[AnNahar] Nigeria on Friday said that a decision to cancel U.S. training of its soldiers to fight Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... was a logistical, not a political decision.
The U.S. Embassy in Abuja announced on Monday that the Nigerian government had halted a training program of an army battalion, which would have developed into a unit to take on the Lion of Islams.
The cancellation came after Nigeria's ambassador to Washington last month criticised the United States for the "scope, nature and content" of its support for the counter-insurgency.
In particular, he said Washington had failed to provide the weapons required to deliver a "killer punch" to Boko Haram.
But Nigeria's national security front man, Mike Omeri, played down talk of strained diplomatic ties, saying it did not affect the countries' existing military cooperation.
"This is just a training component for one battalion of the Nigerian Army," he told Agence La Belle France Presse.
"We have had the first and second phase of that training, so it is not as if the whole bilateral military agreement has been suspended. The suspension is logistical and not political."
Omeri was quoted as saying in the Nigerian media on Friday that the cancelled third phase required military equipment to be withdrawn from current operations to be used for training.
The U.S. Embassy had said it regretted the end of the training program, which had been offered in the wake of Boko Haram's abduction of 276 schoolgirls in northeast Nigeria ... a particularly crimson stretch of Islam's bloody border... in mid-April.
A number of foreign powers sent surveillance and intelligence specialists to Nigeria to assist the military with the search for the 219 teenagers who are still being held.
Nigeria's military -- west Africa's largest -- has been unable to end the five-year Islamist insurgency, which has left more than 13,000 dead and displaced more than one million people.
The main opposition has alleged that Nigeria's government has been playing politics with the insurgency, as the worst-hit areas are unlikely to vote for it in next year's elections.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/06/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
oh noes! Hashtag war coming
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/06/2014 11:46 Comments ||
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[AnNahar] Ugandan authorities said Friday they were drastically increasing security in the lead-up to the Christmas holiday period, with police and army chiefs urging increased public vigilance over potential bully boy attacks.
The move comes after Somalia's al-Qaeda-affiliated Shabaab rebels massacred 36 quarry workers in neighboring Kenya on Tuesday, the latest in a string of attacks on that country's soil.
Both Uganda and Kenya are part of the African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... force battling the Shabaab inside Somalia.
"I have ordered all unit commanders to heighten security and anyone who does not heed the order will have to explain why," Uganda's police chief General Kale Kayihura told the New Vision newspaper.
"We know that these evil forces are lurking in the shadows. The danger is real."
In September, Ugandan security forces stopped a cell of Shabaab faceless myrmidons said to be planning an imminent attack.
Ten men and women were charged and remanded in jug after a major security operation in the capital Kampala. The operation took place after Ugandan and Western intelligence services were alerted to the transfer of explosive boom jackets.
During the World Cup final four years ago, Shabaab faceless myrmidons killed at least 76 people after setting off kabooms that destroyed two restaurants in the city.
General Katumba Wamala, the country's defense chief, cautioned Ugandans not to "relax and think we are out of al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... 's range."
"It is when things look to be the best that the worst happens," he said. "With the developments in Kenya and Nigeria, you can see that this threat is real."
Police front man Fred Enanga told Agence La Belle France-Presse the force had put in place "an operational plan giving territorial police units instructions on heightening visibility within all territorial areas".
"The threats will continue being there, and if Kenya can be hit then probably Uganda can be hit," he added.
[IsraelTimes] Frenchie Mehdi Nemmouche, suspected of killing four people at Brussels? Jewish Museum in May, was remanded in jug for another three months on Friday, judicial officials said.
Nemmouche, 29, of Algerian origin and who spent more than a year fighting with Islamic holy warriors in Syria, has been charged with ?murder in a terrorist context? after an Israeli couple, a French woman and a Belgian were rubbed out at the museum in central Brussels.
The hearing took place in a closed session. Nemmouche was first ordered held following his extradition from La Belle France at the end of July.
Nemmouche?s lawyers said they had not asked for bail. At the last hearing, they said such an approach ?was absolutely not an admission of guilt.?
One of the lawyers, Sebastien Courtoy, had said there was a major problem with the prosecution in that ?there is no direct proof of the clear presence of Nemmouche at the scene.?
