[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 state of war in the country is going towards a declared war from as the enemies of the country are facing isolation due to an undeclared war they posed on the Afghan nation. Expect a story soon from the Paks denying they're isolated.
The President was speaking during a joint conference of the leadership of security institutions held 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.... Warning that the country could face more tough weeks ahead, President Ghani said the government is fully prepared as the state of the war has turned to a declared one from the previous undeclared war.
President Ghani further added that the dimensions are clear and effective efforts are underway on international level, emphasizing that the enemies of the country are in isolation which is in contrast to previous years where the country was facing isolation.
According to President Ghani, the international community’s concentration is focused on Afghanistan since the stance of the country is justified and an atmosphere has been created to prove the right stance of the country based on logic and sacrifices the Afghan nation has endured.
In a meeting with the tribal elders and influential members late in September, President Ghani said Afghanistan has been facing Pakistain in an undeclared war during the past 14 years and the requested the Afghan people to assist the government in ending the ongoing war.
The Afghan officials have long been criticizing Pakistain for allowing the Taliban group leaders to use its soil for executing attacks in Afghanistan which causes most of the casualties to the ordinary Afghan civilians.
However, some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them... Pakistain has repeatedly rejected the allegations although Pakistain’s foreign affairs adviser Sartaj PrunefaceAziz ...Adviser to Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs, who believes in good jihadis and bad jihadis as a matter of national policy... admitted earlier this year that the country has influence on the group and could use certain leverages to force the group to join peace talks.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/03/2016 00:00 ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The provincial governor of northern Balkh province Ata Mohammad Noor He was appointed in 2004 by President Hamid Karzai. An ethnic Pashtun, he was a high school teacher before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan; after the conflict began, he worked in education for the Mujahideen, who gave him the nickname "The Teacher." He then became an anti-Soviet mujahideen resistance commander for the Jamiat-e Islami. When the Taliban took power in late 1996, Atta Noor served as a commander in the anti-Taliban United Front (Northern Alliance) under Ahmad Shah Massoud. He led operations in the Balkh area. He has been described by The Economist as being "immensely wealthy".
If I remember correctly, Noor took over as Northern Alliance military commander after the assassination of Massoud.
has rejected reports of political agreement with President Mohammad Ashraf Ghani to leave Balkh and assume a key post in the capital.
Noor issued a statement after a report emerged on a local newspaper suggesting that the prominent political figure belonging to Jamiat-e-Islami has agreed to leave Balkh province. The Afghan Jamiat emerged from the Pak Jamiat, but then diverged greatly in terms of political Islam. During the Soviet war the Pak Jamaat supported Hekmatyar, who colluded with the KGB and KhAD against the Pandjir Valley mujaheddin.
Calling the report as baseless, Noor said he had discussions with President Ghani in consultation with the President of Jamiat-e-Islami regarding the power share of their team, insisting that respect to the share of their belongs to those who have stood with the party following a same path.
He said no agreement has been reached regarding his transfer from Balkh to capital Kabul as he emphasized that he serves for the nation.
In the meantime, sources close to Ata Mohammad Noor rejected the report as baseless and said the governor and chief executive of Jamiat-e-Islami is currently in United Arab Emirates.
Munir Farhad, a spokesman for Ata Mohammad Noor said no political agreement has been concluded between Noor and President Ghani.
The report published by Hasht-e-Sobh daily quoted anonymous officials saying that the agreement has concluded and Noor will be transferred to Kabul to assume a key post in the government.
The paper also added that the new governor of northern Balkh province has been selected in line with the demands of Noor who is politically close to him.
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11/03/2016 00:00 ||
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Afghanistan's President Ashraf Ghani on Wednesday sharply criticized government departments for the late and non-delivery of fuel and supplies, including food, weapons and ammunition, to the Afghan security forces – many of whom are on the battlefields.
He called for urgent action by the security institutions to address the problem.
Ghani also raised deep concerns over a dramatic surge in fatalities among the conventional forces, and ordered security leaders to outline a new strategy to curb the rising trend.
Ghani said that the high number of military casualties in the country is an enormous challenge and said that the seizing of government forces' equipment by armed opposition is not acceptable.
