[WASHINGTONPOST] A Kremlin official said Wednesday that Russia was exchanging information with the Taliban, the Islamist insurgency that the United States has been fighting in Afghanistan since 2001, as a bulwark against the spread of 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.... bad boy group in that country.
Zamir Kabulov, a Foreign Ministry department head and 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... 's special representative for Afghanistan, told the Interfax news agency that "the Taliban interest objectively coincides with ours" in the fight against the Islamic State, which has captured broad swaths of territory in Syria and Iraq.
"I have already said earlier that we and the Taliban have channels for exchanging information," Kabulov added, in remarks reported by Interfax and confirmed to The Washington Post by a ministry front man.
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12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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[WASHINGTONPOST] The government of Somalia has banned Christmas and New Year's celebrations, calling them "contrary to Islamic culture" and citing such festivities as potential targets for terrorists.
Although there are almost no native Christians in Somalia, the country hosts more than 22,000 peacekeepers as part of an African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... mission, and many of them are Christian.
Christmas or New Year's celebrations "could damage the faith of the Muslim community," Mohammed Khayrow, director general of Somalia's Ministry of Religious Affairs, said at a news conference, according to Somali news media. "All security forces are advised to halt or dissolve any gatherings. There should be no activity at all.''
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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Attacks by Islamic extremist group Boko Haram in north-eastern Nigeria and neighbouring countries have forced more than one million children out of school, heightening the risk they will be abused, abducted or recruited by armed groups, Unicef said.
The United Nations children's agency said the conflict has forced 2,000 schools to close, some for more than a year, in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger. Some have been looted or set on fire by the militant group, whose name means "Western education is sinful".
Insecurity also prevents teachers from going back to classes, while in schools that have reopened, classrooms are overcrowded.
Boko Haram's insurgency has killed about 20,000 people and displaced millions, according to Amnesty International.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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[ALMANAR.LB] Leader of Ansarullah Movement, Sayyed Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, asserted that the Yemenis will continue their fight steadfastly and constantly against the Saudi-led aggression, noting that KSA's coalition aims at inaugurating ISIL to move Aden and all the southern provinces into anarchy.
Addressing a massive rally in Sanaa on the occasion of Prophet Mohammad's (PTUI!) Birthday, Sayyed Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... added that ISIL plots to strike the existing entities, weaken the Umma and deform Islam's image in order to serve the US-Zionist interests.
Sayyed Houthi pointed at that the US wants the war 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... to be prolonged, noting that the Yemenis will fight under all the circumstances till achieving victory.
The inevitable outcome that Holy God has pledged to enable his loyal worshippers to reach is victory, Sayyed Houthi asserted.
Yemen has been since March 26 under brutal aggression by Saudi-led coalition. Hundreds of Thousands have been martyred and injured in the attack, with the vast majority of them are civilians.
Riyadh launched the attack on Yemen in a bid to restore power to runaway president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi who is a close ally to Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... .
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Houthis
#1
This war will not cease until Saudi Arabia ensures that bombing has totally destroyed Houthi villages and urban sites in Sa'ada, Hajjah, and Amran provinces and reduced the Houthi homeland to something akin to a seventh century satrapy.
A guided torpedo fragment that was recovered from the wreckage of the South Korean warship Cheonan included Korean-language inscriptions, validating previous claims of a North Korea attack. But the evidence is badly corroded, according to officials.
A Defense Ministry source said Wednesday core evidence from the wrecked warship has been rusting, and that the government is exploring the possibility of conservation, Yonhap reported.
A badly damaged section of one recovered torpedo, near the propellers, showed that the words "No. 1" had been etched in Korean, in a format used in the North, the unidentified official said.
North Korea has repeatedly denied any connection to the 2010 warship sinking, despite findings from an international team of experts that concluded the attack that killed 46 South Korean seamen was of North Korean origin.
