[WASHINGTONPOST] The Pentagon said Friday that the body of a U.S. service member has been recovered in Niger following a holy warrior ambush Wednesday near the Malian border, raising to four the number of Americans killed in the attack.
Officials have not disclosed the service member’s name or unit affiliation, pending family notifications. It was not immediately clear how the service member became separated from other Americans on the patrol, precisely when the body was recovered or if the service member had fallen into enemy hands.
A small group of U.S. and Nigerien troops were conducting a reconnaissance patrol when they encountered dozens of heavily armed forces of Evil riding in pickup trucks. A pair of French Mirage fighter jets and other aircraft were scrambled in response to the attack, presumably to hunt for the missing service member and provide support for those on the ground.
On Friday, U.S. officials identified three of the fallen soldiers as Staff Sgt. Bryan Black, 35, of Puyallup, Wash.; Staff Sgt. Jeremiah Johnson, 39, of Springboro, Ohio; and Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright, 29, of Lyons, Ga. All were assigned to the Army’s 3rd Special Forces Group, which is based at Fort Bragg in North Carolina and serves as the primary unconventional-warfare unit operating in Africa.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2017 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] The government of US 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... has approved a $15 billion sale of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile systems 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... , a move that the State Department says is aimed at addressing the kingdom's regional concerns.
"This sale furthers US national security and foreign policy interests, and supports the long-term security of Saudi Arabia and the [Persian] Gulf region in the face of Iranian and other regional threats," the department said in a statement on Friday.
The US had already supplied the advanced missile system to 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... and the United Arab Emirates, both Saudi Arabia's neighbors.
The system has also been deployed to South Korea to allegedly address US regional allies' concerns about a possible strike by North Korea, amid ongoing tensions over Pyongyang's ballistic missile tests and nuclear weapons program.
It is now up to the US Congress to approve the deal within 30 days. The State Department said it would advise politicians that, in Saudi hands, the system would "stabilize" the situation in the region and help defend US forces and their allies there.
"The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region," it said, probably referring to Israel's concerns about the Trump administration's extensive arms deals with the Riyadh regime.The government of US President Donald Trump has approved a $15 billion sale of Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile systems to Saudi Arabia, a move that the State Department says is aimed at addressing the kingdom's regional concerns.
"This sale furthers US national security and foreign policy interests, and supports the long-term security of Saudi Arabia and the [Persian] Gulf region in the face of Iranian and other regional threats," the department said in a statement on Friday.
The US had already supplied the advanced missile system to Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, both Saudi Arabia's neighbors.
The system has also been deployed to South Korea to allegedly address US regional allies' concerns about a possible strike by North Korea, amid ongoing tensions over Pyongyang's ballistic missile tests and nuclear weapons program.
It is now up to the US Congress to approve the deal within 30 days. The State Department said it would advise politicians that, in Saudi hands, the system would "stabilize" the situation in the region and help defend US forces and their allies there.
"The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region," it said, probably referring to Israel's concerns about the Trump administration's extensive arms deals with the Riyadh regime.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2017 00:39 ||
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#1
I suppose the C2 trailer for the THAAD can maybe be modified a bit to pay attention to ELINT from the S400s the Sauds are buying. I mean, I expect they are the sort of buyer that will demand live tests. Of course, that sword cuts both ways...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/07/2017 2:07 Comments ||
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#2
And, I hope we are only selling them this because something better is going to replace it soon, but that's a longshot...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
10/07/2017 2:09 Comments ||
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#3
...The Saudis are buying S-300, and we're selling them THAAD while a bunch of Soviet Russian 'technical advisors' will be running around.
Perfect. Just f*@king perfect.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/07/2017 5:09 Comments ||
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[DW] Police believe the brother of bomber Salman Abedi met with possible financiers before the attack, reports say. Hashem Abedi has been accused of providing explosives, funding and logistical support for his brother's act.
Now, German news weekly Focus and Cologne daily Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger say Hashem traveled at least twice to Germany.
Investigations by Special Branch, Scotland Yard, MI5 and German authorities reportedly found that Hashem visited the Leipzig and Weissenfels areas in eastern Germany.
Records revealed that on December 17, 2016, he was caught without a ticket on the train from Weissenfels to Leipzig and showed his British driving license to the officials, the outlets reported.
In Weissenfels, which has a large Libyan community, he reportedly met with three real-estate agents who have since been accused by security agencies of being money launderers. One of them was raided by police for tax evasion and violation of labor laws, according to the two outlets. The second was reportedly arrested in Dubai for violating trade embargoes on Libya.
