[Khaama (Afghanistan)] President Mohammad Ashraf visited Mazar-e-Sharif city, the scenic provincial capital of the northern Balkh province of Afghanistan after inaugurating the Asian International Railway, the Presidential Palace officials said.
Presidential front man, Haroon Chakhanuri, confirmed that President Ghani arrived in Mazar-e-Shari city this evening.
According to the officials, President Ghani has visited the province to review the performance of the local government.
The officials further added that President Ghani will meet with the local government officials and the civil society activists.
President Ghani inaugurated the Asian International Railway during a special ceremony organized in Turkmenabad area of Turkmenistan together with his Turkmen counterpart President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow.
The Presidential Palace, ARG, said the leaders of the two countries arrived to the Afghan side of the railway for the inauguration of the second phase of the project.
According to a statement by ARG Palace, the two leaders arrived in Aqina port using the same railway after its first phase was inaugurated in Turkmenistan side.
The Afghan officials are optimistic to find new routes to connect to Central Asia and other world markets with the inauguration and opening of new transit routes.
Speaking during the inauguration of the first phase of the railway in Turkmenistan, President Ghani inauguration of the railway connects Afghanistan with Turkmenistan as he hoped that the country will be connected via railway networks with Iran in the West and some other regional countries, including India.
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11/29/2016 00:00 ||
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The European Union’s naval mission will keep patrolling for pirates off the coast of Somalia for another two years, to guard against any resurgence of attacks, the bloc said on Monday. The number of raids and kidnappings has fallen – though maritime officials have warned that the risk is still, underlined by two attempted attacks last month.
NATO said last week it had ended its own mission off the Horn of Africa, as it shifts resources to deterring Russia in the Black Sea and people smugglers in the Mediterranean.
But the EU said it would extend the EUNAVFOR Somalia Operation Atalanta until the end of 2018, allowing it to keep guarding U.N. aid deliveries. The mission, which was due to shut down at the end of 2016, typically uses 1,200 personnel, four to six warships and two or three patrolling aircraft provided by EU member states.
More than 40 percent of the world’s seaborne oil supplies pass through the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, a major shipping lane also used to move exports and commodities such as food between Asia and Europe.
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11/29/2016 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] A Khoms businessman has offered a million dinars for the capture of the terrorist-style killers of a friend and his family in the town on Friday.
Ehmaida al-Emimem, his two sons and a daughter were murdered in their home in the Suq al-Khamis district. There are unconfirmed reports that the father was beheaded with IS terrorist-style savagery. The suggestion that this was indeed a terrorist crime is backed by the inscription "Head of 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.... " daubed on a wall in the property. A third son is said to have escaped the massacre and is being treated for shock.
The million dinar reward is being offered by Othman Suliman Ben Neran, a friend of the family. He used his social media page to invite informants to contact him securely and said that the money would be paid in cash in Libya or anywhere else in the world.
The Emimem murders have deeply shocked the town which is in three days of official mourning. Few details of the crime have been revealed. One report has it that there was an attempt to burn the bodies. It is also being said that some LD 100,000 in cash and jewellery was stolen.
Though it appears that Sherlocks suspect the IS terrorist slogan on an internal wall may have been a ruse by common criminals, outside commentators believe that this savage assault is the first clear manifestation of an IS presence in the town. Comparisons have been made with the early arrival of terror cells in Sirte and Sabratha.
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11/29/2016 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] Some 720 Libyan National Army (LNA) cadets finished their training today and graduated at a ceremony in al-Abyar training camp in the presence of Major General Abdel Razzak al-Nazhuri, the chief of staff.
The new soldiers had been trained not just as al-Abyar but also at the LNA camps at Marj and Soloug. It was the fourth such graduation of LNA soldiers recently and the ceremony included a parade, displays of martial arts and skydiving,
Also attending were air force head Major General Saqr Geroushi in his first official duty since returning to Libya following medical treatment in Jordan, LNA front man Colonel Ahmed Mismari, a number of other senior officers and local mayors.
