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Militiamen storm US embassy in Libya
Today's Headlines
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Afghanistan
Abdullah deadline puts Afghan election in peril
[ARABNEWS] Afghan presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah
... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun...
on Monday issued another ultimatum over the disputed election result, threatening to withdraw from all efforts to negotiate a solution to the deepening political crisis.

Abdullah claims that fraud cheated him of victory in the June 14 election, and fears have risen of a return to the ethnic divisions of the 1990s civil war after his supporters called on him to form a "parallel government."

As tensions threatened to boil over, the US brokered a deal between Abdullah and his rival Ashraf Ghani in which they agreed to an audit of all eight million votes and the formation of a post-election national unity government.

But Abdullah's front man Fazel Aqa Hussain Sancharaki said his team was on the brink of abandoning both parts of the deal, potentially plunging Afghanistan's first democratic transfer of power into further turmoil.

"Our patience is running out, any announcement of results made by the fraudulent election commission will be rejected by us," Sancharaki told news hounds.

"We are setting this deadline that if tomorrow our logical demands of transparent auditing and an honest political process are not met, we will completely boycott the whole process."

Last week Abdullah pulled out of the audit, but had said negotiations on the national unity government were still under way.

Abdullah won the first-round election in April out of a field of eight candidates, but preliminary results from the June run-off showed that he was far behind Ghani.

Any street protests by aggrieved Abdullah supporters could set off a spiral of instability.

Many of Ghani's supporters are Pashtuns in the south and east, while Abdullah's loyalists are Tajiks and other northern groups.

Western nations, which have sent tens of thousands of troops and billions of dollars worth of aid to Afghanistan since 2001, still hope that a credible election will be a flagship legacy of progress made since the hardline Taliban era.
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Africa North
Libya Militias Take Control of Tripoli Govt Offices
[AnNahar] Libya's toothless outgoing government admitted Monday it had lost control of government offices 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...
to armed militias.

The interim government led by prime minister Abdullah al-Thani, which resigned last week and has taken refuge in the east of the country, said gangs were preventing government workers from entering their offices.

"Ministry and state offices in Tripoli have been occupied by armed militias who are preventing government workers from entering and are threatening their superiors," the government said in a statement released overnight.

It said the interim government was in contact with officials and "trying to ensure the continuity of services from afar."

Libya has been sliding into chaos since Muammar Qadaffy
...a reminder that a single man with an idea can change an entire nation, usually for the worse...
was tossed and killed three years ago, with interim authorities confronting powerful militias which fought to oust the veteran dictator.

The interim government announced last week it had tendered its resignation to the elected parliament, days after a rival Islamist administration was created.

The parliament is also operating out of Libya's east for security reasons.

A rival body, the General National Congress, last week named pro-Islamist figure Omar al-Hassi to form a "salvation government".

Interim authorities have been steadily losing ground to the militias and the Fajr Libya (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 bdul Hakim Belhaj, head of Al-Watan party). Financing and moral support come from Turkey and Qatar...
) mainly Islamist alliance, which has seized Tripoli airport after weeks of fierce fighting with nationalist rivals.

On Sunday, Islamist faceless myrmidons moved into the U.S. embassy compound in Tripoli that was evacuated in late July, with videos showing cheering men diving from an upstairs balcony into the facility's swimming pool.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


HoR summons Grand Mufti and Central Bank Governor for questioning
[Libya Herald] The House of Representatives has summonsed the Grand Mufti, Sheikh Sadik Al-Ghariani, together with the Governor of the Central Bank of Libya, Saddek Elkaber, and his two deputy governors, for questioning . . .
Paywall has the rest
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Ministry of Foreign Affairs attacks Turkish President's 'blatant interference'
[Libya Herald] The Foreign Ministry has attacked Turkish President Recep Erdogan following statements he allegedly made calling the meeting of the House of Representatives in Tobruk "improper".

Erdogan is reported to have said that Turkey "fundamentally cannot accept the parliament meeting in Tobruk". The statement closely echoes those of the Misratan-led 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 bdul Hakim Belhaj, head of Al-Watan party). Financing and moral support come from Turkey and Qatar...
Operation which also said yesterday that it would recognise the House of Representatives only if it met 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...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was "surprised" by what it had perceived as the "blatant interference in Libyan internal affairs". It called on Erdogan to clarify his statements noting that he had congratulated the newly-elected House of Representatives after it held its first session in Tobruk in August.

For its part, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has Turkey has condemned the Libyan position saying that any criticism of Erdogan's views was "unacceptable".

"The questioning of Mr President's sincerity and feelings towards our Libyan brothers is, in the lightest way possible, totally unfair and unacceptable," Turkish Foreign Ministry front man Tanju Bilgic was quoted as saying by the Anadolu news agency.

The Turkish government is widely viewed in Libya as supporting the Libyan Moslem Brotherhood since the revolution, alongside 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...
. Libyan Moslem Brotherhood figures are known to visit Turkey regularly for meetings and use it as a safe haven. The significance of Libya within the context of the region's ideological fault-lines came to the fore last month when it emerged that the UAE and Egypt, both bitterly opposed to the brotherhood, had collaborated to bomb positions in Tripoli held by gangs sympathetic to the Islamist movement.

The Tobruk-based Operation Dignity, which has offered protection to the House of Representatives, has been seen to have the backing of both Egypt and the UAE.

Last week Emirati authorities rounded up at least 30 Libyan nationals believed to have ties to the Moslem Brotherhood and Libya Dawn.

The Foreign Ministry reminded Turkish authorities that the the United Nations
...the Oyster Bay money pit...
had recognised the legitimacy of the House of Representatives. The European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
, 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...
, the African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
and the Gulf Cooperation Council have also recognised the new parliament.
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring


Arabia
IS terror tops agenda of Saudi-French talks
[ARABNEWS] Threat posed by Islamic State (IS) holy warriors, who have seized swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, tops the agenda of Saudi-French talks.

Crown Prince Salman arrived in Gay Paree Monday on a landmark visit for talks with President Francois Hollande
...the Socialist president of La Belle France, an economic bad joke for la Belle France but seemingly a foreign policy realist...
and other French leaders.

The visit aims to further strengthen relations between the two countries.

The crown prince's talks with Hollande would also focus on boosting military cooperation, according to political analysts.

King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has warned world leaders that forces of Evil would hit their countries unless they take "rapid" action to eliminate it. "If we ignore them, I am sure they will reach Europe in a month and America in another month," the king said while receiving foreign diplomats in Jeddah on Friday.

On Thursday, Hollande rejected any cooperation with Bashir al-Assad, whom he accused of being a "de-facto ally" of IS holy warriors, after his regime said it was willing to work with the international community to tackle the terrorist group.

"The historic visit to Gay Paree paid by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah in 2007 has contributed immensely to taking Saudi-French ties to new heights," the crown prince said in an arrival statement.

