[NATION.PK] The former head of Afghanistan’s main intelligence agency released documents on Thursday which he said showed that Pak intelligence services helped leaders of the Taliban and the feared Haqqani network in 2014 and 2015.
Rahmatullah Nabil stepped down from the National Directorate of Security ...the Afghan national intel agency... (NDS) in December last year after opposing Afghanistan's Caped PresidentAshraf Ghani
Continued on Page 49
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07/16/2016 00:00 ||
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[AlAhram] The government says the move aims to push moderate Islamic ideology and ensure that radical ideas do not spread
The Egyptian government said Tuesday that Moslem preachers in the country must now adhere to uniform pre-written weekly sermons, a controversial move that authorities say is aimed at combating extremism but has irked some holy mans.
The Ministry of Religious Endowments has since 2014 been setting topics for weekly sermons delivered during Friday prayers across the country, but the new move would further restrict preachers in Egypt's more than 100,000 mosques to read out the same text.
"The objective [of the decision] is not at all political," Minister of Religious Endowments Mohammed Mokhtar Gomaa said Tuesday, stressing that the aim is to push moderate Islamic ideology and ensure that radical ideas do not spread.
Officials say the move will help address problems in preaching, including "being lengthy" or "politicising topics."
The sermons will be drawn up by ministry officials and senior scholars from Egypt's Al-Azhar -- the highest seat of Sunni Islam learning -- with contributions from members of parliament's religious affairs committee, psychologists and sociologists, the head of the ministry's religious division Gaber Tayea told Ahram Online.
The minister, who has yet to set a date for implementing the decision, said he would start with himself and deliver the pre-written sermon next Friday.
He said holy mans aged up to 45 years would be selected by the ministry to be trained for preaching at mosques.
Criticism
Several preachers have been incensed by the move, arguing that it would squander preaching talents and stifle eloquence, and that it fails to cater to cultural and demographic diversity in separate communities that may require specific speeches tackling local issues.
"This would turn a sermon into a useless news bulletin that does not appeal to the audience and obliterates the imam's personality and talent by turning him into a machine reading out a script," Ibrahem El-Zafery, an Al-Azhar imam at a mosque in Upper Egypt's Qena, told Ahram Online.
"How would a pre-written sermon fit every community and audience?" El-Zafery asked.
The decision in 2014 mandating that Moslemholy mans conform to topics set by the religious endowments ministry for the weekly Friday sermons also sparked anger among some preachers at the time.
Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi has more than once blamed "outdated religious discourse" for holding back Egypt and called for reform, saying that radicalised thinking has become a source of destruction for the rest of the world.
Following the 2013 overthrow of Islamist president Mohammed Morsi, the religious endowments ministry revoked the licences of all non-authorised Al-Azhar holy mans and preachers -- some 55,000 -- and forced them to apply for new ones.
The move was part of the government's efforts to stop the use of mosques as a platform for political groups and to clamp down on "extremist views" that authorities said were being spread by preachers supporting Morsi's now-banned Moslem Brüderbund group and its ultraconservative allies.
Some 12,000 freelance preachers were barred from delivering sermons in 2014.
Around 100,000 holy mans and preachers are now licensed in Egypt, including some 57,000 employed by the religious endowments ministry, officials say. The rest are Al-Azhar-educated holy mans.
[AA.TR] UN envoy to Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... Ismail Ould Cheikh on Friday evening headed to Saudi capital Riyadh in an effort to persuade a Yemeni government delegation to take part in the planned second round of Kuwait-hosted hosted peace talks with the Shia Houthi murderous Moslem group.
A source close to the talks, who spoke anonymously due to restrictions on speaking to media, told Anadolu Agency that delegations representing the Houthis and their primary ally, former Yemeni President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, but he didn't invite Donna Summer to the inauguration and Blondie couldn't make it... , had both already set out for Kuwait from Oman to participate in the talks, which had been slated to kick off Friday.