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11/29/2016 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] The Libyan-Libyan Dialogue rival to the international community’s UNSMIL-brokered Libya Political Agreement took a step forward today when members of the House of Representatives agreed to set up a joint committee with the rump of the General National Congress.
A four-strong delegation from the Tobruk parliament had reportedly arrived with a mandate from HoR president Ageela Saleh to talk to their GNC predecessors. Among the stated aims is the creation of a functioning unity administration. This would embrace Abdullah Thinni’s Beida-based government and the erstwhile National Salvation Government led by Khalifa Ghwell which in October spluttered back to life when supportive bandidosmurderous Moslems grabbed the old GNC chamber at the Rixos in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... The HoR team today was headed by Abu Sleem member Saad al-Marimi and two colleagues from Zawia, Salim Ganidi and Abdulnabi Abdulmuali. The only politician from the east was Benghazi women’s list member Aisha al-Tablaghi.
This quartet is to be joined by four from the GNC on a committee charged with working out the technical and legal implication of a merged Thinni/Ghwell administration. It is unclear who will be the GNC members involved.
It is not known what part Thinni has played in the despatch of the HoR delegation. After the Rixos coup, Ghwell himself first proposed his NSG work with Thinni. The prime minister was not dismissive but did insist however that Ghwell recognise the HoR as the sole legitimate parliament.
The joint committee seems to have been set some unrealistic timings for what is likely to be a complex task. Marimi said after his meeting with the GNC that he and his colleagues planned to submit an initial report with a week.
He added: "We also have agreed that the Libyan-Libyan dialogue committee will meet within three days after receiving the report". It would then take a view and forward its thoughts to Ageela Saleh and the HoR.
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11/29/2016 00:00 ||
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[Libya Observer] The Prime Minister of the Salvation Government (SG) in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , Khalifa al-Ghweil, said his government’s stance on Khalifa Haftar ... served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all... has not changed, adding that they think he is a coup plotter who has for long committed crimes against the Libyan people and he must be tried for them at a Libyan court.
"We have told our fellow citizens in the east to rally around us if they wanted to form a real military institution that will be governed not with a single person and we told them that Libya is for all of us." al-Ghweil said.
In an interview with al-Jazeera Net website, al-Ghweil added that the SG meeting with eastern stakeholders resulted in an agreement on finding a mechanism to coordinate work among five service ministries in the SG and the eastern government in order to facilitate providing services for the Libyan citizens, who are the most damaged off the political fragmentation in the country.
He added that the SG is trying to solve the conflict that was caused by the failure of the Skhirat agreement, which has done zilch of the vows and promises it made, saying that the foreign intervention for the support of Haftar’s coup Dignity Operation is blindingly obvious for all, not to mention the public biased stance of al-Sirraj government in favor of one conflict side over the other.
"We have left the door open for the efforts aimed at unifying the country in order to maintain its illusory sovereignty." al-Ghweil remarked, describing the UN-proposed government as illegitimate and as an eliminatory party gasping for creating turmoil in the country.
The Prime Minster of the eastern government, Abdullah al-Thanni claimed on TV that he agreed with al-Ghweil on working together under the Tobruk ‐based House of Representatives and led by Khalifa Haftar against the UN-proposed government and Moslem Brüderbund.
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11/29/2016 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi has said the only Arab Spring uprising to succeed was the Tunisian revolution, speaking exclusively with Al Arabiya News channel.
In an interview with al-Arabiya’s General Manager Turki Aldakhil, Essebsi spoke of the country's domestic affairs and relations with foreign countries, as well as touching on his personal life describing his favorite poetry and music.
He said that although he did not participate in the revolution at the time as he "was home", he still "achieved results that no one else managed to achieve and prevented bloodshed".
"Proof of that is Tunisia is standing on its feet today," the president added.
