He was always going to be found not-guilty by an unbiased jury or judge. That's why they waited til Monday AM, instead of late Friday. Diminished riots
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/23/2016
11:52 ||
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#3
I'm delighted, but the damage is already done. His life is ruined and the effect of prolonged litigation is not lost on anyone in law enforcement. The entitlement society lives by laws of the jungle. White man's law means nothing.
[FOXNEWS] A judge in Baltimore Monday found a police officer not guilty on all charges against him in connection with the death of Freddie Gray in police custody.
Officer Edward Nero faced second-degree assault, misconduct in office and reckless endangerment charges. Prosecutors said the 30-year-old unlawfully locked away Book 'im, Mahmoud! Gray without probable cause and was negligent when he didn't buckle the prisoner into a seat belt.
Nero opted for a bench trial rather than a jury trial. Baltimore Circuit Judge Barry Williams handed down the verdicts. Officer William Porter's manslaughter trial ended with a hung jury.
Gray died April 19, 2015, a week after his neck was broken in the back of a police transport van while he was handcuffed and shackled but left unrestrained by a seat belt.
His death set off more than a week of protests followed by looting, rioting and arson that prompted a citywide curfew. His name became a rallying cry in the growing national conversation about the treatment of black men by coppers.
Shortly after Gray's death, State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby charged six officers. Three of them are black; Nero and two others are white.
Nero's attorney argued his client didn't arrest Gray and that it was the police van driver's responsibility to buckle in detainees. The defense argued that the officers who responded that day acted responsibly, and called witnesses to bolster their argument that any reasonable officer in Nero's position would have made the same decisions.
The defense also sought to convince the judge that the department's order requiring that all inmates be strapped in was more suggestion than rule because officers were expected to act with discretion based on the circumstances of each situation.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/23/2016
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[Times of India] WASHINGTON: Ignoring objections of the White House, the Republican majority House of Representatives has approved the National Defense Authorisation Act which blocks $450 million aid to Pakistan for failing to take action against the dreaded Haqqani network.
The NDAA 2017 (H R 4909) was passed by the US House of Representative (277-147) on Wednesday night, which among others included approval of three major amendments reflecting the strong anti-Pak sentiment prevailing among the US lawmakers. HR 4909 or more commonly referred to as the Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour bill. Believe me, it will be paid.
[Breitbart IS] TEL AVIV - Egypt is in the final stages of planning a large-scale campaign against the Islamic State in the Sinai, an Arab intelligence official told Breitbart Jerusalem.
The Egyptian army has mobilized tanks, APVs, as well as engineering and artillery units into the peninsula over the past few days, the official said, adding that the operation is poised to take place with coordination from Israel.
According to the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty, Cairo is prevented from sending heavy weaponry into Sinai. However, given the two countries’ common enemy, Israel has been allowing that violation for the past few years so that Egypt can fight militants in Sinai.
"That clause has long ceased to be relevant" when it comes to fighting Sinai militants, the official said. "Israel understands [President Abdel Fatah] Sisi’s needs, and realizes that IS is a common enemy, therefore their operative cooperation is unprecedented at the operative level, with an Egyptian army backed by Israel’s intelligence."
#7
Who is our enemy? If you are talking about Egypt, we have a quasi peace treaty with them that allows our stationing of troops in the Sinai. That treaty is now nearing the forty-year mark, and except for the period when the Muslim Brother was PM, Egypt has been found to be trustworthy.
[Ynet] Several Israeli companies have been working on advanced solution to fight terrorism more effectively and without putting security personnel at harm's way, including an automatic interrogation of suspects at airports, advanced cameras with facial recognition software, and radar that pinpoints drones flying in sensitive air space.
BLUF:
Identifying terrorists' anxiety before an attack SDS was founded in 2004 by Eran Drukman, formerly vice president of sales at Nice Ltd., Gal Peleg, a senior algorithm developer formerly with Comverse, the late Yeshayahu Horowitz, formerly the head of the polygraph division with the Israel Police, and Shabtai Shoval. The company was financed by the US Department of Homeland Security and has worked closely with the Israeli defense establishment in developing its technology.
According to Shoval, the sensors the system uses can identify changes in suspects’ physiology or increasing anxiety before an attack from a distance and thereby aid in the identification of attackers entering public spaces, such as airport terminals, stadiums and subway stations.
Thomas Lifson argues that Bernie Sanders presents "a mortal danger to not only the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, but the continued viability of the party’s strategy of mouthing populist rhetoric while practicing crony capitalism. Too late, they now realize he actually means what he says."
...We expect revolutionaries to be indifferent to money. Yet in reality the Left thinks about nothing but money as the Venezuelan socialists who have stolen $350 billion from the treasury, according to the Basel Institute on Governance, should have proved to the world. If it's any consolation to the Democratic Party, Bernie Sanders is not as indifferent to lucre as he seems. Sanders' filings show he's received money from Super PACs and donors with links to Wall Street -- so he may be normal after all.
Perhaps the first major 20th century writer to realize that the ambition of all true Communists should be to become billionaire revolutionaries was Hilaire Belloc. In his 1912 book, The Servile State, Belloc argued the then-burgeoning Communist movement would find more success ditching Leninism in favor of an alliance with Crony Capitalists to reinstate Slavery. "Slavery, or a Servile State in which those who do not own the means of production shall be legally compelled to work for those who do, and shall receive in exchange a security of livelihood."
...Belloc argued that the only two exits from the evils of crony capitalism were an expansion of property holdings to the great majority of the people (the classic conservative program) or collectivism. Of the two alternatives, the elites would find collectivism far the easier path.
...Best of all, the socialist agitator was free under the arrangement to engage in his favorite project of remaking mankind to free him from "the ravages of drink: more fatal still the dreadful habit of mankind of forming families and breeding children." Belloc's Servile State anticipated the carnival at Davos with its weird hodgepodge of moralism, pseudo-scientific causes and economic diktat precisely because it understood what the power coalition of the future would look like.
#3
"What will you be having, sir?"
"I'll be having the Western sandwich..."
"If he's having a Western Sandwich, then I want an Eastern Sandwich!"
"Premier, I'm sorry, there is no Eastern Sandwich."
"Then I want the eastern portion of his Western Sandwich!"
Convicted by the same regime that is all open borders with Mexico.
[FoxNews] In the Iraqi-American Christian community, he is revered as an activist who delivered thousands from persecution at the hands of Muslim extremists, but in the U.S. halls of justice, Robert DeKelaita is regarded as a criminal who helped clients lie to get asylum.
The 53-year-old, Iraq-born DeKelaita, who was convicted earlier this month of helping clients falsify asylum applications, faces up to 35 years in prison when he is sentenced in August. DeKelaita’s supporters insist he was targeted for speaking out about what they consider the federal government’s blind eye to Christian persecution in the Middle East.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
05/23/2016 12:54
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So basically, the Left installs a religious test for its refugee program, then calls Trump a Nazi for even suggesting that we might want to look into how we're letting in unvetted refugees from a known war zone that just happens to be overrun with islamist terrorists.
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
05/23/2016 14:09
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[AP] HANOI, Vietnam (AP) -- U.S. President Barack Obama on Monday lifted a decades-old arms export embargo for Vietnam during his first visit to the communist country, looking to bolster a government seen as a crucial, though flawed partner even as he pushes for better human rights from the one-party state.
Obama announced the full removal of the embargo at a news conference, saying the move was intended to step toward normalizing relations with the former war enemy and to eliminate a "lingering vestige of the Cold War."
"At this stage both sides have developed a level of trust and cooperation," Obama said, adding that he expected deepening cooperation between the two nation's militaries.
Obama is seeking to strike this balance with Vietnam amid Chinese efforts to strengthen claims to disputed territory in the South China Sea, one of the world's most important waterways.
Lifting the arms embargo will be a psychological boost for Vietnam's leaders as they look to counter an increasingly aggressive China, but there may not be a big jump in sales. Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang thanked Obama for lifting the embargo.
[News Asia] Delivery of the Boeing planes is expected to run from 2019 until 2023, when VietJet will have a fleet of more than 200 planes of both Boeing and Airbus to accommodate its expansion plan.
HANOI: Vietnam's VietJet agreed a firm order of 100 Boeing F-35 737 MAX 200 airplanes worth US$11.3 billion at list prices on Monday (May 23), making it one of the region's fastest growing low-cost carriers.
Delivery of the Boeing planes is expected to run from 2019 until 2023, when VietJet will have a fleet of more than 200 planes of both Boeing and Airbus to accommodate its expansion plan, the carrier said in a statement.
In a statement, VietJet said the deal was "the largest ever single commercial airplane purchase in Vietnam aviation", and was penned in front of the Vietnamese and American presidents. United States President Barack Obama is on a three-day trip to the communist nation.
The airline also signed a US$3.04 billion deal for engines made by Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies, for the 30 Airbus A321 planes that it ordered in November 2015.
#2
I'll assume there will be a formerly restricted technology transfer of maintenance devices to include the avionics and sensor code libraries.
Flight deck and flight controls[edit]
Boeing plans no major modifications for the 737 Max flight deck, as it wants to maintain commonality with the 737 Next Generation family. The 737 Max will, however, feature four new large-format display screens supplied by Rockwell Collins. These are 15.1-inch (380 mm) landscape LCD displays, in use on the 787 Dreamliner, that will increase pilots' situational awareness and efficiency. Boeing also plans to add more fly-by-wire control systems to the 737 MAX family, although Boeing Commercial Airplanes CEO Jim Albaugh said that changes would be "very minimal." Boeing has confirmed that fly-by-wire controls will be added to the spoilers.[40][41]
[Ploughshares] On the radar: Time to work with Russia; Michael Douglas on Hiroshima; NDAA highlights nuclear costs; Making the Iran Deal work for Iran; Iran hearing is political theater; and Asian MIRVs pose strategic challenge.
THE WORLD’S BIGGEST PROBLEM IS YOUR PROBLEM TOO.
The threat of a nuclear weapon being used today is greater than it’s been in 50 years.
Ploughshares Fund supports the smartest minds and most effective organizations to reduce nuclear stockpiles, prevent new nuclear states, and increase global security. But, but, but, I thought 'nuclear counter proliferation' was on someone else's plate? Oh, wait !
But they won't, because in the case of Israel they will get nuked right back, and in the case of the USA, if they are not nuked back, there will be regime change in short order.
#6
Doesn't matter Phil. They firmly believe that by nuking Israel and having Israel nuke back they will bring out the 10th Iman from his hidey-hole in some well somewhere.
Well worth the price of a few million of their fellow Muslims in their opinion.
Israel's ambassador to the United States slammed on Sunday the "fiction" that a partner for peace exists within the Palestinian Authority, warning of a hostile reaction from Jerusalem to any effort to impose terms of a two-state solution through international bodies.
Addressing The Jerusalem Post's annual conference in New York, Ron Dermer, a close confidante to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said that world powers supporting an initiative by France to outline parameters for peace between Israel and the Palestinians are "ignoring the will of the free people who live in the most endangered democracy on Earth."
"These powers, albeit with the best of intentions, will only encourage the Palestinians to continue their 100 year campaign to destroy the one and only Jewish state," Dermer told the crowd.
"Such an effort will not only prevent peace today," he said, but could prevent peace "for decades to come" and bolster international efforts to delegitimize Israel. The degenerates running the world applying their version of 'transgender restroom logic' to the problem.
[LI] In his testimony last week before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, concerning the grand Iran deal deception described in a recent New York Times article that was carried out by Obama and Deputy National Security Advisor Ben Rhodes, Michael Doran, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, laid out five areas where the White House deceived the American people.
First, Doran in his testimony established that even before he became president, Obama had expressed an interest in rapprochement with Iran. He cited former CIA chief and Defense Secretary, Leon Panetta, from The New York Times expose on the echo chamber saying that the administration knew that "They’d have gotten "the [expletive] kicked out of them," if they had been upfront about their intention to engage Iran.
Doran summed it up:
To avoid that fate, Obama proceeded surreptitiously. In 2012, he opened secret, bilateral negotiations with the Iranians on the nuclear question in Oman. Simultaneously, he quietly brought his policies in Lebanon, Iraq, and, especially, Syria into alignment with Iranian interests. In November 2013, the administration announced that it had reached an interim agreement on the nuclear question. Shortly thereafter, the existence of the secret Oman channel became known, but few observers understood just how active the Oman channel had been, or what it portended for the future of American foreign policy.
