[Iran Press TV] The US reluctance to withdraw its forces from Afghanistan is part of a scheme to expand its hegemony across the Middle East in an attempt to protect Israel's interests, a former American official tells Press TV.
Rodney Martin, a former US congressional staffer, made the comments in response to US President Barack Obama's recent remarks about the likelihood of Washington's continued military presence in Afghanistan.
"This is all part of a greater scheme that is well-publicized, called Project for New American Century, to secure basing rights all through the Middle East," Martin said in a Monday interview with Press TV.
He argued that the project mainly takes into account the Israeli interests rather than those of the US, noting that it is devised "to make sure that the America can bully other nations where they do not have interests such as Iran."
During his surprise trip to Afghanistan on Sunday, Obama said US' longest war will be over by the end of this year, but Washington will likely maintain its military presence in the war-weary country.
Obama said he would soon announce his decision about the US military presence in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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Rodney is so well known and respected he's not identifiable as a "Congressional staffer" except as referred to by Iran Press TV. Whackadoodle doesn't begin to describe him
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/27/2014 17:23 Comments ||
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"Reluctance"???
To wit,
* BHARAT RAKSHAK > [CNN, REUTERS = Twitter] OBAMA : US PLANS TO LEAVE 9800 TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN AFTER 2014, THEN ONE-HALF OF THAT BY END OF 2015.
* SAME > BARACK OBAMA, ANNOUNCING US TROOP PLAN,SAYS AFGHANISTAN IS NOT A PERFECT PLACE, + ITS NOT US RESPONSIBILITY TO MAKE IT SO.
Sounds like Vladimir Putin's recent comments on Russia's responsibility towards Ukraine's territorial sovereignty + integrity.
> SAME > US MILITARY IN AFGHNAISTAN WOULD "DRAW DOWN [reduce = shrink] TO NORMAL EMBASSY PRESENCE IN KABUL" BY END OF 2016.
> SAME > PETER BAKER > OBAMA = IOW, THE AFGHAN WAR WILL OVER AS FAR AS AMERICANS ARE CONCERNED BY THE TIME OBAMA LEAVES OFFICE [Jan 2017].
* RELATED TOPIX > [CBC Local] PRESIDENT OBAMA SAYS END OF WAR IN AFGHANISTAN IS FINALLY IN SIGHT.
[DAWN] Afghanistan's Caped PresidentHamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... on Monday accused 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... (LT) -- a Pakistain-based Kashmiri rebel group -- of being behind last week's attack by gunnies on an Indian diplomatic mission in the west of his war-torn country.
On the eve of talks between India's new Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Pak counterpart Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... , Karzai blamed the LT for Friday's attack on the consulate in Herat ...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns... , the latest in a string of assaults on Indian targets in Afghanistan.
"According to the information that we have available to us -- one given to us by a Western intelligence agency -- the perpetrators were of Lashkar-e-Taiba," Karzai told India's Headlines Today television channel.
"The incident is condemned by the Afghan people as it is condemned by the people of India. This was a clear, clear attack by terrorists," said Karzai who was in New Delhi to attend Modi's inauguration ceremony.
Although there were no casualties among Indian staff, at least two coppers were maimed when the heavily-armed attackers stormed a house close to the consulate and opened fire on the building in a pre-dawn assault that was eventually repelled by security forces.
Lashkar-e-Taiba was also blamed for the 2008 attacks by Pak gunnies in Mumbai which killed 166 people and triggered a complete breakdown in ties between New Delhi and Islamabad.
Some analysts have interpreted Friday's attack as an attempt by anti-India elements in Pakistain to test the resolve of Modi, a hardline Hindu nationalist.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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[Shabelle] Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage, the spokesperson of the Al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... terrorist group reported to pro-Shabaab media outlets and said that they have weakened government agencies and have been successful in staging terror attacks at the supreme court, UNDP compound and parliament all in the last year.
The spokesperson said that the MPs and officials should disassociate with the government, as that is apparently the only option for them to survive.
Ali Dheere strained that the government institutions are places that officials will convene and that they will be targeted.
Furthermore, the spokesperson for the group said that they will attack UN compound in Mogadishu because they are filled with foreigners.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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"The forces of Evil have once again shown that they are against all Somalis, by killing our innocent brothers and sisters. These cowardly, despicable actions are not a demonstration of the true Islamic faith.
"We are establishing the facts surrounding the attack and it is too early to provide any specific details. However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... I share my condolences, those of the President and of all Members of Parliament with the families of those who were killed. We grieve the loss of our families and friends today and pray for the quick recovery of everyone injured.
