Good article. Not sure how much of it is for external audiences only (published in English), but it reads 'moderately.'
Militants try to protect their image by denying the recruitment of a 10-year-old girl to commit a suicide attack, but the Afghan people are not falling for the deception, citizens say.
The juvenile reformatory in Kabul contains dozens of children, all of whom security forces detained before they could commit suicide bombings, Mahmoud Ahmadzai, an Afghan civilian, said, noting the Taliban's propensity to use children for such missions.
The lies and cover-ups are all part of a scheme to try to regain support among the public, police have said, and the practice extends beyond Afghanistan.
"Denying responsibility for attacks is part of their strategy to restore their deteriorating image among the public," Peshawar police investigator Khalid Khan told Central Asia Online after the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) denied participation in a series of attacks that the public condemned because of high civilian death tolls.
HARGEISA, Somalialand -- The Authorities of Somalia's separatist administration of Somaliland Sunday detained three Somali Federal Government officials at Hargeisa airport midst Turkey-brokered bilateral talks between the two sides, Garowe Online reports.
Somaliland Interior Minister Ali Mohamed Waran Adde confirmed the arrest of the senior officials-Jama Mohamed Jama, Fahima nur Negeye and Abdiazis Adan-who reportedly work for the offices of President, Prime Minister and Ministry of Foreign Affairs respectively.
Addressing the media members in the capital city of Hargeisa, Waran Adde noted that the three Somali government officials were trying to illegally infiltrate into Hargeisa.
"Here in Somaliland, [We] enacted anti-federal government legislation and they knew our response henceforth we would bring those people to the justice," said the Interior Minister."They travelled by plane from Mogadishu to Hargeisa and they weren't transit passengers".
Independent sources in Hargeisa tell Garowe Online News Agency that Mogadishu-based government officials were arrested by Somaliland police on Saturday afternoon. Somalia's Federal Government has yet to comment on the incident that captured the attention of many Somalis.
A ministerial delegation representing Mogadishu government and Somaliland gathered for a dialogue process in the Turkish city of Istanbul last month, forming a joint roadmap and condemning former dictatorial government of Siyad Barre for heinous acts.
Somaliland, located in northwestern Somalia unilaterally declared its independence from the rest of the country as a de facto sovereign state in 1991 but it hasn't been recognized internationally yet.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
[Pak Daily Times] A jihadist group behind a wave of spectacular attacks is a grave threat to Egypt's stability as political turmoil triggered by the Islamist president's ouster rocks the country, analysts say.
In less than a fortnight, Ansar Beit al-Maqdis (Partisans of Jerusalem) has grabbed credit for several high-profile attacks.
These include a boom-mobileing at police headquarters in Cairo, shooting down a military helicopter with a missile and assassinating a police general in broad daylight in the capital.
"Vengeance is coming," the Sinai-based group warned army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who is expected to stand for the presidency after he ousted 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... , Egypt's first democratically elected president.
The group's attacks have "made Egyptian authorities look like they were chasing ghosts", said David Barnett, research associate at US-based think tank the Foundation for Defence of Democracies.
"It is the main bad boy group that has the potential to escalate the destabilisation in the country."
Analysts say Ansar Beit al-Maqdis is inspired by Al-Qaeda.
But Egyptian security officials claim the "terrorist group is derived" from Morsi's Islamist Moslem Brüderbund which won all elections after the 2011 ouster of Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... .
Ansar Beit al-Maqdis is thought to have been founded primarily by Egyptians in 2011 after the anti-Mubarak revolt, with most of its fighters drawn from Sinai tribes.
In recent months the group has also seen support coming from the Nile Delta and some areas of Cairo, experts say.
Although its overall command structure and source of funding are major unknowns, two of its known leaders are Shadi el-Menei, who has eluded arrest so far and is from Sinai's Sawarka tribe, and Abu Osama el-Masry, of whom little is known.
The group is also believed to be led or backed by Death Eaters who broke out of prison in 2011 during the anti-Mubarak revolt.
"Its links with Al-Qaeda are tenuous at best," said Barnett. The group's videos often feature clips of Al-Qaeda's Egypt-born leader Ayman al-Zawahiri ... Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area. That is not a horn growing from the middle of his forehead, but a prayer bump, attesting to how devout he is... .
The group's "early goal was to attack Israel and prevent co-operation between Egypt and Israel by sabotaging gas pipelines", said La Belle France-based Matthieu Guidere, an expert on Islamist bad boys.
On Friday its fighters fired a rocket at Israel's Red Sea resort of Eilat, the group said in a statement. "On July 3 (the day Morsi was removed) the group issued a fatwa declaring the Egyptian army as infidels. From there, it turned from an anti-Israeli jihadist group to one focusing against the Egyptian security forces," Guidere said.
Ansar Beit al-Maqdis also claimed a September 5 car kaboom in Cairo targeting interior minister Mohammed Ibrahim, who escaped unhurt.
Its deadliest assault was a December 24 suicide boom-mobile that destroyed a police building north of Cairo, killing 15 people.
On January 25, as Egyptians marked the third anniversary of the start of the anti-Mubarak revolt, the group claimed it downed a military helicopter in Sinai with a missile, killing five soldiers. "The level of sophistication is beyond what observers thought they were capable of," Barnett said of the group's ability to stage assaults outside the Sinai.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Sinai Peninsula
[An Nahar] Five officers from Israel's Mossad spy agency and three Egyptians will stand trial on Wednesday on charges of spying for the Jewish state, judicial sources said.
Egyptian prosecutors have accused the eight of espionage and supplying Israel with information impacting Egypt's national security, the sources said on Sunday.
The trial is expected to open with none of the defendants present, the sources said, because the Mossad officers are "on the run" while it is not clear if the three Egyptians had been tossed in the clink Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! .
The Egyptian suspects hail from Rafah, on the border with the Paleostinian Gazoo Strip, they said, adding that the trial will be held in the Suez canal city of Ismailiya.
The trial of a Jordanian engineer accused of having spied for Israel is also underway in Egypt.
In October 2011, Israel freed 25 Egyptians in exchange for the release of a U.S.-Israeli called Ilan Grapel, who had been held in Cairo for four months on spying charges.
Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, the first Arab country to have done that.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Arab Spring
An Egyptian court on Sunday acquitted a cameraman working for Al Jazeera television and 61 others accused of taking part in clashes in Cairo, judicial sources said.
Mohamed Badr, an Egyptian, was arrested along with the others during clashes that erupted in Ramses Square in central Cairo, days after the July 3 ouster of president Mohammed Mursi by the army. Prosecution had accused them of "carrying out acts of violence and thuggery ... after an attempt to storm a police station and target police officers with firearms and birdshots".
Badr's lawyer Shaaban Saeed confirmed his client had been acquitted, adding that Badr was not involved in any other case.
"His release is expected tomorrow," Saeed said.
After a final thumping from the guards...
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
Around 200 rebel fighters in the Central African Republic who surrendered to African Union troops at the weekend in the key town of Sibut fled overnight, a military source said on Sunday.
Unfortunately they fled in the night. Theyve gone to Kaga Bandoro, an officer in the African Union force (MISCA) told AFP.
Oh noes! Not Kaga Bandoro!!!
Kaga Bandoro is some 160 kilometres (100 miles) north of Sibut, the town which had been held for several days by former members of the mainly Seleka rebellion causing terrified residents to flee before it was recaptured by MISCA troops on Saturday.
It is thought the rebels fled because of fear of revenge attacks by members of militia. They had initially agreed to be held by peacekeepers.
According to Colonel Abdelkader Djelani, a Seleka officer who was part of the group which fled Sibut, the rebels were concerned about the lack of security around them.
We want solutions and really secure camps. In Bangui, Seleka confined to camps... (were) attacked by anti-balaka.
He added that the former Seleka rebels were ready to disarm depending on the conditions.
Some of the residents of the town were cautiously thinking of returning home after news that African Union soldiers were now in control.
A Gabonese contingent from MISCA entered the town on Saturday.
The taking of the northern town was the latest challenge faced by peacekeepers struggling to maintain order in a country the size of France with a long history of coups, attempted coups and army mutinies.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under:
#2
This rebel's fleeing Sibut with his AK on his knee;
He's gwine to Kaga Bandoro, for more security.
It rained all day de night I left; de mud was chocolate fudge.
Dem Sibutites are scary; man, they sure do hold a grudge.
O Central Africa, don't you cry for me;
I'll soon be back in Sibut with my banjo on my knee.
[Ynet] If peace deal with Palestinians is reached, Israel would have significant role in Middle East, says Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud, who further urges sides to not wait 'another 60 years.'
A senior Saudi prince has hinted that a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians could pave the way to a normalization of relations with the Saudi Kingdom.
Saudi Prince Turki bin Faisal Al Saud said during the security conference currently underway in Munich that Israel could be a very important "player" in the region if a deal is reached.
According to him, the matter needs to be pushed forward and should not wait "another 60 years."
Turki bin Faisal Al Saud reportedly praised both US Secretary of State John Kerry and chief Israeli peace negotiator and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni .
He reportedly made the comments during a panel on nuclear proliferation in the Mideast, and proceeded to slam Syrian President Bashar Assad for crimes against humanity aimed against his own people. He also slammed Iran, Hezbollah , Russia and China for their support of the Syrian regime.
"Kerry is doing a wonderful job," Turki said, adding he is worthy of praise. The senior prince who also headed the kingdom's intelligence service said that Kerry is breaking new travel records with his 49 trips to the region. He said Kerry has proven he is committed and is somewhat of an "energizer bunny." Breaking travel records is praise worthy ?
During a panel on Saturday, Turki also praised Livni and asked her why Israel is reluctant to embrace the Saudi peace initiative. During the session, Turki also pressed Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat about the agreements reached with Israel during the Taba talks held before the Second Intifada. Erekat did not give a direct answer. Oh, are you referring to the existing agreements which we violate on a near daily basis ?
A few years ago, Turki was caught in a bind when then deputy-foreign minister Danny Ayalon turned to the Saudi prince, who was sitting in the audience, and beseeched him to shake his hand in front of the packed hall; an embarrassed Turki reluctantly agreed.
Turki's comments highlight growing sectarian tensions in the Mideast. Only over the weekend, Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Rai quoted a senior US State Department official as saying that the Iranian regime now views Saudi Arabia as its most serious enemy, and surprisingly not Israel or the US.
According to him, Iranian officials have told him behind closed doors that the US and Israel are not involved in Syria, thus the real problem is Saudi Arabia, and more openly, Turkey.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, who also spoke at the Munich security conference, warned about Syria turning into a base-country for radical terrorists, a matter which would pose a threat to the entire Middle East: "Terror and extremism are a threat to all of us.
The threat approached us as well. Who is responsible for it? (President) Bashar Assad, by making this mess on our doorstep." Since it's birth as a nation, when has Israel NOT been an important player in the Mideast ?
[An Nahar] The UAE summoned the Qatari ambassador on Sunday to protest against remarks made by a Moslem Brüderbund-linked holy man who slammed the Emirates for jailing Islamists, the foreign ministry said.
The summons was the first of its kind by a member of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, 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... and the United Arab Emirates -- against another GCC state since the bloc's formation in 1981.
Qatar's ambassador to the UAE, Fares al-Nuaimi, was summoned to the foreign ministry in Abu Dhabi and handed "an official letter of protest" over "insults" by holy man Youssef al-Qaradawi ...crackpot Egyptian Islamist theologian. He is best known for his program Shariah and Life on Al Jazeera, with an estimated audience of 60 million kindred souls worldwide. He is also well-known for IslamOnline, which occasionally advocates things like slavery and thumping the old lady with a rod no thicker than an inch, and has published more than 120 books, including Islam: The Future Civilization. Joe has long had a prominent role within the intellectual leadership of the Moslem Brüderbund. Some of his views have been controversial in the West, though less so among the rubes of the Mysterious East, and he was refused entry to the United Kingdom in 2008. In 2004, 2,500 Muslim academics from Saudi Arabia, Iraq and from the Palestinian territories condemned Qaradawi, and accused him of giving Islam a bad name.... , WAM news agency reported.
