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Terrorist and Hezbollah commander Samir Kuntar... Tango Uniform
Today's Headlines
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Afghanistan
Differences Within Taliban Likely To Impact Their Political Future: Analysts
[Tolo News] A strategic split among Taliban leaders following the announcement of the death of their reclusive 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...
has been confirmed by sources close to the group.

Mullar Omar's mysterious death was followed by a major backlash within the group after Mullah Akhtar Mansour, once a close aide to Mullar Omar, was appointed as his successor.

Sources close to the Taliban and analysts believe that the division within the group will likely impact its funding and the Taliban's economic and military reputation as well as their future political contributions in Afghanistan's political sphere.

As fresh moves for the resumption of stalled peace talks between Taliban and the Afghan government gathers momentum, it is not yet clear which of the factions will sit at the peace talks tables.

"Foreign circles support these factions and maintain ties with Taliban. Also there are certain countries that pursue their own objectives by supporting a particular faction of Taliban to ensure their interests," head of Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
peace committee Fazel Bari Fayaz said.

However,
some people cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go...
neither Mullah Akhtar Mansour's faction nor rival Mullah Mohammad Rassoul Noorzai's have close relations with Taliban's political office in Qatar
...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates...
, an issue that makes it difficult to predict the Taliban's political future in Afghanistan's politics, security sources speaking on condition of anonymity
... for fear of being murdered...
have said.

"There are benevolent elements among Taliban who mostly support Mullah Akhtar Mansour. There is the possibility that Mansour's loyalists convinced a third faction who doesn't pursue a military confrontation with Mullah Mansour to seek allegiance with Mansour," ex-Taliban regime's minster of mines Hassan Haqyar said.

"Initially, Mullah Omar's son and his brother disagreed with Mansour as successor. But the same benevolent elements who have sympathy with the Taliban came forward and conducted mediation and pushed Mullah Omar's son Mullah Yaqoub and his brother to obey Mansour," he added.

This comes a few weeks after a top Taliban capo and front man to Mullah Mansour's rival faction, Mullah Abdul Manan Niazi accused Mullah Mansour of having plotted the murder of Mullah Omar.

He claimed that Mullah Mansour was killed by Mullah Mansour before the inauguration of the Taliban's political office in Qatar and Mullah Mansour kept his death a secret.

As gaps between Taliban factions expand, some Afghan political analysts have called on government to take steps and reestablish contact with the group in the name of peace.

"If the government comes up with an initiative and reestablishes contact with the Taliban Mullah Akhtar Mansour will soon join the reconciliation and negotiation process with the government," political analyst Jawed Kohistan
...a backwoods district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa distinguished by being even more rustic than is the norm among the local Pashtuns....
i said.

"The second group apparently will continue the war and the third group which has more strength and are loyal to Mullah Omar have major support among the people in western and southern regions and are willing to talk independently without Pakistain," he said.

Analysts believe that the split among the Taliban has pushed the group to a critical stage, compelling the group leaders to take decisions in the past few weeks to ensure their political participation by defeating their rival factions.
Posted by: Fred || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Officials Promise Tight Security Around TAPI in Volatile Helmand
Local officials in the southern province of Helmand have assured government the provincial administration will use all necessary resources to ensure the security of the TAPI gas pipeline project, which is expected to pass through the province.

Last week a ground breaking ceremony was held in Turkmenistan to launch the $10 billion USD project. Among officials present were the leaders of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmenistan and India.

Many people believe the multi-billion dollar project can strengthen economic and commercial ties across the region.

Economic commentators believe the project is a milestone in regional cooperation and a step forward in reviving Afghanistan's economic legacy in the region.

The TAPI project aims to transfer natural gas from Turkmenistan to Pakistan and onward to India via Afghanistan.

At a gathering on Saturday marking the signing of the key economic project, local officials, Helmand provincial council members and a number of youths warmly welcomed the implementation of the project and promised to ensure that efforts are made by the people in the province to secure the pipeline.

Helmand governor Mirza Khan Rahimi assured the central government of taking necessary measures for security of the project.

"On behalf of the people of Helmand, I would like to say that we are completely prepared to implement the project and we demand the president cooperate with us regarding employment of Helmand youths," Rahimi said.

"TAPI will have a major impact on our economic and security spheres, we want to request Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan not to allow [elements]to sabotage the project," deputy head of Helmand provincial council Majid Akhundzada said.

While the Afghan youths still attempt to reach European shores in their quest for a better life, youths in Helmand have called on the central government to create jobs for them through TAPI.

Helmand, once a Taliban stronghold in the south, still faces volatile security situations as hard-pressed Afghan security forces continue their military campaign against the group in Grishk, Sangeen, Ashir and Marjah districts in a bid to curb their advances in the province bordering Pakistan.
Posted by: badanov || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


8 Afghan Air Force pilots graduate from training in United States
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Eight Afghan Air Force pilots completed their training and graduated from a program hosted by the 81st Fighter Squadron at Moody Air Force Base in United States and will return to Afghanistan for combat, it has been reported.

The graduation of the Afghan Air Force pilots comes as the Afghan national security forces are in critical need of close air support as they are full in security lead during the past one year.

Maj. Gen. James Hecker presented the Afghan graduates with a plaque and certificate during the graduation ceremony on Friday.

The 81st Fighter Squadron is a stateside air advisor unit with a deployed mission where the Afghan pilots were trained to receive extensive knowledge and application of flying A-29B Super Tucanos.