The statement comes as embattled Afghan security forces have persistently complained about the lack of food, fuel and ammunition.
In a new development, Afghan security forces fighting the Taliban in Uruzgan's Dehrawood and Charchenoi districts made similar complaints.
Certain issues such as corruption and mismanagement by the responsible institutions undertaking the delivery of fuel and other logistics to forces have angered Ghani.
There has been speculation among military commentators that issues such as corruption and mismanagement by the security institutions have been the main cause of the surge in fatalities and the spike in takeovers of check posts by the enemies.
"I really felt shame when I heard that our security forces went for 15 or 20 days with only rice or bread. What are our intelligence services doing? People should call me or call the media. I want solutions to these complaints. It is not a request but an order and it must be implemented ... I will bring changes and the system has to be reformed," Ghani added.
"This is not supposed to be a request, but an order and it needs to be implemented, I want change, the system must be reformed, these facilities were not supposed to be for stealing, because on the other side blood is shed," said Ghani.
"I can not say that corruption was handled 100 percent, but there is a commitment to curb corruption, we recently reshuffled all those who were employed in the supply sector or accounts," said defense ministry spokesman Dawlat Waziri.
"Bullets, uniforms and other privileges are being stolen, this issue needs to be investigated and the trend must stop," said MP Sayed Hussain Sharifi Balkhabi.
Military commentators believe that the timely delivery of supplies to security forces will help to reduce fatalities and secure check posts which are all too often seized by insurgents.
Egypt tried to draw a line under a deep economic crisis Thursday by allowing its currency to float freely.
The move saw the Egyptian pound crash 48% against the U.S. dollar... "[this will] improve Egypt's external competitiveness, support exports and tourism and attract foreign investment," IMF Mission Chief for Egypt, Chris Jarvis, said in a statement.
According to central bank data, one U.S. dollar now buys 13 Egyptian pounds, compared to 8.8 on Wednesday.
of course this makes imported goods including food (Egypt is not even close to being self sufficient) more expensive... let's see how the people in the street take this when the retail market settles
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11/03/2016 11:33 ||
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[Al Arabiya] Houthi militia leaders slammed the UN special envoy for Yemen, accusing him of being biased and not impartial, the Arabic website of Al Arabiya News Channel reported.
A spokesman for the Houthi militias, Mohammed Abdul Salam accused the UN envoy of fabricating evidence against them, specifically when he condemned their attempted attack on Makkah – stating that the allegation was false.
Salam’s comments came a day after Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told the Security Council at a briefing on the situation in the country that the deterioration of the economic situation threatens to worsen the humanitarian crisis, calling on Yemeni actors prioritize national interest.
“After 18 months of horrific fighting, thousands of deaths, injuries and unspeakable human suffering, we all need to ask how long will Yemenis remain hostages to personal and reckless political decisions,” Ahmed said.
In response, Salam stated that the UN envoy lacked impartiality and overstepped his role as a mediator.
The Houthis militia’s criticism of Ahmed is not the first. Previously Houthis accused the UN envoy of being biased and is not qualified for the role as a United Nations mediator, AlArabiya.Net reported.
[Dhaka Tribune] The Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime (CTTC) unit has begun probing the origin of the Facebook post that sparked the large scale communal violence against Hindus in Brahmanbaria on Sunday.
Alimuzzaman, deputy commissioner of the CTTC unit’s cyber crime team, told the Dhaka Tribune that they have already started gathering information during the primary stages of the investigation.
Another cyber crime team under the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is also helping with the probe, CID sources said.
The offending message, depicting Lord Shiva sitting atop the Kaaba, went up from the account of 30-year-old Rasraj Das on Friday. However, if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning... the illiterate youth stated in his latest post early on Saturday morning that he had no knowledge of how this photo originated from his account. Rasraj said he apologises to "Moslem brothers" and was only made aware of the post when his friends told him about it. Why does an illiterate youth have a Facebook account? What does he do with it?
Rasraj deleted the post early Saturday.