Courtoy claimed the authorities were trying to blacken his client?s character, citing reports that Nemmouche had helped guard Western hostages held by Islamic holy warriors in Syria.
The museum shooting ? the first such attack in Brussels in three decades ? raised fears of a resurgence of anti-Semitic violence in Europe and of terror attacks from imported muscle returning from Syria.
Nemmouche was jugged You have the right to remain silent... in the southern French city of Marseille after being spotted on a bus from Brussels.
A revolver and Kalashnikov rifle were found in his luggage, resembling weapons captured on museum security footage, as was a camera. According to prosecutors, a video found on the camera?s memory features a voice similar to Nemmouche?s claiming responsibility for the attack.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/06/2014 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] The threat of an attack by Islamist bandidosmurderous Moslems in Europe is "real" and EU countries must all remain mobilized to counter it, La Belle France's interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve warned Friday.
His remarks came amid signs that the number of jihadists leaving Europe to fight in Iraq and Syria continued to increase, raising concerns that some will return to their home countries battle hardened and ready to carry out attacks.
"There are risks which are real today and which require a general mobilization," Cazeneuve said after a meeting of EU interior ministers in Brussels to discuss the threat posed by imported muscle.
A European official presented the threat in even starker terms, telling Agence La Belle France-Presse on condition of anonymity that "an attack on European territory is very likely."
Another European source added: "The motives to join the jihad will continue as long as the conflict in Syria and Iraq lasts."
Cazeneuve said that in La Belle France the number of people involved in the jihadist network has jumped by 89 percent since the beginning of the year.
Some 1,150 French citizens are part of the network, including 300 to 350 on the ground, more than 50 who have died and some 200 who have returned to La Belle France. The remainder of the network involves recruiters and supporters.
The Europe Union's counter-terrorism chief Gilles de Kerchove said the number of Europeans joining Islamist fighters in Syria and Iraq is around 3,000.
De Kerchove said security officials fear not so much a large-scale, coordinated attack like that of September 11, 2001 in the United States, but something more like the one at the Jewish museum in Brussels that killed four people in May.
"Each country works on foiling attacks on its territory," Cazeneuve said.
"We do it in La Belle France. There are operations, arrests ...every day to avoid it happening," he said.
"I'm used to saying that zero precautions amount to 100 percent risk, but 100 percent precautions do not reduce the risk to zero."
The French parliament last month adopted a counter-terrorism law which bans people from leaving the country if they are suspected of trying to wage jihad in Syria.
Cazeneuve, like de Kerchove, supports other measures to fight the problem of imported muscle.
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 Lion of Islams.
"We need a compromise. We must better incorporate the concerns of parliament, which are legitimate concerning the protection of personal data," Cazeneuve said.
"Once guarantees are given on protecting data, the European parliament must in return accept the idea that fighting terrorism without the European PNR is a lot more difficult than if we have all the tools to do it," he said.
Members of Congress are demanding that President Obama come clean about controversial reports that he is considering leveling sanctions on Israel, according to a letter sent Friday afternoon by lawmakers to the White House.
#3
Money could not buy better publicity and support for Netanyahu. With any luck, the spoor will lead directly back to the oval office and his syphilitic dementia afflicted inner-circle.
#4
Timely release of "rumors" - veiled threats and designed to derail Bibi's re-election hopes. Obama knows that if he slaps sanctions on Israel then she will disregard anything he does, so he won't (just yet), however he also knows the threat of sanctions may force cooperation from the elements within the electorate who fear isolation. For the Israeli majority this tact will only foment more anti-Obama sentiment and remind Israel that she can no longer rely on a once great ally.
#7
O has no OODA Loop, he has an OODA Spiral, analogous to dirty water circling the drain in a bathtub. Threats like this by O are just cries for love and attention. ;/
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
12/06/2014 11:50 Comments ||
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#8
Biden wouldn't be that stupid. (There's enough remaining Donks in the House and Senate who understand that after the November election)
The White House expects him to be a big force at the Pentagon, they want him to be – they claim they want him to be more confrontational with the White House national security team. Of course, Savannah, as we know, that has been a problem for the three defense secretaries in the Obama years – Gates, Panetta, and Hagel – all of whom have complained that they have not been able to break that tight circle around the President. I have aides tell me they want Ashton Carter to be a bull in a china shop if necessary and be that person. Good luck with that!
