#3
I had an engineering student from Viet Nam once who was describing a well built co-ed. He picked up part of the American slang but not all of it. What came out was: "She built like $hithouse." Funny how one word can change the entire meaning of the phrase.
Patricia Medina [English] aka Isabelita Sotomayor in "Fortunes of Captain Blood (1950)" aka Linet in "The Black Knight (1954)" aka Mily in "Mr. Arkadin (1955)" aka Nicole Dupre in "Abbott and Costello in the Foreign Legion (1950)" aka Maureen Gelder in "Francis (The Talking Mule)(1950)" aka Betty Thaxter in "The Killing of Sister George (1968)" aka Peg Jarret in "Stranger at My Door (1956)" aka Queen / Witch in "Snow White and the Three Stooges (1961)" aka Mrs. Joseph Cotton (Died in 2012 at age 92)
(Sh.M.Network)- A Taiwanese fishing boat seized by Somali pirates nearly 19 months ago was freed, and its crew members were taken to safety by a Chinese naval vessel,Taiwan's foreign ministry said Wednesday.
The "Shiuh Fu No 1″ was seized with its Taiwanese captain and its crew of 13 Chinese and 12 Vietnamese nationals on December 25, 2010 off Madagascar and was later taken to Somalia.
The crew members were released on Tuesday after the boat owner completed ransom talks with pirates, the ministry said.
The freed hostages could not leave by themselves as their fishing boat had run aground, and instead they were taken to Tanzania by a ship from the Chinese navy, the ministry said.
"We appreciate the assistance of the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... , international anti-piracy organizations,China and other relevant countries," it said.
China's foreign ministry also confirmed the release of the crew in a statement without elaborating and said it had notified the Vietnamese authorities.
Two decades of lawlessness have carved up Somalia into mini-fiefdoms ruled by gunnies and militia, encouraging rampant piracy.
However, by candlelight every wench is handsome... the number of successful pirate attacks off Somalia's coast has fallen recently due to the deployment of foreign combat ships in the zone, according to the EU's Atalanta mission.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2012 00:00 ||
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(Sh.M.Network) -- China has rescued a group of 26 fishermen, mainly Chinese and Vietnamese, who were taken from a Taiwanese trawler and had been held by Somali pirates for the last 18 months, the Chinese government has said.
The fishermen, who worked on the Taiwanese trawler "FV Shiuh Fu No 1″, were seized in December 2010, the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on its website (www.mfa.gov.cn) late on Tuesday.
It gave no details about how the rescue was accomplished.
The crew consisted of 13 mainland Chinese, 12 Vietnamese and one Taiwanese, it said.
"After the hard work of many sides, the whole crew of 26 people was safely rescued on the evening of July 17,Beijingtime," the brief statement said.
Taiwan's foreign ministry said it had assisted in ransom talks between the boat's owner and the pirates, although it did not say directly whether a ransom had been paid. It also thanked China for its assistance in the rescue.
Chinese naval forces operating on anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and waters off Somalia were looking after the fishermen and were taking them to Tanzania, after which they would be sent home, the Chinese statement said.
Chinese ships have undertaken anti-piracy operations off Somalia since late 2008. In early 2010,Beijing agreed to join a multi-nation effort to protect shipping in the Gulf of Aden and nearby stretches of the Indian Ocean.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
so Chinese spec ops are now hitting Somalia too? it's getting to be a free-for-all for global rescue teams. it's nice that they succeeded, but I suspect that the pirates will become a lot more jumpy, and much more inclined to shoot hostages at the first hint of trouble.
#2
Chinese operatives trained long and hard to figure out how to hand over bundles of ransom money without provoking the Somali pirates. To a man, they deserve chestfuls of medals for this intrepid exploit. What I'd like to know is how much cash actually made it to the pirates.
