[Hurriyet Daily News] The number of civilians killed and wounded in Afghanistan jumped 22 percent in 2014, the UN said Wednesday, as NATO troops withdrew from combat leaving government forces to battle a raging Taliban insurgency.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan attributed the rise to an intensification in ground fighting, resulting in a total of 10,548 civilian casualties last year, compared with the 2013 figure of 8,637.
The number of civilian deaths rose 25 percent to 3,699 while the number of injured was up 21 percent to 6,849. The total casualty figure is the highest recorded in a single year since the UN began compiling its reports in 2009.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2015 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] The UN Security Council has agreed to hold an emergency meeting tomorrow to discuss Libya in the wake of the IS massacre of 21 Egyptians on a beach somewhere near Sirte.
The Egyptian government is pressing the UN to approve a mandate for international military action against IS in Libya. Egyptian president Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi has called for an UN-backed coalition to take on IS in the country. Egyptian warplanes have already attacked targets in Derna. There have been reports of attacks against targets in Sirte and elsewhere but these are yet to be confirmed.
Egypt has also asked for the UN ban on the supply of weapons to be lifted for the Libyan government in Beida.
In signalling its approach to the UN, Sissi told Egyptians in a broadcast last night "We will not allow them to cut the heads off our children".
Egypt's Grand Mufti Shawki Allam reinforced the president's declaration, saying " the blood of our Christians children and brothers is the same blood as that of Muslims which belongs to the Egyptian nation"
The UN is likely to be cautious about the Egyptian request. While there is revulsion and anger at the horrific murder the Egyptian Copts, there is also concern that an intervention mandate could morph into an Egyptian campaign against Libya Dawn rebels based in Tripoli and Misrata.
The UN's agency in Libyan, UNSMIL has been trying to broker talks between the rebels based in Tripoli and Misrata and the parliament in Tobruk and the government it appointed which is working out of Beida. For the UN to back the Egyptian motion might very well kick into touch the UNSMIL peace initiative led by its chief Bernardino Leon.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2015 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] The governments of France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States have promised that those who seek to impede the process of Libya's democratic transition will not only be held accountable for their actions by the Libyan people, but by the international community as well.
The Western allies strongly condemned all acts of terrorism in Libya, saying that the "heinous" murder of the twenty-one Coptic Christians in Sirte underscored the "urgent" need for a political resolution to the conflict in Libya.
No one faction can confront the challenges facing Libya alone, the Western allies said yesterday. For this reason, the United Nations-led process to establish a unity government was the best hope for Libyans to eradicate terrorism within their borders, they stressed.
The group went on to say that the international community was prepared to fully support a unity government in addressing the challenges facing Libya.
Calling on former members of the General National Congress (GNC) who have thus far held back from the UN-sponsored talks to join in the process in a "constructive spirit of reconciliation", the group underscored the need for swift progress in the political process, based on clear timelines.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Just a little Arab Spring Fever. Nuthin to get excited about.
[Libya Herald] The House of Representatives (HoR) voted on Monday to create the role of Commander-in-Chief/Supreme Commander of the armed forces, the HoR Media Office reported.
The decision was carried by 53 out of 81 members present. The number of Representatives reported to have voted in favour of the new role was larger than expected, as Libya Herald had been led to believe that only about 40 Representatives were in favour of creating such a role.
The new Commander-in-Chief will be chosen by direct voting within the HoR from a list of candidates who nominate themselves for the role at a later date, the report said.
There is, nevertheless, strong opposition within the HoR for the creation of such a role, not least from the House Defence and National Security Committee.
It will be recalled that Mosab Al-Abed, Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Defence and National Security Committee, told Libya Herald last week that the House was not about to appoint Khalifa Hafter as the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces.
Al-Abed had at the time been speaking on the background of increasing reports that HoR President Agheela Salah was considering taking the unilateral decision of appointing Hafter Supreme Commander of the Libyan armed forces.
The leadership of the HoR had been given the power to act as Supreme Commander of the Libyan Armed Forces, however, Al-Abed had pointed out that this power was granted to the leadership as a whole, meaning the President and his two Deputies, and not exclusively to Salah.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Whew, for a second there I thought it was the HOUSE OF [Amun-]RA?
My bad.
lol.
D *** NG IT, I HEARD MY NAME CALLED + IT WASN'T THE WIFE!?
