US NAVY SEALs are used to bullets and bombs, but a book by one of the commandos who killed Osama bin Laden has deployed the secretive unit into the even bigger electoral battle for the White House.
No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account Of The Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden is due to come out on the politically charged date of September 11, less than two months before President Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney face off at the polls.
Dutton, an imprint of Penguin, says the author was one of the SEALs who entered bin Laden's hideout in May 2011 "and was present at his death."
The writer is identified by the pseudonym Mark Owen and is said to have left the military after 13 consecutive combat deployments, culminating with Operation Neptune Spear in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The book is co-written with Kevin Maurer, a US journalist.
In the book, Owen says, he wants "to set the record straight about one of the most important missions in US military history. 'No Easy Day' is the story of 'the guys,' the human toll we pay, and the sacrifices we make to do this dirty job."
The cover of the book, already advertised on Amazon, shows the ghostly figure of a soldier holding a rifle, but gives little away about what's inside.
Speculation is rife over how the likely sensational story will play in a tight election where Mr Obama is touting the al-Qaeda founder's killing in Pakistan as one of his major achievements.
#1
The author could face prosecution if the book reveals information that compromises national security Obama's re-election bid, he added. "A decision has to be made as to the seriousness of the disclosure and the Department of Justice would be the department to follow up."
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
08/23/2012 16:37
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conflicted a bit here.
While how proud of our SEAL's I am, it'll be hard to hold the White House solely accountable for the leaks with this book coming out IMO.
I don't feel any secrets will come out as I'm sure he doesn't want to compromise anyone or anything, it just doesn't smell right. Even with the proceeds going to wounded warriors charities. I can't imagine other warriors are happy about this book being written about guys that want to remain covert. This is more splash.
I will certainly read it however.
Posted by: Jan ||
08/23/2012 18:25
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Apparently the government isn't happy that he left out the part with Obama scaling the wall with a knife in his mouth, rescuing the crew of the downed chopper, killing the guard dogs with his bare hands and them went up, found, and pointed out OBL to the guy with the rifle.
Haven't seen much about this here in the "Burg, so thought I would toss it in. Good background and what is going on
Despite the unceasing calls for my sage advice regarding the drumbeats of war between China and Japan over the Senkaku (Diaoyutai) Islands, I have refrained from weighing in. This undoubtedly regrettable vacuum has been filled, however, by dozens of Asia-watchers, running the gamut from those calling for sterner measures, to those dismissing it all (in the infamous words of General Taylor in Good Morning, Vietnam) as "a tempest in a teacup, much ado about nothing; for crying out loud, man, this isn't brain surgery."
Indeed, the Senkakus tiff isn't brain surgery, but neither is it Sunday tea with Auntie. It's old fashioned elbow-throwing on the basketball court. It's a bit of pushing and shoving to see if your man gives some room, or backs down. The islands, located just off the northeastern tip of Taiwan, are claimed by Tokyo, Peking, and Taipei. They have been administered, however, by Japan since 1972, as part of the reversion of Okinawa to Japanese control by the U.S. They are strategically significant as part of a chain of control for sealing off the East China Sea from the western Pacific Ocean, which Peking fears would keep it blocked from the global commons; they also sit on top of enormous undersea oil and gas deposits, which both Japan and China are actively trying to explore and develop.
The latest contretemps has followed older scripts: A group of Hong Kong, Chinese, and Macau activists sailed to the islands to mark the Japanese surrender in World War II, and were arrested by the Japanese Coast Guard (a fine force, by the way) on August 15. Peking demanded their release, and after a few days, Tokyo expelled them all. This was then followed by a group of Japanese activists who briefly landed there before themselves being kicked off by Japanese authorities. Protests broke out in both countries, demanding that their respective governments assert control over the tiny territory.
A good Artic as usual from NRO, but it denotes little or nothing that wasn't already known, realized, or considered times before.
Many Chinese Politicos, Pert Analysts or Academics, + ordinary Bloggers-Netters want China = Beijing to start acting like the
"inevitable", "post-US" Global Superpower it wants to be. These as well as many of their Asian regional counterparts believe that their Nations-States cannot expand their power + influence to newfound heights unless these historical disputes are settled once and for all.
In NE Asia, China desires unfettered or unchallenged access into WESTPAC vee Taiwan + Okinawa-PHIL Straits - it wants Okinawa per se and the Daoyus [Japan = Senkakus] to guard the strategic approaches to its future PLA Milbases on Taiwan. This is why China supporst both Okinawa separatism or local autonomy from Tokyo, in in alternate major Chinese-specific Base, Trade rights to a Japanese-controlled Okinawa. HOWEVER, AT THE MOMENT CHINA'S EFFORTS TO FORMALLY REUNIFY WID TAIWAN HAS STALLED, WHILE NE ASIA RIVAL JAPAN IS STEADFASTLY REFUSING TO GIVE UP ITS SOVEREIGNTY TO OKINAWA AND THE CHINESE-CLAIMED SENKAKUS. Not unlike many other ambitious Nations-States or Societies in the past - East or West, North or South - China wants its perceived "Manifest Destiny" ASAP AMAP ALAP, + is NOT willing to wait several or many decades or centuries to do so.
The above + the establishment of US-led Missle Shields throughout East Asia has induced ambitious China to move away from its historical "soft power/diplomacy" startegy to one that is PLA-led, + more aggressive iff not MilPOl belligerent.
-----------
* WORLD NEWS > SERIOUS ISLAND NEGOTIATIONS LONG OVERDUE.
[KELLY "THE HELL YOU SAY" BUNDY here].
* SAME > ISLAND DISPUTE SHOW JAPANESE WARY OF CHINESE TERRITORIAL AMBITIONS.
* SAME > JAPAN MUST BOOST JCG [Japan Coast Guard]POWER TO CONTROL SENKAKU ISLANDS, to includ JCG coordination wid Police.
* REAL CLEAR POLITICS > THE SINO-JAPANESE NAVAL WAR OF 2012. As per Mil Assets = capabilities in NON-NUCLEAR CONVENTIONAL WAR, JAPAN is more likely to prevail militarily although CHINA is expected to make it a hard fight.
* SAME > SOUTH KOREA REJECTS JAPAN PROPOSAL TO HAVE ICJ RESOLVE DISPUTE OVER [Dokdo]ISLANDS.
* SAME > THUCYDIDE'S TRAP HAS BEEN SPRUNG IN THE PACIFIC.
* CHINA POST > [Commentary] TO SETTLE A DISPUTE, ONE MUST FIRST ADMIT IT EXISTS.
Yuuuuppp - 'tis an Oldie, but definitely a Mustie.
Also from CHINA POST + JAPAN UNWAVERING IN FACE OF CHINESE PROTESTS.
* CHINA DAILY > RUSSIA, CHINA SAY WE ARE UNITED IN OUR VIEW OF WESTERN AGGRESSION. Deliberate or intentional bypassing [unilateral] of the UN role by the US-NATO/EU is "impermissable".
Syria is capable of destroying Israel's nuclear facilities with 20 missiles, Syria's ambassador to Jordan, Bahjat Suleiman, told a visiting delegation on Wednesday, pro-Assad news sources reported.
Suleiman, a toady loyalist of Syrian President Bashar Assad, also told a visiting delegation of Baath Party members and Arab nationalists that Riyad Hijab, the Syrian prime minister who defected to Jordan earlier this month, had received $20 million for his "betrayal."
He said that Syria was capable of destroying the Israeli installations "if attacked," despite the grave losses it would incur as a result.
Syria has acquired surface-to-surface missiles from Russia and North Korea which cover most of the territory of Israel. In September 2007, the Israeli Air Force reportedly destroyed a nuclear reactor Syria was developing with the assistance of North Korea, although Israel never officially claimed responsibility for the strike.
On Wednesday, Jordanian media criticized Suleiman for refusing to receive a letter of rebuke from the Jordanian government after a Jordanian girl was injured by Syrian shells near the Jordanian border village of Talat Qurba.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/23/2012 17:51
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And Israel can destroy Syria itself with 20 missiles and it really ought to.
If I was Evil Overlord, any country with protesters shouting Death To America or the stuff like all these ME countries say they will do to us, I'd remove them from the universe. If we're going to be a superpower, we should be one and people should fear us.
#4
And Israel can destroy Syria itself with 20 missiles and it really ought to.
If I was Evil Overlord, any country with protesters shouting Death To America or the stuff like all these ME countries say they will do to us, I'd remove them from the universe. If we're going to be a superpower, we should be one and people should fear us.
Israel would like to take out Iran's nuclear facilities a la Operation Opera but it can't because Iran has studied it carefully and built their facilities to guard against any such attack.
The US can but it won't.
The only Israeli hope, as I can see it, is to attack indirectly.
Fund their minorities, mainly Kurds also Sunni.
But the main attack should be against their oil. With sanctions in place, target the sanction busters, mainly India, Japan and China.Whenever a Iranian crude oil tanker leaves Iran it should be stalked by Israeli subs, who could arrange an unfortunate "accident" which would send the tanker to the bottom of the seas. It wouldn't require too many "accidents" to bring Iran to its knees. Israel should be quiet capable of handling any retaliation from Iran.
Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told the government Thursday to adopt an "economy of resistance" to confront crippling sanctions slapped by the West on Tehran over its nuclear drive.
"The arrogant powers are pulling their weight to force Iran to back down (on its stances) and the government should invalidate these illusions by using the nation's full potentials," Khamenei said.
He called for an "economy of resistance" to confront a slew of Western oil and financial sanctions, saying this "is the only way to pursue progress in the country."
"In this kind of economy the nation's progress is preserved and vulnerability of the economy against the enemies plots is decreased," Khamenei said during a meeting with cabinet members and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
During his speech Khamenei did not specifically mentioned sanctions nor Iran's controversial nuclear drive.
But his comments comes as several Iranian officials, who had long minimised the effect on the sanctions, acknowledged in recent weeks that the punitive measures have had a negative impact on the country's economy.
Severe banking sanctions imposed on Iran since 2010 have slowed industrial activity, reduced foreign investment, soared inflation to more than 20 percent and led to a shortage of foreign currency.
The situation has been aggravated in recent weeks with an oil embargo that so far has caused Iranian oil exports -- which provide the country with most of its foreign exchange resources -- to drop by around 50 percent.
The embargo also caused a sharp decline in Iranian oil production, which has fallen to its lowest level in the past 20 years.
#1
"He called for an "economy of resistance" to confront a slew of Western oil and financial sanctions, saying this "is the only way to pursue progress in the country ..."
If you ask me - he should be looking for a vacancy at any reasonable Bed and Breakfast located in a remote region of the world. Hopefully a long way from the ME. His future prospects in Iran are looking a little cloudy right now.
Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit! According to the Center for Responsive Politics (OpenSecrets), the New York-based realm of the major media industry has made quite a few more campaign contributions to Democrats and to President Obama than to their Republican challengers. Basing their numbers on both donations by a company's PAC and any donor who listed that company as their employer, the center reports that (via NYT):
News Corporation has donated $504,162 to individuals, Super PACs and candidates in 2012, according to the Center for Responsive Politics's OpenSecrets Web site. Eight of the 10 top recipients of that cash are Democrats. (Mr. Murdoch's personal contributions largely favor Republicans, though his wife, Wendi Murdoch, has donated to Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat from New York.) ...