#3
Mr Fei - if you are saying that Chinese agents actually got the money to Somalia through a combination of land and sea routes - then I would have to agree with you. That's quite an accomplishment. :-) Bitish security firms usually air drop the money. The interesting thing is that your comment is implying that a ransom was paid, rather than this being a full military rescue mission. The original story did not makew that clear.
Anyway, I am glad that the hostages made it out of Somalia. Lately the pirates have been getting more nasty with how they are treating their hostages, and a growing number of captives are dying before getting released.
(Sh. M. Network)- Somali military officials say government troops have killed 11 Al-Qaeda linked Somali based hard boyz in the latest fighting in the southwest.
The officials say the fighting raged Tuesday until early Wednesday around Bardhare town in southwestern Gedo province, one of the few remaining Al shabab strongholds. Several soldiers were reportedly killed or maimed during the attack.
Somali and AU troops, primarily Kenyan army pounded krazed killer hideouts in the villages surrounding Bardhere on Tuesday and Wednesday, but the officials say casualty figures from those bombings were not available because of the ruggedness of the terrain.
Col.Abdullah Abdulle, a Somali army commander said that the Troops on Wednesday took Takara and Jungal, some of the last town under krazed killer control in Gedo province, which bordersKenya.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2012 00:00 ||
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(Sh. M. Network)-Somali forces in the central region of Hiiraan are reportedly launched Wednesday a heavy house-to-house security operations in Beledweyne, a town just 206 miles (332 km) north of Mogadishu.
Sheikh Osman, the district commissioner (DC) for Beledweyne, confirmed to Shabelle Media by phone the ongoing operations and said the forces are searching masterminds of yesterday's deadly roadside attack on Ethiopian troops, killing soldiers.
Witnesses said Ethiopian troops have killed at least 10 innocent civilians, including women and children and wounded 9 others, some of them seriously, after opening fire indiscriminately on crowd near the bomb site at a village in eastern Beledweyne town on Tuesday.
"The Ethiopians arrested 200 local people over the landmine blast on Tuesday... we don't know where these people were taken and held by the troops. We shocked and terrified about the army's behavior and actions," said a witness who asked anonymity because of his security.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2012 00:00 ||
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Dressed in khaki robes, the new batch of youths will join others from Senegal ... a nation of about 14 million on the west coast of Africa bordering Mauretania to the north, Mali to the east, and a pair of Guineas to the south, one of them Bissau. It is 90 percent Mohammedan and has more than 80 political parties. Its primary purpose seems to be absorbing refugees... and Ivory Coast milling about in the scorching heat in the courtyard of a building the jihadists have made the headquarters of their Islamic-law-enforcing police.
"We are many Africans, come from all over to join the mujahideen in Gao," says an Ivorian who says he has now taken a new name, Ahmed El Guedir.
In less than two days, over 200 Africans have been conscripted by the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), the group told AFP on an exclusive trip under their protection to a region which has been a no-go area for western news organizations since being seized by gangs in late March.
On average, the recruits are about 16 years old. Some came out of a sense of conviction, some were paid, according to corroborating sources.
"They were promised the sun, moon and stars," said one of these sources on condition of anonymity.
The youths have been separated into two training camps where they will "undergo military and religious training", says the head of the Islamic police, who identifies himself only as Alioune.
"There are more than 200 youths now, we are awaiting many more," he adds.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
"On average, the recruits are about 16 years old."
says it all right there.
sucked in by promises.
little or no education.
will pour their blood out in some country where they weren't even born.
[Yemen Post] The Yemeni authorities have jugged Please don't kill me! an Iranian spy cell that had been working in Yemen for seven years, the military-run 26 September Newspaper said.
The Newspaper said that the cell is run by a former leader of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), pointing out that it is tasked with running spy operations in Yemen and African Horn.