In a separate statement on Wednesday, the ministry said because of a trial that was in progress related to the Cheonan incident, personnel had been banned from coming into contact with any of the recovered items, which had resulted in rust and other damage, South Korean outlet No Cut news reported.
The trial had involved a defamation suit against Shin Sang-cheol. The defendant had written an online post criticizing the South Korean government and accused Seoul of conspiracy and fabricating the incident as a North Korea attack.
Shin was sentenced to three years in prison for libel on Dec. 7, and a final trial is to be held Jan. 25.
#1
Pudgy = NOKOR wants to break China's hold over his country + reunify wid SOKOR, which is NOT going to happen as long as China itself does NOT get back + permanently reunify wid Taiwan. NOKOR is fighting the clock agz both NOKOR-specific econ or state collapse, + Chinese takeover of NOKOR including via annexation, + while also keeping the Kim family potent in any post-reunification NOKOR-SOKOR Govt.
Do not underestimate or ignore Pudgy's willingness to find a way to unilater or asymmetrically start a major or mutually destructive US-China war iff He = NOKOR cannot achieve the above.
[CSMONITOR] The French government is hardening its position toward dual-nationals, in what is part of a new series of constitutional changes following the Nov. 13 attacks: Frenchies who who have participated in acts of terrorism and who are also nationals of other countries could have their nationality revoked.
This measure, along with a move to uphold the state of emergency imposed by President Francois Hollande ...the Socialist president of La Belle France, an economic bad joke for la Belle France but seemingly a foreign policy realist... by enshrining it in the constitution, would require a three-fifths majority in the lower and upper houses of La Belle France's Parliament. Debate on these measures will begin Feb. 3, according to Agence La Belle France-Presse.
"The threat has never been higher," Prime Minister Manuel Valls told news hounds on Wednesday. "We must face up to a war, a war against terrorism, against jihadism, against radical Islam."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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[TODAYSZAMAN] All three of the opposition parties in Parliament have accepted Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's request for a meeting to discuss a new constitution and internal parliamentary regulations and reforms.
Davutoğlu had requested meetings with the three parties and proposed a date of Dec. 30 if accepted. On Tuesday, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu accepted the request for a meeting on Dec. 30.
Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) parliamentary group deputy chairman İdris Baluken said on Wednesday his party would accept Davutoğlu's request for the meeting.
Baluken said he had not talked with his party's co-chairs yet but that he will come to a decision after discussing it with them. “We want the channels for dialogue to always remain open. We are ready to meet with everyone. We will give a positive answer to this meeting request. I hope the meeting will be helpful to solve the current problems,” Baluken said.
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) leader Devlet Bahçeli also accepted the request on Wednesday and agreed to meet with Davutoğlu on Jan. 4.
The leaders of the opposition parties and Davutoğlu are expected to discuss a new constitution, delayed reforms, parliamentary bylaws and the country's budget.
Davutoğlu is expected to listen to advice put forth by the leaders of the opposition parties during the meetings in order to determine a roadmap for further gatherings.
Furthermore, the dispute centering on the Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK), which was subordinated to the government after a major change in the judicial body in 2014 and became a source of conflict between the government and opposition parties, is expected to be handled during the upcoming talks.
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12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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[TODAYSZAMAN] Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... lashed out at an opposition politician on Wednesday, calling him a "traitor" for his comments to Russian media over an alleged transfer of sarin gas through The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... to Syria.
In a speech to village and neighborhood leaders, or muhtars, at the presidential palace, Erdogan also accused the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), Kemal Kilicdaroglu, of "following the same path" as his party's deputy that made the remarks.
Eren Erdem, a politician for the CHP, has long been accused by the government officials and the pro-government media of acting against Turkey's interests by allegedly telling Russia Today in an interview that Turkey sold sarin gas to 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 Syria.
