#11
I get g on this one. I told my Mom that by she and Dad providing me with a loving stable home life during my childhood, relatively free from want and need, they actually made me a victimbecause they denied me an excuse for my own behavior and mistakes.
She was like all: "WHHAAAA???" til she got that I was having fun
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2017 18:41
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#12
They need an excuse for their vile culture and victimology. "White hate crimes" satisfies part of that need. In lack of real incidents, they create them
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2017 18:51
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[Reuters] Rashaan Salaam, a winner of college football's Heisman Trophy, committed suicide by shooting himself in the head in a park in Boulder, Colorado, earlier this month, a county coroner said on Thursday.
A toxicology report showed Salaam, 42, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.25, three times the legal limit for operating a vehicle in Colorado. His blood also contained 55 nanograms of THC, the psychoactive property of marijuana.
[Reuters] President-elect Donald Trump's pick to lead the Pentagon told Congress on Thursday the United States must be ready to confront Russian behavior in areas where the two countries cannot cooperate, even as he backed Trump's bid to engage with Moscow.
The remarks by retired Marine General James Mattis in written responses to questions from Congress appeared set to endear him to Russia-wary Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Armed Services Committee, which is expected to back his nomination.
"We engaged with Russia even during the darkest days of the Cold War, and I support the President-elect’s desire to engage with Russia now," Mattis wrote.
"At the same time, when we identify other areas where we cannot cooperate, we must confront Russia’s behavior, and defend ourselves if Russia chooses to act contrary to our interests."
Due to enter the White House in eight days, Trump on Wednesday acknowledged that Russia likely hacked the Democratic National Committee and emails of top Democrats during the 2016 presidential election campaign, a conclusion reached by U.S. spy agencies.
Mattis cited Russian involvement in hacking and information warfare among the challenges posed by Moscow. Others include treaty violations, using tactics short of open war to destabilize other countries and "alarming messages from Moscow regarding the use of nuclear weapons," he wrote.
Senator John McCain, the Republican chairman of the committee, said he "could not be happier" about Mattis' nomination. He warned sternly against optimism about engaging with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"Putin wants to be our enemy. He needs us as his enemy. He will never be our partner," McCain exclaimed in his opening remarks.
"He believes that strengthening Russia means weakening America. We must proceed realistically on this basis."
#2
"I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I’ll kill you all. " quote from Gen James Mattis
Oh, he understands, g(r)om.
Posted by: ed in texas ||
01/12/2017 19:50
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#3
I've noticed that those who were ACTUALLY on the steely edge of war are least likely to knee-jerk that response. Something about actually seeing the cost and such. If Mattis says "go", I'd believe him. If he says "hold", I'd believe him even more
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2017 21:00
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[Wash Times] Radio host Rush Limbaugh excoriated CNN’s Jake Tapper and BuzzFeed on Wednesday for a "coordinated" attack on President-elect Donald Trump.
Reporting Tuesday night on "State of the Union" that Russia may possess compromising information on Mr. Trump -- followed shortly thereafter by the release of an unverified intelligence dossier by BuzzFeed -- was no coincidence to the man behind the "golden EIB microphone." Mr. Limbaugh told listeners on Wednesday that CNN’s Jake Tapper knew what would happen, but acted anyway because "the normal techniques" for destroying Republicans "bounce off of Trump."
"There’s a coordinated effort," Mr. Limbaugh said. "CNN reports on the existence of the report but they don’t detail it. Jake Tapper, who wants to be known as one of the most highly respected journalists in the world, decides to start vomiting this stuff -- but he doesn’t get into details. That’s a signal for BuzzFeed to go ahead and release and publish all 35 pages. And BuzzFeed does so while telling everybody that none of it has been verified."
The conservative said that media outlets have been trying since before Election Day to verify the reports, but held off because "not a single shred" of evidence warranted coverage.
Mr. Tapper tried to distance CNN from any connection with BuzzFeed on Wednesday by saying BuzzFeed’s reporting was "irresponsible."
A Russian venture capitalist and tech expert whose name and company are mentioned in the now-notorious document alleging connections between the Donald Trump campaign and Russian hackers says no intelligence officers have ever contacted him about the accusations, which he says are false.
A report compiled by a former Western intelligence official as opposition research against Trump was made public Tuesday when BuzzFeed posted its 35 pages. The document included unsubstantiated claims of collusion between the Trump campaign team and the Kremlin.
It also alleged that global tech firm XBT Holding, with operations in Dallas, was instrumental in the hack of leaked Democratic Party emails that embarrassed Hillary Clinton and fellow Democrats.
XBT, owner of Dallas-based enterprise-hosting company Webzilla, is run by a successful Russian tech startup expert, Aleksej Gubarev. In a phone interview from Cyprus, where he said he’d lived since 2002, Gubarev said he was surprised to see his name in the report.
“I don’t know why I was there,” Gubarev said, adding that perhaps a competitor sought to discredit him. “I still don’t understand the true reason for this report.”
The salacious innuendoes in the periodic reports about Trump’s personal life dominated social media headlines. The mention of Webzilla and Gubarev was among the more specific allegations: that XBT and affiliates “had been using botnets and porn traffic to transmit viruses, plant bugs, steal data and conduct ‘altering operations’ against the Democratic Party leadership.”
Gubarev said he operated 75,000 servers across the globe and got real-time information if there had been hacking or illicit activity tied to his businesses. There is no evidence of that, he said, adding that no one has contacted him.
“I have a physical office in Dallas. Nobody contacted me,” said Gubarev, adding that 40 percent of his business is handled over the servers it runs in Dallas and the United States accounts for about 27 percent of his global business.
[Zero Hedge] While Rex Tillerson's confirmation hearing as Trump's Secretary of State was for the most part uneventful, several hours into his back and forth with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tillerson compared China’s actions to those of Russia in Crimea, saying a failure to respond had allowed it to "keep pushing the envelope" in the South China Sea. "We’re going to have to send China a clear signal that first the island-building stops and second your access to those islands is also not going to be allowed" and that putting military assets on those islands was "akin to Russia’s taking Crimea" from Ukraine.
With that statement, America's likely next secretary of state "has set a course for a potentially serious confrontation with Beijing" according to Reuters, which added that his comments are "expected to enrage Beijing."
Tillerson, the former Exxon chairman and CEO, did not elaborate on what might be done to deny China access to the islands it has built up from South China Sea reefs, equipped with military-length airstrips and fortified with weapons. Trump's transition team did not immediately respond to a request for specifics on how China might be blocked from the artificial islands.
Tillerson said he considered China’s South China Sea activity "extremely worrisome" and that it would be a threat to the "entire global economy" if Beijing were able to dictate access to the waterway.
"This is the sort of off-the-cuff remark akin to a tweet that pours fuel on the fire and maybe makes things worse," Malcolm Davis, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute in Canberra told Bloomberg. "Short of going to war with China, there is nothing the Americans can do."
He blamed the current situation on what he termed an inadequate U.S. response. "The failure of a response has allowed them just to keep pushing the envelope on this," Tillerson said.
China responded when its Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kand said China has been acting within the limits of its sovereignty. "Like the U.S., China has the right within its own territory to carry out normal activities," he said at a regular briefing in Beijing. When asked repeatedly about Tillerson's comments on blocking access to islands, China's foreign ministry spokesman said he couldn't make any guesses as to what Tillerson was referring to and would not answer hypothetical questions, Reuters reported.
China's right to carry out 'normal activities' in its sovereign territory in the South China Sea is 'indisputable', Lu said, speaking at a daily briefing on Thursday. He did not elaborate.
[Daily Caller] The opposition research firm that hired a former British spy to dig up dirt on Donald Trump is the same shady outfit that was hired by Planned Parenthood to put a positive spin on videos showing the sale of baby parts.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Washington D.C.-based Fusion GPS is the firm that hired Christopher Steele, the former British spy who authored the salacious but unsubstantiated 35-page Trump dossier that was published by BuzzFeed on Tuesday.
Steele, a former spy for MI6, the British equivalent of the CIA, relied on contacts in Russia, where he has served, to provide information about Trump’s business dealings, his visits to Russia and his campaign’s alleged contacts with Russian agents.
h/t Instapundit
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for secretary of state has set a course for a potentially serious confrontation with Beijing, saying China should be denied access to islands it has built in the contested South China Sea.
In comments expected to enrage Beijing, Rex Tillerson told his confirmation hearing on Wednesday before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee that China's building of islands and putting military assets on those islands was "akin to Russia’s taking Crimea" from Ukraine.
Asked whether he supported a more aggressive posture toward China, he said: "We’re going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed." Trump doing an anti-Nixon?
The Nixon-Kissinger theory was to use China as a counter to the Soviet threat. Now that China poses more of a direct threat, Russia could be the current counter. So, the theory is the same, but just reversing who and how you deal with.
#3
The Nixon-Kissinger theory was to use China as a counter to the Soviet threat. Now that China poses more of a direct threat, Russia could be the current counter. So, the theory is the same, but just reversing who and how you deal with.
Posted by Procopius2k
Second order effect (or was the first order?), butt loads of USD for Henry Kissenger.
h/t Instapundit
As we and others have documented countless times, the liberal world has gone bonkers over Donald Trump. It is an odd thing: Trump isn’t even a conservative, or wasn’t until recently. Yet liberals have gone nuts over his ascendancy in a way that is unprecedented. They make fools of themselves hour by hour, and, weirdly, don’t seem to notice.
The current issue of Vanity Fair, a celebrity-oriented Democratic Party magazine, is a case in point. Check out the cover of the January 2017 issue:
Apart from the cover story, virtually the entire issue is devoted to attacking Trump: "Trumpocalypse now!" "Michael Lewis: The Biggest Short is Trump’s Vision Problem." "The Tapes that Could Derail the New Presidency." "Trump In Palm Beach: The Bounder vs. the Bluebloods." "Half-Sister Act: The Dossiers On Ivanka & Tiffany." "Daddy’s Boys: The Dossiers On Eric & Don Junior."
Are these people nuts? For whatever reason, Donald Trump has driven them around the bend. As regular readers know, I was anything but a Trump supporter through the primary season. But observing how bizarrely liberals react to him makes me think that his fans were on to something from the beginning. Well, what do you expect of people on the wrong side of history?
#5
With Hillary in power, with Bill and Obumble in the shadows, the left was on the cusp of turning the US into a liberal paradise much like San Fran or Detroit.
The fact that Trumpster is not a fan of globalism and wants to put people to work instead of putting them on the dole and at the mercy of the oligarchs, is what has them in a frenzy.
All of those years of wrecking our economy and turning us into a carbon copy of the EU are out the window and now they will have to start over again...if the joe citizens of the US will ever believe them again.
They shot their wad on Hillary, the MSM came out of the closet fully about who and what they were and now they are like vampires in the full light of the noon day sun...
[Express] SICK images have emerged showing evil Islamic State jihadis throwing a man off the top of a building in Mosul as punishment for being gay. The twisted terrorists blindfolded their victim, believed to be in his late 20s or early 30s, carried his body to the top of a building and then hurled him off.
Under ISIS’ strict regime, homosexuality is punishable by death and often the bodies of such individuals are stoned by crowds of onlookers after being thrown off buildings.
The brutal execution is likely to have occurred in the southeast region of Mosul, which ISIS are currently occupying despite Iraqi forces seeking to reclaim the city.
Posted by: Besoeker ||
01/12/2017
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#1
Boy, it's a good thing this isn't published in the local US media. The liberal media and LGBT community would be outraged! But that would distract their focus on Trump Derangement Syndrome.
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/12/2017 7:34
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#2
Nah, everyone who pays attention has come to the conclusion Muslims are higher on the victim ladder than gays. They're just helping them down to the appropriate rung. All of which is just a mask for the Left's pursuit of power for the gullible.
#3
the 21 jan women's march on washington is expected to have significant numbers of gays as well as significant numbers of muslims
many of the leftists in the US and Europe still do not believe that Islam has anything against gays even in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary
Posted by: lord garth ||
01/12/2017 12:20
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#4
The left doesn't give a DAMN about ANYBODY'S "rights". Instead, "rights" are just a convenient *tool* they break out whenever it serves THEIR purpose (and ONLY when it serves THEIR purpose).
Whenever "rights" get in the way of their lust for power, "rights" lose every, single, damn, time.
[The Last Refuge] An interesting ’hot video’ moment during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee shows someone who appears to be Washington Post editor Doris N Truong taking photographs of Rex Tillerson notes on table during a break at the Senate confirmation hearing.
Twitter folks identified the sneaky photographer as Doris N Truong (pictured above). However, some dispute that identity and believe the culprit is Lisa Song, a reporter for Inside Climate News. You decide.
Related: Gateway Pundit story provided by DarthVader.
#1
If the trunks had any rocks, the sergeant at arms would just have his staff collect all the media's electronic devices outside the hearing rooms. Put a blown up picture of the offensive behavior on an easel at the door, captioned "This is why you can't have nice things..." This is not a First Amendment violation, as nobody is preventing reporters from having a pencil or notebook.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/12/2017 7:33
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#2
Revoke her press pass. She can cover the WAPO sports section in the future.
The Washington Post doesn't want to get the CNN treatment. And of course, if for some inexplicable reason it was actually Lisa Song of Inside Climate News taking photos of the future secretary of State's notes, they'll have been right to protest.
