Visger also recommended Bergdahl not face a punitive discharge for his alleged actions, Fidell said. A memo from Bergdahl's defense team to Visger regarding the report -- released late Friday by Fidell to media members -- said the officer's recommendations didn't go far enough and requested nonjudicial punishment, better known as an Article 15, instead of a special court-martial.

The Article 32 wrapped up Sept. 18. Berghdal faces one desertion charge and one charge of misbehavior before the enemy, which could carry a life sentence.

Visger isn't the first officer connected with the case to recommend against jail time; Maj. Gen. Kenneth Dahl, who was charged with investigating Bergdahl's 2009 capture by the Taliban, testified last month that the now-29-year-old soldier should not be imprisoned for his actions.

The memo to Visger also requests that his report be made public -- a familiar request from Fidell regarding evidence related to the case.

"They should be releasing Colonel Visger's report, they should be releasing General Dahl's report, they should be releasing Sergeant Bergdahl's 371-page transcript of his interrogation by General Dahl, I mean, all of this stuff should be released," Fidell said.

"We could object to it, but we're not objecting to it, we want it public. And the chips will fall where they may. ... Let people make up their own minds instead of having this all behind a curtain."
Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [5 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The officer in question should bitch-slap himself.
Posted by: Sven the pelter || 10/11/2015 0:38 Comments || Top||

#2  "They should be releasing Colonel Visger's report, they should be releasing General Dahl's report, they should be releasing Sergeant Bergdahl's 371-page transcript of his interrogation by General Dahl, I mean, all of this stuff should be released,"

Methinks the counselor is then counting on his client not having to submit to examination during court-martial proceedings.

I'm thinking the Army is going to roll over on this one and hope it all goes away.
Posted by: Pappy || 10/11/2015 0:43 Comments || Top||

#3  Visger also recommended Bergdahl not face a punitive discharge for his alleged actions, Fidell said. A memo from Bergdahl's defense team to Visger regarding the report -- released late Friday by Fidell to media members -- said the officer's recommendations didn't go far enough and requested nonjudicial punishment, better known as an Article 15, instead of a special court-martial.

Statements such as this absolutely confirm #2.
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/11/2015 3:22 Comments || Top||

#4  Art 99
Posted by: Procopius2k || 10/11/2015 7:57 Comments || Top||

#5  I'm surprised they don't recommend him for the MOH /sarcasm
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 10/11/2015 11:16 Comments || Top||

#6  Vile, despicable , craven, all words to describe careerist toadie officers who lost their sense of honor along the path. This infection of the last bastions of honest virtue, the military, is frightening proof of the depth of the rot that the left has wrought.
Posted by: NoMoreBS || 10/11/2015 12:20 Comments || Top||

#7  Okay.
No jail time and a firing squad.
Sound good?
Posted by: newc || 10/11/2015 13:19 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
The India-Pakistan border is so closely guarded that it can be seen from space
from AOSHQ overnight thread. Cool pics
The border between India and Pakistan is one of the few international boundaries that can be easily identified from space.

Late last month, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Earth Observatory shared a nighttime image of the international border that divides India and Pakistan.

Amid countless dots and some larger blobs of yellow, the border between the two countries can be seen as a distinct, brightly-lit orange line‐thanks to the security lights that run the length of the boundary.

Nearly 2,000 kilometres, out of about 3,300 kilometres, of the India-Pakistan border is floodlit, according to Indian government officials, which racks up massive electricity and diesel bills.
Posted by: Frank G || 10/11/2015 09:31 || Comments || Link || [11 views] Top|| File under:

#1  WOT Tom Sawyer was sure he could navigate his ballon by looking at the color of the states, which he figured corresponded to his globe.

/Tom Sawyer Abroad which is not about the cis thingy.
Posted by: Shipman || 10/11/2015 10:48 Comments || Top||

#2  ASOHQ linkie unb0rked

"How to Reduce Your Lighting Bill with Autonomous Killbots" would be a good topic for This Week in Killer Robots.
Posted by: SteveS || 10/11/2015 14:41 Comments || Top||

#3  hmmm I plugged in the correct link. Dunno.
Posted by: Frank G || 10/11/2015 15:23 Comments || Top||


Three day anti-polio drive kicks off in KP
[DAWN] A three-day polio
...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set...
immunisation drive kicked off in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
(KP) province on Saturday amid tight security.

A total of 3,287,429 children under the age of five years will be administered polio drops in 13 districts of the province during the immunisation campaign.