It remains uncertain until now, however, whether the UN envoy succeeded in convincing the government delegation to return to the negotiating table.
The Yemeni government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi continues to demand implementation of UN Resolution 2216 -- which calls on the Houthis to lay down their arms and withdraw from cities they currently occupy -- and the 2011 Gulf Initiative.
On Thursday, members of the government delegation declared that they would not take part in talks in Kuwait until their conditions were met.
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07/16/2016 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] Even though the closed circuit TV camera coverage of Holey Artisan Bakery in Gulshan has not helped the Sherlocks reconstruct the July 1 carnage, the other cameras installed in the nearby areas have been helpful in suggesting the Sherlocks how the operation was conducted.
Dhaka Tribune reported on July 10 that the Sherlocks were closely analysing the CCTV footage collected from the adjacent buildings, quoting Dhaka Metropolitan Police sources.
Investigators are yet to confirm the entry route of the attackers to the diplomatic zone as there are very few CCTV cameras installed on the streets. They are also working to figure out the exits of several suspects, believed to have assisted the attackers from near the spot.
Mohammad Saiful Islam, acting deputy commissioner of DMP's Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crimes unit, said that the police had collected some 50 pieces of CCTV footage from the area.
Investigators suspect that the bandidosturbans visited the Spanish restaurant several times prior to the attack.
Their main target was to draw media attention and create panic by killing foreigners, as they follow other religion and their countries are reportedly involved in the ongoing war against 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.... in Syria and Iraq. The restaurant was chosen apparently because it was popular among the foreigners for their array of food as well as the homely ambiance.
Sources close to the investigation also said that the attackers had gone to the restaurant on a microbus to carry out the operation.
They did not get any clue from the CCTV camera installed in the cafe as it was damaged prior to the hostage situation.
Ali Arsalan, one of the owners of Holey Artisan Bakery, told the Dhaka tribune that the restaurant had one CCTV camera, installed on the cash counter.
"The camera was to monitor the cash transactions only. It was immovable," he said.
Two to three unarmed security guards were on-duty outside the cafe at the time of the attack, but they expeditiously departed at a goodly pace as soon as the bandidosturbans started shooting, Arsalan added.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2016 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] 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.... group has issued a list of operations, including the Gulshan attack, that they claim to have carried out in Bangladesh this year.
But the brutal bad boy organization has recanted on claims it previously made about five other attacks, bringing the attacks it takes credit for down to 11 from 16. The attacks have left at least 37 people dead.
The group updated its tally of terrorist operations in an infographic published by its Amaq news agency early Friday.
The five attacks they have disowned are the murder of two homoeopaths in Jhenaidah ‐ Chhamir Uddin Mandal on January 7 and Shia preacher Abdur Razzaq on March 14; Buddhist monk Maung Shue U in Naikkhyangchhari, Bandarban on May 14; Hindu hardware businessman Tarun Datta in Gaibandha on February 8; and Rajshahi University teacher Prof AFM Rezaul Karim Siddique on April 23.
IS has so far claimed 25 attacks in Bangladesh since September 28 last year, when an Italian NGO worker was rubbed out in Dhaka's upscale Gulshan neighbourhood. At least 44 people have been killed in these attacks perpetrated by local IS members who identify themselves as the "soldiers of the Khilafah in Bengal."
On the other hand, Ansar Al Islam (believed to be outlawed group Ansarullah under a new name) which represents al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) in Bangladesh has claimed credit for 13 attacks since 2013 killing 11 people including war crimes trial campaigners, secular bloggers, writers and publishers, and LGBT rights activists.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2016 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Germany will boost border controls at airports as well as road and rail crossings into France after the truck attack in Nice, the Federal Police said on Friday.
"In coordination with the French security authorities the federal police are strengthening their control in the area of cross-border traffic into France," the police said in a statement.
[VOCATIV] ISIS is celebrating the apparent terrorist attack in Nice, La Belle France, on Thursday as retaliation for the death of Abu Omar al-Shishani--the terror group’s so-called "minister of war"--who was killed earlier this year by coalition forces while fighting in Iraq.