[PJ] Director of National Intelligence James Clapper called President elect Donald Trump tonight to discuss the many intelligence leaks to the liberal media over the past week.
Clapper also discussed the disgusting and fraudulent "golden shower" conspiracy being pushed by CNN, Buzzfeed and several liberal media outlets. Clapper statement at the link
Is Clapper REALLY dismayed by the many intelligence leaks by liberal hacks in the intelligence community. Clapper needs to step down. The intelligence community is OUT OF CONTROL! If he can’t control the leakers he needs to let someone else lead who can.
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper tells Trump that the CNN-Buzzfeed report was garbage! pic.twitter.com/owtXzOXBMv
#1
I'm not keen on blaming Clapper. Responsibility rests with the fellow we're not hearing from and his homesteading colleagues at Main. Does anyone actually believe Christopher Steele and his Orbis Business Intelligence LTD firm acted unilaterally ?
#5
I believe Clapper was one of the ones who gave Trump intel briefings, one of the ones who may have possibly passed on intel briefing news to the media. I bet he was dismayed that his people were tricked so easily by Trump.
I mean even if Trump made that bit up he pulled one over on them.
[Free Beacon] A delegation of more than 100 members of Congress wrote to President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday, urging him to relocate the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem "as soon as you take office," according to correspondence obtained by the Washington Free Beacon.
The lawmakers wrote to back Trump’s campaign pledge to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a policy shift the Obama administration has opposed.
The letter comes days before Trump is to take office. It follows a series of United Nations resolutions supported by the Obama administration condemning Israel for building homes in Jerusalem neighborhoods.
The letter, spearheaded by Rep. Ron DeSantis (R., Fla.), urges Trump to send a message to the world that the United States views Jerusalem as "the eternal capital of the Jewish people," according to the missive.
The move would be a decisive break with the current White House, which has long maintained that Jerusalem is not part of Israel.
[Free Beacon] President Obama referred to himself at least 79 times during his farewell address Tuesday night in Chicago. Video at the link if you dare.
'If President Obama's farewell speech had gone on any longer, it would have become a third term.'
~ Greg Gutfeld
[Breitbart Israel] Residents of Gaza were outraged at criticism of Hamas’ cross-border tunnels, used mainly for smuggling, by the Palestinian Authority’s official TV channel.
The criticism emerged during a debate on the electricity crisis in Gaza, as the number of hours Gazans are provided with electric power decreased to three per day as opposed to eight.
Earlier this week, several demonstrations took place in Gaza over the increasingly difficult conditions, against the backdrop of a cold spell that struck the Strip.
Hamas has traded blows over the crisis with the Palestinian Authority, which they kicked out of Gaza in 2007. Hamas claims that the PA failed to pay the bills to their Israeli service provider and demanded that the tax on electricity in Gaza be increased, while the PA accuses Hamas of wanting free electricity, and while ordinary citizens bear the brunt of the crisis, Hamas’ tunnel network remains unaffected by the shortage.
#10
be fair
five comments represent all gazans? anyway one is Lebanese, one makes an ambiguous statement, and the other three are dedicated members of Hamas. I be that 90 percent of the population of Gaza is angry at Hamas about this but dare not make any comment for fear of sudden death.
[Breitbart] New York (AFP) ‐ President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday attacked the pharmaceutical industry for high drug prices and for manufacturing overseas, saying he will create new procedures for bidding on drugs.
The industry is "getting away with murder," Trump said in his first press conference since he was elected, sending pharma stocks plunging.
"Pharma. Pharma has a lot of lobbies, a lot of lobbyists, a lot of power," he said, making the industry the latest target of his frequent attacks on business since the November election which have included the auto and aerospace industries.
Trump said pharmaceutical companies will be coming back to the United States from overseas.
"Our drug industry has been disastrous. They’re leaving left and right. They supply our drugs but they don’t make them here, to a large extent," Trump said.
#1
I am a big fan of free-market capitalism, but there are areas that need gov't. regulations are necessary for safety reasons.
Unfortunately that opens the door to the rapacious rent-seekers of the politco-pharaceutical world. Hope Trump follows through and can cut this Gordian knot.
#4
I agree some things need to be regulated. For example there should be some *limited* regulation of drugs and medical equipment. This is to keep the snake-oil salesmen at bay and keep unsuspecting patients from being injured or killed by badly designed or tested equipment. But note I said 'limited' - some of the food regulations are simply enforced marketing.
As for Pharma....
The way I read it it works like this.
Pharma give the consumer 'payment vouchers' for their product - to cover most of the portion of the deductable that Obamacare won't cover.
In the meantime they jack up their prices 10x and charge it to Obamacare. Epipen is just the tip of the Iceberg. The consumer, with the voucher, never really sees the real price and the plan either has to pay whatever is charged or gets re-reimbursed from the government and doesn't really care.
[IsraelTimes] At least 25 other Paleostinians suspected of low-level attacks locked away Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! in overnight operations, army says.
Israeli troops arrested a former senior Paleostinian Authority official in his home in Nablus early on Wednesday morning, according to Arab media reports.
In addition, 11 suspects were picked up in the Paleostinian village of Tekoa for allegedly throwing rocks, Molotov cocktails and pipe bombs, the army said.
At least 14 other Paleostinian suspects were arrested overnight throughout the West Bank, the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
In 2012, Dweikat was named the PA’s governor of the Jenin-Tulkarem region by PA President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... . Before that, he held a rank comparable to a general in the PA security forces.
In Tekoa -- not to be confused with the nearby Jewish settlement of the same name -- IDF troops, along with officers from the Shin Bet and Border Police, were operating as part of a crackdown on so-called "popular terrorism," a catch-all term that typically refers to throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at cars and taking part in violent protests against security forces.
In a separate incident on Tuesday night, the IDF arrested a group of Paleostinian youths who the army said had been throwing rocks at passing cars near al-Khader, southwest of Bethlehem.
Surveillance footage, released by the IDF on Wednesday, shows a group of people standing near a road. The video then cuts to an army jeep pulling up to the area, and two of the people can be seen running away before IDF soldiers capture and arrest them. According to the army, the alleged rock throwers were spotted by a soldier monitoring the surveillance cameras, who then called in the troops who made the arrest.
According to police, one of the suspects picked up overnight, a 31-year-old from Qatane in the central West Bank, was arrested after a search of his home uncovered a trove of apparently stolen goods, including jewelry, military uniforms, guns and electronics.
In the northern West Bank, troops arrested four suspects in Nur Shams, one in Balata, one in Bayt Amin and one in A-Zawiya.
In the central West Bank, two people were picked up in Ein Umm esh Sharayit and one was arrested in Bayt Rima.
And one person was arrested in the village of Dura, outside Hebron, in the southern West Bank, the army said.
According to defense officials, the West Bank has seen a sharp rise in the number of violent attacks, primarily rock-throwing incidents, over the past three weeks. The officials said the increase is mostly due to exam season in Paleostinian high schools, but they were examining the possibility that it was tied to a December 23 anti-settlement resolution passed by the United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... Security Council.
In September, 346 rock-throwing attacks were recorded, in October 375, in November 420, and in December 344. Most of the December attacks occurred in the final week of the month. In the first week of January there were 169 recorded attacks, a pace that would lead to almost 700 attacks by the end of the month.
The rock attacks were also linked to a series of anniversaries taking place around now, including that of Fatah’s founding and first terrorist attack on January 1, 1965, and of the liquidation of Yahya Ayyash, Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",’s chief bomb maker, on January 5, 1996.
[IsraelTimes] Authorities dismantle structures, stables and clear public land in Jabel Mukaber, hometown of truck driver who killed four soldiers. Additionally, city planning supervisors mapped out the neighborhood, noting illegal construction and identifying and registering the homeowners. The municipality said the enforcement was designed to tackle serious building offenses, which it said contravened the law and safety requirements, compromised public areas and hurt the neighborhood.
The city also started enforcing payment of the property and water taxes for residents of the neighborhood.
Ouch. Reverse-Alinsky the heck outa them, Israel -- make 'em live up to your rules, just like everyone else.
[IsraelTimes] A man from the predominantly Bedouin southern city of Rahat has been tossed in the calaboose Don't shoot, coppers! I'm comin' out! for posting a video on his Facebook page that called for people to carry out car-ramming attacks, police said in a statement Wednesday. Police said the suspect, a 30-year-old Rahat resident, was first detained on Tuesday, and would remain in jail until at least January 15.
"While protecting free speech, we cannot allow incitement and threats on Facebook," the statement said.
[IsraelTimes] Jewish state’s new policy allows Cairo to quickly boost troops in volatile peninsula to combat 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....
An Israeli defense official on Wednesday confirmed that the country has developed a new policy in recent years to allow Egypt to quickly beef up its forces in the volatile Sinai Peninsula as part of a shared struggle against Islamic terrorists.
The official spoke days after Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said there are about 25,000 Egyptian troops operating in Sinai. It was the first time an Egyptian leader has commented on the number of troops battling bully boyz there.
His comments, made Monday night in a telephone call to a live TV talk show, underlined the depth of his commitment to the fight against terrorists, but also reflected the immense challenges Egypt faces.
In addition to the troops, Egypt’s military is also known to have deployed F-16 fighter jets as well as Apache helicopter gunships and tanks in northern Sinai. Egypt’s close coordination with Israel in the fight against IS in Sinai is widely believed to be helping to fuel the insurgency.
Israel, which is bitter enemies with the Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", terrorist group in the neighboring Gazoo Strip, sees Egypt as an important ally in the battle against Islamic turban groups in the region and the two countries have close security and intelligence ties.
While their historic 1979 peace agreement limited the number of Egyptian forces in the border area near Israel, it includes provisions to allow Egypt to increase its forces if Israel agrees.
The Israeli defense official said that Israel used to treat such requests with caution, but that in recent years has taken on a new policy to approve requests much faster in a reflection of the growing friendship and joint interests.
"We do have a new policy and that has to do with terrorism over there," he said. "It’s a common threat and a common interest."
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity ... for fear of being murdered... , was unable to provide firm numbers on Egyptian troop levels in Sinai, but said they were "significant."
"There’s a need on the ground that we more than acknowledge," he said.
[INUTH] In a move that may expose Pakistain over its inability to stop spreading terrorism from its soil, Chinese government has recently announced that the security along the China-Pakistain border would be further tightened in order to prevent Death Eaters from entering or leaving the region illegally.
According to media reports, Xinjiang Communist Party leaders expressed fears of Lions of Islam getting training in Pakistain and Afghanistan, and returning to the province to carry out terror attacks.
This announcement came days after five people killed in a terrorist attack in Hotan.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2017
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#1
Hey, maybe they can build a wall! If they do, I'll bet the msm approves.
Posted by: Whiskey Mike ||
01/12/2017 6:56
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#2
Just keep selling them nuclear and rocket technology while they fund terrorism. Yep, that's the ticket. To include your Nork dog doing the same business on the side.
[CBSNEWS] The al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... murderous Moslem group announced Tuesday it has killed a teenage boy and a young man for engaging in sexual conduct. This is the first known time that al-Shabaab has carried out what it calls executions over homosexuality.
The Somalia-based murderous Moslem group announced the killings via its Andalus radio, saying they were carried out in a public square in Buale, a town in Middle Jubba region.
The group said it killed 20-year-old Isaq Abshirow and 15-year-old Abdirizak Sheikh Ali after they were placed in durance vile Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! by al-Shabaab’s Islamic police and convicted by a court run by the murderous Moslems.
Speaking at the site of the killings, the group’s self-proclaimed judge called the sexual acts "immoral and reprehensible," the Andalus announcement said.
Also killed was Said Mohammed Ali, accused of spying for the Æthiopian army, the group said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2017
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[ISRAELNATIONALNEWS] Israel on Wednesday announced new charges against the Gazoo head of a major US-based NGO accused of diverting millions of dollars in aid to Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",.
Mohammed al-Halabi, the Gazoo director of Christian humanitarian charity World Vision, is alleged to have funnelled aid money to the Islamist terrorist movement that runs the Gazoo Strip.He is due in court again in the city of Beersheva on Thursday.
On Wednesday an updated charge sheet was published with two additional charges, including "aiding and abetting the enemy in a time of war" and "passing information to the enemy. A foreign ministry front man declined to comment on the additional charges.
Halabi is expected to plead not guilty on Thursday after negotiations over a plea bargain collapsed, a source close to the case said. His legal team said Wednesday they still have not had access to much of the evidence against their client.
On January 4 a United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... worker from Gazoo was sentenced to seven months in jail for aiding Hamas "without intention."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2017
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[HINDUSTANTIMES] al-Qaeda’s affiliate in North Africa released a new proof-of-life video of Swiss missionary Beatrice Stockly, held hostage in Mali by the group since last January, US-based monitoring group SITE said.
The al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) video, which lasts two minutes and 17 seconds, was posted on social media sites Telegram and Twitter on Tuesday, according to SITE.
In the clip a woman whose head is covered by a black veil identifies herself as Stockly. She says the date of the recording is December 31, 2016, and that she has been held hostage by AQIM for 360 days.
She spoke in French, with her weary voice barely audible and her face blurred out.
Stockly greeted her family and thanked the Swiss government "for all the efforts they have made."