Essebsi also commented on the use of the term "Arab Spring". He said: "The word ’Arab Spring’ is imported from the West. I said there is no Arab Spring but the beginning of a Tunisian spring. We in Tunisia are qualified to have an Arab Spring because we have a democratic system."
’We reject political Islam’
During the interview, the president discussed Tunisia’s domestic affairs, education, freedom of women - as they enjoy more freedom now - economy and development-related problems.
On terrorism in Tunisia, he said there were institutions that attracted young men who were unemployed, or suffering from poverty and end up being exploited by terrorist organizations.
"Sleeper cells are many but we address that seriously and the situation is much better now," Essebsi said.
Essebsi also spoke of his rejection of political Islam.
Helping Libya in revolution against Qadaffy
He also talked about his country's relations with Algeria and Libya.
Asked if there were tensions between Tunisia and Algeria, Essebsi said "relations between Tunisia and Algeria are an extension of struggle for independence, Algeria’s and Tunisia’s independence."
Regarding Libya, he said: "When it comes to the Libyans, they are different but their disputes won’t last."
Essebsi said the solution in Libya would come from the Libyan people themselves, and said he was optimistic the country would overcome its crisis, but said it needed time to do so.
He also revealed that Tunisia helped Libya in the revolution against Muammar Qadaffy ...who single-handedly turned a moderately prosperous kingdom into a dictator's fantasyland and was then murdered by his indignant subjects 42 years later... ’s regime.
Essebsi talked about the founder of modern Tunisia, Habib Bourguiba, and said he worked with him for 30 years.
On Donald Trump’s election
On the recent American elections, he said it’s a US internal affair. But he added that the US was not an ordinary country, but a superpower that’s concerned in foreign affairs.
On whether he is optimistic about Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... ’s term and whether his relations with the Arab world would be better than his predecessor, Barack Obama Republicans can come along for the ride, but they've got to sit in the back... , he said: "If we are to base this on the statements he made during his electoral campaign, there’s indeed pessimism. But his electoral campaign is one thing and his presidential term will be another."
"It’s in the hands of Arabs. If Arabs respect one another and unite, no one can defy them," Essebsi said.
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11/29/2016 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Latest Israeli to speak to London-based Elaph, Brig. Gen. Moti Almoz says Tehran hasn’t changed in light of Iran deal
Army spokesperson Moti Almoz confirmed on Monday that the army believes Sunday’s clash between IDF troops and members of an 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.... -affiliate in Syria was not part of a larger push by the Sunni terror group.
The remark came in an interview with the London-based Elaph newspaper, an outlet owned by a businessman in Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... , which has grown closer to Israel over mutual fears of Iranian hegemony in the region.
As The Times of Israel reported Sunday, the prevailing theory is that the clash, which resulted in Israeli killing four members of the Khalid ibn al-Walid Army, formerly known as the Yarmouk Brigade, most likely did not represent a change in IS policy, though it could have been an attempt to test the IDF or score a public relations win.
In response to the question whether he thought IS was planning a "new stage" in the Golan, Almoz answered: "I do not think so, and we do not see any change with IS or any other faction in Syria," he told the newspaper.
However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... he added, "The operation [was carried out] perhaps to examine our capabilities and our preparedness. It was no coincidence [it was carried out] Sunday morning, after the Sabbath, a weekly day of rest, in which we usually have a quiet day and a little routine military action."
Almoz also discussed the Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", terrorist group, encouraging it to recall the three Gazoo campaigns in recent years, waged by Israel in an effort to stem rocket fire and tunneling, which have devastated large swaths of the territory.
"During five years and three military operations, every hundred meters saw Israel’s military capability and what it might do next time. Is this what the other side wants?" Almoz told the Arabic language news outlet, apparently referring to the Hamas terrorist group.
Almoz added that Tehran has not become more moderate or tame following the signing of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the so-called Iran nuclear deal.