Qaradawi, an Egyptian-born Mohammedan scholar, wields huge influence through his regular appearances on Al-Jazeera ... an Arab news network headquartered in Qatar, notorious for carrying al-Qaeda press releases. The name means the Peninsula, as in the Arabian Peninsula. In recent years it has settled in to become slightly less biased than MSNBC, in about the same category as BBC or CBS... television from his base in exile in Qatar, where he has lived for decades.
He is a staunch backer of Egypt's deposed 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... , unlike the UAE which supports the interim government installed in Cairo by the military that overthrew Morsi last July 3.
In a weekly Friday prayers sermon in Doha last month, Qaradawi lashed out at the UAE, accusing it of "standing against Islamist regimes, punishing its leaders and putting them in jail."
His comments came just days after the UAE jugged Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! a group of 30 Emiratis and Egyptians to terms ranging from three months to five years for forming a Moslem Brüderbund cell.
The Brotherhood is banned in much of the region, and the UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia pledged billions of dollars in aid to Egypt after the overthrow of Morsi, who hails from the Islamist organization.
Qatar, however, has backed the Brotherhood in several countries swept by the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011, and has criticized Cairo for banning the group and launching a deadly crackdown against it.
On Saturday, Qatari Foreign Minister Khaled al- Attiyah disavowed Qaradawi's remarks, saying "they do not reflect Qatari foreign policy" and insisting that ties between the two nations are "strategic in all aspects."
But the UAE foreign ministry said that response "did not reflect a decisive stance rejecting Qaradawi's speech," and therefore Abu Dhabi had to take "an unprecedented measure" and summon Doha's envoy.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Muslim Brotherhood
[Dhaka Tribune] The International Crimes Tribunal yesterday indicted Syed Mohammad Qaisar, a former state minister for agriculture during HM Ershad's tenure, on 16 charges of crimes against that include genocide, torture, murder and rape during the 1971 Liberation War.
The charges are based on 16 separate incidents of crimes against humanity, in which more than 150 unarmed people were killed and two women raped. After framing of the charges against Qaisar, the tribunal set March 4 for beginning the trial with the opening statement of the prosecution.
In its order, the tribunal directed the defence side to submit a list of witnesses along with the documents it intended to rely upon on or before the date.
Qaisar, now 73, formed a group named "Qaisar Bahini" with 500 to 700 men, who committed crimes against humanity in Habiganj and Brahmanbaria during the War of Independence, according to prosecution.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under:
[DAWN] Despite hundreds of attacks and the deaths of thousands of Paks, there is still a great deal of confusion about the number, nature and end goals of the bully boy organizations operating in Pakistain. For some, they remain figments of a fevered imagination. To others they are proxies of foreign powers.
This belief has not come out of the blue. It is part of an obscurantist narrative the state itself created and propagated. The problem with this narrative is that while it may have delegitimised some jihadi groups within public ranks, it is counter productive in the long run for a number of reasons. First of all, it fails to address the very ideology that promotes militancy and hence the state's failure to present an effective counter-ideology. Secondly, the jihadi groups simply have to prove that the state-promoted narrative is a "baseless lie" to win recruits, as indicated by scores of interviews of jihadis. The fact is that these groups are very much in existence and the ones who carry out attacks against Pakistain's civilians and armed forces have a clear and stated objective: to dominate and overthrow the Pak state.
Unfortunately, the state has also promoted a concept of "good" and "bad" bully boys. This narrative itself has been problematic. There are often strong links between the "good" and "bad" jihadis that also take the form of material, logistical, manpower and other support.
As Pakistain debates engaging the Islamist forces of Evil in the tribal areas and beyond, it is imperative that the policy-makers as well as the public understand the bully boy groups and their interrelations.
Al Qaeda (AQ)
Arguably the most dangerous out of all the jihadi groups, AQ is not just a conventional group but the fountainhead of a violent ideology. Headquartered in North Wazoo, it functions less as a coherent organization than as a world-wide infection. If a country is failing al-Qaeda will metastasize there.
The organisation was founded at the end of the '80s by Osama bin Laden while he was in Afghanistan/Pakistan waging war against the Soviets. According to Al Qaeda literature, the organisation's ultimate goal is to establish a hardline global caliphate. It seeks to fight America and her "apostate" allies in the Muslim world. AQ isn't fighting for anybody's "rights," unless it's the "right" of holy men to declare people apostate and have them killed.
While the organisation maintains a relatively low profile in Pakistan, it is behind much of the coordination between different jihadi groups in a bid to "channelise" and "streamline" the effort. The "relatively low profile" in Pak is about as subtle as a whack in the shin with a 16-pound hammer. As an organization, it has ties with major Pak political parties, which'd be the Jamaat-e-Islami and both major branches of the JUI. Various ISI sahibs are ardent friends and admirers, such as Aslam Beg. Think of it as the Arab equivalent of the Insidious Doctor Fu Manchu's organization, which it appears to have been modeled upon.
In contrast with many other jihadi groups, the overwhelming majority of their cadres in Pakistan are university graduates hailing from well-off urban families.
Al Qaeda regards Pakistan as a "Daar-ul-Kufr wal harb" (abode of disbelief and war). It classifies the rulers as "apostates" against whom it is obligatory to rebel and fight. Qaeda is tightly intertwined with the takfir wal hijra ideology, in which pretty much anyone who disagrees with you on any subject, to include what's for dinner, is an apostate and it's fine to kill them and their families.
Al-Qaeda considers Shias as disbelievers "in the garb of Islam". As such, the militant organisation considers it permissible to shed the blood of Shia Muslims and confiscate their wealth. However on strategic grounds, the Al Qaeda chief has advised the operatives not to engage minority groups anywhere in a confrontation unless "absolutely required" such as in Syria and Iraq.
The organisation rejects the concept of nation-states. It seeks to expand the theatre of war, topple governments in Muslim countries and form a global caliphate. cf. the novels of Sax Rohmer. Change "Chinese" to "Arab" and you've pretty much got it.
