[Iran Press TV] A senior advisor to Afghanistan's Caped PresidentAshraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. says Kabul is interested in buying Russian-built Mi-35 attack helicopters to boost its military prowess.
"We intend to buy Mi-35 helicopters from Russia. This issue is on the agenda. I think we will begin negotiations on that in the nearest future," Shakir Kargar, the Afghan president's special envoy on the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) -- Armenia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan -- said in an interview with Interfax news agency on Thursday.
He said Afghan armed forces are equipped with Russian weapons, and "some 500 Russian helicopters are flying in the Afghan sky. Therefore, we are buying guns, cartridges and other munitions from Russia."
The Mi-35 is an upgraded export night attack version of the famous Mi-24 helicopter gunship. The main capabilities of the aircraft are destroying armored vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles and other helicopters.
Among its secondary roles are the delivery of troops and special cargo, and the evacuation of maimed military personnel. It can also operate in adverse weather conditions.
In 2008, the Afghan Air Force took delivery of six refurbished Mi-35 helicopters, purchased from the Czech Republic. Afghan pilots were trained by India, and began live firing exercises in May 2009 in order to escort Mi-17 transport helicopters in operations in the restive parts of the Asian country.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said Thursday the killing of an American soldier during an insider attack in Afghanistan showed that work remains to shore up Afghan forces in the "dangerous" country.
The U.S. soldier died when an Afghan army fighter Wednesday opened fire on an American delegation outside the governor's compound in Jalalabad, the capital of the myrmidon-infested province of Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. "I don't know all the circumstances of that incident, yet it's possible it's a 'green on blue' incident of the kind we've had before," Carter said, referring to insider attacks by Afghan troops on their NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... partners.
"The main thing obviously on my mind is the service members and their families. It's a reminder Afghanistan is still a dangerous place," he said shortly before leaving Tokyo for Seoul.
"There is still work to be done to support the Afghan cops so that they can sustain the progress we've made in the last few years."
Wednesday's incident was the first such attack since Washington announced a delay in troop withdrawals from Afghanistan, responding to a request from Afghanistan's Caped PresidentAshraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. Most NATO combat troops withdrew from Afghanistan last year but a small contingent remains, including about 10,000 U.S. forces.
The U.S. Army soldier was part of a unit devoted to training and advising Afghan forces, officials told AFP.
U.S. troops returned fire, killing the gunman and wounding two other Afghan soldiers, local police said.
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] A Nairobi court has ordered the detention of 14 suspected Al-Shabaab operatives, including five men linked to the Garissa University massacre in which over 145 students were killed.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Sudan heads to the polls next week in elections widely expected to extend President Omar al-Bashir Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to Arabize Darfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it. 's quarter-century of rule, despite continued unrest and a faltering economy.
Bashir is facing 15 little-known challengers in the vote -- which takes place over three days starting from Monday -- but main opposition parties are boycotting.
Rights groups have accused the 71-year-old Bashir of crushing dissent with a crackdown on the media and civil society.
In the capital Khartoum, there are few signs the presidential and parliamentary elections are days away, despite official figures showing 44 parties are taking part.
Bashir's face looms from billboards lining main streets but only a few flyers for other candidates are up around the city.
"The election is being boycotted by most opposition parties, the (ruling) National Congress Party is the only real contender for this election. So you can't really expect any surprises," said Khaled al-Tijani, an analyst and newspaper editor.
Career soldier Bashir took power in an Islamist-backed takeover in 1989, the last in a series of coups that marked Sudan after its independence from joint British and Egyptian rule in 1956.
He has since overseen the country's split with South Sudan after a 22-year civil war, but faces continued unrest on several fronts.
A rebellion in the western Darfur region erupted in 2003, where ethnic forces of Evil complained of marginalisation, that has left some 300,000 dead.
Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court ... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ... for alleged war crimes in Darfur.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] A fresh diplomatic row has broken out between Libya and Sudan, this time over the arrest and detention of Sudan's Consul-General in Libya.
Abdel Hakim Omer was visiting Sudanese detainees at the prison when he was himself detained yesterday by police. He was released this evening after the Sudanese Foreign Ministry voiced its protests of what it called an "unlawful detention" that went against international laws and diplomatic conventions.
In Khartoum, the Foreign Ministry summoned Libyan Ambassador to Sudan Mohammed Soula to express condemnation of the detention and to demand that Omer be released immediately.
Although some in the Beida-based government denied that Omer was detained, or professed to know nothing about it, the new Libyan government spokesperson Hatem Al-Oraibi told the press that Omer was detained because he had made unauthorised visits to the military prison without going through the customary channels to receive permission.
The spokesperson also said that Omer had made what the Libyan government viewed as "suspicious" visits to several other places in eastern Libya.
