[AnNahar] The International Committee of the Red Thingy said Thursday it was temporarily freezing its operations in Libya to assess the security situation after a Swiss staffer was killed by gunnies.
"We are freezing movement (of personnel) for the time being to analyze the situation so we can adapt our operations," ICRC front man David-Pierre Marquet told AFP, stressing there were no plans to permanently halt operations in Libya.
The announcement came a day after Michael Greub, a 42-year-old Swiss citizen heading the ICRC's office in Libya's third city Misrata, was killed by gunnies in Sirte, some 200 kilometers (125 miles) further along the coast.
Greub had been leaving a meeting with two colleagues when the attackers shot at their vehicle at "point-blank" range, ICRC front man Wolde Saugeron said Wednesday.
Greub's two colleagues emerged unscathed from the attack.
"They were very lucky," Marquet said, stressing that the security situation in the country was of deep concern.
Greub's death came just a week after a local 23-year-old Red Thingy employee was murdered in Benghazi, he pointed out.
"If our aid workers' lives are in danger, we have to try to adapt our structure, our way of working" to protect them, he said.
The ICRC counts some 30 expatriate staff members and around 150 local staff in Libya.
The organization will surely reduce its footprint somewhat following its evaluation, Marquet said, adding that the aim was to complete the review quickly so operations could resume.
He said the ICRC had been surprised by the attack, since "Sirte is rather calm -- it's not like Benghazi -- and we received no indication that an incident like this might occur."
Greub and his colleagues were not traveling in a marked vehicle, so it was unclear if ICRC was the intended target or if the attack was random, Marquet said.
"We're trying to understand why this happened," he said.
The neutral, Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... -based ICRC specializes in providing aid in conflict zones and overseeing respect for the Geneva Conventions on warfare, such as the treatment of prisoners.
In 2012, it put a temporary freeze on operations in Misrata and the eastern city of Benghazi after unidentified gunnies attacked its Misrata compound. There were no casualties in that attack.
[AnNahar] Egypt approved new punishments Thursday for sexual harassment, amid rising pressure on authorities to fight the rampant phenomenon.
Until now, Egypt has not had a law defining sexual harassment, despite more than 99 percent of women being subjected to some form of abuse, a 2013 study by the United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... said.
But outgoing interim president Adly Mansour approved a range of amendments Thursday that would punish offenses against women.
These would include jail terms, fines, or both.
Any sexual or pornographic suggestions or hints through words, signs or acts are now punishable by imprisonment for at least six months.
Such acts could also carry fines of between 3,000 Egyptian pounds (about $419/307 euros) and 5,000 pounds.
If sexual harassment is "committed with the aim of obtaining sexual advantages from the victim," offenders can be enjugged Book 'im, Mahmoud! for at least one year and fined 10,000-20,000 pounds.
Imprisonment for from two to five years and fine of 20,000-50,000 pounds would apply if offenders use professional, family or academic power or circumstantial pressures on the victim.
An activists brushed off the penalties.
They "are of no value" because they give the judge the right to choose between a fine or jail, said Fathi Farid, a founder of the "I Saw Harassment" campaign that documents sexual harassment of women.
He also said they were "not enough for cases involving sexual assaults by mobs."
Since the 2011 uprising that ousted president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... , Egypt has witnessed a jump in sexual assault, with women even attacked by mobs of young men in the middle of demonstrations.
In March, a sexual harassment case at a leading university sparked outrage after the dean suggested it was sparked by what the woman was wearing.
[AnNahar] Four U.N. staffers have been roughed up by the security detail at Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... airport after being briefly detained for alleged arms smuggling, the U.N. chief of mission in Libya said Thursday.
The unidentified foreigners were "held for questioning by the security brigade... for an hour and a half and roughed up" Wednesday night, Tarek Mitri told a presser in the capital.
Mitri denounced the "unacceptable" treatment of the men, who he said have diplomatic immunity.
The men were carrying arms licensed by the interior ministry and were returning from the eastern town of Al-Baida, where they had traveled to prepare a visit by Mitri.
Separately, Mitri complained that a senior U.N. official had been briefly detained, and his papers confiscated, after he recently went to attend a court hearing.
He said the incident occurred at Tripoli's Al-Hadhba complex, where officials from the regime of slain dictator Muammar Qadaffy ...The late megalomaniac dictator of Libya, admired everywhere for his garish costumes, funny hats, harem of cutie bodyguards, and incoherent ravings. As far as is known, he is the only person who's ever declared jihad on Switzerland... are being held and tried.