[Iran Press TV] The Arab League has called for the removal of a UN ban on arms sales to Libya citing a fight against the ISIL Takfiris in the country. Passed a resolution, they? That'll show 'em!
The 22-nation Arab body held an emergency meeting in the Egyptian capital Cairo on Wednesday following the decapitation of 21 Coptic Christians by the terrorists in Libya.
"The Arab League also states that the crisis in Libya needs to be solved by political means and the ban on arms sales to the Libyan armed forces should be lifted," read a statement released after the meeting.
The United Nations and the European Union imposed sanctions on the regime of the country's former dictator, Muammar Gaddafi, back in February 2011.
The ISIL has recently made an advance in Libya propagandized by a video released last week showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians and an earlier announcement of the terror act in an issue of their magazine, Dabiq.
In their statement, the Arab envoys voiced support for the airstrikes launched by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Libya in an effort to contain ISIL following the beheadings.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2015 00:00 ||
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#3
Just an excuse. It's good being prozi: since nobody's "human rights" record is anything close to (the proclaimed) ideal---you always have an excuse when you need one.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
02/19/2015 7:45 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Multiculturalism - the imposition by communists progressives to force the majority or plurality of a country to give up their culture usually coached as 'tolerance' when the progressives lack power but instituted against the will of the people when the progressives gain power.
#9
I just realized that the champ is the black version of George McFly. Perhaps one of the infanta can find a black Professor Brown and put things back on track.
[VOA News] The multinational offensive against the Boko Haram Islamist militants will not be deterred by threats from the group's leader to disrupt Nigeria's March 28 election, according to military spokesman Major General Chris Olukolade.
"All of those empty threats are very likely reactions to the ongoing offensive and it will continue," said Olukolade. "The move will continue and the essence is to achieve the objectives of incapacitating the group to the extent that they cannot be the nuisance that they have always been."
He said the military operation will restore law and order in areas formerly controlled by the militants, and minimize the security threat to residents.
Olukolade's comments followed the latest Boko Haram threat to scuttle the election.
He said the prospects of success are good for the military operation against the militants.
"Consistently the plan is to ensure that there is heat on them from every part as we try to sweep them from where they are having their activities prevalent. A lot of offensives have started against every location where they are and it's yielding results, and we are doing this in the spirit of very highly coordinated air and land operation. Each move is backed by appropriate air strikes that have also been yielding results," said Olukolade.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Well, that would be a step in the right direction.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
02/19/2015 7:43 Comments ||
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[IN.REUTERS] 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... has recalled its ambassador to Egypt, the state news agency QNA said late on Wednesday, in a dispute over Egyptian air strikes on 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.... targets in Libya.
The diplomatic row came just two months after a thaw began in relations between the two.
Egyptian jets bombed sites in Libya on Monday hours after Islamic State holy warriors there released a video showing the beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians, drawing Cairo directly into the conflict across its border.
Qatar expressed reservations over the attack at a subsequent meeting of the Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... , angering Cairo.
Saad bin Ali al-Muhannadi, a Qatari foreign ministry official, cited misgivings on "unilateral military action in another member (state) in a way that could harm innocent civilians".
Despite Qatar's concerns, the vaporous Arab League put out a statement on Wednesday expressing its "complete understanding" over Egypt's air strikes and threw its weight behind Cairo's call for a lifting of the arms embargo on the Libyan army.
Qatar also expressed reservations on this point. Al-Muhannadi said it would give leverage to one party over the other before peace talks were concluded and a coalition government was formed.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2015 08:06 ||
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#1
Qatar+Turkey+Obama vs. The Arab World and the West.
[ARABNEWS] Military chiefs from more than 22 countries battling the Islamic State (IS) group began talks here Wednesday to assess the coalition's current strategy and map out a plan to tackle other terrorist groups operating in the Middle East.
A formal reception was hosted for the military chiefs of the foreign countries at a local hotel on Wednesday night, a diplomatic source, who requested anonymity, said.
This led to an informal round of discussions, but the main talks are scheduled for Thursday, he said. This high-powered military meeting is significant because of the growing threat posed by IS.
The meeting also coincides with the Summit on Countering Violent Extremism, which started in the US Wednesday.
The summit will highlight domestic and international efforts to prevent violent extremists and their supporters from radicalizing, recruiting, and inspiring individuals and groups.
The talks in Riyadh would include a general assessment of the coalition's battle against IS, said another diplomat.
"It is more an exchange of information and a chance for coordination," he said.
