[Dawn] Several aid organizations have restored some operations in Afghanistan after they received assurances from Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... -run authorities that women could work in areas such as health, in spite of restrictions last month barring female NGO workers.
The International Rescue Committee (IRC), Save the Children and CARE said this week they were again operating some programmes, mostly in health and nutrition.
The Taliban administration last month ordered local and foreign aid organizations to stop letting female staff work until further notice. It said the move, condemned globally, was justified because some women had not adhered to the Taliban’s interpretation of Islamic dress code.
Many NGOs suspended operations in response, saying they needed female workers to reach women in the conservative country.
"Last week, the Ministry of Public Health offered assurances that female health staff, and those working in office support roles, can resume working. Based on this clarity, IRC has restarted health and nutrition services through our static and mobile health teams in four provinces," Nancy Dent, a spokesperson for IRC, said.
A spokesperson the Afghan Ministry of Public Health said they had not stopped any health-related activities. "Due to a misunderstanding they stopped their health services and now they have restarted their health services," he added.
Save the Children said it had restarted a small number of its operations in health, nutrition and some of its education programs where it had received clear guidance from authorities that female workers could safely operate, but cautioned they were limited.
#1
Direct aid to the Afghan women, children and the poor is certainly worth continuing. It would be beneficial to block the State Department from its usual corrupt money practices in Afghanistan, at least.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/18/2023 8:26 Comments ||
Top||
#2
As soon as that direct aid is taken home, the Taliban can taken it away.
#3
They could. Generally, tyrants steal food aid before it is distributed so that they can resell it, provide it to their allies or be seen as magnanimous when they distribute it. When aid workers are directly interacting with the people receiving aid, the needy generally get to eat the food. It is stolen from the people more often when families are given bulk amounts as a fifty pound bag of rice can be more efficiently pilfered than a daily ration.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/18/2023 23:07 Comments ||
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[KhaamaPress] Chinese company’s oil deal with the Taliban ...Arabic for students... government increases the economic and security cooperation between Kabul and Beijing, which "will undermine U.S. interests in the region and the ability to respond.", Analysts say.
Early this month, the Taliban signed the extraction contract of the Amu oil field with the Chinese company- China Petroleum Economics and Information Research Center (CPEIC) in the northern Afghanistan-Amu Darya basin, raising alarm bells in the west.
The signing ceremony took place on January 5 in the presence of Chinese Ambassador to Afghanistan Wang Yu, the Acting Minister of Mines and petroleum of Afghanistan, Shahabuddin Delaware, and other senior Taliban figures, including Abdul Ghani Baradar, the acting deputy Prime minister for economic affairs.
The amount of investment will be more than USD 500 million with 20 % of Afghanistan’s share, and the oil extraction capacity is estimated from 200 to 1000 tons a day; expected that 3000 jobs will be created for Afghans inside the country.
This is the first significant energy investment by the Chinese company since the takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban in August 2021.
Experts believe that such an agreement and investment by a Chinese company increases the economic and security cooperation between Kabul and Beijing, which "will undermine America’s interests in the region and the ability to respond", wrote Sajoyan, a researcher at the American Foreign Policy Council in Washington, and reported by ANI.
Despite the growing terror threat and the recent attack on Chinese business travelers, Beijing signed the major oil riches field in Afghanistan.
According to a Washington-based analyst, China wants to address the rising demand for crude oil. Meanwhile, ...back at the barn, Bossy had come up with a new idea, one that didn't involve kerosene... there is a security concern about the several Uyghur separatist movements labelled as terrorist groups by the United Nations ...an organization conceived in the belief that we're just one big happy world, with the sort of results you'd expect from such nonsense... and the U.S. Department of State.
[Garowe] Somali leaders could not hide their joy after the Somali National Army [SNA] and local militia captured two strategic towns from the hands of al-Shabaab ...... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa... , marking the milestone in the fight against the holy warriors who control large swathes of the rural central and southern part of the country.
The military, who have been in the charm offensive, managed to liberate Haradhere town in Galgaduud and the strategic town of Gal'ad, which have been strategic for al-Shabaab. The towns also help the holy warriors collect revenue which is used to facilitate their activities.
Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre praised the military for the "bravery" and "sacrifices" they have made for the country in the last six months across all frontlines. The PM did not hesitate to laud locals who have taken arms against the krazed killers.
For former HirShabelle President Mohammed Abdi Waare, the victory against the holy warriors is historic, terming it "a very big deal". Previously, the former president has been on the frontline praising senior government officials who have sacrificed their time to join the military on the ground.