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP)
Formally launched in 2007, the TTP is effectively Al Qaeda's local franchise in Pakistain. Among anti-state jihadi groups here, TTP maintains the strongest footprint with operatives all over the country. TTP does on a Pak level what Qaeda does on a world-wide level: it coordinates the activities of a dozen or so kindred groups. The Pak Talibs are kinda sorta distinct from the Afghan Talibs, but only to the extent that Pak Talibs are in the habit of going to Afghanistan to kill infidels. Mullah Omar's organization is headquarters in Quetta, despite repeated Pak denials, and doesn't seem to carry out attacks within Pakistain. Various branches of the TTP profess allegiance to Mullah Omar, which doesn't stop them from leaving a trail of carnage in Pak.
Its stated objective is to turn Pakistan into an "Islamic state" as envisaged by Al-Qaeda. The group regards the leader of the Afghan Taliban, Mullah Umar, as its supreme leader. Though not always openly declared, the TTP maintains strong relations with the Afghan Taliban, with both groups providing each other strategic backyards in their respective countries.
As with Al-Qaeda, the TTP regards Pakistan as a "Daar-ul-Kufr wal harb" (abode of disbelief and war) and considers its rulers apostates. Therefore they must be killed. Pak rulers, on the other hand, consider the TTP a "strategic resource," slated to take over Afghanistan and provide "strategic depth." They can also be sent against India with rather implausible deniability, though implausibility has never stopped Pak from denying something.
While the TTP also considers Shia Muslims to be apostates, there is currently a debate within the organisation on whether a front should be opened against them -- there is a difference of opinion over the strategic merits and demerits of indiscriminately targeting Shia Muslims. Some TTP commanders are arguing that other sects should not be targeted indiscriminately and only "certain elements" should be targeted. However, this debate does not affect their open cooperation with the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi. the fact that they're not killing Shias doesn't mean they're not going to, only that they have't started. They'll likely start with the Ismailis. And after them they're going to get the Brelvis. The Ahmadis, already having been declared non-Moslem, are already targets.
The TTP is also increasingly looking at global operations. It has provided training to a number of radicals based in the West including Faisal Shehzad, who attempted to bomb Times Square in New York. Around 200 of its fighters have reportedly shifted to Syria. TTP run the training camps that the Pak govt sez don't exist in "their" country. Another case of implausible deniability.
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ...
Lashkar-e-Khorasan
Al Qaeda allied group with a single point agenda to track down and eliminate "spies" in North Wazoo. This is AQ's local counterintelligence arm. "Khorasan" is Afghanistan.
Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU)
The IMU was founded by Tahir Yuldashev and Jumma Kasimov (both Uzbeks) in 1991. The two had earlier fought in Afghanistan during the Soviet invasion of the country. The initial objective of the organisation was to topple Islam Karimov's regime in Uzbekistan and to establish an "Islamic state" in the country. They also fought alongside the Taliban against the Northern Alliance. Kasimov died in the fighting while Yuldashev, along with his fighters, managed to escape into Pakistan's tribal areas during the 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan. IMU maintains strong contacts with Al Qaeda and Afghan Taliban as well as the TTP. Within jihadi circles, its cadres enjoy the reputation of being ultra radical and diehard fighters. Its views on the Pakistani state are the same as that of AQ and TTP. IMU commanders say their focus should be on fighting Pakistan's armed forces. I view IMU as a part of AQ proper, rather than as an adjunct of TTP. TTP gives them "shelter," which means they get to play tough guy around the locals and marry into the local Pashtun structure. But they act, I believe, more like an imperial guard than as a regiment of Talibs. (Maybe things have changed over the course of the past ten or twelve years.) I believe they also include pretty much all the non-Arab foreigners under their banner: Chechens and Kazakhs and Turkmen and such riff-raff. I've never seen a reference to, for instance, the East Turkestan Islamic Movement being seen in the area, though there are Turkmen in Afghanistan.
IMU members claim that Mullah Umar had promised its founding leader, Jummah Kasimov, that the Afghan Taliban would support the IMU in consolidating their position in Central Asian states once the Taliban are strong enough. For now, its focus remains on strengthening the group as it prepares for the war in Central Asia.
Ansar al-Aseer
A North Waziristan based group primarily concerned with the "welfare" of locked-up jihadis. Its tasks include intelligence gathering about Pakistani jails and planning jailbreaks to release militants. It is closely allied to TTP and draws many of its fighters from TTP and IMU. Its basic agenda is to free all militants locked up in jails across the country.
Jundallah
Al Qaeda affiliated group that started off from South Waziristan. It gained most notoriety for its assassination attempt on the then Corps Commander Karachi Lt Gen Ahsan Saleem Hayat. The outfit has also targeted Shia Muslims and foreign tourists. Not to be confused with Iran-based Jundullah.
Ghazi Group
A group formed after the Lal Masjid operation in Islamabad. It is named after Maulana Abdul Rasheed Ghazi, the former Lal Masjid cleric who was also killed in the operation. Most of its members are relatives and friends of the people killed in the 2007 operation. This group has practically merged with the TTP. Some of its members and sympathisers in and around Islamabad are known to provide intelligence and a footprint in the capital. Members of the group consider it a priority to target former president Pervez Musharraf. I believe this was formed from the participants in the Lal Masjid operation, the one that the legal decision said was really the govt's fault. Rather than imposing shariah on everybody in sight they've simply become the local branch of TTP. But they started out as wannabe TTP.
The remaining six
Splinters, subdivisions, and shadow groups:
Ansar al-Mujahideen
A small organization affiliated with the TTP. Its primary focus is targeting armed forces personnel and politicians. Among others, the group is responsible for the killing of the former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... Law Minister Israr Gandapur. As with AQ and TTP, Ansar al-Mujahideen aims to turn Pakistain into an "Islamic State" and use the state to launch "jihad" against other belligerent states. I believe these guys used to be contendahs, but now they're just so 1999 and everybody devout moved on to join the TTP. I believe that applies to most of the rest of the splinters, as well, with the exception of LeT, which is an arm of ISI.
The other bully boys:
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... Formed in the early 90s in Afghanistan, the group has been primarily operating in Indian-held Kashmire. It seeks to "liberate" the people of Kashmire from "Indian oppression" and establish an Islamic state" in the region.