NYT WEEKEND SPREAD
: HILLARY'S NEW EVOLUTION...
Paper's Peter Baker and Amy Chozick explore how past defeats have 'tempered' Clinton...
RELEASE OF 6,000 DOCUMENTS reveal Hillary's 'messy, explosive, politically clumsy dealings with Republicans and White House aides'...
Posted by: George Barnsmell6912 ||
12/06/2014 11:36 Comments ||
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#5
Carter's a fool or tool if he takes the job
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/06/2014 12:15 Comments ||
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#6
It'll be a bullshitter who allows China to shop for the best bargains on our latest defense tech.
#9
Pappy - he has to have seen his predecessors fun and games. Any autonomy or policy input the ValJar circle promises is a lie. He has to know that. If you're satisfying ego, being a policy bitch to a cadre of unsuccessful socialist/communist ideologues would weigh on your legacy
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/06/2014 22:39 Comments ||
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Former interior minister Rehman Malik Pak politician, Interior Minister under the Gilani government. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Nawaz Sharif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men. He had to give up the interior ministry job because he held dual Brit citizenship. said Friday that bully boy group Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... 's (IS) network is present in the country and that it is led by Yousuf Salfi.
Speaking to media representatives in Islamabad, where the former interior minister had arrived to attend a meeting of the missing persons commission, Malik claimed that security personnel had tossed in the clink Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! several IS snuffies during raids conducted in different parts of the country.
He said that being a former interior minister, he had his own means of gathering information from sources which had provided him with information regarding the presence of IS snuffies in the country.
The Pakistain Peoples Party leader also said that the IS bully boy group had emerged after infighting between different groups under the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) umbrella group .
The statement from the former interior minister comes despite a denial of IS presence by incumbent Federal Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan ...Currently the Interior Minister of Pakistain. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Nawaz Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that. since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture... .
Chalking in favour of IS had appeared in various places across all four provinces of the country causing a ripple of concern through the security administration.
A police probe into wall chalking was launched in the outskirts of 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... and in Taxila where flags of the group, also known locally by its Arabic acronym 'Daish', were fixed to electricity poles near the Pakistain Ordinance Factories (POF).
Similarly, police in Lahore arrested two suspects for plastering Islamic State stickers on walls in various localities.
Leaflets calling for support for IS were seen in several parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... including Bannu and South Wazoo tribal region's Wana area. Afghan refugee camps were particular targets of the IS propaganda.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2014 00:00 ||
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[IraqiNews.com] Ambassador Stuart Jones said 'Iraq's Prime Minister has given the assurances that we need from the government' on privileges for growing number of troops.'
'The US has reached an agreement with Iraq on privileges and immunities for the growing number of troops based in the country, helping in the fight against the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... ISIL Death Eater group,' the new US ambassador said to the Guardians on Thursday.
Stuart Jones said 'Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has given assurances that US troops will receive immunity from prosecution.'
Under Iraq's former prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki ... Prime Minister of Iraq and the secretary-general of the Islamic Dawa Party. Maliki imposed order on Basra wen the Shiites were going nuts, but has proven incapable of dealing with al-Qaeda's Sunni insurgency. Reelected to his third term in 2014... , the issue was a major sticking point, ultimately leading to the decision to withdraw all remaining US troops in late 2011.
'That was a different situation and those troops would have had a different role,' Jones said.
'We have the assurances that we need from the government of Iraq on privileges and immunities,' he said. 'It's in the basis of our formal written communications between our governments and also based on the strategic framework agreement that is the legal basis of our partnership.'
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/06/2014 00:00 ||
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#3
Methinks he didn't want to stay and he used that as an excuse to leave.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
12/06/2014 15:45 Comments ||
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#4
They should have bought off Maliki and gotten the SOFA agreement, we'd have a 2 BDE there, on training/logistics, the other combat. And ISIS would never have been able to become what they have.
#6
He had his price. This was more on Obama (and Bush advised by State) unwilling to meet it. After Obama made it clear he wanted political gain for 2012 elections it was clear that Maliki had to save face, so he went all out in making it look like he "forced" us to leave. Arab "face", is there anything it will not f up?
