The Afghan government on Friday said that the Taliban used civilians as human shields during Wednesday night's military operation in Kunduz which resulted in the death of at least 30 civilians.
CEO Abdullah Abdullah on Friday urged the Afghan security forces to do whatever they can to prevent civilian deaths in ongoing battles. He also slammed the use of civilians as human shields by the Taliban and said it was a cowardly act.
"Taliban leaders were there, unfortunately they used people as human shields - as a result innocent civilians and children were martyred and I convey my condolences to the bereaved families," said Abdullah.
Meanwhile, U.S Defense Secretary Ashton Carter also condemned the incident that led to the loss of civilian lives during the Kunduz operation, but reiterated that Washington was committed to its plan to complete its mission in Afghanistan.
Ash Carter said he was "deeply saddened" to learn that two U.S. service members had been killed and four injured in Afghanistan.
"Our service members were doing their part to help the Afghans secure their own country while protecting our homeland from those who would do us harm," he said in a statement.
Reports indicate that at least 30 civilians were killed during an armed confrontation between the Afghan security forces and the Taliban in Boz Kandahari area of Kunduz, close to Pul-e-Alchin - which is a suburb of the provincial capital.
Most of the victims killed in the operation were women and children.
"The number of those wounded is around 25 people while another 30 people were killed," said Assadullah Omarkhial, the governor of Kunduz.
Meanwhile, a source close to the Afghan special forces has said that the Afghan special commandos raided the area with the support of their foreign counterparts. Their plan was to eliminate two top Taliban commanders who had taken shelter inside civilian homes alongside their fighters and were targeting Afghan security forces.
The source added that at least 10 Afghan commandos killed or wounded including a number of US soldiers.
"Insurgents attacked our forces from four directions and forces had to retaliate," said Mohammad Radmanish, a deputy spokesman for the ministry of defense.
It is believed that the Taliban also suffered heavy casualties during the operation. Reports indicate at least 64 Taliban fighters including two top commanders were eliminated during the operation.
The presidential palace on Thursday night also confirmed in a statement that during a military operation on Wednesday night insurgents infiltrated residential areas and used people as human shields in the Boz Kandahari area of Kunduz leaving a number of women and children dead and wounded.
"President Ghani was shocked after hearing the news of the civilian death toll and directed the security and defense officials and Kunduz governor to take all necessary steps during operations to prevent civilian casualties," the statement read.
The statement noted that Ghani has assigned a task team to probe the incident in order to implement the law against those who committed this inhumane act.
"Whenever the Taliban face a siege, they use the people as human shields, they enter people's homes by force and take women and children hostage," said senator Ali Akbar Jamshidi.
[al-Manar] Marking a new development, the Yemeni army and Popular committees revealed capturing a group of Saudi soldiers while attacking their posts in KSA in the past months.
The military media posted a video in which four of the Saudi hostages named Moussa Ali Awaji, Hussein Harithi, Badr Atbi and Mohammad Solan appear to say that they were captured by the Yemeni army and Popular committees in various military sites KSA.
Yemen has been since March 26, 2015 under brutal aggression by Saudi-led coalition.
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 fugitive ex-president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi who is a close ally to Saudi Arabia.
[Dhaka Tribune] Ruling Awami League (AL) suspends three local leaders of Nasirnagar, Brahmanbaria for their involvement with the October 30 communal attack on the local Hindu minorities.
The leaders are‐ Abul Hashem, chairman of Nasirnagar upazila sadar union and deputy secretary of Nasirnagar upazila AL unit, Faruq Mia, president of AL Haripur Union, and Suruj Ali, president of AL Chaportola Union unit, confirms a Brahmanbaria MP RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury.
While talking exclusively to the Dhaka Tribune, he said: "We (AL) found some involvement of the trio (Abul, Faruq and Suruj) with the attack in primary probe. They will be banished from the party if we gather concrete evidence against them."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2016 00:00 ||
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How clever they are, to be sure. No doubt the Russians will feel properly ashamed of their actions and cease forthwith.
[BBC] Protesters blocked the entrance to the London embassy on Thursday with 800 mannequin limbs which they said was in response to the killing of civilians in Syrian city Aleppo. Two people also chained themselves to the gates.
Campaigners said the limbs represented the injuries suffered by people. Activists began their protest at about 14:00 BST.
In a statement, the Russian embassy said it was "deeply concerned" about the unwillingness of the UK government to "ensure security and unhindered operation of the Russian diplomatic mission in London".
