[CNN] Kenya's cholera epidemic has reached the world's largest refugee camp and doctors worry the outbreak could continue to spread.
Seven people have died in Dadaab, in northern Kenya near the border with Somalia, since the outbreak was declared in November, the medical charity Doctors Without Borders, or MSF, said in a statement.
In the last three weeks, more than 300 patients have been admitted to treatment centers, and 30% of those patients were children under 12, according to MSF.
"We are still trying to control the spread," UNHCR front man in Kenya Duke Mwancha told CNN on Saturday. UNHCR is 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... High Commissioner for Refugees.
Lack of proper sanitation and education of the population are among the main challenges in halting infections, Mwancha said. There are are not enough pit latrines in the camp for the size of its population, and people often allow their children play in the mud or in floodwater, he said.
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12/21/2015 00:00 ||
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Yemeni peace talks concluded in Switzerland on Sunday without an agreement to end nine months of civil war and foreign intervention, but rival factions will resume negotiations on January 14, a government delegation source told Reuters. Yewbetcha. They'll be there like a boss...
Analysts believe the latest round of talks represented the best chance yet to end the conflict given months of stalemate in ground combat.
"The first round of Yemeni discussions ended with an agreement for them to be revived ... in Ethiopia on the 14th of January," the source told Reuters.
It remains unclear whether the two sides have agreed to renew a troubled ceasefire which coincided with the start of the United Nations-backed talks on December 15.
#1
At this stage, prolly safe to say that the problems of the KSA's Natinal + Colaition Armed Forces as per anti-Houthi MilPlanning in Yemen will be SIMILAR in may ways to that of RISING CHINA in any mil conflict agz the US-Allies in the South, East China Seas + over Taiwan, I.E. TOO MUCH PROFESSIONAL + OPERATIONAL "RUST".
Unlike the US, UK, + French Militaries, + also Aussie SAS, whom have in constant or near-constant action since before + after the end of the Cold War + 9-11, CO-SUPERPOWERS RUSSIA + CHINA + IRAN, NOW THE KSA, ETAL. ARE ALL SEEMINGLY IN SERIOUS "OUT-OF-PRACTICE" IN COMPARISON.
Iff the KSA can effec shake it off + succeed in Yemen, so can China in East Asia-WESTPAC agz the US-Allies.
RUSSIA, CHINA, + IRAN [Saudis?] = Gotta be like Sly Stallone's ROCKY BALBOA + return to that smelly, dirty, simple or antiquated gym of youth to rediscover his lost or forgotten fighting skills.
* COACH CARL WEATHERS [paraph] = "ROCKY'S GOTTA DISCOVER MUSCLES/STRENGTHS HE DIDN'T KNOW HE HAD"!
[IsraelTimes] Residents of Molenbeek, home to perpetrators of Gay Paree attacks and one of Belgium's poorest areas, insist jihadists are primarily driven by lack of prospects
Brahim Abdeslam seemed no different from his peers in Molenbeek, one of Belgium's poorest districts, where drug use is rife and many of the young men are unemployed. One November evening, he passed the time smoking pot in a parked car with two of his friends.
But the next day, Abdeslam drove to Gay Paree, and on November 13 he went kaboom! outside a cafe on Boulevard Voltaire, part of the wave of attacks claimed by the Islamic State
Continued on Page 49
#1
"Trust me, it is not reading the Koran that radicalizes young men here," he said. "It is the images of dead Syrian children."
Maybe radical mosques and drug and Koran addled brains are the cause of radicalization. I suggest that the jihadist quit killing Syrian children if they don't like the images.
[Hurriyet] Turkish police have intervened with tear gas and water cannons to a group protesting the military operations and curfews in the southeastern districts of Cizre, Silopi and Sur. Rooters reported "hundreds" of protesters were chased into the side streets of Istanbul's central Istiklal Avenue by riot police wearing protective gear.
[DAWN] Pak Taliban have rejected His Supreme Immensity, Caliph of the Faithful and Galactic Overlord, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ...formerly merely the head of ISIL and a veteran of the Bagram jailhouse. Looks like a new messiah to bajillions of Moslems, like just another dead-eyed mass murder to the rest of us... 's claim to be the global leader of Muslims, the movement said in a statement seen on Saturday.
The Pak Taliban's statement comes after a similar rejection by the Afghan Taliban following pledges of allegiance to leader of the Lion of IslamIslamic State
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/21/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
It's obvious that al-Baghdadi needs to put thousands of Pak Taliban heads on stakes to get his point across.
[Rudaw] Iraq's government on Sunday gave residents 72 hours to evacuate Ramadi, as reinforcements arrived ahead of an anticipated offensive, the third since 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) turbans seized the key city in May.