Foreign Minister Abu Bakr Al-Qirbi had affirmed that there are a strong relations between the Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is "God is Great, Death to America™", Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews" ... group and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In remarks to a Saudi newspaper, Al-Watan, Al-Qirbi said affirmed that Tehran trains the Houthis and provides them with weapons, equipments and funds.Al-Qirbi affirmed that Iran has relations with Al-Houthi group and other Yemeni groups, pointing out that such relations pose a source of concerns to Yemenis."There are other issues that we do not want to currently speak about because we are engaged in internal dialogue and hope that these issue are resolved through dialogue" he added.
Al-Qirbi had previously accused Iran of interfering in Yemen's affairs, stressing that any Iranian cooperation with Yemeni political sides is unacceptable. "We along with all regional states are keen to have relations with Iran, but we refuse any intervention in internal affairs" he An Emirati Newspaper, Al-Khaleej.The US Ambassador to Yemen Gerald Feierstein frequently cautioned against Iranian intervention in Yemen, indicating that Iran seeks to spark troubles in Yemen through supporting the Saada-based Houthi group.
According to the New York Times ...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... , Iran operates to increase its political outreach and arms shipments to rebels and other political figures in Yemen as part of what American military and intelligence officials say is a widening Iranian effort to extend its influence across the greater Middle East.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2012 00:00 ||
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Officials in the Republic of Kabardino-Balkaria in the North Caucasus have launched an investigation into a deadly attack on two policemen.
One of the policemen died at the crime scene after an unknown group of armed people opened fire on him and his colleague in the republic's capital, Nalchik, on July 18. The second policeman died later in hospital of injuries sustained in the attack.
The two policement were sent to Nalchik to round up suspects allegedly involved in an Islamic insurgents' attack on Nalchik in October, 2005.
[An Nahar] North Korean leader Kim Pudge Jong-un ...the hereditary potentate of North Korea... has been granted the title of marshal, state media reported Wednesday, cementing his status as the authoritarian nation's top military official as he makes key changes to the million-man force.
The decision to award Kim, who already serves as supreme commander of the Korean People's Army, was made Tuesday by the nation's top military, government and political officials, state media said in a special bulletin.
The formal move to bestow the title of marshal to Kim comes seven months into his rule and follows several days of reshuffling at the highest levels of the military.
On Monday, North Korea announced that the chief of the army, Ri Yong Ho, a high-ranking figure in both political and military circles, was dismissed from all posts due to illness. The following day, a little-known general, Hyon Yong Chol, was promoted to vice marshal, one of four named to that position since Kim Jong-un took power.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
IMO this another worrisome sign among many lately that CHINA is getting ready to drop most of its historical preference/policy ala "Soft Power/Diplomacy", + instead BEGIN USING THE POWER OF THE PLA TO MILITARILY ENFORCE + PROTECT ITS TERRITORIAL CLAIMS VEE THE "FIRST ISLAND CHAIN".
IMO "MARSHAL" = here means more "Marshal" of the North Korean military forces of the Chinese PLA, N-O-T "Marshal" of the [sovereign] North Korean People's Army, by and for the same.
* TOPIX > [Asia Times] JAPAN TESTS CHINA'S EAST FLANK.
* SAME, WORLD NEWS > PHILIPPINES WARY OF CHINESE FISHING BOATS NEAR SPRATLYS. New fishing fleet includes PRC Admin = "Reinforcement" Ship + new armed Fisheries Patrol Ship.
* SAME > [Analyst Greg Poling = CSIS] CHINA RISKS ISOLATION IFF IT OCCUPIES SPRATLYS [or attacks Philippines + other Nations wid competing claims to SCS].
* SAME > PHILIPPINES: CHINA BECOMING "MORE AGGRESSIVE" IN SOUTH CHINA SEA.
* SAME > TOKYO [Metro Govt] BID TO SURVEY SENKAKUS IN WORKS.
RELATED SAME = TOKYO [Metro Govt] WILL FIGHT FOR SENKAKUS; + TOKYO [Metro Govt] SEEKS PERMISSION [from Central-National Govt] TO LAND ON SENKAKUS.
