Governor of Jawzjan province, Lotfullah Azizi, on Wednesday said soon a military operation will be launched in Darzab and Qush Tapa districts of the province under the command of second vice president general Abdul Rashid Dostum, to clear the region of Taliban.
He stated the two districts are the most vulnerable districts in Jawzjan province and parts of them have fallen to the Taliban.
"There are two districts that are mountainous and more than 100 kms from the center of the province and insurgents are active there. We hope to launch an operation when general Dostum comes to Jawzjan from Faryab," Azizi said.
Azizi also hailed the public uprising groups and said the groups are made up of more than one thousand armed man and have filled the gap of a strong police force in the province.
"The public uprising numbers reach 1,000 to 2,000 and play effective roles in maintaining security," he added.
Members from a number of public uprising groups have said they are ready to fight the insurgents and maintain their security.
They also have complained about the negligence of government in not addressing their challenges.
"Poor peoples' sons have died and their homes were stolen. What aid have they provided to the people? They (government) didn't help them," said Shir, a member of a public uprising group.
"The public uprising groups have maintained the security of Faizabad city. If they do not defend the region, the police cannot go to the villages," said Abdul Muqim, another member of a public uprising group.
"We defend our country, our people and our sisters. To help our schools be reconstructed and we all get educated," said Mohammad Yousuf, a member of a public uprising group. He has lost an arm in fighting insurgents.
Mullah Faqir, fought against security forces for more than a year on the side of Taliban. Six years ago, along with his 15 men, joined the peace process and since then he has been fighting the insurgents and currently is a member of a public uprising group.
"Taliban collect taxes from people and it is cruel. We have seen how they have annoyed people. Then we joined peace process to defend our people," Faqir said.
Meanwhile, the Ulema council also said the people who are trying to destabilize the country are cruel and urged the government to stop them.
"Government should stop the people who are trying to separate the people and expand the war and insecurity. They are cruel and should be stopped," said Maulavi Samaruddin Makhdom, a member of Jawzjan Ulema Council.
However, concerns have been expressed over the management of public uprising groups and have said if they are not managed well, they will cause problems in the future.
[NEWS.AU] Reports that Tarin Kowt, the capital of Afghanistan's Oruzgan province, had nearly fallen to krazed killer forces appear to be more Taliban propaganda than fact, a Senate committee has been told.
Acting defence force chief Vice Admiral Ray Griggs said Australia's commander in Afghanistan Brigadier Cheryl Pearce and ambassador Richard Feakes both flew into the city for a security conference soon after the reported attack in early September.
They arrived at the main base, which reportedly had been overrun, and met the provincial governor and the Afghan defence force commander who confirmed they remained in control.
"While it is evident that some checkpoints around Tarin Kowt came under small-scale attack, operational reporting confirmed the city was not in danger of being overrun and the military base remained secure," Admiral Griggs told a Senate estimates committee hearing on Wednesday.
Australian troops operated in Oruzgan province for most of a decade with the last withdrawing at the end of 2013.
Forty-one Australians died in operations, most in and around Oruzgan.
Some 270 Australian personnel remain in Afghanistan in a variety of roles, including mentoring at the Afghan National Army Officer Academy 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.... Admiral Griggs said Australia maintained an interest in the security situation in Oruzgan where media reports last month described a major Taliban attack on Tarin Kowt.
He said the reports were based on Taliban propaganda which declared government-controlled outposts overrun, along with the airport and military base where Australian troops were stationed throughout their deployment.
Admiral Griggs said reports from Afghan officials the city was secure were consistent with Defence's own observations and assessments.
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10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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Security forces of Somali federal government have arrested a journalist working for the DOHA-based Al Jazeera English Channel, along with three co-workers in Mogadishu on Tuesday afternoon, Garowe Online reports. Al Jazeera's Hamza Mohamed with two other Journalists and their driver are held in Mogadishu prison for reporting a major Al Shabaab assault on Afgoye town, about 30 kilometers south-west of Mogadishu.
Mohamed Ibrahim Mo'alimu, the secretary general of the National Union of Somali Journalists (NUSOJ) has confirmed to Radio Garowe the arrest of the Al Jazeera journalist and his team.
“Hamza was detained while he was returning from Afgoye back to Mogadishu,” said Mo’alimu. He also condemned Journalists arrest and called for their immediate release, however, No comment could be obtained from the Somali officials on the reasons behind the arrest.
"We are working to release of the journalists from custody," said NUSOJ secretary general.