Selected in August 2014 as a training location for the Afghan A-29 pilots and maintenance crews, the Moody Air Force base will host training for 30 Afghan pilots during the next four years.

Posted by: Fred || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Is this counting the two that disappeared the other day?
Posted by: SteveS || 12/20/2015 0:27 Comments || Top||

#2  Upon return to their homeland, they will be issued the most advanced aircraft their country can support -- box kites.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 12/20/2015 10:15 Comments || Top||


Africa North
IS jihadists stole 'tens of thousands' of blank passports
The Islamic State group may have stolen "tens of thousands" of blank passports that it could use to smuggle its fighters into Europe as refugees, a German newspaper reported Sunday.

The Welt am Sonntag cited Western intelligence sources as saying that IS could have acquired the stolen travel documents in areas of Syria, Iraq and Libya it now controls.

The passports could be issued to would-be attackers to enter the European Union as asylum seekers, according to the report.

Moreover IS has already launched a money-spinning operation with the fake documents, selling them on the black market where they fetch up to 1,500 euros ($1,630) each, Welt said.

European authorities have repeatedly warned of the potential threat posed by refugees travelling with counterfeit documents.

The two unidentified Stade de France attackers in Paris have been tracked back to two fake Syrian passports used to enter Europe.

"The large influx of people who are travelling to Europe unchecked represents a security risk," the head of EU border agency Frontex, Fabrice Leggeri, told Welt.

Leggeri said that passports issued in war-ravaged countries such as Syria where conditions are chaotic mean that no one can guarantee "that documents that look real were actually issued by an official authority".

Asked about the report, the German interior ministry offered a similar assessment.

"In light of the large number of entering migrants, it cannot be ruled out that among them are for example, criminals, war criminals, members of militant groups or terror organisations. or individuals with extremist views," a spokesman told AFP.

"At the same time, it cannot be ruled out that these people are carrying fake documents."

The German government said last week that it had initially overestimated the proportion of people entering the country with fake Syrian passports, which was in fact far less than the 30 percent announced by the interior minister in September.

Germany has to date maintained an open-door policy for Syrians escaping their country's bloodshed, giving them "primary protection" -- the highest status for refugees.

Germany is Europe's top destination for refugees, most of whom travel through Turkey and the Balkans, and expects more than one million arrivals this year.
Posted by: gorb || 12/20/2015 12:44 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Africa Subsaharan
Fears of New Islamist Threat Emerge in Nigeria -- Beware the Shiites?
Something to ponder on a relatively slow news day. Thank goodness the price of oil has fallen even as President Obama's nuclear "deal" with Iran is allowing them to sell more oil, limiting their ability to get into mischief.
[AnNahar] Nigeria, which is still battling Boko Haram
... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality...
myrmidons, now risks unleashing a new Islamist threat after violent festivities between the army and a radical Shiite group, experts say.

Though no official corpse count was released, at least a dozen members of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN) were killed in confrontations with the army during a religious procession last week in the northern city of Zaria.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/20/2015 10:40 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Arabia
Obama Urges Yemen Ceasefire to be Respected
[ALMANAR.LB] US President Barack Obama
teachable moment...
called on Yemen's warring parties to respect a ceasefire that was violated by the Saudi-US aggression forces few hours after it took effect, amid massive coalition Arclight airstrikes on Yemeni infrastructure.

The White House said that Obama, in a call with Abu Dhabi's crown prince, stressed the "urgent need for all parties to adhere to the ceasefire in Yemen" and to seek a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Posted by: Fred || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  O must have a script with this broken record statement on one of the F keys.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 12/20/2015 0:50 Comments || Top||

#2  What's he going to do otherwise - sic his Attorney General on them for "speech edging towards violence"?
Posted by: Pappy || 12/20/2015 14:40 Comments || Top||


Yemeni Delegation Insists on Ceasefire as Gateway to Other Issues, KSA Disavows
[ALMANAR.LB] The Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Yemen, Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, held several sessions with the national delegation and Riyadh-led participants on the fourth day of the peace talks in Switzerland
...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell...
The discussions focused mostly on security issues in Yemen, in light of the alarming developments on the ground.

Al-Manar correspondent in Switzerland reported that the Saudi-backed delegation turned to be confused as it informed the UN representative that it does not have the powers to approve the major issues, including confirming the ceasefire and lifting the blockade after KSA rejected to be committed with any of the talks decisions.

The correspondent added that regarding the latest developments in the context of the talks, the two sides agreed on forming a follow-up committee to monitor the implementation of the ceasefire and all the security issues.

Egypt, Jordan and Oman were suggested to host the center of the committee, he added.

Yemeni sources familiar with the talks quoted the national forces delegation's insistence on the priority of stopping the aggression and lifting the Saudi-led siege, noting that there is principal consensus by everyone on this demand.

Sources said the delegation would be focusing on the cease-fire as a gateway to the rest of the issues, "and in case such an agreement wouldn't be reached, other interpretive issues will not be discussed."

The sources reported severe objection of the Riyadh delegation, led by Abdul-Malik al-Mikhlafi, on sending any humanitarian assistance to all district of Taiz, noting that it insists on sending the aid to certain areas only, including Jamal Street, Al-Masbah and Al-Ashraf basin.