"Iran has not changed, not before the agreement on the nuclear program or after it. Its objective remains the same, which is to maintain a foothold in the region and keep the fire of terrorism burning," Almoz said.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] As soon as the news of Cuba’s former strongman Fidel Castro’s death was announced, Yemen’s ex-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... submitted a request from the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... Security Council to allow him to travel to Cuba "to pay respects".
The United Nations Security Council in 2014 imposed targeted sanctions on Saleh for threatening peace and obstructing Yemen’s political process that subject him to a global travel ban and asset freeze.
The request by Saleh, who was ousted by a popular uprising against his rule in 2011, would need to be accepted by the 15-member UN Security Council 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... sanctions committee which makes decisions by full consensus.
But Yemen observers are viewing his request as a last-ditch effort of escaping Yemen following massive losses of his forces and Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... militias after coalition forces supporting the legitimate president of Yemen Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi in several areas.
Saleh was quoted as saying that his forces "have destroyed everything that was good in Yemen" recently, leading some to suggest the former president is losing confidence.
Tensions have been escalating between Saleh and Houthi militia leadership in recent weeks, with the former leader at odds with the interim Supreme Revolutionary Committee established by the Houthis.
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Yemen’s former 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... , a key ally of the Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... militia, has sent a request to the United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... Security Council asking to travel to Cuba to attend the funeral of former president Fidel Castro, according to a statement by his party.
In 2014, the UN Security Council imposed targeted sanctions on Saleh for threatening peace and obstructing Yemen’s political process that subject him to banning him from global travel and freezing his assets.
"President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... has requested the United Nations Security Council to grant him permission to travel to the Republic of Cuba and to Fidel Castro’s family on the passing of the great revolutionary icon of Cuba, the last of the twentieth century’s heroes and the pioneer of the liberation movements who fought against imperialism and retrograde feudalism," said a statement on the Facebook page of Saleh’s General People’s Congress party.
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Yemeni President Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi said the crisis of liquid cash which his government is suffering from will end soon.
The country’s Central Bank has reached bankruptcy after the rebels drained its resources.
During a meeting for the Central Bank’s board of directors in Aden, Hadi voiced the importance of transferring the bank to Aden after the rebels used all its resources for their war until it became bankrupt and it was no longer possible to pay state employees their wages even in areas they control.
According to the official Yemeni news agency, Hadi said the repercussions of lack of resources will end soon, adding that his government is currently working to gather resources to pay citizens’ dues.
"Based on our national and humanitarian responsibilities towards our people, we bear the burden of the rebels’ practices and we are working on gathering resources and maintaining them to pay the citizens’ and state employees’ dues," he said.
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11/29/2016 00:00 ||
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#2
The names of every individual involved in these decisions should be published. And I mean *every* decision. "Sunshine is a great disinfectant" isn't just for town councils when it comes to middling zoning decisions.
[Daily Mail, Where America Gets Its News] An ISIS courier known as the 'Man in the Hat' claimed he was satisfying his gambling addiction during a trip to the UK, not scouting for terror targets, a court heard.
Mohammed Abrini, who has been linked to terror attacks in both Gay Paree and Brussels, was given £3,000 from overpaid UK housing benefit during a trip to Birmingham in July 2015.
Zakaria Boufassil is now on trial accused of giving Abrini the money to fund terror attacks.
Abrini confessed to the British fundraising trip after he was placed in durance vile Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! in April following his appearance wearing a hat and pushing a luggage trolley during the attack on Brussels Airport.
But, in an interview with Belgian police, Abrini claimed the man he had given the money to 'blew it all on going out, cars and clothes.'
Despite having taken a tour of Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium and going to Birmingham's Bullring shopping centre during his visit, he said there was 'no plan to target England.'
Abrini's interview with Belgian police was read to the jury, in which he was asked: 'Who did you hang around with during your visit to Birmingham?'
'Apart from the people who gave me money I had contact with an Algerian who worked in a shopping centre,' he said. 'I think at the top in a large pizza place. The girl worked in that restaurant.