Separately, the editor-in-chief of Xog-Ogaal Newspaper Abdi Aden Guled has been released by the Somali government on Tuesday night after three days detention in Godka Jilacow prison run by Somali National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA) in Mogadishu. Somali security forces shut down the headquarter of Xog-Ogaal, Somalia's oldest daily news paper in Mogadishu, and arrested its editor Abdi Aden Guled on Saturday 15 October 2016.
Threats and intimidation against journalists by Somali government tend to increase during elections period.
Somalia is considered one of the most dangerous countries in the world for media workers, as they are targeted by both Islamic extremists and the government.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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[Breitbart] A shocking 65 per cent of all the ’children’ were found to be over 18 according to Home Office figures collected in the year to September 2015.
In that period, 590 asylum applicants had their age disputed and of those, 574 recorded as having an age assessment. Of the 574 refugees checked, 371 were found to be adults.
Moslem colonists Migrants from Calais began to arrive in the UK earlier this week, despite the government promising not to accept them from safe countries such as La Belle France, after campaigners took advantage of a new loophole in migration law.
Campaigners promised those accepted would be the most vulnerable and needy in the camp. However, those who apply themselves too closely to little things often become incapable of great things... so far images (above) of the migrants colonists appear to show groups of fully grown adults, who are exclusively men.
David Davies, the Conservative MP for Monmouth, told BBC Radio 4 this morning the British public "were given the impression that they were very young children who were desperate to get into the UK, and that doesn’t seem to have happened."
He explained that when he visited Calais the migrants colonists were "virtually all young men and very few young children" and said: "There’s no good being naive about this. It’s all well and good [pop singer] Lily Allen turning up with tears in her eyes, but we need to be quite hard-nosed here".
Currently, the Homes Office only uses the "physical appearance" or "demeanour" of migrants colonists to estimate their age.
Mr. Davies argued that unless the government did more establish their age it would "undermine public trust" and could put British children at risk by housing them with the adult migrants colonists when the arrive.
"I spoke to someone in an asylum centre in the UK recently, who said he’s had people with gray hair who will claim to be 17 ‐ not that anyone believes it... but they do it because it takes that little bit longer to sort the case and the less chance there is they’re going to get removed," he added.
Mr. Davies is proposing using dental scans to estimate the age of the migrants colonists, which he says are already used in 16 out of 22 European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... countries and have been employed in America for around 20 years.
However, those who apply themselves too closely to little things often become incapable of great things... pro-migrant campaigns have said the tests violate ’human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... ’ and the British Dental Association said such checks would be unethical.
[IsraelTimes] Dropping case over 2010 raid on blockade-busting ship to Gazoo was key Israeli condition in deal to end years of frozen
The recent reconciliation deal between Israel and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... hit a bump on Wednesday, when a Turkish court refused to dismiss a case against members of the Israeli military, a key condition of the agreement.
Dismissing the legal charges against IDF officers connected to a 2010 naval raid on a Turkish flotilla trying to breach Israel’s blockade of the Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,-controlled Gazoo Strip was a key Israeli demand in the talks.
But, Channel 2 television reported, a court in Istanbul on Wednesday refused to dismiss the case and, instead postponed the hearing until December.
The raid, in which IDF commandos were attacked by activists on board the Mavi Marmara vessel, left 10 Turks dead and several Israeli soldiers maimed. Israel several weeks ago paid Turkey $20 million in compensation for the deadly raid, another central pillar of the deal.
The compensation was a key Turkish demand in the reconciliation deal, along with an apology by Israel and an easing of the blockade on the Gazoo Strip.
Israel made the apology three years ago, and while the blockade remains in place -- due to Israeli concerns that Hamas would import weapons and other materiel -- Ankara has been able to resume delivery of humanitarian aid to the Paleostinians through Israeli ports.
The two countries were expected to announce new ambassadors later this month. The exchange of diplomats, who were pulled out of both countries even though formal relations were never fully severed, is the last central element of the agreement signed in June to restore ties.
And then there are all those delicious trade deals and the oil pipeline President Erdogan wants so badly. Interesting times.
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10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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[AlAhram] A man accused of setting off bombs in New Jersey and New York, injuring more than 30 people, has been moved from a hospital to a state prison.
...the probably Taliban-trained Afghan-American whose various bombs in New York and New Jersey caused havoc last month, and whose last name is also spelt Rahami, for some reason...
was transferred to a state facility on Tuesday instead of a county jail for his safety and security, New Jersey Corrections Department front man Matt Schuman said. Schuman would not identify the facility.
