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Today: 69 articles and 167 comments as of 10:45.
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Area: WoT Operations    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
Chotoo gang surrenders to Army, releases hostages
Today's Headlines
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Afghanistan
Govt Accused Of Negligence In Fight Against Terrorism
[Tolo News] A number of senators, in reaction to Tuesday's deadly attack in Kabul
...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either....
, said government doesn't have a clear mechanism for war and peace. They accused government of negligence in the fight against terrorism.

The senators said that government never had a clear stance against those involved in insecurity in Afghanistan.

"Our armed forces in the lower ranks are rendering sacrifices, but defense and military doctrine does not have a clear plan and strategy. Had they had a clear strategy, today this incident would not have happened in Pul-e-Mahmoud Khan (scene of Tuesday's attack)," said Gul Ahmad Azimi, a senator.

"They say that they will make peace and there will be no war anymore, but then we are being killed and we are drowning in blood," said Farida Kochai, another senator.

The senators said that government should not test the patience of people and should immediately devise a clear strategy against Lion of Islams.

"We want to fight and we support our security forces. The government should hear our voice clearly; we don't want peace with some who are fighting," said Farhad Sakhi, the first speaker of the Meshrano Jirga (Lower House of Parliament).

"We want peace to come, but as we saw they, the Taliban, have announced their spring offensive," said Anarkali Honaryar, a senator.
Posted by: Fred || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Ghani says ‘will never make peace with regional and international terrorists’
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani
...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. ..
has said the Afghan government will never make peace with the regional and international terrorists.

During a meeting in ARG Presidential Palace to discuss security and Afghan grinding of the peace processor, President Ghani said Afghanistan has proved sincerity to the world and the world strongly stands with Afghanistan today.

The meeting was attended by politicians from the Lower House of the Parliament (Wolesi Jirga), Upper House of the Parliament (Meshrano Jirga), cabinet member, and security authorities.

The main focus of the meeting was to consult regarding the security situation of the country which has rapidly deteriorated during the recent months.

The ongoing efforts to revive grinding of the peace processor with the anti-government armed Lion of Islam groups was also on agenda of the meeting.

President Ghanis thanked the politicians in Lower and Upper Houses of the Parliament for their support to the Afghan security and defense forces.

The Deputy House Speaker in Lower House of the Parliament, Zahir Qadir, said Monday politicians from both the houses will present their suggestions and plans regarding grinding of the peace processor during the meeting.

This comes as the Taliban group has rejected to participate in peace talks with the Afghan government despite efforts by Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG).

The group consisting of Afghanistan, Pakistain, United States and China representatives called on Lion of Islam groups to join peace talks in a bid to end the violence through reconciliation process.

Posted by: Fred || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda


President Ghani vows revenge for ‘every drop of blood’
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani
...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. ..
has vowed Dire Revenge™ for ’every drop of blood’ of Afghan people spilled by the forces of Evil as Kabul
...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either....
was hit by a deadly attack today which left at least 28 dead and 327 maimed.
So why not send some murderous agents to cut the throats of all the members of the Quetta Shura?
During a visit to Sardar Mohammad Daud Khan hospital where the injured civilians are treated following the deadly attack, President Ghani said the attack represents a culture of ignorance which is not having any justification in the religion of Islam.

Ghani fu9rther added that such acts do not have any links with the humanity and is considered a shameful act in Afghanistan.

He recalled government’s pleas for peace talks and said the forces of Evil have been defeated in the battlefield and a large number of them have been killed, insisting the Death Eater groups forced the Afghan forces to take such actions against them.

Vowing Dire Revenge for each drop of blood spilled by the Death Eaters, President Ghani said no there is not distinction among the Afghan people, warning Death Eater groups that they will fail to divide the Afghan nation.

President Ghani also added that the victims of today’s attack are fathers, sons and brothers of someone, emphasizing that such attacks will further strengthen the will and determination of the Afghan people to bring peace and stability in the country.

Calling the members of the Afghan cops as true sons of the country, President Ghani said the Afghan forces are ready to go to the frontline against the Death Eater groups.

Posted by: Fred || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Noor says militants do not believe in peace talks, calls for use of power
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The acting provincial governor of northern Balkh province Ata Mohammad Noor has called on the government to use power against the enemies of the country and not to appeal for peace talks.
Picked right up on that, didn't he?
In a statement released following a deadly attack in capital Kabul
...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either....
, Noor said ’The enemies do not believe in peace, they only gift death...’

Noor further added that today’s attack in capital Kabul was one of the deadliest in the country which brought agony to hundreds of families.

He said peace and negotations do not have any value for the enemies of the country who are only reducing their thirst by kiling innocent people.