It sees India, the United States and Israel as eternal enemies of Islam and boasts about defeating them through armed struggle. Hafiz Muhammad Saeed ...who would be wearing a canvas jacket with very long sleeves anyplace but Pakistain... , the head of Jamat-ud-Dawa denies that his charity is simply a cover for the banned bully boy outfit. However the lower cadre not only acknowledges their connection with LeT but proudly boast about their operations in India.
In line with their particular brand of Salafism, the organization is strongly opposed to rebellion against the Pak state. They say that while the ruling elite are living in a state of sin, rebelling against them is not permissible. Largely avoiding questions about other Mohammedan sects, the LeT says there should be unity within the Ummah and the priority should be to target the "real enemy" -- the US, India and Israel, as they say.
Members of the group say they are bracing themselves for the Ghazwa-e-Hind -- a grand war in which Mohammedans will regain control of India, they claim.
Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM)
Jaish-e-Muhammad was formed in 2000 by Maulana Masood Azhar. Shortly after its inception, it effectively swallowed a previously existing but now largely defunct Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM). Its primary goal is to "liberate" Kashmire from Indian rule and it has carried out various attacks on Indian interests including the 2001 attack on Indian parliament. The group was banned by then President Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... and rebranded itself as Khuddam-ul-Islam. It continues to engage in open fundraising outside many Pak mosques on Fridays.
Tehrik Ghalba-e-Islam
The group emerged as an offshoot of Jaish-e-Muhammad after serious differences emerged between various commanders. TGI is led by Commander Abdul Jabbar and operates primarily in Afghanistan. Publicly, the organization opposes rebellion against the Pak state. It stresses on its cadre to focus on Afghanistan.
Jaish al-Adal
The group has recently emerged in parts of 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... bordering Iran. It has targeted Shia Mohammedans and claims to be countering Iranian interference in Pakistain. The group also seeks to extend the theatre of war into Iran.
Shia militancy:
Sipah-e-Muhammad Pakistain
The group was formed in the 90s in response to the anti-Shia violence perpetuated by Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain ...a Sunni Deobandi organization, a formerly registered Pak political party, established in the early 1980s in Jhang by Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi. Its stated goal is to oppose Shia influence in Pakistain. They're not too big on Brelvis, either. Or Christians. Or anybody else who's not them. The organization was banned in 2002 as a terrorist organization, but somehow it keeps ticking along, piling up the corpse counts... (SSP). It maintains a very low profile and seeks to primarily target leaders of anti-Shia bully boy organizations such as SSP and LJ. Its leader Syed Ghulam Raza Naqvi has been in prison since the mid-90s. Pak intelligence agencies claim the group is backed by Iran in a bid to extend its influence in the region. We've been watching the Pak press for twelve years now. I can't recall having seen Sipah-e-Mohammad involved in anything. They're included on lists like this to imply there's some sort of Shia insurgency as well. If everybody does it then it's not just Ahle-Hadith and Deobandi and those sorts of upstanding folk.
What's not included on the list:
There are a couple organizations that aren't included on the list, possibly because they're simply regarded as being a part of AQ with no differentiation anymore.
The Haqqani Network
Is a family- or tribal-based organization, originally led by Jalaluddin Haqqani. Jalaluddin's getting on in years, and leadership has fallen to Sirajuddin, his eldest son. Jalaluddin actually recruited OBL and Abdullah Azzam. The Haqqani family comes from southeastern Afghanistan and belongs to the Mezi Clan of the Zadran Pashtun tribe. Jalaluddin was probably the most successful Pashtun leader in the anti-Soviet war, despite Hekmatyar's claims to preeminence. I believe the Haqqanis and the Arabs running AQ should be pretty thoroughly intermarried by now. They're active on both sides of the Pak-Afghan border.
Hafiz Gul Bahadur
Gul Bahadur coordinates with AQ but he's on the outs with the TTP, running his own operation. I think the differences are tribal. He's affiliated with Fazl's branch of the JUI.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[15 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan
#1
JUNDALLAH repor supports Balochi or Balochistan stan separatism from Islamabad like the US, + as per MilBlogs has been accused of colluding or cordinating wid the US in support of same???
[DAWN] The outlawed Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) has offered to provide security and protection to members of the negotiating committees in areas under its control.
In a statement issued to the media here on Sunday, TTP front man Shahidullah Shahid said the political Shura of Taliban would guide the five-member committee nominated by it. He said that Taliban sincerely wanted peace talks with the government.
The committee comprises Maulana Samiul Haq ...the Godfather of the Taliban, leader of his own faction of the JUI. Known as Mullah Sandwich for his habit of having two young boys at a time... , 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 who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems... , Lal Masjid Khateeb Maulana Abdul Aziz, Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... 's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... chief Prof Muhammad Ibrahim and former MPA Mufti Kifayatullah of the JUI-F.
The TTP has included in its committee leaders of different political leanings. Maulana Fazl, the chief of his own faction of the Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...the political wing of the Pak Taliban... , is a staunch opponent of Imran Khan, while JUI-S chief Maulana Sami is considered to be an arch rival of Maulana Fazl. Similarly, the JI has no soft corner for Maulana Fazl and his party.
The TTP front man said the government should not repeat the mistakes of its predecessors when negotiations were used as a weapon against the Taliban and, therefore, peace could not be restored.
He said the TTP's central Shura had decided after deliberations to form a committee that could easily approach the government team and also represent the Taliban's point of view in a better way.
Meanwhile, ...back at the revival hall, the pastor had finally been wrestled from the pulpit. Y'got the wrong guy! he yelled just before Sergeant Malone's billy club landed... Maulana Sami contacted the PTI chief and urged him to accept Taliban's offer.
Maulana Sami, according to his elder son Maulana Hamidul Haq, also spoke to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and requested him to persuade Imran Khan to join the committee.
Maulana Hamid said the PTI chairman had struggled for the cause of peace, launched a protest against US drone attacks and supported the Taliban. Therefore, he should take part in the grinding of the peace processor.
"Being a supporter of Taliban, Imran should join the committee and play his role in restoration of peace," he quoted Maulana Sami as saying.