Wednesday night's incident came hours after a senior Swiss staffer of the Red Thingy was bumped off in the city of Sirte, Qadaffy's hometown on the central coast.
Libya has descended into almost total lawlessness since the 2011 uprising that ousted Qadaffy. The government has almost no power over the many armed brigades that fought to overthrow the dictator and have since carved out their own spheres of influence.
The North African nation is the scene of frequent killings, which have not spared foreign officials, diplomats and aid workers.
[AnNahar] Egyptian prosecutors on Thursday demanded the "maximum" penalty, ranging from 15 to 25 years in jail, for all 20 defendants in the trial of 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... journalists accused of aiding the blacklisted Moslem Brüderbund.
Australian journalist Peter Greste and two other detained news hounds with Qatar-based Al-Jazeera English are among the accused, in a trial that has triggered international outrage amid growing fears of media restrictions in Egypt.
"We request that the court, without compassion or mercy, apply the maximum penalty for the abominable crimes they have committed ... Mercy for such (people) will bring the entire society close to darkness," prosecutor Mohammed Barakat told the court.
"Al-Jazeera is the master in the art of fraud," Barakat said as he wrapped up the prosecution's argument.
The prosecution has charged the 16 Egyptian defendants with joining the Moslem Brüderbund, which authorities have designated a "terrorist group."
The four foreign defendants in the case, including Greste, are charged with "spreading false news", collaborating and assisting the Egyptian defendants in their crimes by providing media material, editing and publishing it on the Internet and Al-Jazeera.
Nine of the 20 defendants are in detention, while others are being tried in absentia, including three foreign news hounds who are abroad.
The 16 Egyptians could be handed prison terms of 25 years, while the four foreigners could be tossed in the slammer Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! for 15 years, according to defense lawyer Ibrahim Abdel Wahab.
The trial is part of a relentless crackdown by the authorities installed by former army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who won last week's presidential election, against the Moslem Brüderbund since he ousted 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... last July.
Retired field marshal Sisi has been the de facto ruler since Morsi, the country's first freely elected president was tossed. Sisi was elected president in a May 26-28 election with 96.91 percent of the vote, crushing his sole rival, leftist leader Hamdeen Sabbahi.
Since the July 3 ouster of Morsi, more than 1,400 people have been killed in a police crackdown, mostly his Islamist supporters, while more than 15,000 have been tossed in the slammer Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! . Hundreds of them have been sentenced to death sentences after speedy trials.
Greste and Mohammed Fadel Fahmy, the Cairo bureau chief of Al-Jazeera English, were jugged Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! in a hotel room in the capital on December 29 after the channel's office was raided by police.
The authorities have previously said that the accused were operating in Egypt without any valid media accreditation.
Greste and Fahmy were in a caged dock on Thursday along with seven co-defendants, including some young students who have collaborated occasionally with the network.
Greste, Fahmy and others have regularly denounced the trial as "unfair" and "political, charging that the evidence against them has been "fabricated".
"Everything about this trial is a shame... nothing about this case makes any sense," Fahmy said from the caged dock on Thursday.
"We are treated worse than rapists and killers. We are victims, we are paying a political price."
Greste and Fahmy had requested to be released on bail several times in previous sessions only to be rejected, while some co-defendants have often claimed to have been tortured in prison.
The trial comes against the backdrop of strained ties between Cairo and Doha.
Egypt's interim government, which considers Al-Jazeera as the voice of Qatar, accuses Doha of backing Morsi's Moslem Brüderbund, while Doha openly denounces the repression of the ousted president's supporters.
Several Brotherhood leaders have fled to Doha following Morsi's ouster, and some often appear on Al-Jazeera talk shows.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
06/06/2014 00:00 ||
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A Libyan lawmaker says the country's intelligence chief has resigned amid an intensifying power struggle between the Islamist-dominated parliament and a rival, interim government.
Mohammed al-Arisha says spy chief Salem al-Hassi submitted his resignation to the parliament on Thursday.
The al-Wasat news portal says al-Hassi resigned because he was frustrated with parliament's insisting on appointing a new prime minister in a contested vote.
Al-Hassi could not be reached to confirm the report.
The appointment of Premier Ahmed Maiteg by parliament last month added to Libya's crisis after incumbent premier, Abdullah Al-Thinni, refused to hand over his post, insisting the judiciary should resolve the issue.
The conflict over the post comes as rogue Gen. Khalifa Hifter is an offensive against Islamist militias.
Australia will no longer describe east Jerusalem as "occupied" territory, the country's attorney-general told the Senate on Thursday, signaling a significant policy shift welcomed in Israel.