Later that same day Rasraj was beaten up by locals and handed over to the police. On Sunday, a mob wrecked over 100 Hindu homesteads of Nasirnagar and vandalised more than a dozen temples, injuring about 100, instigated by local radical Islamist groups.
The attacks took place following a meeting of local Moslems who had gathered on Nasirnagar playground Sunday morning to demand justice for the blasphemous Facebook post.
The attack was similar to that on the Buddhist community in Cox’s Bazar in 2012, which was also sparked by a fake Facebook post.
Mizanur Rahman, superintendent of police of Brahmanbaria, told the Dhaka Tribune: "Everything will become clear after the investigation is over."
Dr AKM Ashikur Rahman of Buet’s computer science and engineering department, said people are vulnerable to Facebook hacking if they log in from shared computers.
"It is easy to verify Rasraj’s claim of his account being hacked by tracking the IP from which the post was made," Prof Rahman said. "Hackers could easily get hold of widely available software to gain access to accounts or send game requests, with malware, on Facebook which allows the hacker access to a computer if the target activates the link."
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11/03/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
Why does an illiterate youth have a Facebook account? What does he do with it?
[Dhaka Tribune] The local leaders and activists of Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... played a key role behind the planned attacks on Hindu houses and temples at Madhabpur in Habiganj on Sunday as a sequel of the communal attacks in Nasirnagar area of Brahmanbaria over a fake blasphemous post on Facebook.
Several hundred Moslem hardliners carried out the attack after an announcement was made in front of Rail Mosque in Montola area by some local supporters of Jamaat and its radical student unit Islami Chhatra Shibir
Continued on Page 49
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11/03/2016 00:00 ||
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The folks back home consider this news, it appears.
[ShabelleNews] One man sentenced to 16 years and two to eight years after girls as young as 14 were subjected to ‘degrading and violent’ abuse Three men have been jailed for their part in an inner-city sex ring involving the abuse, rape and trafficking of young girls.
Victims as young as 14 were subjected to sexual abuse that was “degrading, violent and horrible” in Bristol. Some of the girls were given drugs and alcohol and “pestered again and again” for sex by the men, who were mostly older teenagers.
Bristol crown court heard that the rapes became “routine” and the men regarded some of the victims, who cannot be named, as “cheap and easy”.
Three men – Sakariya Sheikh, 23, Mohammed Dahir, 24, and Abdirashid Abdulahi, 23 – were convicted of 14 charges relating to four girls.
Judge Peter Blair QC jailed Sheikh for 16 years, and Dahir and Abdulahi both for eight years, after a seven-week trial. “You have brought shame upon your families and upon yourselves,” the judge told them. “You are not worthy of very much further attention in this courtroom. My attention is focused upon the victims of your crimes.
“They were four children trying to find their way in life, some of them struggling with difficult issues at home. You used your older age, your personal freedom and your relative stronger power to manipulate and coerce them into becoming for you little more than objects to satisfy you sexually.”
The judge said the abuse had left the victims feeling “worthless”.
“Their pain goes on and so it will for you now,” he told the defendants. “They are at long last receiving some measure of justice from your convictions. Their very brave and difficult decision to give evidence against you has been vindicated and I pay tribute to them.”
Seven men went on trial accused of 46 charges. Three were acquitted after the jury failed to reach verdicts and another man was found not guilty of the two charges against him.
The trial, which came after an investigation codenamed Operation Button, was the third in a series of prosecutions of Somali men for child sexual exploitation and drug offences.
In two earlier trials in 2014, after an investigation codenamed Operation Brooke, 14 men were jailed for more than 100 years between them. Sheikh, Abdulahi and Dahir – were also found guilty in Operation Brooke.
During the latest trial, jurors heard that a 15-year-old girl was simultaneously raped by Sheikh and another man in March 2013. The majority of the offences happened between 2011 and 2012 against girls who had travelled to Bristol by train to meet the men.
Anna Vigars, prosecuting, said the victims “suffered sexual abuse, some of it violent, degrading and horrible, some of it less so”.
Speaking after the case, DS Lisa Jones, of Avon and Somerset police, said the offences had inflicted “long-term pain and torment” on the victims.