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11/29/2016 00:00 ||
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[Free Beacon] The international community is increasingly concerned that the Islamic State and other terror groups may be exploiting weakness in Latin America to fund their terrorist activities.
American officials and international experts met with representatives of 10 nations in Argentina last week to discuss joint efforts to prevent terrorist financing in Latin America, amid growing concern that Islamic extremist groups are operating in the region.
The Regional Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Forum was organized by U.S. Rep. Robert Pittenger (R., N.C.), chairman of the congressional taskforce on terrorism and unconventional warfare, and Mariano Federici, president of Argentina’s Financial Intelligence Unit.
Pittenger told the Washington Free Beacon that he has become worried about the "growing nexus" between terrorists and criminal drug lords in Latin America. Hezbollah militants have been linked to the drug trade in Latin America, and Pittenger and others worry about the possibility of ISIS and similar groups establishing funding channels in the region.
"There is a consensus, clearly, among our friends in South America that their countries could be the subject of the transfer of moneys and the origination of funding from ISIS and other terrorist groups," Pittenger said Monday. "Interest is growing. Like any terror group, terrorists will go to any means to find the funds that they need to achieve their objective." I must ask you Congressman Pittenger, if you were a fok'n terr, what might you do ?
"All of our countries in the region are on the watch for possible threats related with ISIS and particularly with the recruitment of foreign terrorist fighters," Federici told the Free Beacon in a separate conversation. "There have been some countries, particularly in the Caribbean region, where there have been fighters recruited to join the lists of ISIS."
#1
"There is a consensus, clearly, among our friends in South America that their countries could be the subject of the transfer of moneys and the origination of funding from ISIS and other terrorist groups,"
Any 'consensus' on the recent shipment of 463L cargo pallets of billions in Swiss francs and USD to Iran ?
#2
Possible threats? Hah! The Hizbollah has been active in the Tri-Border region (Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay) since 1988. Thanks to a criminal Paraguay operation, directed from London and involving consulates in the Middle East, thousands of Shiites from Lebanon and Syria were granted Paraguay passports and travel documents (for a price). They settled in Foz de Iguacu, Brazil and Ciudad Stroessner, Paraguay, and there created the first Latin Hizbollah cells. By 1989 Washington was notified that their presence created a significant danger to the region.
[AnNahar] Belgium's second trial of top jihadist recruiter Khalid Zerkani risked being scrapped as his lawyer and the prosecutor argued Monday it amounts to double jeopardy.
A Belgian appeals court in April sentenced Zerkani to 15 years in prison for recruiting dozens of people, including several who became key suspects in the Brussels and Gay Paree attacks, to wage jihad in Syria.
A Brussels criminal court will rule December 15 whether to continue the new trial that opened Monday with the 43-year-old Moroccan-born Zerkani appearing briefly before the judges with his head shaved and a wearing beard.
His new lawyer Nabil Khoulalene said the charges against his client "are described in the same way" as the old ones and cover "a similar period," and simply concern "other people" who were recruited.
Khoulalene urged the court to declare the "inadmissibility of the proceedings" based on the principle of double jeopardy where a defendant cannot be tried twice for the same crimes.
Federal prosecutor Bernard Michel also urged the court to drop the case, adding there can be "no extra punishment" for Zerkani who had already received the maximum sentence in the first case.
Despite having denied all charges, Zerkani was originally sentenced in July 2015 to 12 years behind bars, but appealed. The higher court however chose to increase his sentence to the maximum 15-year term.
Emerging as a central figure in the jihadist super-cell behind the attacks in both Brussels and Gay Paree, the jihad recruiter's influence was crucial to a vast terror network.
Zerkani's original conviction happened before 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.... bombings in March at Brussels airport and a metro station in the city, in which 32 people were killed, and the attacks in Gay Paree in November 2015 when 130 died.
He was enjugged Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! by police in 2014 after he defied authorities for years with his off-the-radar recruitment of jihadists for Syria in the gritty Molenbeek district of Brussels.