The Taliban group grabbed credit behind the deadly attack in capital Kabul on elite security forces personnel this morning.

According to the security officials, at least 28 people were killed and at least 327 others were maimed in the attack.

The hard boyz initially detonated a Vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) near the compound around 9:00 this morning and started shootout with the security forces following the attack.

Posted by: Fred || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Africa Horn
Somalia is seeking Russia’s help in fighting Shaboobs
Somalia is asking Russia to help equip its armed forces to fight terrorism in the Horn of Africa nation, where Islamic militant group al-Shabab is waging a deadly insurgency against the Western-backed government, according to Sputnik news agency, which is owned and operated by the Russian government.
Give the Rooshuns basing rights in Mogadishu and you'll get a deal...
Mogadishu is also seeking Moscow’s support in strengthening its flagging economy, Somali Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke reportedly said Tuesday at a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“Support in peacekeeping operations is one of the possible aspects of strengthening our armed forces. It is highly important for us to strengthen our law enforcement agencies to fight terrorism. Therefore, we would like to request such support from you,” Sharmarke apparently said at the meeting in Moscow. “We expect closer Somalia-Russia cooperation.”

During Tuesday’s meeting, Lavrov said Russia is ready to consider military cooperation to help Somalia battle terrorism in the hostile region.
I thought the UN and ANISOM had all this under control...
“I know that during your visit to Russia, you would like to talk in particular about equipping the Somali security forces with all that is necessary to fight terrorists,” he reportedly told Sharmarke in Moscow. “Such an approach is fully consistent with the interests of the international community, in line with the U.N. Security Council decisions and Russia will be ready to consider a request on the matter.”

Al-Shabab, whose name means “the youth,” emerged in 2006 from the now-defunct Islamic Courts Union, which once commanded Somalia’s capital of Mogadishu. The Sunni extremist group launched its own insurgency on major Somali cities in 2009, taking control of Mogadishu and southern Somalia until it was pushed out by domestic and international forces around 2012.

Al-Shabab regularly targets officials in its efforts to topple Somalia’s Western-backed government as well as civilians and non-Muslims. Although it’s based in Somalia, al-Shabab also has launched deadly attacks in neighboring countries. Many areas of south-central Somalia are still under al-Shabab’s control, and the militants have increased efforts in recent months to recapture lost territories.

Decades of civil war has also ravaged much of Somalia’s economic infrastructure, institutions and government structure, according to the World Bank. Clan warlords have battled for power in the East African country since the collapse of a quasi communist military dictator’s regime in the early 1990s. After years of interim authority, a federal government headed by the president and parliament was established in 2012. But Somalia’s internationally recognized government has failed to assert central authority over the nation which, coupled with high unemployment, has created a nice for piracy and armed groups.
Posted by: Steve White || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab

#1  Not USA? I guess Somalis are prejudiced against transgendered people---or, maybe, they are just racists.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 04/20/2016 0:10 Comments || Top||

#2  Oh goodie. A new mark.

Leave and let the Somalis spend their considerable idle time on things like growing food.
Posted by: Betty Hitler2611 || 04/20/2016 7:30 Comments || Top||

#3  Now defunct Islamic Courts?
What became of Powerful Islamic Courts?
Posted by: Shipman || 04/20/2016 17:23 Comments || Top||

#4  they're with the Elite Iranian Republican Guards™ and Saddam's Elite Military™
Posted by: Frank G || 04/20/2016 18:04 Comments || Top||


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Kyrgyz villagers seek to expel family suspected of terror ties
[RFE/RL] Villagers in southwest Kyrgyzstan are demanding that a local council expel a family that they say poses a threat after at least one of its male members ran off to join Islamist militants in Syria.

Two recent efforts have failed to get the Makhmudov family forcibly removed from the village of Kazhar, in Jalal-Abad Province. But more than 150 villagers signed a new petition last week in a new campaign targeting the Makhmudovs, claiming they are a danger to others after what the local leader suggested was militant training abroad.

The council is expected to review the villagers' demand on April 23, though some officials have already signaled that a forced relocation is unlikely without a court order.

Jalal-Abad police say one of the Makhmudovs, a former madrasa student in his early 20s, left to join Islamist militants in Syria in 2015. An unconfirmed report suggested he has since died.

The young man's mother, Mavlyuda Sharipova, said his father, Khairulla Makhmudov, left for Turkey in May in an attempt to track down his son and get a job in Turkey. Much of the neighbors' animosity stems from confusion about the family's efforts to retrieve the son, she said.

