Russia is trying to legitimize the Taliban in order to undermine the United States and NATO, the top U.S. general in Afghanistan said Thursday.
“The Russian involvement this year has become more difficult,” Gen. John Nicholson told the Senate Armed Services Committee. “First, they have begun to publicly legitimize the Taliban. This narrative that they promote is that the Taliban are fighting Islamic State and the Afghan government is not fighting Islamic State and that, therefore, there could be spillover of this group into the region. This is a false narrative.”
“I believe its intent is to undermine the United States and NATO,” he later added.
Nicholson was testifying about the current situation in Afghanistan, which he called a stalemate that he needs a few thousand more troops to break.
Among the challenges in the country are the actions of external actors such as Pakistan, Iran and Russia, Nicholson said. He said Russia's meddling in Afghanistan started in 2016 and continues to increase.
In addition to spreading a narrative that the Taliban is fighting the Afghan branch of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), Russia has also organized a series of meetings to discuss the future of Afghanistan without inviting the Afghan government, Nicholson said.
“Afghanistan is trying to work with all of its neighbors and all of the stakeholders,” he said. “They've reached out to the Russians about this. And we believe, that a peace and reconciliation process in Afghanistan should be Afghan-led.”
Nicholson also alluded to “reports” about Russia supporting the Taliban more directly. 'Alluded to reports?' What about confirmed and validated intelligence reporting? The Russian meme continues.
Nicholson’s comments on the difficulty Russia poses in Afghanistan come as President Trump has talked about wanting to mend relations between Moscow and Washington. Senators from both parties have been critical of Trump’s position on Russia, and Nicholson’s testimony could add fuel to their arguments against improving relations with Moscow.
After hearing Nicholson’s testimony, Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) said Trump should know that Russia has been “cozying up” to the Taliban.
“I think we better let President Trump know that,” he said. But wait! Isn't that something that should be highlighted (special update) in the “President's Daily Brief,” or P.D.B. ?
Nicholson replied: “Yes, sir.”
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/10/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
...Nicholson said. He said Russia's meddling in Afghanistan started in 2016 and continues to increase.
The Great Game started in 2016, wow, who knew? The Russians seem to be fishing troubled waters all around their national borders. If Afghanistan is a failed state, that the US will eventually(soon?) give up on, it seems reasonable that the Russian Bear would explore future ties.
Is Gen. Nicholson is someone like Wesley Clark who can be profitably ignored?
#5
Nicholson was testifying about the current situation in Afghanistan, which he called a stalemate that he needs a few thousand more troops to break
Umm..no. More than 16 years, 2,400 Americans killed, and billions wasted and you call it a stalemate?? The other side won. Until we go Genghis Khan on the TB/HQN/ISIS in both AF/PAK, we will not win. We're obviously not going to do that so why bother being there at all.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
02/10/2017 7:29 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Viet, Laos, Cambod redux. Until the border sanctuaries are dealt with, forget it. Sweden and Norway are not the problem, it's fok'n Pakistan !
#7
Putie really wants to end the heroin traffic that floods his country, so he's going to help the muscle that protects the drug lords? Something doesn't compute.
#10
They did a forcible set up of government last time. This time they'll let the Taliban do it on their own (with encouragement) and set some limited but enforceable expectations when the Talibs take Kabul.
[Dhaka Tribune] A Kenyan court said on Thursday it would be unconstitutional for the government to close a sprawling refugee camp housing mostly people who have fled unrest in neighbouring Somalia.
I'm afraid I just don't understand the suicide mentality of the judges in the various courts around the world today...
Nairobi has vowed to shut Dadaab, once seen as the world’s largest refugee camp, because it says the complex has been used by Islamist forces of Evil from Somalia as a recruiting ground to launch a string of attacks on Kenyan soil.
But rights groups argued it would hurt Somalis fleeing violence and poverty and accused Kenya of forcibly sending people back to a war zone. The government has dismissed that allegation.
"The government’s decision specifically targeting Somali refugees is an act of group persecution, illegal, discriminatory and therefore unconstitutional," High Court judge John Mativo said in a ruling.
At its peak, as Somalis fled conflict and famine in 2011, Dadaab’s population swelled to about 580,000, earning it a reputation at the time as the world’s largest refugee camp. Early last year, UN officials said the number had fallen to 350,000, while a Kenyan official later in the year put it at 250,000.
The government originally wanted to shut down Dadaab last November, but delayed the closure after international pressure to give residents more time to find new homes.
The court’s action was welcomed by rights groups.
