SAHO, Somalia -- Militiamen loyal to Galmudug authorities in Galkayo’s Barahley neighborhood attacked Mudug region town of Saho according to officials on Wednesday, Garowe Online reports.
Saho Mayor Abdisalan Guled told the media that a gun-battle between locals and Galmudug militiamen resulted in 20 deaths and left scores wounded. Guled confirmed that fighting vehicles were also destroyed in the battle, with medics at Galdogob hospital disclosing that some of the wounded fighters were admitted to their facility.
No Shaboobs involved so may just be the usual 2000 years of tribal festivities...
Galmudug is said to have rejected the recent approval of Saho as Puntland district by Puntland parliament. On December 17, Puntland MPs unanimously voted on the inclusion of Saho town in Puntland map. Puntland which shares a restive border with Galmudug has yet to comment on the attack on Saho.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/25/2014 00:00 ||
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Activists of the BNP-led 20-party alliance will not be allowed to enter Dhaka city from January 1, with Awami League supporters staying on the streets to resist them, the ruling party has said.
Addressing a rally in the capital yesterday, Awami League’s Dhaka city unit General Secretary Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya said the ruling party men would take position on the field from the start of January.
“The BNP-Jamaat alliance led by Khaleda Zia would not be allowed to come in field from January,” he added.
Maya, also the disaster management and relief minister, claimed that supporters of Awami League’s Dhaka city unit, Chhatra League, Jubo League, Swechchhasebak League and other associate bodies would keep watch over the city’s streets and take position at every road and neighbourhood to protest BNP’s January 5 agitation programmes.
Terming January 5 the day for protecting democracy, he said: “If the national polls had not taken place on January 5 last year, the country’s democracy would have fallen into a deep crisis. For this reason we have announced of observing they day as Victory Day of Democracy.”
Calling the BNP-Jamaat alliance “the enemies of democracy,” the minister blamed them for trying to create agitation in the country with their January 5 programmes. Maya urged party leaders and activists to stay alert and resist any BNP-Jamaat act of anarchy.
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12/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] The U.S. official responsible for negotiating the transfers of terror suspects from the American-run prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is leaving his post, the State Department said late Monday.
U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... said Cliff Sloan, Washington's special envoy for Guantanamo closure, resigned in keeping with his agreement to take on the difficult position for just 18 months.
However, denial ain't just a river in Egypt... the New York Times ...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... , citing an administration official, reported late Monday that Sloan was dissatisfied that too few inmates had been cleared for release by the Pentagon.
Kerry in a statement praised Sloan's "character and commitment."
"Cliff was very skillful negotiating with our foreign partners and allies, and it's a big part of why we moved thirty-four detainees on his watch, with more on the way," the top U.S. diplomat said.
Sloan also played a major role in successful efforts by the administration to reform the congressional restrictions on foreign transfers.
Sloan's departure comes as the administration strives to empty the detention facility -- one of the very first goals set by Obama when he took office in January 2009.
Obama has vowed to close the prison in Cuba, set up to house terror suspects following the September 11, 2001 attacks.
Inmate transfers to Afghanistan late last week left 132 detainees at Guantanamo.
#1
Leave the keys at the door, give them a compass that points East, and one of these .... If they make it, well good for them, if they don't, well good for us.
Posted by: Whaith Prince of the Goats3526 ||
12/25/2014 15:05 Comments ||
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#2
I visited before 9-11. I wonder what they did with all the Hatians.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/25/2014 18:00 Comments ||
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[AnNahar] Lawyers for Boston bombings suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on Tuesday requested a further postponement to his highly anticipated terrorism trial, due to begin with jury selection on January 5.
In court papers filed at the U.S. district court in the northeastern city of Boston, just two weeks before jury selection is due to commence, his legal team requested a September 2015 start.
Tsarnaev faces the death penalty if convicted over the April 15, 2013 attacks on the Boston Marathon that killed three people and maimed 264 -- the worst such incident in the U.S. since 9/11.
In Tuesday's written request, Tsarnaev's lawyers said they were struggling with the volume of material from prosecutors, finding it difficult to research his past overseas and concerned that the jury may deliberate around the second anniversary of the attacks.