A few months after the elder Makhmudov left the country, Sharipova said, she, two daughters, and two grandchildren left the village to join the elder Makhmudov but were detained by Kyrgyz police at Osh's international airport before they could board a plane for Turkey. She and other family members reportedly reached Turkey in a second attempt, but Turkish authorities deported them back to Kyrgyzstan.
Posted by: ryuge || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The young man's mother, Mavlyuda Sharipova, said his father, Khairulla Makhmudov, left for Turkey in May in an attempt to track down his son and get a job in Turkey Raqqa.
Posted by: Frank G || 04/20/2016 8:49 Comments || Top||

#2  In other news, they would like to buy a vowel.
Posted by: Whaimble Scourge of the Munchkins5245 || 04/20/2016 9:32 Comments || Top||

#3  ...or a shovel...to dig each others' graves...
Posted by: Whinenter Bucket7386 || 04/20/2016 17:13 Comments || Top||


Europe
Belgium says ‘terrorist fighters’ planning new Europe attacks
[IsraelTimes] Belgium said Tuesday that more "terrorist fighters" want to return to Europe from Syria to carry out further attacks, a month after suicide kabooms in Brussels killed 32 people.

"There is a lot of intelligence, for example signs that foreign terrorist fighters, combatants in Syria, want to return not just to Belgium, but to Europe to carry out an attack," Paul Van Tigchelt, the head of the government crisis center, told RTBF television.

Tigchelt said Belgium would maintain its terror alert at level 3, the second highest, for a "terrorist threat to the whole country", adding that it meant that the threat was "still considered serious, grave and likely".

The inquiry into the March 22 Brussels bombings -- which were claimed 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 -- was "being carried out in an intense way... but the danger has not yet gone," Tighchelt added.

Security was still tight at key sites such as airports, railway stations and nuclear power stations, he said, adding that public areas such as shopping malls and cinemas could also benefit from more security.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Everyone is planning something. EU plans a new round of "Israeli-Palestinian Peace" talks. Russia plans to close EU down. And USA plans transgendered toilets, as well as the next generation fighter (do you suppose there is any connection?)
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 04/20/2016 0:13 Comments || Top||

#2  Italy has Galileo Galilei, Belgium has Paul Van Tigchelt.
Posted by: Besoeker || 04/20/2016 3:16 Comments || Top||


Greece Starts Letting Migrants Leave Island Camps
[AnNahar] Greek island officials on Tuesday began letting migrants colonists leave detention centers where they have been held, as Human Rights Watch
... During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011, HRW received a pledge from the Foundation to Promote Open Society, of which George Soros is Chairman, for general support totaling $100,000,000. The grant is being paid in installments of $10,000,000 over ten years.Through June 30, 2013, HRW had received $30,000,000 towards the fulfillment of the pledge....
heaped criticism on a wave of EU-sanctioned deportations to ease the crisis.

Days after the 79-year-old pontiff traveled to Lesbos in a powerful gesture of solidarity, Greek officials said they had begun allowing people to leave the island detention camps where they have been held while their asylum requests are processed.

Since an EU-Turkey deal went into force on March 20, around 7,500 people have landed on the Greek islands where they have been kept in holding centers while waiting to be processed to determine whether they can legitimately claim asylum.

But on Tuesday, the SOMP agency which is coordinating Greece's response to the crisis said those who had spent 25 days inside the holding centers and who had filed an asylum claim would be "allowed to leave" the camps.

The decision aims to ease pressure on the registration centers.

A SOMP front man said the "the vast majority" of new arrivals had submitted an asylum claim, and that a new round of deportations would only resume when there was "a sufficient number of people" to warrant it.

Under terms of the EU-Turkey deal, Greece began sending back irregular migrants colonists from the islands on April 4, with more than 320 people expelled in the first week, most of them Paks.

The expulsions are aimed at easing the pressure on the European Union which is straining to cope with its worst migration crisis since World War II.

But the EU-sanctioned deportations have drawn sharp criticism, with Human Rights Watch describing them as "abusive" and expressing concern about the fate of the deportees.

"In the mad dash to start the deportations deal with Turkey, the European Union and Greece tossed rights to the wind, including for people who wanted to seek asylum," said HRW's Fred Abrahams. "The abusive deportations expose the fundamental flaws in the EU’s expedited mass returns to a country that cannot be considered safe."

It said the deportees had not been informed they were going to be expelled, were not told where they were being taken and some of them were not allowed to take their personal possessions.

Once in Turkey, they were unreachable on their mobile phones and the Turkish authorities had not allowed humanitarian organizations access to them, HRW said.

With the help of around 100 European experts, Greek officials have begun examining hundreds of asylum requests under an expedited procedure which takes 15 days, SOMP said.

Those who fail to make a claim, or whose application for asylum is rejected face being sent back to Turkey.

Since the deal went into effect, new arrivals on the Greek Islands have stabilized at around 100 a day -- a tenth of the daily figure last year.