Next, Doran explained the five points of deception and their significance, using his terms:
1) Conjuring Moderates.
2) Falsifying the Chronology.
3) Erasing American Concessions.
4) Hiding the Regional Cost.
5) Blaming Allies.
Article provides detailed explanation of the 5 categories listed above, which are little more than a psychological operations template for everything emanating from the White House. Benghazi being a classic example, which quickly comes to mind.
[Daily Caller] A Washington, D.C., non-profit that allegedly acted as a key proxy for the Obama administration to help push the Iran nuclear deal reportedly spent millions on various media outlets in order to promote reporting and analysis of the resulting nuclear agreement.
Ploughshares Fund provided over 90 grants to various organizations in 2015 in order to engage in reporting, research and analysis on Iranian nuclear issues. The over 90 grants given out in 2015 nearly doubles those the organization provided in 2014, and triples the amount given in 2013. Ploughshares increases in grant funding directly coincides with the time period during which the Iran nuclear deal was being finalized and presented to Congress.
The non-profit was named directly by Ben Rhodes, President Obama's Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communication, in a piece for New York Times Magazine as one of the groups that he and his team utilized to spin the Iran nuclear deal to the American public. In the piece, Rhodes claimed he and his team created an "echo chamber" which involved various friendly journalists and organizations.
The organizations and individuals which received the grants spanned from National Public Radio (NPR), which received $100,000 for " reporting that emphasizes the themes of US nuclear weapons policy and budgets, Iran's nuclear program, international nuclear security topics and US policy toward nuclear security," to think tanks such as the RAND Institute which was given $40,000 to write "a series of articles that analyze specific elements of the diplomatic agreement with Iran on its nuclear program."
#6
#4 Ploughshares is financed by KAPO billionaire George Sorosâ Open Society Institute.
I'd wondered where the money came from that they were handing out so freely -- J Street got over half a million dollars to be the "pro-Israel" voice pushing the thing.
#7
Of a piece with Ploughshares' Iran policy is the organization's support for the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), the Iranian regime’s principal lobbyist in the United States. A few facts about NIAC.....ValJar, etc.
#8
I remember reading somewhere (some libertarian blogger in 1990es) "The amazing thing about politicians is not that they're for sale. The amazing thing is how cheap!"
#11
I remember reading somewhere (some libertarian blogger in 1990es) "The amazing thing about politicians is not that they're for sale. The amazing thing is how cheap!"
More concerning is that all news reporting is becoming 'sponsored'.
[Breitbart] As retailer Target sees its stock plummeting and sales dropping in the midst of a boycott over its recently announced pro-transgender bathroom policy, the company’s CEO is insisting the weather is the cause of falling sales, not the company’s bathroom policy.
In a recent Wall Street Journal interview, Target CEO Brian Cornell pegged the downturn in the company’s fortunes to the cold weather as opposed to anything the company itself is doing or not doing.
"It’s been a very wet and cold start to the year and it’s reflected in our sales," Cornell told the paper. "We haven’t seen anything from a structural standpoint that gives us pause."
In other words, the weather is responsible for the downturn, not Target’s "structural" transgender bathroom policy.
Indeed, a month after the initial announcement, the Target CEO came out to double down on the transgender agenda, so it appears the company is digging in heels instead of looking for ways at appeal to customers.
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
05/23/2016 5:03
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#2
Its hard to feel sorry for fools.
Some people are too stupid to live to be old.
TARGET seems to have petted a burning dog.
A fight they didn't need to get into. The worst kind.
And the Transgender folks won't even thank them.
This is HOW it feels to be a Loser. TARGET is a Loser.
#8
If you've got Target stock - better unload it now if you haven't already
Posted by: Rex Mundi ||
05/23/2016 14:14
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#9
I blame global warming because there's nothing I can do but posture about it. Now give me my $28 million in executive comp -- Target CEO Brian Cornell
Posted by: regular joe ||
05/23/2016 16:19
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#10
The SEC should put him in jail for conspiring with hedge funds to lower the value of Target stock.
#12
Getting more customers is good. They teach that in business school. Getting more customers at the expense of your existing customer base is not.
This suggests the payoff for getting involved in this mess is coming from somewhere beyond Target. (unless Brian's mum is shorting the heck out of Target stock)
President Obama arrived in the steamy capital of Vietnam ahead of schedule on Sunday night to begin three days of meetings in hopes of luring yet another Southeast Asian country away from China’s tight embrace. He was greeted on the tarmac by a young woman in a long yellow dress who handed him a bouquet of flowers. Several second-tier Vietnamese officials shook the president’s hand before he climbed into his limousine for a quick trip to his hotel after nearly 24 hours of travel. Quiet clusters of people on the dark streets watched his motorcade pass. Except for the small groups, the streets seemed to have been completely cleared.
Since Air Force One had been scheduled to land after midnight, or about three hours later, the official arrival ceremony with high officials in attendance was postponed until Monday morning. Maybe then Mr. Obama will see the kind of emotional outpouring that greeted President Bill Clinton in 2000, when he became the first United States president to visit the country since the Vietnam War. But it is possible that relations between the two countries have reached a stage that the arrival of an American head of state no longer seems so unusual.
Mr. Obama will meet with the country’s newly installed prime minister and president on Monday, then get together with the country’s real power — Nguyen Phu Trong, the general secretary of the Communist Party.
Mr. Obama’s visit is an important step in a complex dance that Vietnam has carried on with China for centuries. The population here is deeply nationalistic and anti-Chinese sentiment is visceral. The American War, as it is known here, is mostly forgotten, particularly since half of the population is under 30.
Vietnam relies on China for trade, investment and even the water that feeds the vast Mekong Delta, so the leadership knows it can poke the dragon only so much. But in 2014, China placed a giant deep-sea drilling rig to explore for oil and gas right off the Vietnamese coast, and Mr. Trong could not even get his telephone calls to Beijing returned.
Since then, Vietnam has stepped up its contacts with the United States. Neither the United States nor Vietnam is ready for a formal alliance, but Vietnam may grant American warships access to its ports, and Washington seems certain at least to widen exceptions to its longtime arms embargo and may end it altogether.
Human rights remain a barrier to closer ties. While the country does have elections — polling places were packed Sunday for a parliamentary election — candidates must be approved by the Communist Party.
Mr. Obama plans to meet with some dissidents and civil society leaders on Tuesday before making a speech.
American help in reforming Vietnam’s economy is also high on the agenda for leaders of both countries.
#1
Yes, we told him to go. When he's out of the country his 'negatives' recede, then of course there's the 100 Boeing 737 MAX 200 sale, but who better to stir up shi* in Asia?
#3
News From The Front - very interesting that POTUS led with the announcement and the Boeing deal. In my experience they build up a little and make announcements on the last day (tomorrow in this case). I think the admin wanted to show the ChiComms straight away he means bidness. All of this was of course worked out back channel w/Charlie long ago. These trips are soooo scripted. Literally down to the color of the table cloths and the floral arraignments. Optics are good for the admin on this one vis a vis the ChiComms/re re pivot. Standby for flowery media play from the usual suspects. The term "rock star" was already used. Nostradamus sez look for Charlie to quietly release some low/mid-level dissidents in a few months as to not connect it to the visit/deal.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
05/23/2016 8:56
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#4
He had to do it before he left office. Couldn't leave that one on the table for Trump.
#5
very interesting that POTUS led with the announcement and the Boeing deal
Creating those jobs must have hurt him. He'll probably allow them to be manufactured in Vietnam or something equally stupid just to claw some of that back.
[Libya Herald] The head of the Libya news agency LANA in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , Ahmed Saad, has been incarcerated Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! amid claims of fraud and corruption.
He is alleged to have sold property belonging to LANA and misappropriated LD 3 million, supposedly moving it to Tunisia and elsewhere. One report claims that when he was arrested he had LD 300,000 in his possession.
LANA staff have told the Libya Herald that while the allegations may or may not be true, they believe the real reason for his arrest is political Dire Revenge. Appointed by the former Tripoli regime prime minister Khalifa Ghwell last summer, Saad is, they say, disliked by elements now supporting the Presidency Council.
It is extremely unusual for anyone to be arrested and charged with corruption at present in Libya, although it is rampant.
LANA is split into two parallel organizations, one in Tripoli, the other in Beida.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/23/2016
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[Libya Herald] Claims that Khalifa Hafter has ordered Government of National Accord (GNA) defence minister Mahdi Al-Barghathi back to Benghazi or be court martialled are not true, Libyan National Army (LNA) front man Ahmed Mismari has told the Libya Herald.
"The day he went to Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , he chose not to be part of the Libyan armed forces," Mismari said. "We are no longer responsible for him."
An Emirati news site has been quoted claiming that "a high ranking" officer belonging to Hafter’s command had told it on Saturday that Barghathi told to resign from the government and return to Benghazi or be punished.
Mismari said that the LNA was aware of the report but it was false.
It was also not true that members of the 204 Tank Brigade, of which Barghathi was commander, had threatened anyone who was opposed to his becoming defence minister in the GNA, he said. On the contrary, the LNA had appointed a new commander and changed the name of the brigade, and this was happily accepted by the members.
Mismari, however, did not name the new commander, saying that for security reasons it had to be withheld but that an announcement would be made shortly.
For his part, Barghathi has moved to heal the breach with Hafter.
In an interview in Tripoli with Libya’s Channel TV station, he noted that Hafter had said he supported the legitimacy of the House of Representatives (HoR). "This is what Libyans want", Barghathi said. They certainly did not want to be ruled over in the name of religion or by militias ‐ a key Hafter position.
Both the GNA forces and the LNA had to unite to fight IS, Barghathi stressed. Otherwise "ISIS’s fire will burn Libya". The GNA, he said, wanted to work "in cooperation with the leadership of the military institution" in the war against terror. But the army was not there not serve any individual, party or tribe. Its aim is to protect Libya and Libyans, he said.
Despite the apparent current divide between him and the LNA, he also stated that he had had "a cordial meeting" with boycotting Presidency Council member Ali Gatrani and a number of members of the HoR and that they had talked about the army.
Gatrani is a firm supporter of Hafter.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/23/2016
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[AnNahar] The Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group appeared to try to keep morale high among its supporters in a new audio message released on Saturday, which also called for attacks on the U.S. during the holy month of Ramadan.
The audio recording reportedly featuring IS front man Abu Mohammed al-Adnani was posted online late Saturday evening after much fanfare by IS supporters on Twitter.
"Will we be defeated if we lose djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... , or Sirte, or Raqa, or all the cities, and go back to how we were before?" Adnani said.
The three cities are IS's strongholds in Iraq, Libya, and Syria respectively.
"No. Defeat is only losing the desire and the will to fight," Adnani continued, in his first voiced speech since October.
The front man appeared to mock the United States, which is leading a coalition of countries in an air war against IS in Iraq and Syria, for failing to definitively defeat IS.
He said even "20,000 air strikes" by the coalition had not destroyed IS.
Adnani also called for attacks on the U.S. and Europe during the holy month of Ramadan, which starts in early June this year, an appeal he made at the same time last year when urging supporters to seek "martyrdom".
On Friday, flyers apparently dropped by the coalition on Raqa city in northern Syria urged residents to leave the city, perhaps ahead of an offensive by anti-IS forces to recapture it.
"It would appear IS is more clearly acknowledging its limitations in holding territory" while stressing the "idea of living on despite losses," wrote jihadism expert Aymenn al-Tamimi in reaction to Adnani's recording.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/23/2016
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[Iran Press TV] Iran has captured two ISISis in the country’s western province of Hamadan, says a high ranking intelligence official.
According to the province’s intelligence director general, the two Iranian nationals with links to the ISIS terrorist group were caught during two separate intelligence operations while en route to Tehran, IRINN reported on Sunday.
On Friday, Iran's Intelligence Minister Mahmoud Alavi announced that Iran had dismantled more than 20 terrorist groups that had planned to detonate bombs and cause insecurity across the country during the last Iranian calendar year (ended on March 19). He added that a large amount of weapons and ammunition was confiscated from the terrorists.
Alavi said that ISIS seeks to hatch plots against the Islamic Theocratic Republic from its de facto capital Raqqah in Syria, but any terrorist team which headed to Iran fell prey to Iranian security forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/23/2016
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[Libya Herald] There have been festivities today in Sorman, some 50 kilometres west of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , and in Wadi Rabie near Tripoli International Airport.