"The High Court sent a strong message that at least one of Kenya’s branches of government is still willing to uphold refugee rights," said Laetitia Bader, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/10/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: al-Shabaab
[Ynet] Four men convicted of grooming girls for sex in a case that fueled racial tensions in Britannia are facing deportation to Pakistain after a judge upheld a government decision to strip them of British citizenship.
The ruling by an immigration tribunal Thursday clears the way for the men, all of Pak nationality, to be removed from Britannia. They acquired British citizenship by naturalization.
They were among nine men of Pak and Afghan descent convicted of luring girls as young as 13 into sexual encounters using alcohol and drugs.
They were based in Rochdale, in northern England.
Among the four facing deportation is ringleader Shabir Ahmed, sentenced in 2012 to 22 years in jail. The other three are Adil Khan, Qari Abdul Rauf and Abdul Aziz.
I'm sorry, remind me again what race these pieces of shit are?
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/10/2017 8:49 Comments ||
Top||
#4
remind me again what race these pieces of shit are?
Well, since you ask...
So, four of them face deportation,
Though "British" by naturalization?
If we from four hundred
Sweet Muslims were sundered,
We'd still smear their stink on the "Asian."
[BBC] A French farmer has been convicted and given a suspended €3,000 (£2,500; $3,200) fine for helping migrants cross the French-Italian border. Is he actually a farmer, or an Orvis male model? Where can I get that hat ?
Cedric Herrou has housed dozens of migrants in caravans on his farm in the Roya valley, in south-east France. He has been hailed by supporters as a humanitarian and has vowed to continue helping migrants, which he characterises as a civic duty.
Immigration is a key issue ahead of elections in April and May. The Nice prosecutor had asked for an eight-month suspended sentence.
Mr Herrou, 37, has become a symbol of ordinary Europeans who have taken action to aid migrants fleeing war or poverty in the Middle East and Africa. During his trial last month he said he had taken action because "there are people who have a problem".
"There are people who have died on the highway, there are families that are suffering, and there is a state which has put borders in place and has absolutely no control over the consequences," the Le Monde newspaper quoted him as saying.
The farmer continues to house teenagers from Sudan and Eritrea on his property, reports say.
Mr Herrou was acquitted of other charges, including one related to placing 50 Eritreans in a disused holiday resort owned by state rail company SNCF. There have been several similar cases in southern French courts, the AFP news agency says.
The State Department has more than doubled the rate of refugees from Iraq, Syria and other suspect countries in the week since a federal judge’s reprieve, in what analysts said appears to be a push to admit as many people as possible before another court puts the program back on ice.
Paging Secretary Tillerman...
A staggering 77 percent of the 1,100 refugees let in since Judge James L. Robart’s Feb. 3 order have been from the seven suspect countries. Nearly a third are from Syria alone — a country that President Trump has ordered be banned altogether from the refugee program. Another 21 percent are from Iraq. By contrast, in the two weeks before Judge Robart’s order, just 9 percent of refugees were from Syria and 6 percent were from Iraq.
“There’s no doubt in my mind they would be doing whatever they could to get people in before something changes because, from their perspective, their motivation is to resettle these folks. It would not be the first time that State Department officials have prioritized facilitating someone’s entry to the United States over security concerns,” said Jessica Vaughan, policy studies director at the Center for Immigration Studies.
Has our new Secretary of State gone missing?
Mr. Trump issued an executive order Jan. 27 putting in place the early stages of his extreme vetting policy, including an immediate 90-day pause on admitting visitors from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya and Yemen — all countries where the government says it can’t be sure of its vetting procedures.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/10/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists
#1
Why do I get the feeling that they (the Mandarins of SD) would be doing the same even without said ruling?
#8
A pundit on the tube said that the 9th Circuit has been overturned 86% of the time on appeal; that means that the 9th Circuit has judged wrongly most of the time.
#9
Check out our appeals! The Ninth Circuit
Is bankrupt. If law were a market,
We couldn't sell justice!
Nobody would trust us
As shelf-stockers, much less to clerk it.
#10
He said he needed 90 days to figure out how to vet these clowns. He should just go forward on that and get it done and install it. He'll never get this through SCOTUS before then anyway. This will be more than enough time to install the new justice. Then he needs to circle back and win this case so he and future presidents can do their job.
#11
Then he needs to circle back and win this case so he and future presidents can do their job.
It is past time for the House of Rep. to pass articles of impeachment for some of these 9th District "so-called" judges.
