[Tolo News] Dr. Muhammad Hashem Esmat Ilahi, the media advisor to President Karzai, has said that just as the uprising against the Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan is a point of national pride, so too should it be against the Americans, and went on to call a number of Afghan media outlets irreligious.
Ilahi made his comments at a conference put on this week by an Iran-based organization. He said that since overthrowing the Taliban in 2001, the U.S. has targeted religion in Afghanistan and has worked to deny people of their religion.
The comments of Karzai's media advisor received harsh rebuke from media representatives of the National Union of Reporters and Nai.
"Our televisions are Islamic, our country is Islamic and three amendments of our constitution guarantees Islam as the religion of Afghanistan," said Abdul Hameed Mubarez, the head of the National Union of Reporters. "Mr. Esmatullah has accused our media with lies and accusations that are unbelievable and I reject all of them strongly, I consider it a direct interference of Iran with these kind of conferences."
Mujeeb Khelwatgar, the head of the Nai foundation, went further to highlight the fact that Ilahi's outlook on Afghan media mirrored that of the Taliban.
"What Mr. Esmat Ilahi has said, by calling media irreligious, is identical to the Taliban's ideas," Khelwatgar said. "The Taliban are against freedom of speech, and they call media irreligious."
Although Afghan media has grown and flourished under the Karzai administration, there have been festivities before, and many in the industry remain unsatisfied with the government's approach to transparency and press freedoms.
"Today, the exact words of the Taliban are coming from the Presidential Palace," Khelwatgar added. "This means that the Taliban's influence has increased to an extent that their voice is rising from the Presidential Palace."
Officials form the President's office were not available for comment on the matter.
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01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Tunisia voted Monday to enshrine gender equality in its draft constitution, a key step towards safeguarding its relatively progressive laws on women's rights, with the ruling Islamists under pressure to compromise.
"All male and female citizens have the same rights and duties. They are equal before the law without discrimination," states article 20 of the text, which was approved by 159 politicians out of the 169 who voted.
The formula was agreed between the ruling Islamist party Ennahda and the secular opposition during negotiations to end months of political crisis that followed the liquidation of an opposition politician by suspected jihadists last year.
Ennahda sparked a storm of controversy in 2012 when it tried to introduce gender "complementarity" rather than equality into the post-uprising constitution.
Since the 1950s, when it gained independence from La Belle France, Tunisia has had the Arab world's most progressive laws on women's rights -- although men remain privileged notably over inheritance -- and some suspected Ennahda of wanting to roll back those rights.
The Islamists also agreed in recent months to drop their insistence on Islam being the main source of legislation, or criminalizing "attacks on the sacred".
Instead, Islam is recognized as the state religion and freedom of conscience is guaranteed.
On Sunday, the assembly also forced a successful revote on a proposed amendment that would make it unlawful to accuse someone of apostasy, after a deputy claimed he had received death threats because a colleague accused him of being an "enemy of Islam".
Analysts say the ruling Islamist party has had to adapt its more conservative positions to avoid alienating liberal Tunisians.
"You could say that Ennahda has shown itself to be a modern movement, but also that it didn't have a choice, because Tunisian society is modern and progressive," said Sami Brahem, an expert on Islamic culture.
"If Ennahda wants to exercise power, it must be on the same page as this modernism, or else become a radical movement."
For sociologist Tarek Belhadj Mohammed, "confronted by the campaigns of Tunisian women and civil society groups, they had to make concessions".
Tight timetable set
Tunisia has set a tight timetable for adopting the long-delayed new charter of January 14, third anniversary of the overthrow of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in the popular revolt that sparked the Arab Spring.
Rights groups had expressed reservations about the article on gender equality, arguing that it was too vague and did not sufficiently articulate the prohibited grounds of discrimination.
But women's rights activists in Tunisia welcomed the provisional approval of article 20.
"We wanted to add details that would ban discrimination based on sex or skin colour," Ahlem Belhaj, former president of the Tunisian Association of Women Democrats, told Agence La Belle France Presse.