Relations with Sudan have been strained ever since Libya Dawn ...aka Fajr Libya, the Islamist operation launched to counter that of General Khalifa Haftar (Operation Dignity). It is made up of the Libya Shield militia (Misrata and Moslem Brotherhood), Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room (Moslem Brotherhood), and Tripoli Brigade (close to Abdul Hakim Belhaj, head of Al-Watan party). Financing and moral support come from Turkey and Qatar... forced the Thinni government to quit 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... . Sudan was accused of providing Libya Dawn with arms and supplies, an accusation Khartoum has insistently denied. It has publicly changed its policy on Libya, stating its recognition of the House of Representatives and the Thinni government. However, a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package... not all HoR supporters believe it.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] Reports that the House of Representatives (HoR) have set up a committee to investigate the 11 September 2012 killing of US Ambassador Chris Steven and three other US diplomatic staff in Benghazi have been denied by a top HoR official, according to the Beida-based office of the Libyan news agency LANA.
Benghazi member Jalal Al-Shweidi, who chairs the Information and Culture Committee, said that no decision to establish a committee to look into the killing had been taken by the HoR, LANA reported.
Two days ago it was reported that Tariq Geroushi, the deputy chairman of the HoR's Defence and National Security Committee, had been tasked by the House to lead a three-man team to investigate Steven's death. He was quoted saying that he had new information about the killing and that the team would be collaborating with the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). On his Facebook page, Geroushi, usually seen as well-informed about the HoR's plans and decisions, republished the report adding a call to anyone with information about the attack to contact him.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
We really don't know anything yet about many of the important details of Benghazi and Chris Steven's murder. Tray Gowdy continues the House investigation. Unfortunately, his efforts are slowed by Hillary's scrubbing of her emails.
[AnNahar] Egyptian jihadist group Ajnad Misr confirmed Thursday the death of its leader, Hammam Mohamed Attiyah, who police said was shot dead in a gunfight in Cairo.
A photo of the chubby miscreant at the link.
On Sunday, the interior ministry announced that Attiyah was killed in a Cairo apartment when security forces raided it, without saying when.
Police say Attiya previously belonged to Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, the Egyptian branch of the Islamic State group, but broke away in 2013 to found Ajnad Misr (Soldiers of Egypt) -- a small group operating mainly in Cairo.
Splitters!
"We are happy to announce to the Islamic nation and the mujahedeen the news of the martyrdom of the leader Hammam Attiyah," Ajnad Misr announced on Twitter.
We were happy to announce it, too. And we look forward to many more such announcements in the near future.
It said Attiyah had been succeeded by Ezz al-Din al-Masry, without providing any details about him.
Golly. "The Egyptian" -- such a useful description, under the circumstances.
Ajnad Misr said Attiyah had previously fought in Iraq and in Sinai.
In January, Ajnad Misr had aired a video interview of Attiyah, showing his face blurred and explaining the group's vision and strategies. It has claimed several bombings against security forces across the capital, including near important buildings such as presidential palaces and Cairo University.
Its attacks have not caused large numbers of casualties but killed several policemen. The group says it deliberately uses low-yield bombs to avoid harming civilians, although several of its attacks have caused civilian casualties.
Ajnad Misr says its attacks are in retaliation for a brutal government crackdown targeting supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
Professional, weapons-grade handwringing at WaPo. Mixes in some news tidbits about Houthi control of Yemen, and a superb graphic demonstrating the extent of Houthi control right now. But the author of the piece believes Yemen will become "Saudi Arabia's Vietnam". That's all you need to know.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/10/2015 08:41 ||
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'Their Vietnam'
Absolute rubbish !
If the SOD's run into any difficulties at all, they'll hire it down, and that's all I'll say about that.
I guess the libs doing the handwringing forget that it was their own prohibitions on targeting, ROE, prohibiting military aid, and withdrawing military support that sent Viet Nam down the toilet and basically sent Iraq and A'Stan down the drain also.
I don't think KSA has any of that shit going on, so they have a chance. I also don't think the Soviet Union errr Russia is funding the opposition.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
04/10/2015 12:00 Comments ||
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It would be prudent for Saudi to have a fissile alternative in their tool kit. Just sayin'.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/10/2015 19:47 Comments ||
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maybe they already do. They paid for the Pak ones
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/10/2015 21:28 Comments ||
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KSA + Riyadh as South Vietnam + Saigon, Iran as North Vietnam, GCC States as Cambodia + Laos, + wid the US as BOTH Nixon + the USSR-Red China = COMMIE BLOC???
For some reason I can't cut and paste from this site - KUNA.
Anyway, a straw in the geopolitical wind. Indicating SA are not happy with Pak's reluctance to provide cannon fodder for their big Yemeni adventure. Don't neglect the appropriate lead comrades.