In the Sorman fighting ‐ allegedly between a two local militias, one supporting the Presidency Council, the other opposed ‐ one person is reported to have been killed and two others injured. It is said to have followed a demand by one militia that the other hand over a military camp.
According to a local source, locals are not venturing out into the streets and both militias are gathering further forces to back them.
In Wadi Rabie, south of the city, where numerous farms are used as bases by various militias and consequently scene of many festivities over the past three years, five people were maimed in shooting between a local militia and a Misratan unit. The reason has not been disclosed.
The five injured were taken to a clinic in nearby Ain Zara. Roads in and out of Ain Zara are reported to have been closed.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/23/2016
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[Al Ahram] After years of suspended talks, Pope Francis will receive at the Vatican on Monday Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayeb, the grand imam of Egypt's Al-Azhar, the highest seat of Sunni Islamic learning.
The historic visit between the two religious leaders, which is considered unprecedented, comes after serious tensions between the two institutions during the time of Francis' predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI.
The now-retired Benedict made a September 2006 speech in which he was perceived to have linked Islam to violence, sparking deadly protests in several countries and retaliatory attacks on Christians.
Since Pope Francis was elected in 2013, relations have steadily improved.
El-Tayeb will have an audience with the religious leader of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.
"This audience is being prepared and has been scheduled for Monday," he said. "It will be a first."
A statement by Al-Azhar read that El-Tayeb's meeting with Francis will focus on coordination of efforts between Al-Azhar and the Vatican on spreading the culture of dialogue, coexistence and peace between peoples and societies.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/23/2016
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[Iran Press TV] Egyptian security forces have conducted a series of fresh raids against the hideouts of bully boyz in the North African country’s restive Sinai Peninsula, killing at least 58 gunnies over three days.
Egyptian security officials said that at least seven gunnies were killed in festivities North Sinai on Sunday.
Three bad boys, including a ringleader, were killed when security forces raided their hideout in south Rafah, while four others were killed when troops attacked their positions in el-Arish's al-Jurah district and the town of Berth.
Also on Friday, at least 51 bully boyz were killed after Egyptian military supported by the air force conducted massive raids against the bad boy positions in north and central Sinai. According to Egyptian security sources, 43 of them were killed in and around Arish, Sheikh Zuwaid and Rafah, while six others were killed in the mountainous Halal region in central Sinai. Two others were also killed while they were attempting to target a security patrol south of Sheikh Zuwaid.
Two top bad boy commanders are among those killed in the massive security operations.
Egyptian forces also destroyed 12 buildings along with a farm used by bully boyz as bases to carry out attacks across the troubled region.
They also managed to destroy four trucks, five cycle of violences and a huge fuel dump belonging to the bad boys.
#1
People forget that within weeks of the 'Arab Spring' Egypts jails were emptied and Egypt Islamic Jihad and Jammaa Islamiya revolutionaries made a beeline straight to Sinai. There they received the direct support of Gaza's Hamas. Rooting them out now is tough going.
[Telegraph] When a British-Canadian mining expert was beheaded by an Islamist kidnap gang in the southern Philippines, the nations leaders pledged to unleash the full might of the military to "neutralize" the Abu Sayyaf. But in the weeks since, there has been no sign of progress in the "relentless manhunt" for the gunmen who murdered John Ridsdel and hold two other Westerners.
During the last two decades, Abu Sayyaf militants have developed an abduction-for-ransom operation that blends ruthless banditry and religious fanaticism. In recent months, they have become increasingly brazen in their speedboat-driven raids, seeking kidnap targets far from their strongholds. In their lair, the Sulu archipelago, terrain and local support certainly favor the rebels. They hide out in the dense jungle on islands where they divide their time between piracy and farming jackfruit and durian.
The local economy there is so dependent on the kidnap business that it has become a way of life. The profits are shared between corrupt officials and military commanders, Islamic leaders and tribal elders, distributed down to local villagers who provide food and cover, not to mention the militants themselves and their arms procurers.
Posted by: ryuge ||
05/23/2016
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(IraqiNews.com) Babel – A source in Babel province said on Sunday, that the security forces had managed to detain 38 wanted individuals on various criminal charges in different areas of the province.
The source, who asked anonymity, said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “The detachments of Babel Police Command were able to arrest 38 wanted individuals on various criminal charges, during raid operations in different areas of the province in the past 48 hours, in accordance with various legal materials,” adding that, “The detainees were transferred to the competent authorities for the completion of the preliminary investigations.”
WARNING: This dude is butt ugly at the link.
The White House has appointed a transgender woman to serve on the President's Advisory Council on Faith-based Neighborhood Partnerships.
Barbara Satin is an Air Force veteran and currently serves as Assistant Faith Work Director for The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. She is a member of the United Church of Christ.
Satin served as the first openly transgender member of the UCC's executive council. She was involved in the UCC's 2003 decision to affirm the inclusion of transgender people in the full life and ministry of the United Church of Christ.
"Given the current political climate, I believe it's important that a voice of faith representing the transgender and gender non-conforming community -- as well as a person of my years, nearly 82 -- be present and heard in these vital conversations," Satin said of her appointment to the President's advisory council.
Satin, along with 10 other individuals were appointed to the council on May 12.
President Obama described Satin and the other appointees as "fine public servants" and would bring "depth of experience and tremendous dedication" to their roles.
The advisory council helps to make policy recommendations to the administration and suggests improvements and best practices for services that relate to faith-based groups. Of the 15 current members on the council, most are Christians.
Recently, the president defended his administration's decision to instruct public schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom that matches their gender identity, saying that society must protect the dignity and safety of vulnerable children. Projecting Hypocrisy
#3
I missed the comment #1 and went to the site to see how ugly a person of my years, nearly 82 could be.
The link took me to an article entitled - Going to Church Could Help You Live Longer.
Coincidence? I think not.
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/23/2016 9:02
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#4
The Breitbart article has more on B.S. the person:
When he was 54, Satin retired early and began to explore his âtransgender identity.â He adopted the name âBarbara Satinâ full-time, explaining, âBarbara was the name of the first girl that I felt attracted to, and Satin is the fabric of my life.â
Satin â who has never undergone medical and surgical treatments to become more like a woman â left the Catholic Church, choosing instead to join a congregation of mostly LGBT individuals in Minneapolis.
So he's just playing dress-up, but that's much less damaging than regretting irrevocable steps. And he does have three presumably lovely grandchildren.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Multiple kabooms rocked Herat ...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns... city earlier this afternoon after the Death Eaters fired several rockets on the provincial governor’s compound.
The Herat police confirmed that the Death Eaters had planted the rockets in a rickshaw from where they targeted the provincial governor’s compound.
At least two of the rockets impacted the governor’s compound and the other rocket hit another rickshaw near the governor’s compound, the police officials said.
They also added that a civilian was killed and seven others were maimed in the attack.
No group including the Taliban has so far grabbed credit behind the incident.
Herat is among the relatively peaceful provinces in western Afghanistan however the anti-government armed krazed killer groups have increased to their insurgency activities during the recent months.
The latest attack on the provincial government compound comes as Afghanistan is preparing to inaugurate Salma dam which has been built with the financial support of India.
Three BM-1 rockets were fired at the governor's office in Herat ...a venerable old Persian-speaking city in western Afghanistan, populated mostly by Tadjiks, which is why it's not as blood-soaked as areas controlled by Pashtuns... city shortly after 1pm local time in Herat city, officials have confirmed.
Two of the rockets reportedly hit the entrance to the governor's building, wounding five.
The rocket that hit the auto-rickshaw killed one person and maimed one other, said officials.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/23/2016
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[ARA News] KOBANE – Militant fighters of the Islamic State (ISIS) on Sunday launched an attempt to infiltrate into Kobane in northern Syria by attacking three villages in the Kurdish region, military sources reported.
Kobane and its countryside are under control of the Kurdish forces of the People’s Protection Units (YPG).
“ISIS militants attacked the villages of Gire Abre, Gire Sor and Shuyoukh in the southwestern countryside of Kobane, using mortar shells and heavy weapons,” YPG officer Nuraddin Gaban told ARA News in Kobane.
A number of civilians were injured in the targeted villages, before the YPG responded to the ISIS offensive by bombing ISIS positions in the area.
“Subsequent to the terror attacks on southwestern Kobane, our (YPG) forces were engaged in clashes with ISIS terrorists,” the Kurdish officer said. “We bombed ISIS positions with heavy artillery and rockets, causing the terror group heavy losses in manpower and equipment.”
At least eight ISIS militants were killed and two ISIS vehicles were destroyed, while the rest of the group’s fighters withdrew towards their headquarters in Jarablus, according to the official.
Posted by: badanov ||
05/23/2016
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QUETTA: Two charred bodies and the remains of a car were found on Sunday in Balochistan's Noshki district near the border with Afghanistan.
The bodies, which were transferred to the Civil Hospital Quetta, were later identified as Wali Muhammad, resident of Balochistan's Killa Abdullah district and Muhammad Azam hailing from Taftan town in the province's Chaghi district.
"Their bodies had been severely burnt from explosive material and there were iron marks on their faces," a senior doctor who declined to be named since he was not authorised to speak to media told Dawn.com.
Azam's body has been handed over to his heirs, who said the victim was a taxi driver.
Haji Khudai Nazar, Azam's uncle, told Dawn.com Azam had been driving a taxi for almost a decade.
The militant-infested Pak-Afghan border region in Balochistan saw unprecedented American bombardment over the weekend, which was authorised by United States President Barack Obama, the Pentagon said on Saturday.
US officials also claimed that Taliban chief Mullah Mansour was killed in one of the drone strikes over the weekend. The Afghan government later confirmed the development, with Afghan chief executive Abdullah Abdullah claiming Mansour was killed in a US drone strike near Quetta – Balochistan's capital.
American officials said the target of the strikes, Afghan Taliban chief Mullah Mansour, was "likely killed".
Pakistan has however said it is "seeking clarification" about a US drone strike that purportedly killed Mansour. Foreign Office Spokesman Nafees Zakaria in a statement on Sunday said: "I have seen the reports [surrounding Mansour's death in a drone strike]. We are seeking clarification."
It is pertinent to mention hear that US Secretary of State John Kerry in a statement on Sunday said he had notified Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif by telephone of a US drone strike that 'likely killed' Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mansour.
Kerry said the Afghan leadership was also apprised of the air strike ordered by US President Barack Obama, declining to elaborate on the timing of the notifications.
[ARA News] ERBIL – Extremists of the Islamic State (ISIS) have executed 20 civilians in Mosul city of Iraq’s northwestern Nineveh province, local sources reported on Sunday.
The victims, including 19 young men and a woman, were arrested by the ISIS-led Islamic Police last week on various charges.
The ISIS-linked Sharia Court in Mosul issued a statement regarding the reasons behind the execution of the twenty civilians.
“The woman was accused of committing adultery, nine men were accused of spying for hostile parties, and ten others were arrested on charges of apostasy and violating the ISIS regulations in Mosul,” local media activist Abdullah al-Malla told ARA News in Mosul, citing a statement by the Sharia Court.
“They were publicly executed by firing squad. Hundreds of people have been invited to witness the brutal execution,” al-Malla reported.
This comes just one days after ISIS extremists beheaded three civilians in Iraq’s northwestern Nineveh province on charges of spying for the Kurdish Peshmerga force. The three victims were arrested by ISIS militants on Friday evening while trying to escape the Safina village of the Qayyarah district in southern Mosul.
The Sharia Court in Mosul claimed that interrogations revealed the involvement of the three young men in leaking security information about the group to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, local sources reported.
“By such executions, ISIS is trying to send a message to the Peshmerga, Iraqi army and the US-led coalition that the group is still powerful and is able to uncover any attempts to leak security information about its activities to those forces,” head of Nineveh media centre Raafat al-Zarari told ARA News.
Posted by: badanov ||
05/23/2016
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[ARA News] DEIR EZZOR – Prominent Islamic State (ISIS) jihadi and governor of Deir ez-Zor Abu Khadijah al-Masri was killed along with other ISIS members during clashes with Syrian army forces in eastern Syria, activists reported on Sunday.
Al-Masri, an Egyptian jihadi who joined ISIS ranks in 2014, was appointed by the group’s leadership as a Wali, or governor, for the ISIS-held Deir ez-Zor. He joined the military campaign in defence of the ISIS-held Syrian eastern province against regime army troops.