The Afghan-born U.S. citizen had been hospitalized with gunshot wounds following a police shootout that led to his capture in Linden on Sept. 19.
He remains held on $5.2 million bail.
Rahimi, 28, has pleaded not guilty "Wudn't me." to five counts of attempted murder of a police officer and weapons offenses.
During a video court appearance on Oct. 13, he was read his rights by Judge Regina Caulfield and answered "yes" in a faint voice to a series of questions.
He is accused of detonating a pipe bomb along the route of a scheduled Marine Corps charity race in the New Jersey shore town of Seaside Park and a pressure cooker bomb in New York City on Sept. 17. No one was injured in the New Jersey blast, and 31 people were hurt in the New York blast. A second pressure cooker bomb did not explode.
Rahimi has not made court appearances on federal charges in either state.
#1
I was hoping he would be moved to a "special" rendition site where his eyes are taped open and he is made to listen and watch the best of Hillary and Obama videos.
Code Pink conspicuously absent
WASHINGTON: Daesh terrorists were barring civilians from leaving Mosul on Tuesday and using them as human shields, as the battle for the Iraqi city entered its second day, a Pentagon official said.
“We know they are being used as human shields, absolutely,” Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain Jeff Davis told reporters.
“They are being held there against their will. We have not seen any change in the last day of people leaving or fleeing.”
Currently, the action has largely been in villages surrounding Iraq’s second-largest city and the remaining Daesh stronghold in the country.
President Barack Obama warned of “significant” displacement but said the UN and other aid groups were ready. “We have put together plans and infrastructure for dealing with a potential humanitarian crisis that are as extensive as the military plans,” Obama said.
United Nations spokesman Stephane Dujarric said an estimated 200,000 people are expected to be displaced in the first weeks of the offensive, growing to as many as one million under a worst-case scenario.
But “what you are not seeing is a mass exodus of civilians, and that’s because they are being forcibly held there,” Davis said.
The fighting so far has been fairly light, mainly focused on traditionally Kurdish villages east of Mosul that Kurdish peshmerga fighters are reclaiming from Daesh.
More than 10 officers are needed to monitor each returnee around the clock — resources that overstretched European security agencies simply do not have, security sources said.
Davis said terrorists were deploying suicide-car attackers and had been attempting to thwart air raids and intelligence drones by igniting giant pits full of oil and tires to create thick smoke clouds to hide their movements and positions.
Obama said: “There will be ups and downs in this process, but my expectation is that ultimately it will be successful. This will be, I think, a key milestone in what I committed to doing when Daesh first emerged.”
But the US leader warned of a challenging road ahead. “Mosul will be a difficult fight. There will be advances and there will be setbacks,” he said.
Meanwhile, Europe faces a new influx of Daesh terrorists if Iraqi forces retake Mosul, officials and analysts warned Tuesday.
Experts urged Europe to prepare itself for more battle-hardened extremists ready to launch attacks back home. “The retaking of Mosul, may lead to the return to Europe of violent Daesh fighters,” the EU’s commissioner for security Julian King told German daily Die Welt.
King stressed that even a handful of radicals returning would pose a “serious threat that we must prepare ourselves for.” Around 2,500 European fighters are still in the conflict zones, said King.
Daesh may become less appealing to potential recruits if its Iraqi stronghold were to crumble, but fighters left without a “home” would pose dangers for the West, said Raffaello Pantucci, director of International Security Studies at the Royal United Services Institute.
“Rudderless but without a sense of revolutionary purpose, they will present a menace to security officials around the world for years to come,” he wrote in the Daily Telegraph.
Daesh is “entering a new phase,” said Chris Phillips, managing director of counter-terrorism consultancy Ippso, adding that as the group loses its “caliphate,” “it would force them into more guerrilla or terrorist actions.”
With the retaking of Mosul, “I think we will see a growth of terrorist attacks across North Africa and the West,” he said, adding that fighters could take cover in the routes used by refugees to slip in.
France is particularly jittery about potential returnees, as it has been hit by several terror attacks.
More than 10 officers are needed to monitor each returnee around the clock — resources that overstretched European security agencies simply do not have, security sources said.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault also pointed to the “very difficult work of deradicalization” to set back on the right track children who had been taken by their parents to Syria or Iraq, but who return radicalized.
In Germany, which took in around 900,000 asylum seekers last year alone, skepticism is running high over the newcomers particularly after two attacks in July committed by refugees in the name of Daesh.