"This attack will not deter the Federal Government of Somalia from continuing to hunt down and destroy the forces of Evil and build a peaceful Somalia that forces of Evil will never rule over."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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HARGEISA, Somalia -- Prominent figures within Somaliland Ruling Party of Kulmiye are at the loggerheads as President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud Siilaanyo is seeking re-election ahead of the region's general elections by 2015, Garowe Online reports.
The magnitude of the dispute emerged after President Siilaanyo on Saturday sacked his Commerce Minister Mohamed Abdullahi Omar by presidential decree-a move related to wrangle over the next candidate for Somaliland presidency.
The Chairman of Kulmiye party Musse Bihi Abdi- army veteran who served as air force pilot in Siyad Barre regime in 1970s and the current Somaliland President disagreed on their candidacy, with Musse Bihi Abdi announcing that he would vie for the separatist administration's top political job.
Somaliland's Minister of Livestock and Animal Husbandry Dr. Abdi Aw Dahir and close presidential aide Monday disclosed at media briefing in Somaliland capital of Hargeisa that Abdi is in breach of previous deal that was signed by President Siilaanyo and Kulmiye Chairman.
Somaliland's Minister of Livestock and Animal Husbandry Abdi Aw Dahir [File]
On Sunday, Somaliland President and his Vice President Abdirahman Saylici rebuffed to recognize a line up consisting of members picked for the party's central and executive committees, calling the announcement by Abdi as âillegitimate '.
Among the nominees placed in the fresh list was the sacked Minister of Commerce Omar who revealed that he was fired over internal dispute.
The supporters of Somaliland Ruling party of Kulmiye have taken to streets across Somaliland, chanting opposing slogans in support of Kulmiye factions.
Despite stiff resistance from Bihi who expressed displeasure about President Siilaanyo's decision, political analysts tell GO that Siilaanyo will be endorsed for the second time as the sole contestant. Siilaanyo secured strong majority from Hargeisa and Gabiley town in the latest election by defeating UDUB and Justice and Welfare party of UCID.
Wadani, a new political party with Somaliland Parliament Speaker Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi Irro at the forefront and UCID are likely to grab the new opportunity, analysts told GO.
Somaliland, located in northwestern Somalia unilaterally declared its independence from the rest of the country as a defacto sovereign state in 1991 but it has not been recognized Internationally yet.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] A number of Benghazi districts remain Ansar Al-Sharia strongholds the front man for General Khalifa Hifter has said.
Mohammed Hijazi told the Libya Herald that Hifter's forces were resolved to put an end to the presence of armed Islamist groups in the city but that areas such as Guwarsha and Hawari in particular were still in the hands of Ansar Al-Sharia.
Hijazi said said the most significant inroads made in Benghazi had been in the area of Sidi Faraj where ferocious fighting took place on 16 May between Ansar Al-Sharia, February 17 Brigade and Operation Dignity, claiming the lives of around 70.
He said last night Hifter's airforce planes had carried out bombing runs over Sidi Faraj, destroying yet more weapons stockpiles held by Islamist groups. He said however there was no doubt that gunnies were still present in the area, although in fewer numbers.
Hijazi said in some districts Ansar Al-Sharia had regrouped. He said a building close to Souq Hadiqa had recently become occupied by the group and that they were present in the Laithi district. Ansar Al-Sharia checkpoints at the entrances to Guwarsha also remain in operation.
The front man said that crucially Operation Dignity was monitoring the groups ranged against it in Benghazi saying "We even know their shoe sizes". He said the forces had a number of ongoing operations and plans but that these could not be divulged to the media.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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[MAGHAREBIA] Reformed jihadists, researchers and members of civil society met in Casablanca last week to discuss religious discourse.
The conference was organised on May 21st by the Modernist Space for Development and Co-existence (EMDC).
Moroccan cleric Abou Hafs (Mohamed Abdelwahab Rafiki), who spent nine years in prison in connection with the May 16th, 2003 Casablanca bombings, was among the participants. Initially sentenced to 30 years in prison, the former salafist militant received a royal pardon in February 2012.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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[sharylattkisson.com] Some of you missed this article that I wrote a year ago about the fate of MANPADS left over from the Qaddafi regime in Libya. According to a well-placed source, hundreds of the missiles had already been tracked as having gone to Al Qaeda Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and thousands are unaccounted for.
What Ms Attkisson's television masters prevented us from knowing until she went independent. A site worth bookmarking.