#1
The House of Saud is unhappy because they've bankrolled Pak's toys for years, and now that the Saudis want to call in the marker, there's no enthusiasm from Pak.
It makes the Saudis wonder about their nuclear investment.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/10/2015 7:19 Comments ||
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The Paks have their own Shia minority to worry about, and they're worried.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/10/2015 8:44 Comments ||
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The Paks have their own Shia minority to worry about, and they're worried.
Why? As far as I can see, the Hazeras wouldn't say boo! to a goose, let alone rise up in righteous anger against their oppressors, as the Christians occasionally do.
[AnNahar] 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... has barred an Iranian plane carrying Moslem pilgrims to Mecca from entering its airspace because the flight had not applied for a permit, aviation authorities said Thursday.
The plane was carrying 260 passengers heading to perform the lesser pilgrimage, but it was denied access to the kingdom's airspace Wednesday afternoon "due to the lack of a permit" to fly to Saudi Arabia, the kingdom's aviation authority said.
Tension between the two countries has intensified after Saudi Arabia launched last month an air campaign against Iran-linked Huthi Iranian catspaws in Yemen.
"Such violations, whether committed by an Iranian airline or others, would not be allowed in Saudi airspace," said civil aviation front man Khaled al-Khaibari, in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.
He said airline operators should apply in advance for a permit to travel to the kingdom.
[Iran Press TV] The Yemeni 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 ... movement has warned that 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... will turn into a "graveyard" for the aggressors against the country.
The Houthi movement's front man, Colonel Sharaf Luqman, described as "barbaric aggression" the attacks by 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... against the Yemeni people during a news conference in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, on Thursday, adding that Yemen will turn into a "graveyard for invaders," the Anadolu Agency reported.
The remarks by the Yemeni colonel came as Saudi Arabia's fighter jets continued to pound areas across Yemen.
Luqman further said, "The Yemeni people aren't an easy nut to crack," warning, "We will settle scores with everybody, sooner or later, in whatever way the people see fit."
Referring to the number of the people killed in the ongoing crisis in the country, Luqman, who was appointed as the front man for the Houthi movement on Wednesday, noted that at least 1,000 people, including 200 children, have been killed and in excess of 15,000 others have been injured to date.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Iran and Pakistain agree on cessation of hostilities in Yemen, but disagree on the route to peace with the former calling for an immediate ceasefire and the latter inclined to United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... intervention. Having achieved their goals -- the conquest of Yemen -- the Medes and the Persians want a ceasefire so their sock puppets can consolidate their gains.
Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who is in Pakistain on a two-day visit, discussed with Adviser on Foreign Affairs and National Security Sartaj Aziz ...Adviser to Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs, who believes in good jihadis and bad jihadis as a matter of national policy... the aggravating situation 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... and presented a formula for an end to the conflict.
The four-point Iranian proposal includes getting all sides to agree on an immediate ceasefire, provision of humanitarian assistance to Yemenis trapped in the conflict, initiation of an intra-Yemen dialogue and formation of a broad-based government.
Earlier, Mr Zarif, who visited Oman before coming to Pakistain, shared the same proposal with the Omani government. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him... visited Tehran carrying a Saudi message.
"This problem should be left to the Yemenis to resolve. We can only facilitate them and help them to talk to each other and finish fighting," Mr Zarif, accompanied by Mr Aziz, said at a presser after their talks at the Foreign Office.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] Argentina ...a country located on the other side of the Deep South. It is covered with Pampers and inhabited by Grouchos, who dance the Tangle. They used to have some islands called the Malvinas located where the Falklands are now. They're not supposed to cry for Evita... has declassified files relating to the 1992 bombing outside the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires that left 29 dead and 200 maimed, according to documents published in local media Thursday.
The government was ordered by the Supreme Court to make the items publicly available, more than two decades after the attack, which remains unsolved.
According to the decree published in the Official Bulletin newspaper, the government ordered the "declassification of all intelligence documents and files" relating to the attack.
Victims' families have long demanded the files be released and the court had requested Argentine President Cristina Kirchner to declassify the items.
The case has been closed since the court found in 1999 that members of Leb's Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... carried out the attack, but no one has ever been convicted. Kirchner had called for it to be reopened.
Last month, the Argentine government declassified its files on an unsolved 1994 bombing at a Buenos Aires Jewish center that killed 85 people and maimed 300.
The case recently came back into the spotlight 21 years later after a prosecutor appointed to reopen the investigation died mysteriously in what his family says was an liquidation.
The two attacks devastated Argentina's Jewish population, the largest in Latin America at about 300,000 people.
[Breitbart] Making it clear the bill can not "interfere" with the president's deal, Kerry said "if it's changed and adjusted and reflects the respect for the Constitution and the president's prerogatives," then Congress can vote. Two words, hero: Advise and consent. Look it up. Jawhn: pretend you're still in the Senate. Pretend Dubya is still President. Now what's your advice?