The towns also help the holy warriors collect revenue which is used to facilitate their activities.
"It was expected for the last few weeks. But the liberation of Harardheere is still a very big deal. It was the biggest stronghold in the Central Regions and has developed, over the years an aura of invincibility of almost mythical proportions. This victory is a watershed event," he said in a tweet.
"I commend the SNA and all the civil defense forces that took part in liberating much of Hirshabelle and Galmudug ...a semiautonomous region in central Somalia, bordering Puntland on the north. Galmudug is not trying to obtain international recognition as a separate nation, but rather considers itself autonomous within the larger Somali federalism, for what that's worth... from the menace of Al-Shabaab. The takeover of Xarardhere is Historic and has also special significance. Hope the rest of the country will follow soon," added Omar Sharmarke, former Somali PM.
Defense Minister Abdulkadir Mohammed Nur announced the good news early on Monday morning while recognizing the importance of the two towns to the krazed killers. He said the troops were leading operations to liberate the two towns.
"Today, it’s a big day for the Somali people, it’s a victory for the Somalis," Nur said. "We have succeeded in taking control of Galcad and Harardhere districts."
The holy warriors had displaced thousands of civilians from the two towns having learned that the Somali National Army and the local militia were busy arriving. Usually, the holy warriors strive hard to control locals from interacting with members of the army, and in most cases, they displace them when about to lose control of strategic towns.
[AlAhram] During their trilateral summit in Cairo on Tuesday, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi, Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase.... (Abu Mazen) and King of Jordan Abdullah II stressed that all Israeli illegitimate unilateral actions that undermine the two-state solution and the chances of achieving fair and comprehensive peace must stop.
Al-#Qaeda and #ISIS terrorist groups are driving insecurity in central #Mali and continue to clash near populated areas in the northern Gao and Menaka regions, the UN chief says.https://t.co/WGihbuzRW3
Al-Qaeda and ISIS terrorist groups are driving insecurity in central Mali and continue to clash near populated areas in the northern Gao and Menaka regions, the UN chief said in a new report circulated Monday.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said “the level and frequency of incidents of violence remain exceptionally high,” with attacks by “violent extremist groups” against civilians accounting for the majority of documented human rights abuses.
“The attacks carried out against civilians by terrorist groups, the battle for influence among them and the violent activities conducted by community militias remain a chilling daily reality, as do the attacks against the Malian Defense and Security Forces and against MINUSMA,” the UN peacekeeping force, he said.
Guterres said in the report to the UN Security Council that “going forward, military operations to combat the extremist groups will continue to be a crucial component for the restoration of security.”
In central Mali, he said, the extremists are capitalizing on intercommunal conflicts to expand their influence and secure new recruits.
In the northern Gao and Menaka regions, Guterres said fighters from the al-Qaeda affiliate Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin known as JNIM and ISIS in the Greater Sahara also continue to clash, causing civilian casualties and thousands to flee the violence.
He said the number of people displaced in Mali increased from 397,000 to 442,620 as of October, with some 1,950 schools closed affecting over 587,000 children. Humanitarian assistance is reaching only 2.5 million people of the 5.3 million in need, he said.
The secretary-general stressed that the ultimate success against the extremist groups will hinge of whether the operations are accompanied by efforts “to ensure respect for human rights and international humanitarian law, foster social cohesion, address structural fragility and deliver basic services.”
Mali has struggled to contain an extremist insurgency since 2012. Extremist fighters were forced from power in Mali’s northern cities with the help of a French-led military operation, but they regrouped in the desert and began launching attacks on the Malian army and its allies. Insecurity has worsened with attacks on civilians and UN peacekeepers.
In August 2020, Mali’s president was overthrown in a coup that included Assimi Goita, then an army colonel. In June 2021, Goita was sworn in as president of a transitional government after carrying out his second coup in nine months. France, Mali’s former colonial power, pulled out the last of thousands of French forces in August 2022 amid acrimonious exchanges with the transitional government.
In late 2021, Goita reportedly decided to allow the deployment of Russia’s Wagner group, a private military contractor with ties to the Kremlin that is also operating in Ukraine to support Moscow’s troops in the 11-month war.
The report does not name Wagner, but says MINUSMA “documented violations of international humanitarian and human rights law allegedly committed during military operations conducted by the Malian armed forces, accompanied by foreign security personnel and dozos,” who are traditional hunters.