Despite the reduction, the arrivals would still amount to "more than 3,000 a month" which would be difficult for Greece to manage "if, in parallel, the European plan for redistributing refugees who have arrived since March 20 doesn't pick up pace," the front man said.

Some 50,000 people, many of them fleeing the war in Syria, have been stranded in Greece since the closure of the migrant route through the Balkans in February.

More than 10,000 of them are stuck in a slum-like camp at Idomeni on the Macedonian border, which has seen a growing number of violent incidents sparked by desperate attempts to break through the frontier.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


EU has interfered too much in people's lives, Juncker says ahead of Brexit vote
[IN.REUTERS] Growing euroscepticism in the EU is partly due to too much interference from Brussels in ordinary people's lives, which needs to be toned down, the head of the European Commission said on Tuesday.
Toned down. Regulated better. Managed. Smoothed. Massaged. Directed. More subtle. All this in place of 'abolished'...
In comments likely to resonate in Britannia as it gears up for a June referendum on whether to stay in the bloc, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said more powers should rest with the capitals rather than central EU institutions.

Asked by British conservative politician Nigel Evans what he planned to do about growing euroscepticism, Juncker said: "I think that one of the reasons why European citizens are stepping away from the European project is due to the fact that we are interfering in too many domains of their private lives.
If only the nomenklatura could better placate the rubes...
In many of those areas, individual states were "better placed to take action and to pass through legislation."

For that reason, Brussels was passing far fewer new pieces of legislation than under previous presidents, Juncker said.

He was speaking after Dutch voters, in a swipe at their government as well as the EU, rejected closer ties with Ukraine earlier this month, having also voted against a proposed EU constitution in 2005.

"I made it clear back in 2006 that the European project was running out of steam, there was disappointment. I don't think the situation has fundamentally changed, on the contrary," Juncker told the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe.

"Yes it's right we are not very popular when we plead the case for Europe. You are no longer respected in your country if you insist that in the necessity of supra-national bodies."
So why the swipe against the Dutch, Juncky?
Voters in EU's newer eastern member states including Poland and Hungary have also in recent years elected governments that are more critical of the EU.

But Juncker also said more close cooperation was needed between the 28 states to tackle joint challenges, including the migration crisis and security threats, and he has strongly advocated for Britannia to stay in the EU.

"We were wrong in overregulating and interfering too much in the daily lives of our fellow citizens... But we would also be wrong if we insufficiently respected the principle of solidarity."
So you should all do it Frau Merkel's way...
Posted by: Fred || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  "When Adam delved and Eve span, Who was then the gentleman?", eh herr Juncker?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 04/20/2016 0:06 Comments || Top||

#2  Too little, way way too late. The EU Nomenklatura should be grateful Guillotines went out of style back in the 20th century.

Of course, the new caliphate that will be formed in the territory formerly known as germany & france has no problems with head chopping.
Posted by: Nguard || 04/20/2016 1:22 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Obama weighs in on 28 classified pages of 9/11 report
In which Fred weighs in on this story from yesterday.
[CBSNEWS] "I have a sense of what's in there.
I haven't read it. Somebody brought it up over breakfast but I wasn't paying attention."
But this has been a process which we generally deal with through the intelligence community and Jim Clapper, our director of national intelligence, has been going through to make sure that whatever it is that is released is not gonna compromise some major national security interest of the United States. My understanding is that he's about to complete that process," Mr. Obama told Rose.
"I have no fnorkin' idea what's in it."
CBS' "60 Minutes" recently aired a story highlighting the 28 pages and it also featured interviews with current and former members of Congress, U.S. officials, members of the 9/11 Commission and families of the terrorist attacks.
"Maybe you should ask them? I haven't seen it. I was watching something Michelle got from Netflix."
Former Sen. Bob Graham helped author the report that the 28 pages appears in and while he declined to detail that section, he told "60 Minutes" that that portion could highlight possible Saudi support for the 9/11 hijackers. He also suggested that it sheds light on a network of people he believes supported the hijackers in the U.S.
"There's a reason we call that sort of thing 'SECRET,' you know."
House Minority Leader Nancy San Fran Nan Pelosi
Congresswoman-for-Life from the San Francisco Bay Area, born into a family of professional politicians. Formerly Speaker of the House, but it's not her fault they lost. Really. Noted for her heavily botoxed grimace...
, D-Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party,, is among a number of politicians who wants the 28 pages declassified.
She's sure it would hurt George W. Bush's image.
The president on Monday also weighed in on bipartisan legislation that is pending in the Senate that would allow victims of terror attacks on U.S. soil to sue foreign countries that might have provided support.
It's a stupid idea whose time has come.
Mr. Obama warned that it could have consequences that would, for instance, allow people in other countries to continually sue the U.S.
Even B.O. can see the consequences.
"This is a matter of how generally the United States approaches our interactions with other countries. If we open up the possibility that individuals and the United States can routinely start suing other governments, then we are also opening up the United States to being continually sued by individuals in other countries."
Thereby costing the taxpayers mountains of money.
Bernie Sanders
...The only openly Socialist member of the U.S. Senate. Sanders was Representative-for-Life from Vermont until moving to the Senate for the rest of his life in 2006, assuming the seat vacated by Jim Jeffords...
, a presidential candidate and senator, told "CBS This Morning" on Monday that he supports the legislation and Hillary Clinton
... sometimes described as the Smartest Woman in the World and at other times as Mrs. Bill, never as Another Abel P. Upshur ...
also expressed support for it.
It's not their money, is it?
Sanders also revealed that even though he has access to viewing the 28 pages, he hasn't read them.
But he does have an opinion.
Posted by: Fred || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia

#1  Have not read the 28 pages? No problem, have a look at some 9/11 jumper photos.

The fact that the KSA is now threatening us with economic reprisals over this should be proof enough of their complicity and guilt. Send them to hell.
Posted by: Besoeker || 04/20/2016 2:18 Comments || Top||

#2  Again, a reasonably competent and ethical regime would press for the USG to take action and not leave it to their citizens to litigate it in court.

With the science of realpolitik, however, "reasonably competent and ethical" has no place.
Posted by: Pappy || 04/20/2016 11:26 Comments || Top||

#3  According to Drudge, the Saudis are now borrowing money to make ends meet. Soon the threat to sell assets (if the 9/11 report is released) will be a financial necessity...
Posted by: Steve White || 04/20/2016 11:59 Comments || Top||

#4  Borrowing money? So glad to hear it. It warms my heart.
Posted by: 49 pan || 04/20/2016 18:34 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Qadri’s neighbour testifies in shooting case
[DAWN] Dr Tahirul Qadri
...Pak politician, and would-be dictator, founder and head of Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran and Pakistain Awami Tehrik. He usually resides in Canada, but returns to Pakistain periodically to foam at the mouth and lead demonstrations. Depending on which way the wind's blowing, Qadri claims to be the author of Pak's blasphemy law. Other times he says it wasn't him...
’s neighbour Mian Mumtaz testified on Monday before an anti-terrorism court judge during the hearing of Idara Minhajul Koran’s private complaint demanding trial of 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...
, Punjab
1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots....

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif
...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab...
and others for killing its workers in Model Town.

Mr Mumtaz, of Model Town, said then deputy inspector general Rana Abdul Jabbar had ordered police personnel to open fire at women workers of the Minhaj organization who had made a human chain outside the residence of Dr Qadri.

The complaint is about the Model Town tragedy that ensued between the police and Pakistain Awami Tehrik activists on June 17, 2014 resulting in the killing of several protesters by the police gunfire.

Mr Mumtaz said a policeman, who was later identified as Abid Husain, resorted to firing at the women workers. He said worker Tanzeela Amjad died at the scene when she received a bullet on her face while several other women were maimed during the police firing.

He told the court he saw two police constables carrying out firing on the peaceful protesters. The court adjourned hearing till April 22 and sought arguments from the prosecution on the chalan submitted by the police in the case.
Posted by: Fred || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Pakistain piously condemns Kabul attack as over 200 feared dead or wounded
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Pakistain has strongly condemned a coordinated suicide kaboom in Kabul
...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either....
which left over 200 people dead or maimed, saying the country condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

"The Government of Pakistain strongly condemns the terrorist attack in Kabul today in which a number of precious lives have been lost and several are injured," a statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistain said.

The statement further added "We extend our heartfelt sympathies and condolences to those who have lost their loved ones and pray for an early recovery of the injured."

"The Government of Pakistain condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and expresses solidarity with the Government and brotherly people of Afghanistan in their hour of grief and struggle against terrorism," the statement added.

The attack on the Directorate of Security Prominent Figures was launched after the bully boyz detonated a vehicle packed with explosives.

A number of the bully boyz then took positions inside the building and started resisting the Afghan cops.

Over 200 people were feared dead or maimed in the attack which the Taliban group grabbed credit for.

Posted by: Fred || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  Pakistan has strongly condemned a coordinated suicide attack in Kabul which left over 200 people dead or wounded, saying the country condemns terrorism in all its forms and manifestations.

As evidenced by their providing potential extraction from Tora Bora and sanctuary for Bin Laden.
Posted by: Besoeker || 04/20/2016 3:08 Comments || Top||

#2  Afghanistan losing several hundred civilian per month (2015- to Mar 2016)to Islamic terrorist (Taliban, ISIS, Al Q, etc) groups and a similar number of govt security personnel (militia, police, military)

Taliban (and allies and Islamic opponents) casualties are probably about twice that of the Afghan security casualties.