Earlier, the Special Envoy expressed deep concerns at the numerous reports of violations of the cessation of hostilities, urging all parties to respect this agreement and allow unhindered access for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the most affected districts of Yemen.
Posted by: Fred || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Houthis


Report: UAE Sending Colombian Mercenaries to Yemen
[AnNahar] United Arab Emirates has secretly sent some 300 Colombian mercenaries to fight for it in Yemen, paying handsomely to recruit a private army of well-trained, battle-hardened South American soldiers, sources told AFP.

The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Colombians' experience fighting leftist guerrillas and narcos in their home country made them attractive recruits for the UAE, whose relatively inexperienced army is part of an Arab coalition helping Yemen's government fight a war against Houthis.

"Colombian soldiers are highly prized for their training in fighting guerrillas," one source, a Colombian former army officer, told AFP in Bogota.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Amnesty thingy not working out as planned back home?
Posted by: P2Kontheroad || 12/20/2015 8:07 Comments || Top||

#2  Several years ago, felt completely safe to go anywhere in Columbia, so long as my friend, a former Columbian Marine commando as at my side.
Posted by: BrujoTejano || 12/20/2015 10:00 Comments || Top||


Europe
Wake-up time in Europe: Time to get armed
Known as a bastion of liberalism and tolerance in a pre-manufactured multicultural society, Sweden is seeing the first signs of a culture breaking down.

Official law enforcement statistics show a significant surge in violence in Sweden even before the massive influx of 190,000 refugees in 2015. Sweden has been importing Muslim immigrants into its major cities for decades, and parts of Stockholm, Trelleborg and Malmo have taken on a new, distinctively Middle Eastern look and feel. Sexual assaults, killings and gang activity are all on the rise.

But the flood of new refugees from Syria, Afghanistan and North Africa in 2015 has been a wake-up call for many Swedes, who are now getting armed, reports Ingrid Carlqvist for Gatestone Institute.

Carlqvist says Sweden has become, not a police state, but a "nightwatchman state -- every man is on his own."

With the influx of 190,000 unskilled and unemployed migrants expected this year -- equivalent to 2 percent of Sweden's current population.

That number is as if 6.4 million Islamic migrants arrived in the U.S. in one year, as opposed to the roughly 200,000 that come to America annually.

"And the Swedes are preparing: demand for firearms licenses is increasing; more and more Swedes are joining shooting clubs and starting vigilante groups. ... According to police statistics, there are 1,901,325 licensed guns, owned by 567,733 people, in Sweden."

Add to this an unknown number of illegal weapons. To get a gun permit in Sweden, you need to be at least 18 years old, law-abiding, well-behaved, and have a hunting license or be a member of an approved shooting club. In 2014, 11,000 people got hunting licenses: 10 percent more than the year before. One out of five was a woman.

"There is also a high demand for alarm systems right now," a salesman at one of the security companies told Carlqvist.

"It is largely due to the turbulence we are seeing around the country at the moment." People have lost confidence in the state, he added.

Alan Gottlieb, executive vice president of the Second Amendment Foundation, told WND he recently returned from a conference in Europe, where he learned that many countries are experiencing soaring weapon sales. WND reported Oct. 26 on one such country, Austria.

Obtaining a working firearm and ammunition in many European countries -- such as Germany, Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands -- is practically impossible for the average citizen.

Germany, for instance, requires a psychological evaluation, the purchase of liability insurance and verifiable compliance with strict firearms storage and safety rules. And self-defense is not even a valid reason to purchase a gun in these countries.

Sweden's gun laws are also ultra-tight. It is illegal for a civilian in Sweden to carry a firearm, unless for a specific, legal purpose, such as hunting or attending shooting ranges, according to the website Sweden.org.

Guns must by law be stored in an approved safe. And to transport firearms, there are also rules. "The general regulations are that the gun must be unloaded, hidden and transported in a safe and secure way under supervision," the website says.

But even with these restrictions, increasing numbers of people are willing to go through the red tape necessary to get a gun.

"In Sweden, gun and ammunition sales are up just like in other European countries due to the wave of immigrants from the Middle East and the increase in terrorism," Gottlieb said. "People everywhere want the means to defend themselves. When seconds count, the police are minutes away."

In Sweden, Carlqvist reported that residents are reporting longer response times from overburdened police. And sometimes, depending on the location, the cops don't come at all.

She writes:

"Truck drivers say that when they see a thief emptying the fuel tank of their trucks, they run out with a baseball bat. It is no use calling the police, but if you hit the thief, you can at least prevent him from stealing more diesel. Many homeowners say the same thing: they sleep with a baseball bat under the bed. But this is risky: the police can then say you have been prepared to use force, and that might backfire on you.

"The salesman, who asked to remain anonymous, also spoke of Sweden's many Facebook groups, in which people in different villages openly discuss how they intend to protect themselves: 'Sometimes you get totally freaked out when you see what they are writing. But you have to understand that Swedes are really scared when an asylum house opens in their village. They can see what has happened in other places.'"

At another security company, a salesman said every time the state immigration authorities buy or rent a new housing center for refugees, his firm is swamped with calls.

"The next day, half the village calls and wants to buy alarm systems," he told Gatestone.

Pamela Geller, the anti-Shariah activist and author of Stop the Islamization of America, said Sweden represents the future of Europe. And long term, it could easily be America if it continues to head down its current path.

"This is indeed the future of Europe," she wrote in a recent blog. "By their irresponsible and short-sighted, suicidal immigration and refugee policies, Europe's political and media elites have ensured a future of violence, bloodshed and chaos for their people."

Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, said any Western society that is modeled on tolerance had better also be protective of citizens' rights to defend their homes and their persons.