More than 70 people were killed and dozens more were maimed when a truck barreled through a large crowd of people celebrating Bastille Day, a French holiday commemorating the storming of the famous Gay Pareeian fortress in 1789, an important milestone in the French Revolution. The driver of the truck reportedly was killed by French authorities.
"Oh La Belle France, you and the all Europe will never be secure until we will live secure on every inch in the land of the Caliphate," wrote one ISIS supporter whose Twitter account has since been suspended. "This is the beginning of the attack to take the holy Dire Revenge for the killing of Abu Omar Shishani, may Allah accept him," a jihadi posted on the ISIS al-Minbar forum shortly after the attack.
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07/16/2016 00:00 ||
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[BLOOMBERG] French security failed the people of Nice.
That’s what opposition politicians, who held their tongues after the last two major terror attacks in La Belle France, charged after a truck late Thursday tore through a crowd celebrating Bastille Day in the southeastern city, killing at least 84 people and critically injuring about 50 others.
Leaders of the center-right parties have maintained in the past that national unity was more important than scoring political points. Now, with nine months to go before La Belle France’s presidential elections, they’re not holding back.
"If all measures had been taken, this drama wouldn’t have happened," Alain Juppe, an aspiring candidate in next year’s presidential election for The Republicans party, said on RTL Radio. "Obviously we must do more more, we must do better."
La Belle France has been under a state of emergency since the Nov. 13 attacks at restaurants and the Bataclan concert hall in Gay Paree that killed 130 people, deploying 10,000 military personnel to guard critical sites. That assault came after the January 2015 shootings at the Charlie Hebdo ...A lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe... satirical newspaper and a kosher store near Gay Paree. The Nice attack and four others of smaller scale in the last 18 months have brought the tally close to 240 dead and hundreds injured. Neighboring Belgium was hit by terror attacks at the Brussels airport and in the city’s metro.
’I’m Angry’
"How is it possible that this truck could enter a totally pedestrian zone without there being any measures preventing him from taking this route?" Christian Estrosi, a member of The Republicans and head of the French region that includes Nice, said on BFM TV. "I can’t hide that I’m angry. After Charlie Hebdo, we forgot, and then we had the Bataclan and then we forgot, and we had Brussels, and after Brussels we forgot, and now we have Nice.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2016 00:00 ||
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[DAILYMAIL.CO.UK] Truck terrorist who murdered 84 people in a horrific drive along the Nice seafront drank alcohol, ate pork and took drugs - all banned by Islam
Cousin of his estranged wife said 'he was not a Muslim, he was a s***' as he revealed he didn't pray or go to mosque
Die while jihading, and you go to Paradise anyway.
The couple separated after reports of domestic abuse two years ago and their divorce proceedings 'depressed' him
Detectives raided the family home and the flat where Bouhlel lived alone and took his wife into protective custody
[IsraelTimes] French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said Friday that the man behind the Nice attack is a "terrorist" who was probably linked to radical Islam, a day after 31-year-old Mohammed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel killed 84 people when he plowed a massive truck into the crowd at a Bastille Day fireworks display in the French Riviera city.
He said that the military resources of the international coalition battling 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.... group would be boosted after the truck attack in Nice.
"Next week there will be a big meeting" in Washington, Valls told La Belle France Television. "We are going to reinforce the coalition’s resources" to fight against IS in Syria and Iraq, he added.
French leaders extended the country’s eight-month-old state of emergency Friday and vowed to deploy thousands of police reservists on the streets in the wake of the attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2016 00:00 ||
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At several sources, and thanks to Rantburg citizens for pointing this out.
U.S. troops at Turkey’s Incirlik air base were at the highest force protection level, known as "condition Delta," after the power was cut off at the base and the Turkish government closed the airspace around the site just hours after a foiled military coup attempt, a U.S. official told ABC News today.