And the third was a Libyan businessman who openly applauded Islamist martyrs on social media and allegedly has close connections to a radical Libyan militia group loyal to deceased Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
Security agencies believe Hashem's journeys in Germany could point to a terrorist financing cell in the country. In May it was reported that just days before Salman carried out his attack, he transited through Dusseldorf Airport on his way to Manchester from Turkey. He was also believed to have been in Germany before, having flown from Frankfurt Airport to Britain in 2015.
This article starring:
Hashem Abedi
Posted by: Elmerert Hupens2660 ||
10/07/2017 07:53 ||
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[NewEurope] The European Commission intends to suspend all payments to Muslim Aid. The revelation comes after New Europe’s uncovering of over 14 million Euro of Humanitarian Aid financing to Muslim Aid, a UK-based charity that has among other things, been banned in Israel for fundraising for Hamas, an organisation recognised as a terrorist organisation by the European Union.
Responding to New Europe, a European Commission spokesperson confirmed that “the Commission has already notified Muslim Aid of its intention to suspend all pending payments and in line with contractual obligations is currently waiting for Muslim Aid’s reply to the suspension”.
Despite the fact that Israel considers Muslim Aid a fundraiser for Hamas, the European Commission clarified that, “The concerns regarding Muslim Aid of which the Commission has been informed of are not in any way related to allegations of financing terrorism.”
This suggests that the grounds on which the Commission has called for the suspension of funding to Muslim Aid is on different grounds. The Commission was vague – but told New Europe that “The Commission has taken measures to prevent EU taxpayers’ monies from being unduly spent or diverted.”
In a letter dated 22 September to New Europe, after our initial publications, the CEO of Muslim Aid wrote that, “Our Charity is categorically not being investigated for terror ties or any misappropriation of funds. It is therefore incumbent on you to remove your article from your website with immediate effect as it is wholly untrue.”
Muslim Aid has even more problems, as the European Antifraud Office, OLAF, told New Europe that they “are aware of reports regarding possible irregularities involving European Commission Humanitarian Aid managed by Muslim Aid.” As a result, OLAF is currently conducting a preliminary assessment as to whether or not to launch an in-depth investigation into Muslim Aid’s use of EU funding. The OLAF press office told New Europe that “OLAF fully respects the presumption of innocence.” If OLAF opens an investigation that concludes that there was mismanagement of EU funding by an organization, they could be called upon to return some or all of the funding previously received.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Pak military has admitted that the military intelligence of the country, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), has links with the murderous Moslem groups.
A front man for the Pak military, Gen. Asif Ghafoor, told news hounds on Thursday that the intelligence agencies have contacts with the murderous Moslem groups, being part of the duties of such agencies.
"Please understand, ’having links’, and ’supporting’ [gangs] are two different things," he said.
Gen. Asif further added "Name an intelligence agency of any country that does not have links [to gangs]. Everyone does. If you have the links to finish the threat, then that is a positive contribution."
This is the first time the Pak military has publicly admitted the links between its military agency and the murderous Moslem groups.
The Afghan and US officials are saying that the conflict in the country has links with the sanctuaries of the terrorist groups, particularly the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... and Haqqani network which have remained intact in the key cities of Pakistain.
Speaking to the US politicians in the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Gen. Dunford said "It is clear to that ISI has connections with the terrorist groups," Gen. Dunford said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2017 00:44 ||
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Islamabad on Thursday rejected the remarks by the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US military regarding the connections between Pakistain’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and the terrorist groups.
A front man for the ministry of foreign affairs of Pakistain Nafis Zakaria told news hounds "We have time and again rejected these allegations. Pakistain has done enough to erase the footprint of terrorism from its soil through indiscriminate counter terrorism operations against all terrorist outfits."
Zakaria further added that "Our counter-terrorism operations were without any discrimination and we have successfully erased the footprint of faceless myrmidons from our soil. There are no safe-havens in Pakistain."
He also claimed that the sanctuaries people are talking about are "located in the ungoverned spaces of Afghanistan."
Speaking to the US politicians in the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, Gen. Dunford said "It is clear to that ISI has connections with the terrorist groups," Gen. Dunford said.
This comes as the Afghan and US officials are saying that the conflict in the country has links with the sanctuaries of the terrorist groups, particularly the Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... and Haqqani network which have remained intact in the key cities of Pakistain.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2017 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The director general of the Intelligence Bureau met several parliamentarians on Friday only to assure them that a list containing their names and accusing them of having links with banned outfits was a fake document and not issued by his agency.
Having names of 37 politicians who were alleged to have links with banned outfits, the list first came to light when a private television channel aired a report claiming that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf, then by the courts... had directed the IB to keep a close watch on these politicians, who mostly belong to the ruling Pakistain Moslem League-N.