[DAWN] KARACHI: Three eyewitnesses picked out a suspect in two cases of murder of coppers during identification parades before judicial magistrates on Wednesday.
Obaid, alias K2, has been booked for killing assistant sub-inspector Shahbaz Khan and constable Amil Murtaza in Yousuf Plaza and F. B Area, respectively, in 2005. He was among the suspects picked up by the Pakistain Rangers, Sindh, in an early morning raid on and around the Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... headquarters, Nine Zero, in Azizabad on March 11.
The police produced the suspect with the face covered amid tight security and judicial magistrates (central) Aslam Chandio and Asghar Ali Tanwiri conducted the identification parades in the murder cases of the ASI and the constable, respectively.
The suspect was lined up with dummies and two eyewitnesses picked him up in the ASI murder case while another witness rightly identified the suspect in the police constable murder case.
On April 4, a policeman, who was an eyewitness in the ASI murder case, failed to identify the same suspect during an identification parade.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] RAWALPINDI: A special magistrate on Wednesday summarily convicted four shopkeepers of illegally selling police and army uniforms.
Earlier, in a crackdown on unauthorised sale of uniforms of law enforcement agencies, the police placed in durance vile I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! the shopkeepers.
The police team raided 'Punjab Police Store' Jhanda Chichi and seized the army and police uniforms and badges being sold illegally.
The shop owner could not produce any permission for selling the uniform.
Later, the accused was produced before the special magistrate who imposed a fine of Rs18,000 on him after a summary trial.
In another move, the Cantonment police also seized military and police uniforms, badges of different ranks and shoes being illegally sold in the cantonment areas.
Though none of the shops involved in the unauthorised sale of uniforms was sealed, three shopkeepers were arrested and summarily convicted under the new law.
After the Army Public School attack on December 16 in which the TTP forces of Evil came in military uniform, the Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... government had ordered a crackdown on unauthorised sale of military uniform.
In garrison city of Rawalpindi, several shops have been selling Army, Police, Rangers and Frontier Constabulary uniforms.
The authorised shops, selling uniforms, caps, shoes, badges, belts, rain coats and jackets, are located at Railway Road Saddar, in the limit of cantonment police
The shopkeepers had been directed to keep the copy of CNIC and data of their customers.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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The headline could more accurately read: "Imran emits more wind."
[DAWN] Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... chief Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the brightest knife in the national drawer... said on Wednesday that the purpose of his visit to 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... was to end the 'atmosphere of fear' so that people could freely exercise their right to vote.
"We want to give an alternative leadership to the people of Karachi where the situation has tanked because there was no-one to raise voice against terrorism," said Mr Khan who arrived in the city in the evening for the election campaign of his party's candidate Imran Ismail in the by-election on NA-246 constituency.
Addressing a presser at the DHA residence of Imran Ismail, the PTI chief said he would visit all 'no-go' areas in the city.
"If we lose the election in a free and fair polling, we will concede defeat and review our shortcomings."
He said his party had asked the Election Commission to deploy the army or Rangers in and around the polling stations for security of voters and for ensuring fair election.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, during a two-day visit to Pakistain, met with 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... at Prime Minister House.
PM Nawaz and Zarif discussed the situation in the Middle East with regards to the 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... conflict.
Talking to Zarif, Nawaz Sharif called for an urgent resolution of the crisis in Yemen through diplomacy and dialogue. The prime minister also apprised the visiting foreign minister about his talks with Turkish leaders.
Nawaz expressed serious concerns over the deteriorating situation in Yemen, which he said, is so grave that it may endanger fellow Moslem countries. Beside the loss of innocent lives, the crisis can undermine the unity of Moslem world, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The United States has defended its latest sale of military equipment to Pakistain, arguing the American weapons systems would enhance Islamabad's counter-terrorism abilities.
"This proposed sale of helicopters and weapons systems will provide Pakistain with military capabilities in support of its counter-terrorism operations inside the country," US State Department Acting Spokesperson Marie Harf said at the daily briefing.
She was commenting on Washington's green light this week for provision of approximately $1 billion of arms, including Hellfire missiles and attack helicopters.
"We have a very close counter-terrorism relationship with Pakistain for a very - for very good reasons," Harf said. Referring to the terrorist threat, the spokesperson said, "the Paks have a serious problem still, and that's why we're trying to help them. This (provision of military equipment) is in our national security interest to do so."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
What about the Dr. that helped us locate BinLaden. He's still in a Pak prison.
[Iran Press TV] The Swedish government has announced its intention to dispatch military trainers to Iraq to join the US-led operations against the purported positions of the ISIL Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... murderous Moslem group inside the Arab country.