"In America, we say that a liberal who was mugged yesterday is a conservative today. It looks as if Sweden has a rapidly increasing conservative population that has either recently been mugged or has the fear of such imminent violence," Pratt told WND. "The threat of terrorism in their famously tolerant country has convinced Swedes that firearms and tolerance may not be inconsistent. Tolerance, perhaps, but a gun for sure."

Jerry Henry, executive director of GeorgiaCarry.org, said it would appear that Sweden and the U.S. have a lot in common.

"There are many parallels, in my opinion. Although citizens in both countries are purchasing firearms for self-protection, the U.S. is ahead in purchasing firearms as we have been doing that in a serious manner since 2008 and continue today," Henry said.

"Sweden turned a blind eye to the coming refugee storm, and our present administration did its best to get our citizens to do the same thing," he added. "Now Sweden finds themselves in need to protect themselves and are doing what we have been doing for quite some time."

As in the U.S., women in Sweden represent one of fastest growing segments fueling the current gun-sale bonanza.

"I am amazed that a citizen in Sweden can be arrested for sleeping with a baseball bat under his bed for being prepared to use force. How ridiculous is that? This is very difficult for me and most U.S. citizens to believe while admitting we have many gun prohibitionists who would love to see such a move here."

Henry said gun sales are up in all locations across his state, and the demand for concealed-carry permits skyrocketed after the San Bernardino, California, Islamic terrorist attack that killed 14 people at a Christmas party.

"One would expect this trend to continue for quite some time. Most people I know are either prepared for the worst or preparing for the worst," he said.

"We also have a lot of sheriffs and law officers who are urging armed citizens to carry to protect themselves and others if necessary," Henry continued. "This is a huge reversal from just a couple of years ago. This is especially gratifying when our president's first thought after a mass murder is to discuss how he plans to implement gun control."

"The Age of Aquarius was in the 1960s and 1970s, but the Age of Awakening may be appearing just over the horizon."
Posted by: gorb || 12/20/2015 13:45 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Coming to a US city near you
Posted by: DarthVader || 12/20/2015 22:06 Comments || Top||


Fake bomb hidden in toilet of Air France flight from Mauritius to Paris
A fake bomb planted on an Air France flight from Mauritius to Paris forced it to make an emergency landing in Kenya on Sunday.

An object described by a Kenyan police official as looking like "a stopwatch mounted on a cardboard box" was found in a toilet on the Boeing 777 airliner, which was diverted to Mombasa, on the Kenyan coast.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to the media, told the AP news agency that no explosives were found in the device.

Six passengers have been questioned over the scare.
A little old lady in a wheelchair, a nun, the Pope, an infant, a rabbi, and a dog in the cargo hold. After a thorough investigation. It turned out they were all innocent. Investigators are so stumped that they have asked any and all Moslems and evil dictators on the flight if they have any ideas where else they might investigate.
A French security source in Paris said: "According to what we've heard, it was rigged up to look like a homemade bomb but it was not a bomb."

A French woman who was a passenger on the plane told Europe 1 radio that the device was "heard ticking".

The head of Air France, FrĂŠdĂŠric Gagey, said it was a "false alert".

Mr Gagey, speaking to reporters in Paris, said: "All the information available to us now indicate that the object was not capable of causing an explosion". He declined to describe it as a fake bomb, but said it was a "homemade assembly of cardboard and a kitchen timer mechanism."

All 459 passengers and 14 crew members disembarked safely after Flight 463 landed at Moi International Airport in Mombasa at 12:37 am local time on Sunday.

An Air France spokeswoman in Paris said they were expected to leave for the French capital "at the end of the day".

Flight AF463 left Mauritius at 9pm (1am GMT) and was due to arrive at Paris Charles de Gaulle at 5.50am local time.

One passenger, Benoit Lucchini from Paris, said: "The plane just went down slowly, slowly, slowly, so we just realised probably something was wrong.

"The personnel of Air France was just great, they were just wonderful. So they keep everybody calm. We did not know what was happening.

"So we secured the seat belt to land in Mombasa because we thought it was a technical problem but actually it was not a technical problem. It was something in the toilet. Something wrong in the toilet, it could be a bomb."

It is the third Air France flight to be diverted in recent weeks.

Two other airliners flying from the United States to Paris were re-routed after the Paris attacks that killed 130 people and wounded hundreds more on November 13.
Posted by: gorb || 12/20/2015 12:48 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


The Grand Turk
Hamas leader meets Turkish president amid talk of Jerusalem-Ankara detente
[Jpost] "The normalization of relations between Turkey and Israel will not change Ankara's position towards Hamas" says senior Hamas official.

Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, is closely following reports about rapprochement between The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
and Israel and is waiting for an official word from Ankara on the issue.

On Saturday, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal met in Istanbul with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him...
. The Turkish news agency Anadolu news agency said that Mashaal briefed Erdogan on the latest political developments in the region during the 60-minute meeting.

This was the first meeting between the two since recent reports about an agreement between Turkey and Israel to restore their normal ties.

The agency did not say whether the two also discussed the rapprochement between Turkey and Israel.

In an interview over the weekend, Hamas leader Mahmoud Warty Nose al-Zahhar
...a co-founder of Hamas and a member of the Hamas leadership. Since 2006, Warty Nose has served as foreign minister in the government of Ismail Haniyeh. He is considered one of the more stubborn hard-liners and has no objection to kissing the Persian foot to keep the money flowing. Warty Nose's son, a member of the Qassam Brigades, was killed in an Israeli raid in early 2008. Another one was disposed of when the IDF bombed his house in 2003...
refused to comment on the reports, including the possibility that Turkey was planning to impose restrictions on Hamas activities in the country.