* SAME > JAPAN WANTS CHINA INFORMED OF SENKAKUS PLAN ACCURATELY, i.e. that the proposed nationalization of the disputed Senkakus [Chinia = Daoyus] under Nippon = Japan State Ownership is a DOMESTIC/SOVEREIGN JAPANESE MATTER, N-O-T a Diplomatic or Bilateral, etc. matter between it + China or Other.
* SAME > US THINK-TANK URGES FASTER WORK [between US + Japan] ON MOVING OKINAWA MARINES TO GUAM, + constructing MilFacs here.
#5
FREEREPUBLIC Artic claims a deadly firefight broke out when an attempt was made to remove newly sacked Gen. Ri Yong Ho from his office - up to 25-30 DPRK Soldiers were repor killed in the shootout???
The terror attack in Bulgaria was carried out by a suicide bomber who was carrying phony American documents, offcials said.
The terror attack in Bulgaria was carried out by a suicide bomber, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said Thursday morning, as authorities develop a picture of exactly how six Israelis were killed when a bus blew up at Sofia's Sarafovo Airport.
An initial investigation, based on footage captured by surveillance cameras, indicated that the bomber was a Caucasian.
Earlier reports said that the bus had been blown up by an explosive device set off remotely.
The terrorist was carrying a driver's license from Michigan and possibly a passport, Bulgarian officials said, which turned out to be a fake. A report by Bulgarian news agency Novinite said that Bulgarian authorities had contacted the FBI, which had been unable to verify the identity of the terrorist, who was apparently killed in the attack, bringing the death toll to seven. Bulgarian authorities have not yet determined how he entered the country.
A joint international investigation is being conducted by Israeli, U.S., and Bulgarian authorities. Magen David Adom and ZAKA teams flew to Bulgaria overnight Wednesday to deal with the dead and wounded. Thirty one Israelis were injured in the attack, with two in critical condition. Israeli doctors are considering ways to bring them back to Israel for treatment.
Dr. Gaby Barabash, director of Tel Aviv's Ichilov Hospital, told Army Radio Thursday morning that most of the injured Israelis were lightly wounded, and could be home by Shabbat. "Some of them may need long-term treatment, perhaps for several months, but most of the injuries are not complicated, and none will be (physically) disabled as a result of their experience."
#1
The terrorist was carrying a driver's license from Michigan Most likely not Mormon, Mennonite, or Wiccan. Any chance the driver's license originated in Dearborn?
#2
A report by Bulgarian news agency Novinite said that Bulgarian authorities had contacted the FBI, which had been unable to verify the identity of the terrorist,
Origin or pattern analysis of phony Michigan driver's license? You did have a look at that right?
Israeli doctors are considering ways to bring them back to Israel for treatment.
#3
More like Isreal isn't taking chances when the bomber had "fake" American documents. What's going to be the kicker is if it turns out this person was an illegal out of Dearborn or Detroit. It will have an impact on our election should the fact the guy could have blown up in the US.
Although horrible I look forward in a detached sort of way to the information on this bomber. We might have our first "American" Suicide bomber.
Posted by: Charles ||
07/19/2012 8:30 Comments ||
Top||
#4
If the bomber originated in the US, the standard "lone wolf" tripe-o will be trotted out quickly...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/19/2012 9:02 Comments ||
Top||
#5
...not to be confused with the MSM blitz on the Latino white boy shooting of a poor black youth as a means to broad brush a large portion of the population as RACISTS.
#6
I wonder if the Michigan DL was an out and out counterfeit or a legit one issued by the state in a false ID. Big difference IMHO. Does Michigan have Motor Voter registration?
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
07/19/2012 11:36 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Times of Israel (HT to Weasel Zippers!)
He was an ex-Gitmo detainee: Bulgarian media on Thursday named the suicide bomber who blew up a bus full of Israeli tourists, killing five, in Burgas on Wednesday as Mehdi Ghezali.