Posted by: badanov ||
10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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Heading up the troops, yew betcha
[ARA News] Erbil – The supreme leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) extremist group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has not left Mosul despite the start of the US-backed military campaign, Kurdish official and former minister of finance in the Iraqi government Hoshyar Zebari said on Wednesday.
According to intelligence reports, al-Baghdadi is still in Mosul along with the ISIS military commander Fawzi Ali.
The presence of al-Baghdadi in Mosul is reportedly meant to raise the morale of his militant fighters in the face of the fiercest military operations on the ISIS’ capital in Iraq.
“ISIS terrorists are under a heavy pressure amid the continuous progress by the Kurdish Peshmergas and the Iraqi army forces towards Mosul city since the start of the operation earlier this week,” he said.
“The radical group in Mosul is being hit from the north, east and south by the coalition forces,” media activist Sipan Saleh told ARA News.
“Under heavy blows by the Peshmerga forces and the Iraqi army, supported by the coalition’s airstrikes, ISIS won’t be able to hold for long in Mosul. Whether al-Baghdadi is there or not, it won’t matter much. Once the anti-ISIS forces enter the city, a large surge of dissidence is expected to hit the group’s ranks before its complete collapse,” Saleh said.
Posted by: badanov ||
10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Allied forces fighting ISIS in djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... say they expect the turban group to use crude chemical weapons as it tries to defend Mosul from an assault to drive them out.
One official told Rooters that US forces have gathered ISIS shell fragments to test for chemical weapons because the group has been known to use mustard gas in the past.
US officials said in a previously undisclosed statement that it had confirmed the presence of a sulfur mustard agent on ISIS munitions on Oct. 5.
Meanwhile, ...back at the palazzo, Count Guido had been cornered by the banditti... Senior Iraqi General Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati told news hounds at a military base on Tuesday that up to 6,000 ISIS fighters are currently inside the city. He did not say how many of them are foreigners.
Sources say humanitarian agencies are bracing between 100,000 and 400,000 people fleeing the fighting in Mosul and making their way toward Syria, Iraq’s Kurdish-administrated region or the border with The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... Kerem Kinik, head of the Turkish Red Islamic Thingy organization, told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named on Wednesday that the "humanitarian aspect" of the Mosul operation had not been well thought out by the coalition forces.
From ARA News:
Allied forces fighting ISIS in Mosul say they expect the extremist group to use crude chemical weapons as it tries to defend Mosul from an assault to drive them out.
US officials said in a previously undisclosed statement that it had confirmed the presence of a sulfur mustard agent on ISIS munitions on Oct. 5.
Meanwhile, Senior Iraqi General Lt. Gen. Talib Shaghati told reporters at a military base on Tuesday that up to 6,000 ISIS fighters are currently inside the city. He did not say how many of them are foreigners.
One official told Reuters that US forces have gathered ISIS shell fragments to test for chemical weapons because the group has been known to use mustard gas in the past.
Informed sources told ARA News that after seizing chemical weapons stockpiles in Syria, ISIS militants moved some of the weapons to Mosul, in Iraq’s northwestern Nineveh Governorate.
Raafat al-Zarari, the head of the Nineveh Media Centre, said: “ISIS has brought several shipments of chemical weapons, particularly chlorine and mustard agents, to Mosul earlier this week.”
If the reports are accurate, they would impede the operation to retake Mosul, planned by the Kurdish Peshmerga, the Iraqi Army and the US-led coalition. The operation is expected to start within weeks.
“We may face a more complex situation in the battle for Mosul than expected,” a Kurdish Peshmerga official told ARA News, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“We are aware of ISIS moves in Mosul. The group has recently changed its main positions inside the city and installed new checkpoints in Mosul’s suburbs. The terrorist group is willing to put all of its strength in the upcoming battle for Mosul,” the Kurdish officer said. “Using chemical agents during the fight is highly possible, and we’ll make our preparations for such a scenario.”
Posted by: Fred ||
10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] President Barack Obama teachable moment... warned on Tuesday of a tough battle ahead as Iraqi forces backed by a US-led coalition advance on djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... to wrest the city from the bad boyIslamic 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.
Obama said the push to liberate the northern city, the jihadists’ last stronghold in Iraq, now in its second day, was a "major step forward." "I am confident that ISIS will be defeated in Mosul and that will be another step toward their ultimate destruction," he told a joint news conference with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, using an acronym for the jihadist group. But the US leader warned of a challenging road ahead.