“More than 15 ISIS fighters were killed on Sunday, including al-Masri, in clashes with the Syrian army in the vicinity of Deir ez-Zor military airport,” media activist Salman Hammadi told ARA News in Deir ez-Zor.
Fierce clashes took place on Sunday in the Tharda district near the airbase. ISIS militants were forced to withdraw towards the city centre after the death and injury of dozens of the group’s fighters under shelling by the Syrian army.
After a failed attempt to storm the military airbase, ISIS militants launched two car bomb attacks on the regime-held neighbourhood of Sinaa east of the city Deir ez-Zor, killing at least four pro-regime forces and injuring others.
“Conduction the car bomb attacks came in response to the death of al-Masri and other fighters of the Islamic State near the Deir ez-Zor airbase,” a source close to ISIS told ARA News.
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05/23/2016
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(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – On Sunday, a local source in Nineveh Province revealed, that 18 ISIS members were either killed or wounded in a bombardment carried out by the international coalition aviation in eastern Nineveh.
The source reported for IraqiNews.com, “Today the international coalition aviation bombarded ISIS headquarters in Tel Aswad and Zar Khatoun in Khazar axis, killing 10 ISIS members and wounding 8 others.”
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added, “The coalition aviation bombarded three other headquarters in Khabour area in eastern Nineveh.”
(IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – On Sunday, official journalists with the Ministry of Defense announced, that 16 ISIS members were killed, including senior leader, in an air strike conducted by the international coalition aviation in Nineveh Province.
The journalists said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “ISIS leader the so-called Sheikh Ibrahim, along with 15 ISIS terrorists were killed in an air strike carried out by the international coalition aviation on a hideout in (IraqiNews.com) Nineveh – On Sunday, official journalists with the Ministry of Defense announced, that 16 ISIS members were killed, including senior leader, in an air strike conducted by the international coalition aviation in Nineveh Province.
The journalists said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “ISIS leader the so-called Sheikh Ibrahim, along with 15 ISIS terrorists were killed in an air strike carried out by the international coalition aviation on a hideout in al-Houd village.”
The statement added, “The hideout was used by ISIS to launch attacks on Makhmur District south of Mosul.” village.”
The statement added, “The hideout was used by ISIS to launch attacks on Makhmur District south of Mosul.”
Posted by: badanov ||
05/23/2016
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(IraqiNews.com) Baghdad – A source in the Iraqi Interior Ministry said on Sunday, that six elements of al-Hashed al-Asha’ri militia had been either killed or injured in a bomb blast that targeted their patrol south of Baghdad.
The source said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “This morning, an explosive device went off targeting a patrol for al-Hashed al-Asha’ri while passing in the vicinity of al-Yusufiyah, south of Baghdad, resulting in the death of one element and wounding five others.”
The source added, “A security force rushed to the area of the incident and transferred the injured to a nearby hospital for medical treatment and the dead body to the forensic medicine authority.”
[The Telegraph] Islamic State has moved its chemical weapons operation to densely populated residential areas and is testing homemade chlorine and mustard gas on its prisoners, residents of the Iraqi city of Mosul have claimed.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil) is reported to have set up laboratories in built-up neighbourhoods in the heart of its so-called caliphate to avoid being targeted by coalition air strikes.
The terror group is known to harbour chemical and nuclear ambitions, and is trying to manufacture weapons not only for attacks within Iraq and Syria but also the West.
It has a special unit for chemical weapons research made up of Iraqi scientists who worked on weapons programmes under Saddam Hussein, as well as foreign experts.
The head of the unit, Sleiman Daoud al-Afari, was captured during a raid by US special forces outside Mosul in March and is now sharing intelligence on Isil’s chemical operation.
An investigation by Syrian and Iraqi citizen journalists who report under the name Sound and Picture, reveal he has now been replaced by Abu Shaima, an Iraqi doctor who worked at the University of Baghdad during Saddam’s reign.
Other than his links to the late Iraqi dictator little is known about Shaima, which is customary for top Isil leaders.
Posted by: Besoeker ||
05/23/2016
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#1
We should allow this to go forward so they will be able to fully develop these weapons, import them to Western cities, and kill and injure a bunch of folks there.
[ENGLISH.ALMANAR.LB] Senior commanders from the Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who must be killed... ISIS terrorist group have reportedly started fleeing the town of Karma in Iraq’s beleaguered western province of Anbar en masse as Iraqi security forces are making headway toward the area.
Iraqi military commander Colonel Mahmoud Morzi al-Jumaili announced that the terrorist commanders have begun escaping from the town, which is located 48 kilometers (30 miles) west of the capital, Baghdad, and heading toward an unknown location in Anbar Province, Leb’s al-Ahed news website reported.
Meanwhile, ...back at the comedy club, Boogie sadly admitted that he was a better peeping Tom than he was a comedian... at least 35 ISISDeath Eaters have turned themselves in to Iraqi security forces deployed to the outskirts of the city of Fallujah, ... the City of Mosques, which might have somthing to do with why it's not called Center of Prosperity or a really nice place to raise your kids... which is located roughly 69 kilometers (43 miles) west of Baghdad and is held by ISIS.
A security source, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... , said the development attests to the panic, confusion and serious cracks within the ranks of ISIS.
Separately, Iraqi security forces together with Popular Mobilization units retook control of a strategic highway on the outskirts of Trebil Village, which lies in Anbar Province and on the Iraq-Jordan border, on Friday.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
Is someone there to scoop up the senior commanders, or did we telegraph what we were going to do on purpose so they'd have a chance to bug out and leave the guys carrying guns to die?
#5
Probably not, if they're running in the direction of Syria
Probably about 260-280 miles away. The town is about 25 miles WNW of Baghdad near what was Camp Donnica. Another sh*thole that was a very nasty place for our forces.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
05/23/2016 15:36
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#6
Doesn't ISIS execute fighters who desert in combat? Or does that only apply to the cannon fodder?
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
05/23/2016 15:59
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[Iran Press TV] Heavily-armed hard boyz have ambushed and killed six paramilitary soldiers in northeastern India near the border with Myanmar.
The attack occurred in India’s militancy-scarred Manipur State on Sunday.
The soldiers were on their way to the Chandel district of Manipur, where they were due to do rescue work following a mudslide, a police officer said.
The hard boyz ambushed and fired at a three-vehicle convoy of the paramilitary Assam Rifles soldiers in the forest area, said the officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media.
All the six occupants of the front vehicle were killed. The other two vehicles sped away and escaped the attack, the officer said.
The region is infested with active myrmidon groups that operate from both sides of the India-Myanmar border. The Sunday attack occurred about 15 kilometers (10 miles) from the border with Myanmar.
In June last year, hard boyz used rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons to ambush an Indian military convoy in the same area, killing 18 soldiers.
Separatist groups accuse India’s government of exploiting the region’s rich natural resources while neglecting local development.
Most of the main myrmidon groups in Manipur are not engaged in cease-fire talks with the Indian government, unlike those in other remote northeastern states.
The mountainous region, known for its natural beauty, has been the site of militancy for decades.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/23/2016
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[NATION.PK] Ali Imran, son-in-law of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is involved in embezzlement of Rs 230 million of Punjab Energy Department (PED), former Chief Finance Officer of PED Ikram Naveed told a magistrate through his counsel.
As hearing commenced, the officials of Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment produced former Chief Finance Officer of Punjab Energy Department Ikram Naveed before Judicial Magistrate Ashraf Gondal. Accused Ikram Naveed through his counsel Advocate Mushtaq Mohl told the judge that Mr. Ali Imran, son-in-law of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif was involved in misappropriation of Rs 230 million of Punjab Energy Department. He said but no one could dare to nominate him in the FIRs registered by the ACE.
He said Rs 120 million were directly deposited into the account of Mr. Imran. The counsel of the accused said that his client had paid back Rs. 3.5 million while the rest of the money was invested by the son in law of Mr. Shahbaz Sharif. He said he was behind all this misappropriation but he was not nominated in any of two FIRs registered in this regard. The counsel stated that previously he was remanded twice to Anti-Corruption Officials but the allegations failed to prove and now again the officials had come to get his remand for third time. It was unjustified because earlier they could not prove anything while the amount on his part had been paid back, said Mr. Mohl. He requested the court to allow his bail.
However, the officials of Anti-Corruption Establishment said that the accused invested money in different plazas and purchased flats in Lahore and Islamabad. They denied involvement of Ali Imran, son-in-law of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. But when the accused’s counsel questioned that how could they deny deposit of Rs 120 million directly into the account of Mr. Ali Imran, the officials said that it was the part of their record. The officials opposed his bail saying that he was still required in investigation as huge amount of public money was embezzled from the Energy Department where he was Chief Finance Officer.
After hearing both sides, Judicial Magistrate Ashraf Gondal remanded Mr. Ikram Naveed into the custody of the ACE officials for three days.
Anti-Corruption Establishment arrested four senior officials of Punjab Energy Department including Chief Executive Officer Syed Farrukh Ali Shah, Deputy Secretary PED Shakeel Ahmad, Chief Finance Officer Ikram Naveed and GM PED Ihsanul Majeed when it was revealed that Rs 230 million had been embezzled. ACE registered two FIRs: 14/2016 and 29/2016 in which all above four officials were nominated.
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The GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) is a U.S. Air Force, precision-guided, 30,000-pound (14,000 kg) "bunker buster" bomb. This is substantially larger than the deepest penetrating bunker busters previously available, the 5,000-pound (2,300 kg) GBU-28 and GBU-37.
In 2012, the Pentagon requested $82 million to develop greater penetration power for the existing weapon. A 2013 report stated that the development had been a success, and B-2 integration testing began that year.
The bomb can penetrate 200 feet of 5000 psi hardened concrete and is accurate enough for multiple hits on the same location to penetrate deeper targets or targets with even stronger concrete. One GBUJ-57A/B can only penetrate 8 meters of 10,000 psi rock or concrete. This could drop to 2 meters of 30,000 psi material.
Rock of over 10,000 psi is considered hard. The strongest granite is about 30,000 psi. In 2007, the University of Tehran made several concrete cubes between 50,000 to 60,000 psi, and possible stronger. The aggregate to be made from quartz, and had some steel fibers in the mix.
High-strength concrete has a compressive strength greater than 40 MPa (5800 psi).
#3
At some point the shock alone is enough, and penetration isn't necessary. Then there's spalling...
Plus, you just need to seal the doors.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
05/23/2016 7:38
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In 2007, the University of Tehran made several concrete cubes between 50,000 to 60,000 psi
The French were trying to sell that stuff in the U.S. in 1995. Maybe they sold some to the Mad Mullahs, who just took 12 years to mix it up and test it.
Posted by: Bobby ||
05/23/2016 8:20
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#5
making a test cube - a lot easier than a large batch plant with Insh'allah QC
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/23/2016 11:26
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#6
Easy enough, I suppose, to use lesser munitions on ingress, egress and ventilation portals to similar affect.
[Al Ahram] Sudan has "de facto expelled" a senior United Nations ...where theory meets practice and practice loses... official after refusing to renew his "stay permit" for another year, a UN statement said on Sunday.
The foreign ministry informed the UN in Sudan that the annual permit for Ivo Freijsen, who heads the Sudan office of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), will not be renewed when it expires on June 6, the statement said.
"This is despite the request for a 12-month extension of his stay permit... which was submitted on 10 April 2016," it said, adding that the ministry did not provide an explanation in writing for its decision.
"The action by the government of Sudan is inconsistent with the fundamental principles of the international civil service enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations... to which Sudan is a party."
Freijsen, who is Dutch, is the fourth senior UN official to be expelled from Sudan over the past two years, the statement said.
His expulsion comes in addition to the "forced closure of international NGO Tearfund in December 2015 and the de facto expulsion of three international NGO country representatives in recent months", it said.
Freijsen was appointed to the post in February 2014, his sixth official appointment in Sudan.
He has worked for more than a decade in Sudan during a career spanning 23 years and more than 15 countries.
"During 12 years at OCHA he has led principled humanitarian coordination work, focusing on providing life-saving and emergency assistance to people in need," the statement said.
The Humanitarian Country Team, a top level coordinating agency among various UN agencies and NGOs in Sudan, expressed "shock and disappointment" at Freijsen's expulsion.