Maulana Sami also talked to members of the government committee, he said, adding that a formal meeting of the two teams was likely to be held in three days.
Amjad Mahmood adds from Lahore: According to Punjab PTI chief Ijaz Chaudhry, members of the core committee from the province would oppose active involvement of the chairman in the talks, fearing that the outcome could undermine the leadership's stature and stance.
Another PTI leader alleged that the Taliban had included Imran Khan's name in the committee at the behest of the government to make the party support an army operation in case of failure of the talks.
The JI's deputy chief Dr Farid Piracha said: "Ours are not representatives of the Taliban. We'll work only as monitors and controllers between the official and Taliban's representatives and our role should be formally recognised by the government."
He said the party would reconsider its offer of cooperation if any other role was expected of it.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: TTP
Authorities launched a polio drive in Pakistan's Peshawar city and adjoining areas Sunday morning amid heavy security, a media report said.
The authorities suspended mobile phone services and banned pillion-riding, citing security reasons. The ban would be effective from 8 am to 5 pm on Sunday when the polio vaccine would be administered to children, Dawn News reported.
The polio drive aims to inoculate 800,000 children, aged below five years in Peshawar and adjoining areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Teachers in the province had refused to take part in a polio-vaccination campaign citing low wages and security concerns as the reasons, and agreed to resume the campaign only after the successful negotiations with the government.
The World Health Organisation (WHO), on Jan 17 had declared Peshawar as the world's "largest reservoir" of endemic polio and called for urgent action to boost vaccination.
According to the WHO, 80,000 children in Pakistan have not been immunised against polio.
About 22,000 of these children hail from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Efforts to eradicate polio have been seriously hampered by the deadly attacks of crazed terrorists militant groups who see vaccination campaigns as a cover for espionage, and there are also long running rumours about polio drops causing infertility.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under:
[An Nahar] Arrest warrants have been issued for the judge who convicted Saddam Hussein and a journalist critical of the government for allegedly libeling Iraq's premier, a watchdog and the judge said Sunday.
Warrants were issued last month for Munir Haddad and Sarmad al-Taie, apparently for criticizing Nouri al-Maliki ... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party.... , under an article of the criminal code that prohibits defaming or insulting government employees.
A local press watchdog said the warrant for Taie, who writes a regular column for the al-Mada newspaper and is a frequent guest on television current affairs programs, was the first against a journalist since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.
Maliki's front man declined to confirm the premier's office had filed the case.
Haddad, who sentenced Saddam Hussein to death in 2006 and is now a private lawyer, turned himself in last week after being told of the warrant. He was subsequently released on bail.
"The person who filed a case against me was Nouri al-Maliki, accusing me of libel," Haddad said, telling Agence La Belle France Presse the original warrant was issued on January 8.
"I did not attack him, I was just practicing my freedom of expression by criticizing the government's performance... I am not against the prime minister, I am not his competitor, I do not have any political allegiance, I do not want to replace him, and I do not want to be in the government."
Haddad gave no details on the specific comments he made to trigger the accusation, and did not say when he would next appear in court.
Another warrant was issued for Taie, according to Ziad al-Ajili, head of the Storied Baghdad ...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate... -based Journalism Freedom Observatory.
"The government has filed a legal case against Sarmad al-Taie because of the opinions he expressed on television," Ajili told AFP, adding the warrant was apparently the first issued against a news hound since Saddam's overthrow.
"This is far away from international standards of freedom of opinion and expression."
Maliki's front man Ali Moussawi declined to say whether or not the premier had initiated the legal case, but said: "Maliki is like any citizen. He goes to the courts to defend his rights. What is the problem?"
"This is a boost for the judiciary. Everybody, even the prime minister, is subject to the law."
Iraq is routinely criticized for its poor record on media rights -- it frequently scores towards the bottom of press freedom rankings, and ranks first in the Committee to Protect Journalists' Impunity Index, which tracks unsolved murders of journalists.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq
[Haaretz] Paleo president extends transition period for Israeli military withdrawal and settlement evacuation from 3 to 5 years.
Paleo President Mahmoud Abbas has called for an American-led NATO presence in a future Palestinian state, according to a New York Times interview published Sunday.
The NATO mission Abbas proposed in talks with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry would last indefinitely and include troop patrols throughout the West Bank and Gaza, at all checkpoints and within Jerusalem, according to the Times. Very convenient for targeting...
Abbas said Israeli military presence and settlements in the West bank could be gradually removed for up to five years after a peace agreement is signed -- a departure from the three years he previously proposed.
Under Abbas' plan, which comes six months into the current round of talks with Israel, Palestine would not have army, only a police force, the Times said. Such an arrangement would leave NATO responsible for preventing terrorism. And when they fail?
The proposed NATO force can stay "for a long time, and wherever they want, not only on the eastern borders, but also on the western borders, everywhere," Abbas told the Times. "The third party can stay. They can stay to reassure the Israelis, and to protect us."
"We will be demilitarized," he added. "Do you think we have any illusion that we can have any security if the Israelis do not feel they have security?"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will only accept an agreement which includes the long-term presence of Israeli troops along the eastern border of the West Bank known as the Jordan Valley.
Abbas reiterated his objection to recognizes Israel as a Jewish state, noting that Jordan and Egypt were not required to do so in signing peace agreements with Israel.
"Mr. Netanyahu is the key," Abbas told the Times. "If he does believe in peace, everything will be easy." Blaming the Jew in advance of the inevitable failed peace. How very Paleo like.
#6
As long as EGYPT + JORDAN refuse to give up their claims of sovereignty to lands intended to be under Paleo = PA control, this proposal may be needed by both Israel + PA in the LR.
The PA, now + likely for a long while in the future, is a "sovereign" Govt. widout any land or territory to call its own. The best that one can say is that the PA is an "autonomous" Egyptian or Jordanian, Paleo-majority enclave
Iff you wish, besides separatist Bangladesh Pakistan at the time was also challenged by internal regions whom wanted to follow the Bangla example + establish their own sovereign countries = city-states free from Islamabad.