Though she does seem rather inclined to the "vaccines cause autism" nonsense...
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa
Libyan civil servant Mohamed Ali has put on his business card a picture of the only man he thinks can save his country from falling apart â Egypt's new strongman Abdel Fattah Al Sisi.
Libya is preparing for elections next month, but many Libyans have long given up on their own parties paralysed by political infighting three years after the revolution and civil war that brought down Muammar Gaddafi.
Instead, Libyans look to their eastern neighbour where former army chief Sisi is expected to easily win elections after his military forced out an elected president from office.
Egypt has united with other Arab countries before. Why not try it again?
Tired of militias filling a power vacuum left by a five weak prime ministers since 2011, many see the revival of strongman rule in Egypt as their dream scenario.
And they don't have a suitable strongman of their own...
"Sisi is an outstanding man, a nationalist, a Muslim and an Arab. He is restoring stability and fighting terrorism," said Ali. "Our politicians only think of their personal agenda. We wish we had someone like Sisi."
In cafes across the desert country and on social media, admiration for Sisi has become a major talking point â so popular has Sisi become that an unknown author has dedicated a poem to him, shared by many Facebook users.
Many Libyans compare the bumpy transition of both Arab neighbours since their "Arab Spring" revolutions in 2011. Both have seen political unrest, though Egypt avoided anarchy like its neighbour.
Enemies denounce Sisi as the author of Egypt's toughest crackdown in decades after ousting president Mohammed Mursi last year. But many Libyans say Mursi's removal was a blessing ending a chaotic year in power comparable to their unproductive government and parliament, dominated by a hardline party allied with the Muslim Brotherhood, which failed to stop armed militias carving out their own fiefdoms.
"We have the same situation in Egypt and Libya with terrorists attacking police and army," said Asma Sarbia, an independent Libyan lawmaker. "The Egyptian army's war on terrorists has made many Libyans look up to military institutions as saviour from assassinations and explosions."
Now some also draw parallels to renegade former Libyan army general, Khalifa Haftar, who has declared war on militants in Benghazi in the east with his irregular forces. Some already call him "Libya's Sisi".
Then again, he was a general under Qaddafi, so who knows what's inside his cold, dark, little heart...
But western governments worry Haftar's campaign may further split Libya's army and provoke violent backlash from other militias who back the Muslim Brotherhood in Libya. With no real army behind him, his former ties to Gaddafi, who he helped to bring to power in 1969 before turning against him in the 1980s, and his alleged CIA-connections, Haftar also looks less than credible for many Libyans.
The CIA part will get the most attention but will be the least of his issues...
"I don't think he will have success as politician," said Arish Said, a Libyan journalist. "No Libyan military man can succeed against terrorists. There is some support (for Haftar) but it won't be strong enough to bring him to power."
Libyans have long looked to Egypt for orientation. Many government officials, intellectuals and business people have graduated from universities in Cairo or lived there.
"If there hadn't been a revolution in Egypt in 2011 we would never have had a revolution here," said Umm Az Al Farsi, a political science lecturer at the University of Benghazi, the eastern city and cradle of Libya's uprising.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Libya + Egypt + Egypt's military missing both MUBARAK + UNCLE MOHAMMAR???
[Washington Post] A top Nigerian military official said Monday that the government knows the whereabouts of several hundred kidnapped girls but cannot reveal their location and cannot use force to rescue them, according to the Web site of the Ogun state television service.
Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, the government's chief of defense staff, was quoted as telling a group of visitors at his office in Abuja, the capital, "The good news for the parents of the girls is that we know where they are, but we cannot tell you." He reportedly told the group, "just leave us alone, we are working to get the girls back."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Let me guess. They were at the mall.
/sarc off
Posted by: ed in texas ||
05/27/2014 7:47 Comments ||
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The Philippines said Monday three Filipinos had been convicted of espionage in Qatar, with one sentenced to death and the others to life in jail.
The trio were sentenced last month by a local court for selling information deemed threatening to Qatarâs national security, foreign department spokesman Charles Jose said.
âWe are extending legal assistance to them as the case goes through an appeals court,â Jose said. âOne of the three was meted death penalty, and the (other) two life (imprisonment).â
The identities of the three and the circumstances surrounding the case could not be made available due to the sensitivity of the case, Jose said.
Phone calls to Qatarâs embassy in Manila went unanswered on Monday morning.
An estimated 10 million Filipinos, or about a 10th of the population, live and work abroad, including many thousands in the Middle East.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] The Rapid Action Battalion authorities have decided not to engage its personnel in any additional duties including search, guard or patrol in addition to the duties the elite force has been tasked with.