Hollande will host a dinner at the Elysee presidential palace in honor of the Saudi crown prince, who is due to meet Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius on Wednesday for talks on major regional and international issues.

The crown prince is accompanied by a high-level delegation, including Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja and Commerce and Industry Minister Tawfiq Al-Rabiah.

"This visit comes within the framework of developing bilateral cooperation and strengthening the level of coordination on regional and international issues of mutual concern," Prince Salman said while commending "the best ever" relations between the two countries.

Meanwhile,
...back at the cheese factory, there was only one thought in the mouse's mind: I can do this! I can do this! Then the trap sprung...
Abdullatif Al-Othman, governor of the 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...
n General Investment Authority (SAGIA), will open an investment exhibition in Gay Paree on Tuesday with the participation of 15 government agencies to woo French investment to the Kingdom. SAGIA hoped that the exhibition would attract a large number of French companies interested to invest in Saudi Arabia. "The show reflects the Kingdom's desire to expand its economic and investment ties with La Belle France," it added.
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Britain
Galloway criticizes Westminster's silence
[Iran Press TV] British Member of Parliament and Press TV host George Galloway
... a British national embarrassment, not particularly honest, more fond of dictators and terrorists than he is of his native countrymen except at the peak of the election cycle ...
has criticized Westminster's silence in relation to the recent violent attack on him, Press TV reports.
A hearty chortle is not silence...
The attack, which happened on Friday, was carried out by a person wearing an Israeli military t-shirt. The attacker had posted angry messages about Islam and Galloway during the days leading up to the incident.

Speaking for the first time after the assault, Galloway told the Press TV correspondent in London that "It is an attack on parliament, it is an attack on democracy and it is an attack on my constituents, not just the geographic constituency of Bradford West, though it is, but the wider constituency that I speak for, which is, by anybody's reckoning, some millions of people, all of whom have the right to be represented, all of whom have the right to have their view represented without being clubbed down in the street."
Galloway was released from St Mary's hospital on Saturday.

Metropolitan police on the same day, charged Neil Masterson, with assault by beating of both Galloway and a bystander who tried to intervene.

Masterson, who has pleaded not guiltily to the charges, has been denied bail and the case has been sent to the Crown Court. The next hearing is scheduled for September 15.

The attack on the British MP is believed to have been connected to his recent remarks censuring the Israeli regime for the atrocities it committed in its military onslaught on the besieged Gazoo Strip.
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  That's because they don't like you.
Posted by: gorb || 09/02/2014 1:02 Comments || Top||

#2  Oh sorry, George.
"Her Majesty's Government is sorry that a random bystander felt obliged to smack you in the head in order to stop the stream of drivel you emit."
There.
Posted by: || 09/02/2014 7:15 Comments || Top||

#3  Sounds like his jaw wasn't broken because it's not wired shut. Bummer...
Posted by: Raj || 09/02/2014 10:04 Comments || Top||

#4  Apologise for what never happened George?

Idiot schmuck.
Posted by: Count Galeazzo Sheting5481 || 09/02/2014 12:16 Comments || Top||

#5  They are too busy laughing their asses off behind closed doors.
Posted by: DarthVader || 09/02/2014 12:22 Comments || Top||

#6  Speaking of radioactive bores.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 09/02/2014 21:17 Comments || Top||


The Grand Turk
Turkey detains dozens of police in new swoop against Erdogan foes
[Al Ahram] Turkish authorities on Monday detained some two dozen coppers in new nationwide raids over an alleged plot to overthrow the Islamic-rooted government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan
... Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him...

Has it occurred to anyone but me that Erdogan's got his own little Moslem Brotherhood coup going in Turkey?
He's been boiling the frog ever so slowly...
He's been open from the beginning about his intentions to re-Islamicize Turkey. It's not his fault people don't believe him.
Police conducted early morning raids in 16 cities across Turkey, including Istanbul as well as the western province of Izmir, and detained at least 20 coppers, private NTV television reported.

Among those jugged
Please don't kill me!
is Yakup Saygili, the former chief of the police anti-fraud unit, it added.

It was the fourth such wave of raids since July as the government cracks down on what Erdogan has described as a "parallel state" within the security forces seeking to topple his government.

Arrest warrants were issued for at least 34 officers accused of a number of offences including illegally eavesdropping on brass hats and attempting to overthrow the government.

Since July, dozens of coppers have been arrested and placed in jug on suspicion of forming a criminal organization and wire-tapping hundreds of people including Erdogan.

The new arrests appeared to represent a new offensive against the movement of Erdogan's former ally Fethullah Gulen in the wake of a vast corruption scandal that broke late last year implicating Erdogan and his inner circle.

Erdogan has long accused followers of US-based Moslem holy man Fetullah Gulen of establishing a "parallel state" by using its sway in Turkey's police and the judiciary and of concocting the vast corruption scandal.

The allegations were based on recorded phone conversations -- purportedly of Erdogan and his inner circle -- whose publication held much of Turkey in thrall.

Gulen, who has been based in the United States since 1999, denied any involvement in the claims.
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Turkey's Jewish Intellectuals Denounce Being Targeted Over Israel's Gaza Assault
[Hurriyet] A group of Turkish-Jewish intellectuals have denounced being targeted over Israel's recent operations in Gazoo, describing attempts to hold them responsible for Israel's policies as "racist."

Prominent figures such as scholar and columnist Soli --zel, leftist writer Roni Margulies, economist Cem Behar and former radio host and activist Avi Haligua, stressed their opposition to Israel's actions in a letter released Aug. 29. However,
man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them...
they also added that no one should expect unity of opinion in a community of 20,000 people, and expressed their wish that their opinion not be interpreted based on their identity.

Here is the full letter:

"Israel's latest attack on Gazoo led, once again, to cries of 'Why does the Jewish community remain silent?' A campaign was even launched that claimed that the Jews of Turkey bear responsibility for what Israel does in Gazoo.

"No citizen of this country is under any obligation to account for, interpret or comment on any event that takes place elsewhere in the world, and in which he/she has no involvement. There is no onus on the Jewish community of Turkey, therefore, to declare an opinion on any matter at all.

"It is anyway not possible for a community of 20,000 to declare a unified opinion. No human community can be monolithic and the Jewish community is not. Its members include people of all kinds, with a great variety of views.

"In the same way the people of Turkey cannot be held responsible for the barbarity of what the Islamic State [of Iraq and Levent, ISIL] does because a number of Turks are among its fighters, the Jewish community of Turkey cannot be held responsible for what the state of Israel does. It is racism to hold a whole people responsible for the actions of a state and we wish to declare that we are opposed to this.

"We, the undersigned, are children of Jewish families in Turkey. It is incumbent upon us to express an opinion on the attack on Gazoo precisely to the same degree that it is on any other citizen of Turkey, no less, and certainly no more.