The government said on Thursday that 35 military trainers will be sent to Iraq following a parliamentary approval, and will provide training to Iraqi security forces in the fight against ISIL.
"Cooperation against terrorism is the key to success. Sweden will continue to support these common efforts," Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom and Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist said in an op-ed piece published in the daily Dagens Nyheter on Thursday.
The two ministers also said that the proposed dispatch of the military forces is in response to a request from the Iraqi government, underlining that the force could be expanded to include 120 troopers if the situation in Iraq deteriorates and the need arises.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Council of Boskone, Helmuth ordered the entire 614th quadrant searched. The Green Lensman must be found!... Belarus has offered to sell weapons and military equipment to Iraq in a deal that could help curb murderous Moslem threats across the Arab country.
Sweden will send up to 120 troops to northern Iraq to train Iraqi and Kurdish fighters as part of the U.S.-led coalition 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.... group, foreign minister Margot Wallstroem said.
She added that the Swedish troops will provide "military advice and training... not combat units" and that they will focus on Kurdish peshmerga forces.
The Swedish forces are expected to be in place in June and will be under U.S. command. No end-date for their participation was announced.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Sweden has determined that the Iraqi Army is deficient in gender identity training and also needs advanced social outreach support.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
04/10/2015 7:23 Comments ||
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[Iran Press TV] The Deputy President of Iraq Osama Nujaifi has revealed that the number of ISIL turbans in Nineveh province does not exceed 5,000. The top Iraqi official also said that just 3 percent of the citizens in Ninevah are following the orders of the terrorists. He also added that different Iraqi military units and voluntary forces are getting prepared to participate in the operation to liberate Ninevah Province from ISIL terrorists.
The Council of Nineveh province issued a decision not to accept any forces from outside the province of Nineveh to participate in the liberation.
The self-proclaimed leader of ISIL Ibrahim Samarii One of the many names of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
instructed, recently, the transfer of dozens of turbans from different nationalities such as Europeans and turbans from East Asia and Chechnya, including foreign women, to Nineveh and Hawija southwest of Kirkuk, ... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time... and Hamrin Mountains near Baiji in Salahuddin province after the group lost 300 of its fighters in Ninevah.
The preparations for the Nineveh operations are underway, with ISIL turbans recruiting more foreigners in Iraq following their great defeat in Salahuddin province.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] 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.... group has lost control of "at least three large oil fields" in Iraq, depriving the jihadists of a crucial source of income, a German newspaper report said Thursday.
In the face of a large-scale Iraqi counteroffensive, the krazed killer group now controls just a single oil field in the country, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung said in its Thursday edition, citing the BND federal intelligence services.
Ousted from the strategic northern city of Tikrit by Iraqi security forces and militias just over a week ago -- in Baghdad's biggest victory to date after the forces of Evil overran large parts of the country last June -- the jihadists now have only "five percent" of the extraction capabilities they had before, according to the BND report seen by Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
The group had lost "at least three large oil fields", the daily said, adding that satellite images from last month showed the group had set fire to two of them -- the Himrin and Ajil fields -- in the face of the advancing counteroffensive.
"In the eyes of the BND, that is proof that IS itself does not believe in a quick recapture (of lost territory)," the newspaper said.
IS has only held onto the northern Qayara oil field, which has a total output capacity of around just 2,000 barrels a day, according to the German intelligence services.
The report added that IS also lacked the technical expertise to fully exploit the oil fields, including some in Syria, still under its control.
IS "can hardly sell oil anymore", cutting off a significant income source for the group, the newspaper added.
There are no exact figures detailing the jihadist group's finances, but as well as oil revenues IS' income is supplemented by various other activities, including the smuggling of antiques, taxes imposed on local businesses and ransom demands.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
[al-Monitor] With the continuation of Operation Decisive Storm, which the Saudi-led coalition has been carrying out against 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... since March 26, more positions continue to emerge on the operation -- some in support and some opposed -- thus redrawing the map of alliances in the region.
Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, announced its position on the war March 30, in a brief statement noting its support of political legitimacy in Yemen, and the option that the Yemeni people get who they democratically agree upon. The statement stressed that Hamas stands with Yemen's unity and security and wants dialogue and consensus among its residents, and added that the movement supports the security and stability of the Arab region and rejects anything that harms its security and stability.
It seems that the only statement issued by Hamas on Yemen was drafted in a cautious and delicate manner, in which it does not adopt a specific position for or against the war on the Houthis, for fear of paying high political costs -- either from 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... , which is leading the coalition, or Iran, which stands with the Houthis.
Hamas believes that the sensitivity that accompanied the issuance of its position on Yemen was similar to what it announced after the outbreak of the Syrian revolution, via an official statement issued on April 2, 2011.