"To commence trial as scheduled on January 5 would threaten both the fairness and finality of the proceedings," they wrote.
"A September 2015 trial date would be most realistic and fair given the extraordinary complexity and international dimensions of this case. But any amount of additional time would afford counsel a better opportunity to address the challenges," they added.
Last Thursday 21-year-old Tsarnaev appeared in public for the first time in 17 months, attending what was supposed to be a final hearing before the trial gets under way.
He pleads not guilty to 30 charges.
The attacks plunged Boston's world-famous marathon into mourning and revived fears of terrorism in the United States more than a decade after the al-Qaeda hijackings.
Judge George O'Toole has already delayed the trial once already from an initial start date of November 3.
A Moslem of part-Chechen descent, Tsarnaev emigrated with his family to the United States in 2002 from Dagestan ...a formerly inoffensive Caucasus republic currently bedevilled by low-level Islamic insurgency, occasional outbreaks of separatism, ethnic tensions and terrorism, primarily due to its proximity to Chechnya. There are several dozen ethnic groups, most of which speak either Caucasian, Turkic, or Iranian languages. Largest among these ethnic groups are the Avar, Dargin, Kumyk, Lezgin, and Laks. While Russers form less than five percent of the population, Russian remains the primary official language and the lingua franca... and became a naturalized American citizen in 2012.
He spent his early childhood in Kyrgyzstan.
He is accused of carrying out the attacks alone with his brother, Tamerlan, who was killed in a shootout with police as the pair went on the run in the days immediately after the attacks.
Prosecutors say the brothers prepared bombs based on instructions in al-Qaeda's English-language magazine "Inspire."
GotNews.com has confirmed and exclusively discovered that Brinsley went by another name — Ismaaiyl Abdullah-Muhammad — and that he worked for the Islamic Society of North America. 72-hour rule in effect.
[DAWN] "Just as the story of a banned group claiming a kaboom was aired, I was approached by security personnel and scrutinised thoroughly," Jehangir Baloch, a correspondent working in Turbat, Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... , recounts.
"After examining my phone records, family history and other details, I was able to assure security personnel that I would not be filing any story regarding the bandidosholy warriors or their claims," he says, with a wry smile. "But the very next day, the other party who we call 'terrorists', called me and simply said that if I did not report their claims, there would be no need for an inquiry the next time."
Unable to speak out at the time, Mr Baloch is now confident enough to discuss the matter, having moved to Islamabad out of fear for his safety.
His case is not new or unusual in the country, especially for electronic media professionals living in Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
Similarly, a low-intensity bomb was went kaboom! outside the head office of a major news channel after they refused to run the claims of a banned ...the word banned seems to have a different meaning in Pakistain than it does in most other places. Or maybe it simply lacks any meaning at all...
organization. A spokesperson for the proscribed group called the channel's bureau office to confirm that they had filed the story and the attack was carried out moments after they confirmed that the head office was delaying broadcast, which demonstrated a scary level of coordination and understanding of the media infrastructure on the part of the terrorists.
However, a woman is only as old as she admits... despite these facts, the Standing Committee on Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage on Wednesday ordained unilaterally that the media would not cover statements issued by those classified as `terrorists'.
The committee also stated that the government would define who are to be considered bandidosholy warriors and the two categories in this regard are Banned organizations and potential terrorists.
Incidentally, the participants of the meeting stressed that providing security was the responsibility of the state, and both the government and media houses would share the responsibility of ensuring security to the media personnel.
However, a woman is only as old as she admits... the committee recommended that the government clearly define which groups were or were not classified as terrorists.
An official statement released after the meeting said that the body had endorsed and approved 46 recommendations for the media to counter terrorism in the prevailing wartime situation.
The recommendations highlighted that laws already existed in the country and open with the words: "The press shall not lend itself to the projection of crime [or] terrorism as heroic and criminals, terrorists, as heroes."
"We are not suggesting anything new, simply that existing laws should be implemented," said ruling party politician Talal Chaudhry.