"Mosul will be a difficult fight. There will be advances and there will be setbacks," Obama said.
"Perhaps one million civilians are still living there," Obama added. "In addition to rooting out ISIS, our focus is on the safety and humanitarian aid for civilians escaping the fight. That will be a top priority for both our governments."
Posted by: Fred ||
10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
How many morning briefings did he skip to come to that conclusion?
Is he getting death threats, like the head of UNESCO?
[AA.TR] Paleostinian group Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", has criticized UN Secretary-General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon for distancing himself from a UNESCO resolution denying a Jewish connection to the al-Aqsa Mosque compound.
On Tuesday, the UNESCO’s executive board officially adopted a resolution that referred to the al-Aqsa mosque as a purely Islamic heritage.
Ban, for his part, said that the holy site belongs to all religions.
"The Secretary General reaffirms the importance of the Old City of Jerusalem and its Walls for the three monotheistic religions and stresses the importance of the religious and historical link of the Jewish, Moslem and Christian peoples to the holy site," Ban’s front man Estefan Dogrec said.
Hamas described Ban’s statement as a "violation of his duties".
"These statements are evidence of [Ban’s] violation of international resolutions for serving Israeli interests," the Paleostinian group said in a statement.
For Moslems, al-Aqsa represents the world's third holiest site. Jews, for their part, refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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[Downtrend] For anyone that questions the Muslims' belief in Sharia law, just read this statement that the Dallas Council on American- Islamic Relations (CAIR), Mustafa Carroll, made at a Muslim rally in Austin, Texas:
"If we are practicing Muslims, we are above the law of the land."
Although this statement was made over a year ago, most American citizens are oblivious to what CAIR really is. Headquartered in Washington, D.C. - CAIR is the largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy group. They use public relations firms, and the media, to promote a positive image of Islam in America. This is all while radical Muslims (ISIS) continues to brutally murder, rape and pillage thousands of innocents in the name of Islam.
Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspiracy ||
10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
I have news for you in that fake religion and defunct, destructive, Godless political movement...
Your lives works are useless in both Heaven and Earth.
#2
True. Very true. Their dead 6th century founder who was "above" the law and lived accordingly, rape, murder, theft (and we are not talking about the Clintons here) but they openly worshiped Alah a.k.a. Lucifer who will truly is eternal as it is written he will be tormented day and night by the flames of a lake of fire.
[FRONTERANEWS] Abu Bakar Ba’asyir personifies the changing shape of terrorism in Southeast Asia.
The surviving co-founder of Indonesia’s local Jemaah Islamiyah jihadist movement, Ba’asyir has denied any personal ties with the late Osama bin Laden ... who is now neither a strong horse nor a weak horse, but a dead horse... . Yet he also openly voiced support for the dead Al Qaeda leader and his group has collaborated closely on training.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
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A Washington Post editorial published Wednesday suggested a transfer of $400 million in cash earlier this year, which the administration later admitted was linked to the release of U.S. prisoners, may have whetted Iran's appetite for jailing more Americans. Gee... you enable a bully and you get more bullying? Who would have thought!?!?!
Recall that the Obama administration worked out a prisoner swap for Americans being held in Iran but also settled a lawsuit stemming from a very old arms deal. The two things were allegedly separate but when it was revealed that $400 million in cash had been loaded onto a plane and delivered to Iran the same day as the prisoner release the administration was forced to deny the payment was a ransom.
The Wall Street Journal revealed in early August that even people within the Department of Justice worried that the timing would make the transfer of cash look like ransom. Meanwhile, there were several indications that Iran did indeed see the transfer as a ransom payment, including a statement by an Iranian general who said, "This money was returned for the freedom of the U.S. spy [Jason Rezaian] and it was not related to the [nuclear] negotiations." I feel lied too
#1
It is always a temptation to an armed and agile nation To call upon a neighbour and to say: --
"We invaded you last night--we are quite prepared to fight,
Unless you pay us cash to go away."
And that is called asking for Dane-geld,
And the people who ask it explain
That you've only to pay 'em the Dane-geld
And then you'll get rid of the Dane!
It is always a temptation for a rich and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say: --
"Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away."
And that is called paying the Dane-geld;
But we've proved it again and again,
That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld
You never get rid of the Dane.
It is wrong to put temptation in the path of any nation,
For fear they should succumb and go astray;
So when you are requested to pay up or be molested,
You will find it better policy to say: --
"We never pay any-one Dane-geld,
No matter how trifling the cost;
For the end of that game is oppression and shame,
And the nation that pays it is lost!"