“These defendants befriended these vulnerable young people who were still at school, grooming and sexually exploiting them,” she said. “Their systematic abuse over a number of years slowly eroded their confidence and made them think these crimes were normal behaviour.”
In a statement issued through police, the Bristol Somali community said it was “deeply appalled” by the case. “Our deepest sympathy wholeheartedly goes out to the victims and their families who are undoubtedly experiencing extreme pain at the moment,” it said. “Our community, a Muslim and black minority ethnic community, in Bristol would like to underline that we sincerely condemn the nature of these crimes.”
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/03/2016 00:00 ||
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Turkey will complete a 911-kilometer-long wall along its border with Syria in the first half of 2017, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Işık said Nov. 2 during a visit to the border along with the commander of the Land Forces, Salih Zeki Çolak, and Hatay Gov. Erdal Ata.
Over 900 km? That's some wall. A wall like that would fence off much of Arizona from Mexico...
Stating that Turkey had the right to take all the measures to fend off ostensible threats aimed at itself, Işık said Turkey’s Euphrates Shield Operation, launched on Aug. 24 in order to rid the border of terrorist organizations, was part of these efforts.
“One of the other measures we took is to ensure emergency physical border security – in other words, build walls along the border as long as the geographical situation allows. We have built 268 kilometers of the wall as of now,” Işık said Nov. 2.
“Within the first half of 2017, we wish to finalize all of the 911 kilometers of the Syrian border with physical border security,” he added.
As part of the precautions being taken to preserve border security, the government is planning to form a professional armed border patrol that will work under the aegis of the Interior Ministry in 2017, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Işık said that out of the 520 kilometers of the wall, around 200 kilometers of it had been already contracted, with around 250 kilometers more to be contracted within a week or two. He said the remaining 85 kilometers of the border were river passages, over which different precautions had been taken.
Along other parts of the border, protection and surveillance services are provided by the Turkish Land Forces, the Gendarmerie and the Coast Guard.
However, a state of emergency decree law passed on July 23 tied the Gendarmerie and Coast Guard to the Interior Ministry, removing them from the authority of the Land Forces and Naval Forces.
With its new border plan, Ankara aims to gather and centralize different authorities for border services under the full command of the Interior Ministry.
Centralizing: what sultans do best...
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/03/2016 00:00 ||
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The poor Rutgers lad succumbed to Sudden Jihad Syndrome over and over again.
[IsraelTimes] A 24-year-old New Jersey man is convicted of terrorism for vandalizing and Molotov cocktailing synagogues and a rabbi’s home in Bergen County in 2012.
Aakash Dalal is also convicted by the court in Bergen County on 16 other counts, including conspiracy to commit arson, attempted arson, bias intimidation, possession of a weapon and possession of a destructive device.
Dalal, a former student at Rutgers University, has been tossed in the calaboose Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! since he was locked away Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! in March 2012. He will be sentenced on December 21.
His former high school classmate Anthony Graziano also was found guilty of terrorism and 19 other counts in May for the anti-Semitic attacks in December 2011 and January 2012. Graziano also awaits sentencing.
NewJersey.com has all the details on the attacks on three synagogues, a Jewish community center, and a rabbi's home next to the synagogue where he worked, the multiple specific charges for each attack, and the dozens of AOL chat messages retrieved from Mr. Graziano's laptop detailing their plans and their hatred of Jews. A charge against Mr. Dalal for conspiring to murder the assistant prosecutor while in jail is still pending.
[FreeBeacon] The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, the country's elite military force, is sending assets to infiltrate the United States and Europe at the direction of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to recent Farsi-language comments from an Iranian military leader.
The IRGC "will be in the U.S. and Europe very soon," according to the Iranian military commander, who said that these forces would operate with the goal of bolstering Iran's hardline regime and thwarting potential plots against the Islamic Republic. About the time Obama and Valjar leave Washington after providing massive financing to the mad mullahs.
"The whole world should know that the IRGC will be in the U.S. and Europe very soon," Salar Abnoush, deputy coordinator of Iran's Khatam-al-Anbia Garrison, an IRGC command front, was quoted as saying in an Iranian state-controlled publication closely tied to the IRGC.