"None the less, we wish to declare we are opposed to the Israeli state's policies on Gazoo, not because we are of Jewish origin, but because we are human. We may not agree on all matters, some of us oppose all of Israel's policies, some of us oppose some of them. But all of us are opposed to Israel's aggression, militarism, expansionism and the violence it brings upon the Paleostinian people."
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Home Front: Politix
Obama briefed for more than a year on ISIS as serious threat
Posted by: DarthVader || 09/02/2014 12:30 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I know people are saying that the strategy is for Iran to win, and it does make sense.

But the more I see of how Obama and his team try to handle things like this, the more I see just plain old incompetence and arrogance.

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.
Posted by: DarthVader || 09/02/2014 12:33 Comments || Top||

#2  Or alliance with Islamist extremism.
Posted by: Ebbomosh Hupemp2664 || 09/02/2014 13:04 Comments || Top||

#3  And here I thought it was "the smartest man in the room" just getting a thrill up his leg. Aren't you glad the ever so wise American people elected the Messiah?

A job well done by one and all. And now , some Golf.....
Posted by: Goober Poodle7799 || 09/02/2014 13:06 Comments || Top||

#4  In some cases, targets were tracked for a “long period of time” but then slipped away.

Like Slick Willie, and bin Laden. Time will probably tell they could've wacked the Grand Caliph and Galactic Overlord al-Baghdadi. Slick Willie had his interns; Champ has his golf.
Posted by: Bobby || 09/02/2014 13:23 Comments || Top||

#5  Not surprised

Not at all
Posted by: Bill Clinton || 09/02/2014 14:27 Comments || Top||

#6  One year is but a nanosecond for the anointed one.
Posted by: Besoeker || 09/02/2014 15:04 Comments || Top||

#7  isnt isis part of a sunni revolution of tribes/ex saddam boys/jihadis against iran/maliki?

obama is turning a blind eye to keep his gulf allies happy!

They call it sunni blowback which result in a more inclusive iraqi govt.

Its all part of the Saudi/Obama plan.
Posted by: Paul D || 09/02/2014 23:17 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
The Day the La Bomba Boxed the Boston Marathon Bomber
WORCESTER, MA--Edwin Rodriguez has fought in Madison Square Garden, gone the distance with the man some believe the best fighter in the world in Andre Ward, and won the Monte Carlo Million Dollar Super Four Tournament. But a strange sparring session with Tamerlan Tsarnaev remains the Worcester, Massachusetts-based boxer's most discussed in-ring moment.

Breitbart Sports recently caught up with La Bomba to get the story behind the story of his surreal close encounter with the Boston Marathon Bomber.

"It was when I saw his face," Rodriguez says of the moment that he grasped that the man whom he had hurt in the ring had hurt so many others. "I knew him as 'Tim.' I just knew him as this 'Tim' guy. I was just looking for sparring. They told me about this kid. We sparred. It went a few rounds."

The meeting of the beloved boxer and the reviled terrorist took place before a handful of onlookers at Camp Get Right, a sweaty, 5,000-square-foot pugilist's playground echoing with the din of speedbags, blare of rap music, and dull thud of leather.

Breitbart Sports met up with Rodriguez as he stayed fresh (for a likely October 18 HBO fight) inside the ancient brick structure built for cold storage. Camp Get Right, like the oddball who sparred there four years ago, leaves an impression.

"He walked into the gym," Rodriguez recalls. "He just had his gloves. He didn't bring a mouth guard or headgear. He came back in by himself. As a fighter, you bring someone everywhere you go--a trainer or someone to corner you. I thought that was a little weird. We talked him into putting head gear on. But he refused to wear a mouthpiece."
Rodriguez notes that boxers, himself included, sometimes forget mouth guards or headgear before sparring. But they will generally buy or borrow the missing equipment before stepping into the ring. In Tsarnaev's case, Rodriguez notes that his sparring partner didn't forget the equipment. Tsarnaev, an accomplished amateur fighter, insisted on taking on the then-undefeated professional opponent without protection.

"People don't do that," the 24-1 super-middleweight/light-heavyweight tweener tells Breitbart Sports. "You don't go to another gym without a mouthpiece and headgear. It's not like he didn't bring it because he forgot. He just didn't use it."

Tsarnaev, even had he not made headlines thereafter, would have remained indelibly etched into the memories of Rodriguez and his trainers. He explains, "We always talked about the fact that if there wasn't another trainer who talked him into putting the headgear on he wouldn't have."

The sparring session did not go as well as Tsarnaev had anticipated. Rodriguez, predictably, cut up Tsarnaev's mouth and did damage to his ribs with body shots. "After the first round," the lighter man remembers, "he was bleeding. Every time I was hitting him in the ribs, he stepped out."

Carlos Garcia, who started working with a 13-year-old Rodriguez in the late 1990s, trained Bryan Daniels, the fighter who squared off with Tsarnaev in the 2010 Golden Gloves heavyweight finals. "My guy fought too confident," he remembers. Tsarnaev took the decision in the marquee amateur tournament against Daniels, the current New England Golden Gloves champion. Garcia labeled Tsarnaev a "decent fighter," a compliment he quickly follows up with the declaration that he had no hint back then of the fighter's murderous anti-Americanism.

Edwin Rodriguez agrees with his teacher's assessment. "He was a pretty good boxer," Rodriguez told Breitbart Sports. "But he was still an amateur. I'm a professional. I had 15 professional fights back then."

The next time Rodriguez laid eyes on the bizarre boxer was when he watched television after his wife gave birth. "When I saw him I was actually at the hospital," he explains. "My son was born April 15th. I said, 'What the hell!' I was shocked and devastated for all the families. My prayers and thoughts went out to all those hurt by him."

Heart, the in-ring attribute observers credit Rodriguez with possessing in abundance, played as the very characteristic his one-time sparring partner could have benefitted from outside of the ring.

For Rodriguez, a longtime resident of the Central New England city forever in Boston's shadow a short ride away on the Mass Pike, the bombing affected him in the geographic community in which he lives and the boxing community in which he trains. Like the marathon runners, the boxer would rather worry about the challenges of the competition than the dangers lurking in the crowd. Rodriguez, Garcia, and others in Worcester's boxing subculture didn't necessarily identify Tsarnaev as evil. They surely pegged him as weird.

"He wasn't disrespectful," Rodriguez recalls. "He was cocky before the sparring. After, he was humble. He said something about, 'I have to go back to the drawing board.' He was a little arrogant and cocky. I was a lot lighter than him." Rodriguez insists he didn't take advantage of Tsarnaev. Does he wish he had? "I'm not going to comment."