There was no independent confirmation of the veracity of the information. The reports surfaced soon after IsraelÂ’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had publicly accused Hezbollah, directed by Iran, of responsibility for the bombing.
Ghezali was reportedly a Swedish citizen, with Algerian and Finnish origins. He had been held at the USÂ’s Guantanamo Bay detainment camp on Cuba from 2002 to 2004, having previously studied at a Muslim religious school and mosque in Britain, and traveled to Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
He was also reportedly among 12 foreigners captured trying to cross into Afghanistan in 2009.
Earlier on Thursday the Bulgarian police released a brief video clip that claimed to show the suicide bomber responsible for WednesdayÂ’s terror attack on a tour bus full of Israeli citizens at Burgas International Airport.
good thing we've been releasing them, no?
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/19/2012 11:41 Comments ||
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Posted by: Thunter Lover of the Heathen Rus3879 ||
07/19/2012 12:07 Comments ||
Top||
#9
If the US gummint had this splodey and let him go, I hope the victims' families sue early and often, no matter how pointless that might be.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
07/19/2012 12:10 Comments ||
Top||
#10
Given this mutt's pedigree, I doubt the Persians are behind it. Easy to get a bogus DL. Probably used it to buy his bus ticket. I'd like know more about the passport though.
Posted by: Bangkok Billy ||
07/19/2012 12:29 Comments ||
Top||
#11
If you couple this act and the Damascus bombing (both occurring within hours of each other), it could very well be a third party doing the hits.
AQI did this on a number of occasions in Iraq while we were there (hitting the Sunnis and Shias simultaneously) hoping to start a civil war.
Perhaps they're hoping to start a real war or something.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
07/19/2012 13:41 Comments ||
Top||
#14
I looked at the video too - not hard to see why this person escaped suspicion. The suspect, if this is the right guy, looks pretty da** calm for a suicide mission. It's not possible to have a completely airtight seal against this kinda' stuff. A light-skinned Swedish tourist who looks like a daydreaming backpacker - that's about as good of a cover as they can possibly get.
somebody put some real thought into this.
i don't see how Gitmo can hold the blame - they can't incarcerate people forever.
[An Nahar] A bomb tore through a vehicle in Pakistain's northwestern tribal belt on Wednesday, killing 11 members of an extended family, including two children, officials said.
The bomb went kaboom! in Sepoy village in Orakzai district, said senior administration official Zakir Hussain.
"It was a remote-controlled bomb planted on the road. The bomb went kaboom! near a pick-up van carrying passengers," Hussain told Agence La Belle France Presse.
The blast killed eight people, including two women, an 11-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl on the spot, he said, adding that four people were maimed.
Three others later gave up the ghost in the hospital, and all the victims were close relatives, he added.
"It was a thug attack, the aim was to create panic in the area by killing ordinary people," Hussain said.
Orakzai is one of seven districts in Pakistain's tribal belt on the Afghan border that is home to Taliban and al-Qaeda strongholds. Washington has dubbed the area the most dangerous region on Earth.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2012 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] The menace of assassinations and violence remained relentless in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It may be the largest city in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... as it took 12 more lives and injured as many on Wednesday, DawnNews reported.
At least two people were maimed in a kaboom in Buffer Zone locality in the evening. The injured were being shifted to a nearby hospital.
The law enforcing agencies also came under attack as unidentified myrmidons attacked police in Pak Colony, killing one official.
Two people were reported to be injured by sporadic firing in Gulbahar.
One was killed and two got injured amid firing at a sweet's shop in Mominabad area.
A political worker was killed in New Bloody Karachi while three dead bodies were recovered from Malir River, Manghopir area and Risala. Torture marks were also found on bodies.
Forty-two-year old Yawar Mehdi was killed in Gol Market, Nazimabad.
Meanwhile, ...back at the pool hall, Peoria Slim had found another sucker... Ahtesham, who got injured by firing, departed this vale of tears in a local hospital. A man, identified as Mohammad Arsalan, was killed in Khokarapar, Malir.