The team "is concerned about the impact of this decision on the operating environment for all humanitarian organizations in Sudan", a statement said.
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05/23/2016
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[ENGLISH.ALMANAR.LB] Beijing warned Taiwan's newly inaugurated leader against seeking independence Friday, saying peace would be "impossible" if the new government attempted to move away from the mainland.
"If 'independence' is pursued, it will be impossible to have peace and stability in the Taiwan Straits," the Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) said in a statement hours after Tsai was sworn in.
"Independence is the greatest disaster for the peaceful development of peace in the Taiwan straits and the peaceful development of cross-straits relations," it said.
Tsai is the head of the Democratic Progressive Party, which has in the past advocated for Taiwan to separate from the mainland, a goal that Beijing has firmly and consistently rejected.
China and Taiwan split in 1949 after the Kuomintang nationalist forces lost a civil war to the Communists. But Beijing has always seen the island as a renegade province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary.
The TAO statement referred to Tsai as "the new leader of the Taiwan administration", without naming her.
Her campaign emphasized the island's unique identity, and in her speech she promised to raise its profile in the international community, an idea that has long met with stiff resistance from Beijing, which has spent immense political and financial capital opposing such efforts, whittling away the number of countries that recognize Taipei diplomatically.
Addressing the issue, foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said that while Beijing has no objection to "unofficial trade relations", it is "opposed to other countries signing official agreements with Taiwan".
Posted by: Fred ||
05/23/2016
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[Libya Herald] In a bid to encourage diplomats to return to Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , the head of the Temporary Security Committee (TSC) set up by the Presidency Council (PC), Abdulrahman Al-Tawil, has announced that plans are in hand to secure embassies and other diplomatic premises in the capital.
We had guys protecting our ambassador in Benghazi. We all know how well that worked...
Speaking yesterday, he said that along with safeguarding the safety of the Presidency Council itself, it was the first step towards securing the entire city.
However, a woman is only as old as she admits... Libya-accredited diplomats who have quit Tripoli, mostly for Tunis, almost unanimously say that they will not return until the entire city is safe.
It is certainly not deemed so at the moment. The spate of kidnappings that has plagued it has continued despite the presence of the Presidency Council and the TSC. Many victims have been held for ransom, allegedly by members of militias now supposedly providing security for the PC.
Today, the manager of one of the departments at the Libyan Centre for the Study of Terrorism was reported to have been seized in the city. Abdulnasser Al-Bishti was taken while on his way to work in the west Tripoli suburb of Hay Andalus.
He is thought to have been kidnapped by brigands wanting a ransom although it is not known which brigade they belong to.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/23/2016
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[NATION.PK] Mullah Mohammed Akhtar Mansour's brief rule, which ended with his death in a drone strike, was marked by mistrust and strife.
Mansour, who was believed to be in his mid-50s, was reported killed by an Arclight airstrike in southwestern Pakistain on Saturday, according to U.S. and Afghan officials. However a senior Taliban capo told The News Agency that Dare Not be Named that he was killed Friday night.
Since his takeover of the movement following the announcement last year of founder Mullah Mohammed Omar's death, Mansour had battled other Taliban capos. He eventually enlisted the powerful semi-independent faction known as the Haqqani network to cajole important commanders back into the fold and promised positions on the leadership council to entice Mullah Omar
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Taliban supreme leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor’s relations had deteriorated with Pakistain since he assumed the charge of Taliban leadership, succeeding the group’s founder Mullah Mohammad Omar.
According to the diplomatic sources quoted in a report by a local newspaper in Pakistain, Mullah Mansoor’s death would not cause any major concerns in Pakistain’s power circles.
The sources claimed that Mullah Mansour had some ties with the Paks in the past but relations became strained after he became leader of the Afghan Taliban, Dawn newspaper reported.
According to the report, Pakistain made several attempts in the recent past to persuade him to join the reconciliation talks but he refused.
Meanwhile, ...back at the pound, the little lost dog backed into the corner and showed its teeth. And what big teeth they were!... diplomatic observers said that Mullah Mansour’s death would further fragment the Taliban movement, which split into several factions after Mullah Omar ... a minor Pashtun commander in the war against the Soviets who made good as leader of the Taliban. As ruler of Afghanistan, he took the title Leader of the Faithful. The imposition of Pashtunkhwa on the nation institutionalized ignorance and brutality in a country already notable for its own fair share of ignorance and brutality... ’s death.
"His death will have both negative and positive consequences," said one diplomatic source. "Sometimes, it is easier to deal with a unified leadership and sometimes a weakened leadership is better. We have to wait and see how this unfolds."
Mullah Mansoor has likely been killed in a drone strike carried out by the US forces, targeting his vehicle in southwest of the town of Ahmad Wal.
The appointment of Mullah Mansoor as the new Supreme Leader of Taliban led to widening rift among the Taliban ranks which resulted into deadly festivities on numerous occassions among his supporters and the dissident Taliban leaders.
Mansoor was however supported by the notorious Haqqani terrorist network which is also believed to be based in Pakistain as the network’s leader was appointed as the deputy chief of the Taliban group.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/23/2016
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#1
"Deteriorated," eh?
Our resident Boer recently mused that the 'Bin Ladin Favour' has recently expired and wondered what else the Paks had in stock.
#4
Besoeker - No doubt that OBL was sold. I assumed the one that had the most to gain is the one that whispered into our ear - Zawahiri.
The Pakis hold a serious grudge against us for the OBL embarrassment and five months later shut our supply lines through Pakistan down in an attempt to choke us out of Afghanistan. If a Paki General sold OBL out, he did it of his own accord.
I hope we are playing a long game here and make Pakistan pay a serious price when we no longer depend upon them.
#5
The Pakis hold a serious grudge against us for the OBL embarrassment....
I suspect the Paki discomfort came from the huge media event (books, movies, etc) conducted by the Champ regime. They would have preferred a much more discreet approach, hence the meaningless 'supply line' issue...which if I remember correctly, was resolved via the usual method.
#6
Concur on the 2012 resolution of the supply line issue via the usual method. They will continue to bleed us until the end.
Concur on your assessment of the Paki discomfort as well. Although if the Pakis did this as Hersh asserts, they certainly did not think the second and third orders of effect through. Obama is a trophy guy and a braggart and never considered a discreet post-op approach once this kill mission was deemed a success. It still gets under my skin - who in the hell authorizes a photographer in a SCIF Ops Center during a mission like that? Only Obama in order to record his heroic act.
#8
"Pakistain likely tried to remove a failed and weak Taliban leader, because Mansour was ranked in the third or fourth categories of Taliban and it was Pakistain that brought him up to this level, but this was a wrong decision by Pakistain, now that Mansour is no longer alive, Pakistain will try to designate a powerful Taliban figure as a new leader" - former Afghan NDS head Nabil
So, like bin Ladin, Mansour likely was "sold". The Paks get rid of damaged-goods, select a new Taliban leader, and do a favor for the Champ regime; a chit to be called in later.
[english.Alarabiya.Net] Yemeni government forces backed by Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... -led coalition aircraft killed 13 suspected murderous Moslems in two overnight raids near the former al-Qaeda stronghold of Mukalla, a security official said on Sunday.
Three soldiers also died in the raids on suspected al-Qaeda hideouts east of the port city of some 200,000 people that pro-government forces recaptured last month, the official said.
Nine troops were maimed in the assaults in the Rukob and Bowaish districts outside the Hadramawt province capital. Two murderous Moslems were captured.
Apache helicopters of the coalition that intervened in support of President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi in March last year took part in the raids.
Last month, Hadi loyalists backed by the UAE and Saudi Arabian special forces drove al-Qaeda out of Mukalla and the port city of Shihr further east, ending a year of jihadist rule.
But since then there has been a spate of attacks on security forces, many of them suicide kabooms, claimed by al-Qaeda or ISIS.
Despite its loss of Mukalla and the Indian Ocean coast, al-Qaeda retains a strong presence in the province and still controls several towns in the interior valley of Wadi Hadramawt.
Washington regards al-Qaeda’s Yemen-based branch as its most dangerous and has stepped up a longstanding drone war against it in recent weeks.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/23/2016
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[GEO.TV] A passport found at the site of a dronezap targeting Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour bears the name of a Pak man named Wali Muhammad, the Pak Foreign Ministry said on Sunday.
The purported passport holder was believed to have returned to Pakistain from Iran on May 21, the day of the drone strike targeting Mansour.
One of the charred bodies has been identified as a local taxi driver but the badly burnt second body has not.
Photos of Muhammad´s passport seen by Rooters show a passing resemblance to some of the old photos available of Mansour, though the ministry did not directly comment on the possibility that Mansour had been travelling under another name.
"(Muhammad´s) passport was bearing a valid Iranian visa," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... had not been told about the drone strike in advance by Washington.
The ministry front man called the attack a violation of Pakistain’s illusory sovereignty.
Earlier, the Pak foreign office had said it was "seeking clarification" about a US drone strike against Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, after US officials said Mansour was likely killed in an air strike.
"I have seen the reports. We are seeking clarification," Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said in a statement. He added that Pakistain wanted the Afghan Taliban to return to the negotiating table to end the long war in Afghanistan.
"Military action is not a solution," he added.
US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... said on Sunday that Pakistain Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was notified of the air strike which took place a day earlier, but declined to elaborate on the timing of the notification.
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#1
Be interesting to find out whether it was a "business or leisure trip", as Hertz is wont to say.
[GEO.TV] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... on Sunday said that reports are still not confirmed that Taliban leader Mullah Mansour has been killed in a US drone strike.
Speaking to media representatives after arriving here, the prime minister however confirmed that he had received a phone call from United States Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... on Saturday night at 10:30PM.
Kerry had informed him about the drone attack, he added, but maintained that he was informed about the strike after it had been conducted.
"Afterwards, I spoke with the army chief as well," he said.
Prime Minister Nawaz also said that the foreign office’s statement was a protest against the drone attack.
Meanwhile, ...back at the abandoned silver mine, the water was up to Jack's neck and still rising. And then he smelled the smoke... the Pak Foreign Ministry has said that a passport found at the site of a dronezap targeting Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour bears the name of a Pak man named Wali Muhammad.
The purported passport holder was believed to have returned to Pakistain from Iran on May 21, the day of the drone strike targeting Mansour.
One of the charred bodies has been identified as a local taxi driver but the badly burnt second body has not.
Photos of Muhammad´s passport seen by Rooters show a passing resemblance to some of the old photos available of Mansour, though the ministry did not directly comment on the possibility that Mansour had been travelling under another name.
"(Muhammad´s) passport was bearing a valid Iranian visa," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement, adding that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had not been told about the drone strike in advance by Washington.
The ministry front man called the attack a violation of Pakistain’s illusory sovereignty.
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The HuffaguffasnuffalusHuffington Post has hired former Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields, the site announced on Sunday.
Fields will be on the political team covering presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump, an interesting position for Fields considering her history with the campaign.
In March, Fields, who was then working for Breitbart, accused Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski of forcefully grabbing her out of the way after she tried to ask Trump a question during an event in Florida. When the campaign initially denied the event took place and called Fields "delusional", Fields filed a police report which led to battery charges against Lewandowski, though a Florida prosecutor decided in April not to prosecute. Fields, and at least six other staffers, left Breitbart shortly after the incident, saying the website failed to adequately support her at the time.
At Breitbart, Fields was the Ted Cruz campaign reporter, and was at the Trump event in March to cover for a colleague who was sick. At The Huffington Post though, she'll be on the Trump trail full time.
Though the site does not shy away from taking a stand on Trump (each story mentioning the candidate comes with a tag that he is a "liar," "xenophobe," "birther" and "racist"), assigning a reporter with such a direct personal history with a candidate is an unusual move.
"I'd say that we all have our biases, whether we admit it or not, but as always the work should stand for itself," Huffington Post's Washington bureau chief Ryan Grim said in an email, adding that he's "very excited" for Fields to get started.
"After the tumultuous events of the last few months, I am ready to get back to writing and reporting on what is without question the most bizarrely fascinating presidential race of my lifetime (and, perhaps, any lifetime)," Fields said in a statement.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] A top Taliban group leader Qari Fida Mohammad was killed in an Arclight airstrike in the restive Marjah district of southern Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... province.
The Ministry of Defense (MoD) said Qari Fida was among three top Taliban leaders killed in the Arclight airstrike carried out by the Afghan Air Force.