"Until now, the picture remains unclear," Zahar said. "We will announce our position once we see an official Turkish announcement."

Zahar claimed that the reports were thus far unverified and emanated from anonymous sources. "Therefore, we can't relate to these reports," he explained.

The Hamas leader noted that Israel and Turkey have maintained ties for a long period of time. He said these ties were never cut off in spite of the tensions between the two countries in recent years.

Turkey has also maintained close relations with Hamas over the past few years.

Turkey also plays host to some top Hamas operatives, including Salah Al-Arouri, one of the founders of the movement's armed wing, Ezaddin Al-Qassam.

Another senior Hamas official, Ahmed Yusef, predicted that the rapprochement between Israel and Turkey would not have a negative impact on his movement.

"Policies among countries are based on interests," Yusef said. "The normalization of relations between Turkey and Israel will not change Ankara's position towards Hamas."

The Hamas-affiliated website Al-Resalah quoted Turkish officials as saying that their country would not abandon its demand to lift the blockade on the Gazoo Strip despite the rapprochement with Israel.

The officials claimed that Turkey was conditioning its renewed ties with Israel on two conditions: lifting the blockade on the Gazoo Strip and payment of compensation for the families of the Turkish nationals who were killed aboard the flotilla aid ship, Marmara.
The second was agreed to long ago. The first is a non-starter. Then there's this, from The Times of Israel, which must have given the conversation between the two local Muslim Brotherhood leaders extra piquancy:
The last meeting between Erdogan and the Hamas leader took place four months ago, on August 13, before the escalation in Paleostinian terror attacks against Israelis.

Twenty-two Israelis have been killed and 252 maimed, according to Foreign Ministry data, as of December 14, while around 100 Paleostinians have been killed, most of them in the course of their attacks, and more than 1,000 maimed. Many of the Paleostinian maimed were hurt during festivities with Israeli security forces in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem, including hundreds who suffered from inhaling tear gas and other minor injuries from riot dispersal measures.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  The ties that bind the Ikhwan leader Erdogan and Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood chapter in Gaza, are of decades duration. The ties that bind Israel to Erdogan seem to result from the potential sale of Israeli natural gas. As always, "follow the money."
Posted by: Spomong Bourbon8696 || 12/20/2015 8:36 Comments || Top||

#2  Agreed, Spomong Bourbon8696. But despite the honourable President Erdogan, trade between Turkey and Israel has quietly more than doubled over the past five years, according to Ynet. The current excitement is due to Mr. Erdogan fancying himself a master power broker, which would be cute were he not a Muslim Brotherhood brownshirt.

As for those Turkish nationals who were killed, they were IHH operatives[. Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed to compensation because President Obama insisted it was necessary. Someday the money may actually be paid, should Mr. Erdogan actually hold up his side of the bargain.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/20/2015 13:01 Comments || Top||


Russia wants to maintain ties with Turkish people, Turkish leadership 'not eternal'
I guess the fact that the Russian airplane's radio was not set to receive on the Turkish frequency is immaterial.
[AlAhram] Russia has no intention of damaging relations with the people of The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
, President Vladimir Putin
...Second and fourth President and sixth of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...
was quoted as saying on Saturday, while making clear that Moscow's ties with Ankara will not improve under the current Turkish leadership.

"I want to repeat it now: we consider the Turkish people a friendly nation, and we do not want to disrupt relations namely with the Turkish people," Russian news agencies quoted Putin as saying in a new documentary to be released on Sunday.

As for the current Turkish leadership, "nothing is eternal", Putin said.

The president also said that Russia remained open and ready to develop economic and political cooperation with Europe, as well as to jointly fight terror, despite the sanctions imposed by the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
on Russia.
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  KGB files being activated on their affiliates in Turkey?
Posted by: P2Kontheroad || 12/20/2015 8:10 Comments || Top||

#2  The KGB files are replete with the activity of the Muslim Brotherhood in the war in Afghanistan, and later in Chechnya. The Soviet Union, and now Russia has nothing but hatred for the organization and given that Turkey's recent leadership (Erbakan and Erdogan) maintained close ties to the Brotherhood, it is not surprising that for political purposes Russia differentiates the present Erdogan government from the Turkish people.
Posted by: Spomong Bourbon8696 || 12/20/2015 8:42 Comments || Top||

#3  "Try the sushi, Yippy"
Posted by: Frank G || 12/20/2015 9:55 Comments || Top||

#4  With action so close one must assume the GRU files and sources are active too. heh!
Posted by: 3dc || 12/20/2015 10:46 Comments || Top||

#5  Turkish leadership 'not eternal'

Or so they guys from first directorate promised.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/20/2015 11:03 Comments || Top||

#6  Could somebody explain to me why the French/Brits intervened in Chrimea instead of letting the Rus re-take Constantinople?

Yeah, I read The Great Game, I get it.