Turkey allows the United States to use the air base for operations associated with its air campaign against ISIS in Iraq and Syria.
There are 2,200 U.S. personnel in Turkey, including 1,500 stationed at Incirlik.
A Pentagon spokesman said the loss of commercial power to Incirlik has not affected operations because the U.S. facilities there are operating on internal power sources. U.S. officials are working with their Turkish counterparts to resume air operations at the air base. All U.S. government personnel in Turkey appear safe and secure, he added.
"Turkish government has closed its airspace to military aircraft, and as a result air operations at Incirlik Air Base have been halted at this time," Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told ABC News. "In the meantime, U.S. Central Command is adjusting flight operations in the counter-ISIL campaign to minimize any effects on the campaign."
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/16/2016 14:01 ||
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Posted by: John Frum ||
07/16/2016 17:40 Comments ||
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#3
John - according to Wikipedia 90 B61 nuclear bombs are hosted at the Incirlik Air Base, 40 of which are allocated for use by the Turkish Air Force in case of a nuclear conflict, but their use requires the approval of NATO.
Seven military personnel and a civilian on board a Turkish military helicopter who were arrested after landing in northern Greece would be extradited to Turkey, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said on Saturday.
A Blackhawk military helicopter landed at the airport in the city of Alexandroupolis in northeastern Greece and the passengers were arrested for illegal entry into Greece.
The Greek government said that the Blackhawk helicopter will be returned to Turkey as soon as possible, and added that the asylum demand of the eight coup-involved staff will be examined. Later on, Greek officials told foreign minister Çavuşoğlu that they would extradite the pro-coup soldiers who flied there after the coup attempt failed.
The ministry said the helicopter gave a distress signal at 10:45 a.m. local time and landed six minutes later. They have reportedly requested political asylum, according to Greek police officials.
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said that Turkey has requested extradition of soldiers who escaped to Greece, while Greek authorities said they are are ready to cooperate with Turkey, what is necessary will be done.
The Turkish Supreme Board of Judges and Prosecutors (HSYK) laid off 2,745 judges and removed five members after an extraordinary meeting on Saturday, which came after a failed coup attempt by the Gülenist Terror Organization (FETÖ), while 11 prosecutors, 10 Court of Appeals members were arrested, and arrest warrants were issued for 140 others.
That's a lot of judges, and done very quickly: almost as if it was planned in advance...
Some members of the state council who have connections with the FETÖ terror organization were also detained, according to the Anadolu Agency.
Some 541 judges were from courts of first instance among the total 2,745 judges who were laid off, while the remaining 2,204 judges were from courts of original jurisdiction.
Approximately 50 soldiers backing the coup against the Turkish government on Saturday surrendered on the Bosporus Bridge in Istanbul that they had held throughout the night, television pictures showed.
The soldiers, dressed in full camouflage, walked out from behind their tank holding their hands above their heads, while television stations were in live broadcast. The state-run Anadolu news agency said 50 soldiers were arrested.
Pictures showed supporters of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan jubilantly jumping onto one of the tanks left behind by the departing soldiers, cheering, making victory signs and waving the Turkish flag. Others sought to run across the bridge that had been closed all night, kicking the helmets and protective gear left behind by the rebel soldiers as they passed.
The bridge was one of the first locations secured by pro-coup troops during the initial stages of the coup.
President Obama convenes national security council after failed coup attempt in Turkey, White House said. In a statement, the White House said that Obama had convened a meeting with "his national security and broader foreign policy team to update him on the situation in Turkey."
During the coup, Obama offered vocal support for Turkey's "democratically elected government" and urged all parties to "avoid any violence or bloodshed."
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/16/2016 11:20 ||
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#1
So far as i can find there is still no movement in or out of Incirlik
Posted by: Mike N. ||
07/16/2016 11:54 Comments ||
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#2
Fizzle.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
07/16/2016 12:25 Comments ||
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#3
Wretchard reports: BREAKING: US military sources: US-Turkish base at Incirlik, outlying bases ordered to “Force Protection Condition Delta;" missions halted.