A statement by MoD said Qari Fida was actively involved in planning and coordinating suicide kabooms.
The statement further added that the two other top Taliban leaders have been identified as Mullah Muhajir and Mullah Nemtullah who were the recruitment and chief of operations of the group in Helmand.
MoD said at least 8 other snuffies were also killed during the Arclight airstrike but the Taliban group has not commented regarding the report so far.
This comes as Taliban’s shadow judge for southern Helmand province was killed during an operation Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) led by 215th Maiwand Corps of the Afghan Army.
According to a statement by 215th Maiwand Corps, the operations were conducted in Marjah district where Taliban’s shadow judge Haji Rahmatulalh was killed along with a member of the military commission of the group.
Helmand is among the volatile provinces in southern Afghanistan where anti-government armed murderous Moslem groups are actively operating and frequently carry out insurgency activities.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The commandos of the Afghan National Army (ANA) forces released at least 23 hostages from a Taliban-run prison in southern Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... province of Afghanistan.
The hostages were released during a night operation conducted by the Afghan commandos in the restive Marjah district.
The commander of the 1st Brigade of 215th Maiwand Corps of the Afghan National Army General Noor Alam said the operation was conducted in Sistani area late on Saturday night.
He said the hostages were all ordinary civilians who were kept by the Talibs in the prison.
According to Gen. Alam, at least 20 Death Eaters were killed and over 30 others were maimed during the operations in Helmand province.
Gen. Alam further added that 2 Afghan soldiers and 3 coppers were also maimed during various operations in the past 24 hours in this province.
The Talibs group has not commented regarding the report so far.
This comes as at least 60 prisoners were released from a Taliban-run prison in southern Helmand province of Afghanistan earlier this month.
The Afghan Special Operations Forces have stepped up night raids targeting the Taliban faceless myrmidons in the restive provinces recently as experts believe the operations have yielded positive results in curbing the insurgency activities of the holy warriors.
[Tolo News] Four Taliban capos were killed in an Arclight airstrike in Marjah district of southern Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... province on Sunday morning.
Local officials in Helmand said that heavy casualties have been inflicted on the Taliban through the Khanjar 13 operation.
Security officials meanwhile said that 25 to 30 Afghan troops were released from Taliban captivity during the operation.
Omar Zwak, front man for the Helmand governor's office, said that at least 24 Talibs were killed in recent fighting.
"Khanjar 13 military operation is continuing successfully and Afghan forces have moved forward nearly 15 kilometers in the northern and southern parts," said Omar Zwak.
He said that Afghan forces have managed to recapture a large number of villages from the Taliban.
"Heavy casualties have been inflicted on the bully boys. At least 24 bully boyz have been killed. Four commanders of the murderous Moslems were also killed in an air strike by Afghan forces this morning (Sunday). Among the commanders killed is the Taliban's former [shadow] district chief for Marjah," he added.
Police in Helmand said that 25 bully boys, including two military commanders, were killed in two days of fighting in Marjah district.
Security forces also recovered a number of weapons and kabooms during the operation.
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(IraqiNews.com) Kirkuk – A security source in Kirkuk province said on Sunday, that ten ISIS elements had been either killed or injured in an aerial bombing by the international coalition west of the province.
The source said in a brief statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “The international coalition aviation conducted an aerial strike, in the afternoon, on a site belonging to the ISIS in the area of Shari’a in the vicinity of al-Zab (85 km west of Kirkuk), resulting in the death of four [ISIS] elements and wounding six others.”
The source, who requested to remain anonymous, added, “The strike also resulted in the destruction of three vehicles belonging to [them].”
Posted by: badanov ||
05/23/2016
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[AsiaOne] Malaysian police have arrested 14 suspected Daesh rebels - 13 men and a woman - in a special operation that spanned six states. The 14 suspects were picked up between May 17 and May 20.
Deputy Inspector-General of Police Datuk Seri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said, "Eight of the suspects were responsible for channeling funds to Daesh in Syria and the Abu Sayyaf in the southern Philippines. They were detained in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Perak, Perlis and Johor."
He added that the eight have connections to a Malaysian Daesh fighter in Syria, Muhammad Wandy Mohamed Jedi.
Noor Rashid said in a statement that one of the eight detainees is a relative of Muhammad Wandy, and that his account was used to send funds to Daesh. Rashid said, "He is actively recruiting new militants in Malaysia and has threatened to murder the Prime Minister and Bukit Aman's top officer."
He said that two of the 14 were detained for promoting Daesh propaganda on Facebook while another had hosted Daesh-related meetings at his home.
Posted by: ryuge ||
05/23/2016
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[TruthRevolt] Natonal Security Advisor Susan Rice told graduates at Florida International University that the presence of too many "white, male, and Yale" staffers is posing a threat to the security of America.
"Too often, our national security workforce has been what former Florida Senator Bob Graham called 'white, male, and Yale,'" Rice stated. "In the halls of power, in the faces of our national security leaders, America is still not fully reflected."
Rice, like her liberal cohorts, want to force the government and companies to hire the same demographic percentages that are represented in their various communities. But it's not just for the sake of diversity; lives are at stake, the warning goes.
"I’m not talking about a human resources issue," she stressed. "I’m highlighting a national security imperative."
Apparently hiring someone with the right qualifications isn't as important as their skin color for the Obama administration.
Rice also described several potential scenarios where she feels diversity will make all the difference in diplomacy: When, may I ask, will we be rid of this insufferable human hairball ? I'd like to say January 20th of next year, but I can envision scenarios in which either the Buffoon or the Witch would keep her on...
Ms Rice was a Stanford girl, which is why the Yale monopoly annoys her so.
#5
This woman has been a screw-up ever since she received a Clinton admin EEO appointment in the State Department. She screwed-up the capture of Bin Laden. She pulled the US embassy out of Sudan on the flimsiest (and false) evidence. She was loved by the Islamists and hated by the equatorial Africans. Well might it be said that there are too many "black, female, and EEO hires" and they pose "a threat to the security of America."
#6
So many white males buried at Arlington and other national cemeteries put America at risk (not idiotic self serving victimhood harpies). /s
In the final battle scene from the World War II film, Saving Private Ryan, mortally wounded Captain John H. Miller whispers his last words into Private James Ryan's ears: "Earn this".
#8
I'm pretty much to the point where anyone spouting this shit goes on a list of people to go after first for supplies and baked beans when shit hits the fan.
#9
"Been there, done that" does not make her an expert automatically on any aspect of national security.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
05/23/2016 12:06
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#10
Wrong aurgument Rice. The folk volunteering to defend this country are the crackers. Your race is too busy attacking the local police officer and smoking crack.
Posted by: Unelet Protector of the Sith2424 ||
05/23/2016 12:59
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#12
There's one race, humans. Anyone claiming anything else should be having exploratory surgery on a vivisection table to determine what sort of non-human vermin they are.
[RFE/RL] A court in Kosovo announced that it has sentenced seven men to prison terms of up to ten years after finding them guilty of being members of Daesh.
Imam Zekeria Qazimi, the main defendant, was jailed for ten years for recruiting young Kosovars to fight in Syria for Daesh. Qazimi had been the imam at the El-Kuddus mosque in Gjilan when he was detained in August 2014. Part of the evidence leading to his conviction was a video from 2013 in which Qazimi said, "The blood of infidels is the best drink for us."
The court said that five others were found guilty of "fighting with the terrorist organization" after traveling from Pristina to Turkey and then on to Syria. The seventh man was found guilty of recruiting fighters for Daesh and fighting in Syria.
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[RFE/RL] Russia's counter-terror agency says it has arrested four suspects in Ingushetia that it says are linked to Daesh. The National Counterterrorism Committee said that the four are suspected of planning terrorist attacks against government officials, police, and Muslims who reject the Daesh's views. The four suspects, all residents of Ingushetia, were nabbed during a raid in the region by security forces who also discovered home-made explosive devices, grenades, and assault rifles.
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(IraqiNews.com) Anbar – On Sunday, a source in the army’s 7th brigade in Anbar Province announced, that a security force managed to kill two ISIS suicide bombers while trying to sneak into al-Sekak area in Haditha District.
The source said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “Two ISIS suicide bombers wearing explosive belts managed, at dawn today, to sneak into al-Sekak area in al-Haqlaniya vicinity south of Haditha District,” pointing out that, “The suicide bombers came from Wadi Horan desert southwest of Haditha.”
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added, “A force from the army’s 7th brigade and tribal fighter managed to besiege the suicide bombers inside one of the houses in al-Sekak area and killed them.”
(IraqiNews.com) Anbar – The commander of Anbar Operations Major General Ismail al-Mahalawi announced on Sunday, that nine terrorists belonging to the so-called ISIS were killed in bombardments carried out by the international coalition and Army Aviation in different areas of the province.
Mahalawi said in a press statement followed by IraqiNews.com, “The international coalition aviation backed by a force from the Iraqi army managed to bombard a hideout belonging to ISIS terrorists in al-Subaihat area west of Fallujah, destroying the hideout and killing two ISIS members inside it.”
Mahalawi added, “The Army Aviation also managed to bombard two vehicles belonging to ISIS in Albu Ali al-Jassim area north of Ramadi,” pointing out that, “The bombardment resulted in the destruction of the vehicles, as well as killing seven ISIS terrorists.”
(IraqiNews.com) Anbar – On Sunday, official journalists with the Ministry of Defense announced, that the Iraqi F16 fighter jets destroyed a laboratory for manufacturing improvised explosive devices and killed dozens of ISIS members in Fallujah District.
The journalists said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “The Iraqi Air Force conducted a number of air strikes in Fallujah District, based on accurate intelligence information, and destructed a laboratory for manufacturing improvised explosive devices belonging to ISIS, as well as killing dozens of ISIS terrorists and burning two vehicles.”
The statement added, “The strikes also resulted in the destruction of the so-called ISIS Sharia Court.”
(IraqiNews.com) The Mayor of Rutba District Emad al-Dulaimi announced on Sunday the killing of five ISIS suicide bombers during violent clashes with the security forces and al-Hashed al-Sha’bi militia in the center of the district.
Dulaimi said in a statement obtained by IraqiNews.com, “Five suicide bombers belonging to the ISIS were hiding inside one of the houses in the neighborhood of al-Hara in central Rutba (440 km west of Ramadi) attempted to attack the security forces, resulting in violent clashes with them.”
Dulaimi added, “Four elements of al-Hashed al-Sha’bi were injured during the confrontations,” asserting that, “The five suicide bombers were killed.”
(IraqiNews.com) al-Anbar – A source in the leadership of al-Hashed al-Sha’bi in Anbar Province announced on Sunday, that the security forces were able to repel an ISIS attack and kill five ISIS elements in the southern axis of Haditha west of Ramadi.
The source said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com, “The joint security forces had managed to repel an attack by ISIS on the southern axis of Haditha District (170 km west of Ramadi), resulting in the death of five [ISIS] elements.”
The source added, “The security forces began to expand its presence in the southern axis of Haditha in order to address any potential breach.”
Posted by: badanov ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Senior Afghan Taliban sources on Sunday confirmed the death of their chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike in Pakistain, adding a shura or council is underway to decide his successor.
"I can say with good authority that Mullah Mansour is no more," a senior Taliban source told AFP.
Mansour’s death was confirmed by two other senior figures, who said the group’s top leaders were gathering in Quetta to name their future chief.
Earlier, Rooters quoted a US official as saying that Mansour was "likely killed" along with another combatant. He added that multiple U.S. drones targeted the men as they rode in a vehicle.
Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement: "Today, the Department of Defense conducted an Arclight airstrike that targeted Taliban leader Mullah Mansour in a remote area of the Afghanistan-Pakistain border region."
Cook said that Mansour has been "actively involved with planning attacks against facilities in Kabul ...the capital of Afghanistan. Home to continuous fighting from 1992 to 1996 between the forces of would-be strongman and Pak ISI/Jamaat-e-Islami sock puppet Gulbuddin Hekmayar and the Northern Alliance, a period which won Hek the title Most Evil Man in the World and didn't do much for the reputations of the Northern Alliance guys either.... and across Afghanistan, presenting a threat to Afghan civilians and security forces, our personnel, and Coalition partners."
Cook added that "Mansour has been an obstacle to peace and reconciliation between the Government of Afghanistan and the Taliban, prohibiting Taliban leaders from participating in peace talks with the Afghan government that could lead to an end to the conflict."