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
10/20/2016 17:06 Comments ||
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[FreeBeacon] Senior Iranian officials, including the country's president, have been floating the possibility of further payments from the United States for months. Since the White House agreed to pay Tehran $1.7 billion in cash earlier this year as part of a deal bound up in the release of American hostages, Iran has captured several more U.S. citizens.
Future payments to Iran could reach as much as $2 billion, according to sources familiar with the matter, who said that Iran is detaining U.S. citizens in Iran's notorious Evin prison where inmates are routinely tortured and abused." Miss Cleo unavailable for comment.
Posted by: Vast Right Wing Conspiracy ||
10/20/2016 09:02 ||
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#1
Danegeld
Hey Obean, your master said it best - "History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce." - Karl Marx
[ARA News] Hasakah – The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) will continue their operations against Islamic State’s (ISIS) militants, regardless of the developments of the ongoing Mosul campaign in northern Iraq, a top SDF official said on Wednesday.
Talal Silo, commander and official spokesman of the Syrian Democratic Forces, told ARA News: “The ongoing battle for Mosul in Iraq doesn’t have any direct impact on the situation of our forces in Syria. If ISIS’ terrorists make any movements here, especially in the northeastern Hasakah governorate near Iraqi border, our forces [SDF] are ready to defend the region.”
“There are ongoing clashes between the Syrian Democratic Forces and ISIS terrorists at several fronts in northern Syria. We are also prepared to face any attempts of infiltration by ISIS’ terrorists fleeing from Iraq’s Mosul,” Silo said.
In regard to the current situation in the former jihadi pocket of Manbij, the SDF official said: “The recently liberated city of Manbij is now being run by the local councils [military council and civilian council].”
“Since its liberation from ISIS terrorists, the city has been run by the local citizens who sacrificed a lot for the freedom of this city,” he said.
The SDF spokesman also accused Turkey of impeding SDF progress against ISIS in northern Syria, especially after the Turkish military intervention in the northern countryside of Aleppo Governorate.
“We’ve seen the Turkish government, and its leader Erdogan, issuing fake statements to the media concerning the liberated Syrian towns, directing baseless accusations to the SDF,” Silo told ARA News, referring to the Turkish claims that the Kurdish YPG forces [leading member of SDF] is affiliated to the PKK and thus considered a terrorist organization.
“We [SDF] have an agreement with the US-led coalition regarding the situation in every area freed from ISIS. The agreement also entails maintaining the SDF-led local forces that have liberated different towns from ISIS, and the necessity to keep those forces to protect their areas. So, Turkey is against this, but the coalition knows how to deal with the Turkish ambitions,” Silo said.
Furthermore, several Syrian rebels factions have joined the SDF ranks in the fight against ISIS, according to the official.
“We have called on all revolutionary forces in Syria to join the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Since the establishment of the SDF, more than 20 rebel factions have joined our ranks,” he said. “We still have communication channels with other factions, including Arabs and Turkmen. We have invited them to join the Syrian Democratic Forces to liberate and rebuild the country.”
Posted by: badanov ||
10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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Turkey's defense minister confirmed Tuesday the country’s air force will join the operation to liberate Mosul from Daesh, Anadolu reported.
Fikri Isik's remarks came on Tuesday evening in Rome at the Turkish embassy. Addressing reporters after a South-Eastern defense ministers meeting, Isik said: "We have come to an agreement with coalition forces that our air force will join the Mosul operation."
When asked to evaluate Turkey being invited to a meeting on Mosul in Paris in the coming days, Isik said: "It is impossible to decide on Mosul's future without Turkey."
A broad military campaign aimed at retaking northern Iraq’s Daesh-held city entered its second day on Tuesday with more losses sustained by the terrorist group. In mid-2014, Daesh captured Mosul -- Iraq’s second-largest city -- before overrunning large swathes of territory in the country’s northern and western regions.
Recent months have seen the Iraqi army, backed by local allies on the ground and a U.S.-led air coalition, retake much territory. Nevertheless, the terrorist group remains in control of several parts of the country, including Mosul.
In recent weeks, the army and its allies have staged a gradual advance on the city, which officials in Baghdad have vowed to recapture by year’s end.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's assassination. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. held separate talks Tuesday at the Center House with representatives of Marada Movement the personal militia of Suleiman Franjieh, president of Lebanon at the outbreak of the civil war, currently Syrian toadies, but you never know when that could change... chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Wally Jumblat ... Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling... and Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet... Hariri's talks with Health Minister Wael Abou Faour, who is close to Jumblat, tackled "the current developments in the country," Hariri's press office said in a statement.