The Pride of Worcester appeared on ESPN in the intervening years; the Disgrace of Cambridge, on CNN. The former achieved fame in the ring; the latter, infamy outside of it. Significantly, the Dominican immigrant says of the Russian immigrant, "He never came back for sparring again."
Posted by: Ebbomosh Hupemp2664 || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


India-Pakistan
Govt considering decisive action against protesters: Asif
[DAWN] Pakistain is preparing to launch a selective crackdown against anti-government protesters trying to bring down the government of 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...
, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said, warning demonstrators against storming government buildings.

Dashing chances of a peace deal between the government and protest leaders 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....
(PTI) Chairman Imran Khan
... aka Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems...
and Pakistain Awami Tehrik (PAT) chief Dr Tahirul Qadri
...Pak politician, and would-be dictator, founder and head of Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran and Pakistain Awami Tehrik. He usually resides in Canada, but returns to Pakistain periodically to foam at the mouth and lead demonstrations. Depending on which way the wind's blowing, Qadri claims to be the author of Pak's blasphemy law. Other times he says it wasn't him...
, protesters stormed the state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
building and have also tried to march on Prime Minister Sharif's residence in central Islamabad.

Later, police fired teargas and rubber bullets to disperse them.

Asif told Rooters in an interview at his house hours after the storming of the state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
building the government would not hesitate to enforce its writ and was considering cracking down against those attacking state institutions.

"If not mass arrests, selective use of force can be used," Asif said, describing one option the government may decide to exercise following a meeting between PM Sharif and his top aides.

"The writ of the state must be enforced. We hope to make a decisive move sometimes later today, not in the evening but even before that," he said. "I personally feel that the next few hours will determine the course of coming events."

Commentators have been divided over what Nawaz Sharif could do to defuse the crisis, and Asif's remarks confirmed that a crackdown was on the cards as the government debates its further actions.

Asif, considered to be in favour of talks, is one of a growing number of members of PM Sharif's cabinet who believe it is time for tougher action against thousands of protesters massed in Islamabad to demand the prime minister step down.

Rounds of negotiations have failed to end the crisis that has gripped Pakistain for more than two weeks, with protest leaders saying they will not back down unless Sharif resigns.

The army is expected to play a key role in how the conflict unfolds but it has not directly intervened, saying the crisis had to be solved politically.
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


PTI dubs Hashmi allegations 'unfounded and unfortunate'
[DAWN] The 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....
(PTI) on Monday said that PTI President Javed Hashmi's allegations regarding the party gaining support from the armed forces in the ongoing political crisis were "unfortunate and unfounded".

A statement issued by Central Information Secretary Shireen Mazari added that there was no conversation that the PTI was linked to the army or "any such covert agenda".

"If Hashmi thought PTI was linked to the army then he should have immediately resigned," the statement read. It concluded by saying that Hashmi's unfortunate allegations were without any grounding in facts.

Speaking to Dawn shortly after Javed Hashmi's shocking allegations, PTI leader Arif Alvi said he was not aware of any script as suggested by the veteran politician.

"Javed Hashmi was with us on everything till we moved from Constitution Avenue to PM house," he said, adding that the decision to join Qadri was made by the party and not at the behest of a third party.

"I never heard Khan sahab say anything about a third force," he added.

When asked about Hashmi's statement alleging that Imran hinted at the Supreme Court's favourable position with the party, Alvi said, "I am not aware of any mention of the chief justice."

At the end, he maintained that he respected Hashmi and did not think he could invent such information.

"I don't think he could invent it, he may be misinformed."
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


'Anonymous Pakistan' take down government sites, leak bank records
[DAWN] In the wake of ongoing anti-government protests in Islamabad, a group of hackers calling themselves 'Anonymous Op Pakistain' temporarily brought down numerous government portals in a bid to remove, "every vestige of the Pakistain government from the Internet".

The group also leaked a zip file containing 23,000 bank records allegedly connected to the government. The zip file contained a document that stated the leak was carried out by ASOR Hack Team.

Claiming to be a part of Anonymous - the global hacktivist network - the hackers attacked over two dozen government websites overnight, a few of which remained inaccessible on Monday. Some of the hacked websites were defaced as well.

In numerous online messages, Anonymous Op Pakistain said it was carrying out the attacks for political reasons, in support of the PTI/PAT protesters:

"We are cataloging the atrocities being committed in Pakistain. We will begin at once assisting the peaceful protesters in Pakistain with every tool and tactic at our disposal. And we will initiate the process of removing every vestige of the Pakistain government from the Internet and shutting down their communications network. And the Pak people will then remove this criminal regime from power and lock them in prison where they belong. 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...
you are hereby dismissed. You will leave power immediately. For the safety and security of your family we suggest that you depart Pakistain at once. This is your only warning."

The group also condemned police action against the protesters:

As for the criminal security and military forces who have so barbarically attacked your own people in Pakistain, we will collect evidence of your crimes and deal with you in the time and manner of our choosing. You would do well to....well, you know - expect us. You will either answer to the justice of your people and the international community, or you will be the subject of the rage filled vengeance of Anonymous.
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


PTI's Sindh MPAs tender resignations
[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....
(PTI) MPAs in the Sindh Assembly submitted their resignations in the assembly secretariat.

PTI has four MPAs in the Sindh Assembly -- Syed Hafeezuddin (PS-93), Samar Ali Khan (PS-113), Seema Yazdani Zia (PS-159) and Khurram Sher Zaman (PS-112) -- and all have tendered resignations.

The resignations came as PTI is engaged in protests and sit-ins in the federal capital against what it calls "massive rigging" in the 2013 general elections.

Thirty-one MNAs of the party resigned from the National Assembly recently whereas 29 PTI MPAs in Punjab tendered their resignations last week. The party has however refused to resign from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
where it has been leading the government.
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Now Karachi free from crime, CM told
[DAWN] KARACHI: Now the city is free from incidents of kidnapping, bank heist, terrorism and extortion, this was claimed by Sindh IGP Ghulam Hyder Jamali while briefing Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah who was presiding over a high-level meeting on law and order soon after his return from China.

Updating the CM on achievements about maintenance of peace in the metropolis, the IGP Jamali informed the meeting that for the last two to three months, neither any case of kidnapping nor any bank dacoity had been reported. Even no incident of terrorism had been reported during this period, he added.

The IGP Jamali said the menace of extortion had been totally eliminated from the district west because all the criminals involved in this crime had either been locked away
... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
or eliminated.

Giving details of achievements of the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) during the targetted operation, he said that as many as 1,802 encounters had taken place as compared to the 1,138 before the operation in the same period.

Consequently, 472 criminals had been killed as compared to 126 before the operation. He informed the meeting that out of the 9,382 arrested criminals, 7,915 had been charge-sheeted, 2,104 were on bail, 7,128 were confined in prisons and 150 were in police custody, he said.

The police officer said that during the last 24 hours, 69 raids had been conducted that resulted in five encounters, killing of two and arrest of 40 criminals. Total 472 criminals had been killed during the targeted operation as compared to 126 before the operation in the same period.