According to local reports, the Arclight airstrike was carried out in southwest of the town of Ahmad Wal in Zabul province and media outlets quoted an official as confirming that President Barack Obama I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody... has authorized the strike.
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#1
Mansour’s death was confirmed by two other senior figures, who said the group’s top leaders were gathering in Quetta to name their ISI-approved future chief.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/23/2016 10:43
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[Ynet] Following six months of knife attacks targeting both civilians and military personnel, the IDF has invented a neck collar for its soldiers to wear to reduce the risk of their dying if attacked.
In the past six months, Paleostinian attackers have stabbed dozens of Israeli civilians and soldiers. While civilians have usually been attacked in the stomach, soldiers are stabbed either in arms and legs, or in the neck as the assailants know they are wearing bullet-proof vests.
So the Israeli army has developed a neck collar made of the same material as the bullet-proof vest, an invention that has cut down on fatal attacks of soldiers, Col. Hagay Frenkel, the chief medical officer of the Central Command, an area that includes the West Bank, and its 2.5 million Paleostinians, told The Media Line in an exclusive interview. He said that soldiers don’t always like to wear it in 100 degree heat, but it has already saved lives.
Continued on Page 49
In an age of fewer Pontius Pilates
Leathernecks strode against Barbary Pirates
Their scimitars thus blunted
And expansionism blunted
The Arabs then plundered their own mates.
[DailyMail] Melbourne university lecturer, 34, died of altitude sickness on Mount Everest after taking on the climb with her husband to prove 'vegans can do anything'
#6
As a vegan she couldn't let the 'I did this to prove Vegans aren't weak' rhetoric wait until after she'd returned from the summit and actually proved it. Now non-vegans have ammo. Foolish girl.
[Tolo News] Reaction was swift and widespread on Sunday following the Pentagon's announcement that the Taliban's supreme leader Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour was likely killed in a U.S drone strike in a remote area along the border of Afghanistan and Pakistain.
The response to the news by Afghans was also largely celebratory, as many believe that Mansour - after taking charge as new leader - planned deadly attacks on certain facilities in Afghanistan and against the people in both the capital and provinces .
[CTV] Abu Sayyaf insurgents in the Philippines have released a new video of the three hostages abducted from a resort last fall, including Canadian Robert Hall.
In footage released Sunday, Hall is dressed in an orange T-shirt wearing handcuffs. Two fellow captives, a man from Norway and a woman from the Philippines, are seated on the ground next to him. Hall pleads with Philippine president elect Rodrigo Duterte to "work on our behalf as soon as possible to get us out of here."
"It appears my government has abandoned me and my family in this endeavour," he said.
To his family and friends, Hall says, "I know you did everything you can. I truly appreciate it. I’m sorry I got you in this mess."
Canadian hostage John Ridsdel, who was kidnapped with the three others, was beheaded on April 25. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the time that the Canadian government refuses to negotiate with terrorists.
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[Al Ahram] A Libyan former minister was killed in festivities between unity government forces and fighters of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... hard boy group in the Sirte area, the LANA news agency reported Sunday.
Mohammed Soualem, labour minister in Ali Zeidan's government from 2012 to 2014, "was directing military operations against IS" at the time, said the agency loyal to the North African country's new unity government.
He was killed in fighting in the Abu Grein area, 100 kilometres (60 miles) west of Sirte, the hard boy group's main stronghold in Libya and hometown of late dictator Muammar Qadaffy ...Custodian of Wheelus AFB for 42 long years until he was ejected from the gene pool by his indignant citizens... "The festivities cost the life of Commander Mohammed Soualem and maimed five fighters," LANA reported.
"Air units in support of this operation succeeded in destroying dozens of vehicles" used by IS "and maimed several" miliatns, it said.
Last Tuesday, forces loyal to the Government of National Accord said they had retaken the key town of Abu Grein from IS group.
GNA troops and forces of the rival government based in the east of the country and loyal to General Khalifa Haftar ... served in the Libyan army under Muammar Qadaffy, and took part in the coup that brought Qadaffy to power in 1969. He became a prisoner of war in Chad in 1987. While held prisoner, he and his fellow officers formed a group hoping to overthrow Qadaffy. He was released around 1990 in a deal with the United States government and spent nearly two decades in the United States, gaining US citizenship. In 1993, while living in the United States, he was convicted in absentia of crimes against the Jamahiriya and sentenced to death. Haftar held a senior position in the anti-Qadaffy forces in the 2011 Libyan Civil War. In 2014 he was commander of the Libyan Army when the General National Congress (GNC) refused to give up power in accordance with its term of office. Haftar launched a campaign against the GNC and its Islamic fundamentalist allies. His campaign allowed elections to take place to replace the GNC, but then developed into a civil war. Guess you can't win them all... are engaged in a race to be first to eject IS group from Sirte, 400 kilometres east of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... The rivalry between the two factions is a major cause of international concern which sees it as jeopardising anti-militant efforts.
The GNA, recognised by the international community and based in Tripoli for the past month and a half, is trying to assert its authority over a country plagued by divisions and the hard boy threat.
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05/23/2016
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
[ENGLISH.ALMANAR.LB] More bandidosLions of Islam are getting killed as the Syrian army units, backed by the Air Force, continued Sunday striking their positions in various areas, with their equipment and vehicles destroyed in the operations.
Homs
A military source announced that the army units and popular defense groups established control over three strategic points in in the direction of al-Mazar Mountain northeast of Palmyra in Homs province.
The Point of al-Hari Citadel as well as Points 619 and 711 came under the army’s control after the remaining gatherings of ISISbandidosLions of Islam were eliminated there.
Earlier, the source said the army’s air force destroyed ISIS terrorists’ positions and vehicles in the vicinity of al-Shaer oil field in the eastern countryside of the province.
ISIS positions and vehicles were destroyed in the army air force sorties on their dens in the villages of Abu Joreis, Unq al-Hawa, Um Sahreej, Um al-Reesh and Um Tababeer.
A field source told SANA that an army unit carried out an operation, targeting a den for leaders of terrorist organization of al-Nusra ...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli sh-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ... Front (Qaeda branch in the Levant) in al-Quneitrat village in al-Rastan town, adding that the terrorist Hussein Nawaf al-Nassif was killed in addition to many others during the operation.
Deir Ezzor
In the eastern Deir Ezzor province, the army’s air force destroyed ISIS terrorists’ fortified positions, armored vehicles and pickup vehicles equipped with machineguns in the vicinity of the Airport and to the southwest of Deir Ezzor city.
An army unit carried out concentrated operations against ISIS terrorists’ gatherings and positions in the vicinity of al-Tharda Mountain in the southeastern countryside of the Province.
32 ISL bandidosLions of Islam at least were killed, and two vehicles loaded with weapons and ammunition were destroyed during the operations.
Another army unit clashed with a group of ISISbandidosLions of Islam that attempted to infiltrate from Hweijet Saqer in the vicinity of Deir Ezzor city towards al-Sina’a neighborhood, where many of the bandidosLions of Islam were either killed or injured.
Sweida
In southern Syria, an army unit targeted ISIS terrorists’ gatherings in al-Qaser village at the outskirts of the Badyia area in Sweida southern province, killing many of the bandidosLions of Islam and destroying a vehicle equipped with a machinegun.
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
[Al Ahram] Libyan coastguards said they intercepted seven vessels on Sunday carrying around 850 African migrants colonists trying to reach Europe illegally by sea.
"The coastguard in the west was patrolling the area off the Zawiya refinery (45 kilometres, 28 miles west of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... ) and ... they intercepted seven large inflatables," Libyan navy front man Colonel Ayoub Qassem told AFP.
He said the migrants colonists "from several African countries" included 79 women -- 11 of them pregnant -- and 11 children.
"The migrants colonists were handed over to the authorities for transfer to shelters," he said.
The chaos in the North African country since Moamer Qadaffy's fall in 2011 has been exploited by people traffickers, with thousands of migrants colonists trying to reach Europe from Libya just 300 kilometres from Italia.
The onset of better weather conditions has raised fears of huge numbers of people attempting the still perilous sea crossing.
At the end of March, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian estimated that around 800,000 migrants colonists were waiting to head for Europe from Libya.
On May 13, a British parliamentary report said the EU's naval mission to combat people trafficking off the Libyan coast was "failing" and had only succeeded in forcing smugglers to change tactics.
Operation Sophia "does not in any meaningful way deter the flow of migrants colonists, disrupt the smugglers' networks or impede the business of people smuggling on the central Mediterranean route", it said.
Committee chairman Lord Tugendhat said the mission to patrol an area six times larger than Italia "was always going to present an enormous challenge".
"The smuggling networks operate from Libya, and they extend through Africa. Without support from a stable Libyan government, the operation is unable to gather the intelligence it needs or tackle the smugglers onshore," he said.
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05/23/2016
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Top|| File under: Human Trafficking
[Tolo News] Former head of the Afghan National Directorate of Security ...the Afghan national intel agency... (NDS) Rahmatullah Nabil and ex-US ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad have said that the killing of the Taliban's leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in Pakistain territory could be a dangerous issue for Pakistain.
Speaking to TOLOnews, Khalilzad said that Pakistain will change into a second North Korea by pursuing a partial policy of supporting the bad boys.
According to Khalilzad, the attack could expand rifts within the group and the Pakistain spy agency, ISI, will likely try to appoint Sirajuddin Haqqani ...son of Pashtun warlord Jalaluddin Haqqani, still titular head of the Haqqani Network.... as the Taliban's new leader.
The U.S drone strike on Mansour, 70 kilometers inside Pak territory, has drawn strong reactions from the U.S and Afghan intelligence officials and politicians. Analysts say that the attack could be an alarm for Pakistain.
The attack happened just days after the U.S Congress leveled strong criticism against Pakistain over its reluctance to target bad boy groups and the Taliban leadership.
According to Nabil meanwhile, the attack has complicated facets, but that it will increase the morale of the Afghans security forces on the battlefields.
"I think there are three important aspects to Mullah Akhtar Mohammad Mansour's killing, the first issue is that if the attack came as part of a joint intelligence sharing mission between Pakistain and the US, then Pakistain would have taken the decision for its national interests as part of Pakistain's struggle to reduce US criticism. The second is that Pakistain strived to nominate Sirajuddin Haqqani as deputy head of the Taliban's military wing, however Pakistain did this in line with its own interests. Haqqani has a lot of money and his involvement in drug smuggling boosted his capabilities to launch Taliban's military operations," Nabil said.
"The third is that Pakistain likely tried to remove a failed and weak Taliban leader, because Mansour was ranked in the third or fourth categories of Taliban and it was Pakistain that brought him up to this level, but this was a wrong decision by Pakistain, now that Mansour is no longer alive, Pakistain will try to designate a powerful Taliban figure as a new leader and this could be Zakir Abdul Qayoum or Mullah Baradar," he said.
"ISI is likely to convene another mass gathering as it did for Mullah Mansour and ISI will provide security for it. This time it can be a mass gathering or a small gathering in the corner of a Madrasa where they will invite a few people and will issue the decree. It has implications in the short term, because the idea of the world and the U.S about Haqqani is quite clear and this can complicate the grinding of the peace processor in Afghanistan," Nabil further said.
Meanwhile, ...back at the barn, Bossy had come up with a new idea, one that didn't involve kerosene... former U.S ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmai Khalilzad has said that the U.S can increase pressure on Pakistain.
"Targeting the Taliban leader inside Pak territory itself is a big issue. Because the U.S had rejected the assumption that Taliban leaders will not be targeted inside Pakistain. Following this, the Taliban leaders will live there with fear and they (Taliban) must realize that they are no longer safe in their hideouts and the one who rejects peace with the Afghan government will be killed, this indicates that the U.S policy toward Pakistain is now harsher and pressure has increased," said Khalilzad.
Mansour's killing has also drawn positive reaction from a number of U.S senators and members of congress.
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistain Proxies
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Chief Executive Officer Abdullah Abdullah ... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun... has said the Afghan government is close to conclude a peace deal with Hezb-e-Islami led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar ... who used to be known in intelligence circles as The Most Evil Man in the World but who now seems merely run-of-the-mill evil... Speaking during a cabinet meeting today, Abdullah said negotiations between the High Peace Council and Hezb-e-Islami are underway.
Abdullah further added that the national interests of the country and the Afghan people are a top priority in all key issues, insisting that there will be no negligence in this regard.