The Israeli government – now heading to elections and devoid of its original centrist partners – is hoping to pass a massive cash boost to the defense budget at the expense of social services. See why we are not a "Western" country?
They have tried before...maybe this time it'll actually work.
About how Israelis would respond to pushing by President Obama, from The Times of Israel:
Israelis have an overwhelming appreciation of the United States, but harbor increasingly negative views of US President Barack Obama's Middle East foreign policy, according to a public opinion poll carried out by Bar-Ilan University's Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies.
Despite the positive attitudes towards the US, the poll found that Israelis are generally mistrustful of the US president, with only 37 percent of respondents calling Obama's views of Israel "positive," while 61% characterized his attitude towards Israel as "negative" or "neutral."
A similar BESA poll carried out in 2012 showed that 51% of Israelis termed Obama's attitude towards Israel as positive.
According to the new survey, 96% of Israelis categorized diplomatic relations with the US as "important" or "very important," and 74% said Washington would come to Israel's defense against existential threats.
Nearly three-quarters of respondents considered America a loyal ally to Israel.
[IsraelTimes] The B.O. regime is telling members of Congress it has won significant concessions from Iran for extending nuclear talks, including promises by the Islamic republic to allow snap inspections of its facilities and to neutralize much of its remaining uranium stockpile.
And yet, for some reason Iran has been telling everyone -- loudly -- that they won. This doesn't sound like a win for Iran, which suggests the possibility that The Smartest Men In The Room might have been just the slightest bit bamboozled.
Those terms are included in a document that US officials say represents the terms for a seven-month extension in nuclear negotiations between world powers and Iran, agreed to when the last deadline of November 24 passed without an accord. A copy was obtained by The News Agency that Dare Not be Named.
The authenticity of the document was confirmed by three US officials and congressional aides familiar with closed-doors discussions in recent days that have included top US nuclear negotiator Wendy Sherman and Jake Sullivan, formerly Vice President Joe Foreign Policy Whiz Kid Biden The former Senator-for-Life from Delaware, an example of the kind of top-notch Washington intellect to be found in the World's Greatest Deliberative Body... ?s national security adviser. The officials have been presenting the Iranian concessions to politicians in the hopes of convincing them to support the extension and hold off on new economic sanctions that could derail the diplomatic effort.
There is no proof Tehran has agreed to or will follow through on the steps outlined, and negotiators representing world powers and Iran offered few specifics on their progress when they agreed to extend negotiations until July. No signed agreement emerged from that understanding, but administration officials say Iran accepted important limits on its nuclear program in the discussions last month. The officials weren?t authorized to speak publicly on the sensitive negotiations and insisted on anonymity.
The US says Iran will further limit its development of new technology for enriching uranium that could be used for energy generation, as Tehran says is its objective, or for use in a nuclear warhead, which Washington and its international partners fear may be Iran?s ultimate intent. It also seems to patch up what critics of last year?s interim nuclear agreement described as loopholes on Iran?s research and development of advanced centrifuges.
For one centrifuge model Iran has been working on, the US says Tehran won?t be able to pursue the industrial-scale operation needed for any ?breakout? effort toward producing enough material for a nuclear weapon. For other models in the pipeline, Iran won?t be permitted to feed the centrifuges with uranium gas or begin testing on a cascade level, which are needed steps in their development.
Iran also has reportedly agreed to turn 35 kilograms of higher-enriched uranium oxide stocks into fuel, making it unusable in the event Iran tries to secretly reach nuclear weapons capacity. That amounts for almost half of Iran?s remaining stockpile of material that could in theory be converted into a form that is close to weapons-grade uranium.
In addition, the administration says Iran will grant international inspectors expanded access to its centrifuge production facilities, allowing the UN nuclear agency to double the amount of visits it makes to sites and to undertake unannounced or ?snap? inspections. The monitoring aims to deter Iran from producing centrifuges for any covert facility.
Lastly, Iran will refrain from any other forms of enrichment, including through the use of laser technology. Last year?s agreement halted Iran?s progress on its gas centrifuge program, but US officials feared the Iranians could experiment with other technology designed to do the same thing. Iran has attempted laser enrichment in the past, the US believes, but now has committed to refrain from exploring it any further.