"The description of east Jerusalem as 'Occupied East Jerusalem' is a term freighted with pejorative implications, which is neither appropriate nor useful," George Brandis said, reading out a statement written following a conversation with Australia's Foreign Minister Julie Bishop.
[Ynet] Masked, armed police special forces guarded Mehdi Nemmouche as he appeared in a Versailles court Thursday. The 29-year-old is believed to have had contact with Islamic turbans in Syria. He was nabbed You have the right to remain silent... last week in the probe into the May 24 killings.
In court, Nemmouche said he didn't consent to the extradition based on a European arrest warrant. The refusal was likely to prolong the process as authorities explore options.
His lawyer says there's no proof that his client was the shooter and argues that he should be tried in La Belle France because he is a French citizen and French authorities are equally competent.
[Ynet] Nine European countries endorsed plans on Thursday to step up intelligence-sharing and take down radical websites to try to stop European citizens going to fight in Syria and bringing violence back home with them.
The initiative by states that deem themselves most affected by jihadist violence was given new urgency by the killing of three people at the Jewish Museum in Brussels last month.
A 29-year-old Frenchieincarcerated Book 'im, Mahmoud! on suspicion of the shooting is believed to have recently returned from fighting with Salafist tough guys in Syria's civil war, authorities said.
The deal to free Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for five Taliban detainees held by the U.S. military nixed a broader effort by the Department of Defense to include other U.S. citizens held by the Taliban and its allies, a top congressional aide said Thursday.
This wasn't about a trade, this was about setting a precedent to empty Gitmo in defiance of a clear law that says Champ can't empty Gitmo without the consent of Congress. Champ wants to empty Gitmo. That's what this is all about. Getting Sgt. Bergdahl in "exchange" was supposed to be the fig leaf that would quiet the Pentagon and the Republicans -- look see, we got one of our boys out.
The Department of Defense had a "broader goal" of including Caitlan Coleman of York , Pa., her baby who was born in captivity and her Canadian husband, Joshua Boyle, in a deal to free Bergdahl, said Joe Kasper, chief of staff to Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif., who sits on the House Armed Services Committee.
Among Americans held captive is Warren Weinstein, a contractor from Rockville, Md., who was abducted in 2011 in Pakistan and is detained by al-Qaeda militants aligned with the Taliban.
All of these Americans are more worthy of our attention than Sgt. Bergdahl. But Champ will try to use these Americans as pawns, as an excuse to free more mooks from Gitmo, just watch and see...
"The DoD was looking at this in the whole scope of things, to deal with these people as well," Kasper told USA TODAY in an interview. "Instead of five for one, why not five for five?"
"I don't know how far they'd gotten in pursuing this broader goal," Kasper said.
In a letter sent Monday to President Obama, Hunter said the Defense Department plan, which Hunter said did not have time to materialize before negotiations headed by the State Department gained Bergdahl's release, did not include a prisoner exchange.
"Now a situation has been created whereby prisoner exchanges â specifically disproportionate exchanges â are viewed by the Taliban and other aligned forces as achievable," Hunter said.
Paleos learned this with Israel where 100:1 or 1000:1 exchanges are now the norm...
Marie Harf, a spokeswoman for the State Department, said Thursday the idea of negotiating for the release of civilian hostages was never seriously discussed. "It is longstanding U.S. policy not to make concessions to hostage-takers," Harf said.
Not anymore...
The exchange for Bergdahl was consistent with that policy because he was "a combatant detained in the course of an armed conflict," and "not a hostage," Harf said. "His status as a missing or captured soldier is distinct from someone who, for example, may be a civilian hostage."
I'm sure that's a fine point for some folks who are good with words, but to most of us it's a point that lacks a distinction...
Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, a Pentagon spokesman, said Thursday that he's "not comfortable commenting on what a congressman says that reveals classified information."
Breasseale said he's "totally unaware" of any intelligence analysis that concluded the Bergdahl Taliban swap would cause "a raised threat" to other U.S. personnel.
Asked about efforts to free other U.S. captives, another Pentagon spokesperson, Navy Cmdr. Amy Derrick-Frost, said the Defense Department continues to work with other government agencies to secure the safe return of Americans whose lives are at risk or who are held unlawfully abroad.
Bergdahl's release last weekend has prompted renewed calls from the families of other U.S. detainees in Afghanistan, Iran, North Korea and Cuba to ask why the United States has not obtained their loved ones' freedom as well.
A good point, but remember they're just civilians...
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/06/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, a Pentagon spokesman, said Thursday that he's "not comfortable commenting on what a congressman says that reveals classified information."