He also emphasized that anyone joining grinding of the peace processor should lay down arms, stop insurgency activities, respect the Afghan constitution and reach to an agreement with the government.
In other parts of his speech, Abdullah hailed the Afghan National Security and Defense Forces (ANSDF) for their devotion and commitment and said the Afghan people remains thankful to armed forces of the country.
The remarks by Abdullah comes as the Afghan government signed the draft peace agreement with Hezb-e-Islami last week.
Deputy Chief Executive Mohammad Khan told news hounds last week that the draft agreement has been signed and will become enforceable once the Hezb-e-Islami party signs it.
Khan further added that the group has agreed to have no links with the anti-government armed holy warrior groups, insisting that Hekmatyar’s only demand is to remove his name from the international blacklist.
Meanwhilel, the United States has welcomed political negotiations between the Afghan government and Hezb-e-Islami party led by Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
"We support an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned process for a negotiated resolution of the conflict in Afghanistan," said John Kirby, front man of the US Department of State.
Kirby further added that all relevant groups, including Hezb-e-Islami of Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, should be a part of such a political dialogue so that Afghans can talk directly to other Afghans about the future of their country.
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Top|| File under: Hizb-i-Islami-Hekmatyar
[VOA News] The Afghan intelligence agency confirmed that Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansoor was killed in a U.S. Arclight airstrike in Pakistain near the Afghan border.
Pakistain says it was informed by the U.S. after the drone strike was carried out but lashed out at Washington for violating its "illusory sovereignty." Islamabad did not immediately confirm that Mansoor was killed.
U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... said Sunday during a visit to Myanmar that Mansoor was targeted because he posed "an imminent threat to U.S. personnel, Afghan civilians, and Afghan cops," and that Mansoor "was directly opposed to peace negotiations."
Taliban officials have privately confirmed the death of their leader but are reluctant to be identified, saying any final determination will be made by the group's so-called Rahbari Shura or leadership council.
The drone strike occurred Saturday in Dalbandin, 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... , according to Afghan intelligence agency NDS.
Passport and IDs found
The Pak statement and doctors at Quetta's Civil Hospital say two bodies were brought to the hospital, following what witnesses say was an Arclight airstrike on a taxi at Kochaki. The statement said the taxi driver's body was released to his relatives.
A passenger in the taxi, who is believed to be Mansoor, was carrying a Pak passport and an I.D. card with the name Wali Muhammad. The picture on the Pak passport resembles Mullah Mansoor, some Taliban sources confirmed to VOA.
Images from the scene showed a destroyed car.
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Top|| File under: Taliban
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] I was supposed to be in Berlin to attend the discussion of a book written by my colleagues Hassan Abu Haniya and Mohammed Abu Ruman entitled "The Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... Organization: Sunni Crisis and the Struggle of Global Jihadism."
#2
"The Salafism that is raging in Europe and feeding the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) is not ours."
Like Hell it isn't! You funded the Islamic Centers and mosques like Munich, Aachen, Milan, Birmingham, etc., that have been the breeding ground for Islamist terrorism.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Rebel groups Sunday set a 48-hour deadline for the US and Russian sponsors of a February ceasefire in Syria’s conflict to halt a regime offensive in the Damascus region.
"We are giving the sponsors of the ceasefire 48 hours to rescue what remains of the accord and to force the criminal regime of (President Bashar al-) Assad and his allies to completely and immediately halt their brutal offensive against Daraya and Eastern Ghouta," 29 rebel groups said in a statement.
"In view of the regime’s offensive against all the liberated regions, in particular Daraya... we consider the ceasefire accord to have totally collapsed," the groups said.
Continued on Page 49
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
[Allen West Web Site] As you're reading this today, my wife Angela and I have probably just landed in Louisville, Kentucky for the NRA Annual meeting. This will be my first NRA gathering and I am a proud Life and Endowment Member of the National Rifle Association.
But on this day I am honored to say I have been elected for a three-year term to the NRA Board of Directors. I want to thank all of you out there who submitted my name by petition to be on the ballot and considered for this esteemed position.
Ya know, ain’t America just doggone grand? Here’s a young fella from Buttermilk Bottom, Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward, who will now be seated as a board member for the organization that protects our cherished, individual, unalienable right to bear arms.
You may ask why is this important to me. Well, it’s simple: because an unarmed American is a subject, but an armed American is a citizen. There’s a huge difference and I express that sentiment based on the assertions of our Founding Fathers.
[THEGUARDIAN] The Villa Poligono housing project, near the city of San Félix, in Venezuela’s south-eastern Bolívar state, is somewhere President Maduro might once have felt his popularity was secure.
His smiling, moustached image features prominently on a vast poster at the entrance to the complex of bungalows. Poligono is part of the socialist government’s Gran Misión Vivienda, the great housing mission designed to provide rent-free homes to those most in need, under the slogan "decent homes for the people".
But for the past few weeks few of its residents have been at home. Instead they can be found on the road outside, mounting a noisy protest. "We’ve had enough’, says Anna Karena, 44. "This has to end."
She has multiple grievances. Shockingly, none of the breezeblock homes in the entire complex has ever had running water. When the residents were given their keys in 2014, they were told that the plumbing would soon be connected. It never was. More recently, electricity blackouts, lasting four hours at a time, have become routine, as a combination of drought and inefficiency has left the nation without enough generating capacity.
But what seems to have persuaded her and her neighbours to protest openly is the extreme scarcity of basics, such as rice, soap and medicines. Unable to afford the exorbitant prices of the rampant black market, Karena has to queue for hours, sometimes from before dawn, just to buy enough to eat.
Hers are the same allegations of government incompetence and corruption that are echoing across this nation. A crash in the global price of oil, by far Venezuela’s most significant export, has unmasked both its dysfunctional economy and a calamitous lack of foresight on the part of its leaders. It is grappling with the world’s deepest recession, the world’s highest inflation (estimated at around 500%), and the world’s second highest murder rate. It has no sovereign wealth fund and is facing the serious risk of default by November.
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Top|| File under: Commies
[DAWN] HUMAN rights organizations and even some former US military commanders argue that drone strikes inadvertently increase terrorism by exerting a "blowback" effect. Their logic is simple. Drone strikes kill more innocent civilians than terrorists, which radicalises affected populations and motivates them to join terrorist groups to retaliate against the United States.
The perfect case for testing the blowback effect is Pakistain, where, since 2004, the CIA has launched an estimated 423 strikes, constituting 75 per cent of the agency’s drone strikes worldwide.
The strikes were carried out in the country’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) bordering Afghanistan, where Al Qaeda and Talibs found a safe haven after the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001.
Continued on Page 49
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan
#1
The faux outrage will continue as long as the cheques continue to be cashed. Nothing personal mind you, it's just business.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iraq’s army said on Sunday it was preparing to retake the ISIS stronghold of Fallujah and asked residents to get ready to leave, state TV reported.
Families who could not leave should raise white flags to mark their location in the city just went of Baghdad, the army’s media unit added, according to the TV channel.
Fallujah was the first Iraqi city to fall to ISIS in January 2014, six months before the group that emerged from al Qaeda swept through large parts of Iraq and neighboring Syria.
The army "is asking the citizens that are still in Fallujah to be prepared to leave the city through secured routes that will be announced later," the channel said.
The city on the Euphrates river 50 km (32 miles) west of the capital, had a pre-war population of around 300,000.
It is encircled by Iraqi forces and a coalition of Shi’ite militias known as Hashid Shaabi.
Known as the "City of Minarets and Mother of Mosques", Fallujah is a focus for Sunni Muslim faith and identity in Iraq. It was badly damaged in two offensives by U.S. forces against al Qaeda Death Eaters in 2004.
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
Known as the "City of Minarets and Mother of Mosques", Fallujah is a focus for Sunni Muslim faith and identity in Iraq.
Baghdad also wants to take Fallujah because that's where they believe the Sunnis Islamic State are launching their attacks from.
[Libya Herald] Another officer has been killed and two soldiers maimed near Abu Grain.
According to the media office of the Bunyan Marsous Operations Room, Colonel Mohammed Osuaib was killed when a mine went kaboom! on Saturday night.
However, Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried... other military officials say that Osuaib was killed and the other two maimed not at Abu Grain nor in mine kaboom but in the attack early yesterday on the Baghla checkpoint in which former government minister Mohammed Sualim died.
The area around Abu Grain is strewn with mines placed by the so-called Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... . Several members of the Misratan-led forces have been killed in recent days as a result.
Abu Grain itself is in the hands of the Misratans, with the front line at Al-Wishka 25 kilometres away. However, Caliphornia hasn't yet slid into the ocean, no matter how hard it's tried... there are unconfirmed reports that Bunyan Marsous forces are now at Buerat Al-Hasun, 15 kilometres further along the road to Sirte.
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
[NATION.PK] The year was 2009 when Christian Asia Noreen, better known as Asia Bibi got into an argument with a group of Muslim women after she drank water from their glass. Her neighbor who she had been in a continuing feud regarding a property was the one to ’inform’ her that as Christians are unclean, they are forbidden to drink from the glass of a Muslim.
This way of thinking is uncomfortably common in Pakistain. Many Muslims do not allow Christians to touch their plates, let alone drink from their glass. (No this is not about germs being passed by sharing a drink.)
In 2010, Asia Bibi was subsequently accused of blasphemy with an additional charge that she had insulted the Prophet, securing the death penalty by hanging.
Continued on Page 49
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
The Duke lacrosse team, the university of Virginia fraternity, et al could not be reached for comment on the penalty for false accusers.
#2
Same goes for false accusers of Rape or 'Racism'. If it were so the Racist Twins (Sharpton and Jackson) would be behind bars for a long, long, time.
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.
[FOXNEWS] A judge in Baltimore Monday found a police officer not guilty on all charges against him in connection with the death of Freddie Gray in police custody.
[Breitbart] As retailer Target sees its stock plummeting and sales dropping in the midst of a boycott over its recently announced pro-transgender bathroom policy, the company’s CEO is insisting the weather is the cause of falling sales, not the company’s bathroom policy.
President Obama arrived in the steamy capital of Vietnam ahead of schedule on Sunday night to begin three days of meetings in hopes of luring yet another Southeast Asian country away from China’s tight embrace. He was greeted on the tarmac by a young woman in a long yellow dress who handed him a bouquet of flowers. Several second-tier Vietnamese officials shook the president’s hand before he climbed into his limousine for a quick trip to his hotel after nearly 24 hours of travel. Quiet clusters of people on the dark streets watched his motorcade pass. Except for the small groups, the streets seemed to have been completely cleared.
[Telegraph] When a British-Canadian mining expert was beheaded by an Islamist kidnap gang in the southern Philippines, the nations leaders pledged to unleash the full might of the military to "neutralize" the Abu Sayyaf. But in the weeks since, there has been no sign of progress in the "relentless manhunt" for the gunmen who murdered John Ridsdel and hold two other Westerners.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Multiple 
The GBU-57A/B Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) is a U.S. Air Force, precision-guided, 30,000-pound (14,000 kg) "bunker buster" bomb. This is substantially larger than the deepest penetrating bunker busters previously available, the 5,000-pound (2,300 kg) GBU-28 and GBU-37.
[NATION.PK] Mullah Mohammed Akhtar Mansour's brief rule, which ended with his death in a drone strike, was marked by mistrust and strife.
[AsiaOne] Malaysian police have arrested 14 suspected Daesh rebels - 13 men and a woman - in a special operation that spanned six states. The 14 suspects were picked up between May 17 and May 20.
[TruthRevolt] Natonal Security Advisor Susan Rice told graduates at Florida International University that the presence of too many "white, male, and Yale" staffers is posing a threat to the security of America.
[RFE/RL] A court in Kosovo announced that it has sentenced seven men to prison terms of up to ten years after finding them guilty of being members of Daesh.
[GlobeAndMail]
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Senior Afghan Taliban sources on Sunday confirmed the death of their chief Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a US drone strike in Pakistain, adding a shura or council is underway to decide his successor.
[ENGLISH.ALMANAR.LB] More 
[Tolo News] Former head of the Afghan 
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] I was supposed to be in Berlin to attend the discussion of a book written by my colleagues Hassan Abu Haniya and Mohammed Abu Ruman entitled "The 
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iraq’s army said on Sunday it was preparing to retake the ISIS stronghold of Fallujah and asked residents to get ready to leave, state TV reported.