"I am in good health," she added.
In late January 2016, AQIM grabbed credit in a video for Stockly’s kidnapping, which it said took place on January 7.
The group said it would free her in exchange for a number of AQIM fighters tossed in the calaboose Please don't kill me! in Mali and one of their leaders held in The Hague.
Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... has demanded her release without conditions.
AQIM released a second similar video in mid-June aimed at proving she was still alive.
Stockly, who is in her 40s, is a Christian missionary who was previously kidnapped by jihadists in northern Mali’s Timbuktu in 2012. On that occasion, she was freed about two weeks later, and opted to keep living in Mali.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2017
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[ALMASDARNEWS] 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.... (ISIS) corpses littered the battlefield near the strategic town of Tal 'Afar in northwestern Iraq on Wednesday after Kata'eb Hezbollah carried out a powerful assault on the terrorist group's positions.
In addition to the scores of ISIS dead, a number of armored vehicles that belonged to the terrorist group were destroyed by the Hezbollah fighters near Tal 'Afar on Wednesday.
The video of this powerful assault was captured by local activists; it shows over 9 minutes of footage from Kata'eb Hezbollah's perspective and the aftermath of their massive attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2017
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
Kata'eb Hezbollah is a rebranding of the Badr Organization
Posted by: lord garth ||
01/12/2017 12:24
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[MEDIAITE] During President-elect Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... ’s presser today, Trump took aim at "fake news" regarding the release of an unverified dossier by Buzzfeed, calling them a "failing piece of garbage." Following that, he ended up getting into an argument with a CNN news hound, who he also called out during the presser over their report on a two-page synopsis they claim was presented to Trump.
With Trump looking to call on other news hounds, Jim Acosta yelled out, "Since you are attacking us, can you give us a question?"
"Not you," Trump said. "Your organization is terrible!"
Acosta pressed on, "You are attacking our news organization, can you give us a chance to ask a question, sir?" Trump countered by telling him "don’t be rude."
"I’m not going to give you a question," Trump responded. "I’m not going to give you a question. You are fake news!"
As those on stage by Trump clapped, Acosta retorted, "Now, Mr. President-elect, that’s not appropriate!"
Posted by: Fred ||
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Top|| File under:
#1
One of the objectives here is to reform the media, and doing it publicly is the way to go.
They have been a long term cancer for many decades.
And do not under-estimate the entertainment value of having a Trump in office.
#4
No matter how left-wing scumbag news organisations try to spin this, you only have to look at the video to see that Acosta was the only one shouting, he was rude, and Trump was quite correct in what he said.
#7
Any thinking person aware of Human nature and the bias of the MS media recognizes the eagerness of the Left in Media to smear Trump with unsubstantiated and Evidence-less ( yes FAKE ) News.
Calling them out publicly is a correct move by Trump. Denying that they actually ARE Journalists is appropriate . They are not professionals and they are not Journalists. They are Leftist and they are dishonest. And they CAN be denied access. Make them pay a Price ( literally ) for their lack of professionalism. Unbiased News is their responsibility. Fake News is what they deliver. Make it cost them.
#9
As Professor Reynolds says, these "reporters" are really DNC operatives with a camera and a microphone.
Posted by: no mo uro ||
01/12/2017 7:47
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#10
I work with a Lib. Default position seems to be that DJT is a lech, and the next four years will be story-after-story buttressing said position. Retractions or corrections appearing on page 95 in 4-point type will never be taken into account.
My co-worker, like most of the Dem Rank and File (those at the top know better, but also know who keeps them in boodle.), are stuck in some sort of adolescent idealistic world where only they can make the world right, and if you don't swallow the Blue pill, you are the problem. Tiresome.
#11
Preparation of the battlefield. The SCOTUS based divide between public and private person on libel clearly violates the 14th Amendment of equal standing before the law. The fall back of the first amendment Freedom of the Press was never about the institution of the 'Press' cause it never existed back then. Rather it was about the technology of the flow of information. Today that is handled more and more by the internet.
The man is likely to appoint two to the SCOTUS in his term. He's giving a bunch of out of control people amble opportunity to burn their house down.
#12
The man is likely to appoint two to the SCOTUS in his term. He's giving a bunch of out of control people amble opportunity to burn their house down.
Posted by Procopius2k
#13
A number of media critics have denounced Buzzfeed and to a lesser extent CNN. Their biggest beef was that the Trump team will use this episode to their advantage. Interesting, they laid their bias bare lamenting future difficulties in "cornering Trump on legitimate issues".
#14
As Professor Reynolds says, these "reporters" are really DNC operatives with a camera and a microphone.
I like the term Democrat party aparatchik. Sounds more...Russian. But DNC operative works too.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/12/2017 12:21
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#15
I would have preferred to see DJT ignore the ignorant little twerp and continue w/ the P.C. Do that several times and, the 'less is more' philosophy could take hold and a whole lot distraction in the daily news cycle. Kind of like how Mom and Dad ignore braty Junior at the Piggly-Wiggly DEMANDING a candy bar and having a temper tantrum; they let him go until he winds down, and if big sister is there and good, and SHE gets a candy bar, after a while the little prick gets it. IMHO.
#16
USN, Ret., in my personal experience, a quick swat on the bottom followed by a time out if at home or a removal from the situation if abroad accelerates the acquisition of understanding. Left alone the bad behaviour is self-feeding, and annoys onlookers unnecessarily.
#17
and if big sister is there and good, and SHE gets a candy bar, after a while the little prick gets it.
USN, Ret., respectfully, you are assuming of course that they are capable of learning. I don't think there is any evidence of that...
#19
Nothing wrong with giving a dog a treat when its' a good dog, or disciplining them when they are bad. At some point they will learn or they can bloggers.
#20
15 I would have preferred to see DJT ignore the ignorant little twerp and continue w/ the P.C. Do that several times and, the 'less is more' philosophy could take hold and a whole lot distraction in the daily news cycle
I get what you're saying, but it seems to me the Bushes tried this tack and it was a failure.
#21
Punchback twice as hard.
Posted by: charger 2017-01-12 20:14
Word
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/12/2017 21:01
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#22
No, they are fake news. The only reason to have CNN or Buzzfeed in the press room is to take the opportunity to shame them and deny them the opportunity to be recognized. If they had any sense they would withdraw, but they won't; so, points for Trump every time they open their damn fool mouths.
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Syrian regime forces and Iranian militias have committed 399 violations of the ceasefire agreement after 11 of its implementation.
The ceasefire agreement in Syria, sponsored by Russia and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... , has come to the end of its second week, with ongoing violations being committed by the Syrian regime and their allied- militias, according to the Syrian National Coalition statement.
According to a statement issued by the coalition, the violations took place in the southern countryside of Aleppo, Wadi Barada in the countryside of Damascus, and the outskirts of Hama and Daraa, with 271 dead, including 25 women and 34 children, without counting the casualties in ISIS-controlled areas.
The National Coalition called on the Security Council and other parties to stop the attacks immediately and punish the perpetrators.
Syrian opposition are expected to participate in meetings on Wednesday in Ankara regarding the truce and participation in the upcoming Astana talks.
Russia, which is committed to ensuring the cease-fire on behalf of the regime, has threatened to take all the necessary actions to eliminate what they called the ’turbans in Damascus’, pointing out that the regime’s control over the region has reached its final stage.
The Russian official also pointed out that the recent period has seen the expulsion of opposition fighters from the Latakia province, in addition to opening the main road linking the capital to the north of the country, saying that the Air Force dramatically changed the course of the war.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu agreed on Tuesday on the need to observe a ceasefire in Syria while continuing to fight "terrorist groups", Russia’s foreign ministry said.
The call came at a time when Russian experts are preparing for the meeting with Turkey in Ankara to discuss a cease-fire, ahead of the forthcoming meeting in Astana, capital of Kazakhstan, at the end of this month.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
Was it really violations or were they just defending themselves?
[Hurriyet Daily News] Consistency in political arguments has not been a virtue of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) politics.
The party’s officials and supporters have not found it difficult to change their views on various subject 180 degrees. U.S.-based Islamic preacher Fethullah Gulen ... a Turkish preacher living in Pennsylvania whom the current govt of Turkey considers responsible for all the ills afflicting Turkey and possibly the entire world... and his followers were once praised for their "contributions to humanity," but they are now public enemy number one.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
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Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
I never, ever thought I'd be agreeing with Glenn Greenwald. Yet here I am. I feel faint, I'd best go lie down...
You poor dear -- I'll be along with some chamomile tea directly. Ponder the stopped clock as we all hope it's only this once.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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Top|| File under:
#1
I never, ever thought I'd be agreeing with Glenn Greenwald.
You still don't have to. This article is trying to sell a false idea that Obama appointed IC supervisors' opposition to Trump is based on their principled opposition to Russia. Ask yourself: if Trump was a russophobe like McCain - would they support him?
#2
Ask yourself: if Trump was a russophobe like McCain - would they support him?
Depends. Part of it is the "mentality of the priesthood"; thou shall not question the Pharisees. That's a lot more intractable than what you've alluded to - the politics of the IC individual leadership and ranks.
#5
There is something to what you say because one of their faith's major tenets is "we are the smartest". However, I believe that it's not so much stupidity as a certain mental outlook - are you familiar with Campbell's TRIBESMAN, BARBARIAN, AND CITIZEN?
Make your own determination on this one. I have determine that ST6 has been engaged in spycraft and is therefore absolved of any crimes.
About the author: Matthew Cole has covered national security since 2005 for U.S. television networks and print outlets. He has reported extensively on the CIA’s post-9/11 transformation, including identifying and locating a secret CIA prison in Lithuania used to interrogate al Qaeda detainees. Since 2005, Cole has traveled extensively in Afghanistan and Pakistan to cover conflict and investigate U.S. intelligence operations.
For the past six years, Cole has worked as an investigative producer for ABC and NBC News. At each network, Cole broke several stories of global significance. Among the subjects he has reported on are Blackwater’s covert work with the CIA and JSOC; the Raymond Davis affair in Pakistan; the death of Osama bin Laden; missing Libyan surface-to-air missiles after the fall of Qadaffi; classified CIA documents related to its drone program; and a SEAL Team 6 raid in Somalia.
For NBC News, Cole worked closely with Glenn Greenwald to report stories based on documents leaked by Edward Snowden, and secured the first and only American television interview of Snowden.
#4
Ever notice the Intercept only releases stories as primer ass coverings fodder and confuion tactics for only one group yet? Like the bullshit Snowden files etc how many people heard the same line noise on their phones or had isues decades ago they are listening that is what old washed up bingo hags do! Maybe the Intercept should do a story on why none of the networks have covered victory parades for all the free liberated people American troops should feel horrible that they are not getting the face time and pomp and glory for all of these humanatarian actions of putting down despots in countries with no debt free medical and free education let them relate their stories reward them protect them cuz if the track record stays the same some real big not powerful country somwhere attempting to have free medical no debt and free education for al might need to be overthrown I mean invaded! Plus everyone loves a parade and Wolf Blitzer can lead it along with the psyop units from the networks!
#5
In the dark many things can look like a gun weapon etc especially outside in adverse conditions it is always judgement call most times shooting is better however!
#8
In some areas, the instructions were to not make contact, to run and hide and to gather intelligence.
The instructions also said that if forced into a shoot'em up, to take no prisoners and leave no witnesses.
How much more criminal is that than random and indiscriminate drone strikes that wash away good intelligence and send the enemy underground? Tell me Mr. Cole how is a Hellfire missile at 30,000 feet any better than face to face conflict with an adversary, I would say you are less likely to kill the innocent in person than with a drone.
Fuck em, fuck all of them, screw this cabal of limp wristed sissies that want to run our national defense with rules pulled out of their asses with little or no knowledge of either the Geneva Convention or the true nature of the adversary.
#9
Fuck em, fuck all of them, screw this cabal of limp wristed sissies that want to run our national defense with rules pulled out of their asses with little or no knowledge of either the Geneva Convention or the true nature of the adversary.
Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) Seven members of the Islamic State extremist group were killed in the explosion of a car bomb, while preparing it with explosives, in central Hawija southwest of Kirkuk, a security source told Alsumaria News on Wednesday.
The source said, “This morning, a booby-trapped vehicle exploded, while members of the Islamic State group were trying to prepare it with explosives, inside one of the houses near the City Hall building, in central Hawija, killing seven members of the terrorist group.”
“The explosion inflicted material losses on the nearby houses in the area of incident,” the source added on condition of anonymity.
The Islamic State group captured the areas south of Kirkuk in June 2014, including Hawija, Zab, Riyad, Abbasi and Rashad.
Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) Aircraft of the international coalition air force violently bombarded a number of key headquarters of the Islamic State group in Kirkuk, a local source told Alsumaria News on Wednesday.
The source said, “Aircraft of the US-led international coalition bombarded, today, key headquarters belonging to the Islamic State group in al-Rashad area and Maktab Khalid axis, southwest of Kirkuk.”
“The violent air strikes were conducted using remote controlled rockets,” the source added.
“The sound of the bombardment was heard in different parts of Kirkuk,” he explained. “The Preliminary information indicated to the killing of a number of the Islamic State’s leaders and members,” the source further added.