Inartfully stated I'd say. Perhaps the colonel should remember who funds his wages and signs the promotion lists.
#2
If the power pendulum swings the other way to the degree it is out of wack now, I suspect that Congress will create its own version of those DoD promotion boards to examine the lists sent over from the Potomac. If you think SCOTUS nominations are interesting, just wait till the senior billet nominations get the same attention. Failing to adhere to a concept of integrity (by resigning or retiring), they've earned it.
#3
Reporter James Rosen appears to have acquired some interesting US Intelligence (USI) SITREPS on Bergdahl. The reports tell of a Bergdahl religious conversion and trips to the Taliban rifle range. I'll go way out on a limb and assume these reports were not provided by the White House situation room or the regime ?
Beware of aging former Klingon contractors with large rolodexes and long memories.
#4
We have no way of knowing whether those reports Rosen made are true, but I doubt he's lying - quite possibly being lied to and passing it on though. If so, who's generating the lie and why? Some clown wanting to feel important? Some kind of disinformation program with a legitimate intelligence purpose? Or just one more 'look - shiny!' - distraction by someone in the WH?
#5
Other reporting indicated attempts to escape, recaptures, iron cages, fighting, etc. Appears the reporting captures multiple activities [not just trips to the range] which might indicate some level of unbiased credibility. The reports appear to be numbered. Are the numbers Julian dates ?
WILLIE GEIST: Help us out here. We've laid out all the facts. We've talked to a lot of people over the last several days. It feels like there's something missing at the center of this story. I think everyone here -- Republican, Democrat, whoever you are -- wants to believe that there's something grand here, that there's some other plan. But it doesn't appear there is. What are we missing?
CHUCK TODD: I have to say, I think this is all about Gitmo. Everything about this has been about Gitmo, and finally we heard an Obama administration official yesterday, Marie Harf, one of the spokespeople at the State Department, for the first time said something on the record that I had been hearing on background and off the record is, "We had to get something for these guys because we were eventually going to have to release them anyway." And she said this on the record, and it goes back to -- and I wanted to sort of second something that I heard Bill say, which is, this is about Gitmo. The entire PR attempt on the weekend was about almost deflecting what they anticipated to be a sharp political fight about the decision to start releasing Gitmo detainees starting with these five -- and in this case they decided to quote, unquote get something for these five -- and I think they anticipated that fight so they thought well, let's do a rally-around-the-flag moment. We know that there was certainly a bipartisan group of members of Congress who wanted Bergdahl released.
But this is why I've been sort of awestruck over the last six days, which is many ways the shiny metal object here has been Bergdahl when really I think the entire motivation is starting the emptying out of Gitmo and starting this decision, which is going to be a very difficult process politically. We've seen how difficult it's been. The president, on his second day in office, signed that executive order with some flourish, and, of course, within a month, Mitch McConnell and a lot of other senators, not just Republicans, but a lot of other senators were essentially trying to stop this. So, I think this whole thing has been about starting the emptying of Gitmo and then doing that PR campaign, they thought, well, let's deflect the debate a little bit, and let's see if we can lower the temperature of the Gitmo debate.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/06/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Yes, clearly about GITMO and Champ's legacy. We're already aware of what the regime thinks of soldiers and veterans. Appears Bergdahl was, as the article suggests, little more than public relations theater, another grand deflection. Unfortunately, regime decision makers [in their rush to pump up falling poll numbers] failed to take into account a few 'not so minor' details regarding Bergdahl. Now a new cover-up must be undertaken.
Attention to detail has never been a regime strong suite. They continue to foul their beds in denial, exchanging sheets with on another to begin anew.
#2
I am sure the whitehouse will begin to suggest that any additional criticism will force them to release the remaining Gitmo inmates into the US. So back off and let us screw America in our own leftist way.
#3
A belligerent adolescent can sometimes be controlled by a cutting off of allowances and funding. Too bad our Congress cannot employ a similar tactic against a recalcitrant, boldfaced liar and corrupt regime. Makes one curious about activities behind the curtain.
#5
A little bit hard with Baron Reid running the Senate, demanding an omnibus funding bill. Maybe if any time in the future the Trunks have control of both houses, we can go back to the old republic operation of sending individual funding bills to the WH. He can veto them, but then their his not Congresses problems. By that time only the koolaid drinkers will still be in his corner.
Pakistani police on Wednesday said they have arrested three more men for the brutal murder of a woman bludgeoned to death outside a court by family members for marrying against their wishes.