At the time, Syria and Iran considered that Hamas' statement supported the rebels against the regime. This led to a historic rift in the relationship between Hamas and what was then called "the axis of resistance and opposition," and that rift has remained to this day. Thus, Hamas held internal consultations for several days before emerging with its position on the war in Yemen, using expressions that are open to interpretation according to potential changes and that satisfy most of the parties in the Yemeni crisis.
What is strange is that Hamas and Fatah agreed on the war in Yemen. Fatah President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... said April 5 that the war enjoyed an Arab consensus, and that the Paleostinians were part of that consensus.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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[IsraelMatzav] Teaser: America's liberal media thought it had a good laugh on Wednesday when Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark) said that wiping out Iran's nuclear capability militarily would be a breeze. But here's the funny thing: Israel's former Defense Minister and most decorated soldier agrees. Ehud Barak compared an operation to wipe out Iran's nuclear capability to the operation that targeted Osama Bin Laden.
[WAPO] It was but a year and a half ago that the Champ endorsed the objective of abolition when he said that Iran's heavily fortified Fordow nuclear facility, its plutonium-producing heavy-water reactor and its advanced centrifuges were all unnecessary for a civilian nuclear program. The logic was clear: Since Iran was claiming to be pursuing an exclusively civilian program, these would have to go.
Yet under the deal the Champ is now trying to sell, not one of these is to be dismantled. Indeed, Iran's entire nuclear infrastructure is kept intact, just frozen or repurposed for the length of the deal (about a decade). Thus Fordow's centrifuges will keep spinning. They will now be fed xenon, zinc and germanium instead of uranium. But that means they remain ready at any time to revert from the world's most heavily (indeed comically) fortified medical isotope facility to a bomb-making factory.
And upon the expiration of the deal, conceded the Champ Monday on NPR, Iran's breakout time to a nuclear bomb will be "almost down to zero," i.e., it will be able to produce nuclear weapons at will and without delay.
And then there's cheating. Not to worry, says the Champ. We have guarantees of compliance: "unprecedented inspections" and "snapback" sanctions.
The inspection promises are a farce. We haven't even held the Iranians to their current obligation to come clean with the International Atomic Energy Agency on their previous nuclear activities. The IAEA charges Iran with stonewalling on 11 of 12 issues.
Posted by: Besoeker ||
04/10/2015 03:03 ||
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#1
Youknowwho's legacy will be a mushroom cloud somewhere in the US.
I am convinced the focus of the Iranian program is the US not Israel.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
04/10/2015 12:04 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Well Bill, they certainly don't need intercontinental ballistic missiles to attack Israel now do they ?
#3
Besoeker, not necessarily. They could put it on a ship, transfer it a couple of times, sail it into a US port like NY or LA, and detonate it via remote control.
On the other hand, I think Israel will be the first target.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
04/10/2015 13:51 Comments ||
Top||
#4
They could also probably drive it across our wide-open southern border. Pay off a few Drug Cartels for landing and smuggling to the border. load it in a truck and drive it across. Fill it with Central American "kids" - the border patrol have orders from Obama to simply wave them thru anyway.
#5
The reason the ship-borne nuke is less likely as that the possibilities for error increase. It's not just detection, but the length of time, number of hand-overs, etc make for an uncertain process. Whereas with an ICBM, there is a well worked out probability table for the missile launching and landing where it's supposed to land.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/10/2015 15:41 Comments ||
Top||
#6
But with an ICBM you can usually compute it's origin with a fair amount of certainly fairly easily. Unless Iran has boomer submarines now.
Burying it under a stack of containers on a container ship or in an oil tanker - especially from a 'friendly' country would be just uncertain enough to allow Obama to refer it to the U.N. Security Council - "We mustn't be rash now..."
#9
Apparently Iran has different interpretation of the deal as per its allowed use of advanced centrifuges, + Khameini is warning "no deal" or no deal will be signed unless any + all US-Western sanctions agz Iran are immediately lifted.
The Bammer has repor said that sanctions will be selectively lifted as pertinent, i.e. as soon as there is evidence that Iran is abiding by the terms of the deal.
THE NUCLEAR DEAL MAY BE OVER BEFORE IT EVEN BEGINS.
* ION BIGNEWSNETWORK, TOPIX > [US SecState Kerry]US AWARE OF IRAN SUPPORT FOR HOUTHIS/YEMEN REBELS.
PHYSICAL/MATERIEL SUPPORT = KERRY-CLAIMED "WEEKLY [Air]FIGHTS" TO YEMEN FROM IRAN.
versus
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > CHINA-IRAN-PAKISTAN NEXUS TO CONTAIN OR ISOLATE US, INDIA, + SAUDI ARABIA | INDIA STRANDED AS REGION PREPARES FOR IRAN [post-NucleaR Deal] SURGE - WSJ
[Weekly Standard] President Obama has long known that the real decision maker in Iran is Ayatollah Khamenei, the so-called supreme leader. While other Iranian officials have negotiated with Western powers over the mullahs' nuclear program, Khamenei's opinion is the only one that really counts. It is for this reason that Obama began writing directly to Khamenei early in his presidency.