Retweeted paul mcleary (@paulmcleary):
DoD confirms Turkey halted air ops at Incirlik airbase. Power cut to base w/1500 US troops, so using internal power sources @ForeignPolicy
It appears US facilities in Incitlik are under siege
#4
Hope the 90 bombs are gone from country - from wikipedia:
A total of 90 B61 nuclear bombs are hosted at the Incirlik Air Base, 40 of which are allocated for use by the Turkish Air Force in case of a nuclear conflict, but their use requires the approval of NATO.[161]
[AA.TR] More than 5,300 ISIS suspects have been detained so far in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... as part of the country’s intense fight against terrorism, security sources confirmed Friday.
According to data Anadolu Agency correspondents compiled from police and military sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media, a total of 5,310 people were held, of which 1,654 have been remanded into custody.
In the first half of 2016, 1,654 people were detained, 791 of them foreigners, the sources said.
Turkey has also shared information about more than 50,000 suspects with 144 countries to help thwart ISIS's terrorist activities, while deporting 3,500 people belonging to 98 nationalities, according to the sources.
Turkey has been taking steps to crack down on ISIS ever since the group conducted a string of suicide kabooms in Turkey.
The Turkish military has also been shelling ISIS targets in Syria, as the group has launched rockets into southern Turkish cities near the Syrian border.
On June 28, the group was responsible for killing 45 people and injuring more than 200 others at Istanbul’s Ataturk International Airport when three jacket wallahs, all foreign nationals, opened fire and blew themselves up at the international terminal.
In addition to the airport blast, ISIS has been linked to a number of other suicide kabooms in Turkey in recent months, including the March attack in Istanbul’s Taksim Square that killed five people, the January attack in Sultanahmet, Istanbul that killed 12 German tourists, and the October 2015 attack on a rally in Ankara that killed 103 people.
Turkey’s multi-pronged strategy for fighting ISIS Turkey’s strategy in the fight against the ISIS terror organization is made up of four main categories. Security operations against groups inside the country thought to have links with ISIS make up only one of these.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
The Turkey of today is not the Turkey of the nineteen sixties. Thus, if Trump wins the presidency one of the first jobs his foreign affairs team should undertake is a reevaluation of our relationship with Turkey. Turkey no more belongs in NATO than it does in the EU. If we support and guarantee the survival of a strong united Kurdistan there would be no need for the present Turkey-US [putative] alliance.
#2
Before booting Turkey out of NATO, consider where Turkey would go in response.
They likely wouldn't turn to the Soviet Union Russia given the traditional animosity and recent unpleasantness, along with Russia's plans in Syria. But that doesn't mean Erdogan couldn't canoodle with them.
Erdogan is more likely to turn to Iran. A Turk-Persian axis could then begin to force larger changes in the Middle East. It would put Turkey into Assad's camp, bring them into supporting Hezbollah, and put pressure on Jordan and the Gulf states. It would break whatever bonds exist between Turkey and Israel. It would provide markets for Iran and allow Iran to funnel arms.
So think carefully before you boot Turkey out of NATO -- they can be inside peeing out, or outside peeing in...
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/16/2016 10:59 Comments ||
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[Jpost] Republicans have launched a parallel effort in the House to compel the State Department to define "refugee," as the term pertains to the Paleostinian question.
Longstanding US support for the United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is facing new questions this week, as both houses of Congress work to modify critical funding bills to determine the legitimacy of the agency’s operations.
For the first time, drafts of both foreign operations bills include sections demanding the State Department publicly define the term "refugee" as it pertains to the Israeli-Paleostinian conflict, and using that definition, identify how many Paleostinians fit the criteria for receiving UNRWA aid.
Premising Congress’ question is the notion that many Paleostinians ‐ arguably a majority ‐ are permanently settled in the Gazoo Strip, the West Bank or east Jerusalem, and therefore not under the jurisdiction of a refugee agency. Such a finding would fundamentally change the narrative of the decades-old conflict.