"In future, RAB will not perform the duties additional to the seven specific duties we are tasked with, unless the government asks us or we feel so," Wing Commander ATM Habibur Rahman, director of RAB's legal and media wing, said.
The decision was made at a meeting held last week at the RAB headquarters, chaired by its chief.
"We feel that guarding tender boxes, controlling traffic, setting up check posts at entrances of the capitals, intervening in issues relating to land, money and family matters, and guarding cultural functions are not part of our duties," he said.
"Now RAB will concentrate to its own tasks," Habib said.
Crossfires and encounters are going up!
Asked about the reasons behind making such a decision, the RAB official said: "Additional duties create extra problems. Sometimes a section of RAB officials get involved in illicit acts causing image crisis for the whole force."
In response to another query, he admitted that the seven murders in Narayanganj prompted them to make such a decision.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Belgium Sherlocks on Monday probed a possible terrorist link in a fatal weekend shooting by a lone gunman at the Jewish Museum in Brussels that has shocked the world.
The inquiry over the shooting, which killed three people outright and left a young man brain dead, was initially opened for murder and attempted "murder with premeditation."
On Monday the inquiry was transferred to the federal public prosecutor's office authorized to handle terrorist cases and spokeswoman Wenke Roggen said a probe had been opened into "terrorist" liquidation.
Police analysis of images from the surveillance cameras at the museum show "a man killing in cold blood ... with great determination," Roggen said.
"These facts combined with the fact that the shooting lasted less than a minute and a half leads us to think there may be a terrorist motive," she told a news conference.
Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Ine Van Wymersch said the decision to transfer the case was based on "the identity and nationality of the victims".
The victims included an Israeli couple in their 50s said to be working for the government, Miriam and Emmanuel Riva.
He was said by Belgian and Israeli news reports to have once worked for Nativ, a government agency that played a covert role in fostering Jewish immigration from the former Soviet Union.
Along with Israel's foreign intelligence agency, Mossad, and its domestic security equivalent, Shin Bet, the Nativ agency was under the authority of the prime minister's office.
All four victims of the shooting, which included a French woman who did volunteer work at the museum and the 24-year-old Belgian museum employee said to be brain dead, were hit by bullets to the face and neck.
The young Belgian was said by Jewish leaders to have died Sunday of injuries in the Saturday afternoon shooting but Van Wymersch said he was still alive but "clinically dead."
Three chilling security camera videos show the gunman, wearing a cap and sunglasses, but with his features hard to make out, walk into the museum entrance, remove a Kalashnikov-style automatic rifle from a bag and then shoot through a door before making an exit.
Van Wymersch refused to confirm or deny reports that a camera was strapped to one of the two bags he was carrying, enabling him to film the attack in the same way as did Mohammed Merah, the Frenchie who rubbed out several Jews in Toulouse ...lies on the banks of the River Garonne, half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. The Toulouse metropolitan area is the fourth-largest in La Belle France... two years ago.
The Derniere Heure tabloid on Monday quoted a source close to the inquiry as saying: "We fear a new Merah."
"The priority of priorities is to find this man. He must be tossed in the calaboose Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! and stopped," said Belgian Home Affairs Minister Joelle Milquet.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] A Turkish court on Monday ordered the arrest of four former Israeli military chiefs over a deadly 2010 maritime assault, in a move which could jeopardize reconciliation efforts between the countries.
The court in Istanbul will ask Interpol to issue international arrest warrants for four men involved in a deadly raid on a Gazoo-bound aid ship, Cihat Gokdemir, a lawyer working on the case, told Agence La Belle France Presse.
The ruling is part of an ongoing criminal trial in absentia of the four men on charges brought by aid group IHH
...raided only a few months ago by Turkish police for links to Al Qaeda, and turned back by Syrian troops for sending convoys of arms deliveries disguised as humanitarian aid to Salafist factions in the civil war...
and the victims' families in 2012, which has been denounced as a "show" by Israel.
Israel is never going to get her desired return to normalization with Turkey. Prime Minister Erdogan's Islamist pride would never allow it. Ynet adds:
Turkey surprised at Israeli raid
In an interview with HĂźrriyet, Turkey's ambassador to Israel at the time said Ankara was surprised by the way the IDF chose to stop the flotilla from reaching the Gazoo Strip.
"Obviously, we were not expecting Israel to let the humanitarian aid reach Gazoo, but we thought the intervention method would be different," OÄuz Ăelikkol said.