According to the Polio Monitoring Cell, 8,444 mobile, 863 fixed, 737 transit and 67 roaming teams are taking part in three-day drive that has started 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.
, Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera, Swat, Kohat, Bannu, Hangu, Karak, Dera Ismail Khan
... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ...
, Lakki Marwat, Tank, and Torghar districts of the province.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [8 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


PM Nawaz says working for revival of Afghan peace talks
[DAWN] 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...
on Saturday said he is trying to revive peace between the Afghanistan government and Taliban after the latest round of talks was derailed by untimely news of the death of Taliban leader Mullah Omar
... a minor Pashtun commander in the war against the Soviets who made good as leader of the Taliban. As ruler of Afghanistan, he took the title Leader of the Faithful. The imposition of Pashtunkhwa on the nation institutionalized ignorance and brutality in a country already notable for its own fair share of ignorance and brutality...
.

Islamabad organised the first set of direct peace talks between the Taliban and the Afghan government in July, but another round was abandoned after the announcement of Taliban chief Mullah Omar's death.

Since then, the turbans have unleashed a wave of violence, including seizing the northern Afghan quiet provincial capital Kunduz in their most spectacular victory since being toppled from power in 2001.

"We are now trying to resume the (peace) process and pray to God to crown our efforts with success," Sharif said in televised remarks to the media from Lahore.

"The news of Mullah Omar should not have been broken just before the start of the second round of talks."

Pakistain has historically supported the Taliban turbans and many Afghans accuse it of nurturing bully boy sanctuaries on its soil in the hope of maintaining influence in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


International-UN-NGOs
UN Security Council clears EU naval action against people-smugglers
[Libya Herald] As widely expected, the UN Security Council has this evening empowered the EU to crack down on people smugglers operating out of Libya.

However the resolution, which was backed by both Russia and China but from which Venezuela alone abstained, said that besides EU naval forces, "individual countries" would be able to "inspect and/or seize vessels suspected of people smuggling in the Mediterranean".

It is unclear if this opens the door for other states, including the US to join in the anti-smuggler campaign.

The Security Council majored on the still growing toll of deaths among migrants launched by Libya people smugglers, which it referred to as being in the "hundreds" when in August the International Organization for Migration reported that migrant drownings had passed 2,000 mark.

The UNSC resolution appears to carry safeguards. The interception of vessels suspected of being used for migrant smuggling or human trafficking from Libya will only be allowed provided "good faith efforts" have been made to obtain the consent of the craft's flag state. Given that most of the vessels deployed by smugglers, often with migrants captaining them, are either derelict fishing boats or inflatables, the chances of them flying any sort of flag seems remote. The only ships likely to be carrying any national flag are those that may be bringing fresh supplies of inflatable craft to Libyan smugglers.

A gloss of the resolution provided this evening by the UN itself says that patrolling naval forces would not be able to intercept "vessels entitled to sovereign immunity under international law" and would be confined to migrant smugglers on the "high seas off the coast of Libya". This leaves open whether or not anti-smuggling forces would be able to operate within Libyan national waters. It has seemed clear that some of the recent rescues of migrants in sinking craft have been undertaken within Libyan waters.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Human Trafficking

#1  Remembering what "no flight zone" in Lybia was translated into...
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/11/2015 13:21 Comments || Top||

#2  But the EUSSR's been the #1 people smuggler.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 10/11/2015 18:07 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
New Tool: Interactive map shows the where, when, and what of terror attacks in Israel
[IsraelTimes] Using community mapping platform MapMe, Israel advocacy group StandWithUs hopes to make clear the enormity – and complexity – of the security issues facing the country.

The map, which was developed just last week, has, unfortunately, grown significantly in the past several days, as reports of attacks are recorded by StandWithUs staff and interns. The incidents are listed in three categories: attacks against Jews, against Arabs, and “recent attacks,” which cover the most recent 72 hours. The map is interactive, so a user can click on a specific attack and get expanded information, including a description of the attack, links to online news stories discussing it, the specific location on the map where the attack took place (down to the street address or intersection), and links to social media sites where users can spread the word about the incident.
A link worth saving for future reference.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/11/2015 10:57 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under:


Jordan Parliament Slams Zionist Entity for 'State Terrorism'
[ALMANAR.LB] Jordan has slammed the Israeli regime for committing "state terrorism
... any action taken by a non-Moslem state that constrains the violent impulses of Moslems or their allies ...
" against the Paleostinians, following the fatal shooting of seven Paleostinians in the besieged Gazoo Strip by Israeli occupation forces.

"The Israeli enemy, sapping the rights of the Paleostinians on their own lands... and over their holy places, is exercising state terrorism before the eyes of the whole world," the Jordanian parliament said in a statement released on Saturday.

The Jordanian politicians also denounced the crimes that Israeli forces have committed in Gazoo and the occupied West Bank.

On Friday, six Paleostinians were killed and 145 others were injuries after Israeli forces opened fire on a group of Paleostinian protesters in eastern Gazoo.