Farzana Parveen was battered to death last week outside the High Court in the eastern city of Lahore by more than two dozen attackers armed with bricks, including numerous relatives.
âWe have arrested two brothers of Farzana, Zahid Ali and Gulam Ali, and her alleged former husband Mazhar Iqbal in this case,â Chaudhry Shafiq, a senior police official, told AFP.
âThey will be produced before a court tomorrow.â
The killing sparked outrage because of its brazen and brutal nature and claims that police did nothing to save Parveen, who was three monthsâ pregnant.
The United States branded the incident âheinousâ and Pakistanâs Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif demanded immediate action to catch the killers.
With the latest arrests there are 13 in police custody including Parveenâs father Mohammad Azeem.
[AnNahar] Leaders of the Group of Seven industrialized nations decided Thursday to tighten defenses against the risk of terror attacks by European jihadists returning from the Syrian front.
"We have agreed to intensify efforts to address the issue of imported muscle traveling to and from Syria," British Prime Minister David Cameron ... has stated that he is certainly a big Thatcher fan, but I don't know whether that makes me a Thatcherite, which means he's not. Since he is not deeply ideological he lacks core principles and is easily led. He has been described as certainly not a Pitt, Elder or Younger, but he does wear a nice suit so maybe he's Beau Brummel ... said at the close of a G7 summit.
He said talks were taking place with Syria's neighbors to strengthen their borders in the wake of an attack on the Jewish Museum in Brussels late last month believed to be the work of a young French jihadist fighter recently returned from Syria.
French President Francois Hollande ...the Socialist president of La Belle France, an economic bad joke for la Belle France but seemingly a foreign policy realist... said more than 30 French fighters had already died on the Syrian battlefront. Almost 800 French citizens are believed to have signed up to fight President Basahar Assad's regime.
Hollande too said it was essential "to cooperate to prevent, dissuade and punish" imported muscle "who can undermine our security."
"We have unfortunately just had proof of that," Hollande added in reference to the Brussels attack, the first such incident in the city in three decades.
It is suspected to be the work of a 29-year-old Frenchie, Mehdi Nemmouche, who spent more than a year fighting with radical jihadists in Syria.
The May 24 attack in the heart of Brussels was also raised in talks between U.S. President Barack Obama Ready to Rule from Day One... and Belgian premier Elio Di Rupo.
"We resolve to intensify our efforts to address the threat arising from imported muscle traveling to Syria," a statement from the seven G7 leaders said.
The Brussels attack killed three people outright and left a fourth clinically dead.
Europe can expect further "small-scale attacks" like the Brussels shooting, the EU's anti-terror chief Gilles de Kerchove said this week.
"I don't expect another 9/11," he said. "I don't expect a major sophisticated attack."
But with more than 2,000 Europeans in Syria or on their way there, receiving military training and becoming more radicalized, the Brussels attack was "very, very worrying" for Europe's future security, he said.
Around 400 British nationals, 320 Germans and 200 Belgians are believed to have left for Syria.
On Thursday, home affairs ministers from nine European nations -- Austria, Belgium, Britannia, Denmark, La Belle France, Germany, Italia, Spain, Sweden -- agreed to step up efforts to identify potential volunteers, slow their departure and track them on return, and share information with each other.
Though long rejected by the European Parliament, one idea is to agree a European Passenger Name Record (PNR) system, enabling countries to swap data on all airline passengers that notably could help trace would-be terrorists.
The suspect being held in La Belle France returned to Europe via Thailand and Malaysia, landing in Germany.
German Home Affairs Minister Thomas de Maiziere said the gunman was checked secretly when he landed in Frankfurt.
"Germany then gave a hint to La Belle France, but the attack happened nevertheless."
"We thought about consequences from that," he said at talks with counterparts in Luxembourg. "Are these secret hints right? Is it maybe better to stop these people? How can we manage the exchange of information better? do we need a European PNR system?
"The abstract threat by imported muscle became a concrete danger and we have to draw consequences from that."
[AnNahar] The U.S. embassy revealed on Thursday that Washington is providing more than $51 million to the World Food Program and Non-Governmental Organizations in Leb, the highest amount in terms of assistance provided to countries neighboring war-torn Syria.
In a series of tweets, the embassy said that "the U.S. is committed to delivering humanitarian assistance to Syrians through the U.N. broad network, no matter where they reside or have sought refuge."
The U.S. assistance in Leb includes food aid, protection, shelter, water and sanitation in host communities, education programs and other programs to prevent gender-based violence, it said in one tweet.