The ex-PM later met with Culture Minister Rony Araiji and ex-minister Youssef Saade of Franieh's Marada Movement in the presence of his adviser ex-MP Ghattas Khoury.
Talks addressed the latest political developments.
Later on Tuesday, Hariri met at the Center House with Berri's aide and Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil.
"The meeting lasted ten minutes and Khalil conveyed a message to Hariri," LBCI television said.
Following the meeting, a PSP delegation comprising Taimur Jumblat, Wael Abou Faour, Akram Shehayyeb and Ghazi Aridi visited Ain el-Tineh for talks with Berri in Khalil's presence.
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10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The Change and Reform parliamentary bloc on Tuesday dismissed accusations from Speaker Nabih Knobby Berri Speaker of the Lebanese parliament, a member of AMAL, a not very subtle Hizbullah sock puppet... 's AMAL Movement about an alleged "Sunni-Christian" deal as an attempt to "blackmail" the supporters of Free Patriotic Movement Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic... founder MP Michel Aoun ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... 's presidential bid.
Describing Aoun as "the nominee whose candidacy conforms with the National Pact," the bloc boasted that the FPM founder "has become immunized with broad support" from the majority of the political parties.
"The (Oct. 16) speeches of General Aoun and (FPM chief Jebran) Bassil carried all the indications about a project to build the state with all the country's components without the exclusion of anyone," said the bloc in a statement issued after its weekly meeting.
"The National Pact is not bilateral or tripartite but rather for everyone," it stressed.
"Any remarks about Christian-Sunni bilateral powersharing are unacceptable and seditious and we will confront any attempt to stir sedition," the bloc added.
And reassuring that "the project of the state" is its "unifying project," Change and Reform stressed the importance of "passing an electoral law that ensures correct representation in line with the National Pact."
"We do not apologize and we do not try to justify and we are walking with firm steps towards the National Pact and the Leb of national partnership. Those who want to support us are free to support us and those who do not want to support us are free to oppose us without launching arbitrary accusations," the bloc added.
Earlier in the day, Berri's aide and Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil confirmed that the speaker's Development and Liberation bloc would "vote against" Aoun in any presidential election session.
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10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Berri denied reports that quoted him as accusing the al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri Second son of Rafik Hariri, the Leb PM who was assassinated in 2005. He has was prime minister in his own right from 2009 through early 2011. He was born in Riyadh to an Iraqi mother and graduated from Georgetown University. He managed his father's business interests in Riyadh until his father's assassination. When his father died he inherited a fortune of some $4.1 billion, which won't do him much good if Hizbullah has him bumped off, too. and MP Michel Aoun ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... of seeking to "topple Shiism," and described the reports as "inciting," An Nahar Daily reported on Wednesday.
"All the news and talks that AMAL and the Liberation and Development bloc mentioned something about a Maronite-Sunni bilateral power-sharing of the 1943 are unfounded. This rhetoric is inciting and I categorically deny it," Berri told the daily.
"We will not boycott the election sessions in spite of our objection to vote for Aoun. I will congratulate anyone who succeeds," he added.
Media reports alleged Tuesday that Berri had accused Aoun and Hariri of seeking to "topple political Shiism" in Leb, warning that such an attempt might lead to a "civil war" in the country.
MP Alain Aoun of the FPM announced Monday that Hariri will announce his endorsement of Aoun "this week."
The ex-PM has been exploring the possibility of endorsing Aoun for several weeks now and on Sunday Education Minister Elias Bou Saab of the FPM announced that Hariri has officially decided to endorse Aoun's presidential bid.
Leb has been without a president since the term of Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... ended in May 2014 and Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... , Aoun's Change and Reform bloc and some of their allies have been boycotting the parliament's electoral sessions, stripping them of the needed quorum.
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10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] When Asma al-Assad’s father was asked about his feelings toward the deaths of children at the hands of his son-in-law’s regime, Dr. Fawaz Akhras responded: "What children? I’ve seen no children being bombed."
His comments were made to the Daily Express’ Adam Helliker, who approached Akhras last week outside the private Cromwell hospital in Earl’s Court.
Akhras, 69, still supports Bashir al-Assad’s rule and continues to lead a privileged life in Britannia, living with his wife Sahar in Acton.