Earlier today, Khamenei broke his silence on the supposed "framework" the Obama administration has been trumpeting as the basis for a nuclear accord. Khamenei's speech pulled the rug out from underneath the administration. His Eminence the Ayatollah Khamenei taking shots at his new found ally? This really is beyond the pale. Khamenei accused the Obama administration of "lying" about the proposed terms, being "deceptive," and having "devilish" intentions, according to multiple published accounts of his speech, as well as posts on his official Twitter feed.
Khamenei also disputed the key terms Obama administration officials have said were agreed upon in principle. Economic sanctions will not be phased out once Iran's compliance has been "verified," according to the Ayatollah. Instead, Khamenei said that if the U.S. wants a deal, then all sanctions must be dropped as soon as the agreement is finalized. Khamenei also put strict limits on the reach of the inspectors who would be tasked with this verification process in the first place. Saddam placed similar inspection limits and restrictions, which led to the UNMOVIC and IAEA footprint being pulled (Mar 18, 2003). The shooting began the following day.
#7
* See also JAPAN TIMES > SAUDI AIRSTRIKES IN YEMEN NOTHING SHORT [Less] THAN GENOCIDE [agz Houthis = Yemen Shias]: IRAN LEADER CLAIMS.
IRAN El Supremo Supreme Ayatollah Khameini
versus
* BIGNEWSNETWORK > KERRY: US WILL NOT STAND BY AS TEHRAN BACKS HOUTHIS REBELS, + destabilizes Region.
Yokay, Jaawhn, BUT DOES KHAMEINI = IRAN REMEMBER OBAMA'S RESPONSES VEE HIS OWN VARIOUS "RED LINES"???
* RELATED MANILA BULETIN > US WARNS IRAN ON BACKING HOUTHI REBELS.
versus
* WAFF > [Todays Zaman = Meydan Daily] REPORT: MORE THAN 100,000 TURKISH PASSPORTS GIVEN TO ISIL, for Syria fight.
ARTIC = denotes that over 50,000 Uighurs hve allegedly joined ISIL/ISIS = TROUBLE FOR CHINA.
See below as per inferred possible future RUSSIA THREAT TO CHINA VEE ISIL/ISIS.
* BIGNENWSNETWORK > [VOA News] BIDEN: ISIS NO LONGER ON THE MOVE IN IRAQ [momentum stalled] | ISLAMIC STATE ASSAULT WAS CATALYST FOR IRAQI [+ Regional] UNITY.
* TOPIX > [Washington Times] RUSSIANS SAY ISLAMIC STATE INFILTRATING DOMESTIC GROUPS.
#8
OOOOOOPPPSSSS, forgot to add BIGNEWSNETWORK > YEMEN QUAGMIRE LIKELY TO BE LENGTHY AND LETHAL.
I'll just remind wid NOSTRADAMUS = "... None shall see the [dark = evil] Power(s) of Asia [Perse = Iran?] destroyed until the Seven/Seventh holds the Line".
["TROY"S BRAD PITT = ACHILLES = HAS NO QUALMS WATCHING HIS OWN GREEK ARMY GET DESTROYED BEFORE HECTOR + TROY UNTIL AGAMMEMNON APOLOGIZES here].
[al-Monitor] After eight days and nights of intense negotiations, on April 2 Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Federica Mogherini, the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... foreign and security policy chief, presented a joint statement on behalf of Iran and the P5+1 nations, the five members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, regarding Iran's nuclear program.
Immediately afterward, Iran's Ministry of Foreign Affairs informally and through the Iranian media published the Persian-language document "A Summary of the Solutions Reached as an Understanding for Reaching a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action." The Americans followed suit and published a similar document, "Parameters for a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action Regarding the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran's Nuclear Program," as a Media Note on the US Department of State website. The differences between the two are far-reaching, and some could, if unresolved, seriously jeopardize the ongoing negotiations.
In its opening paragraph, the Iranian summary, which has not been posted on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' website, reads, "These solutions are not legally binding and are only a conceptual guideline for preparing and writing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action." In contrast, the American document's opening paragraph reads, "Below are the key parameters of a Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) regarding the Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran's nuclear program that were decided in Lausanne, Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... . These elements form the foundation upon which the final text of the JCPOA will be written between now and June 30. ... We will work to conclude the JCPOA based on these parameters over the coming months" (emphasis added).