Erdem is also accused of saying in a tweet in 2011 that he would side with Iran if there were a war between Turkey and Iran, a claim the politician denies.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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[TODAYSZAMAN] Selahattin Demirtas, the co-chair of The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... 's pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), on Wednesday met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, discussing Syria and a diplomatic crisis between Turkey and Russia that erupted when a Russian jet was downed by Turkish warplanes on Nov. 24 near the Syrian border.
Russia has promised retaliation after the downing of the Su-24 and demanded Turkey offer an apology and compensation. Diplomatic contacts between the two countries have also come to a near halt amid Russian accusations that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... and his family benefit from an oil trade with 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), a claim categorically denied by Erdogan and the government.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Could it be that when Russians talk about "Friendship for People of Turkey" they mean People living in Turkey---not necessarily Turks?
[ASBAREZ] (Fars News Agency)--A commander of the Iraqi volunteer forces (Hashd al-Shaabi) revealed that a mobile phone found with one of the killed ISIL ringleaders proved the Turkish spy agency's support for the terrorist group. Asbarez is an Armenian (i.e., anti-Turk until proven otherwise) and they're running a Fars article. Probably deserves more credence than something by Seymour Hersch, less than by Reuters.
"The mobile phone was found with one of the killed ISIL leaders in the Northern parts of Salahuddin province two days ago," Jabbar al-Ma'mouri told Soumeriya news on Monday.
He said that the mobile set and history files contain messages from the Turkish intelligence agency which show that Ankara supports the ISIL terrorist group through providing security at the points of entry used by ISIL gunnies from The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... to Iraq. This is the way intel analysis works: We'e got a single bald statement that IS is working with Turkish govt agents. My feeling is that facts to date support that--they're not bombing IS that we've seen, they're killing PKK guys, and very possibly on recon information supplied by IS.
"The mobile phone also contains other important information which cannot be disclosed now, and it has been delivered to the specialized security groups for further scrutiny," Ma'mouri said. That would likely be to Iranian intel, which the last time I looked wasn't very good, though that was a long time ago (but not in a galaxy far away!)
In relevant remarks on November, Russian Ambassador to La Belle France Alexander Orlov said that Turkey has played an "ambiguous" role in the campaign 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.... of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) while acting as an accomplice to the terrorist group's activities. And he's probably got Russian intel to back that up. They won't disclose details because of sources and methods, but they've got their facts established and the telephone only confirms them. I'm guessing this wasn't the first cell phone ever collected, too.
Also last month, former US Department of State senior advisor David Phillips said Turkey has blatantly provided material support to the ISIL because they share an ideological connection along with a common foe in Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad. Leveler of Latakia... It being the State Department, you can't really be sure he's speaking based on intel. Since he's actually a "senior advisor" who actually belongs to Columbia University's peace-mongering group, the temptation is to discount anything he says. People like him should be kept away from classified information.
"Turkey's role has not been ambiguous -- it has overtly supported the ISIL," Phillips, currently Director of Columbia University's Peace-building and Rights Program, said. "It has provided logistical support, money, weapons, transport and healthcare to maimed warriors." Phillips explained that Turkey has been supporting the ISIL to remove Syrian President Bashir al-Assad from power and because of a "spiritual bond" that exists between Turkey's governing party and the jihadists. That's the part that confuses me. I guess the Turks started out to dump Assad, and the "spiritual bond" was the Moslem Brotherhood militias. Then ISIS showed up, so I guess they're putting their money on the stronger horse and the cheaper oil. I doubt Erdogan's thought through to what he'd have on his hands with an ISIS-cotrolled Syria on his border.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Neither the Muslim Brotherhood nor Erdogan, an Ikhwan himself, will ever forget nor forgive the Assad family for its destruction of the MB nexus at Homs and the outlawing of the Syrian Brotherhood. ISIL is in fact but another one of a dozen terrorist offshoots that have sprouted from the MB tree. A tree that over the last fifteen years has become more Salafist and more bloodthirsty than ever envisioned by Banna, the MB founder.