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... 's announcement during a visit to Beirut of a $290 million in U.S. aid for U.N. agencies, rose total humanitarian assistance since the beginning of the Syrian crisis to more than $2 billion.
Leb, home to 4.5 million people, is struggling to cope with the presence of more than a million Syrian and Paleostinian refugees in desperate need of housing, education and medical care.
There will be a new assistance of nearly $169 million inside Syria and more than $121 million for neighboring countries, including Leb, the mission tweeted.
The U.S. assistance is aimed at helping over 4.7 million people inside Syria and more than 2.8 million refugees and host communities in neighboring countries, the embassy said.
It called on "all nations to support urgent needs inside Syria and in neighboring countries," saying "more than 2/3 of U.N.'s appeal remains unfunded."
[Ynet] The 'Club' from Rafael provides pictures of enemy positions while navigating through complex arenas of battle.
"If we had only had something like the 'Club' at Givat HaTachmoshet (Ammunition Hill), more of my friends would be alive today. But then it was barely science fiction," said J (whose identity can't be disclosed for security reasons) who brought his team together at Rafael and developed a reconnaissance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) meant to accompany infantry battalions into the battlefield and allow soldiers to see the enemy before they even know that they're there.
J (68), was a student at the Technion University in Haifa when he was called to reserve service. On June 6, 1967 he was sent along with combat elements from the Paratrooper brigade to capture Ammunition Hill in northern Jerusalem. The fight that unfolded was one of the hardest of the war resulting in the deaths of 36 paratroopers.
"My officer was maimed and I had to replace him. I was scared, but I continued in his place," said J. After the war he received a medal of valor for taking command of his company despite his lowly rank of private, and leading his comrades into Jordanian lines.
The "Club" as the new UAV has been named (or Kestrel in English), is equipped with night and day cameras. It weighs less that 1.5 kilograms and can remain active for eight hours while observing a target, or 15 minutes when hovering. The smart UAV can send pictures to soldiers located as far as five kilometers away.
The aircraft can fly itself, guide soldiers through complex urban battlefields, and can even navigate through the inside of buildings. Batteries can be replaced in the UAV while in the field.
"Givat HaTachmoshet was like a nature reserve for Hezbollah today," said J who also won a certificate of appreciation for saving maimed soldiers under fire in the Yom Kippur War.
[AnNahar] The Paleostinians said Thursday they would appeal to the United Nations ...an organization which on balance has done more bad than good, with the good not done well and the bad done thoroughly... after Israel announced plans for 1,500 new settler homes in response to the formation of a Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,-backed unity government.
The new government of technocrats is recognized by both the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... and the United States but Israel has vowed to boycott what it says is a "government of terror" supported by its Islamist foe.
The tenders were unveiled by the Israeli housing ministry overnight, just 48 hours after the swearing in of the unity government ending seven years of rival administrations in the West Bank and Gazoo.
The move drew a furious reaction from the Paleostinians, who pledged to turn to the U.N. Security Council for an anti-settlement resolution for the first time in more than three years.
Of the 1,500 new homes, 400 will be in Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem and the rest in the occupied West Bank.
"I welcome the decision to give a fitting Zionist response to the establishment of the Paleostinian government of terror," said Housing Minister Uri Ariel of the far-right Jewish Home party, describing the new homes as "just the beginning."
Hanan Ashrawi, a senior member of the Paleostine Liberation Organization (PLO), said the Paleostinian leadership would seek U.N. intervention to bring Israel to account for the new settlement expansion drive.
"The executive committee of the PLO views this latest escalation with the utmost of seriousness and will counter it by addressing both the U.N. Security Council and the General Assembly as the proper way of curbing this grave violation and ensuring accountability," she said.
The last time the PLO sought a Security Council resolution against the settlements was in February 2011, but the move -- which was widely supported -- was blocked by a US veto.
All the recent moves there, and the funding of Hamas through the new "unity" government, makes it an open question whether the U.S. would veto this time...
Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, a bigwig said the leadership was also considering an appeal to the international justice system.
"The Paleostinian leadership is looking seriously into going to international courts against settlement activity," he said.
The option of legal action against Israeli settlement building at the International Criminal Court ... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ... in The Hague opened up after the Paleostinians won observer state status at the United Nations in 2012.
But they agreed to hold off on any such recourse for the duration of US-brokered peace negotiations with Israel, which collapsed earlier this year with Washington saying persistent settlement expansion played a major part.
"It is time to hold Israel accountable in front of international organizations," chief negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP. "Those who fear the international courts should stop their war crimes against the Paleostinian people, first and foremost of which is settlement activity."