"The residents of Ramadi need to leave the city in 72 hours," the Baghdad government said in a statement.
Fresh troops with heavy weapons arrived near Ramadi on Sunday, joining soldiers who in the past two days have moved into parts of Ramadi and Fallujah, ... the City of Mosques, which might have somthing to do with why it's not called Center of Prosperity or a really nice place to raise your kids... Anbar's other major city.
In recent days the Iraqi army has made substantial advances in Ramadi, thanks to close US air support.
"The military support arrived in the town of Khalidiya and will be soon transferred to the east and north of Ramadi," Ali Daoud, a town official, said in a statement Sunday.
He added that the reinforcements have arrived with heavy weapons, including tanks.
Ramadi fell to ISIS last May. Since then the army, backed by Shiite militias and some Sunni tribal forces, has launched two major offensives to wrest control of the province from the religious fanatics.
Update from Al Ahram at 11:00 a.m. ET:
ISIS stopping civilians leaving Ramadi before attack: Iraq Defence Ministry
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/21/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Just drop the bombs and tell them we goofed up on the time zone we thought they are in. The way things go in this administration, it is not only plausible but believable.
[Rudaw] Germany is sending thousands of assault rifles, ammunition and 200 anti-tank missiles for the Kurdistan Region's Peshmerga forces, the German Der Spiegel reported on its website.
It reported that Germany is set to deliver around 4,000 more G-36 assault rifles, six million rounds of ammunition and 200 Milan anti-tank missiles. At least five "Dingo" armored personnel carriers are also part of the package.
About bloody time. The Kurds are one of the few military groups in the region who know what the hell they're doing against ISIS...
I believe this is not the first time Germany has supplied the Kurds, despite the problems that must cause with their domestic populations of Turks and Kurds.
Germany has been very supportive of the Kurdistan Region in its fight against 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) since August 2014 when the hard boyz attacked the Kurdish capital, Erbil.
Since then, Germany has been among the few Western countries sending direct arms supplies to the Peshmerga, instead of through the central government in Baghdad.
See?
Additional anti-tank missiles will likely be welcomed by the Peshmerga, who have been holding a very lengthy front line against ISIS.
On Wednesday, ISIS attacked the Peshmerga front in a three-pronged assault lasting 17 hours.
Weapons like the Milan missiles are especially needed by the Peshmerga to thwart suicide kabooms by ISIS that are often launched with vehicle-borne improvised bombs (VBIED), which are often armored and hard to stop small arms alone.
German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen told Germany's Bild newspaper on Friday that "the Peshmerga perfectly know how to handle weapons they get from Germany." She said they "have shown themselves as a successful and effective ground force against the barbaric ISIS."
#1
It reported that Germany is set to deliver around 4,000 more G-36 assault rifles
Yeah, thanks for the help. Just who's side are you on?
Thereliability of the G36 in combat first became an issue when the G36 was used a lot in combat during hot weather in Afghanistan. There were incidents where hours of combat caused several very real problems. One of the more obvious problems was the polymer (plastic) parts of the rifle getting a bit soft when the metal parts got very hot due to heavy use in a short period of time. The barrel and receiver could move a tiny bit under those conditions and that threw off accuracy to a small degree that became especially noticeable only at longer (over 200 meters) ranges. No one has come up with a practical (workable and affordable) solution for that. At first the German government insisted the problem has to do with bad ammunition but the ammo manufacturers denied that and were able to make a convincing case. Then, in 2010 came multiple reports, confirmed by many witnesses and cell phone photos, of the heat related problems and total failure of the rifle in some cases. German politicians and procurement officials have been trying to make all this go away ever since. The government officials do not want to admit they made a major mistake in putting the G36 into service. They also don’t want the major expense of replacing the G36 with a better design.
#2
Crappy German battle rifles is better than no rifles at all. If your choices are giving them to the Kurds or throwing them in the ocean, might as well donate. At least they won't have to scrub the salt-water stains off the guns.
[RFE/RL] Iran says changes to the American visa-waiver program contradict the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
Washington recently tightened the security requirements of its visa-waiver program, which allows citizens of 38 nations to travel to the U.S. without visas. Now, people from those nations who have traveled to Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Sudan in the past five years require visas to enter the United States.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said that the nuclear deal bars policies intended to adversely affect normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran. He said the new visa requirement would negatively affect economic, cultural, scientific, and tourism relations with Iran.
#1
I'd say Iran ought to STFU about our visa policies. As I recall, we have people who are in jail in Iran for visiting that Islamic paradise (sarc) without hope of getting out.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[RFE/RL] Iran says changes to the American visa-waiver program contradict the nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers.