Moreover, police had jugged Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! Munawar alias Mannu from Alfalah, Azeempura. The suspect was wanted for murder of five people. Police claims that the jugged Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un! also has political affiliation.
Governor Sindh Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan, by taking notice of Buffer Zone blast, ordered a quick inquiry report into the incident from the concerned departments.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2012 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Militants attacked security forces' check-posts on Pak-Afghan border in Chitral on Wednesday, DawnNews reported.
Casualty of any soldier was not reported. However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... in retaliation, Pak forces killed at least nine thugs, government sources said.
Spokesman of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP) Ehsanullah Ehsan claimed that "TTP has launched a massive attack on check-posts in Chitral's area Boni."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2012 00:00 ||
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Security officials have arrested two suspects believed to be among more than 25 terrorists militants who attacked a military outpost in Narathiwat province on Tuesday, killing three people and injuring six. The suspects were nabbed during a manhunt launched after the attack.
Col Pramot Phrom-in, deputy spokesman for the Internal Security Operations Command's Fourth Region, said authorities had "clear evidence" the two were involved.
He said investigators believed all the attackers belonged to the same bamd of terrorists rebels who had attacked Phra Ong Dam military base in the same province on Jan 19 last year. One suspect in the Phra Ong Dam case was identified as Sunkipli Sika who was arrested in February this year.
On Tuesday, men in uniform similar to that of military rangers arrived at the outpost of the 15,123rd Company in Rueso district in two pickup trucks and three motorcycles before launching a grenade and firing small arms at soldiers and civilians there. Village defense volunteers and residents nearby helped the troops and returned fire at the attackers.
Pvt Salawut Minsayom and two villagers, Hio Roipariwat and Nitisak Kwanwichan, were killed in the five-minute gun battle.
Police think two of the attackers were also killed and their bodies taken away by their fellow terrorists militants in the pickup trucks as they fled the scene. The group left their motorcycles behind.
An investigation indicates that one of the motorcycles belongs to Ahama Tole, a key subordinate of terrorist militant suspect Ropaeing Useng. The terrorist militant put the license plate of a another motorcycle over the one used in the attack to cover its original registration. Police are looking for the hideout of Mr Ahama who is believed to have fled to Yala province.
They are also looking for the owners of the other two motorcycles left at the scene after finding their license plates had been switched.
The army was aware of the possibility of increased terrorist insurgent violence before Ramadan, which begins tomorrow. Deputy Prime Minister Yutthasak Sasiprapa said, "I learned from an intelligence report around noon [on Tuesday] that the attack would occur within two days," adding that the attacked outpost served as a checkpoint.
Opposition sources and a Western diplomat stated Pencilneck Mr Bashir al-Assad was in the coastal city of Latakia, directing the response to the assassination of his top lieutenants, according to Reuters.
Mr Assad, who has not made a public appearance since Wednesday's bombing, was said to be commanding the government operation but it was not clear whether Assad travelled to the Mediterranean Sea resort before or after the attack.
"Our information is that he is at his palace in Latakia and that he may have been there for days," said a senior opposition figure, who declined to be named.
David Cameron, the prime minister called on Mr Assad to give up power to avert more chaos and bloodshed. Speaking during a visit to Afghanistan, Mr Cameron said: "I have a very clear message for President Assad. It is time for him to go. "It is time for transition in the regime. If there isn't transition it's quite clear there's going to be civil war."
Major Gen Robert Mood, head of the UN monitoring mission, warned that the violence was spiralling, as President Assad appeared to have gone to ground.
Security forces loyal to President Assad pounded rebel hideouts in Damascus on Thursday in retaliatory attacks for the blast that killed three top anti-insurgency leaders. Hundreds fled Damascus flashpoint districts amid a surge of fighting following a bomb attack which killed three security chiefs, as residents reported shops closed and food shortages.