But the only things the Ottomans were good at was making pyramids of skulls and being such buggers Europeans essentially sailed to the moon to avoid having contact with them.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 12/20/2015 12:07 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Former peace bodies hand over arms to administration
[DAWN] GHALANAI: Former peace committees of Mohmand Agency
... Named for the Mohmand clan of the Sarban Pahstuns, a truculent, quarrelsome lot. In Pakistain, the Mohmands infest their eponymous Agency, metastasizing as far as the plains of Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Mohmands are also scattered throughout Pakistan in urban areas including Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta. In Afghanistan they are mainly found in Nangarhar and Kunar...
's Baizai tehsil voluntarily handed over a huge cache of weapons to the administration in Bahi Daag area on Saturday.

Assistant Political Agent Abdullah Shah told newsmen that the handing over of weapons to the administration marked the phasing out of the peace committees.

Heads of former peace committees, Malik Sultan Kodakhel, Malik Sanober Khan, Malik Zar Jan and Malik Sabir Khan, and a large number of tribal elders attended the ceremony.

"It is part of the National Action Plan and in accordance with the directives of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
governor and the political administration for handing over heavy weapons to the administration in order to strengthen the writ of the state," said Mr Shah.

He said that for the first time the administration had deployed 300 Levies personnel in the area to secure the border posts and for that purpose the weapons would be given to them.

The weapons, which were handed over, included three RPG-7, five anti-aircraft guns, eight short-range

missiles, two anti-tank mines, thousands of live rounds of different bores and 44 shells of RPG-7 ammunition.

Talking to journalists, chief of Baizai former peace committee Malik Sultan Koda Khel said that peace was restored in the area because of the sacrifices rendered by security forces, tribal people and peace committees.

"We handed over the weapons to the local administration because there is no terrorist in the area," he said.

Mr Sultan said the area needed mega projects in health, education and communication sectors.

He said 45 volunteers of the Baizai committee had been killed and 83 injured in terrorist attacks in the area.
Posted by: Fred || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


TTP rejects IS chief’s claim to be ‘caliph’
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Pakistan’s Taliban have rejected Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi’s claim to be the global leader of all Muslims, the movement said in a statement on Saturday.

The statement comes after a similar rejection by the Afghan Taliban following pledges of allegiance from low-level commanders of both movements to the Middle East-based Islamic State (IS). Last year, IS, an al Qaeda offshoot, proclaimed its leader as ‘caliph’ - the head of the state. Al-Baghdadi aspires to establish a global caliphate with himself at its head.

The latest statement from the Pakistani Taliban comes amid speculation that the movement’s leadership, whose goal is to topple the government of Nawaz Sharif and set up a Sharia state, is actually wary of IS, which is driven by different ambitions that have little to do with South Asia.

“Baghdadi is not Khalifa (caliph) because in Islam, Khalifa means that he has command over all the Muslim world, while Baghdadi has no such command; he has command over a specific people and territory,” the Taliban said in a statement. “Baghdadi is not an Islamic Khalifa because his selection is not according to Islamic rules,” the statement said, adding that the IS leader had little control in Muslim countries like Egypt, Libya, Yemen and Afghanistan.
Posted by: badanov || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Iraq
Iraq Defense Minister Expects Ramadi Victory within 2 Weeks
[ALMANAR.LB] Iraq's defense minister predicted Saturday that national security forces would retake full control of the city of Ramadi by the end of the year.
Like they were gonna about this time last year.
"I met with the Joint Operations Command and they confirmed to me that we will regain all of the city of Ramadi by the end of this month," Khaled al-Obeidi told news hounds in Baghdad.

Earlier this month, forces led by Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service retook Al-Tameem, a southwestern neighborhood of Ramadi from the so-called '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) takfiri
...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed...
group.

The offensive in Al-Tameem this month marked a significant step in long-delayed efforts to recapture the city, around 100 kilometers (60 miles) west of Baghdad and capital of the vast province of Anbar.

"The reason the battle took so long was to avoid casualties among our forces and also to avoid civilian casualties," Obeidi said. "There are still many civilians in the city."

Terrorists still holed up in the city centre and using tunnels to avoid air strikes may number no more than 300, according to military officials.

ISIL fighters attacking from northwest of Ramadi with suicide boom-mobiles attempted to retake control of the key Paleostine bridge in recent days but Iraqi forces still have the upper hand.

"The city of Ramadi has now been fully isolated, and the Iraqi security forces are beginning to conduct their clearing operations," the US-led coalition's Baghdad-based front man, Colonel Steve Warren, told news hounds on Friday.

He said that ISIL had been using the Euphrates river that runs through Ramadi to supply its gunnies inside the city with men and military equipment.

Control of both sides of the river banks in key areas have significantly reduced the takfiri organization's ability to re-supply, Warren said.
Posted by: Fred || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq

#1  "Two weeks" in Arab terms: early 2016.

Maybe.
Posted by: Pappy || 12/20/2015 10:45 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Hamas trying to smuggle contraband through Israel
Very long article -- here are the first 1300 words explaining why Hamas is currently forced to work through knife stabbers and car rammers instead of erupting through cross border tunnels while rockets rain down on Tel Aviv.
[Ynet] As Egypt cracks down on smuggling into Gazoo, a single checkpoint in Israel is a bottleneck for goods flowing to Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,'s military industry, with a special intelligence team tasked with foiling increasingly creative ways to transport forbidden materials.

In the last two months, 25 serious indictments have been filed on charges of attempted smuggling, the sale of merchandise to terror groups in Gaza, and money laundering. And there are several dozen other cases in the pipeline that deal with smuggling to Gaza.
Israel's experienced intelligence officers treat this group as an enemy that must not be underestimated. It is a serious close-knit group of 40-something year olds who have been together for over 20 years. They all have experience with underground and military activities, they've all been wanted by Israel since the mid-90s, and they have all survived liquidation attempts. They share a common language, which is a significant advantage in the secret war they are waging. The most senior among them, Mohammed Deif, has been wanted by Israel since 1992.