Other media companies have contributed more significantly to Mr. Obama, including Time Warner, owner of CNN and the magazine publishing house Time Inc. The company, which is based in New York and also owns Warner Brothers and HBO, has contributed $191,834 to Mr. Obama in the 2012 election cycle, compared with $10,750 to Mr. Romney. The Walt Disney Company, owner of ABC and ESPN, donated $125,856 to Mr. Obama and $9,950 to Mr. Romney.
Philadelphia-based Comcast Corporation, owner of NBCUniversal and one of the biggest spenders in lobbying money in Washington, has given $206,056 to Mr. Obama and $20,500 to Mr. Romney.
No surprise that most people think the MSM is in the tank for teh 0ne, since they are. Go indie media!
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will lay out policies on Thursday aimed at achieving North American energy independence by 2020 by pursuing a sharp increase in production of oil and natural gas on federal lands and off the U.S. coast.
Romney is to unveil his plan at a truck and supply business in Hobbs, New Mexico, as he seeks to draw a sharp contrast between his energy policies and those of President Barack Obama and detail in part how he would rekindle job growth in the United States.
His emphasis on the economy amounts to an effort to return the campaign to the central issue Romney believes is most critical in the November 6 election and the key to a victory for him.
The economic debate has to a certain extent been sidelined in recent days by controversial remarks about rape by a Senate Republican candidate in Missouri, Todd Akin, who Romney has denounced.
Romney's energy policies are heavily tilted toward increased production of carbon-based resources, oil, gas and coal, that environmentalists blame for global warming. He is outlining the policy two days after going over some of the details with executives from the oil industry who contributed to his campaign at fund-raising events in Texas. They also need to point out that our C02 emissions are dropping rapidly without government intervention. His goal is doable and we can still cut the legs of the evironweinies out from under them.
France's Le Monde newspaper says it has seen confidential documents of the police investigation into Toulouse gunman Mohamed Merah that suggest he was not working alone.
The papers showed he had made more than 1,800 calls to over 180 contacts in 20 different countries, Le Monde said. Merah had also made several trips to the Middle East and Afghanistan.
Merah, 24, killed three soldiers and four Jewish people in March before being shot dead by police.
The activity of Islamic radicals in Tatarstan should be neither exaggerated nor ignored.
Text of report by Russian Gazeta.ru news website, often critical of the government,
Supposedly, the model's been accurate to within 20 or so electoral votes in every election since 1980. Dude?
Using a state-by-state analysis of unemployment and per-capita income, academics Kenneth Bickers and Michael Berry of the University of Colorado project that Romney will win 52.9% of the popular vote and 320 electoral votes. The political scientists discuss their findings here.
Their forecast suggests that President Obama will lose in almost all of the swing states, including North Carolina, Virginia, New Hampshire, Colorado, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Florida...
Bickers said much of the polling thus far means relatively little, with much of the electorate still not focused on the race. The academics said their model focuses on the preeminent issue of the economy. Applied retrospectively, the model predicts the correct winner in every presidential contest going back to 1980, they said.
I'm highly skeptical that Romney's going to come back to take Pennsylvania, even though O's lead there right now isn't prohibitive. But like the man says, the model's usually off by 20 or so EVs. Number of electoral votes Pennsylvania has this year: 20. Golden. I would love to see it. It would be a complete voter rejection of Obama and his communist policies. But, it is still early and don't get cocky.
#4
In a related news article: Household income is down sharply since the recession ended three years ago. Incomes have dropped more since the beginning of the recovery than they did during the recession itself.
#6
>Household income is down sharply since the recession ended three years ago. Incomes have dropped more since the beginning of the recovery than they did during the recession itself.
Implies that the measure they're using for "recovery" is total bunk....
Oh it's GDP, the measure of debt! So yes it is total bunk.
The Obama campaign and its allies have accused Gov. Mitt Romney of killing a man's wife, committing a felony, and abusing animals. But now things are getting dirty. President Obama is charging that Romney would cause more traffic. Well, certainly! there'll be more people working, and they'll be able to afford gas again!
In an Obama campaign radio ad running in Northern Virginia, two faux radio news announcers report that traffic is bad, and Mitt Romney would make it worse.
Female Announcer: Traffic in Northern Virginia is backed up again . . .
Male Announcer: Could things get any worse?
FA: Actually, traffic and our roads could get worse with the Ryan-Romney budget plan . . . Paul Ryan put forward a budget plan that slashes investments in road and infrastructure projects . . . and Ryan has even opposed bridge repair and safety bills.
MA: So what does that says about Mitt Romney, if he picked this guy as his running mate?
FA: Well, it says Mitt Romney doesn't really understand Northern Virginia
MA: Or what it's like wasting time in traffic. There's a link to the ad at the link.
I live in Northern Virginia, and I can tell you, short of saying that Romney is going to raise the heat in the summer, this is the worst accusation Obama could make. Traffic is terrible, and the endless road projects don't seem to help much.
In fact, half the traffic I'm in is caused by a lane being closed off for construction. But the mostly-privately-funded High-Occupancy or Toll lanes will open two new lanes in each direction for most of the northern Virginia beltway in a few months. Our Pub Gov is taking credit for that.
Note the snide little reference in the ad to Romney's wealth -- that he doesn't know what it's like wasting time in traffic. Just in case you think the author doesn't have an axe to grind....
Actually, the candidate who has travelled only by motorcade for the past four years is more likely the one who has forgotten what traffic is like. In fact, as everyone in the Washington area knows, presidential motorcades cause traffic, which is stopped in its tracks by police cruisers so the royal procession can pass. Ask us in Chicago about our traffic when Champ comes to town...
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/23/2012
06:43 ||
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#1
Actually, if you close the Dept of Education, slash the EPA, etc., not only the government contribution to traffic will reduce, so will the traffic of all the parasites that feed on them. Reduced traffic and a good fall in housing prices in the area would do the rest of the country a lot of good.
#2
372K new jobless claims filed (just released numbers). Last weeks revised upward - unexpectedly
"LOOK! Squirrel! Abortion! War on Wymyns!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/23/2012 8:26
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#3
Better commentary at RedState
Sez Pubs should go on offensive and let states spend the tax money without skimming by and interference from the Feds.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/23/2012 8:34
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#4
I recommend an eight lane Telegraph Road connecting to a "shovel ready" floating highway near Fort Belvoir with the first exit at Occoquan and ending somewhere near Duck Head.
#5
I recommend changing laws that force a five day work week upon us. i would suggest most Americans would prefer four 10 hour days, and a number (especially the young) would prefer three 12 hour days.
These are not options in many places because the unions fought for the five day work week (from the existing six) and for the 8 hour work day (from the existing whatever). But this is not giving up hard earn rights, this is flexibility.
People off the road means less traffic, less gas, less pollution. Its not rocket science and even the liberals aren't pushing for it because they are unserious about these issues and beholden to those inflexible unions.
#6
Oooo... not more traffic! I better vote for the guy that will keep everyone unemployed and in feudal debt so they don't go more than 30 miles away from their homes in a lifetime!
#7
Part of Champ's solution is to make everyone live in the city, not the suburbs, and have them give up their cars, ride mass transit and take high speed rail when they want (and are allowed) to travel elsewhere.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/23/2012 11:28
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#8
Cuz the proles are so much easier to control when you've forced them into compact urban ghettos, limited their access to independent travel modes, and can appoint block captains to watch for..... unapproved thoughts and activity
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/23/2012 12:14
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#9
I remember when Obama came to Minneapolis for a fundraiser. He arrived right at rush hour. He then commandeered the main highway to downtown, stopping traffic in both directions. Did I mention that the road was already under construction? That meant most of the exits had been closed off so you couldn't even get off and use surface streets.
His Highness halted rush hour traffic for 45 minutes so he could go to a FUNDRAISER! It's high handed stunts tike this that are turning Minnesota purple.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
08/23/2012 12:29
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#10
Yeah, driving to work is much worse than waiting for food credit rations to download, catching the bus, and laboring home the allottment of government cheese.
Former US Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk said that the United States "was convinced that Israel would attack" Iran's nuclear program during the spring months earlier this year, speaking in an interview with Army Radio on Thursday.
After no Israeli strike took place, Indyk said that the US officials felt as though they had been duped by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak's ruse.
The former ambassador added that there is a sense within the US government that Washington is once again being misled by Israeli declarations and leaks.
Indyk's comments come amid public discussions of the gaps between Washington and Jerusalem's perspective on the Iranian nuclear program.
Earlier this week, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey highlighted the differences between the two allies: "You can take two countries, give them the same intelligence and reach two different conclusions. I think that's whats happening here," he said on Sunday.
Explaining why the Israelis saw Iran as a more pressing issue Dempsey added, "at the same time, we admit that our clocks ticking at different paces. We have to understand the Israelis; they live with a constant suspicion with which we do not have to deal.
A week earlier, former Mossad chief Shabtai Shavit told Channel Two that he did not trust American assurances that Washington would stop Iran from going nuclear. Shavit said that Israel could only trust itself when it came to its own fate.
On the same day as the Shavit interview, the Yediot Aharonot daily carried a front-cover story saying that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak were seeking to launch a strike against Iran this coming fall. The report claimed that the prime minister and the defense minister were encountering stiff resistance to the idea of ordering the strike now from military and intelligence chiefs.
#1
more likely that was a test to see how much was leaked to the Iranians by Obama's and Hildabeat's staff. See what defenses got wound up...
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/23/2012 8:16
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"that the United States "was convinced that Israel would attack" Iran's nuclear program during the spring months earlier this year ..."
I was convinced that Israel would hit them in the second-to-last year of the Bush presidency. AND THEY SHOULD HAVE. This constant dilly-dallying is a disaster. Does anyone think that the Israeli leadership that once existed under Moshe Dayan - would have waited this long to strike??? The man is surely turning over in his grave.
#4
All of this rhetoric about Iranian + North Korean Nucprogs is per INDIGENOUS DEV + PRODUCTION, and all but ignores international transfers, overt or covert.
Reminds of the "NO WMDS IN IRAQ" rant back in the day, when what the Lefties really meant was "NO NUKES IN IRAQ". They were wrong on all counts.
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/23/2012 8:19
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#3
I like the new approach of obscuring Zero by his alter ego. Has the deification of the One slowed over the last 4 years? If so, maybe their is Hope and Change.
Egyptian police have identified 120 individuals in North Sinai who are allegedly wanted for attacking police stations and killing policemen, a security source in the area said on Wednesday.
The source told the state-owned MENA news agency that most of the wanted individuals follow "takfiri" ideology, a term for extremists who excommunicate other Muslims who do not share their beliefs.
Their numbers are close to 1,600 people, from different provinces and some from other countries, the source was quoted as having said.
Preliminary investigations suggest that these groups have received large funds, judging from the expensive four-wheel-drive vehicles they use, the source claimed, adding that the funder behind these groups would be exposed soon.
Most of the activists, he said, are from the lower layers of society, are single and do not have much income, facts which make them easy recruits for extremist organizations.
Egypt launched a crackdown on Sinai terrorism in response to a terror attack near the border with Israel earlier this month, in which 16 Egyptian officers were killed.