The IGP also informed that incidents of murder had also declined.

Similarly, as compared to 2,180 assassination before the operation, 884 had been reported during the period of targeted operation. He said that more than 60 per cent decline in the crime rate in some heinous acts had been achieved so far.

Speaking on the occasion the chief minister expressed his satisfaction over the law and order situation and directed the officers to speed up their action against terrorists, extortionists and kidnappers.

The PPP government, he said, was committed to restoration of peace in the city. He directed the officers to follow their cases till conviction of criminals. He said that the coppers would be encouraged for their best services and sacrifices.

Chief Secretary Sajjad Saleem Hotiyana, 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...
Additional IG Police Ghulam Qadir Thebo, City Commissioner Sohaib Siddiqi and other officers concerned attended the meeting.

Meanwhile,
...back at the laboratory the smoke and fumes had dispersed, to reveal an ominous sight...
the chief minister strongly condemned police torture of print and electronic media men while they were reporting the incident of political confrontation/ protests at the Constitution Avenue in Islamabad on Saturday and Sunday.

He termed the police act illegal, unethical, immoral and unacceptable.
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  Wow. Did they set off a nuke or something?
Posted by: ed in texas || 09/02/2014 7:17 Comments || Top||

#2  Redefined crime as the failure to accept bribes.
Posted by: Pappy || 09/02/2014 21:45 Comments || Top||


Fazl wants to register sedition case against Imran, Qadri
[DAWN] PESHAWAR: Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam
...the political wing of the Pak Taliban...
-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman
Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ...
has asked the government to register a sedition case against 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....
chairman Imran Khan
... aka Taliban Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five...
and Pakistain Awami Tehrik leader Tahirul Qadri
...Pak politician, and would-be dictator, founder and head of Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran and Pakistain Awami Tehrik. He usually resides in Canada, but returns to Pakistain periodically to foam at the mouth and lead demonstrations. Depending on which way the wind's blowing, Qadri claims to be the author of Pak's blasphemy law. Other times he says it wasn't him...
for violating constitution.

Addressing a meeting of JUI-F workers in Khyber Bazaar here on Sunday, he alleged that Tahirul Qadri and Imran Khan were foreign agents, who wanted to destabilise the country to appease their 'masters'.

He said that the two parties paralysed the entire system by staging sit-in in Islamabad to gain powers through backdoor. He said that all the main stream political parties were united to foil such attempts.

Fazlur Rehman terms both the leaders foreign agents, who want to destabilise the country
Mr Rehman asked the government to register a sedition case against Imran and Qadri for violating constitution. He said that PTI chief failed to get resignation from his own party members but he was demanding resignation from the prime minister.

"Qadri is claiming to bring revolution in the country but no good can be expected from him as he himself has admitted allowing Christians into his mosques and seminaries," the JUI-F chief said, adding that the followers of Pope could not serve the purpose of Islam.

"We will take all possible steps for protection of constitution, assemblies and the government. We will prove our strength whenever needed," Mr Rehman said. He added that both the parties should wind up the protest as workers had already returned homes.

He said that the workers of PTI and PAT had enough of the prolonged and illogical sit-ins and they were no longer interested to damage the country's economy. He said that leaders of the two parities had repeatedly violated agreements with the government's negotiating teams and created uncertainty.

The JUI-F chief said that raising slogans against rigging was aimed at hollowing basis of the country and destabilising the system. The nation knew what the protestors had planned for appeasing their foreign masters, he added.

Appreciating the federal government, he said that formation of judicial commission was the only solution to the issue so that it could remove the unrest. PTI should also admit rigging of elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
, Mr Rehman said.

JUI-F provincial emir Maulana Gul Naseeb Khan and general secretary Maulana Shujaul Mulk also spoke on the occasion. They said that the protesting parties were spreading vulgarity by organising dancing parties during the sit-ins.

"We can easily gather such gatherings anywhere in the country to prove our strength against PTI and PAT but the party has not yet taken the decision," they said and asked the protesters to stop exploiting poor people for their own purposes.

Strict security measures were taken during the meeting and heavy contingents of police were deployed at the venue. All the link roads were closed by erecting barbed wire and cemented blocks to check movement of the suspected persons.

The meeting was scheduled at 11am but it started in the evening which caused serious inconvenience to the people owing to closure of the roads and suspension of traffic.
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Ulema Islami


Shahbaz condemns attack on state institutions
[DAWN] LAHORE: Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif
...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab...
says the attack on state institutions like parliament and Prime Minister's House in Islamabad can be termed the blackest day in the political history of the country.

Talking to assembly members here on Sunday, he said some so-called politicians attacked the buildings and highest institutions of the country by violating law and the Constitution, which was highly condemnable.

He praised 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...
for showing sagacity to save the country from a major tragedy. He believed that after the step, Imran Khan
... aka Taliban Khan, who ain't the brightest knife in the national drawer...
had lost sympathies of a majority of his supporters.

He alleged that Imran Khan and Tahirul Qadri
...Pak politician, and would-be dictator, founder and head of Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran and Pakistain Awami Tehrik. He usually resides in Canada, but returns to Pakistain periodically to foam at the mouth and lead demonstrations. Depending on which way the wind's blowing, Qadri claims to be the author of Pak's blasphemy law. Other times he says it wasn't him...
wanted to turn the country into a battlefield but the people smelt their intentions and rejected the move. He appealed to PML-N workers, supporters and voters to show restraint despite provocations.
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Rehman Malik proposes Jirga for reconciliation
[The Nation (Pak)] Former interior minister Rehman Malik
Pak politician, Interior Minister under the Gilani government. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Nawaz Sharif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men. He had to give up the interior ministry job because he held dual Brit citizenship.
in the meeting of parliamentary leaders held under the chair of Prime Minister Muhammad 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...
, gave the proposal of a national jirga to resolve the political crisis.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Iraq
Mongol Hordes
at the strategypage is some interesting iraqi historical comments. Perhaps we should behave like the Mongols and when did +1000 troops come in?
Posted by: irishrageboy || 09/02/2014 10:59 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq

#1  "How many Platoons in a Horde?"

Colonel Chesty Puller ( 1/7 Ist MARDIV )
Posted by: Goober Poodle7799 || 09/02/2014 13:08 Comments || Top||

#2  Vlad Putin recently had this to say: ‘Anything US touches turns into Libya or Iraq’
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418 || 09/02/2014 17:40 Comments || Top||

#3  As ex-POTUS Bill Clinton said back in his day, THE US-N-ONLY-THE-US "MUST BE RESTRAINED OR CONTROLLED".

WHERE THE US MUST ABSORB A TERROR ATTACK(S) BUT NOT RESPOND WID OVERWHELMING FORCE, because - ya know - those whom attack the US are its Victims ergo must be treated wid Sympathy + US-led Big Govt. spending in compensation.