[THEDAILYBEAST] A Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, 22-year-old who was too afraid to join ISIS was apprehended at the airport, allegedly on his way to join al Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra ...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli sh-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ... .
The latest alleged American recruit for al-Nusra was desperate to leave the country because the Supreme Court passed gay marriage.
In a complaint unsealed last week, authorities say a 22-year-old Bay Area man planned a trip overseas to join al Qaeda's Syrian branch. Adam Shafi, of Fremont, is accused of purchasing tickets to Istanbul from the Socialist paradise of San Francisco ...where God struck dead Anton LaVey, home of the Sydney Ducks, ruled by Vigilance Committee from 1859 through 1867, reliably and volubly Democrat since 1964... after he chickened out of joining ISIS last year.
The government claims that Shafi believed U.S. politics were heading in the wrong direction--like the Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage a few days prior--and that he wanted to live in a country run under Muslim values.
"Adam was discouraged with the politics and direction of the United States, citing the recent Supreme Court decision allowing gay marriage, and wanted to be in a country of people of similar mindset and religion as himself," the criminal complaint reads.
But ISIS was too brutal and killed too many Muslims for his taste, the complaint alleges. For Shafi, an American disillusioned with U.S. policy and worried about the plight of Muslims around the world, Jabhat al-Nusra, which executes regime soldiers and alleged adulterers, seemed like the more moderate choice.
And even though Shafi allegedly attempted to join al-Nusra because it better aligned with Islamic values, the group commits similar violence and brutality as ISIS in its own battle against secular Western ideals.
As with many other recent radicalization cases, it was Shafi's parents who first alerted authorities about his potential plots in the ultimate act of parental sacrifice. When Shafi disappeared during a family trip to Egypt last August, his dad warned the U.S. embassy in the country that he might be heading to Syria. Shafi texted another relative that he was going to "protect Muslims," and the father said he and high school friends had been following bad boy imams online.
Shafi ultimately resurfaced after rendezvousing with a friend in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... . They were just sightseeing, he said. When interviewed by the feds, he said he was going to see the condition of Syrian refugees.
But according to the complaint, Shafi wasn't acting alone. Although ISIS is clearly winning the popularity contest among young, Muslim-American wannabe bad boys, at least two other men were in on Shafi's alleged plot to join the Nusra Front.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
this guy was living in SF and only the SCOPUS gay marriage decision rang his bell?
Posted by: lord garth ||
12/24/2015 0:20 Comments ||
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#2
I smell BS as well, lord garth. Personally speaking, I don't give a rat's ass about their justifications and the MSM (as usual) hypes that shit WAYYY too much, especially when they can play their favorite game on blaming Republicans.
[Daily Excelsior] 79 youths in Kashmire Valley have joined various terror outfits during this year, a figure which is 30 per cent higher than that of the previous year, Rajya Sabha was informed today.
Replying to a written question by BJP member Lal Singh Vadodia, Minister of State for Home Haribhai Parathibhai Chaudhary said as per reports, 79 youths have joined krazed killer ranks during 2015 (as on November 30) whereas 60 youths joined krazed killer ranks during the corresponding period of 2014.
There has been a growing concern within the security establishment about the sudden increase in disappearance of youths in Kashmire valley this year and reports coming in suggest that they have joined various krazed killer organizations, especially pro-Pakistain Hizbul Mujahideen led by Burhan Wani.
The Minister informed the Upper House that the terrorist activities in the Jammu and Kashmire were regularly being monitored and reviewed at various levels.
He said that the Government has adopted various counter measures to neutralise these efforts and capabilities of snuffies to disturb peace in the state.
Chaudhary said the Government has also encouraged policies to mainstream the youth, including providing employment opportunities to wean them away from militancy.
He said various steps have been initiated, including proactively taking suitable measures to safeguard the borders from cross-border terrorism and containing militancy.