Reports in Israeli media this week said that Egypt had moved anti-aircraft missiles into the Sinai Peninsula without Israels permission. Such equipment is prohibited in Sinai by the Egypt-Israel peace treaty.
An Egyptian military source, however, denied on Tuesday that his country was deploying troops in Sinai beyond the limitations stipulated in the 1979 Camp David Accords.
The source told the Al-Ahram newspaper that the operation is well coordinated with both the Americans and Israelis.
The fact that contact between both sides has not been made known to the press does not mean it is not happening actually it goes beyond mere information sharing and includes efforts to coordinate, the source said.
Presidential spokesman Yasser Ali told Al-Ahram that the operation falls within the scope of Egyptian "sovereignty over Sinai, all of Sinai."
On Tuesday, the Maariv Hebrew-language website reported that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has demanded that Egypt cease sending tanks into the Sinai without Israel's approval.
An Israeli government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, later confirmed to The New York Times that Israel is troubled by the entry of Egyptian tanks into the northern Sinai Peninsula without coordination with Israel and has asked Egypt to withdraw them.
The Israeli request was conveyed within the last few days, the official said, adding that it was likely that the Obama administration had made a similar approach to Cairo.
#1
Preliminary investigations suggest that these groups have received large funds, judging from the expensive four-wheel-drive vehicles they use, the source claimed, adding that the funder behind these groups would be exposed soon
*cough* Saudi *cough*
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/23/2012 8:11
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[An Nahar] At least 48 Kenyans were hacked or burnt to death in ethnic festivities between two rival groups, the worst single attack since deadly post-election violence four years ago, police said Wednesday.
"It is a very bad incident.... They include 31 women, 11 children and six men," regional deputy police chief Joseph Kitur said of the attack, which took place late Tuesday between the Pokomo and Orma peoples in the rural Tana River district.
Kitur said "34 were hacked to death and 14 others were burnt to death," while several huts were torched after a gang of men launched the attack, the latest in a long history of bitter festivities between the rival groups in the remote area of Kenya.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/23/2012
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Guess the lines will be smaller and the wind farm amusement theme park you know the one the chinks are building!
Posted by: Bob Thud8197 ||
08/23/2012 7:12
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Oh my, the Pokomo and Orma at it again? The Brits faced a great challenge with keeping the peace in the more remote areas during the 1950's. I reckon we can't blame the Brits this time.
[Bangla Daily Star] Accusing the previous BNP-Jamaat coalition government of being behind the 2004 grenade attack on an Awami League rally, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide... has reiterated that those who conspired, criminal masterminded and executed the attack would be brought to book.
No one can escape punishment the way the killers of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members did in 1975, she said on Tuesday at a programme at Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka to mark the eighth anniversary of the gruesome grenade attack on August 21, 2004.
Twenty four people were killed, including Ivy Rahman, wife of President Zillur Rahman, and hundreds of party activists and leaders were maimed in at least 13 grenade blasts at Bangabandhu Avenue on the day. The Awami League, then in opposition, had organised a rally there. Hasina narrowly escaped the attack but suffered damage in her right ear.
"When I was coming down the stage after delivering my speech, one photojournalist requested me to wait for a moment for a snap, which, I think, saved my life," Hasina said.
The attack had been intended to undermine independence, democracy, peace and development and to wipe out the politicianship of Bangladesh, the PM said. She added that the criminals had wanted to put in place a culture of killing, conspiracy, extremism and corruption in the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/23/2012
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Justice Department officials joined a whistle blower lawsuit and alleged that The Gallup Organization, a major polling firm, intentionally overestimated the amount of time it would take to complete a job for the government and was paid accordingly.
"Contractors who do business with the federal government must honor their obligations to provide honest services and products," said U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. in a statement on the lawsuit. "Working with regulators and federal investigators, we will do all that we can to act against those who illegitimately bill the American taxpayers."
Gallup, known as one of the premier polling firms with respect to presidential politics, had contracts to conduct surveys for the U.S. Mint and the State Department in addition to other government agencies.
"According to the whistle-blower's complaint, Gallup violated the False Claims Act by giving the government inflated estimates of the number of hours that it would take to perform its services, even though it had separate and lower internal estimates of the number of hours that would be required," the Justice Department explained. "The complaint further alleges that the government paid Gallup based on the inflated estimates, rather than Gallup's lower internal estimates."
The latest Gallup daily tracking figures show Mitt Romney leading President Obama 47-45.
#3
It's quite common, in my experience, for contractors to puff up their estimates with the expectation the govt will have to cut 20-30% so the contractor doesn't make "too much profit". Besides, it's too much work to really look into and understand the contractor's estimate...
Sounds like some governemnt drone was too lazy to even wack the 'customary 25%', so now the contractor will be punished!
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/23/2012 6:01
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#4
Pole changed to Poll.
Relators changed to regulators.
#6
"According to the whistle-blower's complaint, Gallup violated the False Claims Act by giving the government inflated estimates of the number of hours that it would take to perform its services, even though it had separate and lower internal estimates of the number of hours that would be required," the Justice Department explained. "The complaint further alleges that the government paid Gallup based on the inflated estimates, rather than Gallup's lower internal estimates."
"Not to exceed" contracts are commonplace. No fool except the Fed fool, I guess, pays the estimate without backup, unless it was an agreed "lump sum price". In which case there's no crime here. It is intimidation
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/23/2012 8:23
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#7
I recommend gummit oversight funded by.... Poll Taxes.
#9
Some of us work 10+ hour work days 7 days a week. But we didn't build it ourselves. Uncle Sugar was there helping me at the keyboard every step of the way, and he left me with a good minority of the business earnings! So generous.
#11
Chicago is after all the home of Al Capone. Rahm Emanuel reportedly threatened to send a dead fish some one who ticked him off. Another time it has been said he plunged a knife in a tabletop for er, punctuation. Gangster Government (2011) by David Freddoso documents some of the more egregious shenanigans in Chicago while Obama was earning his bones. Of course much has happened since 2011. Maybe there will be a sequel documenting the other stuff since then.
#12
Telecommuting is the way to go. With jobs like mine I don't need to be here 90% of the time. I can do it all online from any place that has an Internet connection. I ask them about it but they won't let me. They'd rather I waste a couple of hours every day commuting the old fashioned way. Not to mention all the money spent on petroleum products and the pollution. Nuts.
But with Obama and Holder, the DOJ is nothing more than a political weapon.
ADEN: Suspected Al-Qaeda militants early yesterday blew up a pipeline pumping liquefied gas to Yemens southern Balhaf export terminal, causing a complete halt in operations, security officials said.
The gunmen blew up the gas pipeline at Station 5, in the village of Zahira, in the Shabwa province, said provincial security chief brigadier-general Ahmed Omeir. He said the attack took place around 1:00 a.m. Tuesday (2200 GMT Monday).
Another security official accused Al-Qaeda militants, who remain active in the region, of being behind the attack.
Witnesses said that dozens of villagers fled their houses due to a raging fire caused by the explosion. The fire was put out later in the day after disconnecting the attacked station, other witnesses said, adding that army troops have been deployed as engineers began to assess the damage.
Yemen began exporting liquefied natural gas from Balhaf in 2009.Frances Total has an almost 40 percent interest in the Balhaf plant.
The 320-kilometer (200-mile) pipeline linking Marib province to Balhaf, in Yemens mostly lawless south, has been repeatedly sabotaged by Al-Qaeda militants. On May 13, the pipeline was blown up near Mayfaa, also in Shabwa, nearly three weeks after it was sabotaged on April 26, shortly after it was repaired following a similar March attack.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/23/2012
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#1
Yeah, real smart. Once al Qaeda takes over Yemen after destroying the oil & natural gas infrastructure, what are they going to base their economy on? Pearl diving?
Posted by: American Delight ||
08/23/2012 12:23
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[Bangla Daily Star] Police yesterday tossed in the slammer Drop the heater, Slats, or you're a dead 'un! 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... acting secretary general ATM Azharul Islam in connection with crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War.
The arrest was made just over two hours after International Crimes Tribunal-1 issued the arrest warrant.
Among other allegations, the Jamaat leader reportedly had direct involvement in the killing of 1,200 unarmed Bangalees in Badarganj of Rangpur on a single day during the Liberation War.
Ramna police in association with Detective Branch of Police and Rapid Action Battalion personnel tossed in the slammer Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're a dead 'un! Azhar at his Moghbazar home around 2:00pm, Syed Nurul Islam, deputy commissioner of Ramna Division, told The Daily Star.
Azhar, who hails from Badarganj of Rangpur, was taken to the DB office on Mintoo Road on security grounds, Nurul Islam claimed.
Azhar had been in jail in connection with other cases since September last year but he got out on bail last Thursday, the day before the Eid holidays began.
Mashiur Rahman, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Ramna Police Station, said Azhar would be produced before Tribunal-1 today (Thursday).
Earlier yesterday, Prosecutor Nurjahan Begum Mukta appealed to Tribunal-1 for an arrest warrant against the Jamaat leader for "effective and proper investigation" into his alleged crimes during the war.
The prosecutor said Azhar was the chief of the Al-Badr force in Rangpur and had committed murder, genocide, rape, looting and other crimes against humanity during the war.
The Al-Badr was a force that collaborated with the Pakistain occupation army. It was formed mostly with members of the Islami Chhatra Sangha, the then student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami.
Nurjahan said, "Investigation has properly revealed evidence of his [Azhar's] involvement in crimes against humanity...
"As the acting secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami, the accused is a very influential person," said the prosecutor, adding, "There is proof that the accused has been trying to destroy evidence at home and abroad to hinder the proper investigation process."
Claiming that the accused might go on the run any time, the prosecutor said he should be tossed in the slammer Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! for the sake of effective and proper investigation.
In response to the prosecution petition and arguments, the three-member tribunal, headed by Justice Md Nizamul Huq, issued the arrest warrant and directed police to produce the Jamaat leader before the tribunal within 24 hours of his arrest.
It also directed the authorities concerned to look after the health of the accused.
Shishir Manir, a member of the defence team of locked away Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! Jamaat leaders accused of war crimes at the tribunals, told The Daily Star that the defence would seek bail for Azhar today.
Abdul Hannan Khan, the coordinator of the investigation agency of the tribunals, told The Daily Star that investigations into the allegations against the Jamaat leader had already been half done.
He said the Sherlocks hoped to complete the probe within the next three months.
Investigations against Azhar began on April 15 this year.
THE ALLEGATIONS
Prosecutor Nurjahan claimed that Azhar was a student of Rangpur Carmichael College and president of Islami Chhatra Sangha of Rangpur. She said he led the formation of the Al-Badr force in the district during the war.
She claimed that on a single day in mid-April 1971, around 1,200 freedom-loving Bangalees of Jharuar Beel and Padmapukur areas of Badarganj were killed and Azhar was directly involved in the mass killing.
Nurjahan said Azhar was also involved in arson and looting of numerous houses in Badarganj area in cooperation with the Mighty Pak Army.
In April 1971, Azhar along with the Mighty Pak Army, kidnapped a professor of Rangpur Carmichael College along with his wife and some other professors of the college. They were rubbed out near Damdama Bridge in the district, said the prosecutor.
Nurjahan did not mention the names of the victims or witnesses for the sake of their privacy, secrecy and the ongoing investigation. She used alphabets instead of names before the tribunal.
