[Khaama (Afghanistan)] At least six people working at the Embassy of the United States of America have been fired over drugs, it has been reported.
The individuals were reportedly fired for using or possessing drugs after a thorough investigation was conducted.
A State Department official has told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that the firings followed an investigation into allegations of misconduct.
The official further added that those who were embassy employees have been fired and others who were contractors for the embassy have been removed from the contract.
No further details were given regarding the circumstances that led to the launch of the investigation which eventually led to the firing of the individuals.
This comes as there has been a sharp rise in opium cultivation, production and smuggling across the country during the recent months.
According to the last survey report, there has been a 43 per cent rise in opium cultivation in Afghanistan.
The survey jointly conducted by the Afghan authorities and United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... Office on Drugs and Crime, around 201,000 acres of land were cultivated with opium in 2016.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/01/2017 00:00 ||
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#1
Sheesh. Back in the day, State and MACV hired sappers for laundry and landscaping. No imagination here.
Posted by: Richard Aubrey ||
04/01/2017 3:14 Comments ||
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[Libya Herald] Russia’s deputy foreign minister Mikhail Bogdanov has told Presidency Council head Faiez Serraj that Russia is willing is willing to provide help to Libya to deal with the political crisis in the country. However, Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried... the nature of the help has not been publicly disclosed although Bogdanov, who has special responsibility for the Middle East and Africa, is reported saying that Moscow wants to see Libya a prosperous and united country.
Ultimately though, he added, the Libyans themselves have to settle their own differences and do so through national dialogue.
The two met on Wednesday on the sidelines of the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... summit in Jordan.
Noting the potential importance of Russia’s role in helping resolve the Libyan situation, Serraj, who last saw Bogdanov during his visit to Moscow at the beginning of March, also once again raised the issue of Russian companies returning to work in Libya.
The issue of Libya-Russian relations has become something of a problem in the context of Libyan-US relations. The Trump administration in Washington is reported not only to be angry with Khaifa Hafter for his moves to rebuild ties with Moscow, particularly military ties, it is also said to be wary of Serraj’s efforts at what it sees as much the same.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/01/2017 00:00 ||
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#1
"and a port"
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/01/2017 11:04 Comments ||
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[Libya Herald] A three-cornered peace deal between the Tebu, Tuareg and Awlad Suleiman tribes has been signed in Rome after months of direct and indirect talks, brokered in part by the Presidency Council .
A much-praised November 2015 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... i-arranged ceasefire between Tebu and Tuareg in fact broke down almost immediately. Almost a year later the Awlad Suleiman from Sebha and the Tebu were brought to Italia by the Community of Sant’Egidio. The upshot was a commitment to work together to restore mutual trust and stability. A month later Tebu and Tuareg elders also reached a deal to end their fighting in and around Obari.
In this week’s deal the newly-reconciled three tribes agreed to push for development in the south of Libya and discussed illegal migration. Their three days of talks were mentored by PC member Abdelsalam Kajman said Italia’s Agenzia Nova. The shared concern was that the south had been marginalised under Qadaffy and since the Revolution, too little had been done despite frequent promises of development .
Earlier this month Kajman hosted eleven southern mayors in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... where to the disappointment of his guests, he seemed only interested in border security.
The return of Turkish construction company ENKA to complete the Obari power station where work was abandoned after the revolution, is one of the few bright spots in the region, which has endured long and regular power cuts.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/01/2017 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] The appointment by Khalifa Hafter of officials who supported the Qadaffy regime to military and security posts is not acceptable, Zintan Military Council has said in a letter to the general command of the Libyan National Army (LNA). In a statement issued yesterday saying that such appointments had to be reversed, it accused the LNA of pursuing a vision "radically different from the vision of the revolution of the 17th of February".
It also said that attempting through such appointments to bring tribes into alliance with the LNA would in fact divide the country, not unite it,
The LNA leadership had to put the interests of the country first, Zintan military council demanded.
Although no names were mentioned in the statement, it is believed that it was triggered by theLNA’s appointment this week of Brigadier Mabrook Sahban as its commander of the Sirte military zone. A senior officer in the Qadaffy forces during the revolution, Sahban is hated in Zintan for his role dueing the revolution when his forces besieged and bombarded the mountain town.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/01/2017 00:00 ||
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The short-term objective of North Korea's frantic missile development is to prevent U.S. troop and weapons reinforcements from reaching the Korean Peninsula in the event of war, analysis suggests.