In 2014, UNRWA declared that five million Paleostinian refugees are registered in these territories, as well as in Jordan, Syria and Leb. The US provides hundreds of millions of dollars to UNRWA in support of its education, health and social services programs.
Four years ago, the Senate passed similar language in its own foreign operations bill, which requires the State Department to account for the number of Paleostinians receiving aid who qualify as 1940s-era conflict refugees ‐ as opposed to those who are descendants. In February of last year, the department completed its report, but had it classified.
Now the Senate is directing the secretary of state to produce either an unclassified version of the report or, alternatively, an explanation as to why the government cannot release these figures in an unclassified context.
"UNRWA is sort of becoming an entitlement program of the Middle East, and the desire is to increase transparency on who actually are refugees relevant to that conflict," said one senior Senate aide familiar with the language. "The bill goes to the heart of the debate over UNRWA funding."
Republicans have launched a parallel effort in the House to compel the State Department to define "refugee," as the term pertains to the Paleostinian question. Language sponsored by Congressman Chris Stewart (R-Utah) was added this week in mark-up to the House version of the bill.
The secretary of state would be directed by law to provide "a justification of why it is in the national interest of the United States to provide funds to UNRWA," should the House language pass.
"Such justification shall include an analysis of the current definition of Paleostinian refugees that is used by UNRWA, how that definition corresponds with, or differs from, that used by UNHCR, other UN agencies, and the United States Government, and whether such definition furthers the prospects for lasting peace in the region," it continues, adding, "The committee directs that such report be posted on the publicly available website of the Department of State."
Its push to have the State Department release a publicly available posting appears to be an attempt to preempt classification of the document.
#4
The Republicans have made support for Israel a brand issue -- a strongly resonating point of differentiation from the Democrats. Like the Lincoln-Douglas debates, where Lincoln's anti-slavery position forced Douglas to advocate for slavery -- though I've read he wasn't actually keen on it -- the Republicans' repeated words and actions supporting Israel will act to drive Israel-haters into the Democratic camp, overcoming Mrs. Clinton's pro-forma verbal support.... and presenting liberal Israel-lovers with a dilemma that will cause some to withhold their votes for president -- and perhaps for the party altogether. And every withheld vote is as good as a gained one...and easier to get.
BLUF: [Guardian] Perhaps most intriguingly, the 28 pages reveal that Osama Basnan, whom the documents describe as a supporter of two of the 9/11 hijackers in California, received a cheque from Prince Bandar, the former Saudi ambassador to the US.
"On at least one occasion, Bassnan received a check directly from Prince Bandar’s account," it says. "According to the FBI, on May 14, 1998, Bassnan cashed a check from Bandar in the amount of $15,000. Bassnan’s wife also received at least one check directly from Bandar."
Basnan lived across the street from two of the hijackers ‐ Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi ‐ in San Diego and told an FBI asset that he had helped them, according to the document. Basnan was allegedly a supporter of al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden and spoke of him "as if he were a god".
Article fails to mention the Zacarias Moussaoui connection, nor does it mention Bandar's connection to the Saudi Intelligence Community.....or BAE.
#3
a little wetwork would have seemed in order, including Bandar
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/16/2016 8:20 Comments ||
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#4
This report is explosive. Mr. Bush and Mr. Obama both have a lot of explaining to do as to why Saudi Arabia is not held accountable for 9/11 or this ISIS debacle and continued deception. Actually, I will give Obama points for releasing this report...I can't believe I just said that.
And Hillary's right hand woman is Huma - from Jeddah...
#5
Mr. Bush and Mr. Obama both have a lot of explaining to do as to why Saudi Arabia is not held accountable...
On 9/11/2001 Saudi Arabia was one of the largest suppliers of oil to the world market. Going to war with the Saudis would not only not have gotten the reluctant agreement that invading Iraq garnered, but active opposition both abroad and at home -- especially after the world economy crashed for lack of energy.