The prosecutor said the Jamaat leader was directly involved in the killing of at least 11 people, including a prominent pro-liberation lawyer of Rangpur.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/23/2012
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DAMASCUS: Government forces stepped up blistering attacks in Damascus and Aleppo on Wednesday after the regime said it was ready to discuss President Bashar Assad's exit in any talks on ending Syria's brutal conflict.
At least 12 people were killed in a raid on a district of the capital, while fighter jets and artillery pummelled the northern city of Aleppo and rebels claimed seizing parts of a town on the Iraqi border, a watchdog said.
On Wednesday, the violence on the ground showed no let-up after a bloody day that saw at least 198 people killed nationwide, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Fighter jets hit a rebel-held neighbourhood of the northern city of Aleppo and shelled several other areas of the city that has become the key battleground since fighting erupted there a month ago, it said.
AFP reporters also said they heard explosions caused by what residents said were air strikes around the towns of Marea and Tal Rifaat, north of Aleppo.
Twelve people were also killed by troops in a raid on a Damascus district, the Observatory said, a day after it reported dozens killed when regime forces stormed another suburb of the capital and allegedly attacked a funeral procession.
It also said rebel fighters had seized control of an intelligence office and checkpoints in the eastern town of Bu Kamal on the Iraqi border.
Syrian forces appear to be increasingly resorting to attacks from the air, particularly in the Aleppo area as the rebels continue to put up stiff resistance on the ground despite the regime's far superior military might.
A top commander of the rebel Free Syrian Army, Colonel Abdel Jabbar al-Okaidi, said the rebels now controlled 60 percent of Aleppo, but a security source in Damascus dismissed the claims.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/23/2012
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Azerbaijan, Baku -- The Turkish armed forces on Tuesday have bombed two major Kurdistan Worker Party camps, which are in northern Iraq, the Sabah newspaper reported on Wednesday.
F-16 fighters are reported to have launched an operation to destroy the largest bases militants yesterday and the operation continued until night. PKK leaders Murat Karayilan, Cemil Bayik and Duran Kalkan are supposed to have been in the PKK camps.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/23/2012
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[Bangla Daily Star] The Anti-Corruption Commission will conduct an inquiry into the allegation that 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... leader Mir Quashem Ali invested $25 million in appointing lobbyists in the USA to campaign against war crimes trial against him.
The commission had received a document from the law ministry regarding appointment of lobbyists by Mir Quashem and decided to probe the allegation, ACC Chairman Ghulam Rahman told The Daily Star yesterday. The ACC would take necessary steps on the basis of the findings in the inquiry, he added.
Meanwhile, ...back at the sandwich shop, Caroline was experimenting with ingredients of increasing volatility... Law Minister Shafique Ahmed said his office had received the document from Zead Al Malum, a member of prosecution team dealing with crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.
The commission could file a case against Mir Quashem on charges of money laundering if probe findings substantiated the allegation, he said.
Mir Quashem, placed in long-term storage Drop the rosco and step away witcher hands up! in connection with crimes against humanity, might have appointed lobbyists so that they could place his profiles before the US government and US senate to stop trial proceedings against him, the law minister said, adding the prosecutors might draw attention of the International Crimes Tribunal to take action against the Jamaat leader.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/23/2012
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JERUSALEM: Israel objected Tuesday to a move by Egypts new leaders to deploy tanks in a volatile border area, calling the action a violation of the landmark 1979 peace accord between the two nations.
The spat is the biggest test yet of the peace agreement a cornerstone of regional stability since Egypts Islamist president took power in June, and plays into Israeli fears that the treaty could be threatened down the road.
Egypt has been building up its military presence in the lawless Sinai desert since Islamic militants there attacked an army post on Aug. 5 and killed 16 soldiers. Israel, itself a frequent target of Islamic extremists based in Sinai, has welcomed the crackdown. But officials say significant military moves by Egypt must be coordinated, giving Israel a veto of sorts over Egyptian security strategy.
Under the peace accord, Egypt is allowed to have only lightly armed policemen in the zone along the border with Israel. Limited numbers of tanks are permitted only in a zone on the far western side of the peninsula, within 30 miles (50 kilometers) of the Suez Canal.
Israel agreed last year to exceptions to the treaty, allowing Egypts military to deploy troops with heavier weaponry into the most sensitive zone of eastern Sinai close to the Israeli border. Israel made similar exceptions during its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005.
Egyptian troops moved into the eastern Sinai after the Aug. 5 attack, backed by armored personnel carriers and attack helicopters, in coordination with the Israelis.
But Israeli officials said Tuesday that Egypts deployment in recent days of heavier US-made M60 tanks went further than agreed and violated the accord.
While the tanks are not aimed at Israel and it does not consider them to be a strategic threat, Israeli officials said they were concerned about the precedent and that the move should have been coordinated. The officials said they have relayed their objections to the Egyptians directly and through American mediators. The Maariv daily reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has demanded the tanks be withdrawn, though officials could not confirm the report. Netanyahus office declined comment.
US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland backed Egypts counterterrorism efforts in the Sinai, but said any deployments of military assets should respect treaty obligations and be coordinated with Israel.
As the Egyptians work hard now to defeat terror and turn back other security threats in the Sinai, weve been supportive of those efforts, she told reporters in Washington. We have encouraged them in those efforts, not only to enhance security in Egypt, but also to enhance security for neighbors, security in the region.
But as has been long-standing practice, there needs to be transparency, Nuland added, urging that lines of communication stay open between Egypt and Israel.
An Egyptian border official confirmed that his Israeli counterparts had voiced concerns in recent days. We sat together. They said, We are worried about the military presence in Sinai, the official said.
An Egyptian security official confirmed that some M60 tanks are now located in the Sinai near the port of El-Arish. He said the vehicles are there solely to protect the city, which is roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the Israeli border. The exact number of tanks was not immediately known.
The peace accord permitted no more than one division (mechanized or infantry) of Egyptian armed forces within 30 miles (50 kilometers) of the Suez Canal. El-Arish is well beyond that radius.
Egyptian presidential spokesman Yasser Ali denied receiving any complaints from Israel. Security in Sinai is among Egypts national security priorities, and nothing can stand in front of this, he said. When asked if this means Egypt can send troops regardless of Israels approval or objections, he declined to answer.
Talk by Egyptian leaders of amending, much less nullifying, the peace accord may be mainly rhetoric. The Muslim Brotherhood is fiercely anti-Israel, as is the Egyptian public.
But political realities will make that very difficult. At home, Mursi faces a faltering economy, widespread unemployment and shaky ties with the still-powerful Egyptian military. Ending this key security relationship would antagonize the military, raise tensions with Israel and the United States, and could cost Egypt billions of dollars in US aid it receives as a result of the peace accord.
Renegotiating the accord would also force the Brotherhood to break its vow never to meet with Israeli officials. Any deal could be spun as the Brotherhood signing a peace agreement with its nemesis, no matter how much it tries to deny that.
Perhaps most important is the realization on both sides that they face a common foe in the Sinai, where rogue groups either inspired by or loosely linked to the Al-Qaeda terror network are believed to operate.
Militant activity in Sinai has grown for several years, fueled in part by resentment among many native Bedouin over police heavy-handedness and lack of adequate government services. Things rapidly worsened after Mubaraks ouster. Police largely melted away and are still too afraid to patrol many areas. A massive flow of smuggled arms from Libya, including heavy machine guns, RPGs and anti-aircraft guns, have made their way to Sinai militants.
Shadowy Sinai groups have carried out several rocket attacks on Israel, most recently last week. And in June, militants crossed from the Sinai into southern Israel and killed an Israeli civilian worker helping build a fence along the border.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/23/2012
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#1
Those tanks are not there to protect against militants - they are a wink nod. They gotta go away.
#2
Egyptian anti-aircraft missiles (reported here) are directed against none other than Israel as the Bedouins don't have any aircraft.
According to the WOT doctrine it makes sense to empower a regular army commanded by an islamofascistic autocrat if only that army can suppress those islamofascists who are also terrorists.
Maybe the WOT concept itself doesn't make much sense.
#3
the larger tanks have no operative value against the terror gangs of the Sinai but do impress the local folks - which, I suppose is part of the effort
Posted by: lord garth ||
08/23/2012 10:02
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[Dawn] An American journalist Richard Miniter in his latest book has claimed that a colonel from Pakistain's spy agency had helped the US in providing vital information in locating former Al Qaeda chief, the late Osama bin Laden ... who was laid out deader than a mackerel, right next to the mackerel... , and that Pakistain's army chief may have been briefed on the Abbottabad ... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden.... raid five months in advance.
The book, "Leading from Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him" claimed that Pakistain had a greater role in the Abbottabad raid than what the American CIA had earlier stated.
The book alleged that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) officer had walked into the CIA's Islamabad station in August 2010 and provided vital help in tracing Osama.
"In a never-before-reported account, Pakistain was more involved in the bin Laden operation than Obama's team admitted. When the CIA revealed that an ISI colonel had contacted the CIA in Islamabad and offered information about bin Laden, a debate followed," said the book.
"Was this a secret sign that the head of the ISI himself was pointing out bin Laden's hiding place or was the colonel actually the patriot who hated extremism that he claimed to be? Whatever the motivation, the CIA found bin Laden's hiding place within a month of the colonel's visit," the book claims.
According to the book, as the CIA found the Abbottabad compound where Osama bin Laden lived along with his family members and started researching on the property, they found out that the land was "carved out" from the Pakistain military academy compound.
"The records held another surprise. The land for the bin Laden lair seemed to have been carved out of property owned by the Kakul Military Academy, Pakistain's answer to Sandhurst and West Point," Miniter claimed.
"The bin Laden compound was akin to an isosceles triangle, carved out of the property of the Kakul Military Academy, Pakistain's West Point. The campus's main building sat some eight hundred yards from bin Laden's castle."
"The triangular compound was bordered with concrete walls ranging in height from ten to eighteen feet. The main building, a three-story tower, housed the arch terrorist, his wives, and their children," he wrote.
Bin Laden was killed by US Navy Seals inside his compound in Abbottabad, Pakistain in May 2011.
The former news hound with "The Wall Street Journal" and "The Washington Post" wrote in his book that Pakistain army chief General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... may have been briefed by the US on its operation to kill Osama bin Laden in December 2010, some five months in advance and that along with getting a tacit consent, a cover story had been developed with the Pak military.
"There was talk about devising a cover story that would allow Pakistain to be helpful while keeping its leaders from political harm."
"The story, according to an official with secondhand knowledge of the White House discussion, was that bin Laden was killed in a drone strike and that the US later sent in a team to recover the body. That was believed to be less politically harmful than a commando team treading on Pakistain's soil," Miniter says.
"According to this official, Pakistain's Army chief of staff was alerted in December 2010, five months before the operation. No concrete facts about the operation were passed on, but an informal approval was sought," he writes.
The book also claimed that on March 14, 2011 during a situation room meeting that the US President, Barack Obama In case you missed it, this week, there was a tragedy in Kansas. Ten thousand people died -- an entire town destroyed... , decided that Pakistain "should be kept in dark" while America made its plans.