US SecState Jaawhn = Ambassador Caroline Kennedy ala China-vs-Japan in NE, East Asia = UNLESS A PERMAMENT + MUTUALLY AGREED UPON DIPLOMATIC SOLUTION CAN BE FOUND, "THERE-CAN-ONLY-BE-ONE" REGIONAL OR TRANS-REGIONAL WAR OF ANNIHILATION IS THE ONLY POSSIBLY OUTCOME.
Another "temporary" isn't gonna solve anything or stop a major war.
[Jerusalem Post] Reports already indicate that Israel is providing humanitarian aid for Syrians, but do these contacts also include intelligence and military cooperation against radical groups linked with al-Qaida? If jihadists were to take over near the border and begin planning or launching attacks, it would lead to a shift in Israels policy of nonintervention in the Syrian war. Feeding both dogs may not be a contradiction, but rather a strategy.
Following the Palestinian expulsion from Jordan, the PLO and other Palestinian terrorist groups established a base in southern Lebanon from which it launched attacks against Israeli citizens.
Israel responded to those attacks in a limited fashion, until, on March 11, 1978, 11 Fatah-led terrorists hijacked two buses inside Israel, murdered 37, and wounded 76, before being killed by Israeli security forces.
Israel invaded Lebanon soon after, staying a short time, only to be drawn back again and again over the years because of attacks emanating from its northern neighbor.
The possibility that a similar scenario could develop on Israels border with Syria has likely already been contemplated by Israels military establishment.
One should assume that the same understandings which allowed over 600 wounded Syrians to be evacuated for treatment in Israeli hospitals including a special military field hospital on the Golan are facilitating other forms of assistance as well, said Ehud Yaari, in an article last week for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, where he is a Lafer international fellow.
Yaari, who also is a Middle East commentator for Israels Channel 2, wrote that Israeli forces involved in the humanitarian operations in the Golan have been very careful not to operate inside Syrian territory or assume responsibility for the villages in question.
However, he says that Israels interest is that al-Qaida-linked groups such as the Nusra Front and the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant are not able to gain a foothold in southern Syria.
Israel apparently may feel obliged to take unpublicized measures aimed at preventing or at least slowing the movement of these groups near Israels border, said Yaari.
Asked if Israel is coordinating with Syrian President Bashar Assads regime or supporting his remaining in power, Yaari told The Jerusalem Post, Israel is not assisting Assads forces in any way.
He also believes that Israel does not wish for Assad to remain in power.
Furthermore, he added, Assads forces have a very limited presence in southern Syria, maintaining control over main highways in the south, but besides that, have effectively given up control of the area.
If Israel is not coordinating its moves in southern Syria with the regime, perhaps, as reports suggest, it is secretly working with Jordan, which also is worried about al-Qaida-linked groups targeting its own government.
In addition to rumors that an operations room in Amman is coordinating assistance to the Syrian opposition, along with Saudi and Western intelligence officials, Yaari writes that Jordan is cultivating an array of local militias close to the long frontier with Syria, taking advantage of the fact that many inhabitants of southern Syria and northern Jordan belong to the same tribes.
Aron Lund, editor of the Carnegie Endowments Syria in Crisis website, told the Post that any cooperation with Israel would not be popular with Jordans population, but of course theres going to be some security cooperation between their governments, especially when they are both affected by a major crisis in a third country.
[An Nahar] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected remarks by 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... warning of a growing boycott threat against the Jewish state if peace talks fail.
"Attempts to impose a boycott on the State of Israel are immoral and unjust. Moreover, they will not achieve their goal," he said at the weekly cabinet meeting.
"Second, no pressure will cause me to concede the vital interests of the State of Israel, especially the security of Israel's citizens. For both of these reasons, threats to boycott the State of Israel will not achieve their goal."
Netanyahu's remarks came a day after Kerry warned of the potential economic impact on Israel.
"For Israel, the stakes are also enormously high," the U.S. diplomat warned at a security conference in Munich.
"For Israel there's an increasing de-legitimization campaign that has been building up. People are very sensitive to it. There are talk of boycotts and other kinds of things," he said.
The status quo could not be maintained if the talks were to collapse, he warned.
"It's not sustainable. It's illusionary. There's a momentary prosperity, there's a momentary peace ... But the fact is the status quo will change if there is failure."
Some Israeli ministers directly addressed Kerry's remarks.
"What Kerry said is offensive, unfair and intolerable," Intelligence Minister Yuval Steinitz of Netanyahu's Likud party told army radio ahead of the cabinet meeting.
"You can't expect Israel to negotiate with a gun at its head while it discusses issues critical to its diplomatic and security interests."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: PLO
The Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) has warned it will carry out a Kosovo style struggle to decolonize southern Mindanao and some parts of Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak. MNLF founding leader Nur Misuari called on his followers to renounce armed struggle and adopt the Kosovo model by carrying out peaceful assemblies in attaining their political objective for self rule, spokesman Emmanuel Fontanilla said yesterday.
Fontanilla was referring to the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence where participants declared Kosovo independent from Serbia. Although the legality of the declaration was disputed by Serbia, several countries recognized it.
Fontanilla said Serbia wanted international validation and support for its stance that the declaration was illegal, but the International Court of Justice said the declaration did not violate international law. He said, Armed struggle is already obsolete as proven in other countries. We will bring our cause to the people."
Posted by: ryuge ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Moro National Liberation Front
#1
So IOW, the Mindanao Moro insurgency may no longer be just about Mindanao, Moros, or the PHIL per se anymore, but may devol into a Regional or Trans-regional insurgency [Jihad?]???
I've still been telling Guam locals that iff Rising China ever attacks or penetrates into WESTPAC + Guam-CNMI region, Radical Islam = Nuclear Islam will be right behind them.
US-VS-CHINA IN ASIA-PACIFIC HAS DEVOL INTO US-VS-CHINA-VS-NUCLEAR-ISLAM IN SAME - ITS ONLY A QUESTION AS TO IFF THE NUKULAAR OR SOON-TO-BE-NUKULAAR HARD BOYZ WILL ATTACK CHINA OR THE US BEFORE ATTACKING THE OTHER IN GLOBAL JIHAD.