The military leader's comments come as Iran is spending great amounts of money to upgrade its military hardware and bolster its presence throughout the Middle East and beyond. Iran intends to spend billions to purchase U.S.-made planes that are likely to be converted for use in its air force.
Congressional leaders and others suspect that Iran has used a large portion of the cash windfall it received as a result of last summer's nuclear agreement to upgrade its fighting capabilities war machine.
"The IRGC is [the] strong guardian of the Islamic Republic," Abnoush was quoted as saying. "The Fedayeen of Velayat [fighting force] are under the order of Iran's Supreme leader. Defending and protecting the Velayat [the Supreme Leader] has no border and limit."
Iranian military and government officials have continued to advocate violence against the U.S. and its allies, despite the nuclear deal and several secret side agreements that gave Iran $1.7 billion in cash.
Iran accuses the U.S. of violating its end of the agreement by not helping the Islamic Republic gain further access to international banks and other markets.
Iran's frustration over this has led to further accusations about a U.S. plot to foster unrest in the country.
"Our enemies have several projects to destroy our Islamic revolution, and have waged three wars against us to execute their plans against our Islamic Republic," Abnoush said. "The IRGC has defeated enemies in several fronts. The enemy surrendered and accepted to negotiate with us."
"And now all of our problems are being solved and our country is becoming stronger in all fronts. Some believe the holy defense ended," the military leader added. "They are wrong; the holy defense continues, and today, it is more complicated than before."
Congressional sources and experts involved in tracking Iran's increased aggression in the region and elsewhere told the Washington Free Beacon that these most recent comments are troubling given Iran's very public efforts to assassinate political enemies and others across the globe.
"If we look at Iran's previous terror attacks and assassination campaign around the world, such a statement is alarming," Saeed Ghasseminejad, an Iran expert at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told the Free Beacon. "The Islamic Republic has killed hundreds of Iranians and non-Iranians around the world in a coordinated campaign of terror. Iran may decide to restart the project now that many western companies are going to Iran and Iran feels its action in Europe may not be punished strongly."
Another source who advises congressional leaders on Iran sanctions issues told the Free Beacon that the Obama administration is blocking Congress from taking action to stop this type of infiltration by Iranian forces.
"Iran is ideologically, politically, and militarily committed to exporting the Islamic revolution through terrorism, which is why even the Obama administration says they're the world's foremost state sponsor of terrorism," the source said. "Congress wants to act, but Obama officials keep saying that new laws are unnecessary because the U.S. has enough tools to block Iranian terror expansion. Instead of using those tools, though, they're sending Iran billions of dollars in cash while Iran plants terror cells in Europe and here at home."
[DAWN] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... on Wednesday expressed satisfaction over the Supreme Court's order on the Panamagate probe a day earlier, and said those who pointed fingers at him would soon be embarrassed.
The apex court on Tuesday during a hearing of petitions moved by the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI), Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... , Awami Moslem League, and others, ordered the PML-N and PTI to submit Terms of Reference (ToRs) on the formation of a commission to probe revelations made in the Panama Papers.
The court's order came just a day before the PTI's planned Nov 2 'lockdown' of Islamabad, and was followed by PTI Chairman Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... announcing that the party's siege of the capital would be replaced instead by a 'thanksgiving' rally at Islamabad's parade ground.
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11/03/2016 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Thousands of Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... (PTI) supporters, led by Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five... and accompanied by other party leaders, gathered at Parade Ground in the federal capital to 'celebrate victory', following the Supreme Court hearing of Panamagate petitions.
The PTI chief thanked party politicians from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... for their bravery during the run-up to November 2 'lockdown', with Imran hailing Pervez Khattak as a hero of Pakistain.
Imran started his speech by saying that he waits for the day when "Nawaz Shairf and his brother are put behind bars".
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Sputnik
[AlManar] Leader of the so-called ‘Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’ (ISIL) terrorist group Abu Bakr Baghdadi is still hiding in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, Fuad Hussein, chief of staff to Iraqi Kurdistan’s President Masoud Barzani, said.