"But it is very good news that (gender) equality has been adopted. It was our demand and it's a victory," she added.
The national assembly also on Monday approved the article that guarantees "freedom of opinion, thought, expression and information", and gave the green light to provisions safeguarding enforceable rights and proscribing torture.
These carry added significance in a country that only recently emerged from five decades of dictatorship.
Earlier, article 21 was approved which states that "the right to life is sacred" and "nothing can harm it except in certain extreme cases established by the law".
The compromise was criticized for failing to abolish the death penalty, with a proposed amendment to do so rejected, although in practice no execution has been carried out since the 1990s.
Tunisia's politicians have committed to adopting the draft charter -- which must be approved by two-thirds of parliament's 217 members or put to a referendum -- by January 14.
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01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Egypt summoned Iran's envoy in Cairo on Monday to protest Tehran's criticism of deadly festivities between police and Islamist protesters, the foreign ministry said.
The envoy was told to relay "a strongly worded message" to Tehran, Egyptian foreign ministry front man Badr Abdelatty told Agence La Belle France Presse.
The Iranian foreign ministry had expressed its "regret" and "concern" over the deadly festivities that killed at least 17 people on Friday, according to Iranian media.
The two countries severed ties after Iran's Islamic Revolution in 1979 and Egypt's peace deal with Israel that same year, maintaining only low-level foreign missions.
Ties warmed during the year-long rule of Egypt's Islamist president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... , who was tossed by the military in July.
Morsi and his former aides now face trial on several charges, including the betrayal of state secrets to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards during his presidency.
His followers have organized near-daily protests to demand his reinstatement, despite a harsh crackdown that has killed almost 1,000 people in street festivities and seen thousands more imprisoned, including Morsi himself.
Egypt's military-installed leaders have restored the cold status quo with Tehran, and have lashed out at other countries seen as supportive of Morsi.
The foreign ministry summoned Qatar's envoy on Saturday to protest Doha's criticism of the crackdown on Morsi's Moslem Brüderbund movement.
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01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Lawyers for the Moslem Brüderbund have submitted a complaint to the ICC asking it to investigate the military's alleged crimes against humanity in Egypt, they said in London on Monday.
Lawyers acting for the Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party said they hoped to meet with the International Criminal Court ... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ... prosecutor in the coming months to discuss opening a preliminary investigation.
The lawyers told a presser they had submitted a declaration on behalf of ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... accepting the ICC's jurisdiction in Egypt even though it is not a signatory, and he is no longer in power.
They have also submitted a complaint detailing alleged evidence of crimes since Morsi and his Brotherhood were ousted by the military on July 3 last year.
"The message must be sent out clearly to the Egyptian military regime that it runs the risk of prosecution. This is what the declaration accepting the jurisdiction aims to achieve," said lawyer John Dugard.
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01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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[MAGHAREBIA] The "Mourabitounes" issued a new statement threatening the interests of La Belle France and its allies in retaliation for their operations in Mali, ANI reported on Saturday (January 4th).
The terrorist group was created in August as a merger between Mokhtar Belmokhtar's El Moulethemoune brigade and the Movement for Tawhid and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO).
The statement highlighted terrorist operations performed by the two groups in 2013, including the execution of foreign hostages, Algeria's In Amenas gas complex crisis, and the deadly attacks in Niger.
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01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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[REUTERS] In Egypt, it no longer appears to be a question of if, but when army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will declare his candidacy for president. For the second time in three days, local media reported on Monday that Sisi had finally made up his mind.
With no other obvious candidates for the post, the general who deposed Islamist President Mohammed Mursi in July has kept Egyptians guessing about his intentions as the clock ticks down to the presidential vote that could happen as soon as April.
Sisi's candidacy would further deepen divisions between the many Egyptians who believe a firm hand is needed to steer the country through crisis and Islamists bearing the brunt of a state crackdown on dissent.
Speaking to Rooters on condition of anonymity, an official in the security services said Sisi was "most likely going to announce that he will run for the presidency", adding: "The army in a recent meeting expressed its support for him to run."