The meeting between the parliamentarians and IB chief Aftab Sultan was arranged by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2017 00:00 ||
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[HINDUSTANTIMES] India and the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... on Friday agreed to strengthen cooperation for "decisive" action against globally proscribed terrorist individuals and groups, including Hafiz Saeed ...founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its false-mustache offshoot Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The United Nations declared the JuD a terrorist organization in 2008 and Hafiz Saeed a terrorist as its leader. Hafiz, JuD and LeT are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Pak intel apparatus, so that amounted to squat... , Mumbai attacks criminal mastermindZakiur Rehman Lakhvi ...an asset of the Pak govt and a big turban in Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is actually a redundant statement. Zak was the criminal mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai attack. Despite what India's provided there is not enough evidence in this world for a Pak court to convict him or even to keep him in the calaboose for very long... , Dawood Ibrahim, LeT, JeM, 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.... and their affiliates.
The EU also joined India in condemning the terror attacks in Pathankot, Uri, Nagrota, Anantnag and Srinagar alongside assaults in Gay Paree, Brussels, Nice, London, Manchester and Barcelona. The two sides also recalled the 2008 Mumbai attacks and called for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
The call for stronger cooperation to target groups such as the Pakistain-based 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... and Jaish-e-Mohammed and jihadi leaders such as Hafiz Saeed and Dawood Ibrahim was seen in diplomatic circles as a win for New Delhi, which had lobbied the 28-member bloc on these issues.
The joint statement on cooperation in combating terrorism, issued at the end of the India-EU Summit in New Delhi, bracketed Pakistain-based groups such LeT, JeM, Haqqani Network and Hizbul Mujahideen ...Party of Holy Warriors, founded by Muhammad Ahsan Dar in September 1989. One of the Pak sock puppets waging jihad in Indian Kashmir. It was originally organized as the armed wing of Jamaat-e-Islami. In 1990, Dar declared Hizbul as the sword arm of Jamaat. Hizbul murdered many of the pro-independence intelligentsia in Kashmir. After the organization was taken over by Syed Salahuddin Dar and several other ex-Hizb leaders were assassinated between 2001 and 2003... along with the Islamic State and al-Qaeda.
"The leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation to take decisive and concerted actions against globally proscribed snuffies and terror entities, including Hafeez Saeed, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, Dawood Ibrahim, Lashkar-e-Tayibba, 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... , Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Haqqani Network, Al Qaeda, ISIS (Da’esh) and their affiliates," the statement said.
The leaders of India and the EU "called for greater unity, stronger international partnership and concerted action by the international community in addressing" terrorism, the joint statement said. The two sides also reaffirmed their determination to jointly combat terrorism and violent extremism "irrespective of their motivations, wherever and by whomever they are committed".
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2017 00:00 ||
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[JAKARTAGLOBE.ID] A controversial article on preventive detention under a proposed anti-terrorism bill expected to be passed later this year has been dropped, politicians said on Friday (06/10).
The bill is likely to be brought into a plenary meeting in December after nearly two years of deliberation that has come amid fears over a rise in militancy inspired 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.... The tougher government-proposed bill has drawn the ire of human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... defenders who have especially decried what has been called the "Guantanamo article."
The article would have allowed police Sherlocks or prosecutors to pick up and place suspected bandidosmurderous Moslems in unspecified locations for up to six months without charge.
"The article has completely been removed in line with public demands," politician Arsul Sani told the Jakarta Globe, adding that the article had been revised into what is called the "prevention article."
The article mainly sought to heighten deradicalization efforts, according to Arsul, a member of the working committee for revisions to the 2003 anti-terrorism law.
Most politicians staunchly objected to the article and the government itself eventually moved to scrap what they had earlier proposed, politician Supiadin Aries Saputra said.
"It hasn't been discussed yet, but they already dropped it recently," Supiadin, deputy head of the committee, told news hounds.
Lawmakers also earlier agreed on a pre-charge detention period of up to 21 days. This compares to the 30 days the government had earlier proposed and the seven days already stipulated under an existing 2003 law.
The period of detention with charge of 180 days under the 2003 law was also extended up to 200 days. The government had earlier proposed 450 days.
The government moved to revise the 2003 law in January last year, when Indonesia was on high alert after an Islamic State-linked bomb and gun attack in Central Jakarta that killed four.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/07/2017 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.
[WASHINGTONPOST] The Pentagon said Friday that the body of a U.S. service member has been recovered in Niger following a
North Korea
[DW] Police believe the brother of bomber Salman Abedi met with possible financiers before the attack, reports say. 
... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf, then by the courts...