The Islamic State group captured the areas south of Kirkuk in June 2014, including Hawija, which is considered the key stronghold of the extremist group in the current time in Kirkuk Province.
Kirkuk (IraqiNews.com) Peshmerga Official of Dibs District axis, Kamal Kirkuki, announced on Wednesday, that a number of the Islamic State’s members were either killed or wounded in an airstrike conducted by the international coalition air force, northwest of Kirkuk.
Kirkuki said in a press statement, “The intelligence of Peshmerga forces received accurate information that the Islamic State group is mobilizing units and booby-trapped vehicles in Mansouriyah village in Dibs District, in order to attack the Peshmerga forces.”
“The international coalition moved according to the information, and conducted an air strike on this area, killing and wounding a number of the Islamic State’s members, as well as destroying the mentioned units,” Kirkuki added.
The international coalition are aiding the Iraqi troops in its battles against the Islamic State, which captures several areas of the country since June 2014.
Posted by: badanov ||
01/12/2017
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Iraqi forces have retaken at least 80 percent of east djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... from the ISIS hard boy group, the front man of the special forces spearheading the campaign said on Wednesday.
"I think you can say that we have retaken 80 to 85 percent" of the eastern side of Mosul, Sabah al-Noman, front man for the Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), told AFP in the city.
Tens of thousands of troops launched a huge offensive to retake Mosul, ISIS’s last major bastion in Iraq, and areas around it on October 17.
The initial phase of the offensive saw a variety of forces retake significant swathes of land in little time but the going has been tough inside the city itself.
After a lull in operations, the CTS and other forces stepped up their coordination and, with increased air and advisory support from a US-led coalition, launched a fresh push just before the New Year.
Over the past two weeks, Iraqi forces have overrun several districts and reached the Tigris River that runs through the heart of the city for the first time.
Combined with the destruction of all bridges over the river, that has made it difficult for ISIS fighters in east Mosul to resupply or escape to the west bank, which they still fully control.
The western side of Mosul, which is home to the old city and some of the hard boys’ traditional strongholds, was always tipped as likely to offer the most resistance.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2017
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The National Security Adviser Mohammad Hanif Atmar arrived in southern Kandahar province today leading a delegation of high level government officials to investigate the deadly attack on government guesthouse.
Tawab Ghorzang, front man of the National Security Council (NSC), said "A high level security line ministries delegation leading by NSA Atmar, just reached to Kandahar to investigate the yesterday’s kaboom."
The Office of the President, ARG Palace, condemned the attack on strongest words and said enemies of Afghanistan targeted governor, UAE Ambassador, and some civilians in a terrorist attack.
A statement by ARG said the UAE Ambassador had visited the province for humanitarian support and inauguration of al-Nahyan foundation.
President Ghani said the enemies of the stability and development of Afghanistan cannot harm the will and confidence of the Afghan people for development and prosperity of the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2017
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[INDIATODAY.INTODAY.IN] Two of the most deadly terrorist organizations, Lashkar-e-Taiba ...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI... and Hizb-ul Mujahideen, are now operating together in Jammu and Kashmire.
If a video posted on social media on January 7 is to be believed, faceless myrmidons from the two terror groups are seen walking together in an area likely to be in north Kashmire. In the video, gunnies are seen playing with snow.
Police are verifying the authenticity of the video and are trying to trace the location where the video was shot.
telligence agencies have confirmed that Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hizb-ul Mujahideen are operating jointly in the Valley.
Earlier, an audio tape of a converation between slain Hizb-ul commander Burhan Wani and Lashkar chief Hafiz Saeed ...founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its false-mustache offshoot Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The United Nations declared the JuD a terrorist organization in 2008 and Hafiz Saeed a terrorist as its leader. Hafiz, JuD and LeT are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Pak intel apparatus, so that amounted to squat... had surfaced in December last year.
During the course of the conversation, Wani sought Saeed's help in fighting the 'common enemy'.
The conversation suggested that the two wanted to create a joint front in Kashmire.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistain Proxies
#17
Madonna says a lot of things. Thought she was going to leave the country if DJT won. She was also going to give BJs to all who voted for Hillary if she won. Who cares what this woman says anymore? She's about as relevant as the MSM.
Anbar (IraqiNews.com) Army and tribal forces foiled on Wednesday an attack by Islamic State militants on Anbar’s city of Ramadi.
Hamad al-Karbouli, a regiment commander at Anbar’s tribal mobilization forces, said army and tribal forces foiled the attack which targeted the Kabisa area, west of Ramadi.
Encounters between the forces and militants lasted for more than one hour but attackers eventually fled to desert areas, according to Karbouli.
“Kabisa is now in security and tribal forces’ grip,” he stated.
Islamic State militants have been holding a few towns in Anbar close the borders with Syria since the group emerged to the scene in Iraq in 2014 to proclaim the establishment of a self-styled “Islamic Caliphate” across many regions of the country. Since then, it had launched occasional attacks on civilians and security in Anbar from those strongholds, with security forces, backed by fighter jets from a US-led military coalition, responding with recurrent airstrikes.
Last week, the Iraqi army command in Anbar announced a first security campaign backed by tribal militias to liberate the IS-held regions of the province.
Posted by: badanov ||
01/12/2017
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
[DAWN] ISLAMABAD: A medical board from the Pakistain Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has found that Taiba, a 10 year old domestic employee who was allegedly tortured in the home of a serving judge, had 14 burn injuries, three marks of trauma and one sign of infection on her body.
The report, available with Dawn, says Taiba suffered wounds or bore marks of wounds on her face, neck, arms, legs and feet.
Child specialist Dr Maqbool Hussain said in his comments that the victim gave her name, recognised her parents and knew the time, place and people around her. He said Taiba was fit as far as her higher mental functions were concerned.
Prof Rizwan Tahir, a psychiatrist, said the victim was anxious and scared, but there was no evidence of any psychiatric disorder.
The board concluded that the wounds on her rear and her left arm were from contact burns. The latter was healing, while the former wound has nearly completely healed. The report also noted multiple healed scars on the victim’s body.
Taiba was allegedly abused in the home of an additional district and sessions judge. A police report initially stated that she fell from the stairs and was burned accidentally.
The chief justice of the Islamabad High Court and the chief justice of Pakistain took notice of the case. On Jan 6, the child disappeared when she was supposed to be brought to a medical board for an examination, and was recovered on Jan 8.
On Jan 9, the police brought her to the hospital where a medical board examined her.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[DAWN] CHAUDHRY Nisar Ali Khan’s remarks in the Senate on Tuesday about sectarianism in Pakistain beggar belief. Not only are they out of touch with reality, they are deeply offensive, and -- given he is interior minister of a country involved in a battle against violent religious extremism -- cause for extreme concern. Responding to the senators’ objections about his meeting last October with the head of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat ...which is the false nose and plastic mustache of the murderous banned extremist group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain, whatcha might call the political wing of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi... , Ahmed Ludhianvi, who had arrived as part of a Difa-e-Pakistain Council delegation, Chaudhry Nisar said that banned sectarian organizations could not be equated with banned terrorist groups. The Shia-Sunni conflict, he added, went back 1,300 years. His words outraged members of the Senate, triggering a walkout by the opposition.
First, some basic facts. The ASWJ is a sectarian organization that has been banned earlier, initially when it was called Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
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[UK Daily Mail] Cameroon said Wednesday its military offensive against Boko Haram across the Nigerian border has made major progress, with scores of jihadists killed and hundreds of hostages freed since December.
But in a sign of continuing jihadist trouble, four would-be human bombs -- two young boys and two teenaged girls -- tried to strike in Cameroon's Far North province Wednesday. Only the bombers died in the attempted attacks which were foiled by security forces and local vigilantes. Two vigilantes supporting the armed forces were lightly injured, regional governor Midjiyawa Bakari said.
Since Nigeria announced a key victory against Boko Haram jihadists in December, claiming the group had been routed from its Sambisa Forest bastion, its ally Cameroon has intensified operations along its northern border.
Cameroonian troops have in recent weeks killed some 100 Boko Haram fighters and freed "hundreds of hostages" held by the group, Cameroon's government spokesman Issa Tchiroma Bakary said Tuesday. Some 30 other jihadists have been taken prisoner and returned to Nigeria. With access to the combat zones tightly controlled, it was impossible to verify the government's claims.
Posted by: Pappy ||
01/12/2017
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[DAWN] Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... on Wednesday said the day is not far when Pakistain will be recognised as a "minorities-friendly country" and that his government is taking steps to improve the lives of under-represented religious groups.
The premier said his government, through its actions, promotes the belief that 'to each his own faith', adding that humanity is what should bind the nation together.
He was speaking at a ceremony at the Katas Raj temples complex in Chakwal.
He further said followers of all religions have equal rights in Pakistain, noting that they had worked hand-in-hand to defend the country and contribute to its peace and prosperity.
The PM said he has advised his officials to spare no effort in hosting non-Moslem pilgrims and ensuring the protection and expansion of their places of worship.
He also said he would lend his full support for the construction of the Baba Guru Nanak and Gandhara universities.
The PM observed that Islam and all other religions preach peace, and those preaching otherwise were not doing a service to their religion, Radio Pakistain reported.
PM Sharif made frequent references to Islamic history to stress that it was part of the Islamic faith to treat minorities equally.
He recalled that when, in the early days of Islam, after Moslems migrated to Madina to escape prosecution and came into power, they treated the "minorities living there with respect". He said Prophet Muhammad (PTUI!) even declared those minorities "one nation" along with Moslems.
Posted by: Fred ||
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[Hurriyet Daily News] At least 780 people, including 350 foreigners, remain in detention some of whom have been convicted for suspected links to 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.... of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), according to the Turkish Justice Ministry.
The Justice Ministry released a report on Jan. 11 saying a total of 725 people, who are suspected of being ISIS members, were currently in prison.
An additional 55 have already been convicted for being members of the terrorist group.
The report has stated that 73 people have been convicted of being members of the al-Qaeda terrorist organization - 10 others are still detained.
Since 2015, The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... has been fighting several terrorist groups both at home and along its border with Syria.
The number of injured people who have received treatment in Turkey after evacuation from the war-torn Syrian city of Aleppo has risen to 482, according to a provincial government along Turkey’s border with Syria.
The Hatay Governor’s Office said that 76 of the 482 injured Aleppan civilians shuffled off the mortal coil despite all efforts, while 102 others were discharged.
Late last month Syrian opposition forces and the regime reached a cease-fire deal, brokered by Turkey and Russia, to evacuate civilians from eastern Aleppo to safe areas in opposition-held Idlib.
So far, some 44,000 people have been evacuated from the area, according to Turkish authorities.
Posted by: Fred ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
[Telegraph] A former MI6 officer who produced a dossier making lurid allegations about Donald Trump is "terrified for his safety" after he was unmasked by a US publication.
Christopher Steele, 52, fled from his home in Surrey on Wednesday morning after realising it was only a matter of time until his name became public knowledge. A source close to Mr Steele said on Wednesday night that he now fears a prompt and potentially dangerous backlash against him from Moscow.
Mr Steele, the co-founder of London-based Orbis Business Intelligence Ltd, prepared a 35-page document that alleges the Kremlin colluded with Mr Trump’s presidential campaign and that the Russian security services have material that could be used to blackmail him, including an allegation that he paid prostitutes to defileda bed that had been slept in by Barack and Michelle Obama.
His research was initially funded by anti-Trump Republicans, and later by Democrats. A tawdry tale very likely concocted at one of three locations mentioned at #1. My guess is the RVT on a cocktail napkin, but that's simply my guess.
Mr Trump has branded the allegations in the dossier "fake" and has said he feels as though he is living in Nazi Germany.
Conveniently located. From OBI Ltd at Grosvenor Gardens, take the A302 to Vauxhaul Bridge Road to the Thames and your looking at it (MI6 Headquarters), about two km. A bit further down and you'll be at the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT)...wink, wink. If you've gone beyond the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens, you've gone too far. No pun intended.
#2
A former MI6 officer who produced a dossier making lurid allegations about Donald Trump is "terrified for his safety" after he was unmasked by a US publication.
#4
So...I'm guessing Rantburg doesn't have a policy against posting people's home addresses. I just sort of thought it did. I guess I need to check more carefully the terms & conditions next time before I start participating on a website. You are correct Mr. Lumumba. No private residential addresses are posted here.
#5
Mate - it's fine to take issue with other people's behaviours; we try to draw lines at certain unseemly behaviours, even if the Rantburg staff let me post comments about tossing half of these pricks into half-frozen rivers. I think you can draw your own conclusions from there.
#6
He should be terrified for his financial safety.
That company is bust now customers know it just makes up shit from 4chan and passes it off as information.
#10
Thanks for the map recce and correction BP. Ranging was never my strong point and obviously there's been no improvement. Correction made. If sensibilities are disturbed and someone thinks the map is a bit too illustrative, I'll gladly return it to the Rantburg Univ. Cartographer's Library. No pride in ownership
As for comments at #8; I would vehemently discourage attempts at 'harassment' in the vicinity of any of those location.
#11
The real reason he has "gone into hiding" is because he did not expect he would be exposed as the author of the smear and is running from any inquisitions.
Play book of the Left. Public records. We didn't start this war, but are not afraid to use the tactics already employed by 'others'. Now about the bus loads of paid demonstrators showing up at people's homes.....