The talks also coincide with the rise of IS in Libya, which has heightened concerns in the region. The group seized parts of Iraq and Syria last year.
Arab states have intensified their bombing of IS targets since the militants in early February killed the Jordanian fighter pilot Maaz Al-Kasaasbeh, whose plane went down over Syria last year.
Bahrain has decided to send forces to Jordan to support the country and the international coalition.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
The meeting also coincides with the Summit on Countering Violent Extremism, which started in the US Wednesday.
[Bloomberg] Hundreds of thousands of Muslims shouted "Allahu Akbar!" as their leader condemned Charlie Hebdo supporters after militants slaughtered five of its cartoonists. The protest was organized by the state and televised live across the country for over an hour, but it wasn't in Iran or Pakistan. It was in Russia, where Vladimir Putin came to power promising to "wipe out" Muslim extremists, even "in the outhouse".
Fifteen years later, Putin is seeking to turn Muslim rage to his advantage by pushing for a united front against what he sees as a U.S.-led conspiracy to dominate the world. Putin is also trying to neutralize the threat posed by the return of Russian jihadis currently fighting for the IS.
The rally last month was held in the Chechen capital, Grozny. Ramzan Kadyrov told the crowd "Western agents" probably organized the Charlie Hebdo massacre to trigger a "new wave" of Islamic State recruits for their war on Islam. Kadyrov has said the U.S. secretly controls the IS. Alexei Malashenko, a Middle East analyst at the Moscow Carnegie Center, said, "The protest was an attempt to meld Muslim opinions with Russian-wide views about the Western world, a lever to unite the population around Putin."
Putin visited Egypt on February 9 and discussed the IS with his counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. While the group poses an "unprecedented" threat, the U.S. and its allies bear the responsibility for creating the conditions for its success, Putin told Egypt's Al- Ahram newspaper.
Russian authorities are bracing for an upsurge in North Caucasus violence now that the IS has declared Russia an enemy for arming Assad. About 1,500 Russians have fought for the IS and many are starting to return, according to the government's Anti-Terror Committee. Caucasian Knot chief Grigory Shvedov said, "Russia is the Islamic State's new target. The process has begun."
The IS last month released a video in which a boy appears to execute two men accused of spying for the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). One said in an alleged confession that he was gathering data about fighters from Russia, while the other said he was sent to locate the home of the group's leader.
Posted by: ryuge ||
02/19/2015 00:00 ||
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#2
"U.S.-led conspiracy to dominate the world." Clearly Putin is too smart to believe that tripe. Not with O in power, but it is useful to play that card I suspect.
"About 1,500 Russians have fought for the IS and many are starting to return, according to the government's Anti-Terror Committee. Caucasian Knot chief Grigory Shvedov said, "Russia is the Islamic State's new target. The process has begun."
Good luck with that. Some countries fight back instead of apologizing for possibly offending.
[RFE/RL] On February 15, IS militants in Libya released a graphic new propaganda video. Entitled "A Message Signed In Blood To The Nation Of The Cross", the five-minute long video appeared to show IS militants simultaneously beheading 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians.
Following the release of that video, Egypt's Ambassador to the UK, Nasser Kamel, warned that militants in Libya posed a threat to Europe because of its proximity to Italy. He said that the IS could exploit boat routes used by illegal migrants from Libya, assisted by human traffickers. Kamel said, "[There are] boat people who go for immigration purposes and try to cross the Mediterranean. In the next few weeks, if we do not act together, there will be boats full of terrorists also."
Italy's Foreign Minister, Paolo Gentiloni, warned on February 18 of a "grave threat" posed to European security by the militants in Libya. He told Parliament that there was an "evident risk" of IS gunmen forging ties with local militias or criminal gangs. Gentiloni said, "We find ourselves facing a country with a vast territory and failed institutions and that has potentially grave consequences not only for us but for the stability and sustainability of the transition processes in neighboring African states."
While Egypt's immediate response to the video was to bomb IS targets in Libya, Gentiloni said that the solution was political rather than military. He called on the UN to help find a speedy solution to the situation in Libya.
Posted by: ryuge ||
02/19/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
There are already several millions Muslims in Europe.