It?s unclear how Congress is receiving the message.
Many politicians are decrying the stalemate in negotiations and what they perceive as wide concessions by the US and its partners for few steps by Iran to dismantle its nuclear program. Several Democrats and Republicans in the Senate are threatening new sanctions designed to pressure Iran into caving in the nuclear talks. The House voted overwhelmingly for new sanctions 17 months ago.
However, the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... President Barack Obama The point I was making was not that Grandmother harbors any racial animosity. She doesnâ??t. But she is a typical white person... has threatened to veto any new sanctions legislation while American diplomats continue their push for an accord that would set multi-year limits on Iran?s nuclear progress in exchange for an easing of the international sanctions that have crippled the Iranian economy. Senate hawks are still trying to build a veto-proof majority of 67 votes with Republicans set to assume the majority next month.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/06/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Concession discussion: we produce nuclear weapon and allow bagels for breakfast bar at tomorrow's meeting.
[Ynet] According to media reports, a former Iraqi intelligence officer claims that His Supreme Immensity, Caliph of the Faithful and Galactic Overlord, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ...formerly merely the head of ISIL and a veteran of the Bagram jailhouse. Looks like a new messiah to bajillions of Moslems, like just another dead-eyed mass murder to the rest of us... , the leader of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... , is located in Syria's Raqqa province - not in the city of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... in northern Iraq, where he gave a speech in July.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/06/2014 00:00 ||
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Really upset that those who ought to be cowering in fear of their imminent conquest are holding wifie-poo and kidlings.
[AnNahar] Jihadist Anas Sharkas, aka Abu Ali al-Shishani, threatened to start kidnapping the wives and children of soldiers until the Lebanese authorities release his spouse and two kids, announcing the suspension of negotiations in the case of the abducted servicemen.
?Negotiations will not continue until the Muslim women are freed from the prisons of infidels,? Sharkas reportedly said in a 13-minute YouTube video.
He stressed that the Qatari-appointed negotiator, Ahmed al-Khatib, is not welcomed on the outskirts of the northeastern border town of Arsal.
It is unclear if Sharkas is a prominent leader in the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or al-Qaida-affiliate al-Nusra Front.
Al-Shishani vowed to retaliate the arrest of his wife and two children, saying: ?I will act soon, me and all my supporters to capture the wives and kids of raafidah and soldiers.... until my wife, kids and the women of Muslims are released from the prisons of infidels.?
Sharkas, who had his face uncovered in the video, was surrounded by masked gunmen.
He stressed that the abducted soldiers and policemen will not be released without negotiations and his family will not be part of any deal.
?My message is for the Qatari mediator: If you can't resolve the matter, then you are not welcomed and I will not allow you to head to the outskirts.?
Sharkas also held Muslim Scholars Committee chief Sheikh Salem al-Rafehi responsible for his family's arrest.
The Lebanese soldiers and policemen were taken captive in August when militants from the extremist Islamic State group and al-Nusra Front infiltrated Arsal from Syria and engaged in bloody clashes with troops. Three of them have been so far executed.
Media reports said that Lebanon now has the upper hand in the negotiations with the jihadists after the Lebanese army arrested Saja al-Dulaimi, a divorcee of IS chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, and the family of Sharkas.
The government has been under intense pressure from the families of the captured men to negotiate their release.
As Safir newspaper reported on Friday the arrest of Alaa al-Oqaili, the wife of Sharkas, her brother Rakan and her two kids confused extremists.
Oqaili, who was arrested two months after her surveillance, reportedly communicates with her husband and other gunmen through Skype.b She was apprehended along with her brother Rakan in the Zgharta area of Hilan in northern Lebanon at a public school hosting Syrian refugees.
As Safir reported that Sharkas contacted a prominent Muslim Scholars official, threatening to retaliate if any harm was inflicted on his family.
[AnNahar] Around 20 Lebanese fighters from the city of 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... and other areas in the North have lately traveled to Syria to join the holy warriorIslamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group, highly-informed security officials said.
The officials, who were not identified, told As Safir daily that the fighters headed to Syria via Turkey in the past weeks.