"'When the Seal helicopter crashed into bin Laden's compound, the cover story was abandoned,' the official said. The story could not be independently confirmed, but it has the virtue of explaining why the B.O. regime did not press to end military aid to Pakistain when bin Laden was found eight hundred yards from its officer training facility," Miniter wrote.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/23/2012
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#1
I think Gul and Khan ratted him out to save their weapon sales profits ... wait till their compatriots figure it out!
Posted by: Water Modem ||
08/23/2012 10:58
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(ISI) officer salesman had walked into the CIA's Islamabad station in August 2010 and provided vital help in tracing Osama.
(Sh. M. Network)-Witnesses say a soldier dressed in Government military uniform has opened fire on a vehicle carrying dozens of passengers in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, killing at least three travelers.
Wednesday attack took place at Sanaa junction, east of Mogadishu, where Eyewitnesses said that two persons who were reportedly members of the passengers and the driver of the car were killed in the spot while another woman was injured.
"This act is a part of the ongoing attacks on civilian buses in Mogadishu by gangs who intend to loot and take the passengers from their possessions," said a driver who spoke with Shabelle Media on condition of anonymity.
Shortly afterwards, Somali Security forces have sealed off the shooting area and began search operations, but reports indicated the killer has beat feet from the scene, before the army arrived.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/23/2012
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Turkey's state-run agency says Turkish authorities are questioning four people in connection with a kaboom in Turkey's southeast, which killed nine people including four children.
The bomb, which was concealed in a vehicle and went off Monday close to a cop shoppe in the city of Gaziantep, near the Syrian border, also injured dozens of people.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog chief played down chances of a breakthrough when talks with Iran resume on Friday but said the agency would pursue access to a military site that diplomats say may have been cleansed of evidence of illicit nuclear activity, Reuters reported.
Visiting the Parchin complex has become a priority for the International Atomic Energy Agency as it seeks to end what the West sees as Iranian stonewalling of an IAEA investigation into allegations that Tehran has sought to design a nuclear weapon.
"I cannot be too optimistic ... We have been making our best efforts in a constructive spirit to work out an agreement between Iran and IAEA, but so far we have not been successful in reaching agreement," agency Director General Yukiya Amano told reporters on Wednesday during a visit to Finland.
"I have no indication this will change very soon," he said.
Citing satellite images, Western diplomats say Iran has demolished some small buildings and moved earth at Parchin in an apparent attempt to purge incriminating evidence from a site where the IAEA believe tests in a steel chamber relevant to nuclear arms were carried out, possibly a decade ago.
Amano said the IAEA still wanted access, but that apparent efforts to sanitize Parchin could impede the agency's inquiry.
"Through the satellite imagery we think that Iran is moving soil, demolishing buildings, using water, removing fences, doing landscape activities. We think this would hamper our verification activities," he said, echoing previous comments. "Nevertheless we keep on requesting Iran to give us access to the building at the site of Parchin."
"I have heard that there is currently a lot of clean-up going on at Parchin," one diplomat accredited to the IAEA said, who like others said such activity came to light only after the IAEA mentioned Parchin in a detailed report late last year.
Another diplomat told Reuters that he believed the Islamic Republic would not allow access to Parchin "unless they are extremely confident that there will be nothing found".
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/23/2012
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#1
Surely they can write that toothless yet sternly worded letter without an onsite visit.
[Dawn] A warehouse of the United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), located on Airport Road in the quiet provincial capital, gutted in fire on Wednesday afternoon.
A spokesperson to the UNHCR Balochistan ...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it... , Javeria Tareen said, "Fire suddenly broke out in a warehouse of UNHCR located in Killi Gul Muhammad Airport road Quetta at about 4:30 pm," adding that as a result of fire, goods stored in the godown for Afghan refugees reduced to ash.
She said that no loss of life was reported in the fire.
Tareen said that investigation has been ordered to ascertain reasons of the fire. "Presently, we can not determine the cause whether a sabotage act is behind the fire eruption or internal electricity short circuit or any other reason caused the fire," she said.
The UNHCR spokesperson said that goods pertaining to humanitarian assistance to Afghan refugees including tents, blankets, medicines and other non-food items stored in the warehouse were burnt.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/23/2012
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#1
I guess that means the pending inventory by the auditors is off? /sarc off
[Dawn] The B.O. regime seems to have acquired a "tacit consent" of the Pak military for the May 2 raid in Abbottabad ... A pleasant city located only 30 convenient miles from Islamabad. The city is noted for its nice weather and good schools. It is the site of Pakistain's military academy, which was within comfortable walking distance of the residence of the late Osama bin Laden.... that killed al-Qaeda leader the late Osama bin Laden, ... who used to be alive but now he's not... claims a new book released in the United States on Wednesday.
The book -- "Leading from Behind: The Reluctant President and the Advisors Who Decide for Him" -- also claimed that in August 2010, the ISI offered valuable information about bin Laden's hideout to the CIA.
On page 116, author Richard Miniter disputes US President Barack Obama's Ready to Rule from Day One... claim that he took a great political risk by ordering a strike into a compound near the Pakistain Military Academy, Kakul.
"Far from taking a risk, there are indications that a cover story had been developed with the Pak military and that Mr Obama had their tacit consent for the mission," he writes.
The author, a former news hound with The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, argues that "the B.O. regime's account of Pakistain's role (in the operation) is misleading and incomplete."
The author also claims that Pakistain Army chief may have been briefed in December 2010 about the operation, five months before the night-time raid on bin Laden's concrete castle. "Pakistain was more involved in the bin Laden operation than Obama's team admitted," he argues.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/23/2012
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#1
Fly 600 miles through some of the most sophisticated Russian radar in the world, radar that sees hostile drones and other aircraft all the way to Khandahar, cross the Pakistani border, conduct an airborne assault without a security element or CAP.....on an undefended compound, crash one of the assault aircract, conduct the mission, load up the prisoners, documents, and dead, cross level the assault team, weapons, radios, and equipment, destroy the downed aircraft, and fly 600 miles back to the launch site.....and target country is totally unaware ?
Paleeeeeeeease!
"How Much Is That Doggie in the Window? " is a popular novelty song written by Bob Merrill and Ingrid Reuterskiöld in 1952.
#2
Besoeker, I agree there had to be involvement by some part of the Pakistan military, which must have spread some kind of cover story. It had to be a limited part of the military or other ISI/military elements would have interfered and turned the mission into a worse disaster than the Iranian hostage rescue attempt. There actually must be someone 'trustworthy' in Pakistan - look for the one with a big deposit in their Swiss account at about that time.
(Sh. M. Network)-The security forces of the Somalia's northern semi-autonomous region of Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... ,have on Wednesday conducted security operations in northern divided Galka'yo, some 750 Km north of Mogadishu, witnesses and security officials said.
Eyewitnesses said the army has jugged Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! dozens of gunnies carrying explosives, whom the officials are accusing to have links with Al shabab bully boyz and are now being held at a prison northern Galka'yo.
Mohammed Yusuf Jama'a, the governor of Mudug state for Puntland, told news hounds in Galka'yo town that the security forces are committed to continue the operations to secure the town.
"These military operations will not stop until they (gangs) are wiped out from the entire city," he added.
The city is divided into two zones, where the main northern portion forms part of Puntland state, while its southern tip is governed by the Galmudug ...a semiautonomous region in central Somalia, bordering Puntland on the north. Galmudug is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation, but rather considers itself autonomous within the larger Somali federalism, for what that's worth... administration.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/23/2012
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#1
Punt Tells Somalialand : Watch ! Also : Zlitan Have Freeport And Sales Tax Repeal : Buy Purchased Without Tax Added On Purchase Item : Known As Utilization Free Trade Zone And Shared Resources : Both Tribes Have Shared Resources And Commerce Together : Canton : Belgium Status : Lichenstein With Swiss Styled : How About Economic Resource Zone Styled : China : Monaco Style : Tax Haven : Likened : Powerball Lotto : Community Townships Get : $$$ And Residents 2 : ALLAH O AKBAR
(Sh.M.Network)-The European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... 's naval operation tackling piracy off the coast of Somalia should continue beyond its current mandate because it has successfully reduced the number of ships and people taken hostage in the region, a committee in the United Kingdom's House of Lords has concluded.
A report by the Lords' EU committee for external affairs said extending Operation Atalanta beyond December 2014 would send a "clear signal" that Europe "will not walk away from confronting piracy in the Indian Ocean".
It added that ending the mission, which began four years ago, could lead to an "upsurge in pirate activity". In June this year eight ships and 215 people were taken hostage by pirates in the region -- significantly down from 23 ships and 501 people in the same month of 2011, the report said.
The Lords backed the EU operation's attack on a pirate land base in May as an "effective demonstration to the pirates that they are not invulnerable on land", and said they supported the use of armed guards to protect shipping.
They noted that "no ships carrying armed guards have so far been successfully pirated and violence has apparently not escalated" and "this practice should continue".
The EU's development aid to Somalia "will continue to be necessary for the foreseeable future", the report concluded. It also recommended that Britannia should continue its leadership role in the mission because it has been "effective and it brings credit to the UK" -- and it compensates for its "limited contribution" of vessels.
Committee chairman Lord Teverson said: "Operation Atalanta has clearly made real progress in reducing the threat of Somali piracy. However, a hangover is the wrath of grapes... if the situation is to improve it is important the pirates know the international commitment to stop their activities is real and ongoing."
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08/23/2012
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LANDIKOTAL: A bomb went off in a women's shopping store in KhugaKhel area of Landikotal on Monday. However, no casualty was reported in the blast, local sources said.
Some unidentified militants had already warned the owners of the general store not to sell women items like clothes, shoes, bangles and other products. They warned them to close their business.
Majority of the locals were of the view that the women general store has facilitated the local women to purchase items of their choice. It would be worth mentioning that the stores for women in Landikotal are also run by women.
That fact might have driven the local hard boyz over the edge...
After an explosion in a mobile shop, people said that it was an alarming situation and the area might once again become a hub of militants to sabotage the peaceful environment.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/23/2012
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"not to sell women items like clothes, shoes, bangles and other products ...
Yeah - those chicks in Landikotal are a real bunch of party animals. Can you imagine any woman wanting clothes, shoes or bangles - it's a he** of a deal. What is the world coming to?? HAHAHA !!!
JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN: Powerful South Sudanese military commander Paulino Matip, a longtime rebel warlord turned army chief, has died in hospital in Kenya, officials said yesterday.
"We have lost a champion of peace and reconciliation we will miss him," South Sudanese Information Minister Barnaba Marial Benjamin told AFP. "He was undergoing treatment in Nairobi. He was ill for a long time."
Matip, from South Sudan's oil-rich Unity state, led a fearsome guerrilla army faction of his Bul Nuer people during Sudan's 1983-2005 civil war, a conflict that ended in a peace deal that paved the way for the South's independence last year.
During the civil war he split his forces from the South's then-rebel Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLA) to side with Khartoum. He later switched sides again, and was instrumental in bringing key militia forces back to the SPLA under a 2005 peace agreement, ending up as deputy commander-in-chief of the SPLA now the official South Sudanese army second only to President Salva Kiir.
"He has made his personal contribution despite earlier differences that caused the split in the SPLA," Benjamin said. "He brought all the armed groups under his command into the SPLA to reunite."
Matip's body will be flown back to South Sudan to be buried, he added.