A comparison of the two approaches demonstrates that while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has downplayed the significance of what it calls "solutions," the State Department views the "parameters" mentioned as the "foundation" for the conclusion of the final and comprehensive agreement. The American document, referred to in Iran as the "American fact sheet," fueled an uproar, forcing Zarif to respond. He tweeted: "The solutions are good for all, as they stand. There is no need to spin using 'fact sheets' so early on."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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[10 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Differences??
DIFFERENCES!?!??!
They can't even agree the damned thing was written on paper.
What a fucking joke.
The libs are dancing in the street and the Iranians are dancing in the street for completely opposite reasons.
[Iran Press TV] Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah and Iranian First Deputy Foreign Minister Morteza Sarmadi have discussed developments in Yemen, where 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... is conducting military strikes.
Iran's Ambassador to Leb Mohammad Fat'hali also attended the meeting in which Nasrallah and Sarmadi reviewed the recent developments in the region, particularly the crisis in Yemen, Leb's al-Manar TV reported on Thursday.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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[FOXNEWS] Iran's top leader blasted the United States on Thursday for its claims about the framework nuclear deal struck last week, as he and the country's president both demanded that any final deal immediately lift all sanctions.
The comments by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani, taken together, could raise fresh doubts about the course of the nuclear talks.
While it was expected that Iran's leaders would position the agreement as a win for their country, both leaders on Thursday made demands that the U.S. has resisted.
"We will not sign any agreement, unless all economic sanctions are totally lifted on the first day of the implementation of the deal," Rouhani said during a ceremony marking Iran's nuclear technology day, which celebrates the country's nuclear achievements.
The Ayatollah, too, said all sanctions should be removed when a deal is reached.
His Twitter account, which sent out a cascade of tweets with highlights from his remarks Thursday, also said: "I trust our negotiators, but I'm really worried as the other side is into lying & breaching promises."
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 00:00 ||
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[9 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
The Iranians appear to unaware that we have reached an historic agreement with them.
[ARA] Nearly half of European Death Eaters known to have travelled to territory held by the holy warriorIslamic 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.... in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group are French, a report by the country's upper house Senate revealed Wednesday. 95 percent are Mohs or Abduls. The occasional Jean-Francois is in the same category as the guys in togas who hung around with the Ostrogoths.
Just over 1,430 French people have made their way to Iraq and Syria, representing 47 per cent of Death Eaters from Europe that are known and accounted for, Senator Jean-Pierre Sueur, who spearheaded a parliamentary probe into holy warrior networks, told news hounds.
According to Sueur, French domestic intelligence services are currently monitoring more than 3,000 people
...that's an awful lot of people to keep track of round the clock and round the calendar...
suspected of being involved in one way or another in Syrian networks -- a 24 per cent increase since November last year.
Some 85 Frenchies are thought to have died in ISIS-held zones while two are being held in Syria, the report said.
Of particular concern to intelligence services, some 200 have left to come back to La Belle France, prompting fears they may stage attacks mirroring the Jan 7-9 shooting spree that left 17 dead.
Sueur added that 152 Islamist turbans were currently in prison in La Belle France.
Authorities are worried about prison radicalisation and have unveiled a raft of measures to try and fight this, such as hiring an extra 60 Moslem chaplains on top of the 182 who already work in jails.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/10/2015 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.
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Sudan heads to the polls next week in elections widely expected to extend President 
International Criminal Court
[DAWN] Iran and Pakistain agree on cessation of hostilities in Yemen, but disagree on the route to peace with the former calling for an immediate ceasefire and the latter inclined to 
[Breitbart] Making it clear the bill can not "interfere" with the president's deal, Kerry said "if it's changed and adjusted and reflects the respect for the Constitution and the president's prerogatives," then Congress can vote.
[DAWN] The United States has defended its latest sale of military equipment to Pakistain, arguing the American weapons systems would enhance Islamabad's counter-terrorism abilities.
[Iran Press TV] The Deputy President of Iraq Osama Nujaifi has revealed that the number of ISIL 
[WAPO] It was but a year and a half ago that the Champ endorsed the objective of abolition when he said that Iran's heavily fortified Fordow nuclear facility, its plutonium-producing heavy-water reactor and its advanced centrifuges were all unnecessary for a civilian nuclear program. The logic was clear: Since Iran was claiming to be pursuing an exclusively civilian program, these would have to go.
[Weekly Standard] President Obama has long known that the real decision maker in Iran is Ayatollah Khamenei, the so-called supreme leader. While other Iranian officials have negotiated with Western powers over the mullahs' nuclear program, Khamenei's opinion is the only one that really counts. It is for this reason that Obama began writing directly to Khamenei early in his presidency.
[al-Monitor] After eight days and nights of intense negotiations, on April 2 Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Federica Mogherini, the 
[ARA] Nearly half of European 