#14
Steele is probably worried that someone on the left will whack him before he has a chance to be questioned about the funding and the sources.
The left doesn't want anyone to know all of this was pulled out of some delusional lefty blog and fabricated much like the phony National Guard reports on George W.
#17
Thumper @#8:
If you had looked at the Telegraph UK link, you'd have seen a video that they posted of the press camped out at Steele's business. Complain to them.
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01/12/2017 19:34
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Omar Little: Lesson here, 'Bey: You come at the king, you best not miss... '
[Libya Herald] Amid confusion and some recrimination, members of the Libya Dialogue have not met in Ghadames today as announced. Their gathering is understood to have been cancelled.
The first problem was that the authorities in the town apparently did not know about the meeting. "The first we heard about it was when we read about it in the media" a municipal official was quoted as saying.
There appear however to have been deeper issues behind a meeting which was supposed to allow the Dialogue members to dicuss away from Tunis without the normal attendance of UNSMIL people and foreign diplomats.
One Dialogue member told the Libya Herald that some colleagues had decided not to go because they wanted first to see what amendments to the Libyan Political Agreement the House of Representatives would propose when it next meets on Monday.
The member added: "There were also several reservations about the Ghadames meeting, including who had called it and who was paying for it. Was there a hidden agenda behind it?"
There was a suspicion that the Ghadames council did in fact know of the planned meeting. However, a poor excuse is better than no excuse at all... councillors had avoided preparing for it because there they did not wish to be connected with anything that undermined the Dialogue and the Libyan Political Agreement.
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[al-Manar] Nearly 1,400 children have been killed, hundreds more injured and many schools closed by the war in Yemen, the UN children’s fund said on Wednesday.
“Attacks on civilian areas continue to kill and injure scores of children in Yemen,” said UNICEF’s representative in Yemen, Meritxell Relano.
“Instead of learning, children are witnessing death, war and destruction,” she added, warning that the actual casualty toll was likely to be much higher than the verified figures.
More than 7,300 people have been killed in Yemen since a Saudi-led coalition launched its brutal aggression on Yemen in March 2015 o restore power to fugitive ex-president Abd Rabbu Mansour Hadi who is a close ally to Riyadh.
Relano called on all parties in the conflict to protect children and stop attacks on schools.
The plea follows a coalition air strike near a school in northern Yemen on Tuesday that medics and a local official said killed five people, including two children.
UNICEF said that it had “confirmed the death of one child” in the strike.
“Schools have to be zones of peace at all times, a sanctuary where children can learn, grow, play and be safe,” Relano said.
“Children should never risk their lives only to attend school.”
She said that nearly 2,000 schools in Yemen can no longer be used because they have been damaged, destroyed or are used as shelters or for military purposes.
[Libya Herald] The Libyan National Army has discovered that a suspect tossed in the calaboose Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages! near Jalu two days ago is one of their most desperados.
When he was detained, it was not realised that Mustafa al-Sohaibi was in fact Abu Alzupir al-Ansari, the Ansar al-Sharia ...a Salafist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends. There are groups of the same name in Libyaand Yemen, with the Libyan versions currently most active. Tunisia's Shabaab al-Tawhid started out an Ansar al-Sharia and changed its name in early 2014. It still uses the old name now and then, probably because the stationery's not all used up and the web site hasn't expired yet... commander who had held Benghazi’s Gwarsha Gate until the LNA wrested it from terrorist control last November.
When he was first questioned Sohabi had explained that the two women and four children, including a baby, who were with him were not members of his family but that he was taking them to safety.
Major Ben Barka Majbri of the LNA’s Office of Military Affairs explained that Sohaibi’s vehicle had run out of fuel south of Ajdabiya. He had set off on foot to find a taxi when he was stopped and detained. It is unclear whether the women and kiddies were walking with him.
When he was searched he was found to have LD 60,000 as well as foreign currency including Turkish lira, euros and US dollars. In addition he had an Ansar al-Sharia seal and terrorist literature.
It is understood that Sohaibi was only identified as a terrorist commander when his picture was put out on social media.
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Local officials 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... province are saying at least three Iranians have been locked away Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! by the Afghan police over terror charges.
An official in the counter-terrorism directorate Fazal-ur-Rehman Khadem said the three Iranians were arrested as they were operating in the province to carry out liquidation of the individuals.
No further details were given regarding the possible target of the individuals.
However, some people are alive only because it's illegal to kill them... Khadem said the men were initially claiming that they are residents of Afghanistan but further investigations revealed that they were Iranian nationals.
He said the men have not confessed to their crime so far but preliminary investigations suggest that the men are already involved in several murders in this province.
According to Khamem, the apprehension of the Iranian men shows that the outsiders are directly involved in the growing instability and violence in the country.
This comes as reports emerged late last year suggesting that Iran is supporting the Taliban group to counter the growing ISIS threats in the region.
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[NEWSWEEK] A kaboom in southern Afghanistan late Tuesday killed five diplomats from the United Arab Emirates and maimed its ambassador to the Central Asian country, the federation said on Wednesday.
The kaboom targeted the guesthouse of the provincial governor Homayun Azizi, who was also maimed in the blast, during a visit by the UAE ambassador Juman Mohammed Abdullah al-Kaabi.
The blast killed at least 11 people. The police chief of Kandahar, General Abdul Razeq told News Agency that Dare Not be Named that authorities believe an bomb was hidden inside a sofa at the guesthouse. He said that construction work at the site may have enabled the perpetrators to plant the device within an otherwise heavily guarded compound.
The UAE said it would observe three days of mourning in reaction to the deadliest attack on its diplomatic staff in its young history. The federation of seven sheikdoms was founded in 1971.
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[VOA] The streets were empty Monday in the Cameroonian city of Bamenda, as residents honored a call to strike over the increasing use of French in English-speaking parts of the country. Lawyers in the English-speaking southwest and northwest regions of Cameroon called the strike in September, to protest what they called the overbearing use of the French language.
English speakers constitute 20 percent of Cameroon's population, and the constitution says English and French inherited from colonial times are equally important. But most official documents are only in French, and judges, administrators and teachers with little understanding of English are often sent to work in English-speaking regions.
The lawyers have been joined by teachers and supported by young people. Protests in November led to clashes with the military that left several people dead, hundreds missing or wounded, and scores under arrest.The government opened up negotiations, but the striking teachers and lawyers stormed out.
The leader of the striking lawyers, Bobga Harmony, says they will resume talks once authorities release youths who were arrested for burning police stations, vehicles, and Cameroon's national flag during the protests.
In an address on December 31, President Paul Biya said he was open to talks with the protesters, but warned he will never accept any attempt to destabilize what he called Cameroon's hard-earned national unity.
#2
English can be a precise language, where the meaning is clear, using as few words as possible. English is also a dynamic living language.
French is almost always obscure and takes many many words to derive the meanings of what is being said, French is also a dead language in that there is an official organization that set the words used in French and does not allow loan words, i.e.: offically a dead language with no future. (Although in reality, most french speakers I know tells me that they ignore the official rules and use a lot of loan words to reduce the cumbersome speaking requirements.)
[Ynet] A Minnesota man has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for lying to the FBI about his social media exchanges with 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 recruiters.
Twenty-three-year-old Abdul Raheem Ali-Skelton, of Glencoe, pleaded guilty in April to lying about his communications with the group.
Prosecutors argued Tuesday for a five-year sentence. Minnesota Public Radio reported that Assistant US Attorney Charles Kovats said Ali-Skelton maintained secret contact with "the worst of the worst of terrorist organizations."
Ali-Skelton apologized and distanced himself from ISIS ideology, saying he never supported terrorism. His attorney cited mental health issues, saying communicating with the group made Ali-Skelton feel important.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
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[FINANCE.YAHOO] The smartphones of dozens of Israeli soldiers were hacked by Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth",bully boyz pretending to be attractive young women online, an Israeli military official said Wednesday.
Using fake profiles on Facebook with alluring photos, Hamas members contacted the soldiers via groups on the social network, luring them into long chats, the official told journalists on condition of anonymity.
Dozens of the predominantly lower-ranked soldiers were convinced enough by the honey trap to download fake applications which enabled Hamas to take control of their phones, according to the official.
The official however did not say how the army determined that those behind the scheme were from Hamas, the Islamist movement that runs the Gazoo Strip.
Hamas officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
"The enemy knows the language of young people and installed viruses that can control the telephones of dozens of soldiers," the official said.
Hasakah – At least two civilians were killed and several others were injured on Wednesday when Turkey’s border police opened fire on a group of Syrians near the town of Sere Kaniye in Hasakah Governorate.
Local sources reported that the unfortunate civilians were trying to escape the ongoing war in Syria.
The would-be refugees had reportedly approached the Syrian-Turkish border from the Kurdish district of Sere Knaiye [also known as Ras al-Ain], when they were fired upon in a bid to keep them in Northern Syria – Rojava (NSR).
The victims were identified as Amira Dawar, a Kurdish woman from the Makran village in Serek Kaniye suburb, and Abdullah Abdulhussein from the town of Sere Kaniye. “They were both killed by Turkish fire while trying to cross the border into Turkey,” Dilawer Kani, a local Kurdish rights activist, told ARA News.
Also, three other civilians were injured and transferred to Hasakah city for treatment.
“Turkish border guards have violated humanitarian and moral principles and passed all international laws and norms, by killing innocent Syrian civilians,” the Kurdish Asayish security said in a previous statement.
Turkey has closed all its border gates with the Kurdish-populated NSR, forcing desperate civilians to seek alternative routes across the border.
Hundreds of Syrians, mostly Kurds, have been killed by the Turkish border guards over the past five years.
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[NYTimes] Rubio asks, ’Is Vladimir Putin a war criminal?’
Mr. Tillerson took an assertive stance early, but senators, notably Mr. Rubio, challenged him to call the actions of Mr. Putin’s military in Aleppo, Syria, a war crime. Mr. Tillerson declined to do so.
Mr. Rubio set off on an aggressive line of questioning, initially posing a simple query: "Is Vladimir Putin a war criminal?"
"I would not use that term," Mr. Tillerson said.
Mr. Rubio, outlining a list of grievous Russian offenses in Syria, said he hoped Mr. Tillerson might adjust his answer.
"Those are very, very serious charges to make, and I want to have much more information," Mr. Tillerson said.
Mr. Rubio, saying there was plenty of public information -- "the videos and pictures are there," he noted -- said that "it should not be hard to say that Vladimir Putin’s military has conducted war crimes in Aleppo."
Mr. Tillerson did not budge.
"I find it discouraging, your inability to cite that," Mr. Rubio said.
As the senator continued to cite the deaths of Mr. Putin’s opponents, Mr. Tillerson said he hoped to learn more once he could receive classified information on the matters.
"None of this is classified, Mr. Tillerson," Mr. Rubio shot back. "People are dead." "Little Marco" apparently does not understand DOS does not declare someone a "War Criminal." That is the job of The International Criminal Court.
#9
Ask the people of Dresden if Churchill was a war criminal. Ask the people of Hiroshima how they feel about Truman. You think war is a bunch of guys in uniforms going out on the "field of honor" to prove how brave they are? Naive little nitwit.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/12/2017 12:00
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#10
OK, I take it back. Really, I think Marco knows better and he's posturing for the cameras, trying to give the appearance of relevance. He'll vote for Tillerson.
Posted by: Abu Uluque ||
01/12/2017 12:35
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[DAWN] ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s ...Currently the Interior Minister of Pakistain. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Nawaz Uncle Fester Sharif. He is noted for his vocal anti-American railing in the National Assembly. However (comma) Khan told the U.S. ambassador that he was in fact pro-American but he and the PML-N would have to be critical of US actions in order to remain publicly credible. Khan cited his wife and children's US citizenship as proof, which means he's lying to one side or the other and probably both. He wears a wig, but you probably guessed that. since hair doesn't grow naturally in that shape or texture... remarks about classification of banned ...the word banned seems to have a different meaning in Pakistain than it does in most other places. Or maybe it simply lacks any meaning at all...
organizations in the Senate on Tuesday sparked controversy, prompting the opposition to walk out of the house in protest.
Continued on Page 49
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Lebanese President Michel Aoun ...a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hizbullah... has reiterated that Leb has no intentions of working against Arab interests, particularly those of 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... In an interview with Al Arabiya General Manager Turki Aldakhil, during Aoun’s visit to the kingdom this week, the president noted that Saudi Arabia was the first country to invite him on a foreign visit since his inauguration.
The president said that Leb was against weaponized conflict within his country, adding that the recent presence of arms was linked to "certain circumstances."
Aoun said that he there is no longer space for resistance within Leb, as resistance within the Middle East has been overridden by interference from the US, Iran and Russia.
With regards to domestic issues in Leb, Aoun said there were clauses in the 1989 Taif Agreement, which ended the civil war in Leb, that have not been fully implemented. He said it was of high importance for these clauses to be implemented, particularly electoral law, in order to promote co-existence and the proper representation of the different segments of Lebanese society.
He added that there are some electoral laws implemented "1992 onwards resulted in parties loyal to Syria gaining a certain advantage. Syria left and this advantage remained."