"We thought Israel would intervene in the flotilla, but we were expecting a more pacific intervention; perhaps to make the shipâs propeller malfunction, or to wait until it reached Israeli territorial waters and then issue a warning," he told HĂźrriyet.
Ăelikkol raised the possibility Israel received bad intelligence "about the possible presence of weapons on the ship, or about the fact that there could have been armed resistance to their intervention."
He speculated an Egyptian, who was on board the Mavi Marama and decided not to fly back to Turkey with the rest of the people on board the flotilla, was an Egyptian intelligence agent.
"At that time it was a known fact that Egypt was very concerned about Turkeyâs increased visibility in the region. This is a theory that comes to the fore when we investigate why Israel intervened so violently on the ship," the former ambassador told HĂźrriyet.
Ăelikkol noted the crisis in Israel-Turkey relations was expected following Israel's 2009 Operation Cast Lead in the Gazoo Strip.
"There was serious dialogue going on between Israel and Syria via Turkey. Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister at that time, came to Turkey and then the operation in Gazoo took place one week later. This certainly had a negative effect on the Turkish side," he said.
When asked about reconciliation between the two countries, Ăelikkol said he believed normalization was possible.
"These crises have left deep scars on both nations. They will take time to heal. Israel has apologized and there seems to be a general agreement on the final details," he said.
"TurkishâIsraeli relations need to normalize, especially now that the Middle East is passing through very difficult times. But normalization of relations does not mean that Turkey will give up its support for the Paleostinians, or that the military dimension of relations will continue."
"...Or at least semi-sorta normalize, anyway," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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#4
I know the background (local coup -> intervention), but this will establish a precedent for some court in Athens to issue an arrest warrant over the Turkish action in Cyprus. Show and theater for everyone.
[An Nahar] A Mohammedan organization on Monday sued Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his front man for libel for linking the group to Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,, which Canada lists as a banned terrorist organization.
The National Council of Canadian Mohammedans (NCCM), which filed the claim in Ontario Superior Court, had asked the prime minister's office in January to bar a rabbi accused of links to an American anti-Mohammedan "hate group" from Harper's first official trip to Israel, the West Bank and Jordan.
Harper front man Jason MacDonald responded by saying: "We will not take seriously criticism from an organization with documented ties to a terrorist organization such as Hamas."
The comment was made to a Canadian media outlet.
Hamas has been a banned group in Canada since 2002.
NCCM asked for a retraction and an apology, but none were forthcoming, prompting Monday's lawsuit.
"This false accusation against the NCCM is of the most serious kind imaginable and was made in an attempt to discredit the NCCM and undermine its ability to conduct its public work," NCCM executive director Ihsaan Gardee said in a statement.
"In order to uphold its good name, the NCCM has no choice but to issue a statement of claim for defamation against Mr. MacDonald and the prime minister," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Huh. Apparently Canada's the last remaining common-law country where politicians can practically be sued for political libel. Somehow I suspect this may be the impetus for slamming that particular door shut. In any sane legal system, filing a suit of this nature would be grounds for disbarment. Well, repeatedly doing so - in general, discipline boards are notoriously loathe to crack down on instances of barratry, unless it's a decades-long pattern of behavior.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
05/27/2014 9:42 Comments ||
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#2
And the NCCM is sure that no zakat money made it to Hamas? It will come out in court. Be careful what you ask for.
The White House is scrambling to contain the damage from inadvertently outing the top CIA official in Afghanistan, a rare blunder that potentially puts that individual at risk.
The official's name, identified as "chief of station," was included in the White House press office's basic list of senior officials President Obama met with during his surprise visit to Afghanistan on Sunday. The list of 15 names apparently came first from the military, and was circulated by the White House press office
"There's simply no excuse for it," John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, told Fox News on Tuesday, saying the blunder left him "speechless." Yet, he managed to find something to say!
"In a White House that is filled with press flacks ... was there no one who understood the significance of what they were doing?" he said. "Somebody's head should roll for this. ... This is utter incompetence." Amateurs. All around. Champ building his legacy with a surprise visit to the troops.
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/27/2014 13:17 ||
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#1
Deosnt put that individual at risk - it puts those who had contact with him at risk regardless of whether they are working for the CIA or not.
Im so tired of the press giving a pass to these stupid fucks in the the White House. Had this been a Republican, they would have been shouting from the rooftops about negligence, carelessness, and incompetence. The press need to be made to pay for their silence and complicity - a hard and personal price would be the best lesson.