I would like to think the original plan was to go after Saudi
Arabia after Iraq's oil production was brought on line, but by then the anti-war/anti-Bush posturing had hardened into reflex -- and the Democrats controlled Congress -- making that an impossibility.
As for President Obama, he bowed to the Saudi king. Whether he thought that an elevated politeness or was truly showing fealty doesn't matter -- were Hell to freeze over he would never attack the seat of Islam.
[WASHINGTONPOST] The man who traveled to a quiet Nevada town and set off bombs that killed him and showered debris across the community described himself as an Army explosives veteran and suffered from depression after the deaths of his wife and mother, a former neighbor of the suspect said Friday.
Glenn Franklin Jones died Wednesday night in the blasts in Panaca, near the border with Utah, after detonating a bomb in a rental car outside a house heavily damaged by explosives. A woman and two girls inside fled for their lives moments earlier.
The blasts hurled car parts, building materials and bomb fragments across the town with some debris landing up to a mile away.
Jones also seemed to have a fascination with military memorabilia, said another former neighbor who knew Jones and the family living in the house.
"I guess he was bent on destruction, but not killing," said Richard Katschke. "They got about a half a block, and the house blew up."
Jones, 59, used to live in Panaca, where Katschke and former neighbor Dennis Sanders said he helped build the house owned by his former co-workers, Joshua and Tiffany Cluff. The house was still standing but left uninhabitable by the twin blasts.
Officials have not disclosed a motive for the kabooms.
A hospital administrator confirmed that Jones and the Cluffs previously worked together as nurses at the Grover C. Dils Medical Center in the neighboring town of Caliente and that said Joshua Cluff was Jones’ supervisor.
Jones moved to Panaca several years ago trying to restart his life in a new place after the deaths of his wife and mother, Sanders said. For the last several months he had been living about a four-hour drive away, in Kingman, Arizona, officials said.
Jones told Sanders he had served as an explosives and demolition expert during a stint in the Army. Sanders told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named he did not know how long Jones worked in the military or where he was posted.
Lincoln County Sheriff Kerry Lee said Sherlocks were trying to confirm whether Jones had a military background. Army spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson said she could not immediately confirm details about military service for Jones.
Katschke told AP that Jones had cared for his mother before she died last August.
"He had a fascination with military things. Shells and that kind of thing," Katschke said. "He told me he had a shop and sold military souvenirs. That kind of belied his soft and gentle demeanor."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2016 00:00 ||
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[RUDAW.NET] Kirkuk officials have accused Baghdad of withholding the province’s budget share and refusing to sell its oil in retaliation for Kurds in the Provincial Council who hold the opinion that Kirkuk belongs to Kurdistan.
The Kirkuk Provincial Council owes $240 million for electricity and other services and has had to stop work on some 400 projects as it faces a financial crisis.
The council has tried to sit down with Baghdad to discuss issues three times but Baghdad has refused to meet them.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2016 00:00 ||
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[RUDAW.NET] 137 Yezidi women graduate from Peshmerga military training. The women were trained by the Zeravani forces in a 45-day course. Families and relatives of the graduates attended the event.
Tears trickled down their cheeks. It was a happy day for these new female Peshmerga They say that protecting Kurdish land and people is their duty.
16 groups of Peshmerga of Shingal amounting to 8,000 Peshmerga have been trained so far.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2016 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] A former US intelligence director has revealed that the laptops seized from ISIS jihadis are filled up to 80% with porn films.
Ex-chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency Lieutenant General Michael Flynn said the graphic films inures murderous Moslems to carry out their hideous brutality.
According to a report published by the Daily Mail, Michael Flynn said intelligence gathering and the closing down of the fanatics' communications channels is key to beating them.
He made the claims in the German newspaper Bild where his book on winning the war against radical Islam is being serialised.
He wrote: "We looked a ruthless enemy in the eye - women and kiddies, girls and boys, raped and exploited, the beheadings stored on a laptop next to pornography.