The question of Sisi's intentions has become more pressing since the army-backed authorities signaled that the presidential election will come ahead of parliamentary polls - reversing the original timetable.
In public statements, the army has said nothing on Sisi's intentions - the major outstanding question of the political transition set in train after the military deposed Mursi following mass protests against his rule on June 30.
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01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] The Election Working Group (EWG), a non-partisan network of 29 leading civil society organizations that observed the 10th parliamentary polls in a limited capacity, claimed that 30.1% of the electorate voted on Sunday.
The turnout was significantly lower than in the previous two parliamentary polls. In 2008, turnout was 85.93%, while it was 74.37% in 2001.
"Incidents of violence, snatching of ballot boxes and crude kabooms at polling stations were observed," EWG Director Md Abdu Alim said in a preliminary report presented at a presser in the city yesterday.
There appeared to be little enthusiasm among the voters as a majority of the parliamentary seats were won uncontested, in addition to a boycott and resistance by the BNP-led opposition alliance, it said.
The group also termed the elections "a rare one" since 153 candidates were elected unopposed. Steering Committee member Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah said the elections were still "better than nothing."
EWG deployed 8,444 observers at 1,689 polling centres in 75 constituencies in 43 districts -- out of 59 -- where elections were held.
The turnout of female voters was 31.2%, while the male voter turnout was 28.9%, the report says.
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01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] BNP Chairperson the loathesome Khaleda Zia Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ... said her party was ready for a dialogue anytime to resolve the prevailing political deadlock.
"We have to talk to the government. For talks we have to sit with someone, we cannot talk to the air. If they remain in office forcefully, we have to talk to them. There is no solution other than talks," she told BBC Bangla service in an exclusive interview.
However, there's no worse danger than telling a mother her baby is ugly... in a presser in London earlier yesterday, Khaleda's eldest son and BNP's Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman ...the elder son of former President of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman Bir Uttam, and Khaleda Zia, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh. He is the Senior Vice Chairperson of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). His nickname is Pino. There are allegations that Pino took a rakeoff from every foreign investment into the country while Mom was in office... dismissed any possibility of talks terming the government "illegal."
Khaleda also told the BBC Bangla that the government's tenure would not be over until January 24 and it would Awami League again who form government again if they would. Therefore, the opposition could hold talks with the Awami League.
When asked what would the preconditions for launching talks, the former premier said: "First, the atmosphere has to be created. Leaders and activists should be freed. Cases should be withdrawn, those who are in hiding should not be harassed; our office should be opened. I cannot go out of my house. I have to go out my house."
When asked whether she watched the prime minister's presser, Khaleda said: "I did not see and did not listen."
When asked whether BNP would leave Jamaat, a key component of the BNP-led 18-party alliance, Khaleda said: "She (PM) cannot dictate. She was with Jamaat. She assumed the office along with Jamaat. We will not run the party as per her dictation. We are an independent party. So we will run in our way.
"Why should I give any word? We are an independent party and we will take our decision own and we will not follow any dictation."
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01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] A day after the polls that gifted the Awami League more than two-thirds majority for the consecutive second term, Prime Minister the loathesome Sheikh Hasina ...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since the Lower Paleolithic. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangla. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide. She and the head of the BNP, Khaleda Zia show such blind animosity toward each other that they are known as the Battling Begums.. yesterday said the new government would contain "violence of the BNP-Jamaat" at any cost for restoring normality in civic life.
Hasina said she was happy to see holding of the election in a "free and fair" manner braving the threats of opposition BNP-Jamaat which announced all-out movement to resist the polls.
Briefing news hounds at her Ganabhaban residence, the premier directed the administration, and members of the army and other law enforcement agencies to contain "post-election violence and terrorism" with a strong hand.
The prime minister said she would welcome the BNP to a dialogue, provided that it would stop "violence" and abandon "militant" Jamaat which had been largely responsible for the countrywide violence.
"No constructive discussion is possible as long as the Jamaat is on its [BNP's] shoulder."