#2
The media are bought and will stay with the dems as that is not only their religion, but also their fortunes are tied to them. If they go down (and they are) the media goes down with them.
[DAWN] Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the founder of the Jamaat-ud-Dawa ...the front organization of Lashkar-e-Taiba... (JuD), on Sunday asked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... not to attend the oath-taking ceremony of India's prime minister-elect Narindra Modi as it would be a betrayal to the Kashmire cause and would hurt millions of Mohammedans in Jammu and Kashmire and other parts of the gargantuan eastern neighbour where Mohammedans lives in large numbers.
"I will advise Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif not to sit beside Narindra Modi who is the killer of thousands of Mohammedans of India as it will bleed the cause of Kashmire's freedom and irreparably hurt the sentiments of Kashmiris and millions of other Mohammedans living in India," said Hafiz Muhammad Saeed ...who would be wearing a canvas jacket with very long sleeves anyplace but Pakistain... while addressing a rally titled 'Takbeer convention' outside the Quaid's mausoleum to mark the 16th anniversary of nuclear tests conducted by Pakistain.
The fiery ...a single two-syllable word carrying connotations of both incoherence and viciousness. A fiery delivery implies an audience of rubes and yokels, preferably forming up into a mob... leader of the JuD was standing on a stage made up of containers full of the group's cadres and leaders in the backdrop of a large banner showing everything eulogising the country's defence more prominently the ballistic missiles like Ghauri, Shaheen, Ghaznavi and Babur, submarines, armada and fighter jets.
Just beneath the floor of the stage another banner was prominently read as: "An atomic Pakistain guarantees security to Pakistain and the rest of the Ummah."
Calling the PM's decision to visit India as 'hasty', Hafiz Muhammad Saeed said the people wanted to see a Nawaz Sharif of May 1998 who, despite all pressures, lucrative offers and threats, decided to conduct nuclear tests to offer a 'befitting reply to Banya India'.
He said the prime minister was 'an ambassador for Kashmiris and the Mohammedans of India' and he should not go to India. However, death is not the end. There remains the litigation over the estate... the JuD leader was ready to give a positive nod to Mr Sharif's visit to New Delhi but not without certain conditions.
"If it is so important for you to attend Modi's oath-taking ceremony, then you should represent the Kashmiris and Indian Mohammedans who are at present are suffering persecution. You should pronounce that you will not allow to build Ram Mandir in place of Babri Masjid, you will have to oppose the Indian authorities decision against the slaughter of cow and all other issues, which directly relate to Mohammedans' faith."
Besides, he went on, "You make Modi to accept that Kashmire's fate will be decided only as enshrined in the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... resolution".
Otherwise, he warned, the issues would get worse, the situation will deteriorate and the whole Pakistain will make you accountable for. "Everything over Kashmire should be done openly and we don't accept any back-channel diplomacy."
He said the election of Mr Modi in India and 'imminent' coming into power of Abdullah Abdullah ... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun... in Afghanistan was a part of a big conspiracy perpetrated by the United States and its allies La Belle France and the United Kingdom, who "want to punish Pakistain for their worst defeat in Afghanistan".
He held India and the US responsible for the unrest in Pakistain.
"Our enemies want to malign Pak forces and ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) before their people. Especially India has longstanding designs to create endless disarray in our country."
He said the army chief, General Raheel Sharif, should remember that the army owed to the Quaid-e-Azam whose order to protect Kashmiris was not obeyed 67 years ago. "It is time to act in the light of Quaid-e-Azam's orders and vision," he said.
He lauded former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto ...9th PM of Pakistain from 1973 to 1977, and 4th President of Pakistain from 1971 to 1973. He was the founder of the Pakistain Peoples Party (PPP). His eldest daughter, Benazir Bhutto, would also serve as hereditary PM. In a coup led by General Zia-ul-Haq, Bhutto was removed from office and was executed in 1979 for authorizing the murder of a political opponent... and governments came subsequently for launching the country's nuclear programme and stuck to it till the capability was successfully achieved through tests on May 28, 1998.
Sahibzada Awais Noorani, leader of the Jamaat Ulema-e-Pakistain, Asadullah Bhutto of the 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... , Chun Zaib of the Pakistain Mohammedan League-Nawaz, Hafeezuddin of the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... and local leaders of several other groups and parties also spoke.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The Supreme Court on Monday directed the Director General Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Secretary Interior to investigate objectionable banners and posters on the roads of federal capital against Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja and submit a detailed report in 24 hours.