Posted by: lord garth || 04/20/2016 13:38 Comments || Top||


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
IDF said to destroy Gaza tunnel that led into Israel
[IsraelTimes] A day after the IDF announced the discovery of an "attack tunnel" inside Israeli territory emanating from the Gazoo Strip, the tunnel was destroyed, according to Paleostinian reports cited by Israeli media.

Explosions could be heard by residents of Gazoo border communities on Tuesday, Army Radio reported.

Other reports, including on Channel 2, indicated the tunnel was sealed and made non-operational, rather than collapsed.

The IDF said Monday that the concrete-lined tunnel -- some two kilometers long -- was found last week adjacent to the southern Gazoo Strip. The discovery was kept under wraps by the military censor until Monday.

The tunnel’s exact location is still being kept under wraps by the military censor, though it does not appear that the tunnel led directly into Holit or Sufa, the Israeli communities closest to the southern Gazoo Strip.

The find last week was made by a private Israeli firm which may have found a second cross-border passageway later Monday.

The company, hired to search for tunnels by residents of Gazoo-border communities, has detected a hollow underground shaft that it says may have been dug by Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, in order to carry out terror attacks in Israel, a report on Channel 2 news.

The firm, not named in the report, is said to have been carrying out scans of land around a number of communities where residents have complained of hearing digging noises beneath their feet.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  I'm sure it was built to smuggle commercial goods INTO peaceful Gazoo, amirite?
Posted by: Frank G || 04/20/2016 15:01 Comments || Top||


Israeli killer of Palestinian teen ruled sane enough, convicted of murder
[IsraelTimes] The Israeli man charged in the grisly 2014 abduction and killing of Paleostinian teen Muhammad Abu Khdeir was convicted of murder by the Jerusalem District Court on Tuesday.

Yosef Ben David, a 31-year-old resident of the city, is expected to receive a life sentence for the murder, which shocked the country and sparked days of Paleostinian riots. The judge set his sentencing hearing for next month.

The court rejected Ben Yosef’s insanity plea, determining that he murdered Abu Khdeir for "nationalistic" motives and noting he was aware of his actions on the night of the killing. His two accomplices, who were minors at the time of the attack, were convicted of murder earlier this year and sentenced to lengthy prison sentences.

"The court has found that at the time he committed the offense, the accused was not psychotic, fully understood the facts, was responsible for his actions, had no difficulty in understanding reality and had the capacity to prevent the crime," a statement from the Justice Ministry describing the ruling said.

Hussein Abu Khdeir, the father of the murdered teen, called Tuesday for Israeli authorities to destroy his home in keeping with the policy of demolishing the homes of Paleostinian attackers.

Abu Khdeir, 16, was kidnapped near his home in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Shuafat and killed on July 1, 2014, two days after it emerged that three Israeli teens who had been kidnapped several weeks earlier in the West Bank were killed by their Paleostinian kidnappers shortly after they were grabbed.

The other two killers -- both minors -- were sentenced to life in prison and 21 years, respectively. The first, aged 17, was convicted of actively helping in Abu Khdeir’s kidnap-murder. He was sentenced to life for helping to pour gasoline on the teen before he was set alight and ordered to pay NIS 35,000 in reparations.

The second, aged 16, was found guilty of helping the 17-year-old and Ben David to kill the boy, received a 21-year sentence and was ordered to pay NIS 30,000 in reparations to the Abu Khdeir family.

The stiff sentences are rare for minors. Israeli law forbids identifying minors convicted of crimes.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Fatah and Hamas celebrate Jerusalem bus blast, candies distributed in Gaza
[LI] Even before the smoke could settle over the site of yesterday’s bus blast in Jerusalem that left 21 people wounded -- two of them seriously -- the Palestinian leadership is praising and celebrating the terror attack.

The armed-wing of PLO-Fatah, active in the territory under Palestinian Authority control, applauded the Jerusalem bus blast, calling it the beginning of a new phase in Intifada, the renewed campaign of terror against Israel. Hamas, the Islamist outfit controlling Gaza said it "welcomed" the Monday’s terrorist attack, calling it "natural reaction" to supposed Israeli crimes.