About the 11th parliamentary elections, she said: "We can come up with a solution by having talks about the next elections. For that, everyone will have to be patient, tolerant and stop all kinds of political violence."
Hasina also mentioned that BNP Chairperson the loathesome Khaleda Zia Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ... had lost everything -- the elections and the post of opposition leader in parliament.
She said the new government would try the BNP-Jamaat activists who were involved in the recent arson attacks and killings of common people "to resist the 10th general elections."
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01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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[DailyMail]
o Suspects monitored by electronic tags and curfews to be freed this month
o Two of the men are accused of plotting to blow up transatlantic flights
o One attended camp with those behind failed 2005 London bombings
o The seven unnamed men were placed under monitoring in 2012
o Curbs only last two years unless suspects have engaged in 'new' terrorist-related activity
Seven dangerous Al-Qaeda suspects are to be freed from Government curfews and able to walk the streets within days, it has emerged.
The men, some of whom are suspected of plotting to kill thousands on transatlantic airliners, will no longer be bound by electronic tags or curfew restrictions after the terrorism prevention orders are lifted.
The measures were introduced in 2012 to replace Labour government rules which, according to the Liberal Democrats, undermined the suspects' human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... However they only last two years unless the government can prove the suspects have engaged in 'new' terrorist-related activity.
Officials say such proof is hard if not impossible to come by as the men, who have not been named, know their behavior is being monitored.
Under the curbs, suspects are required to stay at home for up to 10 hours each night, wear electronic tags and are banned from certain places.
Among the seven due to be freed this month is a would-be jacket wallah known only by his initials, AM.
The Sunday Times reports the 26-year-old was involved in what Sherlocks called 'Operation Overt', a plot to attack flights from London to America in 2006.
Another is, BF, a former train driver who was part of a group of British hard boyz seeking terrorist training in Pakistain.
Others include a 30-year-old who attended a training camp alongside four of the attempted suicide bombers involved in failed attacks on London in 2005, and a man who was trained by al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... , the group responsible for the massacre at Westgate shopping centre in Nairobi.
The whereabouts of two suspects is unknown, including that of Mohammed Ahmed Mohammed who cut off his electric tag while visiting a mosque last November.
A senior Whitehall security official confirmed the men would be released over the next month.
MI5, the police and the Home Office has been working together to decide what action to take once the men are freed.
'We've been planning how to mitigate the risks,' said a security official.
The Home Office said it had 'tailored plans' to manage the risk, adding: 'These plans, similar to those put in place for the release of prisoners who had served their sentenced, are under constant review.'
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
So, they haven't engaged in any conspiracies or otherwise done anything illegal while being watched, and their crew knew they were being watched, so they're good boys now. Just think how many laws they wouldn't break if they were locked up. (Or for that matter, dead.)
Posted by: ed in texas ||
01/07/2014 11:04 Comments ||
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#7
Easy way for the Czechs to handle the stone-walling Paleos: PNG them. Every single one. Pull their own diplomats from the West Bank. Then wait for the Paleos to respond. If with explosives, we'll again have a useful demonstration of the true character of the Palestinians.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/07/2014 14:04 Comments ||
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#8
Dealer samples
Essentially. Yugoslavia and the successor Balkan states used to be the arms market of choice for the Mideast and Europe, but that appears to have fallen by the wayside. Now it's the Czechs, Slovaks, Romanians, Ukraine, and to a lesser extent now (due to tighter controls), Russia.
[WashingtonFreeBeacon] The representative of a human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. group headed by a designated al Qaeda terrorist was denied a visa by the State Department after being invited by congressional Democrats to discuss drone strikes.
Mohammad Al Ahmady, the Yemen director for Geneva-based NGO Al Karama, was expected to brief Reps. Alan Grayson (D., Fla.), Barbara Lee (D., Calif.), and Jan Schakowsky (D., Ill.) the morning of the Nov. 19, according to blurb from Grayson's office.