It added: "An unauthorised protest action by a group of unidentified people interrupted the work of the embassy as the entrance to the consular section was blocked up with a heap of mannequin body parts while the protestors handcuffed themselves to the gate.
"As a result, the mission staff and visitors were unable to enter the premises of the embassy. Police officers remained indifferent in the face of the openly provocative and disorderly conduct of the 'demonstrators'. Moreover, nuisance callers blocked the embassy telephone line rendering it impossible to contact the mission for genuine callers."
The Russian embassy statement accused the "so-called protest action" of being "carefully and thoroughly planned".
It also accused the government of waging an anti-Russian campaign in the media backed by Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson who in the House of Commons recently encouraged people to protest outside the Russian embassy. The Russian embassy appeared to suggest Boris Johnson was partly to blame by tweeting that the demonstration came "after the call of @BorisJohnson".
Londonistan let the enemy in. This is the enemy inside the gates.
Russia is fighting Islamists, we should be joining them. We aren't because Saudi Arabia and Qatar fund the Clintons, before them Obama, before them Bush
The one person they don't fund is Mr Trump
Iran and Saudi - all Islamist theocracies, we should be placing under immediate sanction. immediate border control, monetary control banning funding of anything.
[AlAhram] Sting will re-open Gay Paree' Bataclan concert hall on November 12, a day before the anniversary of the jihadist attack that left 90 people dead there, the British rock star said Friday. The former frontman of The Police said he had agreed to the highly-charged gig "to remember and honour those who bit the dust in the attack a year ago, and to celebrate the life and the music that this historic theatre represents.
"In doing so we hope to respect the memory as well as the life affirming spirit of those who fell. We shall not forget them," he added in a statement on his website.
The announcement is a major boost for the venue which had reportedly been struggling to attract big names back to perform there, fearful of the emotional weight of the occasion.
All revenues from the show will be donated to two charities working with victims of the Gay Paree attacks, Sting's statement added.
On the day of the anniversary itself, survivors of the attack will attend the unveiling of a plaque in front of the concert hall, Gay Paree city hall said. But the building itself will remain closed.
The US rock group Eagles of Death Metal -- who were on stage when the massacre began -- will also be present at the ceremony, according to French rolling news channel BFMTV.
Another British rocker, Pete Doherty, will play the refurbished venue for two nights starting on November 16 and he will be followed by Senegal ... a nation of about 14 million on the west coast of Africa bordering Mauretania to the north, Mali to the east, and a pair of Guineas to the south, one of them Bissau. It is 90 percent Mohammedan and has more than 80 political parties. Its primary purpose seems to be absorbing refugees... ese star Youssou N'Dour and singer Marianne Faithfull.
The British-born Sixties legend, who lives in the French capital, told AFP she will perform "They Come at Night" for the first time, a song that she wrote in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.
"I understand that it's frightening," 69-year-old Faithfull said of bands who were reluctant to play the venue in eastern Gay Paree again. "I don't blame them. But there is no point in being afraid. I don't think it will happen again."
The French singer Francis Cabrel said recently he had declined an offer to appear. "There was just too much emotion for me," he said. "I am sorry, but it is beyond me."
The Bataclan was one of several targets in a wave of bloody attacks across the French capital by 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.... gunnies and jacket wallahs on the night of November 13, 2015. Bars, restaurants and the national stadium were also hit, leaving a total of 130 people dead.
Eagles of Death Metal made an emotional return to Gay Paree in February, playing in front of hundreds of survivors of the attacks at the Olympia concert hall. One of the band's crew was among the dead.
However, a hangover is the wrath of grapes... controversial comments by the band's frontman Jesse Hughes alleging that the venue's Arab-origin employees were complicit in the attack have tarnished its image in La Belle France. The venue strongly rejected the charges and invitations to play French summer music festivals were cancelled.
Hughes, a rare right-wing rocker and supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, has also said without evidence that Moslems were celebrating outside during the venue during the siege. Before he made the claims, Hughes told AFP that he wanted to play the Bataclan again one day.
Most effective way to turn Undecideds into Trump voters that I can think of. Y'all keep an eye out for trouble, just in case someone decides to do something unwise.
[Breitbart] According to Rooters, the threat is "unspecific" and relatively "low-level," while the threat information is "uncorroborated." One official speculated that it was "just an attempt to inspire someone here to mount an attack."
A front man for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey acknowledged receiving the alert, while the New York Police Department said it was working with intelligence officials and the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
"Texans should go about their daily lives as usual, but remain vigilant over the next several days and report any suspicious activity," said Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who confirmed his office was monitoring the situation.