In the eyes of these terrorist groups, the mere presence of Jews in their historic homeland amounts to a provocation and the Jewish sovereignty over the land of Israel constitutes a crime -- severe enough to justify a deadly campaign of terror and incitement that started much before the State of Israel was even proclaimed.
Candy yes. Thousands dancing and merrymaking, no, no, no!
Posted by: Besoeker || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Fatah

#1  How about a ride on Jerusalem bus, Mr Biden?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 04/20/2016 0:37 Comments || Top||

#2  The autocracy seldom uses public transportation unless a photo opportunity is presented.
Posted by: Besoeker || 04/20/2016 2:29 Comments || Top||

#3  probably several faculty lounges are also celebrating - perhaps with organic kale
Posted by: lord garth || 04/20/2016 7:53 Comments || Top||

#4  Drop ricin laced candy.
Posted by: DarthVader || 04/20/2016 11:38 Comments || Top||

#5  Are these the candies which make their pee pees shrivel, or the ones which give them teh ghay?
Posted by: swksvolFF || 04/20/2016 20:10 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Philippine jihadis denounce influential cleric for supporting democracy
Don't make the mistake of assuming the "pro-democracy" cleric is a good man, however.
[Mindanao Examiner] Filipino supporters of the Daesh in Lanao del Sur province denounced an influential cleric and branded him as murtad, or apostate, after he endorsed popular Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte who is running for president and Binladen Agakhan Sharief who is gunning for vice governor in the restive Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

They condemned Sheikh Jamil Yahya, also known as Mutawwa, after he appeared in a political propaganda video uploaded April 14 on Binladen's Facebook page. In the clip, it was said that it is obligatory for all Muslims to vote for Binladen and Duterte in the May general elections.

In the video, Yahya said, "Because we have to choose leaders in this election forcibly to Muslims, it is our obligatory as elder scholars to guide you the candidates that are obligatory to be helped and voted. If we don’t do this, you will blame us in the day of judgment."

He said Muslims should vote for Binladen because he and his fellow clerics have witnessed the politician's "good deeds in line with the prosperity of the Muslims, its land and the religion of Islam."

Yahya said that it is necessary for Muslims to vote for Duterte as well, because he had helped a lot of Muslims in Mindanao.

In an Internet forum, the jihadis said they were shocked and saddened over Yahya's political endorsements. They quoted a Koran verse that says, "Until you did not fully cut ties with taghut (tyrants), you are not fully a Muslim, but kafir (infidel). You are obliged to be killed."

One of the jihadis, named al-Ghareeb, said Yahya – like other prominent clerics branded by the Daesh as murtad deserved to be killed. He also quoted Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiyyah who said that "a Muslim who made apostasy regarding few rules of the religion is worse than a kafir who has yet to even embrace those rules."

"We denounce his (Yahya) wrongdoings. His revelation shows his true intention and what he did was totally not permissible in Islam. It is a shame to Allah," said al-Ghareed.

Another of the group said that pious Muslims should "totally disregard" the practices of democracy as it is not divinely created by God, but by humans.

Yahya's pronouncement came after members of the Khilafah Islamiyah Movement (KIM) in Lanao del Sur, now called "Dawlah Islamiyah" or Islamic State, declared Abdullah Maute - alias Abu Hasan - as their leader.

In September 19, 2014, Yahya along with some members of the KIM led more than 100 civilians, including women and children, in pledging their loyalty to Daesh and even hoisted their black flag in Marawi City. Last February, a senior leader of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Abdullah Macapaar, alias Commander Bravo, said that Yahya also had tried to convince him and other MILF leaders to support Daesh.

Yahya also issued a fatwa against several Liberal party candidates for their alleged anti- Muslim stances on various issues.

In May 2011, Yahya led a small rally outside the Golden Mosque in Manila and denounced the killing of Osama bin Laden. During the rally, he called the United States the number one terrorist in the world and the number one enemy of Islam.
Posted by: ryuge || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syria peace talks stall as opposition leaders leave Geneva
[FRANCE24] The leaders of Syria's opposition delegation were leaving Geneva on Tuesday after the group suspended its formal participation in troubled peace negotiations, the opposition chief said.

The coordinator of the main opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC), Riyad Hijab, told journalists he was leaving a day after the group put its participation at the talks on hold to protest escalating violence and restrictions on humanitarian access in Syria.

"I will be travelling today along with some of my colleagues from the HNC. Some people left yesterday and today and they will keep leaving gradually until Friday," Hijab said, speaking in Arabic.

Some delegation members will meanwhile remain in Geneva for technical discussions at their hotel with UN staff and for workshops on humanitarian issues and detainees, Hijab said.

UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura said Monday he had been informed of HNC's intention to suspend its "formal participation" in the talks.

But he insisted the latest round of indirect discussions, which began on April 13, would continue through the week.