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ZARZIS, TUNISIA: Clashes erupted on Wednesday in Tunisia’s border town of Ben Guerdane between police and protesters demanding the free flow of vital trade with neighboring Libya, witnesses said.
Protesters set fire to tires and blocked the road between Ben Guerdane and the border crossing of Ras Jedir about 30 kilometers (20 miles) away, they said.
They gathered outside official buildings in Ben Guerdane and security forces intervened after they were targeted by stone-throwers, witnesses said.
Private radio station Mosaique FM reported the police fired tear gas to break up the protest.
The interior ministry said police broke up a “protest of around 150 people” in a “legal way.”
There were no immediate reports of any arrests or casualties.
Ras Jedir is the main crossing between western Libya and southeastern Tunisia, a region whose economy is largely dependent on cross-border trade, both legal and illegal.
Tensions have been high in recent months, with a part of the population accusing the authorities of ignoring their plight.
The authorities have said the issue is thorny in view of the political chaos and fighting between militias in Libya.
In May last year, security forces used tear gas against hundreds of people in Ben Guerdane protesting against the closure of the Ras Jedir crossing by Libyan authorities.
Two months earlier, Tunisia closed two border crossings with Libya for a fortnight in response to a deadly jihadist attack on Ben Guerdane.
Thousands of Tunisians are believed to be fighting with jihadist groups abroad including in Libya.
Homs – Syrian regime’s army forces on Thursday launched an offensive on Islamic State’s (ISIS) strongholds in the central governorate of Homs, killing and wounding several militants, activists reported.
At least four ISIS jihadists were killed and over a dozen were wounded after the Syrian army bombed the group’s headquarters in eastern Homs with heavy artillery.
Abu Hafs al-Mashrifi, the ISIS chief of security in Homs, was among those killed in Thursday’s offensive.
“Al-Mashrifi, who used to lead ISIS security operations in Homs Governorate, was killed along with other ISIS jihadists under Syrian army fire in the Huwesis District east of Homs,” media activist Abdulkhaliq al-Fistaqi told ARA News.
A source close to ISIS also confirmed Al-Mashrifi’s death.
The bombardment also led to the destruction of two ISIS vehicles and a tactical unit in the targeted district.
The regime-led operation came in response to recent advances by ISIS in Homs Governorate.
In December 2016, militant fighters of the Islamic State seized control of key areas in the governorate after clashes with Syrian army troops.
On December 27, the militant group captured the Black Hills, known as al-Tilal al-Soud, that overlook the eastern part of Homs city. “ISIS launched a fierce attack on headquarters of the pro-regime forces in the vicinity of al-Qaryatain town, using mortar shells and Grad rockets. The heavy bombardment forced the army to withdraw from the Black Hills, that are now under ISIS control,” media activist Amro al-Hussein told ARA News at the time.
On December 20, ISIS militants captured parts of the T4 airbase east of Homs, after seizing security checkpoints in the nearby Mashtal and Qasr al-Hir Districts. The group had imposed a siege on the airbase on December 12 and destroyed at least five warplanes. Located in the Homs’ eastern countryside, the T4 Airport used to be a critical security installation, providing regime forces with close air support.
On December 13, ISIS fighters captured the main road between al-Qaryatain town and Homs city, which used to be a key supply route for the Syrian regime’s army forces. The radical group seized control of the supply-line after capturing military checkpoints that were previously held by the Syrian regime’s troops.
Also, on December 11, the Islamic State recaptured the ancient city of Palmyra in Homs Governorate subsequent to heavy clashes with pro-regime army forces. Russia had supported the Syrian Army in Palmyra, with airstrikes and logistical support but their efforts were apparently insufficient to save the city. ISIS first took over Palmyra in May 2015, following a protracted battle with regime forces. The Islamic State’s occupation was exceptionally harsh, even by the standards of Syria’s 5-year-long conflict.
Posted by: badanov ||
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[SFGATE] A man who as a teenager was seen on surveillance video proclaiming his commitment to jihad was sentenced on Tuesday to 13 years in prison despite his tearful pleas to a judge that he was a disillusioned and immature high school student at the time he plotted to join al Qaeda.
"I am not the monster that the government says I am," Justin Kaliebe told U.S. District Court Judge Denis Hurley before being sentenced. "I never intended to hurt anyone. That’s not who I am."
Kaliebe, now 22 years old, also faces 20 years of post-release supervision.
The judge said Kaliebe’s offense "is very serious."
"He was radicalized to the nth degree," the judge said. "He was a very dangerous individual. People who engage in this type of activity ... must recognize that serious consequences will follow."
Kaliebe was a 16-year-old high school student who had recently converted to Islam from Roman Catholicism when he landed on the radar of undercover agents on the hunt for would-be gunnies on suburban Long Island.
FBI agents and New York City coppers watched him for 18 months before arresting him four years ago after he went to John F. Kennedy International Airport intending to fly to Yemen, where he would join the turban group al Qaeda.
Kaliebe pleaded guilty within a month of his arrest. His sentencing was delayed for four years while the court held hearings into whether he understood the gravity of his crime. He said Tuesday that he has renounced Islam, received his high school diploma while in prison and teaches fellow inmates to read.
Kaliebe’s attorney argued he has Asperger’s syndrome, which is on the autism spectrum, and had developmental and psychological issues and a troubled home life.
"He may have committed himself to a violent cause, but he’s not a violent man," said the attorney, Anthony La Pinta, who pleaded with the judge to "temper justice with mercy."
The judge, who noted that Kaliebe appeared to be "basically a nice young man," could have sentenced him to 30 years.
Federal prosecutors asked for a 24-year sentence, conceding that Kaliebe had psychological, physical and emotional issues but arguing that a stiff sentence needed to serve as a deterrent to society.
They said the undercover agents interacting with Kaliebe made video recordings of him talking admiringly about Anwar al-Awlaki ... Born in Las Cruces, New Mexico, zapped in Yemen, al-Awlaki was a dual citizen of the U.S. and Yemen. He was an Islamic holy man who was a trainer for al-Qaeda and its franchises. His sermons were attended by three of the 9/11 hijackers, by Fort Hood murderer Nidal Malik Hussein, and Undieboomer Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. He was the first U.S. citizen ever placed on a CIA target list... and the late Osama bin Laden ... who has left the building... as leaders who "bore witness to the truth with their blood."
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[PREMIUMTIMESNG] The State Security Service, SSS, said on Tuesday that its operatives tossed in the calaboose You have the right to remain silent... 13 Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... suspects in various parts of Nigerian including Lagos State.
In a report by Tony Opuiyo on behalf of the agency, the secret service said its operatives on January 10 in Oko Oba area of Lagos State arrested four suspected fleeing members of the Boko Haram.
Nine others were also arrested in various parts of the country, the agency, also called DSS, stated.
The suspects picked in Lagos were identified as Fanayi Bukar Hassan, Butame Hassan, Kologoni Bukar, and Amina Abubakar.
They were suspected to have fled to Lagos to evade arrest in the ongoing military offensive in the north-east.
The service also arrested, on January 10, a kingpin of the sect in Okene town, Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Identified as Abdullahi Mohammed, he was said to be the leader of the Boko Haram sect in Okene and was responsible for the coordination of Boko Haram activities in Okene axis of Kogi State.
Operatives of the agency also said two fleeing Boko Haram murderous Moslems were arrested at Mutum Biyu in Gassol Local Government Area of Taraba State on New Year day.
The suspects, Bale Grema and Kolomi Adba-Aji, the agency said, were arrested in a mosque after they had fled Marte, Borno State, where they were involved in Boko Haram activities.
On January 7, one Muhammad Auwal was arrested at Andaza village, Kiyawa Local Government Area of Bauchi State in connection with terrorist activities.
Mr. Auwal, who was arrested with N300,000 on him, is believed to have been a drug supplier to the Boko Haram sect in Sambisa Forest.
In addition, two suspected Boko Haram Lion of Islams, Ibrahim Mala and Abdallah Modu, were arrested on January 6 at Amba and Gudi villages of Kokona Local Government Area, LGA, of Nasarawa State.
The suspects who are indigenes of Maiduguri, Borno State, had fled the military action in Borno State and were regrouping in the state under different trade covers, the SSS said.
While Mr. Modu sells children’s wears, Mr. Mala, who trades in perfumes, confessed to his membership of the sect and disclosed that he (Mala) joined the Yusufiyya faction in 2007,the agency said.
Similarly, Abdulkarim Dahiru, a key terrorist commander and an indigene of Okengwa, Okene LGA of Kogi State, was arrested at the Specialist Hospital, Lokoja.
The suspect was identified as the main coordinator of several kidnappings as well as other robbery activities in Kogi and Edo States, the agency said.
The Nigerian military had last month cautioned Nigerians to be wary of Boko Haram members who were said to be fleeing the north-east in droves after losing territory and personnel to Nigerian soldiers.
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The Afghan parliament confirmed that 36 employees of the parliament including secretariat of the Lower House of the Parliament, Wolesi Jirga, and some workers of the Upper House were killed in yesterday’s coordinated suicide kaboom.
Dozens of other were also maimed in the attack which took place close to the parliament building.
The Afghan officials earlier said at least 38 people were killed and over 70 others were maimed in the attack.
According to the officials, the incident took place after a jacket wallah detonated a vehicle packed with explosives close to the parliament and another kaboom followed as people had gathered in the incident area.
The officials also added that four coppers also bit the dust in the attack and at least four others were maimed.
The Taliban group grabbed credit behind the incident.
The United States NSC Spokesperson Ned Price strongly condemned the attack 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 other provinces, including Kandahar.
"The United States strongly condemns the terrorist attack on Parliamentary buildings in Kabul today that killed at least 38 Afghans and maimed more than 70. An attack on Parliamentary facilities and politicians is clearly an assault on Afghanistan’s efforts to build democratic institutions," a statement released by the US Embassy said.
The statement further added "We also strongly condemn the terrorist attack today in Kandahar that killed at least seven people and maimed 18, including the United Arab Emirates’ Ambassador to Afghanistan and several Emirati diplomatic personnel, and the suicide kaboom in southern Helmand ...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan... province today that killed at least seven Afghans, including both civilian and military personnel."
"We commend the Afghan police and other security forces who bravely responded to these attacks, and fully support Afghan efforts to bring those responsible to justice. The United States stands with the people and Government of Afghanistan as we work together to build a more secure, stable, and prosperous Afghanistan," the statement added.
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[Hurriyet Daily News] The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... ’s allies are still providing weapons to the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak said Jan. 11, asking "what business does a terror group have at the peace table?"
The YPG, which is the military wing of the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), is one of the sticking points of the strained Turkey-United States relations.
While Turkey regards the YPG and PYD as terror organizations due to their ties to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), with whom Turkey has been in armed festivities since the mid-1980s, the U.S. sees them as a reliable partner in their fight against 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.... of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS).
The peace table Kaynak was referring to is the Syrian talks planned to be held in the Kazakh capital of Astana on Jan. 23.
Kaynak’s remarks came one day after the U.S. State Department said the PYD needed to be part of the political process in Syria.
In a daily presser, U.S. State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner was asked whether the U.S. considered the PYD as part of the Syrian opposition and if the State Department would support the PYD to take part in any of the meetings organized by the U.N.-led process.
"This process has to include all Syrians, and that includes the Syrian Kurds," Toner said, adding that the participants of the meetings were "really for the groups involved and the Syrian people to determine."
"At some point, [the PYD] have to be a part of this process, is our consideration," he added.
The PYD and YPG are part of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which the U.S. supports against ISIS in Syria. The SDF is composed of Arab and Kurdish forces of Evil though it is mostly comprised of forces of Evil from the YPG forces.
Meanwhile, ...back at the wreckage, Captain Poindexter awoke groggily, his hand still stuck in the Ming vase... a PYD representative said Jan. 10 that Syrian Kurds had not been invited to the talks on the political future of Syria due to take place in Astana.
"We are not invited to Astana. There appears to be a veto on our presence," Khaled Issa, a PYD representative in La Belle France, told AFP in Gay Paree.
"Neither the PYD or our military formation will be present," he said.
Toner said that if a "realistic assessment" was to be made, then "the YPG is ‐ YPD [PYD], rather ‐ is a force on the ground, is a representative group, and their voice will need to be heard in any kind of long-term solution to the situation in Syria."
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based war monitor, SDF forces were part of an operation conducted by U.S. special operations troops in Syria’s eastern province of Deir ez-Zor against ISIS leaders.
The SDF and at least four helicopters, including Apache attack helicopters, were used in the operation, according to the observatory, though the Pentagon did not give any details of the operation besides admitting that a "successful" operation "focused on ISIS leadership" was conducted.
Toner reiterated that the U.S. provided "tactical support to the SDF."
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[IRINNEWS.ORG] Obaid Khan was planning to join Pakistain’s public school system as a teacher after finishing his undergraduate degree in May this year. Instead, he dropped out of university to join 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.... , and he’s now fighting in Afghanistan.
Obaid’s life-plan began to change when a man identifying himself as Qari Abid contacted him via Facebook last August. As their correspondence deepened, Khan became more and more convinced that he needed to join the "jihad against infidels", according to his elder brother, Hanifullah, whom Abid attempted to recruit as well.
"He used to get promotional Islamic State material and sermons about jihad every second day in his Facebook inbox," said Hanifullah about his brother.