The majority of the young men, whose ages range between 19 and 22, are students and traveled to Turkey under the excuse of going there for tourism, the officials said.
They ruled out the presence of holy warrior officials in Tripoli for the mobilization of men to fight alongside the IS, saying their recruitment is taking place via the internet.
But As Safir stressed that the latest investigations carried out by security forces indicate that an IS official based in Tripoli is contacting the men and securing their transfer to Syria via Turkey.
The newspaper quoted the father of one of the fighters as saying that his son told him he was heading to Beirut to spend a few days in the capital.
But he lost contact with the young men, who later telephoned his father saying he was now ?at the (battle) front in (the Kurdish border town of) Kobane along with jihadists.?
A security official told the News Agency that Dare Not be Named last month that the IS and Syria's al-Qaeda affiliate, al-Nusra ...the current nom de guerre of al-Qaeda in the Levant, which isn't to be confused with al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Levant... Front, are actively trying to recruit among disaffected youth in impoverished areas of northern Leb.
Many Sunnis are convinced that the army and the government are dominated by Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... , which has sent its fighters to Syria to help troops loyal to Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... against the Sunni rebels trying to topple him.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/06/2014 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] The alleged divorcee of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... leader, His Supreme Immensity, Caliph of the Faithful and Galactic Overlord, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi ...formerly merely the head of ISIL and a veteran of the Bagram jailhouse. Looks like a new messiah to bajillions of Moslems, like just another dead-eyed mass murder to the rest of us... , is reportedly pregnant in her third week and her main role was to fund al-Nusra ...the current nom de guerre of al-Qaeda in the Levant, which isn't to be confused with al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Levant... Front group by sending donations to murderous Moslems in the neighboring country Syria.
Actively supporting the opposition? She must be very unhappy at having been discarded,
According to As Safir newspaper published on Friday, Iraqi national Saja Hamid al-Dulaimi, who was detained around 15 days ago at an army checkpoint at al-Madfoun Bridge in the North, received money transfers from foreign sides, in particular Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates... , to fund terrorists.
Al-Dulaimi was allowed to meet with her daughter and two boys under heavy guard.
The detainee however held onto her stance and refused to inform Sherlocks about the identity of the father of the child, stressing that she didn't leave Leb since she was released in March 2014.
During her arrest doubts were raised about whether the woman placed in durance vile Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! is Baghdadi's wife and if she is indeed al-Dulaimi, who has been exchanged for 13 Christian nuns and three helpers kidnapped in the Syrian town of Maalula in December by the al-Nusra ...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli sh-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ... Front, the bitter enemy of IS, making it unlikely she would be Baghdadi's wife.
A woman scorned...
As Safir reported that Sherlocks have placed all options, including the possibility that Baghdadi is the father of her baby.
Hajar, the four-year-old daughter of al-Dulaimi, who was taken into custody when her mother was arrested, also refused to talk.
?The child appears to be highly trained despite her young age,? the newspaper said.
The daily said that investigations with al-Dulaimi are focusing on the purpose of her presence in Leb at this period of time and her residence.
A concerned source told As Safir that al-Dulaimi is detained over her links to Baghdadi, for communicating with terrorist organizations on Lebanese territories and holding fake identification papers.
[Dawn] The jihadi underworld has never been so polarised before. From top jihadist leaders to Islamist scholars and even ardent acolytes, debates on theological and strategic issues have reined in the entire militant spectrum, marked by realignments, the switching of loyalties and bloodshed.
At this juncture, the context of the emergence and dominance of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Sham), the present infighting and the battle for the position of the so-called 'Ameer-ul-Momineen' (leader of the faithful) is more important than ever.
The birth of the 'Islamic State' — beyond abbreviations
Militant groups continue to debate whether ISIS leader's move to declare himself 'caliph' also undermines Mullah Umar's authority
In 1999, Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi formed Jamat at-Tawheed wal Jihad in Jordan with the objective of overthrowing the government. After the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, Zarqawi along with his group shifted to Iraq to fight the Americans. His group also ruthlessly targeted Shias who he accused of being collaborators. In 2004, his group pledged allegiance to Al Qaeda. As a result, Al Qaeda's local franchise in Iraq was rebranded 'Al Qaeda fee bilaad al Rafidian' (Al Qaeda in the land of two rivers).