However, a woman is only as old as she admits... when asked who will be responsible for addressing security threats to mediapersons, he said, "The government is preparing a strategy for this, which will be announced by the prime minister himself, and media owners and the government will work together to ensure the protection of journalists and media workers."
The committee also suggested psycho-social guidelines, including recommendations that say that visuals which are unsuitable for children, of a sensitive nature or are and disturbing should not be shown before 10pm and repetition of footage should be restricted to just two loops.
Reiterating existing guidelines that call on media houses not to name bandidosholy warriors or run images of their faces, the recommendations include stipulations such as, "Don't show anti- state elements, [or] take sides in sectarian issues." But one of the most amusing and vague recommendations reads: "Always show good news first and if possible at bedtime also. (sic)"
The recommendations also stress that media channels, "[Shouldn't] repeat bad news too often",
The committee has also suggested to the government that, "Telecom and electronic media [should] have special broadcast tribunals," but details of what powers these tribunals would have were not discussed in the meeting.
The recommendations spell out penalties for violations, which will be imposed on both individual journalists as well as media houses, both for print and electronic media.
"In case of an editorial lapse, the media should be compelled to take punitive action against professional and journalistic negligence," the committee recommended, noting that '[A] Mindset change and capacity-building [is] required at media houses".
The committee also recommended that live coverage of terrorist attacks be highly restricted and media houses restrict discussion of plans and the movement of law enforcement agencies.
The recommendations also include positive steps, such as the prohibition of the identification of victims of terrorism and kidnapping for ransom or their families. Footage of bereaved families and people mourning the death of their loved ones should also be restricted, the committee suggested.
Meanwhile, ...back at the cheese factory, there was only one thought in the mouse's mind: I can do this! I can do this! Then the trap sprung... Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami, president of the Council of Pakistain Newspaper Editors (CPNE), opposed the idea of blacking out terror groups from media coverage. He said that the legal position might be one way, but practically, things were different and difficult.
"How can anybody protect media persons or media offices from terrorist attacks," he asked the committee. "One thing needs to be understood; without media coverage, nobody would have known what is happening in the rest of the country," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2014 00:25 ||
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[DAWN] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... in his address to the nation after midnight said the days of Death Eaters were numbered in Pakistain and they would be dealt with an iron hand.
In his televised speech, the prime minister said the terrorist attack on Army Public School in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire. has changed Pakistain.
"The Peshawar atrocity has changed Pakistain, we need to eradicate the mindset of terrorism to defeat extremism and sectarianism," he said.
"This horrendous attack has shaken the nation...the Death Eaters struck the future of this country when they murdered those children," the PM said, adding, "A strong action is needed to root out the menace of extremism from society."
PM Sharif explained that political parties had reached a consensus on setting up military manned 'special tribunals' to deal with terrorism related cases.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2014 00:23 ||
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#1
"it's a big number, like 6 digits, but it's a number"
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/25/2014 10:40 Comments ||
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#2
As long as sovereign nations can use them as proxies, they'll be around.
LAHORE: The Punjab government has hinted at the possibility of taking action against the religious schools found to be involved in militancy in any way.
“We’ve completed mapping of registered and unregistered madaris in the province and may initiate action against 10 percent of them,” Punjab Home Minister retired Col Shuja Khanzada told reporters at the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday.
He chose not to divulge detail of the madaris to be targeted, and said the provincial government had formed a panel, consisting of political and security leaders, to suggest precautionary measures to meet security needs besides implementing the decisions to be taken by the federal government on this issue.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/25/2014 00:00 ||
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ISLAMABAD/KARACHI: European Union on Wednesday showed aversion to Pakistan’s decision to lift the moratorium on executions.
"Quick, Ethel, my pills!"
In a statement, the EU delegation to Pakistan said, “The EU stands by the side of Pakistan and shares its grief after the horrific attack against a school in Peshawar. ... However, we believe the death penalty is not an effective tool in the fight against terrorism, it added. Moreover, the EU team regretted the decision of government of Pakistan to lift the moratorium on executions, which had been in place since 2008.