Then, at the end of October, Obaid suddenly left the family home in Bajaur Agency, aka Turban Central ...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth... in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas on the frontier with Afghanistan. Last month, he called Hanifullah and told him he had finished training with IS and was now fighting in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country.. Province, where Afghan government and US forces have been battling the holy warriors.
"He was a religious-minded person, but we never thought he would one day join a holy warrior group like the IS," said Hanifullah in a telephone interview.
Military assaults have squeezed IS out of some of the territory it took control of in Iraq and Syria, and the group has recently expanded its presence in South Asia.
In January 2015, IS declared its intention to establish "Khorasan", in reference to a historical region that once covered much of modern day Afghanistan as well as parts of Iran and Central Asia. Nangarhar remains its main base of operations, but its tentacles extend across the border into Pakistain too.
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Pro Assad Syrian TV channel announced that the regime and the opposition reached an agreement concerning the necessity to send maintenance teams to the Barada Valley to refurbish the waterworks that feed the capital, Damascus. The governor of Rif Damascus stated that the opposition fighters and the Syrian regime agreed on having maintenance workers enter to Ain al-Fijah in the Barada Valley, which was denied by the Syrian armed opposition.
The FSA engaged in violent attacks against the Assad forces and the Hezbollah militias on a number of axes in the Barada valley. This comes in the twentieth day of the military campaign led by these parties to control the region. The Revolutionary Forces of Syria Media Office in Rif Damascus declared that the latest attack ended without any progress for the forces of the regime and the Hezbollah militia. The hostile attacks blasted the region with more than 500 rockets and mortars. The Barada Valley siege targets about 100 thousand civilians living under continuous threat and shortages of basic materials.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation declared that the finale stages of emancipating Damascus from the grasps of terrorism is approaching. Sources close to the Syrian opposition interpreted the statement as an effort to legitimize the military operation targeting the Barada Valley. The United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... stated that 5.5 Million people in Damascus are deprived of water, because of the ongoing battles between the regime and the opposition.
Jan Egeland, chairman of the working group on humanitarian assistance to Syria in the United Nations, declared in a news conference in Geneva that it is hard to know who is responsible for the situation. Egeland conveyed: "In Damascus alone, 5.5 million people have been deprived of water or have received very little, because the Barada valley resources are unusable due to the fighting, sabotage, or both." The UN estimated that 4 million people from the capital and its suburbs are affected by water cuts since December 22nd.
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[al-Manar] The Turkish military, , said that the warplanes conducted airstrikes Monday in the Zap, Gara, Hakurk, Avasin, and Barzan regions close to Turkey’s southwestern border, the local media outlet Hurriyet Daily News reported.
Tensions between Ankara and the Kurds escalated in July 2015 when a ceasefire between Turkey and the PKK collapsed because of a series of terror attacks allegedly committed by PKK members.
The Kurds are currently living in parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq and Syria. In Turkey, the Kurds represent the largest ethnic minority, and are striving to create their own independent state.
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Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Islamic State militants have sentenced a man to death by throwing him from a high rooftop in Mosul after they accused him of being homosexual.
Islamic State militants executing a young man for being homosexual.
Photos posted somewhere this weekend by websites affiliated with the extremist group showed the militants reading out a death sentence issued against the young man, who is aged between 20 and 30. He is shown blindfolded and thrown from the rooftop while a crowd of residents stand by watching in the street below.
Islamic State militants executing a young man for being homosexual.
Since Iraqi government forces launched a campaign to retake Mosul from Islamic State militants in October 2016, there have been regular news about IS executing militants escaping battlefields and civilians collaborating with security forces or breaching the group’s hardline religious rules.
Islamic State militants executing a young man for being homosexual.
Iraqi forces, backed by forces from a US-led military coalition and popular militias, have been carrying out a major campaign since October to recapture Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city and IS’s biggest urban stronghold.
On Monday, spokesperson of the Pentagon, Navy Captain Jeff Davis, said: “We’re seeing continued signs of ISIL fighters having loss of morale…Many of them have not been paid in months; we’ve seen fewer [vehicle-borne homemade bombs] than we had previously in Mosul, and indications are that ISIL can’t respond to coordinated attacks on multiple axes.”
[ARA News] Erbil – At least 150 Yezidi captives have been freed from ISIS grip since the US-backed Iraqi and Kurdish forces launched a battle for Mosul last October, officials said on Wednesday.
The Yezidi Liberation Office confirmed that 150 women and children have been liberated from ISIS captivity in Mosul over the past three months.
“All Yezidi civilians freed from ISIS are being registered by the office. We are also documenting their testimonies,” said Hussein Koro, chief of the Yezidi Liberation Office.
According to the organization, there are still more than 2600 Yezidis held by ISIS, mostly women and underage girls.
“There is a plan to liberate the rest of the captives. Soon they’ll all be freed with the support of the coalition and local forces,” Koro said.
According to the Kurdish journalist Hewar Duhoki, the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) bears the responsibility of freeing the Yezidi captives from ISIS grip. “This requires a lot of serious efforts, especially that ISIS started using civilians as human shields to protect its Iraqi de facto capital of Mosul,” Duhoki told ARA News.
In August 2014, ISIS radicals took over the Yezidi region of Shingal/Sinjar in northern Iraq, causing a mass displacement of nearly 400,000 people to Duhok and Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. Tens of thousands of Yezidis remained trapped in Mount Sinjar, suffering mass killings, kidnappings and rape cases, according to local and military sources. Also, thousands of Yezidi girls have been taken by the radical group as sex slaves.
On November 13, the Kurdish Peshmerga forces in Iraqi Kurdistan, backed by an air cover from the US-led coalition forces, announced the liberation of the entire Yezidi district of Shingal in the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh after fierce battles with ISIS extremists. The Kurdish forces have recently discovered more than five mass graves in the Yezidi region, where hundreds of Yezidi civilians have been summarily executed and buried by ISIS jihadis. Yet, thousands of Yezidi women remain in ISIS captivity after being sold as sex slaves across the group’s territory in Iraq and Syria.
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[EXPRESS.CO.UK] MARINE Le Pen has rocketed into the lead in the race to become France’s next president - just months ahead of the country’s general election.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) One civilian was killed and five others were wounded on Wednesday when an explosive device exploded west of Baghdad, according to police sources.
The bomb, which was placed on the side of a road in Bakriya district, exploded near a popular market, the sources told Alsumaria News.
Nobody claimed responsibility for the bombing yet, but Islamic State militants have said they were responsible for several bloody explosions that hit the capital in recent weeks.
Violence surged in Iraq with the emergence of Islamic State militants who took over large areas of the country in 2014. Baghdad has been witnessing almost daily bombings and armed attacks targeting civilians and security personnel.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) says violence in the country had left 19000 casualties in nine months of 2016.
Observers believe Islamic State have begun to escalate attacks outside the city of Mosul, where the group has been losing ground and personnel since October, so as to relieve pressure by government forces on that front and to divert attention from group losses.
While losing Mosul could be the severest blow to the group’s existence in Iraq, some observers believe attacks outside the province prove that the extremist group can still pose a security threat.
*The article was modified to note that Bakriya is west, not east, of Baghdad.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) A police source revealed that four persons were wounded in the explosion of a booby-trapped vehicle, south of Baghdad, Alsumaria News reported on Wednesday.
The source said, “A booby-trapped vehicle, parked on the roadside in al-Bayaa’ area, south of Baghdad, exploded this evening, wounding four persons with several injuries.”
“Security forces cordoned off the area of explosion and barred approaching it, while ambulances transferred the wounded to a nearby hospital,” the source added on condition of anonymity.
The capital, Baghdad, is witnessing several suicide attacks using explosive belts and booby-trapped vehicles, as well as separate attacks against civilians and security members.
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) One person was killed and five others were wounded when three explosive devices went off north of Baghdad.
A security source told Alsumaria News that the three devices exploded coincidently at Atifiya district, north of the capital.
The blasts occurred shortly after two other bombs exploded at Bakriya in the west and Youssefiya in the south, killing one and wounding seven.
Nobody claimed responsibility for the bombings yet, but Islamic State militants have said they were responsible for several bloody explosions that hit the capital in recent weeks.
Violence surged in Iraq with the emergence of Islamic State militants who took over large areas of the country in 2014. Baghdad has been witnessing almost daily bombings and armed attacks targeting civilians and security personnel.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) says violence in the country had left 19000 casualties in nine months of 2016.
Observers believe Islamic State have begun to escalate attacks outside the city of Mosul, where the group has been losing ground and personnel since October, so as to relieve pressure by government forces on that front and to divert attention from group losses.
While losing Mosul could be the severest blow to the group’s existence in Iraq, some observers believe attacks outside the province prove that the extremist group can still pose a security threat.
#1
Down here on the farm the weather gets messy
Laying around with nothin' to do
When you went away, you took my cow Bessie
I miss her darling, more than I miss you
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi forces stormed on Wednesday more districts in eastern Mosul as operations continue to clear that region from Islamic State militants.
The army’s elite Counter-Terrorism Service forces invaded on Wednesday al-Maliya district, and moved deeper in April 7th and Seddiq neighborhoods in the same region. Forces engaged in ferocious fights with IS fighters at those regions, according to Rudaw agency, which also said aerial bombardment killed 60 militants.
Meanwhile, Federal Police forces said they arrested six militants, including a Syrian, at al-Mithaq district, south of the city.
Also on Wednesday, a spokesperson of the oil ministry said ministry teams put out fires set by IS combatants at an oil field south of Mosul, bringing the total of oil wells extinguished by the ministry, since militants pulled out from the town of Qayyara, to 17.
As commanders said recently they were preparing to storm the strategic Mosul University campus, a vital IS hideout, senior CTS commander, Sami al-Aridi, said the move needs “special plans” due to reports that the campus might contain “chemical substances” taken by the militants from university labs for combat purposes.
“Mosul University is an outstanding target, and has to have a special plan,” Aridi said in press statements. “Security forces have taken all precautions anticipating that Daesh(Islamic State) could strike back at the forces with chemical substances.”
Iraqi forces have become in control over nearly 50 out of 84 districts in eastern Mosul, and commanders declared earlier this week they had reached the eastern bank of the Tigris River, which bisects the city. IS still maintains strongholds in the west.
Iraqi military media have put the number of IS militants killed since the launch of operations in October at at least 1757.
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) Iraqi army and police forces recaptured on Wednesday three districts in the eastern side of Mosul as operations resume to retake the city from Islamic State militants.
Commander of the joint forces operations in Nineveh, Abdul-Amir Yarallah, said the forces recaptured the Nissan 7th (April 7th) neighborhood and raised the Iraqi flag above its buildings. The forces had stormed the district earlier on Wednesday along with al-Maliya and Seddiq districts.
Also on Wednesday, Federal Police service commander, Shaker Jawdat, said his forces took ovre al-Salam and al-Saheroun neighborhoods. Police said earlier they arrested six IS members in the south.
Iraqi forces have become in control over nearly 50 out of 84 districts in eastern Mosul, and commanders declared earlier this week they had reached the eastern bank of the Tigris River, which bisects the city. IS still maintains strongholds in the west.
Iraqi military media have put the number of IS militants killed since the launch of operations in October at at least 1757.
Earlier on Wednesday, a spokesperson of the oil ministry said ministry teams put out fires set by IS combatants at an oil field south of Mosul, bringing the total of oil wells extinguished by the ministry, since militants pulled out from the town of Qayyara, to 17.
As commanders said recently they were preparing to storm the strategic Mosul University campus, a vital IS hideout, senior CTS commander, Sami al-Aridi, said the move needs “special plans” due to reports that the campus might contain “chemical substances” taken by the militants from university labs for combat purposes.
“Mosul University is an outstanding target, and has to have a special plan,” Aridi said in press statements. “Security forces have taken all precautions anticipating that Daesh(Islamic State) could strike back at the forces with chemical substances.”
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) A local source in Nineveh Province revealed that two members of the Islamic State group were killed by an improvised explosive device explosion, west of Mosul, Alsumaria News reported on Wednesday.
The source said, “Two members of the Islamic State were killed by the explosion of an improvised explosive device, which they were transferring in a vehicle, near al-Resala neighborhood, west of Mosul.”
“The explosion of the 50-kilogram IED was strong and inflicted losses to the nearby residential houses,” the source further added.
The Islamic State extremist group is still controlling the neighborhoods west of Mosul that contain a large number of explosives factories belonging to the group.
Nineveh (IraqiNews.com) An official source in Nineveh Province revealed that joint security forces besieged the building of the University of Mosul, after liberating three districts north of the province, Alsumaria News reported on Wednesday.
The source said, “Iraqi joint security forces besieged the University of Mosul, after liberating the districts of Baladiyat, Hadba and Seddiq.”
“The University of Mosul is one of the key strongholds of the Islamic State in the eastern side of Mosul,” the source explained. “The Islamic State stole and transferred the contents of the university to an unknown destination,” the source further added.
Earlier today, security forces liberated the neighborhoods of Seddiq, Maliya and Nissan 7th in eastern Mosul, and raised Iraqi flag over their buildings.
Government forces in Iraq made new advances against terror group ISIS territory in eastern Mosul, fighting militants in areas near the Tigris river on Wednesday, military officials said. The progress is sought to sustain momentum of a renewed offensive against ISIS’ last major Iraqi stronghold.