FYI Bill said nothing about Amerika's enemies or geopol wannabes being under the same constraint.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 09/02/2014 20:05 Comments || Top||


Aid Flows Into Iraq Shiite Town After Siege Broken
[Ynet] Aid began to flow to a small northern Shiite town in Iraq on Monday, a day after security forces backed by Iran-allied Shiite militias and US Arclight airstrikes broke a two-month siege by Sunni Lion of Islams.

Ali al-Bayati, who heads local NGO the Turkmen Saving Foundation, said that four trucks loaded with foodstuffs, medicine and fruit had entered the town of Amirli. The aid was sent by the Iraqi government and the Iraqi Red Islamic Thingy, he said, adding that soldiers had begun bringing food to families in their houses Sunday night.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/02/2014 05:57 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq


Report: Lebanese, Syrian Fighters Heading to Iraq to Help IS and Set up Sleeper Cells in Lebanon
[AnNahar] Lebanese nationals and Syrian refugees have traveled to Iraq to join the Islamic State group's fighters and to train there to set up terrorist cells in Leb, An Nahar daily reported on Monday.

The fighters have been traveling to Iraq since mid-June, the newspaper quoted informed officials as saying.

Some of them have returned to Leb after receiving the appropriate training to establish the sleeper cells, they said.

The jihadists have sent instructions to many followers to stay in the country rather than heading to Iraq and Syria's northeastern region of Raqqa, a stronghold of the Islamic State.

There are estimates that 3,000 of the group's fighters -- Lebanese and Syrians -- are based in Leb.

Many of the Syrian fighters are hiding in Lebanese towns and working in construction sites as a cover-up, the officials said.

Jihadists engaged in heavy gunbattles with the Lebanese army in the northeastern border town of Arsal last month. Before retreating toward Syrian territory, the turbans, took with them hostages from the Lebanese army and security forces.

The festivities were the most dangerous spillover of violence from the civil war in neighboring Syria.

By some estimates, the Islamic State group occupies up to 35 percent of Syria, or about a third of the country.

It also spreads into most of the Sunni-dominated areas of northern and western Iraq, right up to the edges of Baghdad.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Iraq will be graveyard for ISIL: Al-Maliki
[Iran Press TV] Iraq's outgoing Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki
... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. Maliki imposed order on Basra wen the Shiites were going nuts, but has proven incapable of dealing with al-Qaeda's Sunni insurgency. Reelected to his third term in 2014...
has pledged that Iraq will become a graveyard for 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...
terrorists.

Al-Maliki made the remark as he visited the liberated town of Amerli in northern Iraq.

"Iraq will be a graveyard for (ISIL)," the premier said in televised remarks from the town on Monday.
On Sunday, Iraqi forces liberated the besieged town, where thousands of minority Shia Turkmen had been surrounded by Takfiri murderous Moslems for two months.

They broke the siege of Amerli amid Arclight airstrikes on ISIL positions. The operation began on Saturday when Iraqi government forces and Kurdish Peshmerga fighters launched an assault on the group's positions from two fronts.

UN had earlier warned that Shia Turkmen residents of the volatile town besieged by the ISIL Takfiri murderous Moslems could be massacred if urgent action was not taken to rescue them.

Meanwhile,
...back at the chili cook-off, Chuck and Manuel's rivalry was entering a new and more dangerous phase...
Kurdish Peshmerga forces have also reportedly retaken the northern towns of Zumar and Sulaiman Bek from the Takfiri terrorists.

The ISIL murderous Moslems have been committing heinous crimes in the captured areas, including the mass execution of civilians and Iraqi security forces.

Soldiers of the Iraqi army have been engaged in heavy fighting with the Death Eaters on different fronts and have so far been able to push back Death Eaters in several areas.

Senior Iraqi officials have blamed 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...
, 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 some Persian Gulf Arab states for the growing terrorism in their country.

The terrorist group has links with Saudi intelligence and is believed to be supported by the Israeli regime.
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq

#1  Baghdad Bob whistling past the cemetery, to combine a couple of metaphors.
Posted by: Bobby || 09/02/2014 9:23 Comments || Top||

#2  If so, no thanks to Al-Maliki.
Posted by: JohnQC || 09/02/2014 10:11 Comments || Top||

#3  The only reason that Iraq will not be the graveyard for al-Maliki is that he is probably planning on bugging out before ISIS closes in. With as much of the Iraqi treasury he has been able to stash away.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia || 09/02/2014 13:47 Comments || Top||

#4  IS Maliki actually Baghdad Bob? Reconstructive surgery perhaps? Hell, it worked in turning Michael Jackson into someone else!
Posted by: Charles || 09/02/2014 18:12 Comments || Top||


Radicals in Iraq driving large-scale atrocities: UN
[ARABNEWS] Radical fighters have carried out atrocities on "an unimaginable scale" in months of fighting with Iraqi forces, who have also killed detainees and shelled civilian areas, a UN official said on Monday.

There is "strong evidence" Islamic State and allied groups have carried out assassinations, forced conversions, sexual abuse and torture in Iraq, UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Flavia Pansieri said, opening an emergency debate on the conflict in Geneva.

Iraq's human rights
...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless...
minister, Mohammed Shia' Al Sudani, told the session that Islamic State murderous Moslems, "oozing with barbarity," threatened his country and the world, but did not immediately respond to allegations against state troops.

Islamic State has grabbed large areas of Iraq and neighboring Syria, declaring a cross-border caliphate and driving hundreds of thousands from their homes. At least 1,420 people were killed in Iraq in August alone, UN figures showed on Monday.

The one-day UN Human Rights Council session, called by Iraq with the support of allies including the United States, is expected to agree to Baghdad's request to send a team of UN experts to investigate crimes committed in the conflict.

"The reports we have received reveal acts of inhumanity on an unimaginable scale," Pansieri told the Council, on its first meeting about the latest surge in violence. She later told Rooters she was referring to Islamic State.

Iraqi government forces, police and allied militia had also committed acts that may amount to war crimes, she said.

Human Rights Watch
... During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011, HRW received a pledge from the Foundation to Promote Open Society, of which George Soros is Chairman, for general support totaling $100,000,000. The grant is being paid in installments of $10,000,000 over ten years.Through June 30, 2013, HRW had received $30,000,000 towards the fulfillment of the pledge....
said on Monday it had "credible evidence" including photographs that Islamic State forces had used ground-fired cluster munitions in northern Syria -- the first known use of cluster munitions by the murderous Moslems, although the New York-based watchdog says government forces have used them since 2012.

Pansieri said she was particularly worried about the persecution of Christians, Yazidis, Shia, Turkmen and other ethnic groups by Islamic State forces that have swept through western and northern Iraq.