North Korea launched 46 missiles since leader Fat Boy Kim Jong-un came to power in 2012, often at high angles or in groups.
The Chosun Ilbo on Wednesday asked military sources and experts to analyze the launches, and they concluded that while the long-term goal is to develop intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking targets on the U.S. mainland, the immediate targets are closer to home.
The experts said the North seems to have developed the capability to deliver a "significant blow" to U.S. troop and weapons reinforcements. If they are unable to reach the peninsula in the event of a war between North and South, proper defensive maneuvers will be extremely difficult to carry out, to say nothing of reprisal attacks.
The North is developing the technology to deliver precision strikes on its intended targets rather than showering the South with missiles.
Out of the 46 missiles North Korea has launched so far, 30 were Musudan with a range of 3,500 km, Rodong with a range of 1,300 km, Scud ER with a range of 1,000 km, and Pukkuksong with a range of 2,500 km. That means 65 percent are probably intended to strike U.S. troop and weapons reinforcements in Japan and Guam.
The 16 Scud C missiles with a range of 500 km the North has launched are believed to target Busan and other ports and airports in the South.
Kim Yeol-soo at Sungshin Women's University said, "When North Korea launched the Scud and Rodong missiles in Hwangju last July, a photo showed Kim Jong-un poring over a map with curved lines indicating that Busan is within the range of the missiles."
Yang Wook of the Korea Defense and Security Forum said, "The launch of Rodong missiles at a high angle is probably supposed to publicize its ability to strike Busan, where the reinforcements would arrive."
Firing the missile at a high angle increases the speed of the projectile's descent, making it impossible for South Korea’s current weapons to intercept them.
The new Pukkuksong-2 solid-fuel missiles North Korea launched in February, which have an estimated range of 2,500 to 3,000 km, and four Scud ER missiles the North launched simultaneously on March 6 appear intended to strike U.S. military bases in Japan. North Korea admitted on March 7 that it was practicing to hit them.
Shin Won-shik, a former officer with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said, "North Korea puts higher priority on targeting U.S. troops and weapons stationed in Japan or Guam, which will arrive on the Korean Peninsula sooner than forces on the U.S. mainland. If the North fully utilizes its missile capacity, U.S. reinforcements could receive a fatal blow."
I think we'll have something to say about that...
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/01/2017 00:00 ||
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#1
Well, that's a relief. Squatted down at Camp Casey I always thought the first indications of the Norks doing something was to be a barrage of SCUDs impacting around me while the politicians pondered whether or not to allow us to get to our field deployment locations [through only 2 gates and taking 24 hours to get the whole camp on to the single MSR out of town].
[DAWN] The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday set a month’s deadline for the federal government to amend the law to fix punishment for falsely accusing someone of blasphemy.
In a short order, the IHC asked the federal government to amend the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 adding in it offences related to blasphemy and pornography as well.
The court disposed of a petition filed to block sacrilegious material from the social media after Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf submitted a statement that since the court had already pointed out the need for providing penal consequences for false accusations regarding blasphemy, the prime minister may direct the ministries to form a committee for assessing the existing legal regime and providing suitable amendments to various laws, including the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016.
According to the statement of the attorney general, the proposed committee, headed by the minister of law and justice, would comprise the ministries of interior, information technology and religious affairs.
Justice Siddiqui gave the government a month to take appropriate measures in this regard after which it would pass a detailed order.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/01/2017 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... (JI) workers protesting the arrest of Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... chapter Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, who was placed in durance vile Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! earlier, blocked Karachi’s Sharea Faisal and other major thoroughfares causing hardship to commuters and skirmished with law enforcing authorities.
Rehman was released later in the evening and reached the party head office. He said that JI is an ideological party and it stands for non-violence.
"We wanted to hold a peaceful demonstration. Instead, it was turned into a violent one," the JI Karachi emir added.
"We were willing to cooperate with the authorities. We even offered to switch tracks on Sharea Faisal if the traffic load increased," said Rehman.
The local JI emir said it was for "the beloved KE" that people were arrested today.
The party has announced a protest on Saturday.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/01/2017 00:00 ||
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[AlAhram] A United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... political agency suspended its missions to Gazoo Friday after the Hamas, the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood, authorities in the Paleostinian enclave partly closed the key border crossing into Israel, a source said.
The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East grinding of the peace processor (UNSCO) will not send staff to Gazoo until further notice, the source close to the organization told AFP on condition of anonymity, after Hamas imposed tough new restrictions following the liquidation of one of its members.