The other focus areas are that the democratic process is sustained, ensuring sustained grinding of the peace processor and providing adequate opportunities to all sections of the people who eschew violence to effectively represent their view points and redress their genuine grievances. (PTI)
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12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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[DAILYEXCELSIOR] At least 60 turbans have managed to infiltrate into Kashmire valley this year ahead of snowfall, sources said. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... the Multi Agency figures of the infiltration for this year's are at 25 till October. So far security forces have killed 91 turbans in counter-infiltration and counter-militancy operations this year.
A top security officer said that they have confirmed infiltration figures of at least 60 turbans for this year. "Majority of these turbans are still in the forest areas of North Kashmire along the LoC, however, over a dozen have managed to shift to South Kashmire", he said.
According to figures of last few years, 65 turbans infiltrated in 2014, 97 infiltrated in 2013, 121 infiltrated in 2012, 52 infiltrated in 2011, 82 infiltrated in 2010, 99 infiltrated in 2009 and 27 infiltrated in 2008.
The security officer said that majority of these turbans are from Lashkar-e-Taiba ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI... (LeT) while majority of the Jaish-e-Mohammad ...literally Army of Mohammad, a Pak-based Deobandi terror group founded by Maulana Masood Azhar in 2000, after he split with the Harkat-ul-Mujaheddin. In 2002 the government of Pervez Musharraf banned the group, which changed its name to Khaddam ul-Islam and continued doing what it had been doing before without missing a beat... (JeM) turbans were killed during the infiltration. He said that these turbans are highly trained and possess sophisticated weapons and communication technology.
The officer said that there are around 12 Launch Pads of turbans active in Pakistain Indian Kashmiree along 400 kilometer LoC that Kashmire valley shares with PoK. He said that around 40-50 turbans are waiting on each of these launch pads for infiltrating into Kashmire.
According to figures, around 91 turbans were killed in Kashmire valley including LoC while infiltrating. Out of these, 32 were killed in South Kashmire in various counter-infiltration operations and 59 were killed along LoC and North Kashmire, majority of them in the forest areas.
Security forces launched massive operations in North Kashmire's forest area along the LoC for last several months against these infiltrated murderous Moslems. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... in majority of these operations the turbans slipped out of the cordon.
Commanding Officer of 41 Rashtriya Rifles of Army, Colonel Santosh Mahadik, was killed in a fierce shootout in North Kashmire's Kupwara on November 17 and on November 22 Colonel SK Natt was critically injured in two of these operations in Manigah forest area.
Army and Police launched massive operations in Manigah forests for over 15 days last month against these turbans in which two turbans were killed. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... the other members of the group managed to give slip to the security forces.
Similar operations were launched in Bandipora forests of North Kashmire for over one month against a group of around 17 murderous Moslems. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... no one was either placed in durance vile Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! or killed.
Now with the heavy snowfall along the 400 kilometer LoC from Gulmarg to Gurez, the infiltration has become difficult. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... General Officer Commanding (GOC) 15 Corps, Lt General Satish Dua said last week that there are still some areas where snowfall is less and from where the turbans can try to infiltrate.
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12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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[ALMANAR.LB] The Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar Abadi called Wednesday on the Arab countries to take a unified stance against the Turkish military incursion in Iraq.
In a statement, Abadi highlighted after meeting the Arab ambassadors in Beijing the victories of the Iraqi army against ISIL terrorist group.
He informed the Arab ambassadors about the measures the his country took against the Turkish violation for the national illusory sovereignty by sending troops to the Iraqi territories without the approval of Baghdad.
Abadi finally stressed that ISIL's scheme aims at stirring the seditions in the Islamic world.
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12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Turkish, Putinist = Russian, Iranian, + Saudi "Sphere of Influence" all converge or come together in Iraq, wid Other(s) possibly still to come.
WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG WID THIS MIGHTY, FINE, ANTI-US OWG GLOBALIST PLAN AS SSSHHH...CCCCC
SUPPORTED BY THE BAMMER + ALIGNED???