The two-member bench comprising Justice Khawaja and Justice Gulzar Ahmed resumed hearing of a petition filed by the Independent Media Corporation (IMC) on behalf of Geo Network against negative propaganda by other TV channels and to resume its transmission on cable TV networks.
The court remarked that if unknown people can post banners in the red zone of the federal capital then they can do some other dangerous work which could be harmful for the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] In the backdrop of an attack on life of Hamid Mir -- senior journalist and anchorperson -- Geo TV network and Jang media group on Monday tendered apology to Pakistain's armed forces and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for hurling allegations on ISI chief Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam.
In a published apology in English daily The News and Urdu newspaper Jang, the media group clarified that they were respectful of Pak forces and its leadership.
"We have always appreciated their sacrifices to safeguard our borders and the security of our country," said the apology letter.
The media group clarified that the allegations were not hurled by the institution but by Hamid Mir himself and later repeated by his brother soon after the attack in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... .
Mir had repeatedly held ISI or some elements within its ranks for orchestrating the attack on his life. The senior anchorperson had said in his first media interaction that he was being threatened to leave the country by the same elements who he alleged were behind the attack.
"After serious retrospection, editorial debates, feedback and engagement with all parties, directly and indirectly, we have concluded that our coverage immediately after the tragic and unnerving attack on Hamid Mir on April 19 was excessive, distressful and emotional," said the group in today's apology.
The media giant accepted that the coverage of the incident was "misleading, disproportionate and inappropriate giving impression of a campaign," although it followed current media practices including the version of armed forces with photo of DG ISPR televised repeatedly.
The group apologised to the ISI, its chief Lt Gen Zaheerul Islam, his family, Pakistain Army and large number of television viewers for causing "deep hurt."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Did the ISI promise not to kill Hamid Mir in exchange for Mir's promise not to report the truth about the ISI in the future?
Israel on Monday approved plans for 50 new homes for Israelis in annexed east Jerusalem as Pope Francis wrapped up a visit to the region, city officials said.
"The municipality has given the green light to build 50 new housing units in five buildings in Har Homa," city councillor Yosef Pepe Alalu told AFP.
Har Homa is a settlement neighbourhood in the southern sector of Arab east Jerusalem which was occupied by Israel during the 1967 Six-Day War then annexed.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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Geographics and superior weaponry trumps Paleo "demands" and demographics, Bitches!
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/27/2014 17:48 Comments ||
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The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement signed hours before a visit last month by President Barack Obama will allow thousands of US troops to be temporarily based in Philippines for the first time in more than 20 years.
Possibly WoT related given the MILF but more likely prompted by new Chinese aggressiveness in the South China Sea...
Two former senators, lawyers and activists asked the Philippine Supreme Court on Monday to rule on the constitutionality of an agreement with the United States that gives the American military greater access to bases across the country. They also urged the court to halt the pact's implementation until it issues a ruling.
Sure. Whatever. You don't want us there, no problem, let's tear up the agreement. We'll go back to Guam and Hawaii, and you can deal with the Chinese on your own...
The Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement signed hours before a visit last month by President Barack Obama will allow thousands of US troops to be temporarily based in Philippines for the first time in more than 20 years, signaling closer cooperation in the allies' hot-and-cold relationship that has been shaped over the decades by war, terrorism and now, jitters over China's growing military might and assertiveness.
Former Senators Rene Saguisag and Wigberto Tanada â two of 12 senators who voted to kick the US military bases out of the Philippines in 1991 â and 10 taxpayers filed the petition, suing five officials including President Benigno Aquino III's defense, foreign affairs, budget and executive secretaries and the armed forces chief of staff for abuse of discretion.
The petition says the 10-year agreement violates the constitutional ban against the presence of foreign military bases or troops in the country except under a treaty approved by two-thirds of all Senate members. The constitution also says if Congress requires, the agreement should be ratified by majority of Filipinos in a referendum, and recognized as a treaty by the other contracting state.
"Not only is the EDCA a violation of the Philippine Constitution, it also does not provide any substantial, long-term real benefit, much less distinct advantage or improvement in our position vis-Ă -vis the United States," the petition said.
It said the agreement was wrongly framed as a furtherance of the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty and the 1998 Visiting Forces Agreement and so evading the constitutional requirement for concurrence of the Senate.
But the petition said the 1951 treaty was superseded by the 1987 Constitution and "its express renunciation of war as an instrument of national policy." And the presence of US troops under the new agreement goes beyond "visiting," ruling out the 1998 agreement as an anchor, the petition said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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See also RELATED TOPIX > [Honolulu Advertiser] PHILIPPINES INSISTS US MILITARY ACCORD IS LEGAL.