His recruits included Najim Laachraoui, who went kaboom! at Brussels airport and who had also prepared the explosives for the attacks in both Brussels and Gay Paree.
Belgium is the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... 's biggest source of foreign jihadists per capita, with some 465 leaving for Syria and Iraq from a population of 11 million.
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11/29/2016 02:00 ||
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[AnNahar] A suspect in the Brussels and Gay Paree terror attacks told Sherlocks that he was not scouting for targets during a visit to Britannia last year and the money he collected was for his gambling addiction, a British court heard Monday.
Mohammed Abrini, who is currently in jug in Belgium, also said that England was "difficult" to attack due to tighter security measures, and said there was "no plan" to target the country.
His comments were extracts from his interrogation heard at the trial of Zakaria Boufassil, a Belgian citizen living in Birmingham and accused of giving Abrini £3,000 ($3,720, 3,520 euros) in cash in the central English city on July 11, 2015.
Boufassil has denied the charge.
Abrini, dubbed the "man in the hat" for his image caught on security cameras before the Brussels airport bombing, was questioned by Belgian Sherlocks in April over his suspected involvement in the Brussels attacks in March and the Gay Paree attacks last November.
"There's no plan to target England as a potential site for a terrorist act. From what I know, it's La Belle France who is declared the enemy of 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.... ," he was quoted as saying during the questioning.
"I think England has a more developed secret service, better observation techniques etc... and it's therefore more difficult to attack," he said.
During his visit to Britannia, traveling from Syria via The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... , Abrini said he collected the money and visited casinos in Birmingham and in Manchester, northwest England.
"I am a player, a fan of casinos... It's my addiction, I play roulette, poker and the slot machines," he said.
Abrini said the money was "not for a terrorist network" because it was "too small a sum," adding: "To carry out attacks you need lots of money."
At the start of the trial, prosecutor Max Hill told jurors: "There is no doubt that the money was handed over with the intention of assisting acts of terrorism."
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11/29/2016 02:00 ||
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The latest as of midnight. Being as it's the Daily Mail, no doubt there will be updates as more information comes in.
[DailyMail]
Abdul Razak Ali Artan has been identified as the assailant behind a stabbing attack at OSU's Columbus campus Monday morning
He has been described as a Somali refugee and a logistics management student at the school
Fire alarm was pulled at Watts Hall just before 10am and Artan reportedly mowed down evacuating students and staff with his car
He then got out of the vehicle and started slashing victims with a knife injuring 11 - including one critically
Responding OSU police officer Alan Harujko, 28, shot Artan dead after he failed to respond to commands
Two other men were taken from the scene in handcuffs, but police now believe there was only one attacker
Attack comes after ISIS' call for jihadists to use knife attacks as they're the most widely available weapons
Authorities are instigating Facebook post, allegedly made by Artan, which warned America to 'stop interfering with other countries if you want us Muslims to stop carrying lone wolf attacks'
The posts also mention radical cleric Anwar Awlaki and states that Artan is 'sick and tired of seeing my fellow Muslim brothers and sisters being killed and tortured EVERYWHERE. I can't take it anymore'
#1
He was worried about making people uncomfortable? He didn't check to see if there were prayer rooms? He was scared about the media portrayal of Muslims? He prayed in the corner and did just fine? He doesn't blame people?
Doesn't sound like he could handle logistics management to me. Too much logic and cause/effect were probably causing cognitive dissonance with his religion.
#5
Simply had to bring this one forward from yesterday late:
#26 A young man from a violent place, Abdul Razak Ali Artan was still learning to drive & use culinary tools. He will be missed.-Justin Trudeau
Posted by Bangkok Billy 2016-11-28 23:45|| 2016-11-28 23:45|| Front Page Top
The Ohio State University police officer who took down the alleged assailant in Monday’s attack on the Columbus campus is being praised by authorities for his quick actions.