Such "ethnic and religious cleansing" may amount to crimes against humanity, she said. Children belonging to targeted minorities have been forcibly recruited and positioned on front lines to shield its fighters or made to donate blood, she said. Women are beaten for breaking rules requiring them to be veiled and escorted by men.

Iraqi police have also executed detainees in Tal Afar and government-allied militias opened fire on a mosque in Khanaqin district northeast of Baghdad killing 73 men and boys, she said. Iraqi soldiers have shelled towns and carried out Arclight airstrikes near Kirkuk,
... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time...
Fallujah,
... the City of Mosques, which might have somthing to do with why it's not called Center of Prosperity or a really nice place to raise your kids...
and Salahuddin, killing and injuring many dozens of civilians, she added.

Iraq's minister Al-Sudani told the session Islamic State was threatening the makeup of his country.

"The land of ancient Babylon is subjected to threats starting to its very independence, they are attempting to change its demographic and cultural composition," he said in Arabic.

The US ambassador to the rights forum, Keith Harper, urged Iraq's Prime Minister designate Haider Al-Abadi to set up a multiethnic government that would investigate all allegations against government forces and "terrorist groups."

"The stories that have emerged from ISIL's (Islamic State's) bloody assault on Iraq are the ones of nightmares. Christians and others have been driven from their homes with the threat of 'convert or die'," Harper said.

"The Yazidis have been buried alive, beheaded or killed in mass executions," he said
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
PA: Budget For Hamas-Backed Unity Government 'Below Zero'
[IsraelTimes] The Palestinian Authority's Social and Prisoners' Affairs Minister Shawqi al-Ayasa said Sunday that the unity pact signed in June between the PA and Hamas was working with a budget that was "below zero," signaling deep financial difficulties in running bureaucratic institutions.

The budget trouble was a result of a failure among donors to send funds as scheduled to the PA, which functions entirely largely based on international aid.
Since Gaza doesn't manufacture anything, barely grows anything, and has no output other than tunnels and Qassams, it's not surprising that they need international aid. It's also not surprising that the internationals continue to provide the aid. No other entity, no other people, no other movement in the world gets such a sweet deal as the Palestinians. If only the North Korean refugees were Jooo-haters, the U.N. would lavish them with gifts...
"The US has not provided a single penny since January 1, and Europe and Arab states only provided a third of what they were scheduled to give," al-Ayasa told the Palestinian news agency Ma'an.

"The government's budget is below zero, and it's starting to borrow from banks to move forward, because only less than third of donor funds that were scheduled to be received this year arrived," he said.

The Palestinian Authority and Hamas agreed to form a unity government in late April, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to end US-brokered peace negotiations with the PA after a nine-month effort. Netanyahu maintains that he will not resume talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas while he maintains ties with Hamas, which is considered a terror group by Israel and the US.

The radical Islamist movement, which continued to control Gaza even after the reconciliation deal, has insisted that the PA pay the salaries of Hamas's 42,000 civil servants.

The PA refused to pay the officials in June because they were appointed after Hamas ousted bitter rivals Fatah -- which dominates the PLO -- from Gaza in 2007 and therefore were not registered as its employees.

The pay row was the first challenge to the new Palestinian unity government, formed to try to end years of Palestinian rivalry, and Qatar stepped in to cover the costs to former Hamas employees.

On Saturday, the Palestinian Authority said it would pay its employees' August salaries on time and Hamas civil servants in Gaza "as soon as possible," a spokesman for the unity government said.

"The salaries of the civil servants with the Authority will be paid next week and the government is trying to pay those of Hamas as soon as possible," government spokesman Ihab Bseiso told AFP.

A Palestinian official speaking on condition of anonymity
"Please don't kill me!"
said the PA will have to ensure the payments do not jeopardize international aid.

"Hamas is regarded as a terrorist organization by many abroad," the source said. "The government wants to obtain guarantees that it is allowed to pay these wages."

The Islamist movement has been crippled by an Israeli blockade of Gaza and the destruction of tunnels to Egypt and was unable to pay thousands of officials for months. After Hamas civil servants failed to receive their salaries in June, gunmen robbed attacked banks in Gaza, forcing Hamas to close them for six days.

It was then that Qatar -- a main Hamas ally -- intervened, saying it would contribute a total of $60 million (€44 million). The payments from Doha were then hit by the seven-week conflict between Hamas and Israel that broke out on July 8. Last week, Hamas and Israel agreed to an Egypt-mediated ceasefire to end a deadly 50-day war that killed more than 2,100 Palestinians (1,000 of them gunmen, according to Israel), and 72 Israelis, including a four-year-old child.

Bseiso said 177,000 civil servants were registered with the Authority -- 70,000 in Gaza and 107,000 in the West Bank.
What do they all do? Besides collect salaries...
Each month, their salaries cost around $200 million, $120 million of which is covered by taxes collected by Israel on behalf of the Palestinian territories, he said. Some $57 million comes from the Palestinian budget and $35 million from international aid, the spokesman added.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority

#1  To ever so slightly paraphrase Walter Jr.: Will you just– just leave us alone? You asshole(s). Why are you still alive? Why don’t you just– just die already? Just– just die
Posted by: Anice Nim || 09/02/2014 15:37 Comments || Top||


Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka court gives green light to deport Pakistani asylum seekers
[DAWN] A Sri Lankan court on Monday gave permission to authorities to send back scores of Pak asylum seekers, after the government said they were a threat to the island's security and public health.

Deputy Solicitor General Janak de Silva asked the Appeal court to lift an earlier suspension of deportations, saying there was evidence Paks were committing crimes and bringing malaria into the country, which was otherwise virtually free of the disease.

"Interim relief was vacated and the court has dismissed the application. Now all the asylum seekers are exposed to deportation if government wants," said Lakshan Dias, lawyer of a 38-year-old Pak woman who complained after her husband, brother and father were detained pending deportation.

The court on Aug. 15 ordered authorities to temporarily stop deporting the Paks, after the woman said her family was being forcibly sent home without having their claims properly assessed.

The United Nations
...boodling on the grand scale...
refugee agency says 88 Paks have been deported since Aug. 1 in what is has called a breach of international law.
Posted by: Fred || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I'm starting to like the cut of Sri Lanka's jib
Posted by: Frank G || 09/02/2014 15:00 Comments || Top||

#2  Canada, Frwance and now Sri Lanka. More to follow.
Posted by: Shipman || 09/02/2014 17:49 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Filipino Force Defied UN Commander During Syrian Golan Crisis
[Ynet] Philippine military says UN peacekeeping commander on Heights should face investigation for asking troops to surrender to rebels.
Perfidy and cowardice from the UN? Pshaw! Perish the thought!!
The Philippine military said Monday that a UN peacekeeping commander in the Golan Heights should be investigated for allegedly asking Filipino troops to surrender to Syrian rebels who had attacked and surrounded their camp.

Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang said he advised the 40 Filipino peacekeepers not to lay down their arms, and they defied the UN peacekeeping commander's order. Instead, they staged a daring escape from the Golan camp over the weekend, ending a tense, days-long standoff.

The disagreement is another blow to a UN peacekeeping mission that has been threatened by an escalation of violence in a buffer zone it has been guarding between Israel and Syria. A number of countries have withdrawn their troops from the peacekeeping force due to rising rebel attacks.

Forty-five Fijian peacekeepers who surrendered their firearms to the rebels last week are still being held by the al-Qaeda-linked Death Eaters.

The commander of the United Nations
...the Oyster Bay money pit...
Disengagement Observer Force, or UNDOF, which supervises the peacekeeping mission in Golan, was overseeing talks with the Syrian rebels to secure the freedom of the Fijians. However,
there's more than one way to skin a cat...
Catapang said he would not agree to any resolution of the hostage crisis that would put Filipino troops in grave danger.

When the besieged Filipino troops sought his advice after they were ordered to lay down their arms as part of an arrangement with the rebels to secure the Fijians' release, Catapang said he asked them to defy the order.

"I told them not to follow the order because that is a violation of our regulation, that we do not surrender our firearms, and, at the same time, there is no assurance that you will be safe after you give your firearms," Catapang said.

"Our stand is, we will not allow our soldiers to become sacrificial pawns in order to save the Fijians," Catapang told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named. "They should look for other ways and means to save the Fijians."

UNDOF did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Catapang said an investigation would allow the UNDOF commander to explain his side and the Philippine military to explain why it advised the Filipino peacekeepers to defy his order.

Due to the differences over the handling of the Golan crisis, Catapang said he asked a Filipino military officer playing a key role in UNDOF to resign.

The Philippines has given notice it will not deploy a new contingent when its current peacekeeping force ends its already-extended stint in October.

The latest crisis began after Syrian rebels overran the Quneitra crossing -- located on the de facto border between Syrian- and Israeli-controlled parts of the Golan Heights -- on Wednesday. A day later, Death Eaters from the al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front seized the Fijian peacekeepers and surrounded their Filipino colleagues, demanding they surrender.

The Filipinos, occupying two UN camps, refused and fought the rebels on Saturday. A first group of 35 peacekeepers was then successfully escorted out of one camp by Irish and Filipino forces in armored vehicles.

The remaining 40 peacekeepers were besieged at the second camp by more than 100 gunnies who rammed the camp's gates with their trucks and fired mortar rounds. The Filipinos returned fire in self-defense, Philippine military officials said.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/02/2014 05:57 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Srebrenica Part Deux anyone?
Posted by: Procopius2k || 09/02/2014 9:42 Comments || Top||

#2  Gen. Gregorio Pio Catapang said he advised the 40 Filipino peacekeepers not to lay down their arms, and they defied the UN peacekeeping commander's order.

The Filipino parents must not not raised any stupid, imbecilic children. The same cannot be said of the UN Commander who was a surrender monkey.
Posted by: JohnQC || 09/02/2014 10:09 Comments || Top||

#3  Chances are they'd have just become hostages alongside the Fijans too.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain || 09/02/2014 10:35 Comments || Top||

#4  Since they're already past their original scheduled stay, they should leave as soon as they can arrange transport, and refuse to provide anymore sacrifices for the UN.
Posted by: Rob Crawford || 09/02/2014 11:38 Comments || Top||

#5  ...A great many Filipino military men know from first hand accounts what happens when you surrender. These guys aren't going down without a fight.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski || 09/02/2014 12:14 Comments || Top||

#6  Filipino Force Defied UN Commander During Syrian Golan Crisis

And lived.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 09/02/2014 14:24 Comments || Top||


Report: Nusra Front to Keep Shiite Hostages in Custody to Use as Pressure Tool
Everybody's kidnapping everybody else now. Whee.
[AnNahar] The al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front will reportedly keep the Shiite Lebanese hostages it had kidnapped last month in the northeastern border town of Arsal, al-Akhbar newspaper reported on Monday.

Sources told the newspaper that jihadists will soon free Sunni, Christian and Druze abductees but will keep the Shiites in their custody.
Sunnis? Sure. But they swore to keep the Christians, and warned the Christians in the area to stay out of a fight that doesn't concern them. As for the Druze, I imagine they are as much hated by Al Nusra as the Yazidi are by ISIS.
"They want to use them as a pressure tool," the sources said.

On Sunday, al-Nusra Front threatened to "kill the Shiite Lebanese soldiers" it had kidnapped should 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...
intervene in battles in Syria's al-Qalamun region.

Hizbullah has been taking part in the fighting in Syria to aid Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Supressor of the Damascenes...
's troops.

The Syrian forces alongside the Shiite group have seized control of al-Qalamun in April.

Judicial sources told al-Joumhouria newspaper that a high-level security meeting, held at the Grand Serail on Sunday, was briefed on the cases of the Islamist prisoners held at Roumieh prison.

The sources said that 66.6 percent of the trial procedures have been carried out, pointing out that the sentences will be issued soon and those who are innocent will be acquitted.

On several occasions, the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original...
vowed to free Islamist prisoners in Roumieh.

Islamist gunnies had kidnapped a number of Lebanese soldiers and security forces from Arsal in light of festivities between Islamists and the army in the region.

The battles began on August 2 and ended five days later.
Posted by: trailing wife || 09/02/2014 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Nusra



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Two weeks of WOT
Tue 2014-09-02
  Militiamen storm US embassy in Libya
Mon 2014-09-01
  Suicide Bomber Kills 37 In Western Iraq
Sun 2014-08-31
  Suicide Bomber Targets Iraqi Forces, Killing Seven
Sat 2014-08-30
  Obama under fire for admitting he has no ISIL strategy
Fri 2014-08-29
  Sinai Group Says It Beheaded 4 Egyptian 'Mossad Agents'
Thu 2014-08-28
  Online photos show ISIL executing Syrian soldiers
Wed 2014-08-27
  TTP commanders form new splinter group 'Jamatul Ahrar'
Tue 2014-08-26
  Thousands flee to Cameroon after Boko Haram attack in Nigeria
Mon 2014-08-25
  Boko Haram leader declares Islamic caliphate in Nigeria
Sun 2014-08-24
  Boko Haram Executes Two People For Smoking Cigarettes
Sat 2014-08-23
  Syrian army ambushes 140 IS fighters in al-Raqqa
Fri 2014-08-22
  Boko Haram Takfiris seize town in NE Nigeria
Thu 2014-08-21
  Israeli Fire Kills 31 in Gaza as Hamas Warns Foreign Airlines, Declares Truce Talks Over
Wed 2014-08-20
  Geelani, Yasin Malik meet Pak envoy after India calls off talks
Tue 2014-08-19
  Kurdish PKK trains Yazidis to fight back against Islamic State.

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