In 2006, a number of militant groups operating in Iraq, as well as some Sunni tribes, joined forces to create the Islamic State of Iraq (ISI) – an emirate similar to what the Taliban in Afghanistan had formed in 1996.
Abu Umar al-Baghdadi was appointed its head. Like Afghanistan's Mullah Umar, he decided to take up the title of 'Ameer-ul-Momineen'. Later, Abu Umar was replaced by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi who dispatched a small team of militants to Syria.
The team was led by a man known as Abu Muhammad al-Jolani. Baghdadi continued to provide Jolani and his team material and technical support. Their mission was to topple the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Jolani was instructed not to show its connection to the Islamic State of Iraq and operate as a local group, in a bid to minimise chances of international sanctions. Jolani's group operated, and continues to operate today, as Jabhat-un-Nusra (JN).
In 2013, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi announced that JN was in fact a part of his militant group, the ISI, and that it was now merging to form the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham (ISIS). Jolani responded by saying that he was not consulted and was pledging loyalty to Al Qaeda chief Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri. In 2014, Baghdadi declared an 'Islami khilafah' and ISIS was rebranded Islamic State (IS).
While some write 'ISIL' — Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, with Levant being the English equivalent for greater Sham — the official title was originally ISIS. In Arabic, ISIS translates to 'Dawlat al Islami fil Iraq wa Shaam', commonly referred to as 'Daish'. However, the group has never officially referred to itself as Daish. From ISI to ISIS and now IS, the switch in terminology is much more about the definition of transitional phases of a so-called 'state' than mere abbreviations.
Theological wars
ISIS rejected Jolani's response and said that he had no option but to oblige since he had been under the command of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Al Qaeda chief Dr Ayman al-Zawahiri intervened, instructing the then ISIS to restrain itself to Iraq and allow Jabhat-un-Nusra and other groups to operate in Syria. The IS rejected this order and said that as a group, Al Qaeda was subordinate to a 'state', and not the other way around. The debate drew in a number of Islamist scholars who criticised Baghdadi for announcing an 'Islamic state' without taking into confidence Islamic scholars as well as jihadi groups around the world.
IS responded by asserting that it held more territory and power than any jihadi group, had implemented Shariah in areas under its command and fulfilled the criteria for the appointment of a caliph.
The killing spree of what now stands as the 'Islamic State' started with Shia killings in Iraq around 2005. Abu Musab al-Zarqawi indiscriminately targeted Shias. While advocating takfeeri belief, he also authored anti-Shia literature.
Al Qaeda's central leadership at the time communicated with Zarqawi asking him to shun indiscriminate Shia killings and his strategic objective of dragging Iran into the conflict since that undermined Al Qaeda's unofficial, undeclared strategic understanding with Iran.
Zarqawi refused to oblige and his policies soured relations between Al Qaeda central and Iran. After evolving into 'the Islamic State of Iraq', it continued with the Shia killings as well as killing Sunnis it accused of being 'Sahwat' (tribal councils in alliance with the government). After its expansion into ISIS, the group clashed with various jihadi groups operating in Syria, including the now Al Qaeda-allied Jabhat al-Nusra.
Various anti-Assad jihadi factions accused ISIS of killing over 800 jihadis and turning the tide in Syria in Bashar al-Assad's favour. The militant movement also opened fronts against secular Kurdish nationalists who it accused of opposing the establishment of an 'Islamic State'.
Where local jihadi groups stand
Major jihadi groups in Pakistan and around the globe continue to support Mullah Umar, with many of them recently renewing their pledge of allegiance to the veteran Afghan Taliban commander. Some of these groups include TTP (Fazlullah), TTP (Sajna), Jamat-ul-Ahrar, Al Qaeda Central (AQC), Al Qaeda in Indian Subcontinent (AQIS), Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Al Qaeda in Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), Haqqani Network, Gul Bahadur group, Tehreek Ghalba-e-Islam, Ansar al-Mujahideen and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
A significant number of foot-soldiers from different groups have moved to Syria where they have joined forces with either the 'Islamic State' or the Al Qaeda-allied Jabhat-un-Nusra.
Why support Mullah Umar?