Officer Alan Horujko, 28, has been identified as the cop who fatally shot suspect Abdul Razak Ali Artan after OSU student drove a silver Honda Civic into a group of pedestrians before getting out and cutting multiple victims with a butcher knife about 10 a.m.
Authorities said during a press conference Monday afternoon that Horujko shot and killed Artan less than one minute after the attack began.
“We owe a debt of gratitude to [Horujko],” OSU’s Director of Public Safety Monica Moll said. “He did a fabulous job today.”
Other officials praised Horujko as “outstanding,” and noted that many more than the nine injured could have been hurt if it weren’t for the officer’s fast response.
Horujko has been with the OSU police department since January 2015, Moll said.
#9
Gun free zone, natch - Ohio state law prohibits the carrying of concealed firearms on any premises owned or leased by any public or private college, university, or other institution of higher education, unless the handgun is in a locked motor vehicle or the licensee is in the immediate process of placing the handgun in a locked motor vehicle.
See Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 2923.126(B)(5)
Posted by: Bobby ||
11/29/2016 9:50 Comments ||
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#10
Baraq's legacy.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
11/29/2016 10:58 Comments ||
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#11
What updates?: He's Dead, Jim.
And. Not. Coming. Back.
#12
OSU professor reflects on yesterday's terrorist attack. Engineering professor Wm. Clark was hit by the terrorist's car & flipped into the air. He sustained minor injuries. Clark said he's reserving judgment about student Abdul Razak Ali Artan, who ISIS is now claiming was a terrorist acting on its behalf.
To his own students, he said: "as horrible as this is, this is an isolated incident ... we're still a great university, we still beat Michigan."
The last line may sound a bit odd to those of us who have never faced anything like what Clark faced yesterday. I think that is part of Clark's own healing process.
[DAWN] Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Tariq Fatemi said the United States is not willing to release the amount due from the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) which has already been spent by Pakistain and yet claims Pakistain has 'not done enough' in the ongoing war on terror.
"The US is not willing to release the funds from CSF which we have already spent on the war on terror, yet they (US officials) always complain about our lack of efforts," said Fatemi.
Fatemi was speaking with DawnNews anchor Amber Shamsi on Monday.
"Pakistain's role in the war on terror has been unprecedented, and the country has achieved immense success. The work done by Pakistain has not been done by any European country or the US," added the special assistant to the prime minister.
He said the credit for the success goes to the elected leadership and the stakeholders, the armed forces.
'Pakistain is not isolated'
Answering a question regarding India's attempt to isolate the country on the international front, Fatemi rubbished claims that Pakistain has suffered due to India's ongoing efforts.
"I do not agree that Pakistain has been isolated diplomatically."
He was of the opinion that India's refusal to attend the Saarc conference was more damaging to the region as a whole rather than Pakistain.
"India does not forgive any country. Nepal's Saarc summit was sabotaged by India. Maldives and Sri Lanka's Saarc summit was also sabotaged by India," added Fatemi.
He further added that India uses the Saarc summit as a means to pressurise other countries.
"All major international countries are of the opinion that the only way forward towards progress is through regional cooperation."
He said Saarc is the only organization in the region present for regional cooperation, and 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... was to present proposals for cooperation which would have benefited every country in the region.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/29/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
US asks __________ to do more yet fails to compensate
Do or WOULD a Moslem actually work for that money ?
Its your money. But giving a Moslem Money is not a good bet. He will just want more money and you will get his DEMANDS after that.
So by all means ,PAY and smile while you do that Jizya thing, Kuffir.
#3
Well then, the US requires compensation for all of the American servicemen killed via Pakstani ISI resources, training, and direction. As well as all US materiel stolen while in transit in Pakistan.
[DAWN] Pakistain High Commissioner Abdul Basit on Monday, in an interview with Indian TV channel Aaj Tak, said that Pakistain is ready for a dialogue with India on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar next week, India Today reported.
"The schedule of 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... is not cast in stone and if there was an offer for talks from the host nation, then it would be accepted by Pakistain," Abdul Basit was quoted as saying.