Ahmady, who also serves as a top official in an al Qaeda-linked Yemeni political party, did not attend because of visa issues. The State Department said it could not comment on visa matters.
Several Al Karama officials have faced terrorism allegations. Al Karama's founder and current president Abdul Rahman Naimi was designated as a terrorist and al Qaeda supporter by the U.S. Treasury Department in December, along with the group's Yemen representative Abdulwahab Al-Humayqani. Al Karama's legal director, Rachid Mesli, is currently wanted for terrorism charges in Algeria.
A spokesperson for Grayson said Ahmady did not actually attend the briefing and that the terrorist designation of Al Karama's president was "not in place at the time of the briefing, so again, we had no reason to suspect any wrongdoing on the part of Mohammad [Al Ahmady]."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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[India Express] Two Haryana imams incarcerated ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... last month for their suspected links to Lashkar-e-Taiba ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI... , and another LeT operative, had allegedly visited relief camps of victims of the Muzaffarnagar communal riots and sought to recruit men to their module.
Some of the men who were allegedly approached refused to join hands with the Pakistain-based terror group and instead informed the Special Cell of the Delhi Police.
On Monday, they recorded their detailed statements under section 164 CrPC in the chamber of a city magistrate at the Patiala House court. The sealed statements are now admissible as evidence in court.
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi had at a rally in Indore in October claimed that vested interests were behind the Muzaffarnagar riots and that an intelligence officer had told him that Pakistain's ISI was trying to recruit disgruntled youths.
The statement had sparked a furore with the BJP, Moslem groups and even some victims living in the relief camps strongly criticising Rahul for his claim.
Sources said the men who recorded their statements in court and have turned witnesses against the imams were living on the fringes of relief camps in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli.
They are believed to have told Sherlocks that the two imams from Mewat - Hafeez Rashidi and Shahid - allegedly made numerous visits along with a senior LeT operative, currently on the run.
They allegedly tried to radicalise the victims by encouraging them to be loyal to their religion and join hands with the Lashkar operatives for a good cause. They were apparently promised a good lifestyle and money for their families, but the victims refused and chose to approach the police, sources said.
Sources said the victims had claimed that the operatives had also approached other displaced people living near the camps but those people refused to come forward and give a statement in court.
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01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Terming reports about presence of Afghan Taliban as baseless and far from reality, Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti on Monday said that there is no Taliban Shura in Quetta. Then his lips fell off.
"No sign of Afghan Taliban factor in the province," he told news hounds, adding that foreign hands were involved in the prevailing unrest in Balochistan, Pakistain's least developed and area wise the biggest province.
The home minister's statement has come two days after the foreign press reported the killing of two Taliban leaders in Quetta.
"I have no information about the killing of Taliban leaders," Bugti responded to a question regarding the reported killing in the Balochistan capital.
Commenting on prevailing law and order situation in Balochistan, Sarfaraz Bugti admitted that the government has not been able to ensure 100 per cent implementation of writ of the government in the province.
"Writ of the government is there, but in some places there are problems," he said.
The provincial minister condemned the terminology of "angry Balochs" and demanded that the state must bring an end to its dual mindset when it comes to deal with what he called miscreants.
"We must call terrorist as terrorist," he said.
Bugti said innocent people were being targeted and it was high time for the government to ensure the protection of precious human lives. Following efforts of the government the ratio of organised crime has reduced and police have demonstrated better performance in recent days, he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Balochistan's access to the sea remains important to US strategy as per Afghan national + econ development.
Ditto now iff Urdu-speaking Sindhis in Pakistan ever succeed in breaking away from Islamabad + getting their own new separate homeland.
[DAWN] Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal was accorded a warm welcome when he arrived Monday on a two-day official visit to Pakistain for holding bilateral talks with Pak leadership. Never should have come home in the first place, Perv...
He was received at the Noor Khan Airbase by Advisor to Prime Minister on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, Saudi Ambassador to Pakistain Dr Abdul Aziz Ibrahim al-Ghadeer and other high officials from the foreign office.