Elite troops have pushed into a several neighborhoods in the east and northeast of the city in the past few days as they try to reach the Tigris River bisecting Mosul before launching an offensive on the west, all of which the militants still hold.
The rubble of a bridge blown up by ISIS in Mosul to block advancing Iraqi forces has become a lifeline for civilians as more and more of the northern city breaks loose from the grip of the ultra-hardline militants.
Men and women, children and the elderly scramble down the banks of the Khosr River, a tributary of the Tigris some 30 meters wide and a meter deep which counter-terrorism forces crossed last week in a nighttime raid.
The counter-terrorism service (CTS) were advancing into the northeastern Sadeeq and 7th Nissan districts, according to a senior commander on the ground.
A Reuters reporter in eastern Mosul saw CTS forces fighting ISIS militants in Sadeeq, firing towards Mosul University and into the adjacent Hadba area, which army units advancing from the north had breached a day earlier.
The forces are expected to meet somewhere in between.Tank shells, machinegun fire and air strikes from a U.S.-led coalition backing the Iraqis targeted ISIS gunmen holed up in a handful of buildings nearby. The militants detonated several car bombs and returned gunfire.
During their attack, Iraqi soldiers repeatedly diverted their attention to the sky to fire their machine guns at white commercial drones circling a few hundred meters in the air.
They were unable to down the aircraft, which ISIS uses for reconnaissance, to record its suicide attacks and to drop grenades behind its enemy’s lines.
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Kenyan police have arrested two suspected members of the Somali Islamist group al Shabaab for planning attacks on churches and other sites in Nairobi, police said on Tuesday.
“Two most wanted terrorists and several forged and fraudulently obtained identification documents were seized,” according to the statement issued by the office of the police Inspector General, adding the men were detained on Saturday.
“The two suspects and their accomplices are suspected to have been planning to stage attacks in Nairobi, targeting entertainment joints and churches,” it said, adding that some accomplices escaped and may have fled to Somalia.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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[Guardian] An American and an Australian professor who were kidnapped in Kabul five months ago have pleaded with US president-elect Donald Trump to help secure their release in a video released by the Taliban.
The video, uploaded to YouTube on Wednesday and apparently filmed on 1 January, is the first public sign of life of the two teachers since their abduction.
Kevin King, 60, an American, and Timothy John Weeks, 48, an Australian, were violently kidnapped on 7 August outside the campus of the American University of Afghanistan where they both taught.
In the 13-minute video, the pair ‐ who are are visibly distraught and occasionally break into sobs ‐ beg the American government to negotiate with their captors. The Taliban appear to have demanded the release of several "soldiers" in exchange for the professors.
"If we stay here for much longer, we will be killed. I don’t want to die here," Weeks says in the video.
There was no indication of where the video had been filmed but it seemed timed to coincide with the current US presidential transition.
[FINANCE.YAHOO] Mexico's new foreign relations secretary said Tuesday his country isn't just willing to negotiate changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement, it wants to start talks as soon as possible.
Looking for a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, is he?
Luis Videgaray said there's "enormous uncertainty" following the U.S. election of Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... as president. Trump has pressured companies not to move jobs to Mexico, warned he would tax those who do, and has vowed to renegotiate NAFTA.
Videgaray said in a Radio Formula interview that Trump's actions have caused concern, adding "that is why this (negotiation) process is so important, to dispel this uncertainty." He said talks should start "as soon as possible."
Mexico's peso weakened further Tuesday, closing at an interbank rate of 21.73 to $1.
Videgaray said his government's main concern would be "how to protect jobs in Mexico," and said "there are a lot of reasons to think the negotiation would be favorable for Mexico."
He said Mexico is willing to negotiate over Trump's plan to build a border wall. But Videgaray said Mexico won't pay for the wall, calling that "unacceptable."
Mexican manufacturing sectors such as the auto industry have benefited greatly from NAFTA, which went into effect in 1994. But wages haven't risen much and Mexican farmers complain about massive imports of U.S. grain and other farm products.
Posted by: Fred ||
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#1
They just figured out they don't have a choice. Not like it's going to do them any good.
#6
Looking for a tourniquet to stop the bleeding, is he?
Put a tourniquet on the flood of illegals from your side of the border, or is the 'transportation' business too lucrative?
Mexican president wants to protect Mexican jobs
#9
...So, we're now in unfamiliar territory: tbe peso is losing altitude, and investors are backing away...But the traditional Mexican government safety valve - letting people head to El Norte - may not be available this time. You can almost bet that within a few days of his inauguration, President Trump will throw all the manpower he can at the border with orders to stop the illegals muy rapido. At that point, the Mexican government is going to flat - out panic.
Pass the popcorn, por favor.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/12/2017 12:17
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#10
Maybe Pena and Trump can have a meeting, maybe at a gas station... if they haven't burned them all down.
If that comment doesn't make sense to you, there's unusual things going on down there (or different unusual things).
Posted by: ed in texas ||
01/12/2017 19:41
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#11
Seeking cure for ignorance, perhaps Trump has a few ideas on how to straighten up Mexico.
[DailyMail] President-elect Donald Trump, after growing suspicious that intelligence officials were leaking news about their classified briefings with him, says he conducted a sting operation to try to prove top spies were behind the leaks.
Trump revealed the extraordinary scheme to try to entrap the senior spies in a furious press conference where he suggested the intelligence community had been behind salacious and totally unproven allegations against him.
‘I think it’s pretty sad when intelligence reports get leaked out to the press. First of all, it’s illegal. These are classified and certified meetings and reports,’ Trump said during a press conference at Trump Tower – his first since getting elected.
Then he revealed the details of the stealthy sting he says he conducted on the nation’s senior spooks.
‘I’ll tell you what does happen. I have many meetings with intelligence. And every time I meet, people are reading about it,' Trump said, possibly referencing reports on his classified briefings, which he has chosen not to receive daily.
'Somebody’s leaking them out,’ Trump said, after inveighing against leaks generally. ‘So I said, "Maybe it’s my office. Maybe my office." Because I’ve got a lot of people … Maybe it’s them?’
‘What I did, is I said I won’t tell anyone. I’m going to have a meeting, and I won’t tell anybody about my meeting with intelligence,’ Trump continued.
He even shielded one of his closest aides from word of the meeting.
‘Nobody knew – not even Rhoda, my executive assistant for years. She didn’t know – I didn’t tell her. Nobody knew,’ Trump continued.
Having set the trap, Trump says the word leaked anyway
‘The meeting was held. They left, and immediately the word got out that I had a meeting. So, I don’t want that. It’s very unfair to the country. It’s very unfair to our country what’s happening,’ he said.
As president-elect, Trump is entitled to a daily briefing of the 'crown jewels' of the intelligence community. The briefings typically are conducted by high level intelligence officers.
On Friday, he got a briefing that included James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence and other top intelligence officials.
At his Wednesday press conference, he went after the intelligence community as being behind the leak of a dirty dossier of material alleging the Russians had compromising information on him, saying it would be a 'blot' on the record if true. He blasted those who published it, but in a twist, complimented outlets which stayed away from the claims.
'They looked at that nonsense that was released by maybe the intelligence agencies,' Trump said, referencing a dirt dossier against him.
'Who knows, it may be the intelligence agencies – which would be a tremendous blot of their record if they did that,' Trump said, in just his latest shot at the intelligence community.
'A thing like that should have never been written … and it certainly should never have been released,' Trump continued.
Posted by: Steve White ||
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#1
CIA needs to be cleaned up. Trump does HAVE that power. First you replace the appointees and the Leadership. If they resist, have them arrested. Then use your own appointees to follow the biased smell wherever it leads. The Intel will be paralyzed, of course. That is the price. But the Price will be higher if Intel is rogue...thy only EXIST to serve the Executive. They answer to him.
If they are not Loyal and loyal above reproach...then they NEED to be replaced and removed. Do it.
ALL of the Intel community needs to serve the Executive. They need to completely comprehend the fact, they are not their own boss. They work for the Executive. If they refuse that responsibility.... what is the Russian word for a small broom and a dog's skull dangling from the saddle?
#2
Yes. How much unnecessary sorrow might this whole country have suffered after 9/11 if Bush had not been relying on Clinton holdovers in the intel community?
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/12/2017 8:47
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#3
How much less unnecessary sorrow, I meant to say.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/12/2017 8:48
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#4
Reminds me of Breaking Bad...'He's smarter than you, he's Luckier than you, and whatever it is that you think is going to happen, the exact opposite is what's going to happen'. Poor socialists.
#5
All of that slam dunk stuff was a political ploy to make Georgie look bad and give the left ammo to use on him in the next election.
Too bad they didn't understand the nature of the enemy or the nature of the average American.
They also forgot it is better to be feared than loved and that postponing conflict for the sake of peace only postpones it to the advantage of your adversary.
More people in intel and every Congressman and Senator and every President should be made to read the Prince.
#6
Don't get cocky. These are formidable opponents. Do not underestimate the difficulty in rooting them out. Trump's stunt here is an example of how clever he is, and how he will beat them. But it will take ruthless purges after each test, and ten more tests to clean the stables.
[Hurriyet Daily News] At least 11 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.... of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) hard boyz were killed in northern Syria in the last 24 hours as part of The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... ’s ongoing Euphrates Shield operation, according to a Turkish General Staff statement released on Jan. 11.
Turkish Air Forces also hit 12 ISIS targets in Syria’s al-Bab region, including six weapon pits, two control points and three shelters used by the jihadists.
The statement said the Turkish army’s efforts in supporting Free Syrian Army ... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund... (FSA) fighters in liberating al-Bab, a strategic city for ISIS, were ongoing.
The operation began late August 2016 to improve security, support coalition forces, and eliminate terror threats along the Syrian border using FSA fighters backed by Turkish artillery and jets.
Besides ISIS, the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its military wing, People’s Protection Units (YPG) forces, are also regarded as terror organizations by Turkey due to their links with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).
The statement also added that Turkish jets have decided not to conduct Arclight airstrikes on three ISIS targets in the evening on Jan. 10, because the targets were close to places where civilians lived.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/12/2017
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
Israel and Turkey are drafting a road map for a cooperation agenda following an agreement to normalize relations and appoint respective ambassadors in the wake of the 2010 Mavi Marmara massacre.
The undersecretaries of the two countries’ foreign ministries will meet within one month for a political consultation meeting, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official has told the Hürriyet Daily News. High-level visits will be planned in line with the decisions taken at the meeting, with the economy and tourism to have priority at the mutual visits, the official said.
Turkey will participate in a tourism fair in Israel on Feb. 7 and 8, perhaps at the level of the culture and tourism minister level, the official noted. A visit by Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu to Israel will also be on the agenda when his schedule becomes available.
Officials are aiming to update a free trade agreement between Turkey and Israel by expanding it on issues such as agricultural products.
“This is very important for us because the two countries are complementary to each other. In areas such as information, information, innovation; Israel has made significant progress. But they need to find markets for those products. In this respect, Turkey stands out as a very important partner in the region,” the official said.
Turkey also expects the mutual lifting of visa procedures with Israel. At the same time, the two countries will step up cooperation on security issues. The official underlined that both countries require consultations on regional security issues such as Syria, and the sharing of security information will be on the agenda during the political consultation meeting, the official added.
Eitan Na’eh was appointed as Israel’s ambassador to Ankara last month, while Kemal Öktem became Turkey’s envoy to Tel Aviv.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/12/2017
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Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
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.
[Daily Caller] The opposition research firm that hired a former British spy to dig up dirt on Donald Trump is the same shady outfit that was hired by Planned Parenthood to put a positive spin on videos showing the sale of baby parts.
[The Last Refuge] An interesting ’hot video’ moment during the Senate Foreign Relations Committee shows someone who appears to be Washington Post editor Doris N Truong taking photographs of Rex Tillerson notes on table during a break at the Senate confirmation hearing.
[Breitbart Israel] Residents of Gaza were outraged at criticism of Hamas’ cross-border tunnels, used mainly for smuggling, by the Palestinian Authority’s official TV channel.
[Breitbart] New York (AFP) ‐ President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday attacked the pharmaceutical industry for high drug prices and for manufacturing overseas, saying he will create new procedures for bidding on drugs.
Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
[MEDIAITE] During President-elect 
[DAWN] ISLAMABAD: A medical board from the Pakistain Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) has found that Taiba, a 10 year old domestic employee who was allegedly tortured in the home of a serving judge, had 14 burn injuries, three marks of trauma and one sign of infection on her body.
Currently the Interior Minister of Pakistain. He is the senior leader of the Pak Moslem League (N) and a close aide to Nawaz 
Michel Aoun
...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth...
[al-Manar] The Turkish military, , said that the warplanes conducted airstrikes Monday in the Zap, Gara, Hakurk, Avasin, and Barzan regions close to Turkey’s southwestern border, the local media outlet Hurriyet Daily News reported.
[EXPRESS.CO.UK] MARINE Le Pen has rocketed into the lead in the race to become France’s next president - just months ahead of the country’s general election.
[DailyMail] President-elect Donald Trump, after growing suspicious that intelligence officials were leaking news about their classified briefings with him, says he conducted a sting operation to try to prove top spies were behind the leaks.