Meanwhile, the US has termed lifting of moratorium on executions as an internal matter of Pakistan.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/25/2014 00:00 ||
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ISLAMABAD: Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif on Wednesday said that it is now time to take daring decisions against terrorism and to implement those decisions.
So now you're going to get serious and take down the ISI? No? So you're not exactly being "bold" then...
Gen Raheel said political ownership of military action, strict anti-terror laws and their implementation is mandatory to curb militancy. He was briefing a meeting of parliamentary leaders held here on Wednesday. The meeting was presided over by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who summoned the political leadership to finalise a counter-terrorism strategy following Peshawar school attack. He said that political backing of the military is vital for a decisive fight against terrorism. “For this war we require political leadership’s cooperation, strict laws and concrete measures to curb militancy and terrorism.” he added.
General Raheel Sharif informed the participants about outcome of his recent visit to Afghanistan as well as Tuesday’s meeting with Afghan army chief and ISAF commander at GHQ, saying that Afghanistan has ensured elimination of Pakistani militants’ sanctuaries on Afghan soil. He said the Zarb-e-Azb and Khyber-I operations were successfully underway in tribal areas.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/25/2014 00:00 ||
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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in his address to the nation after midnight said that the days of terrorists were numbered in Pakistan and that they would be dealt with a iron hand.
In his televised speech, the prime minister said the terrorist attack on the Peshawar school has changed Pakistan, and that strong action was needed to root out the menace of extremism from society. Nawaz Sharif explained that political parties had reached a consensus on setting up military manned “special tribunals” to deal with terrorism-related cases. He said that the courts will be set up for a term of two years. The prime minister explained other points in the national action plan including the raising of an ant-terrorism task force.
“Peshawar atrocity has changed Pakistan, we need to eradicate the mindset of terrorism to defeat extremism and sectarianism,” he said. “This horrendous attack has shaken the nation...the terrorists struck the future of this country, when they murdered those children,” PM Nawaz said.
In his speech Nawaz Sharif explained that political parties had reached a consensus on how to defeat terrorism. He read a 19-point declaration containing a “plan of action” to fight the terrorism.
Under the plan, executions of convicted terrorists have resumed. Special trial courts are being established under military supervision, these special courts’ tenure will be 2 years. Armed struggle and militant groups will have no place anywhere in Pakistan. Anti-terrorism institute NACTA is being revived and will soon be functioning. Literature promoting violence, sectarianism and extremism will be curbed. Funding sources of terrorists and terror outfits will completely be shutdown. Banned outfits will not have permission to work under alias. Decision to form special anti-terrorism force has been taken. Protection of religious minorities is being ensured to stop religious extremism.
Registrations and regulation of religious institutions are being arranged. Promotion of terrorists and their messages will completely be banned from print and electronic media. Immediate return of IDPs will be deemed priority, administration arrangements in FATA are being speeded up. Social and communication networks of terrorists will eliminated fully. Immediate steps are being taken to prevent propagation of terrorist message on internet and social media. No space for terrorists including areas in Punjab will be available to terrorists. The ongoing operation in Karachi will be completed. Government of Balochistan is being given full autonomy by all stakeholders keeping in view the political reconciliation. . Decisive action is being taken against the elements behind sectarianism. A comprehensive policy about Afghan refugees is being formed.
Political parties had on late Wednesday reached a consensus over the issue of setting up military courts for tackling terrorism cases in the country. The agreement was reached during a meeting of parliamentary leaders at the Prime Minister House in Islamabad. The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which earlier expressed reservations, agreed on the setting up of military tribunals. The Awami National Party (ANP), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam – Fazl (JUI-F) have also reportedly supported the move. “This is historic occasion for our nation,” Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said at the concluding session. “Our resolve to fight terror is a strong message for those who want to destroy Pakistan. Time for half baked decisions is over,” the prime minister said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[TIMESOFINDIA.INDIATIMES] An intelligence agencies' probe into a recent tweet, suspected to be posted by one of the three missing Kalyan youths now with ISIS, has revealed that it originated in the UAE from a proxy server. Police say no special security arrangement has been made following the tweet, since they are already on high alert.