Apparently Israel doesn't fear the international courts. Can't imagine why...
Other officials urged Washington to take action against the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"It is time for the American administration to take serious steps against what the government of Israel is doing," said Nimr Hammad, an adviser to President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... .
"This decision affirms that ... Netanyahu is a liar and is not interested in the two-state solution," he told AFP, accusing him of pushing the Paleostinians into a corner. "Netanyahu wants to push the Paleostinians into one of two options: either a confrontation, or .. to go to the United Nations."
Erakat said the new tenders heralded a "major escalation".
"We believe this latest announcement is a clear sign that Israel is moving towards a major escalation, such as new settlement construction, the annexation of occupied territory and forcible transfer," he said.
Since Monday, several hardline ministers have called for Israel to respond to the new government by annexing large swathes of the West Bank.
In a speech at the weekend, Abbas acknowledged Israel would seek to "punish" the Paleostinians for agreeing on a government with Hamas, but warned there would be "a proper response" for every move.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has taunted President Obama, claiming that the U.S. no longer has the guts for battle. Speaking at an event commemorating the 25th anniversary of the death of his predecessor, Khamenei proclaimed that "military attack is not a priority for Americans now."
Amid banners boasting 'America Cannot Do a Damn Thing', Khamenei reacted to Obama's West Point speech last week. Khamenei took the president's message to mean, "They have renounced the idea of any military actions. They realize that military attacks are as dangerous or even more dangerous for the assaulting country as they are for the country attacked."
Khamenei called the U.S. the 'Great Satan' and said its effort to bring Iran "to its knees" have failed. He said, "Despite the sanctions imposed upon it, Iran today is launching satellites and sending live organisms into space and is producing nuclear power."
#3
SP if we did our Democrat controlled media would butcher them. We simply have to wait for a massive died off for things to come into balance again. If man can cause global warming he can also cause his own demise.
#4
Power is an idea as much as it is a quantity. Without direction and intent Power is an illusion.
Power for most people is who we believe HAS the power. Power is an idea in people's minds.
Obama is not seen as a powerful individual or a powerful Leader. He is seen as an incompetent directionless joke.
He attracts the ignorant and the opportunistic. And when he is gone, he will leave no legacy. His accomplishments were all meaningless words. A man of no real substance.
Posted by: Big Thromoth3646 ||
06/06/2014 8:06 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Taunts or collegial raillery? I'll go with raillery.
#7
Obama, the government, the press and pretty much every organization that thinks it is important to this country is pretty much a joke at this point.
The only question left is that will a die off fix the issue, or is the rot too deep and the only thing left is the collapse?
[AnNahar] The shadowy leader of thousands of Islamist fighters in Syria and Iraq, many of them Westerners, appears to be surpassing al-Qaeda chief 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... as the world's most influential jihadist.
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi's Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant ... the current version of al-Qaeda in Iraq, just as blood-thirsty and well-beloved as the original... -- known for its ruthless tactics and jacket wallahs -- is arguably the most capable force fighting Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... , and has even held control of a major Iraqi city for the past five months, in tandem with other groups.
Western governments fear it could eventually emulate al-Qaeda and strike overseas, but their biggest worry for now is likely the eventual return home of imported muscle attracted by ISIL and Storied Baghdadi.
Among them are men like Mehdi Nemmouche, a 29-year-old Frenchie who allegedly carried out a deadly shooting on a Jewish museum in Belgium last month after spending a year fighting with ISIL in Syria.
"For the last 10 years or more, (Zawahiri) has been holed up in the Afghanistan-Pakistain border area and hasn't really done very much more than issue a few statements and videos," said Richard Barrett, a former counter-terrorism chief at MI6, Britannia's foreign intelligence service.
"Whereas Storied Baghdadi has done an amazing amount -- he has captured cities, he has mobilized huge amounts of people, he is killing ruthlessly throughout Iraq and Syria.
"If you were a guy who wanted action, you would go with Storied Baghdadi," Barrett told Agence La Belle France Presse, noting the ISIL leader's challenge to Zawahiri was "a really interesting development".
"Where that goes will determine a lot about how terrorism is (carried out)."
In a report for The Soufan Group, a New York-based consultancy, Barrett estimated that some 12,000 imported muscle had traveled to Syria, including 3,000 from the West.
ISIL appears to hold the greatest appeal, with King's College London Professor Peter Neumann estimating around 80 percent of Western fighters in Syria have joined the group.
Unlike other groups fighting Assad, ISIL is seen working towards an ideal Islamic emirate and, compared with al-Qaeda's franchise in Syria, al-Nusra Front, it has lower entry barriers.