The troops used helicopters and heavy artillery against the rebels, while snipers took up positions on rooftops on the outskirts of the city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. "Explosions are heard throughout the capital," it said.
"The regime has gone mad," Rima Flaihan, spokeswoman for the Local Coordination Committees in Syria, said in a telephone interview today from Jordan.
She said at least 200 people were killed across Syria yesterday. "The regime is in a horrid state of savagery, seeking revenge for the killings of the military leaders," she added.
The military gave residents 48 hours to leave areas where clashes are taking place between security forces and rebels who have launched the "Damascus Volcano" offensive ahead of the start of Ramadan fasting on Friday.
"These extremely violent clashes should continue in the next 48 hours to cleanse Damascus of terrorists by the time Ramadan begins," a security official said.
The bomb attack that killed three top security chiefs in Damascus marks "the beginning of the end of the regime" of President Assad, an opposition spokesman said on Thursday.
"We see that what happened (on Wednesday) is a sign of the beginning of the end of the regime," Syrian National Council spokesman George Sabra. "It was a major blow to (Assad) and the regime's repressive security apparatus."
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog said that in the western district of Mazzeh alone, hundreds of people were on the move, "fearing a large-scale operation by regime troops."
Meanwhile the Israeli defence minister, Ehud Barak said Syria's alliance with Iran and Lebanon's Hizbollah was weakened by the attack.
"The blow is a severe one," said Barak on a tour of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, a day after a blast tore through Syria's national security headquarters, killing the defence minister and two other top officials close to President Bashar al-Assad.
"It's also a severe blow to the radical axis, to the Iranians and Hizbollah, who are the sole supporters of the Assad family," he said in remarks communicated by his spokesman.
The minister said it was possible to watch the battle playing out less than a kilometre (half a mile) away in the Syrian village of Jebata al-Khashab.
"We can see the actual fighting, the mortars, hear the bullets between the Syrian army to rebels or the opposition," he said. "This shows how the disintegration (of the Assad regime) is not abstract, it is real, it's approaching, and what happened yesterday in Damascus will expedite the downfall of the Assad family."
The FSA, which had predicted an imminent "surprise" on the eve of the attack, claimed that its assault on the capital, named "Damascus Volcano", would take them to the verge of victory.
"This is the volcano we talked about; we have just started," said Qassem Saadedine, the group's spokesman. "We have smashed the inner circle of Bashar," another rebel official boasted.
A government sources said Assad's mother and sister have gone to Tartus province for the funeral of his brother-in-law Assef Shawkat who was killed in Wednesday's Damascus bomb.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/19/2012 13:28 ||
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Top|| File under:
#1
Lemme think... Where did all the bigs from the Iraqi Baath party end up?
#4
frankly, I DO want to see baby Assad strung up and beaten like a pinata
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/19/2012 17:21 Comments ||
Top||
#5
I'd say if I were running Syria I'd probably make Latakia the capitol... but I just had a better idea. Make peace with Israel, then make myself the new consulate officer at the new compound on the beach in Tel Aviv.
I have a folding reclining lawn chair from Target that'll be perfect.
[An Nahar] The United States moved to freeze the assets of dozens of Syrian ministers Wednesday, piling pressure on the regime as it reeled from a kaboom that took out three core security officials.
The White House insisted Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad The Scourge of Hama... was "losing control" of power, as Washington marshaled its forces to push the regime toward its tipping point.
The Treasury Department announced assets freezes and bans on links with 29 members of the regime's upper echelon, including the ministers of finance, economy and justice, and the governor of the central bank.
While the U.S. had already introduced sanctions against 100 members of the regime, the move represented a significant stepping up of pressure on Assad's inner circle.
Until now those not directly involved in the violence had largely dodged sanctions, as Washington tried to encourage defections or even an internal revolt.
Among the other ministers included in Wednesday's actions were those responsible for agriculture, housing, health, education, environment, culture and oil.