[DAWN] Two more polio ...Poliomyelitis is a disease caused by infection with the poliovirus. Between 1840 and the 1950s, polio was a worldwide epidemic. Since the development of polio vaccines the disease has been largely wiped out in the civilized world. However, since the vaccine is known to make Moslem pee-pees shrink and renders females sterile, bookish, and unsubmissive it is not widely used by the turban and automatic weapons set... cases were registered from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... and Fata on Wednesday, taking the total number of reported polio cases in 2015 to nine.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2015 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The US congressional delegation was assured on Wednesday that Pakistain has no favourites now and operation Zarb-e-Azb ..the Pak offensive against Qaeda in Pakistain and the Pak Taliban in North Wazoo. The name refers to the sword of the Prophet (PTUI!)... is against all snuffies groups in North Wazoo.
Talking to the visiting US congressional delegation led by Senator Jack Reed -- a ranking member of the senate's Armed Services committee -- at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. Army Chief Gen Raheel said that Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain's (TTP) network and other snuffies groups have completely dismantled in North Waziristan and a large area has been cleared.
During the meeting, security situation along the Pak-Afghan border also came under discussion and US delegation was told that Pak-Afghan forces are conducting coordinated operations against Death Eater hide outs and significant progress has been made in such operations.
Gen Raheel also took the US delegation into confidence over yesterday's trip to Kabul and told Senator jack Reed that cooperation between Islamabad and Kabul is growing in regard to security and countering terrorism.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Pak military advances in Waziristan cannot be verified. For more than six months it has allowed no journalists, politicians or outsiders to witness or investigate events there. The Pak military is not to be trusted, ever. However, for some reason the US Congress, including the ferret Reid, annually appropriate funds.
[IraqiNews.com] On Tuesday, the Ministry of Peshmerga stressed out the importance of the approval of Kirkuk Provincial Council for the entry of any military force.
Ministry's front man, Jabbar Yawar said in an interview for IraqiNews.com, "A security meeting was held in the province of Kirkuk today, and headed by Massoud Barzani ... hereditary head of the Kurdish Democratic Party, maybe a little too close to the Medes and the Persians for most people's tastes... ; where topics such as the security situation in the province and the support of Peshmerga and other sectors that contribute to the security of Kirkuk had been discussed."
Yawar pointed out to the necessity for any force, either from the Iraqi Army or the tribes or the volunteer fighters, to get the approval of the provincial council and its security commission, because those forces operate within the US-led international coalition to fight ISIS and thwart its plans in Iraq."
President of the Kurdistan region Massoud Barzani arrived on Tuesday to Kirkuk and held a meeting with the governor of Kirkuk to discuss the security situation in the province.
[IraqiNews.com] The head of al-Muqdadiyah district announced Tuesday, that more than 1500 displaced families have returned to the liberated areas in the district.
That's trust that past results predict future performance.
The head of al-Muqdadiyah district, Zaid Ibrahim, said: "More than 1500 displaced families have returned to the secured areas in the district during the past week," noting that, "The families returned to five villages, located in north of al-Muqdadiyah."
"The high degree of coordination with the security forces has increased the rates of return to the area," Ibrahim added.
"The high degree of coordination with the security forces has increased the rates of return to the area," Ibrahim added.
[Iran Press TV] Israel has approved a plan to expropriate the privately owned land of Palestinian Bedouin communities in East al-Quds (Jerusalem) to set up a landfill.
The facility for construction waste will require the eviction of 120 Bedouin families and expropriation of 50 hectares of Palestinian land.
The plan, which was approved by the Jerusalem planning and building committee, calls for the site to be set up in an area most of which is privately owned by Palestinians.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
This strikes me as needlessly pro lol, lol, voc lol lol ative. Seriously with all due respect to lol the peace lol on both lol sided.
Hell wit it, expand the sewage lagoon while you're at it.
[Iran Press TV] A group of Palestinian Christians have called on the international community to step up the fight against the ISIL Takfiri militants following the mass execution of 21 Egyptian Copts at the hands of the terrorists.
Some 200 Christians staged a candlelit march in al-Quds (Jerusalem) on Wednesday to mourn the Copts who were savagely beheaded by the ISIL militants.
They carried four cardboard coffins with gold crosses as well as banners showing the pictures of the killed Coptic Christians.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2015 00:00 ||
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For months, the United States and its allies have withheld "classified negotiating details" from Israel over its nuclear diplomacy with Iran, the Obama administration acknowledged on Wednesday. Seems to be a pattern with this admin: (i) Indignant denial. (ii) "What does it matter now?" But it's OK: we ain't telling you everything either---don't want you warning the Mullahs.