The tweet, supposedly uploaded by Fahad Shaikh, one of the three Kalyan youths, said India was targeted on 26/11 because people from a specific community and region financed riots and killed many innocents. The Twitter handle threatened to take them on.
An officer of inspector general of police rank in the security establishment said, "The tweet was uploaded around two weeks ago. We can just suspect that it has been tweeted by the missing Kalyan youth, Fahad Shaikh. However, we don't have any proof to authenticate it. The Twitter handle used a proxy server and showed its origin in the UAE."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] A treaty laying down international rules for the $85 billion dollar global arms trade goes into force on Wednesday with campaigners vowing to make sure it is strictly implemented.
The United States -- by far the world's largest arms producer and exporter -- has signed the treaty, but has yet to ratify it.
Other key exporters such as La Belle France, Britannia and Germany have ratified the charter and pledged to adhere to its strict criteria aimed at cutting off weapons supplies to human rights ...which are often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... violators worldwide.
"For too long, arms and ammunition have been traded with few questions asked about whose lives they will destroy," said Anna Macdonald, director of the Control Arms coalition of non-governmental organizations.
"The new Arms Trade Treaty which enters into force this week will bring that to an end."
"It is now finally against international law to put weapons into the hands of human rights abusers and dictators," she said.
A total of 130 countries have signed the treaty and 60 have ratified it, including Israel which joined the movement just this month.
Campaigners however say much work lies ahead to implement the treaty, with a first meeting of the states parties to the treaty to be held around September next year.
Decisions will have to be made about the financing mechanisms for the pact and setting up a secretariat to oversee its implementation.
Amnesia Amnesty International noted that five of the top 10 arms exporters -- La Belle France, Germany, Italia, Spain and Britannia ? have ratified the ATT. China and Russia have yet to sign on.
The first major arms accord since the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the ATT covers international transfers of everything from tanks to combat aircraft to missiles, as well as small arms.
The treaty compels countries to set up national controls on arms exports. States must assess whether a weapon could be used to circumvent an international embargo, be used for genocide and war crimes or be used by gunnies and organized crime.
"If robustly implemented, this treaty has the potential to save many lives and offer much needed protection to vulnerable civilians around the world," said Macdonald.
#3
Alan, I don't think that is going to happen; Senate must ratify treaties, and since the current Senate is in recess, and the incoming one is Republican, very doubtful the needed votes are there.
Just because it was signed doesn't mean its any good ( think a bounced check)
#4
Senate was why we never actually signed the Kyoto Treaty Excrescence - something like 97 or 98% of the Senators of both stripes told the President (Clintoon, I think) that they wouldn't sign it because of what it would do to the American economy.
Posted by: Barbara ||
12/25/2014 20:04 Comments ||
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#5
Clinton never even bothered to submit Kyoto to the Senate for ratification. That is why you heard so much about global warming being Bush's fault.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
12/25/2014 22:14 Comments ||
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[raqiNews.com] The General Hospital of djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... received dozens of the injuried ISIL terrorists.
Source within the Morgue of the Hospital stated to IraqiNews.com ?More than 46 corpses of the ISIL bully boyz and 23 injuired others were received by Mosul General Hospital due to the violent festivities with the seuciryt forces of western Nineveh.?
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/25/2014 00:26 ||
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#1
Each ISIL terrorist probably had Obamacare cards.
[AnNahar] After he fled from this tiny northern Iraqi hamlet four months ago, Hayder Khalef got panicked phone calls from his relatives who had remained behind. They were at that moment being led by 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.... group gunnies toward a checkpoint on the edge of town.
"If you don't hear from us, you'll find our bodies near the checkpoint," Khalef said they told him in the calls.
He is back in his hometown for the first time since, after Iraqi Kurdish fighters last week drove out the Death Eaters holding the village. Khalef and a few other residents who escaped followed the Kurds in, hoping to discover what happened to hundreds of their relatives and neighbors who vanished after the jihadis overran Hardan in early August.
They fear they know where they are: four mounds of recently dug-up earth. The sites have not yet been excavated, but Khalef and others are convinced they are mass graves, possibly holding dozens of dead. From the loose top soil, they and Kurdish fighters pulled out pieces of clothing as an News Agency that Dare Not be Namednews hound watched.