They don't care about the misgivings the political ranks of Hamas have had since Operation Protective Edge. While Khaled Mashal confronts the politicianship in Gazoo on questions like whether to join forces with the Paleostinian Authority; whether the formation of an Islamic state in the Gazoo Strip is the end of the process or just a stop on the way to a bigger goal; and whether to join forces with the Shi'ite, meaning Iran, and give up on Saudi support - the heads of Hamas' military wing are only focusing on one clear objective: Preparing for the next war against Israel. To them, anyone who can help them reach that objective is an ally. They have no problem with receiving money from Iran while at the same time having ties with ISIS in the Sinai.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
ISIS threatens to attack Saudi Arabia
[ARA News] ALEPPO – The Islamic State group (ISIS) threatened on Saturday to launch attacks on Saudi Arabia for cooperating with “crusaders” against the ISIS self-declared Caliphate.

This comes after Saudi Arabia announced the establishment of an Islamic coalition that includes 34 states to fight ISIS militants in the region.

Saudi Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said the new coalition will be headquartered in Riyadh “to coordinate mutual anti-terrorism assistance across the Islamic world”.

In an statement by the group’s media center, ISIS described the member states of the Saudi-led coalition as “morons” and “fools”.

“With permission from Allah, this alliance will be the beginning of the collapse of the governments of the oppressive tyrants in the lands of Islam,” ISIS said in its weekly publication, that usually covers the group’s military activities.
Posted by: badanov || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  The paycheck bounced?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 12/20/2015 3:55 Comments || Top||

#2  ...you see, it's the price of oil and those infidel frackers.
Posted by: P2Kontheroad || 12/20/2015 7:29 Comments || Top||

#3  Bringing back the caliphate.... The saudi army will defect, it will be a walkover. That is why the princelings sent them to fight shia in yemen instead
Posted by: Anon1 || 12/20/2015 17:48 Comments || Top||

#4  The Saudi Superpower = OWG Co-Superpower?, + Sunni Caliphate rival to Iran's Shia Caliphate, awakeths.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/20/2015 19:44 Comments || Top||

#5  Alliance member of not, it remains to be seen iff TURKEY, EGYPT, + PAKISTAN decide to branch out on their own.

As Histoire' recalls, the Mongols formed several conquering "hordes", each wid their own different colored banners.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 12/20/2015 19:48 Comments || Top||


Saudi Regime Faces Deadlock: Double-Faced Game of Terrorism Is Over
[ALMANAR.LB] As the terrorist groups dared to strike the depth of the Western security in Gay Paree on November 14, the Euro-American stance towards the Saudi-produced terrorism reached a major turning point, removing a basic card from Riyadh in its double-faced game.

The kingdom of the Saudi regime has always attempted to employ the terrorist groups as a main weapon in its political disputes, especially in Leb, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, benefiting from the Western full support to its policy; whereas, Gay Paree attacks have established new anti-terrorist rules that Riyadh has to respect in its strategic policies.

The Arab-Western coalition which has supported the terrorist groups and employed them in its Middle East scheme was shaken by the severe blow that La Belle France suffered last week at the hands of ISIL turbans and jacket wallahs.

The European endeavor to confront the terrorist organization met the Russian announcement that a terrorist act was behind the plane crash two weeks ago, which meant that Moscow would intensify its anti-terrorist campaign in Syria. This contradicts with the Saudi regime's interests and plots.

The Lebanese political analyst Faisal Abdul Sater said, in an interview with Al-Manar website, that although the change in the Western stance towards the terrorist groups is not drastic, Gay Paree terrorist attacks shook the principles of the Western policy which was based on supporting terrorism against the adversary regimes, which will certainly force the Saudi regime to undergo a considerable political alteration.

"We will witness several modifications in this concern. The issue has started to augment."

Abdul Sater noted the Saudi regime has always blackmailed La Belle France by the billion-dollar deals to gain the French help in its unjust policies and wars, adding that La Belle France is no longer able to approve such an approach as terrorism struck its capital.

"As an indication to that change, Riyadh ordered all the Saudis in La Belle France to reduce their movement across the French territories after Gay Paree attacks because KSA knows that its nationals are undesirable in Europe since they are viewed as the main producers of terrorism."

Being the main producer and employer of terrorism, the Saudi regime tried, during the recent Vienna conference, to promote some terrorist groups as "moderate"; however, the world powers, especially Russia, rejected that categorically.

In the context of Riyadh's frustrated plots, Abdul Sater added that Saudi also failed to instigate the Western countries against Iran and its nuclear program as the relations between Tehran and major European capitals, mainly Gay Paree, are witnessing a remarkable progress in light of the Iranian president Hasan Rouhani's scheduled visit to La Belle France that was postponed after Gay Paree attacks.

The Saudi stalemate is being intensified as the battlefield situation in Yemen
...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic...
indicates that the Yemeni army and popular committees are heading to achieve a major victory since the Saudi-led Death Eaters failed to attain a remarkable progress on the ground, according to Abdul Sater who pointed out that there must be a political solution in Yemen regardless of the Saudi will.