Something has to give, as China is NOT going to give up its territorial claims, its domination or control of the SCS, + its "post-US" Manifest Destiny.
China covertly may had already won given whom is in the US White House, i.e. POTUS-OBAMA-THE-LOUSY/POOR-PRO-US-NATIONALIST BUT ONE-HELLUVA-OUTSTANDING-ANTI-US-GLOBALIST.
Speaking of the Bammer + OWG Globalism ...
* TOPIX > [SCMP] CHINESE BEHAVIOUR IN ASIAN SEAS DRIVES FOR "MONROE DOCTRINE" OF ITS OWN.
Ditto Rising Iran + Putinist Russia in the Crimea.
* WORLD NEWS > [Pravda] RUSSIA WILL NOT GIVE CRIMEA BACK TO UKRAINE EVER.
Clearly this Pravda Artic means E-V-A-R!
To once again paraph THE SEARCHERS' WARD BOND =
D *** NG IT, NOT, NOT, SPELLED N-O-T-T-E - NOT!
The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and the Civis Institute invite you to attend a public debate on June 13, 2014 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
Two of the country's top collegiate debate programs - Georgetown University and the University of Michigan - will square off on one of the most contested foreign policy issues of our day.
The teams will debate whether or not the United States should use military force against Iran if nuclear diplomacy fails. The debate will be followed by comments from Dr. Colin Kahl, senior fellow and director of the Middle East Security Program at CNAS, and a moderated Q&A with the debate teams. CNAS is excited to host this event to support our mission to elevate and shape the debate on this key national security issue and promote the next generation of national security leaders.
RSVP
#2
We'll know nuclear diplomacy has failed when they try to nuke Israel. Until that point, being products of the bazaar, the Medes and Persians will continue "negotiating".
So the world has lost it's second six million Jews in living memory... and those training to become this nation's security leaders will discuss whether or not something ought to be done, maybe?! There is no level of Hell deep enough, no iron stools hot enough, no intestinal rakes toothed enough.
Iran's Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base on May 25 unveiled two new home-made command and control systems named 'Fakour' (Thoughtful) and 'Rassoul' (Messenger) as well as Matla ol-Fajr (Dawn) radar system in a ceremony participated by commander of the Base Brigadier General Farzad Esmayeeli and some other high-raking commanders.
I'm betting the Israelis already know how to turn it off whenever required...
The tactical command and control systems, Fakour and Rassoul, can collect information from all databases and information gathering centers linked to the air defense system, passive and active radars, missile systems and adjacent command and control centers to provide an integrated image and map of the region to command and control all land-based and air-based defense systems fully independently, Iran's Fars news agency reported.
The two systems are mobile and can be deployed in any region and under harsh geographical conditions and have a wide range of applications in electronic warfare. Utilizing an exclusive microwave network and the national fiber-optic and wired and wireless communication network as well as real-time assurance of target interception and destruction are among other capabilities of these smart systems.
Also during the ceremony, the air defense base unveiled the Matla ol-Fajr tactical and local radar communication system which provides a secure and stable tactical communication. The system transmits audio and data to the nearest defense units and command and control centers.
Information encryption, connection to national communication network, increasing the speed and preciseness of defense networks in transmitting battle-ground radar information to command-and-control centers and establishing multi-layer communications for short, middle and long distances are among the other capabilities of this system.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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"Fakour" (P-Shop)
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/27/2014 18:18 Comments ||
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The Jordanian government said on Monday it has declared Syria's ambassador to Amman, Bahjat Suleiman, a persona non grata and asked him to leave the kingdom within 24 hours.
"The government considers the Syrian ambassador to Jordan persona non grata and demanded he leave the country within 24 hours," state-run Petra news agency reported, quoting foreign ministry spokeswoman Sabah Rafi.
"The decision comes after Suleiman's repeated insults to Jordan and its leadership, institutions and citizens, through his meetings, writings and social media websites," she said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/27/2014 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[DAWN] 
[MAGHAREBIA] Reformed jihadists, researchers and members of civil society met in Casablanca last week to discuss religious discourse.
[An Nahar] Belgium 
The White House is scrambling to contain the damage from inadvertently outing the top CIA official in Afghanistan, a rare blunder that potentially puts that individual at risk. 
Israel on Monday approved plans for 50 new homes for Israelis in annexed east Jerusalem as Pope Francis wrapped up a visit to the region, city officials said.