At one point, they tugged on the elastic waistband of pants visible in the dirt ? and it seemed a body was still wearing them. The ground bulged with the weight of a body being pulled up with the waistband. They stopped pulling, fearing booby traps, before a body could be clearly seen. But an ID card and some prayer beads fell out of the pants pocket ? the ID of a 44-year-old man named Khero Khudeda Rufo. One returning resident, Khaled Wase, recognized the name as a neighbor who is among the missing.
There is no way to definitively say the mounds are graves or know how many bodies are in them until they are dug up. The Kurds have no plan to do so immediately, though they have cordoned off the four sites with tape. Fighting continues with Islamic State gunnies not far away, and the situation is too unstable to deal with searching for bodies. But Wase and Khalef say they are certain their loved ones are buried in the sites.
"They are all from my village and some of my cousins were tossed in the clink You have the right to remain silent... (by the Death Eaters) and may be here," Wase said, referring to the earth mounds. "My relatives are there along with all those from my village." Wase and Khalef estimate that some 530 people are missing from Hardan, out of an original population of about 200 families, and he believes most were killed by the Death Eaters.
Hardan is one of a number of tiny villages dotting the plains of northern Iraq populated by members of the Yazidi religious community. When the Islamic State group swept through the area in early August, its fighters unleashed some of their most brutal atrocities against the Yazidis ? whom they consider heretics. Hundreds were killed, and the gunnies kidnapped hundreds of Yazidi women and girls, enlisting them as sex slaves given to their fighters and supporters, according to accounts by escaped women and reports collected by the U.N. and rights groups.
On Aug. 3 ? the same day they took the largest town in the area, Sinjar ? the gunnies appeared at the entrance to Hardan in eight black SUVs, backed by Sunni Moslems from neighboring villages, Wase recounted. They ordered residents to hand over any weapons they possessed or else the Death Eaters would behead their families, Wase said. The residents complied. Some fled that very night, including Wase and Khalef. Others were unable to leave, however, and stayed, hoping for the best, they said.
Wase said he made his way across the nearby Syrian border. He too received phone calls from relatives saying they were being taken by the gunnies toward a checkpoint on the side of town. He and Khalef said they were told about 150 people were taken to the checkpoint. What happened next is unknown, but both men believe all were killed.
Khalef said he also got a call from one of his cousins who hid in the village and saw the families being marched to the checkpoint and later saw an earthmover digging in the nearby fields. "My uncle and two of his sons along with 50 others I know from Hardan" are among those missing, Khalef said.
Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga fighters recaptured Hardan on Friday, and a handful of Yazidi residents quickly followed to search for loved ones. They found three of the mounds in a field. Wase said he found a headband and scarf he recognized as belonging to his relatives in one mound. At a spot about 100 meters (yards) away, the earth was scorched and littered with clothing, womens' shoes and a baby's pacifier.
The fourth site was found Sunday when the peshmerga were setting up a position and digging a latrine, and they noticed clothes in the dirt. It was there that they tugged at the half-buried pants that appeared to still be on a body.
Sammy Tahar, a 44-year-old peshmerga fighter, said he too believes the mounds are graves. "This is the worst of Daesh and the terrorists," he said, using the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group. "They brought these innocent people who were just minding their own business and they killed them."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/25/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
I didn't like Sadaam's mass graves. That we booted him and got bored with what we were doing so that children are being butchered is a pretty strong deposition against our claims to be an altruistic fighter for the rights of the downtrodden. America needs to act like the good shepherd that it claims to be and not abandon the flock to grab an appetizer ate at Hooters while watching reruns of Seinfeld.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
12/25/2014 18:14 Comments ||
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[AnNahar] The Iraqi cabinet on Tuesday approved a $102.5 billion budget for 2015 based on a projected oil price of $60 a barrel, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi's front man said.
Rafid Jaboori also said that the projected deficit for the year is $19.1 billion. He did not give details on how the funds will be allocated.