The Lebanese political writer considered that terrorism will backlash at Saudi as its internal conditions are disturbed by power-sharing conflicts, financial corruption and the religious fanaticism which has always produced, embraced and supported terrorism.

Saudi will be forced to stop playing its double-faced game so that the Saudi Emirs will no longer wear the traditional dresses in KSA and instruct the Death Eaters to strike the world cities while wearing suits and neckties as they pay visits to the Western capitals lecturing on democracy and human rights
...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty...
.

The Saudi regime is facing a deadlock whether it keeps on backing terrorism and defies the West or changes its stance towards the terrorist groups and challenges the monster on its territories.

"The Saudis can never defy the Western will and that they are ultimately going comply with the Euro-American orders," Faisal Abdul Sater concludes.
Posted by: Fred || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia

#1  And the historical proof for the premise in the last sentence is? "The Saudis can never defy the Western will and that they are ultimately going comply with the Euro-American orders,"
Posted by: 3dc || 12/20/2015 1:54 Comments || Top||

#2  Hezbully BS.
Posted by: Sven the pelter || 12/20/2015 9:12 Comments || Top||

#3  "We will witness several modifications in this concern. The issue has started to augment."

"Endeavor to persevere"
Posted by: Frank G || 12/20/2015 10:14 Comments || Top||


Putin: Russian Troops Haven't Used All Their Capabilities in Syria
[ALMANAR.LB] Russian President Vladimir Putin
...Second and fourth President and sixth of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead...
said that the Russian forces are not using all military capabilities in their operations against terrorism in Syria, SANA reported.

RT website quoted Putin as saying during a ceremony at the Kremlin on the Security Service Members' Day that there are additional methods which may be used by Moscow if necessary, adding that the Russian pilots and intelligence officers are working effectively in Syria, noting that they have succeeded in coordinating their joint steps.

All Russian forces, including the army, the navy and the air force are using the latest weapons, Putin said, noting that the Russian security services foiled more than 30 terrorist acts in Russia during 2015, calling for maintaining a high level of performance.

Putin reaffirmed at the annual presser in Moscow two days ago that the Russian stance towards the crisis in Syria is consistent and cannot be changed.

On a relevant note, preview clips of the Russian documentary World Order were broadcast, in which President Putin said that Moscow, in its efforts to resolve the crisis in Syria, doesn't face difficulties in dealing with Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Supressor of the Damascenes...
or with the United States; rather it finds it easy to work with either side, adding that this is something he discussed with Obama and with the Saudis, and ascribing that east to the fact that Russia isn't evasive nor does it shift its positions.

The Russian President asserted that Moscow's position regarding resolving the crisis in Syria was reached after consulting with different sides and finding that everyone accepts the pivotal standards of the settlement, which allowed Russia to form its position based on components accepted by all sides.
Posted by: Fred || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


Sheikh Qassem: Hezbollah Proved ISIL "Not Invincible"
[ALMANAR.LB] Hezbollah Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem
... the Grand Vizier of the Hezbullies...
asserted that ISIL terrorist group is not invincible noting that it is blown by the International vast aid he receives and the propaganda that magnifies its crimes to horrify the peoples.

Sheikh Qassem added that Leb proved that ISIL and all the takfiri
...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed...
groups can be defeated, highlighting that Hezbollah as the well as the Lebanese army and the security apparatuses managed to protect the country from all the terrorist schemes and dangers through the military confrontation.

His eminence stressed that the Americans and the Saudis will never be able to gain politically what they have lost militarily in Syria, pointing out that the political solution means that the Syrians conclude agreements and understandings to end their country's crisis.

Leb will not join the "Islamic Alliance" announced by the hypocrite Saudi that is involved in terrorism, Sheikh Qassem asserted.
Posted by: Fred || 12/20/2015 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Hezbollah



Who's in the News
30[untagged]
8Islamic State
4Govt of Pakistan
4Taliban
2Govt of Syria
2Hamas
2Houthis
1Govt of Iran
1Baloch Liberation Army
1Hezbollah
1TTP
1Boko Haram
1Govt of Iraq
1Govt of Saudi Arabia

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In no particular order...
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Two weeks of WOT
Sun 2015-12-20
  Terrorist and Hezbollah commander Samir Kuntar... Tango Uniform
Sat 2015-12-19
  Yemen Government Forces Capture Capital of al-Jawf Province as Peace Talks Go on
Fri 2015-12-18
  Over 800 migrants try to storm Channel Tunnel in France: Official
Thu 2015-12-17
  30 Dead in Boko Haram Attack on Three Nigeria Villages
Wed 2015-12-16
  Top Saudi, UAE Commanders among 150 Forces Killed in Yemen Tochka Attack
Tue 2015-12-15
  Breaking: L.A. School District shut down due to credible terror threat
Mon 2015-12-14
  40 die in Damascus airstrikes
Sun 2015-12-13
  Gambia now an Islamic republic, says President
Sat 2015-12-12
  US sez 3 ISIS Top Dawgs die in airstrikes
Fri 2015-12-11
  North Korea claims it has hydrogen bomb; experts skeptical
Thu 2015-12-10
  37 killed in Taliban siege at Khandahar airport
Wed 2015-12-09
  Daesh loses large part of Ramadi
Tue 2015-12-08
  Clash among the supporters of Taliban chief and Mullah Rasool leaves 24 dead
Mon 2015-12-07
  Yemen's Aden governor killed in car bombing claimed by Islamic State
Sun 2015-12-06
  AQIM shares responsibility for Mali hotel killings

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