Saud al-Faisal's visit has come amid speculation circling in the local media regarding a likely deal between Pak and Saudi government to provide General (retd) Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... a safe exit out of the country.
The former military ruler is currently facing high treason charges for imposing a sate of emergency in Pakistain and dislodging judges of the superior courts in 2007.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The United States will speed up delivery of missiles and surveillance drones to Iraq as the Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... government battles a resurgence of al-Qaeda-linked bad boys, a Pentagon front man said Monday.
"We are ... looking to accelerate the FMS (Foreign Military Sales) deliveries with an additional 100 Hellfire missiles ready for delivery this spring," Colonel Steven Warren said. An additional 10 ScanEagle surveillance drones would also be delivered he said.
Hellfire missiles, originally designed as an anti-tank weapon, can be fired from helicopters or airplanes.
ScanEagle drones are a low-cost three-meter aircraft capable of flying 24 hours.
The deliveries correspond to contracts already signed with Iraq. Some 75 Hellfire missiles were delivered to Storied Baghdad in mid-December, U.S. officials said.
Since then Iraq has seen a resurgence of fighting in the province of Anbar, a key bully boy stronghold following the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Fighters from the al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) reclaimed control of the city of Fallujah last week, scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the Iraq war between U.S. troops and bully boys.
Warren said Washington was working closely with Iraqi officials to develop a "holistic strategy to isolate al-Qaeda-affiliated groups so that the tribes working with the security forces can drive them out of the populated areas."
However, corruption finds a dozen alibis for its evil deeds... he reiterated previous statements from U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... that no U.S. forces would return to Iraq to assist in military operations.
"We'll not be sending forces to Iraq," he said.
Instead the United States would continue to provide intelligence to assist and advise the Iraqis at a "ministerial level" through around 100 military personnel who continued to be based at the U.S. Embassy in Storied Baghdad, Warren said.
The assistance would not extend to operational advice. "We're not doing tactical work with the Iraqis," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq
#1
Will the US be there to save Iraq iff these mil toys aren't enough to stop the Qaeda Boyz + aligned ... ... OR WILL SAIGON(S?) FALL ONCE AGAIN???
#5
Yes g(r)om, I was thinking along those same lines. The introduction of massive borrowing from capitalism to the communist Chinese [known in some circles as the Amish of the Orient] has created substantial cultural understanding and political stability. You might wish to consider Foshan Chinese manufactured container housing for your new settlements. I can't recommend the pre-owned models however, they're full of sand from AFG and Iraq.
#6
There is no substitute for boots on the ground. However, using the boots right now is not a good political move because the grumpy old white men across the Potomac haven't been compromised enough yet and the public ain't there yet either. So, the drone loving control freaks will take the next logical step - Skynet. Who could have seen this coming?
Not good news for Japan + PHIL, etal. US Allies in East Asia iff a shooting war wid China starts.
* SAME > [Time.com] WHY OBAMA WON'T TAKE ON AL-QAEDA IN IRAQ ANYMORE?
IIUC, in nutshell POTUS Obama covertly desires to have the US end or pullout completely from the GWOT.
ARTIC = indics that the Obama WH is attempting to have post-9-11 US "war authority" from POTUS Dubya's Admin [2002]formally revoked by the US Congress. IMO NO "WAR AUTHORITY" = NO GWOT IN ANY FORM.
THE US-LED GWOT WILL BE OVER - PERIOD!, WID AL-QAEDA + OTHER MILTERR/JIHADI GROUPS LEFT "IN PLACE" OR "AS IS"???
IIUC II, WINNER = RISING CHINA, RISING IRAN, + RADICAL ISLAM'S SOON-TO-BE-NUKULAAR HARD BOYZ, AS THE USA = BAMMER ADMIN HAS EFFEC "LEFT THE BATTLEFIELD" TO ITS INTACT-N-GETTING-STRONGER/ NUKULAAR ENEMY OR PROTAGONISTS.
versus
* TOPIX > NBC: BUSH TO BLAME FOR "SECURITY VACUUM" IN IRAQ CREATED BY OBAMA'S TROOPS WITHDRAWAL.