It says the UN force also documented “some instances in which foreign security personnel appear to have committed violations of human rights and international humanitarian law while conducting both air and ground military operations in the center of the country.”
On the political front, Mali’s presidential election which had been scheduled for February 2022 is now slated to take place in February 2024.
Guterres pointed to progress in putting a single electoral management body into operation and the submission of a preliminary draft constitution. He urged authorities to expedite implementation of the electoral timetable published in July 2022.
Equally important to Mali’s lasting stabilization, he said, is implementation of the 2015 peace agreement signed by three parties — the government, a coalition of groups called the Coordination of Movements of Azawad that includes ethnic Arabs and Tuaregs who seek autonomy in northern Mali, and a pro-government militia known as the Platform.
“However,” Guterres said, “the recent decision by the movements to suspend their participation in the implementation process is cause for serious concern.”
The secretary-general stressed that the primary responsibility for moving the peace process forward lies with the parties, and he urged them “to engage constructively with each other and the international mediation team to overcome the current hurdles.”
[BBC] The Taliban ...Arabic for students... have started using Twitter's paid-for verification feature, meaning some now have blue ticks on their accounts.
Previously, the blue tick indicated "active, notable, and authentic accounts of public interest" verified by Twitter, and could not be purchased.
But now, users can buy them through the new Twitter Blue service.
At least two Taliban officials and four prominent supporters in Afghanistan are currently using the checkmarks.
Hedayatullah Hedayat, the head of the Taliban's department for "access to information", now has the tick.
His account has 187,000 followers and he regularly posts information related to the Taliban administration. He had his paid-for blue tick removed last month, according to local media, but it has now returned.
Abdul Haq Hammad, head of the media watchdog at the Afghan Ministry of Information and Culture, also has a blue tick on his account that has 170,000 followers.
Prominent Taliban supporters have acquired the blue tick too.
Muhammad Jalal, who previously identified as a Taliban official, praised the new owner of Twitter on Monday, declaring that Elon Musk was "making Twitter great again".
The presence of the hard-line Islamists on Twitter has been a topic of controversy for some time.
In October 2021, former US President Donald Trump ...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons...... - who was suspended from the platform after his supporters stormed the US Capitol - said: "We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favorite American President has been silenced.
The Twitter Blue service was introduced in December.
It costs $8 per month, and an increased fee of $11 is paid by those using the Twitter app on Apple devices.
Subscribers to Twitter Blue benefit from "priority ranking in search, mentions, and replies" to help fight spam and bots, according to the platform.
Before the introduction of Twitter Blue, none of the observed accounts for Taliban officials carried the blue tick mark - that was then used to indicate the identities of users verified by Twitter.
After their return to power in Kabul in August 2021, the group took over verified accounts run by the previous administration, including the Afghanistan Cricket Board. The sporting body's account now carries a gold tick.
Under Twitter's new policies, gold checkmarks indicate businesses, while grey ones are for other users, such as governing authorities.
Taliban officials and supporters are prolific users of Twitter, using the platform to disseminate key messages.
[Breitbart] Florida is threatening to suspend licenses for businesses failing to provide proof of E-Verify compliance, which ensures they are not employing illegal immigrants. It comes as part of its greater effort to protect Florida residents and their jobs as the nation faces a mass immigration crisis on the southern border.
The Department of Economic Opportunity sent letters to several businesses, flagging the various companies for “repeat non-responsiveness” to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE).
“If you persist and fail to respond to the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO), there will be significant consequences,” the letters reads, warning that the notice serves as the “final opportunity to respond before consequences are initiated.”
It adds that the DEP will “not grant any extensions” or excuses for nonresponses. The companies had one month from the date of the letter to provide an affidavit stating the company will comply with the law and terminate the employment of illegal aliens.
Failure to comply with the letter in the given time frame would result in a suspension of “all licenses” held by the company “specific to the business location where the unauthorized alien(s) performed work.” In cases where they do not have a license specific to the business location where the illegal alien worked, the licenses held by the company at its “primary place of business” will be suspended.
The letter was sent to several companies, including Prestige Cruise Services LLC, Upperline Health Inc, and the American National Red Cross. The deadline is Monday, January 16.
Jeremy Redfern, deputy press secretary for Gov. Ron DeSantis, told The Center Square that the Sunshine State is “cracking down on the unlawful employment of unauthorized aliens in the state of Florida”:
Companies that have not affirmed that all employees have passed E-Verify and are authorized to work in the United States are given an opportunity to cure the issue and so affirm. Six companies have failed to do so after repeated notices and are subject to the suspension of their licenses to operate their business in the state. They have been issued final notices of non-compliance.