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08/23/2012
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(Sh. M. Network)-The African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... mission in Somalia (AMISOM) said Wednesday that they have taken over the security of the Afgoye corridor from the Somali soldiers.
Since the joint forces of TFG and AMISOM made major military gains against the Al shabab beyond the capital this year, the main road links Mogadishu to the agricultural town of Afgoye has witnessed a lot of insecurity and robbery acts against the civilian buses by gangs.
Afgoye had been a main Al-Shabaab ... the personification of Somali state failure... stronghold for three years, and a major success for AMISOM forces since deployment in Somalia in 2007.
The town was also a fortified stronghold for beturbanned fascisti because it sets at a strategic crossroads, linking the capital, Mogadishu, with western and southern parts of the country.
Al-Shabaab's withdrawal from Afgoye without fierce resistance follows a pattern of retreat, including a pull-out from positions in Mogadishu last August, and their abandonment of the key city of Baidoa to Æthiopian and Somali troops in February.
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08/23/2012
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Police in Egypt on Wednesday placed in long-term storage Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit! a man who tossed four homemade nail bombs into the German embassy grounds and attacked the entrance with a hammer but injured nobody and caused no serious damage, the embassy and security sources said.
The man acted out of anger after reading an Egyptian newspaper report on Friday which described a protest by German right-wing activists who had paraded caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in front of a German mosque, they said.
QUETTA: At least five people were kidnapped from Bolan and Pishin districts on Wednesday as lawlessness continues in the province. According to sources, at least three people were kidnapped from Bolan area while they were on picnic. The kidnapped persons were identified as Mohammad Khan, Lal Moham and Abdul Qadir belonging to the Rasinai tribe.
Bolan, which used to be an attractive picnic spot, has seen a decline in tourists in the last few years due to the prevailing lawlessness and rampant insurgencies in the province. Moreover, it is the area where Baloch militants usually attack security forces convoys.
In another incident, two traders were kidnapped from Pishin area of Balochistan. According to sources, the traders, identified as Abdul Zarif and Mohammad Zahir, were on their way to Pishin from Quetta when unidentified persons intercepted their vehicle and kidnapped them at gunpoint.
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08/23/2012
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Islamists : Sudan , Egypt & Palestine : Proposed Unification Merger With Trioka 3 Peace Guarantees With Special Development For All : Jerusalem ( Fatah & Hamas ) Controlled : With U/N : Egypt : Sudan & Palsetine ! Allah O Akbar
JERUSALEM: The longest serving Syrian prisoner in Israel has been freed after 27 years behind bars, the Israel Prison Service said on Wednesday. Sedki Al-Maket was released today at the end of the prison term he served for militant actions against the state of Israel, the IPS said in a statement.
A spokesman for the IPS told AFP Maket was imprisoned for 27 years, but was unable to elaborate on the nature of the crimes for which he was convicted. Syrian media reported that Maket, who was arrested in August 1985 for resisting the Israeli occupation of the Golan Heights, had returned to his home town on the strategic plateau.
Maket, 45, comes from Majdal Shams, the largest town on the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Six-Day War and unilaterally annexed in 1981.
(Maket) was brought up within a family known for its struggle against the occupation in the Golan, SANA said.
The vast majority of its 18,000 Syrian inhabitants, mostly Druze, who remained from the Golans original population of 150,000, have refused to take Israeli citizenship.
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08/23/2012
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QUETTA: As many as two passersby were killed and 16 others, including five women and four children, were critically injured when a remote- controlled bomb went off near Musa Colony on Sariab Road on Tuesday.
According to police, the bombing occurred as a convoy of Frontier Corps (FC) was patrolling the area. The bomb was planted in a car. Soon after the convoy passed, the bomb exploded, killing a man on the spot and injuring 17 others.
The FC personnel convoy escaped the attack because of a bomb jammer their vehicle was carrying, FC sources said.
Two rickshaws, a taxi and a motorcycle were destroyed and windows of many houses smashed.
At least 20kg of explosives were used in the blast, the Bomb Disposal Squad officials said.
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08/23/2012
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> "The FC personnel convoy escaped the attack because of a bomb jammer their vehicle was carrying," FC sources said.
[Dawn] According to Saleemuddin, spokesperson of Ahmadiyya community, Ahmadis were restricted from offering Eid prayers at Ewan-e-Tauheed located at E-Block, Satellite Town, Rawalpindi reported DawnNews.
Saleemuddin said, "Ewan-e-Tauheed is where most of us offered Eid and Friday prayers, however, the situation changed nine months ago when a hate campaign against our community enticed residents of the area to restrict our activities. Prior to the Eid prayers, we sought approval from the local law enforcement agencies to let us pray on Eid or suggest an alternative site where we could congregate."
According to Saleemuddin, police approved of the idea, however, at the last minute informed Ahmadis that it is best if they offer Eid prayers at Bait-ul-Hamd, Murree Road, which only has a capacity to accommodate 100 worshippers.
He went on to say that early in the morning, police officials surrounded Ewan-e-Tauheed to deter Ahmadis from gathering and praying.
"An estimated number of 2,000 Ahmadis were expected to congregate and offer Eid prayers, however, were unable to do so because of the sudden change of events triggered by influence of local powerful businessmen," added Saleemuddin.
However, the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... Azhar Hamid Khokhar, CPO Rawalpindi, denied the allegations. No, no! Certainly not! and said, "We had made it clear to the Ahmadis that they will not be able to pray at Ewan-e-Tauheed on Eid and advised them to congregate at Bait-ul-Hamd. This was our understanding from day one"
"Local residents object to their activities and say that Block-E is a residential area and should be treated as one. Since no NOC was obtained from them before constructing this worship site, they do not feel too happy about its existence," he added.
Sharjeel Mir, President of Anjuman-e-Tajiran Rawalpindi and a local businessman said, "We object to Ewan-e-Tauheed and all that it stands for because it was acquired through illegal means. Fifteen years ago an Ahmadi bought a house and later on donated it to the Ahamdiiya community. Since then it has been used as a praying site despite of the fact that NOC was not obtained from the district government and local residents as is required according to the law of land."
Mir also said that Ahmadis were given no approval to offer congregational prayers on Eid by local police authorities or government.
Mir went on to add that, "In May of 2010, Ahmadis and their worshipping site were attacked in Lahore enticing people praying at Ewan-e-Tauheed to beef up security. They barricaded all the roads that led to their worshipping site. There are several mosques in the area and most of the time local residents were not allowed to pass through the barriers. Even ambulances transporting patients to and from Holy Family Hospital were stopped and not given free passage."
Mir went on to say that Ahmadis left them with no option but to report this abuse to the local authorities who then took action against them.
"According to the constitution, Ahmadis are not allowed to call their praying sites mosques and term their call of prayers as namaz. They do not follow the rules and policies which is why we have been taking action against them. We believe in coexistence. In fact countless Christians live in Rawalpindi and we live in harmony, however, we will not have Ahmadis call themselves Mohammedans and go against the law. They should live like other minorities," added Mir.
"It's shocking how they dare act as if they were real people like us Sunnis," he added.
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08/23/2012
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#1
sadly, a fair number of Ahmadis in the US have become apologists for Islam
Posted by: lord garth ||
08/23/2012 15:23
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LANDIKOTAL: At least 10 people, including children and women, got injured in mortar shelling in Shalobar area of Bara Tehsil. According to details, a mortar shell, fired from unidentified location, landed in a house at Shalobar, which seriously wounded 10 people, including children and women, local sources said. It could not be ascertained who fired and where the mortar shell came from, sources added.
Shah Jehan Afridi, a spokesman of FATA Jamaat-e-Islami, strongly condemned the mortar shelling. He asked the government to take notice of the blind shelling of the mortars in Bara that has recently forced most of the people to flee Bara.
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One left dead and two maimed in alleged presence of police on Wednesday, all three persons were targeted in Jatia Mohla of Tando Adam Town of district Sanghar because one of them was suspected to be in questionable condition with a girl.
Chief Minister Sindh Syed Qaim Ali Shah, by taking notice of the incident, ordered a report from police officials.
According to details, Faraz Qureshi along with a girl arrived at a premise of Wali Muhammad Burriro.
Neighbours locked them from outside and informed the police. But before the police could arrive, Qureshi called owner of the premise, who along with three others reached the spot.
This led to a squabble between owners of the house, Burriro, his two relatives, one friend Iqbal Qureshi with the area people. They all were beaten up, resultantly Ghulam Sarwar Burriro was struck down in his prime, while Iqbal Qureshi and Mithu Burriro were referred to LUMS at death's door.
Area people said that this incident is inhuman and it has revisited the Sialkot lynching incident, in which two brothers were killed.
After the incident flashed on number of TV channels, the chief minister Sindh took notice of the issue and he called the report from concerned police officials. He has appointed DIG Mirpurkhas Ghulam Haider Jamali the inquiry officer.
Reactions:
Meanwhile, ...back at the revival hall, the SWAT team had finally arrived... various politician and right activists have condemned the act and called it brutality.
Advisor to the CM Sindh, Sharmila Farooqui told DawnNews that it was an inhuman act and said that responsible police officials and people involved in lynching will be brought to book.
She said that those who are responsible will be awarded exemplary punishment, so people may not muster-up courage to commit such offences.
Burfat Fateh, a professor of sociology in University of Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... , said that when institutions turn weaker, and people lose their hopes and faith in the institutions and the state, then they look to decide issues on the roads.
Fateh said that due to continuous problems confronted by the people, they have zero tolerance. He commented that the law has become a cage for the weak and poor people.
Farzana Bari, a human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... activist, commented that some say that they want to save religion, some say they want to save morality and some say they want to save society, but they all are killing human being to save all these in the country.
"In fact it is not their job, it is the job of the state....but here because the role of state is of a mere silent spectator, therefore such incidents are revisiting the society.
No case was registered till filing of this report. However, there's more than one way to skin a cat... Tando Adam police has tossed in the slammer ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... Faraz Qureshi and Wali Muhammad Burriro.
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08/23/2012
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[Dawn] Amnesia Amnesty International has urged Pakistain to reform its blasphemy laws and protect a young Christian girl cooled for a few years Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! for allegedly burning pages inscribed with verses from the holy Koran.
Rimsha (previously also reported as Rifta), who is between 10 and 13 years old and is reported to have Down's Syndrome, was taken into custody in a low-income area of Islamabad on Thursday after Moslem protestors demanded she be punished.
Polly Truscott, Amnesia Amnesty International's South Asia director, said the case showed the "erosion of the rule of law" in Pakistain and the dangers faced by those accused of blasphemy.
"Amnesia Amnesty International is extremely concerned for Rimsha's safety. In the recent past individuals accused of blasphemy have been killed by members of the public," Truscott said in a statement issued late Tuesday.
President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari ... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in ... on Monday ordered officials to explain the arrest, while it was reported that Christians fled the neighbourhood of Mehrabad in fear.
Truscott welcomed Zardari's response but warned it would count for little unless there were "greater efforts to reform the blasphemy laws to ensure they cannot be used maliciously to settle disputes or enable private citizens to take matters into their own hands."
There has been growing concern in the West over religious intolerance in Pakistain following the liquidations last year of leading politician, Salman Taseer, and Shahbaz Bhatti, a Christian cabinet minister who spoke out against the blasphemy law.