"We are doing everything we can to keep Virginians safe, and we’re confident they are going to be able to vote safely on Election Day," said Brian Coy, a front man for Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe.
A U.S. intelligence official told CBS News:
While we do not comment on intelligence matters, we will say the counterterrorism and homeland security communities remain vigilant and well-postured to defend against attacks here in the United States. The FBI and DHS, working with our federal, state and local counterparts, share and assess intelligence on a daily basis and will continue to work closely with law enforcement and intelligence community partners to identify and disrupt any potential threat to public safety.
CBS notes that a previous alert warned local police that polling places were "attractive targets" for "lone wolf" terrorist attacks by "individuals motivated by violent bad boy ideologies, sovereign citizen or other bad boy activity."
[DAWN] Nat Geo's famed 'Afghan Girl' Sharbat Gula is to be deported to Afghanistan after serving a 15-day jail sentence and paying a fine of Rs110,000, a special anti-corruption and immigration court in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. ordered on Friday.
Sharbat Gula was tossed in the calaboose Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Oct 26 from her house in the Nauthia area for alleged forgery of a Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC). A day after her arrest, the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... High Commissioner distanced itself from Sharbat Gula, claiming that she was not a registered refugee.
Sharbat Gula's lawyer, Mubashir, said the accused had pleaded guilty to all charges against her in court today.
He said she had served about nine days in jail since her arrest and will remain imprisoned for six more to complete her sentence before she is deported from Pakistain.
During a bail hearing before a special court earlier this week, Sharbat Gula's lawyer said she is the sole bread winner of her family and is currently suffering from Hepatitis C.
Judge Farah Jamshed Khan, who dismissed Sharbat Gula's bail petition on Nov 2, had directed the suspect be produced in court today and heard the case.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
Fox News recently made the eight hour trip west from Mosul to the front outside the devastated city of Sinjar and found a small outpost where a handful of men hold off near-daily attacks from ISIS fighters.
One soldier manning the post was David Shumock, a 62-year-old Floridian and former U.S. Air Force pararescueman. The American fights side-by-side with the Kurdish Peshmerga, and serves as medic and trainer to his comrades as well.
Shumock has called the dusty makeshift camp surrounded on three sides by ISIS, [home] for a year. When he and his fellow fighters arrived, ISIS had only just been ousted from Sinjar city. Their first effort was to rebuild the forward base by hand – fixing roofs, and ringing it with lookouts posts.
From this base, the men, part of the Kurdish quick reaction force, support a 500-mile long line, responding to attacks wherever and whenever they come. Often, it’s their base under attack from artillery. The line they oversee straddles the ISIS corridor to Syria, and is a key supply route to reinforce Mosul with both men and equipment.
Yet even as the long-awaited move to retake Mosul is underway, the western front has been largely unguarded by the coalition of Iraqi army, Kurdish forces, Shia militia and U.S. advisers working together against ISIS.
“Conventional military wisdom says you encircle your enemy and defeat him," Shumock said. "For some reason, they’ve left the western side of Mosul all the way to Syria open, and, as the general told you, we see 500 vehicles moving every day, resupplying Mosul and Tal Afar. And there’s nothing we can do.”
As he watches these convoys, Shumock explained how they’re prohibited from attacking unless they are certain no civilians are in the line of fire. It's not just the rules of engagement handcuffing Shumock and his fellow fighters. They are sorely lacking in support, he said.
“In the year I’ve been here, we’ve never seen a U.S. officer, or received any support from them,” he said.
They’re so undersupplied they’ve had to raise money in the U.S. just to buy night vision goggles so they can see what they’re shooting at during nightly raids.
Shumock came to Iraq after losing his only daughter in a car crash, and seeing videos of ISIS murdering women and children. He said he wanted to put his military skills into service of a righteous cause.
Near the base lies a grim reminder of the brutality of ISIS: The mass graves of thousands of Yazidi villagers who were killed as their ancestral home was overrun. Shumock himself has found some of the mass graves while on patrol. Once, he followed a trail of bone fragments to a place where the skulls and bones of countless souls were piled up.
Posted by: Pappy ||
11/05/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
[ALMASDARNEWS] PMU's (Popular Mobilization Units) commander advices the Turkish government to withdraw from their bases in Bashiqa. Following the recent statements of Turkish government officials that they want to be part of the groundforces that are going to liberate djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... from ISIS elements.
Currently, Iraqi forces are heavily occupied with fighting ISIS in Mosul as they are almost going to enter the city centre. There are however no specific foreign boots on the ground as the Iraqi PM and FM have mentioned explicitly that the Iraqi people can liberate their own land without having help on the ground from other countries.