ISIL has also sought to appeal to non-Arabs, recently publishing two English-language magazines, having already released videos in English, or with English subtitles.
ISIL claims to have had fighters from the Britannia, La Belle France, Germany and other European countries, as well as the United States, and from the Arab world and the Caucasus.
"It embodies that transnational ideology," Neumann said of ISIL.
"If you are a Brit or a French guy who has no family connection to Syria, you're not wanting to fight for the Syrian people... The reason you're going there is because you see Syria as essentially the center of gravity or the potential birthplace for that Islamic state that you're hoping to create."
Much of the appeal also stems from Storied Baghdadi himself -- the ISIL leader is touted as a battlefield commander and tactician, a crucial distinction compared with Zawahiri.
Storied Baghdadi apparently joined the insurgency that erupted in Iraq soon after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
In October 2005, American forces said they believed they had killed "Abu Dua," one of Storied Baghdadi's known aliases, in a strike on the Iraq-Syria border.
But that appears to have been incorrect, as he took the reins of what was then known as the Islamic State of Iraq in May 2010 after two of its chiefs were killed in a U.S.-Iraqi raid.
Since then, details about him have slowly trickled out.
In October 2011, the U.S. Treasury designated him as a "terrorist" in a notice that said he was born in the Iraqi city of Samarra in 1971.
And earlier this year, Iraq released a picture they said was of Storied Baghdadi, the first from an official source, depicting a balding, bearded man in a suit and tie.
Lieutenant General Abdelamir al-Zaidi, who heads a northern security command center, says his forces believe Storied Baghdadi is hiding in Iraq's Diyala province, but other officials contest this.
At the time Storied Baghdadi took over, his group appeared to be on the ropes, after "the surge" of U.S. forces combined with the shifting allegiances of Sunni rustics to deal him a blow.
But the group has bounced back, expanding into Syria in 2013.
Storied Baghdadi sought to merge with al-Nusra, which rejected the deal, and the two groups have operated separately since.
Zawahiri has urged ISIL to focus on Iraq and leave Syria to al-Nusra, but Storied Baghdadi and his fighters have openly defied the al-Qaeda chief and, indeed, have fought not only Assad, but also al-Nusra and other rebel groups.
"His... assumption of (the group's) leadership saw him manage an organization under huge pressure," said Charles Lister, a fellow at the Brookings Doha Center.
"Storied Baghdadi has managed a remarkable revival in his group's strength."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
06/06/2014 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State of Iraq & the Levant
#1
Good to see the Jihadis splitting so should be easier to conquer ie divide and conquer!
I know, I'm in shock, too. What d'you suppose they think they're buying, dear Reader? And what do Lebanon and Jordan imagine they are selling?
[AnNahar] China offered $16 million in humanitarian assistance Thursday for Syrian refugees in Leb and Jordan as part of Beijing's growing engagement with the Arab world.
The assistance will go to displaced Syrians sheltering in neighboring countries, including Jordan and Leb, President Xi Jinping was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua News Agency.
More than 2.7 million Syrian refugees have been scattered across the region by a bloody, three-year uprising against the rule of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... that has devastated the country.
Leb, home to 4.5 million people, is struggling to cope with the presence of more than a million Syrian and Paleostinian refugees.
Xi made the aid announcement in remarks to Arab delegates to the sixth ministerial meeting of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum in Beijing, an event underscoring China's burgeoning ties with the region.
Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil represented Leb in the forum.
Calling Arab countries China's "good friends and brothers," Xi said Beijing supported a political settlement to promote peace and stability in the Middle East, Xinhua reported.
It didn't say whether Xi offered any details on what a settlement might look like, but said Xi also announced nearly $10 million in aid to the Paleostinian Authority.
China's ties with the Middle East have expanded along with its rising diplomatic profile and growing dependence on imported crude oil.
Asked about Syria at a briefing Thursday, Chinese Foreign Ministry front man Hong Lei said Beijing wants all sides to cease fighting and negotiate an end to the conflict.
"No matter how the situation develops in Syria, a political resolution is the only realistic way to solve the Syrian crisis. All sides should work toward that end," Hong said.
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.
... an Arab news network headquartered in Qatar, notorious for carrying al-Qaeda press releases. The name means 
David Cameron
International Criminal Court
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has taunted President Obama, claiming that the U.S. no longer has the guts for battle. Speaking at an event commemorating the 25th anniversary of the death of his predecessor, Khamenei proclaimed that "military attack is not a priority for Americans now."
Zawahiri
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