The DeSantis administration is no stranger to touting E-Verify in the state. In 2021, the administration hung signs on all major interstate highways entering Florida, informing travelers that the state, indeed, uses E-Verify.
“For years prior to my administration, attempts to pass E-Verify legislation in Florida failed, but I would not yield until this matter was addressed,” DeSantis told Breitbart News at the time, noting he was able to work with the Florida legislature to get E-Verify over the finish line.
DeSantis added that the use of E-Verify places “upward pressure [on] Floridians’ wages” and protects public safety.
“Assuring a legal workforce through E-Verify is crucial to upholding the rule of law and deters illegal immigration into Florida, which is more important than ever given the border crisis,” he added.
A post-election Rasmussen Reports/NumbersUSA poll found that national midterm election voters support nationwide action on U.S. employers hiring illegal aliens.
Posted by: lord garth ||
01/18/2023 0:17 Comments ||
Top||
#2
It is a good system. It removes a lot of liability from lawsuits if utilized consistently. As you convert to the system, I don’t think ICE allows you to screen existing employees.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
01/18/2023 8:42 Comments ||
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#3
E-Verify and the Border Wall are the absolute solutions to the illegal immigration issue. Once the flood a the border becomes a trickle, the enforcement arms of ICE and the Immigration court systems can begin to repatriate the massive burden of illegal entrants already in place, most of whom are a net cost to the nation in social services and enforcement. E-Verify will end the ability of illegals to compete for jobs that belong to American citizens, period. Cheap labor ends in many low end jobs, but the offset is the reduction on welfare and social-safety-net expenses.
he missing component that begs control is the 30-50 BILLION dollars of consumer spending that doesn't happen because of the remittances that are sent back to illegal's nations and families. Remittances keep Mexican and Central American economies afloat, but its money that rightfully belongs inside the American economy.
We have become impoverished because of decades of politicians who view the American taxpayer as a veritable ATM for globalist agenda's. Enough!
#4
Never discussed is that as long as this goes on, the countries those people are fleeing will get worse, not better, for the majority still residing there.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/18/2023 13:34 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Sweden and Finland must deport or extradite up to 130 "terrorists" to Turkiye before the Ottoman Turkish parliament will approve their bids to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... ), President Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.
The two Nordic states applied last year to join NATO following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but their bids must be approved by all 30 NATO member states. Turkiye and Hungary have yet to endorse the applications.
Turkiye has said Sweden in particular must first take a clearer stance against what it sees as "terrorists", mainly Kurdish hard boyz and a group it blames for a 2016 coup attempt.
"We said look, so if you don’t hand over your holy warriors to us, we can’t pass it (approval of the NATO application) through the parliament anyway," Erdogan said in comments late on Sunday, referring to a joint presser he held with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson in November.
"For this to pass the parliament, first of all you have to hand more than 100, around 130 of these holy warriors to us," Erdogan said.
Finnish politicians interpreted Erdogan’s demand as an angry response to an incident in Stockholm last week in which an effigy of the Ottoman Turkish leader was strung up during what appeared to be a small protest.
"This must have been a reaction, I believe, to the events of the past days," Finland’s foreign minister Pekka Haavisto told public broadcaster YLE.
Haavisto said he was not aware of any new official demands from Ankara.
In response to the incident in Stockholm, Turkiye cancelled a planned visit to Ankara of the Swedish speaker of parliament, Andreas Norlen, who instead came to Helsinki on Monday.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/18/2023 03:44 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[21 views]
Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
#4
Perhaps I am splitting hares, but shouldn't you have at least a smidgen of coast on the North Atlantic in order to be in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?
[NYPOST] New video shows the chaotic moment accused ISIS-inspired terrorist Sayfullo Saipov
...the Uzbeck lone wolf from Paterson, NJ, where he lived next to the Omar Mosque. He rented a truck for the purpose of running over as many people as possible while screaming “Allahu akhbar,” though he only managed to kill eight for ISIS and wound 12 more despite also crashing into a school bus. He came to the U.S. under President George HW Bush’s Diversity Immigrant Visa program in 2010, one of millions of Uzbeks to take advantage of the offer...
was confronted and shot by an NYPD officer shortly after he drove a truck into a bike lane off the West Side Highway and fatally mowed down eight people.