"The continued failure to reform these laws has effectively sent the message that anyone can commit outrageous abuses and attempt to excuse them as defence of religious sentiments," Truscott said.
Neighbours said Rimsha had burned papers collected from a garbage pile for cooking in her family home and someone alerted the local holy man after spotting the remains being thrown out as rubbish.
Pakistain's strict anti-blasphemy laws make defaming Islam or desecrating the holy book illegal and potentially punishable by death.
A Christian mother, Aasia Bibi, sentenced to death for blasphemy in late 2010 remains in prison, while last month, a mob snatched a mentally unstable man from a village cop shoppe and beat him to death in central Punjab province after he allegedly burned pages from the Koran.
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08/23/2012
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#1
Ker-Plunk sounds across the speakers and all sit and crap!
Posted by: Bob Thud8197 ||
08/23/2012 7:19
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#2
Amnesty International has urged Pakistain to reform its blasphemy laws and protect a young Christian girl cooled for a few years
KARACHI: Seven people, including a political worker, fell prey to violence during three Eid days Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday- in the metropolis, while the law enforcers claimed to have apprehended two militants of an outlawed organisation from citys outskirts
An activist of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) was gunned down near his house within the limits of Pakistan Bazaar police station. The 45-year-old victim was identified as Shahid Siddiqui, son of Roshan Siddiqui. A police official informed that two armed men on a motorcycle sprayed Siddiqui with bullets as he stepped out of a barbers shop in Gulshan-e-Bihar, Orangi Town, on the first day of Eidul Fitr. He further informed that police suspect the murder to be an offshoot of current ethno-political rift between two sects.
Another man, Bakar Ali, 30, son of Wali Mohammad, was gunned down in Naval Colony, Baldia Town within the limits of Mauripur police station on the second day of Eidul Fitr. A police official informed that victim was in his Suzuki pickup when unidentified armed motorcyclists shot and killed him. He used to live in Ittehad Town, Baldia. The body was moved to the Civil Hospital Karachi for an autopsy and later handed over to the family.
Separately, 30-year-old Shafiq, son of Rafiq, was shot dead in North Karachi within Khwaja Ajmair Nagri police precincts. Police officials said that the deceased belonged to a Siraiki family and was labourer by profession. They said that at least two armed men, riding a motorcycle, shot and killed Shafiq while he slept outside the house. The body was moved to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital (ASH) for medico-legal formalities. Police officials said that they were trying to ascertain the motive behind incident.
Separately, 32-year-old Aurangzaib, son of Azmat Khan, was gunned down outside his house near Manghopir Road within Pirabad police remit. Police officials said that the victims family was not cooperating with them while the initial investigation suggested that he was killed by his brother. The body was moved to the ASH for an autopsy.
Moreover, the police discovered a youngsters body from Yousuf Haroon Road within the jurisdiction of Risala police station. The body was moved to the Civil Hospital where victim was identified as Noman alias Nomi, son of Ibrahim Baloch. Police officials said that Noman used to live in Baghdadi, Lyari and was shot dead after being kidnapped.
Body of an elderly woman was found from a shrubbery situated within the limits of Airport police station. Police retrieved the body after locals called them and shifted it to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre. The victim was identified as 75-year-old Maher Bai, wife of Abdul Majeed. She hailed from Raheem Yar Khan and lately used to live at Jamali Colony, Gulshan-e-Iqbal. Police officials claimed that her husband, a drug addict, killed her with a sharp weapon.
Police found the body of a watchman from Orangi Town within the limits of Iqbal Market police station. The victim was identified as 55-year-old Khawer, son of Mumtaz. A police official said that the three-day old body was found inside a private school.
Meanwhile, the law enforcement agencies claimed to have apprehended two members of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in a targeted raid carried out in Manghopir area. The suspected Taliban were apprehended on a tip-off while citys map, hand grenades and other weaponry were also recovered from their possession. The accused were allegedly planning to carry out a major terror activity on the occasion of Eidul Fitr.
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[An Nahar] Afghan officials on Wednesday blamed "infiltration by foreign spy agencies" into the ranks of its security forces for a rise in attacks by Afghan soldiers on U.S.-led NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... forces.
The announcement came after President Barack Obama This is a teachable moment... and top U.S. military officers expressed growing concern over the so-called "green-on-blue" attacks in which uniformed Afghans turn their weapons against their NATO allies.
A total of 10 soldiers, mostly Americans, have bit the dust at the hands of their Afghan colleagues in the past two weeks, and the attacks have caused almost one in four coalition deaths in the war so far this month.
President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... held a meeting of the country's National Security Council on Wednesday to discuss the matter.
Senior Afghan officials told Karzai their months-long investigation had shown that "foreign spy agencies" including those of Afghanistan's neighbors were behind the rise in insider attacks, presidential front man Aimal Faizi said.
Faizi did not name a specific country, but Afghan officials have long accused Pakistain of harboring Taliban Islamic fascistifighting to overthrow Karzai's Western-backed government.
"Reports presented by security officials in this meeting blamed infiltration by foreign spy agencies into the ranks of Afghan cops as responsible for the rise in the individual shootings," Faizi told news hounds.
"It shows that majority of these attacks is the result of such infiltration.
"The reports further highlighted that foreign spy agencies are increasingly fearful of the empowerment of the Afghans security agencies."
Faizi said Afghan security officials had pledged to tighten the vetting process for army and police recruits to help prevent attacks and Karzai would meet NATO commander General John Allen to discuss the issue.
America's top military officer flew to Kabul for talks on the issue on Monday with NATO commanders and Afghan top brass.
General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he came away "reassured" after discussions with his Afghan counterpart, General Shir Mohammad Karimi.
The total corpse count from insider attacks this year has already reached 40, which makes up 13 per cent of all international coalition deaths for 2012.
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General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said he came away "reassured" after discussions with his Afghan counterpart, General Shir Mohammad Karimi. (that would be the fella who told the Taliban B1 rocketeers what time you were coming)
.... also reassured troubled by the recent retired SOF personnel and their concern over leaked classified.
Please Martin, forget the political narrative and, get over to clothing sales and buy a shirt with a collar that fits.
#5
For the love of Mike ... what exactly is an "insider atack" in Afghanistan these days??? The entire Govt structure is a Swiss Cheese. There is NO inside.
#6
What a great place to wage war! I'm sure our fighting men and women just love it. This place is a hell hole. We need to get out. Now. Bomb from a safe distance if need be.
Authorities have placed in durance vile I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! a Washington state man after he allegedly made emailed threats against President Barack Obama. The campaign's over, John...
Secret Service front man Brian Leary identified the man as 31-year-old Anton Caluori. He was placed in durance vile I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! Tuesday afternoon in suburban Federal Way for investigation of making threats against the president and assault on a federal officer.
ISTANBUL: Turkeys leaders called for unity on Wednesday following a car bomb attack which heightened fears that Kurdish militants are exploiting chaos in neighboring Syria and stepping up their decades-old insurgency.
Unidentified assailants detonated the car bomb by a police station in the industrial city of Gaziantep near the Syrian border late on Monday, killing nine people including several children and wounding more than 60.
The president, prime minister and party leaders gathered in the city at a funeral for the victims of the attack, which came as families celebrated the Eid Al-Fitr holiday at the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
The best answer we as a nation can give is to form a (united) front and stand side by side, whatever our differences ... in the face of this act of terrorism, President Abdullah Gul told reporters after arriving in Gaziantep.
Gul and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan lined up with other officials and said prayers in front of coffins wrapped in the red-and-white Turkish flag at a mosque in the city as tearful relatives looked on.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but some officials point the finger at the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, whose 28-year-old conflict with the state has killed more than 40,000 people. The PKK denied involvement. Ankara is also investigating possible Syrian links to the blast, which has fueled fears that the uprising in Syria against President Bashar Assad could add to the instability in southeast Turkey.
A sharp rise in militant violence in Turkey this month has reinforced the belief among Turkish officials that the PKK is receiving weapons from Assads forces.
Citing a PKK militant arrested by security forces in July, Hurriyet newspaper on Wednesday said the Gaziantep attack had been planned by a PKK member in charge of the groups operations in the region around the southeastern city of Diyarbakir. Gaziantep, 50 km (30 miles) from the Syrian border, has witnessed little of the trouble which has blighted much of the mainly Kurdish southeast since the PKK took up arms in 1984 with the aim of establishing an ethnic Kurdish state.
There was never any terrorism here. The people embraced one another. They want to disturb the peace here, said Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the main opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP), urging cross-party cooperation to end the violence.
The city, one of Turkeys largest with a population of one million, has enjoyed growing affluence in recent years, thanks to an expanding industrial base and flourishing trade ties with Syria. The conflict across the border has now frozen those ties.
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No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but some officials point the finger at the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group
Could be; could also be any other number of groups. Turkey is full of them.
[Dawn] An influential Christian Church organization will hold an international conference in Geneva next month on Pakistain's blasphemy law, after an 11-year-old Pak Christian girl was enjugged Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! on accusations of defaming Islam.
Religious and secular groups worldwide have protested over the arrest last week of Rifta Masih, accused by Moslem neighbours of burning verses from the Koran, Islam's holy book.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) said the conference was intended to give a global platform to religious minorities in Pakistain "who are victimised in the name of its controversial blasphemy law" in cases which had brought death penalties and "mob-instigated violence."
It will be addressed by representatives of the minorities: Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, dissenting Islamic sects -- including Ahmadis and Shias, and by civil society groups defending them.
The WCC said officials from the United Nations ...what started out as a a diplomatic initiative, now trying to edge its way into legislative, judicial, and executive areas... , where special human rights ...which often intentionally defined so widely as to be meaningless... Sherlocks on religious freedom have often criticised Pakistain's blasphemy law, would also attend.
But Pak diplomats in Geneva have not been invited.
The conference, from Sept. 17-19, will be held during a sitting of the UN Human Rights Council where Pakistain, as front man for the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, regularly complains that Moslems are persecuted in the West.
"The public hearing aims to heighten discussions at international levels on the deteriorating situation of the human rights of minorities in Pakistain and the misuse of the blasphemy law," said WCC official Mathews George Chunakara.
The WCC, which links 349 Protestant and Orthodox Church bodies representing more than 560 million Christians in some 110 countries, said the gathering had been planned for some time and was not directly connected to Rifta Masih's case.
She was enjugged Into the paddy wagon wit' yez! last week in Islamabad after mobs surrounded a cop shoppe where she was in protective custody.
The incident was followed by the forced exodus of several hundred Christians from the poverty-stricken suburb of the Pak capital after local mosques reported what the girl was alleged to have done over their loudspeakers.
"This is just the latest in a series of similar incidents going back many years. Some cases are reported but many go unreported," said George, who heads the WCC's commission on international affairs.
Pakistain's President Asif Al Zardari has called on officials for a report on the girl's arrest, which has brought protests from Amnesia Amnesty International, British-based Christian group Barnabas Fund, and the global humanist body IHEU, among others.
"This latest affair just highlights the total hypocrisy of Pakistain, and its supporters, in the Human Rights Council," said Roy Brown, chief representative at the UN in Geneva of the IHEU, the International Humanist and Ethical Union.