Many were appointed less than a month ago when Assad announced a new cabinet in the wake of controversial parliamentary elections that were boycotted by the opposition.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2012 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
In lion taming, you're never supposed to corner a lion. Always give him an out.
Posted by: American Delight ||
07/19/2012 16:56 Comments ||
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#2
You would think we would have put those sanctions on the Assad clique, like maybe a year ago.
[An Nahar] More than 60 soldiers have been killed in festivities with the rebel Free Syrian Army in Damascus ...The place where Pencilneck hangs his brass hat... in the past 48 hours, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Wednesday.
"Between 40 and 50 soldiers of the regular Syrian forces were killed the day before yesterday (Monday) in fighting in Damascus, and at least 20 were killed yesterday," the Observatory's Rami Abdel Rahman told Agence La Belle France Presse.
He added that forces of the presidential guard had deployed around the capital, but "they are not involved in the fighting" that erupted in several districts of the city on Sunday.
Abdel Rahman said helicopters attacked the Barzeh and Qaboon districts of Damacus on Wednesday, and that "residents of Qaboon are leaving."
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
It was always so much more fighting for until all the Jews and Christians had left. But again, thats moslem shit.
#5
Said it yesterday, say it today. WMD's look like they will make an appearance. Saddam's method is the only way I see Assad having a chance anymore, not to say it won't be bloody either way. The army units and core supporters have to know it's kill or be killed at this point given what they saw in Libya.
Posted by: Charles ||
07/19/2012 8:32 Comments ||
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#6
Possible scenario: Assad brother Maher al-Assad the enforcer "sez gas'em baby gas'em". Reluctant Assad inner circle sez.... "no way." Maher al-Assad gives inner circle a kaboom present, relocates to the Med?
[An Nahar] Two Syrian brigadier generals crossed into Turkey overnight, a Turkish foreign ministry official told Agence La Belle France Presse Wednesday.
"Some 330 Syrians including two brigadier generals fled to Turkey Tuesday night," the official said.
Turkey has become home to dozens of defectors who have crossed the border and formed the Free Syrian Army in opposition to Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... 's regime.
On Monday, a Syrian general and several soldiers crossed into the Turkish side of the border, bringing to 18 the number of generals who have fled into Turkey since the conflict in Syria erupted in March last year.
The official also said that nearly 43,300 Syrian refugees were now living in camps near the border with Syria.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2012 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] A child died on Wednesday as gunnieshad gun sex at a mainly Alawite area in northern Leb after a Damascus ...The place where Pencilneck hangs his brass hat... bombing in which top regime figures died, a security source said
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2012 00:00 ||
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[VOA News] Syrian state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
says a bomb struck the National Security building in Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... Wednesday, killing Defense Minister Daoud Rajha and Deputy Defense Minister Assef Shawkat, brother-in-law to Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad. Scourge of Qusayr...
Syrian General Hassan Turkmani, a former defense minister, is also reported to have died of injuries from the bombing.
Syrian forces and rebels have clashed in several neighborhoods of Damascus, and helicopters are reported to have fired on targets from the air, after three top government officials died in the kaboom.
Posted by: Fred ||
07/19/2012 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Somali pirates
(Sh.M.Network) -- China has rescued a group of 26 fishermen, mainly Chinese and Vietnamese, who were taken from a Taiwanese trawler and had been held by 
(Sh. M. Network)- Somali military officials say government troops have killed 11 Al-Qaeda linked Somali based 
(Sh. M. Network)-Somali forces in the central region of Hiiraan are reportedly launched Wednesday a heavy house-to-house security operations in Beledweyne, a town just 206 miles (332 km) north of Mogadishu.
[Daily Nation (Kenya)] A group of armed youths has just arrived in Gao from 
The Yemeni authorities have 
North Korea
The menace of 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[An Nahar] More than 60 soldiers have been killed in 
Two Syrian brigadier generals crossed into Turkey overnight, a Turkish foreign ministry official told Agence 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Syrian state television