The decision was made, the source added, as frustration grows at the negative impact of the restrictions for aid work and Gazook citizens.
UNSCO is the key UN agency working on the currently stagnant Paleostinian-Israeli grinding of the peace processor, and the restrictions will apply to its head, UN envoy for the Middle East Nickolay Mladenov.
In previous conflicts between Hamas and Israel UNSCO helped to negotiate ceasefires, and Mladenov reports regularly to the UN Security Council.
Hamas, which runs the Gazoo Strip, shut the Erez crossing into Israel on Sunday after blaming the Jewish state for assassinating senior military figure Mazen Faqha, 38, near his home last Friday.
Erez is the only crossing for people, although a separate route is available for goods.
On Monday, they reopened Erez for those entering Gazoo, but men between 18 and 45 are still largely prevented from leaving the enclave of two million people.
Reports said Hamas was looking for the assassins, believing they are still in Gazoo, but the knock-on effects have been significant.
[CNN] US intelligence and law enforcement agencies believe that ISIS and other terrorist organizations have developed innovative ways to plant explosives in electronic devices that FBI testing shows can evade some commonly used airport security screening methods, CNN has learned.
Heightening the concern is US intelligence suggesting that terrorists have obtained sophisticated airport security equipment to test how to effectively conceal explosives in laptops and other electronic devices.
The intelligence, gathered in the last several months, played a significant role in the Trump administration's decision to prohibit travelers flying out of 10 airports in eight countries in the Middle East and Africa from carrying laptops and other large electronic devices aboard planes.
The findings may raise questions about whether the ban is broad enough. CNN has learned that, through a series of tests conducted late last year, the FBI determined the laptop bombs would be far more difficult for airport screeners to detect than previous versions terrorist groups have produced. The FBI testing focused on specific models of screening machines that are approved by the Transportation Security Administration and are used in the US and around the world.
"As a matter of policy, we do not publicly discuss specific intelligence information. However, evaluated intelligence indicates that terrorist groups continue to target commercial aviation, to include smuggling explosive devices in electronics," the Department of Homeland Security told CNN in a statement. "The U.S. government continually re-assesses existing intelligence and collects new intelligence. This allows DHS and TSA to constantly evaluate our aviation security processes and policies and make enhancements when they are deemed necessary to keep passengers safe. As always, all air travelers are subject to a robust security system that employs multiple layers of security, both seen and unseen."
#1
FBI determined the laptop bombs would be far more difficult for airport screeners.
The primary purpose of the TSA is political, a convenient federal jobs program for arse grabbing, ghetto chimps. There has been no serious effort to go after Wahhabism and the culprits of terrorism, 9/11 style, or otherwise. The science of non-metallic explosives is far from difficult. Lockerbie will happen again. It is simply a matter of time.
After 9/11 the holy sites of Mecca and Madina should have been vaporized with survivors put to flight in the desert and hunted like Jerboas.
Any attempt to compromise with Islam is insanity. Only a casual examination of it's origins and history will reveal it's true intent and purpose. It is an evil which cannot be contained and must be destroyed. The West fails at this task at it's own peril.
#2
I agree with you.
I loved Tom Tancredo who said threatening to bomb Muslim holy sites would be the right way to deter any kind of aggression from terrorists. Tancredo was mercilessly attacked for his comments that were labeled reprehensible and crazy.
Tancredo a true patriot. I want to see America show some guts instead of all this political correct crap.
Posted by: Jan ||
04/01/2017 15:38 Comments ||
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#3
Sounds harsh, but left unattended, gangrenous cholecystitis (like Islam) is also life threatening. You deal with it, or the problem quickly removes you from the equation.
#4
After 9/11 the holy sites of Mecca and Madina should have been vaporized.
Absolutely. I've said this for more than a decade. Its criminal what Bush did instead. Not because Iraq wasn't (separately) asking for it, and not because Afghanistan (separately) need attention. But instead because there was NEVER any SERIOUS plan to NAME Islam (rather than "terror"), much less DEFEAT it. We took ineffective half-ass steps, and we lost lots of American citizens in the process.
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.
[Libya Herald] A three-cornered peace deal between the Tebu, Tuareg and Awlad Suleiman tribes has been signed in Rome after months of direct and indirect talks, brokered in part by the Presidency Council .
[CNN] US intelligence and law enforcement agencies believe that ISIS and other terrorist organizations have developed innovative ways to plant explosives in electronic devices that FBI testing shows can evade some commonly used airport security screening methods, CNN has learned.