[CSMONITOR] The battle to retake Ramadi is being led by the Iraq Army, not sectarian militias. In a country where the Islamic State has exploited sectarian tensions, that could be an important moment. The sectarian militias strutted around, denounced the U.S., made faces, jumped up and down, then got their heinies handed to them when they actually exchanged fire with the enemy. I suspect that when the shootin's all over--assuming the army wins--the militias will show up again as an army of occupation and the atrocities will begin.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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But as significant as retaking Ramadi would be, [Wayne White, a former State Department Iraq analyst] cautions that it will be difficult to replicate the success across Iraq. Complications remain.
For one thing, Iraqi Security Forces have largely become Shiite forces, given that the Islamic State controls the Sunni areas that could be used for recruiting. The government of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi still isn’t providing Sunni tribal fighters with promised weaponry. This despite the Sunni tribes’ demonstrated resistance to the Islamic State onslaught. Even if Shiite militias are largely kept out of the offensive, it will be crucial to prevent them from sweeping and inciting confrontations with Sunnis after the fall.
More broadly, Iraq’s Shiite-dominated government continues to resist the political power-sharing reforms needed to bury hypersectarian tensions.
Miriam Elman at Legal Insurrection walks us through prisoner "exchanges" between Israel and its various Palestinian enemies. It's very long with embedded video and graphics. Worth it as a reminder of who their, and our, enemies are.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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Anyone searching for a sliver of light in the darkness of the Syrian catastrophe has no better place to go than the country's northeast. There some 2.2 million Kurds have created a quasi state that is astonishingly safe--and strangely unknown abroad. No barrel bombs are dropped by Bashar al-Assad's warplanes. No ISIS executioners enforce the wearing of the niqab. No Turkish air strikes send civilians running, as Turkish attacks on Kurdish militia bases do across the border in Iraq.
Safety is of course a relative concept. Car bombs and suicide attacks by ISIS assassins regularly take lives in this predominantly Kurdish 250-mile-wide stretch of Syria between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, but by the standards of the rest of the country it is quiet.
The 2.2 million Kurds make up a tenth of the Syrian population. During the protests of 2011--the Arab Spring--they, like their Arab counterparts in other Syrian cities, publicly demonstrated for reform in Qamishli, the region's largest city. But Assad was milder toward them than he was to other protesters elsewhere. He gave citizenship to 300,000 stateless Kurds and in July 2012 even withdrew most of his combat troops from the area on the grounds that they were needed more urgently in the Syrian heartland of Aleppo, Damascus, and the cities in between.
Kurdish militias known as the People's Protection Units (YPG) quickly organized the support of much of the Kurdish adult population under thirty and took control of the region, which they divide into three "cantons" and which they call Rojava (i.e., West, meaning western Kurdistan, from roj, the Kurdish word for sun). The other Kurdish regions are in Turkey, Iran, and Iraq.
visit the link for the nice background.
[Jpost] Kurdish security experts and commanders describe how bandidossnuffies have changed tactics over the last year.
ERBIL, Kurdistan region, Iraq -- On December 16, 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.... launched coordinated attacks on peshmerga, the Kurdish forces of the Kurdistan Regional Government in northern Iraq. Using fog for cover they launched suicide kabooms on various positions along the hundreds of kilometers of front lines that extend from southwest of Kirkuk all the way to the Syrian border in the northeast.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/24/2015 00:00 ||
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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.
...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...
[CSMONITOR] The French government is hardening its position toward dual-nationals, in what is part of a new series of constitutional changes following the Nov. 13 attacks: 
[TODAYSZAMAN] All three of the opposition parties in Parliament have accepted Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu's request for a meeting to discuss a new constitution and internal parliamentary regulations and reforms.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[Daily Excelsior] 79 youths in 
[DAILYEXCELSIOR] At least 60 