Urging for resumption of dialogue process between the two neighbouring countries, Basit said, "We can delay talks for months or even for years. But ultimately, a solution to the problems between India and Pakistain can only come through dialogue, and therefore, both nations must sit and discuss all the issues that confront them."
While commenting on tensions at India-Pakistain border, Basit said, "Escalation along the Line of Control is not in Pakistain's as well as India's interest."
The Pakistain army is heavily deployed along the country's western borders as part of the Operation Zarb-e-Azb ..the Pak offensive against Qaeda in Pakistain and the Pak Taliban in North Wazoo. The name refers to the sword of the Prophet (PTUI!)... and it is wrong to say that the escalation is being fuelled by Pakistain, he maintained.
"We would like that hostilities along the Line of Control (LoC) come to an end and that the 2003 ceasefire understanding is turned into a formal agreement between India and Pakistain," Basit asserted.
While commenting on the appointment of the new army chief and democratic system in Pakistain, Basit said, "Pakistain's democracy has matured in a way that the era of military coups is over. An equilibrium has been set. The voice of the people and democracy is becoming stronger. There's no question of a military coup in the future."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/29/2016 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] In step 24 hours after Iraqi Parliament passed a bill recognizing Popular Mobilization militias as a government entity, Moqtada al Sadr, head of al Sadrist movement, proposed reforms to regulate and organize the Shiite militia fighters.
A delegation from al Sadrist movement handed over the reform manuscript to Iraqi president, Fuad Masum and the Speaker of the Parliament, Salem al Jabouri, on Sunday.
According the Sadrist, the proposal, which was introduced by them as a reformist mechanism to instigate the law, aim to overcome all impediments that may hinder the objectives for which the militias units were formed.
On the other hand, Al Jabouri emphasized the magnitude of unification of all Iraqi parties in order to accomplish a comprehensive national reconciliation that will contribute to the stabilization of their country.
On Saturday, the Iraqi parliament has passed the bill recognizing the Popular Mobilization Forces as a government body operation alongside the military, amid the opposition of some Sunni politicians, who said the law would intensify the division and the rift within the Iraqi society particularly following the violations attributed to these militias in some areas of Iraq.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/29/2016 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Foreign planes and crews to leave Tuesday after ceremony, following historic rash of wildfires; north and coastal regions to remain on high alert; wetter weather expected.
That portion due to arson never became a proper intifada, yet another failure for those Palestinians who prefer the hard jihad of the sword, gun, and bomb.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Syrian information ministry said the news piece that Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Leveler of Latakia... was subjected to an liquidation attempt is completely false and was published after its website was hacked.
The ministry made this announcement via its Facebook page few hours after a news piece on its official website claimed that Assad was poisoned and was suffering from a severe health problem.
The website has since then stopped providing any of its services to readers.
The news piece detailed how Assad was poisoned and how he suffered from a dangerous contagious disease, adding that a group of doctors was treating him.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/29/2016 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.
The European Union’s naval mission will keep patrolling for pirates off the coast of Somalia for another two years, to guard against any resurgence of attacks, the bloc said on Monday. The number of raids and kidnappings has fallen – though maritime officials have warned that the risk is still, underlined by two attempted attacks last month.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi has said the only Arab Spring uprising to succeed was the Tunisian revolution, speaking exclusively with Al Arabiya News channel.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] As soon as the news of Cuba’s former strongman Fidel Castro’s death was announced, Yemen’s ex-president 
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Yemen’s former president 
[Free Beacon] The international community is increasingly concerned that the Islamic State and other terror groups may be exploiting weakness in Latin America to fund their terrorist activities.
...Adviser to Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs, who believes in 
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] In step 24 hours after Iraqi Parliament passed a bill recognizing Popular Mobilization militias as a government entity, Moqtada al Sadr, head of al Sadrist movement, proposed reforms to regulate and organize the Shiite militia fighters.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The Syrian information ministry said the news piece that Syrian 