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(Sh.M.Network)- Somalia's new government will focus on the economy as it seeks to rebuild a nation shattered by two decades of war, Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali said.
The country is in the final stages of selecting a two-tier parliament, Ali, who is a candidate to become president, said in an interview in Mogadishu, the capital, on Aug. 16. Lawmakers are scheduled to vote in a new president today, though the process may be delayed because the vetting of parliamentarians has taken longer than expected, he said.
The elections are Somalia's latest attempt to establish a functional central administration that collapsed when the former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre was ousted in 1991. The country has been mired in clan-based conflict and an insurgency led by al- Qaeda-linked faceless myrmidons ever since.
The lack of security has allowed piracy and hostage-taking to flourish, fueled by criminals seeking ransoms. Attacks by pirates in 2011 cost the shipping industry and governments $6.9 billion, according to the Colorado-based One Earth Future Foundation.
"There's a great deal of unemployment here, that's why the youth are taking their luck to the high seas," Ali said. "We need a paradigm shift, a new way of thinking, and a sound, tangible plan for competing in the global market place in the near future."
Foreign Investors
Somalia has a $5.9 billion economy, according to the U.S. State Department. That compares with neighboring Kenya's $32 billion economy, the region's largest. Investors in Somalia include Africa Oil Corp.
(AOI), based in Vancouver, and partners Red Emperor Resources NL (RMP) and Range Resources Ltd. (RRS) of Australia, which said in March they will invest $50 million drilling two wells in Puntland ...a region in northeastern Somalia, centered on Garowe in the Nugaal province. Its leaders declared the territory an autonomous state in 1998. Puntland and the equally autonomous Somaliland seem to have avoided the clan rivalries and warlordism that have typified the rest of Somalia, which puts both places high on the list for Islamic subversion... , a semi-autonomous northern region of the country.
Others vying for the presidency include the incumbent, President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, and parliament Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden. The winner faces challenges including tackling corruption, restoring security and reviving a moribund economy.
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08/23/2012
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Top|| File under: al-Shabaab
[An Nahar] Syrian forces backed by helicopter gunships and tanks launched a deadly assault on parts of Damascus ...Capital of the last remaining Baathist regime in the world... on Wednesday, activists said, as the regime battles to stamp out rebel resistance in the capital.
At least 37 people were reported killed in Damascus alone, a day after a top minister hinted that the embattled regime was ready to discuss Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... 's exit in any talks on ending the brutal 17-month conflict.
Fighter jets and artillery hit Aleppo ...For centuries, Aleppo was Greater Syria's largest city and the Ottoman Empire's third, after Constantinople and Cairo. Although relatively close to Damascus in distance, Aleppans regard Damascenes as country cousins... and heavy shelling was reported in Daraa, the birthplace of the uprising, and the eastern town of Deir Ezzor while rebels claimed they seized parts of a town on the Iraq border, a watchdog said.
The army attacked several areas where anti-regime sentiment is strong in and around the southwest of Damascus, including with heavy shelling, helicopter fire and mass arrest sweeps, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
In the deadliest operation, the army raided the southwestern district of Kafr Sousa, killing at least 24 civilians, it said, while a pro-opposition journalist was also killed during a raid on his home in Damascus.
The violence, which erupted a day after dozens of people were reported killed during a funeral in a Damascus suburb and others summarily executed, was some of the worst since regime forces reclaimed most of the capital a month ago.
The Observatory said on Wednesday that dozens of bullet-riddled bodies were found in the suburb of Qaboon.
As the fighting raged, the United States and La Belle France again pushed for Assad to stand down quickly after a top Syrian official said on Tuesday that Damascus was ready to discuss his exit as part of a negotiated settlement to the conflict.
"As far as his resignation goes -- making the resignation itself a condition for holding dialogue means that you will never be able to reach this dialogue," Deputy Prime Minister Qadri Jamil said in Moscow.
But he added: "Any problems can be discussed during negotiations. We are even ready to discuss this issue."
Moscow, however, bluntly told the West not to meddle in Syria after U.S. President Barack Obama They get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them... hinted at possible military action if Damascus resorted to its chemical weapons arsenal.
"There should be no interference from the outside," Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after his talks with Jamil. "The only thing that foreign players should do is create conditions for the start of dialogue."
But Washington was unimpressed by the apparent overture from Damascus.
"We still believe that the faster Assad goes, the more chance there is to quickly move on to the day after," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, dismissing Jamil's comments as "nothing terribly new".
At least 115 people including 71 non-combatants were killed nationwide on Wednesday, according to the Observatory, which says a more than 23,000 people have died since the uprising began in March 2011.
Among the latest casualties, four Lebanese villagers died in an air strike while fighting alongside the rebels, according to a security source in Leb.
The army claimed to have retaken most of Damascus in late July, after some two weeks of intense fighting across the southern belt.
Most rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters were forced out into the nearby countryside, but have since resumed some hit-and-run operations, activists say.
In Aleppo, fighter jets struck near a missile depot, and shelled several other areas of the city that has become the key battleground since fighting first erupted there a month ago, the Observatory said.
It also said rebel fighters had seized an intelligence office and checkpoints in the eastern town of Albu Kamal on the Iraqi border, although regime forces remained largely in control.
At least 11 civilians were also killed in Daraa in the far south.
The Observatory has a network of activists on the ground but its claims cannot be independently verified.
Syrian forces appear to be increasingly resorting to attacks from the air, particularly in the Aleppo area as rebels continue to put up stiff resistance despite the regime's far superior military might.
An FSA commander said Tuesday the rebels now controlled 60 percent of Aleppo, but a security source in Damascus dismissed the claims.
The United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... puts the corpse count at 17,000 and says hundreds of thousands more have fled to Syria's neighbors while another 2.5 million still in the country are in desperate need of aid.
The conflict has spilled over again into neighboring Leb, with nine dead in festivities that first erupted late Monday between pro- and anti-Damascus regime supporters in the northern port city of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of thich 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... "As the crisis in Syria continues to tank, the situation in Leb has become more precarious and the need for continued international support to the government and the Lebanese armed forces increasingly important," said U.N. under secretary general Jeffrey Feltman.
The international community has struggled to end the Syria conflict in the face of divisions between the West and Damascus's traditional allies in Moscow and Beijing.
Political sources in Damascus said Jamil was sent to Moscow to discuss a possible plan for a presidential election in which all candidates would be allowed to stand, including Assad.
French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault meanwhile said there was no question of Gay Paree becoming directly involved in military action without U.N. backing but acknowledged his country was providing rebels with "non-lethal" military aid.
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08/23/2012
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#6
Michael Totten, citing Daniel Pipes, on Assad's grandfather's thoughts about the Alawite dilemma:
the Alawitesand especially the Assad clanmay well try to carve out an enclave where they can be safe, just as many wished to do during the French imperial period between the two world wars. Back then, Alawite leaders asked French authorities for their own Lebanon-sized state along the Mediterranean, with Latakia as its capital. The Alawites refuse to be annexed to Muslim Syria, Suleiman al-Assad, grandfather of the current Syrian president, wrote in a letter. In Syria, the official religion of the state is Islam, and according to Islam, the Alawites are considered infidels. . . . The spirit of hatred and fanaticism imbedded in the hearts of the Arab Muslims against everything that is non-Muslim has been perpetually nurtured by the Islamic religion. There is no hope that the situation will ever change. Therefore, the abolition of the [French] mandate will expose the minorities in Syria to the dangers of death and annihilation.
[Dawn] Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain says elements killing Shia Mohammedans, after taking them out of buses and verifying their identity, are in fact conspiring to disintegrate Pakistain.
All patriotic Paks must boycott such ruthless elements, he said while speaking to Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik Pak politician, Interior Minister under the Gilani government. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Nawaz Sharif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men. He had to give up the interior ministry job because he held dual Brit citizenship. on telephone, a MQM blurb said on Wednesday.
Hussain said Pakistain was being encircled by threats from all sides and people belonging to Shia community were being killed. He said it was gross injustice and termed it as act of enmity against the country.
He said it was a historical reality that founder of Pakistain Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah belonged to Khoja Twelver Shia sect and when he died, two separate funeral prayers were offered.
One funeral prayers was offered by Allama Shabbir Ahmed Usmani, and other funeral prayer offered by a Shia holy man. No one could possibly deny these historical facts. Anyone challenging this would be lying, he stated.
The MQM chief said Shias are also Paks. Even Hindus, Sikhs and Christians living in Pakistain were citizens of equal stature. Elements compelling Hindus, Sikhs or other non-Mohammedans to leave Pakistain were, in fact, doing injustice to Pakistain, and brushing aside teachings of Quaid-e-Azam with contempt.
He said country would be lost in darkness if patriotic Paks did not come forward to put an end to this injustice. All educated, enlightened, moderate Paks should boycott heartless elements killing innocent people.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/23/2012
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
Is it those dreaded rare earth elements or just the garden variety ones?
Posted by: Bob Thud8197 ||
08/23/2012 7:14
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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.
Syria is capable of destroying Israel's nuclear facilities with 20 missiles, Syria's ambassador to Jordan, Bahjat Suleiman, told a visiting delegation on Wednesday, pro-Assad news sources reported.
Well, butter my butt and call me a biscuit! According to the Center for Responsive Politics (OpenSecrets), the New York-based realm of the major media industry has made quite a few more campaign contributions to Democrats and to President Obama than to their Republican challengers. Basing their numbers on both donations by a company's PAC and any donor who listed that company as their employer, the center reports that (via NYT):
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney will lay out policies on Thursday aimed at achieving North American energy independence by 2020 by pursuing a sharp increase in production of oil and natural gas on federal lands and off the U.S. coast.
Three reasons why: Economy, economy, economy.
...Bangla dynastic politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Bangla Awami League since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh. Her party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections. She has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001, when she was defeated in a landslide...
Azerbaijan, Baku -- The Turkish armed forces on Tuesday have bombed two major Kurdistan Worker Party camps, which are in northern Iraq, the Sabah newspaper reported on Wednesday.
An American journalist Richard Miniter in his latest book has claimed that a colonel from Pakistain's spy agency had helped the US in providing vital information in locating former Al Qaeda chief, 
[Dawn] The 
(Sh. M. Network)-The security forces of the Somalia's northern semi-autonomous region of 
(Sh.M.Network)-The 
LANDIKOTAL: A bomb went off in a women's shopping store in KhugaKhel area of Landikotal on Monday. However, no casualty was reported in the blast, local sources said. 
According to Saleemuddin, spokesperson of Ahmadiyya community, Ahmadis were restricted from offering Eid prayers at Ewan-e-Tauheed located at E-Block, Satellite Town, Rawalpindi reported DawnNews.
One left dead and two 
President Asif Ali 
Afghan officials on Wednesday blamed "infiltration by foreign spy agencies" into the ranks of its security forces for a rise in attacks by Afghan soldiers on U.S.-led 
An influential Christian Church organization will hold an international conference in Geneva next month on Pakistain's blasphemy law, after an 11-year-old Pak Christian girl was 
(Sh.M.Network)- Somalia's new government will focus on the economy as it seeks to rebuild a nation shattered by two decades of war, Prime Minister Abdiweli Mohamed Ali said.
Syrian forces backed by helicopter gunships and tanks launched a deadly assault on parts of 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