#14
The judges of the 9th Circus Court no doubt feel very clever for having stopped TrumpHitler. But the law in question seems quite clear and makes no mention of intent or campaign promises. All they have done is destroyed confidence in another American institution.
#15
The judges of the 9th Circus Court no doubt feel very clever for having stopped TrumpHitler. But the law in question seems quite clear and makes no mention of intent or campaign promises. All they have done is destroyed confidence in another American institution.
We've given way too much deference to the unelected Federal courts as interpreters of the Constitution, given their capacity to legislate ever since Marbury vs Madison. It's long past time judges were either elected by the people or chosen by the executive for no more than 10-year terms.
#16
The judges of the 9th Circus Court no doubt feel very clever for having stopped TrumpHitler. But the law in question seems quite clear and makes no mention of intent or campaign promises. All they have done is destroyed confidence in another American institution.
I hope they are held quite accountable for what they have done.
[IsraelTimes] Internal Security Minister and sports broadcaster feature in fake news items designed to persuade email users to open rogue spyware file.
An American cyber security company founded by an Israeli has identified a new cyber espionage campaign originating in the Gazoo Strip and aimed at government ministries in Israel, Arab countries and the Paleostinian Authority.
Experts say that the infrastructure behind the attacks and the way that different servers have been used to hide their source reveals that the suspected organization -- known as the Gazoo Cybergang Group -- has upgraded its capability to a level "which would not embarrass countries with reasonable cyber capabilities," The Marker, a daily business newspaper, reported Wednesday.
The Gazoo Cybergang Group is thought to be backed by the Hamas, the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood, terror group which controls the Strip
Gangs of hackers sent emails to their targets from a source which looked legitimate, such as a work colleague. The emails contained fake news headlines aimed at encouraging the reader to click on an attached link or file.
Opening of the file triggered installation of a program which sent the computer user’s identifying details to a control center manned by the hackers. If the details were sufficiently interesting, spyware was installed onto the unwitting user’s computer -- spyware that could eavesdrop on conversations, read correspondence and operate the camera.
The same group opened a new internet address -- new.gov-il.host‐ as part of a specific plan to attack the Israeli government.
It was the Israeli development team at Palo Alto Networks which, having noticed repeated attempts to cyber breach different targets in Israel and elsewhere, linked the attacks, servers and tools used to a group of at least 10 hackers operating out of Gazoo.
They noticed spelling mistakes in Hebrew and English reminiscent of mistakes made by Hamas in video clips and other written materials. An analysis of the timing revealed that there was no hacking on Fridays -- a clear suggestion that the hackers were working a Middle Eastern week.
Fake news items posted as bait included photographs of Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan and sports broadcaster Sharon Perry.
The government’s National Cyber Bureau would not comment on the Gazoo attacks. It just said that different sources attempted on a regular basis to break into Israeli organizational networks.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The new United States administration, under President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... , is believed to be exerting pressure for imposition of new sanctions against Iran in response to their activities in the Middle East and fueling instability in the region.
The administration is said to be studying several aspects for the sanctions, which one includes the Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps and their meddling in other countries in the region, specifically Syria and Iraq.
US officials were cited by Rooters news agency and the New York Times ...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... on Wednesday as saying that the Trump administration is considering a proposal for sanctions that mentions the Revolutionary Guards on the list of terrorist organizations, alongside the Moslem Brüderbund.
The plan to place sanctions on Iran has strong support within the White House. It is expected that the final plan will reviewed by US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson. Many US officials have accused the Revolutionary Guards of supporting proxy wars in the Middle East.
Hezbollah, Houthis and Iraq
The next step may be to impose sanctions on Iran for its support to some terrorist groups. A senior US official involved in the review of policy towards Tehran revealed that the new administration considers Iran a threat to US interests and is looking for ways to put pressure on them.
The official added that the White House could revoke the nuclear deal to punish Tehran for its support to groups in the Middle East such as Leb’s Hezbollah and the Houthis 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... besides other Shiite organizations in Iraq.
Trump has said that the Iran nuclear deal, which ended a diplomatic standoff between Iran and six world powers over the country’s nuclear policy and opens the way for western investment, was "the worst deal ever negotiated."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/10/2017 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
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.
[Dhaka Tribune] A Kenyan court said on Thursday it would be unconstitutional for the government to close a sprawling refugee camp housing mostly people who have fled unrest in neighbouring Somalia.
The State Department has more than doubled the rate of refugees from Iraq, Syria and other suspect countries in the week since a federal judge’s reprieve, in what analysts said appears to be a push to admit as many people as possible before another court puts the program back on ice.