[An Nahar] Iran has incarcerated Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! several anti-corruption officials on fraud charges, the justice minister announced on Sunday.
"In the Government Discretionary Punishments Organization (GDPO), some of our colleagues have been corrupted," Mostafa Pour-Mohammadi said, quoted by Fars news agency.
"In line with the fight against corruption, more than 10 colleagues in GDPO, most of them managers and consultants, were arrested and interrogated," he said, without giving further details.
On its website, the GDPO says it was set up to fight economic and financial corruption.
President Hassan Rouhani ordered his administration in late December to take measures to fight "financial corruption ... particularly those who have taken advantage of economic sanctions."
Babak Zanjani, an Iranian tycoon who reputedly played a major role in busting sanctions imposed on Tehran over its nuclear program, was arrested a day later.
Iran's ailing economy has been struggling under an array of international sanctions designed to coerce it to rein in its controversial nuclear ambitions.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[16 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
[An Nahar] The Lebanese army said Sunday that more than 25 kilograms of explosives, rockets and grenades were used in the suicide kaboom that targeted the northeastern town of Hermel a day earlier.
The army said in a communique that the military experts, who inspected the site of Saturday's kaboom, concluded that the vehicle used for the bombing contained 25-30 kilograms of explosives, rockets and hand grenades.
The kaboom happened at a petrol station in Hermel, a stronghold of Hizbullah, when the bomber set the explosives inside the Grand Cherokee.
The Al-Nusra Front in Leb, a group named after al-Qaeda's Syrian affiliate, claimed the attack on Twitter, saying it was a suicide kaboom in response to Hizbullah's involvement in Syria.
The blast left at least three people dead and 28 injured, caretaker Health Minister Ali Hassan Khalil said Saturday.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: al-Nusra
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday discussed talks next month on a definitive settlement of a dispute over Iran's nuclear programme, with Kerry telling him existing US sanctions stood.
They met on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
"Secretary Kerry reiterated the importance of both sides negotiating in good faith and Iran abiding by its commitments under the Joint Plan of Action. He also made clear that the United States will continue to enforce existing sanctions," a US State Department official said.
For now. Wait a month...
Six world powers and Iran reached a first-stage agreement in November that curbs some Iranian nuclear activities in return for a partial easing of sanctions choking the country's economy. Implemented January 20, that accord will be in effect for six months while further negotiations on a permanent agreement are held.
The next round of talks between the two sides will take place in Vienna on February 18.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/03/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
We're all on board:
WASHINGTON (AyPee) - Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says new tough sanctions on Iran could upend sensitive talks over its nuclear development and urged Congress to hold off.
Link - WARNING: Contains Hildebeast foto.
...not that long ago I would have dismissed the claim as bluster, not so much anymore...and gee, who could possibly be the front persons for target engagement..?
[DailyCaller] Reports indicate Hezbollah forces have infiltrated the U.S. and mapped out targets.
And we have targets within Iran, should the Iranians and their little friends get frisky.
#1
Iff Radical Islamist MilTerr Groups do ever initiate Nuke-WMD Terrops agz CONUS, + Iran is discovered to be the sponsor, will Russia + China, etc. attempt to block US or US-led milaction.
Perhaps the more important question is will red-line busting POTUS Bammer, or his similar anti-US Marxist-Globalist successor after Jan. 2017, initiate milaction agz sponsor Iran + Hezzie Huzzie Hizzie Hussie ..... Nukulaar Boyz, espec iff China continues to MilPol escalate agz US Allies in East Asia???
#4
A basic principle in confrontations is never threaten and never warn. Just be ready....unless you are going to do a Poland on them and already have the Tanks gassed up and rolling for the border. And then think 1967 and do it.
If an enemy threatens and warns think monkey with a stick. He is signaling he is afraid of you. Whatever he threatens is what he himself fears most. Threats are fear maps.
You know he is afraid, you know he is a monkey with a stick. Use your advantage and push simply by moving toward him. Get him to blinks. If he doesn't blink ...aim for the head or chest, and do it. If he does blink, do him anyway.
He made the threat, you didn't. His mistake, not yours.
#6
Iran has targets inside America? I don't doubt it as porous as our borders are. Some of the misguided Iranian zealots might even be here as citizens. However, should they try anything, it would most likely fulfill their death wish and mean the end of Iran as we know it today (IMHO,it would be a huge mistake on their part. That said, our current regime doesn't exactly instill confidence or project power).
#7
Look out, mullets! If the great satin slips a Target into Iran it's all over! Red and white roundels, aspirational marketing scoundrels. You won't know what hit you.
Say, was you ever bit by a dead moose? Did you know they speak passable Provencal in Mooseland? The officers, anyway. The swaddies are more into mugger meese and ten meter catamounts. I'm serious. Absinthe. Byrrh flowing through the herbarial glen and wearing the heppy-kepi. Big-boled trees named Spruce and Hemlock. That sort of thing is the sort of thing they like. Picaresque doesn't begin to cover it. Maybe YOU have some Mooselanders in YOUR neighborhood?
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.
HARGEISA, Somalialand -- The Authorities of Somalia's separatist administration of Somaliland Sunday detained three Somali Federal Government officials at Hargeisa airport midst Turkey-brokered bilateral talks between the two sides, Garowe Online reports.
Zawahiri
An Egyptian court on Sunday acquitted a cameraman working for Al Jazeera television and 61 others accused of taking part in clashes in Cairo, judicial sources said.
... an Arab news network headquartered in Qatar, notorious for carrying al-Qaeda press releases. The name means 
[Dhaka Tribune] The International Crimes Tribunal yesterday indicted Syed Mohammad Qaisar, a former state minister for agriculture during HM Ershad's tenure, on 16 charges of crimes against that include genocide, torture, murder and rape during the 1971 Liberation War.
Authorities launched a polio drive in Pakistan's Peshawar city and adjoining areas Sunday morning amid heavy security, a media report said.
Nouri al-Maliki
[An Nahar] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday rejected remarks by U.S. Secretary of State 
US Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday discussed talks next month on a definitive settlement of a dispute over Iran's nuclear programme, with Kerry telling him existing US sanctions stood.