[IraqiNews.com] Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah said that Mecca and Medina are the main targets of ISIS, not Jerusalem, pointing out that its caliphate cannot prevail without the Two Holy Mosques, and that the Iraqis had prevented the terrorist group from accessing the Gulf.
Nasrallah said in a speech in the anniversary of the 'Martyrs Leaders' reported by IraqiNews.com, "The whole world acknowledged that ISIS has become a threat to the security of the region and the world. It is only Israel that does not consider it a threat," pointing out that, "ISIS and other terrorist organizations do whatever serves the power of Israel and United States."
F17, I think.
"The murder of the Jordanian pilot Moaz Kasasbeh is horrid, and the beheading of the Egyptian Christians in Libya is shameful and horrible," he added, warning that, "ISIS will open new fronts."
Nasrallah also stated that the ISIS 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... was appointed a Prince of Mecca and Medina, because ISIS succession cannot hold without the Two Holy Mosques, pointing out that the main ISIS target is not Jerusalem, but Mecca and Medina.
Nasrallah said that the Iraqis prevented ISIS from reaching Kuwait and Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... , and added, "We must approach the situation in Iraq in a different way and instead of feeding the sectarian strife, let all the sects defend their lands and oil and help eliminate ISIS."
#4
They have jobs. Marauding, looting, and killing. Been a big employer since recorded time and usually didn't involving paying overhead graft to some bureaucrat or apparatchik to do it.
#9
I don't support bombing Mecca and Medina, yet. I do support bombing the roads going into those cities. Blast the ever loving crap out of the desert so that only dune buggies and camels can make it in (and take out any runways).
Then we can credibly claim we are attempting to save the Holy places.
I'd be curious how long it would take the Saudi's to repair roads on soft sand roadbeds without western help.
#10
This makes so much sense. Then Iran will finally be in control of the Islamic centers! Slick move. SO what will the Wahabbiests do about this? We might want to just open the gates and let them go. Red on red for years...
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
02/19/2015 16:47 Comments ||
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[Hurriyet Daily News] The United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... envoy to Syria said Feb. 17 he has received a commitment from the Syrian government to suspend Arclight airstrikes and artillery shelling on the city of Aleppo for six weeks to allow a proposed U.N. plan to "freeze" hostilities in the country's largest city to be tested.
Staffan de Mistura was briefing the Security Council in closed session on his latest efforts to find a solution to the grinding civil war. There was no indication of when the suspension of Arclight airstrikes would begin, but the envoy said he will return to Syria "as soon as possible" to assess whether the government's commitment is possible and to announce a start date.
He called the new development a glimmer of hope. And he continued to emphasize a political solution to the nearly four-year conflict.
But questions remain. De Mistura now has to get the opposition's support for the plan, which includes a request for them to suspend rocket and mortar fire in the same period. And Syria's ambassador to the U.N. refused to comment after the council meeting.
"Let's be frank. I have no illusions," de Mistura told news hounds. "Based on past experiences, it is a difficult issue to achieve."
This was de Mistura's first council briefing since he explained his freeze plan in October, and council members wanted to know what kind of support, if any, it received from Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Despoiler of Deraa... in his meeting with de Mistura earlier this month.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2015 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.
[Hurriyet Daily News] The number of civilians killed and wounded in Afghanistan jumped 22 percent in 2014, the UN said Wednesday, as NATO troops withdrew from combat leaving government forces to battle a raging Taliban insurgency.
[Libya Herald] The governments of France, Italy, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States have promised that those who seek to impede the process of Libya's democratic transition will not only be held accountable for their actions by the Libyan people, but by the international community as well.
[Bloomberg] Hundreds of thousands of Muslims shouted "Allahu Akbar!" as their leader condemned Charlie Hebdo supporters after militants slaughtered five of its cartoonists. The protest was organized by the state and televised live across the country for over an hour, but it wasn't in Iran or Pakistan. It was in Russia, where Vladimir Putin came to power promising to "wipe out" Muslim extremists, even "in the outhouse".
[RFE/RL] On February 15, IS militants in Libya released a graphic new propaganda video. Entitled "A Message Signed In Blood To The Nation Of The Cross", the five-minute long video appeared to show IS militants simultaneously beheading 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians.
[DAWN] Two more 
[DAWN] The US congressional delegation was assured on Wednesday that Pakistain has no favourites now and operation 
Wazoo
Massoud Barzani
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