“Baghdadi is there and, if he is killed, it will mean the collapse of the whole [ISIL] system,” Hussein told the Independent media outlet on Tuesday citing Iraqi government sources.
He noted that after Baghdadi’s death ISIL terrorists would have to choose a new leader amid the ongoing battle for Mosul but any new leader would not have authority and prestige of Baghdadi.
Hussein also said that the presence of Baghdadi in Mosul would complicate the operation aimed at liberation of the city as ISIL terrorists would fight to death to defend their leader. “It is obvious that they will lose, but not how long this will take to happen,” he added.
The operation to retake Mosul from ISIL has been ongoing since October 17. More than 30,000 Iraqi and 4,000 Kurdish fighters are taking part in the offensive supported by US-led coalition airstrikes.
Posted by: badanov ||
11/03/2016 00:00 ||
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[AlArabiya] Russia on Wednesday told anti-government rebels holed up in Syria's Aleppo to leave by Friday evening, signaling it would extend a moratorium on air strikes against targets inside the city.
The Russian Defence Ministry, which is helping forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad try to retake full control of Aleppo, said rebels would be allowed to exit the city unharmed and with their weapons between 0900 and 1900 local time on Nov. 4 via two special corridors.
Civilians and the sick and wounded would be allowed to leave via six other corridors, it said.
President Vladimir Putin had ordered the pause in fighting "to avoid senseless victims," the Defence Ministry said, saying that Syrian authorities would ensure that Syrian troops pulled back from the two corridors designated for rebels.
Russia and its Syrian allies say they halted air attacks on Aleppo on Oct 18. Western governments had alleged that the strikes had been killing civilians in large numbers, an allegation Moscow denied.
Humanitarian pauses designed to allow both rebels and civilians to exit the city have been organised by Moscow and Damascus before, but have largely failed amid continued violence with both sides accusing the other of stopping people from leaving.
A Kremlin spokesman said on Tuesday that the moratorium on air strikes was still in force, but could not be extended if rebels in the city did not halt their attacks.
The Russian Defence Ministry said on Wednesday that rebels inside Aleppo had taken heavy losses during fighting and were effectively trapped.
"All attempts by the rebels to break through in Aleppo have failed," the ministry said. "The terrorists have suffered heavy losses in lives, weapons and equipment. They have no chance to break out of the city."
Damascus – The US-led coalition and local allies continued on Wednesday their preparations for a major military campaign against the Islamic State’s (ISIS) capital of Raqqa, in northeast Syria.
US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said the plan to isolate Raqqa “would take place soon” with the forces available, adding that talks continued with Turkey on the role it could play “further down the road.”
“We intend to go there soon with the force that is capable of doing that and enveloping the city of Raqqa … the final seizure of Raqqa, we continue to talk to Turkey about that and a possible role for Turkey in that further down the road,” Carter told a press conference on Wednesday.
Kurdish-Arab alliance of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is expected to lead the ground operations against ISIS in Raqqa with an air cover from the US-led coalition. A similar strategy has been used earlier by the SDF and the coalition, and led to the liberation of large areas in northern Syria from ISIS.
However, Turkey has stressed its opposition to any participation by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the looming battle for Raqqa.
After a meeting with NATO members in Brussels last Thursday, Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik told reporters that his country wouldn’t allow pro-Kurdish forces to join the Raqqa operation.
Syrian Kurdish authorities confirmed that they had been asked to participate in the operation and were ready to isolate the Islamic State’s (ISIS) capital.
Aldar Xelil, a board member of the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM), also confirmed that that the Kurdish YPG and allied SDF were prepared for the Raqqa operation.
However, the TEV-DEM politician said that there was a condition – Kurdish troops will only take part in the operation if Turkey is kept out of it. Xelil said: “If Turkey doesn’t join then we will participate. We are ready to save the people of Syria.”
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11/03/2016 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...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. ..
...Adviser to Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs, who believes in 
[Dhaka Tribune] The local leaders and activists of 
[FreeBeacon] The Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, the country's elite military force, is sending assets to infiltrate the United States and Europe at the direction of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, according to recent Farsi-language comments from an Iranian military leader.
[DAWN] Prime Minister 