More than 430 people have been killed in bombardment on the eastern half since the assault on Aleppo was announced on September 22, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
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10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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[LATIMES] As 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.... has lost fighters and territory over the last year, an Al Qaeda-founded bully boy group in Syria has grown in strength, establishing a reputation as the most ferocious fighting force against Bashir al-Assad’s government.
The bully boy group formerly known as Al-Nusra Front has expanded, in part, because its fighters also oppose Islamic State on the battlefield and are rarely targeted in Arclight airstrikes by U.S. and coalition aircraft, American officials say.
Continued on Page 49
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10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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[Haaretz] Former Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri intends to endorse Michel Aoun ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... for the country's vacant presidency, political sources said, though a leading member of Hariri's party was quoted as saying the decision was not yet final.
The proposal would result in Aoun, a political ally of the Iranian-backed Shi'ite group Hezbollah, becoming head of state and Hariri becoming prime minister for the second time, the senior political sources said.
Political conflict has left the Lebanese presidency empty for 2 1/2 years. The post is reserved for a Maronite Christian in Leb's sectarian power-sharing arrangements.
It was not immediately clear if Aoun's candidacy would enjoy enough support among other Lebanese politicians to secure the necessary two-thirds quorum for the vote in the 128-seat parliament. The next scheduled parliamentary session to elect a president is set for Oct. 31.
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10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Russia warned the U.S.-led coalition Wednesday against driving jihadists from Iraq to Syria, in the offensive to recapture djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... from 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.
"It is necessary not to drive bully boyz from one country to the other but to destroy them on the spot," the chief of Russia's General Staff Valery Gerasimov said in a statement.
He said Russia was focusing on "possible attempts by fighters to break out of Mosul" and "freely leave the city in the direction of Syria."
"We hope that our partners in the international coalition realize what freely roaming large IS gangs in the Middle East can lead to."
The long-awaited offensive against Iraq's second city began Monday with air and ground support from a U.S.-led coalition.
Iraqi forces on Wednesday prepared to retake Qaraqosh, the country's largest Christian town located about 15 kilometers (10 miles) southeast of Mosul, a key milestone in their progress toward the jihadists' main hub.
Officials have said the retaking of Mosul -- in Iraq's largest military operation in years -- could take weeks or months and warned that the hundreds of thousands of civilians still in the city could be used as human shields.
Gerasimov said that Russian military satellites, reconnaissance aircraft and drones were surveillance the Iraqi city.
"Despite all the ballyhoo on Western television, it must be understood that the operation as such has not yet begun," Gerasimov said.
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10/20/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
If Russia would blow the dam on lake Assad it wouldn't be a problem.
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.
[NEWS.AU] Reports that Tarin Kowt, the capital of Afghanistan's Oruzgan province, had nearly fallen to
Security forces of Somali federal government have arrested a journalist working for the DOHA-based Al Jazeera English Channel, along with three co-workers in Mogadishu on Tuesday afternoon, Garowe Online reports. Al Jazeera's Hamza Mohamed with two other Journalists and their driver are held in Mogadishu prison for reporting a major Al Shabaab assault on Afgoye town, about 30 kilometers south-west of Mogadishu.
[Breitbart] A shocking 65 per cent of all the ’children’ were found to be over 18 according to Home Office figures collected in the year to September 2015.
Erbil – The supreme leader of the Islamic State (ISIS) extremist group Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has not left Mosul despite the start of the US-backed military campaign, Kurdish official and former minister of finance in the Iraqi government Hoshyar Zebari said on Wednesday.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Allied forces fighting ISIS in 
[DAWN] President 
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
[Downtrend] For anyone that questions the Muslims' belief in Sharia law, just read this statement that the Dallas Council on American- Islamic Relations (CAIR), Mustafa Carroll, made at a 
[FRONTERANEWS] Abu Bakar Ba’asyir personifies the changing shape of terrorism in Southeast Asia.
A Washington Post editorial published Wednesday suggested a transfer of $400 million in cash earlier this year, which the administration later admitted was linked to the release of U.S. prisoners, may have whetted Iran's appetite for jailing more Americans.
Turkey's defense minister confirmed Tuesday the country’s air force will join the operation to liberate Mosul from Daesh, Anadolu reported.
Druze politician, head of the Progressive Socialist Party, who's been on every side in Leb at least four times. He'll sell you his friends for a dollar, but family comes higher because of shipping and handling...
[An Nahar] The Change and Reform parliamentary bloc on Tuesday dismissed accusations from Speaker 
[LATIMES] As 