Many of the jihadis have been fighting alongside Mullah Umar for over three decades and find a strong emotional attachment to him; to them, Mullah Umar represents unity in jihad. Al Qaeda in particular feels that Mullah Umar preferred to lose his government rather than handing over Osama bin Laden and other Arab veterans to the US after 9/11. For some groups, the 'Deobandi' factor also plays a role in their support for Mullah Umar.
Some supporters of Mullah Umar had questioned the validity of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi declaring himself 'Ameer-ul-Momineen' when another person already holds the title. They referred to a saying of the Prophet (PBUH) about killing the second person who declares himself an 'Imam' (leader) of the Muslims in the presence of another Imam.
However, Mufti Tahir Jami, a teacher at Madressah Ali Murtaza in Karachi, told this writer that an ameer can be at different levels. "From managing a household, to small units to larger administrative areas, there can be many ameers," he says.
"What is not permissible is to have more than one Khalifah at the same time. When that happens, you have to get rid of the person who was the second to declare himself. This problem does not arise at the moment. Baghdadi has declared himself a Khalifah while Mullah Umar has kept himself restricted to an emirate."
Why support al-Baghdadi?
Abdul Rehman, a former Al Qaeda operative in his 40s who later joined ISIS and shifted to Syria along with his family, says: "Mullah Umar had never declared himself Khalifah. Titles by themselves do not mean much. If the objection is simply to the title of Amir-ul-Momineen then why did the same people not object when there was Ameer-ul-Momineen Mullah Umar of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and Ameer-ul-Momineen Abu Umar al-Baghdadi of the 'Islamic State of Iraq'?"
Supporters of IS say that it is now obligatory upon all Muslims to pledge allegiance to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (also known as Khalifah Ibrahim). They accuse Al Qaeda of "deviating" from its methodology, "toning down" and adopting a more "pragmatic" line. Hardcore militant Islamists reject pragmatism as a secular philosophy.
"Mullah Umar now seemed primarily concerned with restoring his rule in Afghanistan. He has issued statements that talk about non-interference in the affairs of neighbouring states. So are the Afghan Taliban embracing the concept of nation-states? We did not make so many sacrifices for some nationalistic goals. We have the concept of one Ummah, one-nation," Abdul Rehman said.
In an exchange with a senior member of Al Qaeda's media team, it emerged that the official policy is not to publicly comment on this tussle. However, he agreed to respond on condition of anonymity.
"Every Muslim who understands the obligation of a caliphate is eager for its revival. Unfortunately ISIS has slaughtered many of the mujahideen who were themselves working for a caliphate. They are extremists in their stance on Takfeer and brand even the mujahideen as apostates. The expansion of this extremist movement into Syria, the formation of ISIS, and the infighting that broke out … actually slowed down the advances mujahideen were making against Bashar. What was the strategic sense in dividing the mujahideen?" he claimed.
But the Al Qaeda commander pointed out that the US air strikes on IS strongholds, Al Qaeda-affiliate Jabhat-un-Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham had forced strategic alliances, at least in some areas.
"The leadership from different sides is trying to work out solutions and I believe this infighting, differences and so forth are actually part of how it is supposed to happen. But from this will emerge the sincere people who will fight the malhamah (great war)," he claimed.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2014 00:35 ||
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#1
D *** NG IT, wehell iff that's the case why support Osama + Ayman + other, ... ... or fight alongside them in 1980's Afghanistan???
Iran-Contra? Desert Storm?
* "AUSTIN POWERS" DR. EVIL = Throw me a freaking bone here ... ... I need the info!
[Dawn] There are the chefs of foreign food channels that shop at picturesque farmers markets for delectable fruits and vegetables; whipping them up into drool worthy creations in shiny pots and pans; dipping into one and then another ceramic bowl for this spice and that sauce.
Then, there are our homegrown Pak variety, the cooking oil Apas and their lesser kin; conjuring up novel curries, and filling up the intervals of sautéing and frying with household tips and some spiritual advice.
In recent months, a new entrant has entered the realm of culinary warfare.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/06/2014 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] There are the chefs of foreign food channels that shop at picturesque farmers markets for delectable fruits and vegetables; whipping them up into drool worthy creations in shiny pots and pans; dipping into one and then another ceramic bowl for this spice and that sauce.