[Al Ahram] Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, prime minister Ismail Haniya reached out to West Bank rivals Fatah on Monday, saying its members would be allowed back into Gazoo, in efforts to promote Paleostinian reconciliation.
"The (Hamas) government will allow all Fatah members who are from Gazoo and who left the Strip (in 2007) to return, without any preconditions," apart from those accused of killing Hamas members during intense factional fighting that year, Haniya said.
Speaking to news hounds after a visit to the Hamas interior ministry in Gazoo City, he added the authorities would "release a small number of Fatah members who are imprisoned (in Gazoo) for security reasons."
Fatah MPs, who are based in the West Bank, would also be allowed to visit Gazoo, Haniya added.
Hamas in recent months has reached out to Fatah, which dominates the West Bank-based Paleostinian Authority, as Israel and Egypt have tightened a blockade on the Islamist movement's Gazoo enclave.
Haniya spoke via telephone to Fatah leader and Paleostinian president the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... in October, stressing the need for reconciliation and "a return to national unity."
Longtime tensions between Hamas and Fatah boiled over in a week of fighting in 2007 that left the Islamist movement -- which is sworn to Israel's destruction -- in charge of the impoverished coastal strip.
The fighting came a year and half after Hamas won a landslide victory in Paleostinian general elections, leading to a Western boycott of the Islamist-run government.
Since the takeover both movements have launched tit-for-tat crackdowns on their rivals in the areas under their control.
The two sides have made repeated attempts to heal the rift, most recently by signing an Egyptian-brokered deal in 2011 in which they pledged to set up an interim government of independents to pave the way for new elections.
The agreement has never been implemented.
The Islamist movement says it has been under severe pressure since the Egyptian army destroyed hundreds of tunnels used to smuggle fuel and goods into the blockaded Gazoo Strip following its overthrow of president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator...
Hamas is the Paleostinian branch of Egypt's Moslem Brüderbund, from which Morsi hails.
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[An Nahar] Grand Mufti Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Qabbani ... Grand Mufti of Lebanon and the most prominent Sunni Muslim cleric in the country. An assassination attempt against Qabbani was foiled by Leb internal security forces in 2009 as part of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Beirut. In an interview broadcast in 2012, Qabbani stated that Jews were behind secularism, because they opposed the authority of the church, against Christianity. He also suggested that the attacks of September 11, 2001 were orchestrated by Jews in order to justify the persecution of Muslims worldwide. Qabbani is against the legalization of civil marriage in Lebanon. He has issued a fatwa declaring any Muslim politician who approves civil marriage legislation an apostate. Surprisingly, he is not considered very much of a nut by Moslem standards. held talks on Monday with a delegation from Hizbullah that condemned the recent assault against the holy man.
Sheikh Abdul Majid Ammar of Hizbullah said after the talks: "Ties with the Mufti are constantly evolving."
"Our visit was aimed at checking on the well-being of the Mufti in light of assault and we relayed to him the regards of Hizbullah chief His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... ," he continued.
"The assault against the holy man does not reflect the morals and values of the sect he represents," he added, while slamming political rhetoric "that is aimed at creating strife."
Asked by news hounds if the incitement against Qabbani stems from his ties with Hizbullah, Ammar replied: "Our relations with the Mufti are constantly evolving despite all attempts to tarnish them."
The ties will remain based on common values "and therefore all attempts to harm this relationship will fail", he remarked.
Qabbani on December 29 attended the funeral of Mohammed Chaar, a youth killed during the December 27 Starco blast in downtown Beirut.
Mourners at the funeral were angered by his arrival and began chanting slogans against him, prompting members of the Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau's Strike Force to escort him out of the al-Khasheqji Mosque where the funeral was being held.
Qabbani considered that the protesters were seeking to "kill him" upon his arrival at the premises.
The Mufti's ties with al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... deteriorated last year when he met with a delegation from Hizbullah the same day the Special Tribunal for Leb indicted four party members in former Premier Rafik Hariri's February 2005 liquidation.