Iraq, on the other hand, receives support from an international coalition. Which is more a facilitating role from these countries and does not involve boots on the ground. Last few days the Iraqi PM 'Haidar al-Abadi' and Turkish President 'Recep Erdogan' exchanged some heavy words about the battle of Mosul, where Turkish President mentioned that Mosul was part of The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... , and Iraqi PM mentioned that Turkey belonged to Iraq as part of the Abbysid empire.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq
This is not the moderate Islam of President Obama's childhood.
[KOBI5] Thousands of protesters waving flags are marching through Jakarta demanding the ouster of the city’s governor, who has been accused of blasphemy against Moslems.
Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, commonly known as Ahok, is alleged to have insulted Islam by criticizing his opponents’ use of a Koranic verse in a stump speech.
As many as 18,000 police and military personnel have been deployed for Friday’s protest, and an inner ring of approximately 100 armed military guards are outside the Governor’s residence, CNN Indonesia says.
Local media suggest as many as 50,000 people could take to the streets. There are fears that ISIS, and al-Qaeda, through its Indonesian proxy Jemaah Islamiyah, could seek to ferment violence.
Police have called on demonstrators to exercise their right to protest and freedom of expression in a peaceful manner. Residents have been warned to avoid the protest route and avoid sharing "unclear... provocative and incorrect information" on social media, Police Chief Tito Karnavian said in a statement.
The rally originates at Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta and will end at the Presidential palace. Governments, including the UK and Australia, have urged their citizens in the city to exercise caution.
Conservative Islamist opponents say that Ahok, who is a Christian of Chinese descent, should not administer a Moslem-majority city.
They had previously quoted a verse from the Moslem holy book at a rally, which warns against Moslems allying themselves with non-believers.
Ahok is a key ally of President Joko Widodo and was his deputy when Widodo -- also known as Jokowi -- was governor of Jakarta. Ahok is now the frontrunner in the 2017 gubernatorial race.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo with Ahok after the latter’s swearing in as governor on November 19, 2014.
Jokowi has called for calm and is seeking support from Prabowo Subianto, his opponent in next year’s presidential election.
Former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, whose son is running against Ahok, made a speech two days ago calling for the governor to be persecuted to placate the Islamist opposition and quell the protests.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Salafists
#1
The Christian governor did not "insult Islam"
They are rioting because he is Christian and Islamists do NOT believe that Christians should ever be in a position of power over Muslims. He is the governor but he is not Muslim, therefore he has to be removed. Islamists are supremacists. The slang term for "christian" in pakistan equates to "streetsweeper" because low jobs is all Christians can get in Islamist dominated societies, where they will not be put in a position overseeing a Muslim.
saudi/qatari money at work spreading Islamist ideology in Indonesia for past 20 years, ignored, bearing fruit.
pay attention. Halal certification made compulsory by SBY in last act before leaving. Aceh under sharia. HT rallying last March with 100,000 turnout.
This is Islamism rising. Soon you'll be looking to China to be a bullwark against Indonesia instead of the other way round.
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Kurdish-led "Syrian Democratic Forces" announced on Thursday their plan to liberate the strategic city of Raqqa from 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 al-Sham (ISIS).
However, there's more than one way to skin a cat... the SDF's Spokesperson, Talal Sello, asserted that his forces do not plan on coordinating with the Turkish Army to liberate the city.
"The topic of The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... ’s participation was settled with the (US-led anti-IS) coalition definitively. No Turkish participation," he said.
Turkey is conducting their own offensive in northern Aleppo that targets both the Islamic State and Kurdish forces, leaving the latter at odds with Ankara.
"We are ready. We have the sufficient numbers for this campaign and we will start it soon," Sello told AFP, without specifying a timetable.
"The topic of Turkey’s participation was settled with the (US-led anti-IS) coalition definitively. No Turkish participation," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
[ALMASDARNEWS] All hell is expected to break loose in Aleppo city shortly after local rebel factions refused to evacuate or let any civilians leave besieged rebel-held districts today. A Russian humanitarian pause ended moments ago which effectively would grant the Russian Air Force the green light by the Kremlin to bomb gunnies hiding in the city again.
Pamphlets distributed in eastern Aleppo reveal holy warrior groups would only allow residents to exit into government-held Aleppo if they paid 60,000 Syrian pounds (roughly 300 dollars) to "support the Mujahideen". With unemployment rampant due to war, hardly any civilians are able to afford the payment, effectively reducing them to human shields.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/05/2016 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
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.