Abadi's office issued a statement saying that the cabinet had approved the budget and that the premier has formed a committee to rework some parts of the draft law in legal terms.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Residents of Netiv HaAsara, near northern Gazoo, say Islamist terror group has been fortifying positions, conducting observation of IDF patrols.
Only four months have passed since the end of Operation Protective Edge and signs on the ground point to a speedy recovery by Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,. Aside from the cross-border fire from Gazoo, in which an IDF border was maimed on Wednesday, Ynet was told the Islamist terror group has constructed new military positions and forward command posts.
In northern Gazoo, across from Netiv HaAsara, residents have spotted dirt hills, fortifications, and ramps only several hundred meters from their homes. Pictures obtained by Ynet show Hamas' construction activity, including forward positions, adorned with the Gazook group's signature green flag.
The new reality on the ground is of deep concern to the local residents. "Hamas has been busy recently in gathering intelligence and in observation. We have noticed that the new lookout posts were manned at all hours of the day and even for parts of the night."
Locals said that the heavy machinery used to construct the military posts and the forward fortifications in the northern Strip were visible to the naked eye. "They are examining the IDF's movements in the area and at strategic points along the border. It shows a high level of self-confident and a clear lack of fear of IDF forces," said one of the residents.
At the moshav, the locals closely monitor the progress on the other side of the border. It appears that the Paleostinians are working in the area which formerly comprised the settlement of Nisanit ? before the Israeli withdrawal from the Strip.
"Just the fact that they have Hamas flags on the ground send their message home," said Shayke Shaked from Netiv HaAsara. "The activity there is definitely worrying. I certainly hope the IDF is following the developments and will make the correct calls."
Israeli authorities gave final approval on Wednesday to the construction of 380 new settler homes in two areas of annexed east Jerusalem, a local official said.
“The municipal commission has given construction permits for 307 homes in Ramot and 73 in Har Homa,” Yosef Pepe Alalu, a Jerusalem city councillor with the opposition Meretz party, said. He said local officials were taking advantage of attention focusing on Israeli elections due in March to expand settlements.
“This kind of decision distances us from any chance of reaching an agreement with the Palestinians,” he said.
Despite repeated warnings from Washington that it is fuelling tensions, Israel has approved a series of plans for new settler homes in east Jerusalem in recent months.
Israel seized east Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community. It refers to the entire city as its “united, undivided capital”, and does not view construction there as settlement activity.
The Palestinians want the city’s eastern sector as capital of their promised state and vehemently oppose any Israeli attempt to expand construction there.
Tensions between Israelis and Palestinians have boiled over in recent months with frequent clashes between security forces and stone-throwing protesters, and a series of deadly “lone wolf” attacks on Israeli civilians.
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman insisted last month that Israel would never consider the building of Jewish settlements in Jerusalem as “settlement activity”.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] The United States dismissed Wednesday a claim by 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.... jihadist group that it had shot down a Jordanian F-16 fighter flying with US-led coalition forces, which crashed in eastern Syria.
?Evidence clearly indicates that [the Islamic State] did not down the aircraft as the terrorist organization is claiming,? said US Central Command, the body overseeing the coalition air war over Iraq and Syria.
The statement did not give a cause for the ?crash,? and confirmed the lost jet?s Jordanian pilot had been taken captive by IS guerrillas.
?We strongly condemn the actions of [the Islamic State], which has taken captive the downed pilot,? said CentCom commander General Lloyd Austin.
?We will support efforts to ensure his safe recovery, and will not tolerate [the Islamic State?s] attempts to misrepresent or exploit this unfortunate aircraft crash for their own purposes.?
?The Jordanians are highly respected and valued partners and their pilots and crews have performed exceptionally well over the course of this campaign,? he added.
Update at 12:45 ET: ABC News adds that the airplane crashed near Raqqa, Syria, bursting into flames as it hit the ground, and the pilot ejected safely. ISIS does have Russian-made Igla anti-aircraft missile systems, possibly captured from Iraqi and Syrian arsenals.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
12/25/2014 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
GotNews.com has confirmed and exclusively discovered that Brinsley went by another name — Ismaaiyl Abdullah-Muhammad — and that he worked for the Islamic Society of North America.