Relations between the two sides were also shaken when the Mufti met with Syrian Ambassador Ali Abdul Karim Ali, whom al-Mustaqbal and the March 14 opposition alliance have on several occasions said should be expelled.
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[An Nahar] Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour noted on Monday that valuable information was lost with the death of the "emir" of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, Majed al-Majed.
He said: "His death is a blow to justice."
Plans his organization sought to carry out in Leb were also lost, he lamented.
Majed, who was recently incarcerated Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! , died on Saturday after the rapid deterioration of his health. "Aaaaiiieee! Make him stop!"
He was the suspected chief of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades that grabbed credit for the November 19 bombing of the Iranian embassy in Beirut.
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01/07/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Retaliation for Majed's death may be forthcoming ...
[Al Ahram] Iran could show it wants to play a constructive role in upcoming Syrian peace talks by urging the Damascus regime to halt bombardments of civilians and allow aid access, US officials said Monday.
"There are also steps that Iran could take to show the international community that they are serious about being a positive player," a senior State Department official told news hounds travelling with Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State...
"Those include calling for an end to the bombardment by the Syrian regime of their own people, it includes calling for encouraging humanitarian access."
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#1
And, if they can find time, a couple of good words about Obamacare?
#2
On the 50th Anniversary of the highly successful War on Poverty, the roll out of the regime's latest diversion from failure and scandal: Promise Zones
[Al Ahram] The Syrian authorities have prepared a draft law under which previously exempt Arab nationals will now need a visa to visit the country, a pro-regime newspaper reported on Monday.
Parliament will discuss "a draft law that regulate the entry and residence of Arabs and foreigners", Al-Watan said.
If approved, the law would require "any person entering or leaving Syria to hold a valid passport" which "would need to be stamped with a visa from one of our diplomatic missions or consulates abroad".
Citizens of from countries neighbouring Syria that have "special, bilateral or international agreements to which Syria is a party" are exempt, Al-Watan said.
Arabs and other foreigners visiting Syria will have to explain the reason for their visit and state their place of residence in the strife-torn country, in addition to proving their solvency, it said.
Those convicted of violating the law would face six months to two years in jail and a fine of 50,000 to 100,000 Syrian pounds ($350 to $700).
Anyone caught trying to enter via an illegal crossing will be subject to the same penalties, the report said.
Rebels fighting to topple Assad have taken over several border crossings on the frontiers with Turkey and Iraq.
Nationals of countries "in a state of war" with Syria, or that have severed diplomatic relations with Damascus during the conflict, would have to pay a higher penalty of 50,000 to 200,000 pounds ($350 to $1,400) for not having a valid visa, said the paper.
They would also be tossed in the slammer Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! for between one and three years.
Anyone caught "entering or leaving Syria illegally, or found at a border area without a valid reason" would also face a year to five years in prison, Al-Watan said.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath... 's regime has repeatedly blamed violence in the country on "terrorists" entering Syria illegally.
Most Arab states oppose Assad's regime, and in March 2013 its 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... seat was transferred to the opposition National Coalition.
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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.
International Criminal Court
[REUTERS] In Egypt, it no longer appears to be a question of if, but when army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi will declare his candidacy for president. For the second time in three days, local media reported on Monday that Sisi had finally made up his mind.
...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since the Lower Paleolithic. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangla. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide. She and the head of the BNP, Khaleda Zia show such blind animosity toward each other that they are known as 
[DAWN] Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal was accorded a warm welcome when he arrived Monday on a two-day official visit to Pakistain for holding bilateral talks with Pak leadership.
... Grand Mufti of Lebanon and the most prominent Sunni Muslim cleric in the country. An assassination attempt against Qabbani was foiled by Leb internal security forces in 2009 as part of the Eid al-Fitr celebrations in Beirut. In an interview broadcast in 2012, Qabbani stated that 
[An Nahar] Caretaker Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour noted on Monday that valuable information was lost with the death of the "emir" of the Abdullah Azzam Brigades, 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