The Jordanian parliament, meanwhile, said "barbaric and racist" actions of the Israeli military that have violated international and humanitarian laws have caused the casualties on the part of the Paleostinians.
Posted by: Fred || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [3 views] Top|| File under:

#1  You ain't seen nuthing yet, ragheads.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/11/2015 10:00 Comments || Top||


Terror Networks
ISIS switches propaganda activities to new app: Telegram
[Rudaw] LONDON--After its various accounts were repeatedly shut down on Twitter, the Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS) has now shifted its propaganda activities to the mobile app Telegram.

According to a BBC report, the app "allows users to broadcast their messages to an unlimited number of members via their own Telegram "channel"."

Just days after Telegram launched its Channels tool last month, members of the ISIS propaganda machine started advertising their group's channel named Nashir.

"It has already amassed more than 4,500 subscribers." BBC reported.

Since its foundation ISIS has successfully used Twitter and other social media websites to spread its message and recruit thousands of people from across the world to join the fight in Iraq and Syria.

Built by independent developers, the Berlin-based Telegram Messenger app was first launched for iPhone in August 2013 and for Android two months later.

"We believe in fast and secure messaging that is also 100% free," say the app's developers.

ISIS has announced many of its activities and grabbed credit for attacks in different Middle Eastern countries, including a bombing in the Yemeni city of Aden on Twitter and most recently on Telegram.

Since last year many Western governments have cracked down on ISIS and other jihadi groups on Twitter and individual hackers have also targeted the group's accounts.

However,
a hangover is the wrath of grapes...
the murderous Moslem group may have found a secure platform for its activities in Telegram.

The owners of the app state on their website that they will protect "your private conversations from snooping third parties, such as officials, employers, etc."

"Protecting your personal data from third parties, such as marketers, advertisers, etc," Telegram Messenger says under its rules. "This is what everybody should care about, and these are some of our top priorities."

The developers say that they respect the privacy of individual or group chats on the app and they will not share participants' information with any governments.
Posted by: trailing wife || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [7 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  didn't the land shark use this tactic on SNL back in the 70s
Posted by: lord garth || 10/11/2015 14:31 Comments || Top||


The Mystery Of ISIS' Toyota Army Solved
The US Treasury has recently opened an inquiry about the so-called "Islamic State's" (ISIS/ISIL) use of large numbers of brand-new Toyota trucks. The issue has arisen in the wake of Russia's air operations over Syria and growing global suspicion that the US itself has played a key role in arming, funding, and intentionally perpetuating the terrorist army across Syria and Iraq.

ABC News in their article, "US Officials Ask How ISIS Got So Many Toyota Trucks," reports:

U.S. counter-terror officials have asked Toyota, the world's second largest auto maker, to help them determine how ISIS has managed to acquire the large number of Toyota pick-up trucks and SUVs seen prominently in the terror group's propaganda videos in Iraq, Syria and Libya, ABC News has learned.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Blossom Unains5562 || 10/11/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [6 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  The mystery is why the trucks didn't include Lowjack. I wonder if the Hellfire can be configured to home in on a Lowjack signal?
Posted by: Sven the pelter || 10/11/2015 0:35 Comments || Top||

#2  The next question of course is... Are we still supplying ISIS Syrian Rebels with trucks and other supplies?
Posted by: CrazyFool || 10/11/2015 1:46 Comments || Top||

#3  Why did I somehow know [but urgently wanted to deny] that this was the answer that would eventually surface ?
Posted by: Besoeker || 10/11/2015 2:02 Comments || Top||

#4  All of you are wrong.
"I.S.I.S. Could Stand For... Israeli Secret Intelligence Service"
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 10/11/2015 15:51 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
38[untagged]
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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2015-10-11
  ISIS leader al-Baghdadi's convoy hit by air strike in Iraq
Sat 2015-10-10
  Stabbing attack at Damascus Gate in Jerusalem, 3 policemen wounded
Fri 2015-10-09
  Military Begins House-To-House Searches in Kunduz
Thu 2015-10-08
  Russia Fires Cruise Missiles in Syria as Assad Begins a Ground Attack
Wed 2015-10-07
  Five arrested in western Sydney over terrorist attack outside police HQ
Tue 2015-10-06
  IS destroys ancient Palmyra Arch of Triumph
Mon 2015-10-05
  Israel bars Palestinians from entering Old City after deadly attacks
Sun 2015-10-04
  Sar-e-Pul's Kohistanat District Falls to Taliban
Sat 2015-10-03
  Yemeni loyalists control all of key strait
Fri 2015-10-02
  Taliban militants have reportedly captured Wardoj district of Badakhshan
Thu 2015-10-01
  Afghan forces retake northern city of Kunduz from Taliban militants
Wed 2015-09-30
  U.S. military carries out airstrikes on Kunduz after Taliban attack
Tue 2015-09-29
  Kunduz Falls To The Taliban
Mon 2015-09-28
  85 Pakistani IS turbans killed in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan
Sun 2015-09-27
  Iraqi security reports slow advance into Ramadi


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