"At one point we actually had determined that the material on the laptops was up to 80% pornography.
"These sick, psychopathic enemies were not only unimaginably hideous, but also treacherous and torn. We had to work faster to outwit them if we wanted to beat them."
However, by candlelight every wench is handsome... this was not the first time that jihadis have been linked to having pornography on their laptops.
Last year, former London mayor Boris Johnson said homegrown fanatics from the UK who join ISIS watch porn because they can not find girlfriends.
Speaking at the time, Mr Johnson said: 'If you look at all the psychological profiling about bombers, they typically will look at porn. They are literally w*****s'.
Meanwhile, ...back at the dirigible, the pilot and the copilot had both hit the silk.
Jack! Cynthia exclaimed. Do you know how to drive one of these things?
Jack wiped some of the blood from his knuckles.
No, he said. Do you?... US officials have also revealed that in 2011 the former al-Qaeda leader the late Osama bin Laden ... who doesn't live anywhere anymore... had a stash of pornography as he hid in his squalid lair in Pakistain.
US Navy Seals said they uncovered the x-rated films during the mission to kill the terror leader, who criminal masterminded the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
According to officials, the commandos found a 'fairly extensive' collection of modern porn films as they searched the building after Bin Laden was shot.
It has also been reported that the 9/11 jihadists visited strip clubs, paid for lap dances, and for hookers in motel rooms in Boston, Las Vegas and Florida before the attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
72 movies?
Posted by: james ||
07/16/2016 0:42 Comments ||
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#5
As I understand it, if a Muslim dies in Jihad (even a suicide attack)all his sins are forgiven. That is why many of the 9/11 attackers went to bars and strip clubs the night before.
The nuns taught me that Christian martyrs also have their sins forgiven. On the other hand, Christian martyrs don't actively initiate their martyrdom.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
07/16/2016 11:53 Comments ||
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[Iraq Sun] Top U.S. counterterror and law enforcement officials are offering grim warnings about what awaits once 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.... terror group's self-declared caliphate ultimately collapses.
Much of the U.S. and coalition strategy against IS has been predicated on the idea that without the ability to hold territory in Iraq and Syria, the terror group will falter, unable to make good on its promise of a utopian society.
Yet as the fall of the IS caliphate looks to draw nearer, U.S. officials are increasingly cautious, saying the group will remain a dynamic and formidable threat for some time to come.
"We all know there will be a terrorist diaspora out of the caliphate," FBI Director James Comey told the House Homeland Security Committee on Thursday.
"Those thousands of fighters are going to go someplace," he said. "Our job is to spot them and stop them before they come to the United States to harm innocent people."
As many as 40,000 imported muscle from more than 120 countries are believed to have flocked to the conflict in Syria, with a majority of them joining IS while the group grew and saw its fortunes rise as it advanced across Iraq.
Now, Comey and others worry the terror group is in a prime position to take advantage of the flow home.
"ISIS's external operations has been building and entrenching during the past two years," according to National Counterterrorism Center Director Nicholas Rasmussen. ISIS is an acronym for Islamic State.
"We don't think that battlefield reverses alone in Iraq will be sufficient to degrade that terrorism capability," he said. "Over time we will degrade their capability hellip; but there may be a significant lag."
Adding to the concerns is the terror group's use of forged documents to get its operatives into Europe, where some became key players in the terror attacks that rocked Gay Paree and Brussels.
"We know it's a part of ISIS's tradecraft," Comey said.
U.S. Homeland Security officials say they have bolstered the department's abilities to detect fraudulent travel documents, though the risk remains that an IS operative could find a way to sneak into the U.S.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/16/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
blowing the TabquaDam and the Mosul one would go a long way to cutting down on any Terrorist Diaspora.
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.
[NATION.PK] The former head of Afghanistan’s main intelligence agency released documents on Thursday which he said showed that Pak intelligence services helped leaders of the Taliban and the feared 
A lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe...
"It's small number, possibly 4 or 5." 