The UN envoy stressed that the indirect talks format ‐ which has seen the HNC and Assad's representatives meet separately with UN mediators ‐ created flexibility to continue the discussions.
Posted by: Fred || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria


US isn’t blocking Iranian assets abroad – State Department
The U.S. Government is fulfilling its obligations under the nuclear agreement and is not blocking Iran's access to its released assets, US State Department's Persian Language Spokesperson Alan Eyre told Trend on April 19.
Tell that to the Iranian bankers...
The United States Secretary of State John Kerry was quoted by media outlets on April 19 as saying that Iran has received only $3 billion of its money since the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) implementation in mid-January.

Some Iranian authorities and media criticized the US, raising concerns that Washington is somehow "blocking" access to banking operations for other countries' companies.

Responding to the question "is the US acting according to its JCPOA obligations?" Eyre said "first, Let me be crystal clear: we are not blocking Iran's access to their own funds, and we are not encouraging banks or other partners to do so".

He said, "We think Iran has about $50 billion in assets held abroad unfrozen by the JCPOA and that most of that will be used for needed investments in Iran's economy. That is exactly what seems to be happening. I don't think anyone would have expected that Iran would use all $50 billion abroad in three months".

This American diplomat, who also served as a member of the US nuclear negotiator team with Iran, added that "secondly, the JCPOA needs to be worthwhile and to work for all participants. Just as we and the rest of the international community have seen benefits from the JCPOA, so too has Iran. Its oil sales have more than doubled, major contracts have been signed, and its access to international banks through the SWIFT system has been restored. This is as it should be".

Eyre added that "thirdly, we are not standing and will not stand in the way of legitimate business with Iran, the kinds of transactions permitted in the JCPOA, and if banks or other firms have any questions, we are happy to answer them".

"In fact, Secretary (of the Treasury) Jack Lew and Secretary Kerry have sent our teams to meet with partner governments and businesses to clarify what is now allowed; we have issued new licenses to reduce the regulatory burden of taking advantage of legitimate, post-JCPOA opportunities in Iran. We will continue to meet not just the letter but also the spirit of our commitments," Eyre added.
Posted by: Steve White || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Iran Central Bank holds US accountable for failure in banking ties
Valiollah Seif, the head of Iran's central bank, has urged the US to remove ambiguities over banking ties with Iran. "Washington should feel accountable for removing ambiguities over the cooperation of the European banks with Iran," IRNA news agency quoted Seif as saying.
Yup. Always our fault that terrorists can't move their dirty money around freely...
"Nevertheless, the Americans have taken some measures in this regards, that are not sufficient in our point of view," he added. Saying that sanctions on Iran were removed and the country's oil exports increased following the implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in January, he said there are still obstacles against banking transactions between Iran and European banks, in particular. He described the concerns of European banks over running afoul of the US regulations as a main reason behind the European financial institutions' approach towards Iran.

Stating that the Italian and Austrian banks have better ties with Iranian banks, he further predicted that the ties with other European banks will gradually improve. Earlier in an interview with Bloomberg TV and also during a meeting at the Council on Foreign Relations in the US he accused Washington and Europeans of failing to honor the JCPOA.

"In general, we are not able to use our frozen funds abroad," Seif said Apr. 15.
Posted by: Steve White || 04/20/2016 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran



Who's in the News
30[untagged]
8Govt of Pakistan
8Islamic State
7Taliban
3Govt of Iran
2Govt of Syria
2Commies
1Hizbul Mujaheddin
1PFLP
1TTP
1al-Qaeda
1al-Shabaab
1Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (IS)
1Fatah
1Govt of Saudi Arabia
1Hamas

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Two weeks of WOT
Wed 2016-04-20
  Chotoo gang surrenders to Army, releases hostages
Tue 2016-04-19
  Hundreds wounded in Kabul suicide attack
Mon 2016-04-18
  Ivory Coast Attacks 'Number Two' Arrested in Mali
Sun 2016-04-17
  Dozens of Hezbollah militants 'accidentally' killed in chemical attack
Sat 2016-04-16
  UK police arrest 5 in terror probe
Fri 2016-04-15
  Sharia police preacher faces terrorism charges
Thu 2016-04-14
  SSS announces arrest of another ‘top Boko Haram terrorist’
Wed 2016-04-13
  Belgian police arrest 3 in Paris terror attacks investigations
Tue 2016-04-12
  Saudi FM: Red Sea islands have returned to the kingdom
Mon 2016-04-11
  Ahrar al-Sham commander slain in Aleppo clashes
Sun 2016-04-10
  Four Brussels suspects charged with terror offenses
Sat 2016-04-09
  Lebanon sentences ex-minister Samaha to 13 years in prison
Fri 2016-04-08
  Danish Police Arrest Four Alleged ISIL Fighters, Seize Weapons
Thu 2016-04-07
  Secular Bangladeshi writer murdered in the street
Wed 2016-04-06
  Tripoli authorities cede power to Libyan unity government

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