The dramatic footage, entered into evidence by federal prosecutors at Saipov’s Manhattan trial, shows the suspect running across the West Side Highway holding what appears to be a pistol in each hand.
As he approaches Chambers Street, Saipov, wearing a blue tracksuit, can be seen pointing the weapons at a responding officer — who unleashes a fusillade of shots, one 7-second video shows.
After a series of bangs, the alleged terrorist drops to the ground.
In his opening statement last week, Assistant US Attorney Alexander Li described the frenzied scene, captured in various videos by onlookers in nearby buildings and from the street.
Li told jurors that Saipov burst out of his rented Home Depot truck after the murderous rampage on Oct. 31, 2017, and waved a paintball gun and a pellet gun around while proclaiming his allegiance to radical Islam.
ISIS-inspired terrorist Sayfullo Saipov.
"Even though his truck was now a smoking ruin in the middle of the intersection, the defendant still was not done," the prosecutor said.
"He had also brought two fake firearms, which looked real. He grabbed them, and he burst out of the truck screaming ’Allahu Akbar,’ a celebratory phrase that other ISIS members have also used when conducting terrorist attacks," Li added.
"A responding NYPD officer ran towards the defendant. The defendant aimed his apparent guns at the officer. The officer fired, hitting the defendant, who went down to the ground," he went on.
Other still photographs released by prosecutors show the horrific aftermath of the truck attack at the scene of the crime.
The photos show mangled bicycles that were ridden by Saipov’s victims, as well as the Home Depot truck that was nearly completely destroyed when he crashed into a school bus at the end of the attack.
A series of photographs of the bus show the yellow vehicle split open by the impact and mangled, twisted metal caused by the crash.
Li told jurors in his opening statement that a child who was riding in the school bus at the time suffered "serious brain damage" as a result of the crash. A woman who was in the vehicle also suffered an injury to her liver, broken ribs and a fractured spine.
The officer who shot Saipov, Detective Ryan Nash, testified last week that he fired nine shots at the suspect, hitting him once in the lower torso.
The suspected ISIS-loving terrorist was rushed to Bellevue Hospital, where he underwent surgery for the wound.
After he recovered from the procedure, Saipov gave an interview with an FBI agent, who testified he smiled about the attack and requested an ISIS flag to hang in his hospital room.
Saipov faces 28 counts for the terror attack and could face the death penalty if convicted.
[Dawn] Three suspects in the Wazirabad shooting incident on PTI Chairman Imran Khan ...aka The Great Khan, who is the lightweight's lightweight... were placed on judicial remand on Tuesday by the Gujranwala anti-terrorism court (ATC).
But another suspect, Mudassar Nazeer, the PML-Wazirabad N’s district information secretary, was once more given to the joint investigation team (JIT) on physical remand with plans to be back in court on Jan 26.
Earlier, the JIT presented four suspects Mudassar, Waqas, Ahsan Ali and Tayyab Butt before the ATC. They were arrested in the case for their alleged connection with main suspect Naveed Araen.
However, alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk... the ATC sent Waqas, Ahsan and Tayyab to the jail on judicial remand, and now four suspects, including the main suspect, are in judicial custody and the fifth suspect is still on physical remand.
[Dawn] In a rare move, religious scholars have announced that they would stand by a female Christian official of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) who had been threatened by a Moslem colleague of implicating her in a false blasphemy ...the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity, or sacred objects, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. Some religions consider it to be a crime. In Pakistain you can commit blasphemy by looking cross-eyed at a Koran... case to settle a "personal dispute" in the metropolis recently.
Religious leaders from both Moslems and Christians said that the move aimed at showing solidarity with the victim that she was not alone.
A viral video showed a CAA official, identified as Salim, threatening a female colleague to accuse her of allegedly committing blasphemy for disallowing entry of a vehicle without number plate in the cargo area at Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... airport. Later, a CAA spokesperson said the male official had been suspended.
In the latest move, a delegation of Learned Elders of Islam from different sects led by Allama Ziaullah Sialvi, the chairman of the Ulema Amn Council Pakistain, met with the woman.
"We met our sister and assured her that we stand by her both on the religious as well as legal grounds," Allama Sialvi told Dawn.
"If she wants to take a legal action and lodge an FIR of the incident against the CAA official, we will fully support her during the investigation and in court as well," he declared.
He said that no one would be allowed to misuse religion against ’our non-Moslem brethren’ since it not only defamed the country, but also set wrong examples to victimise anyone for personal benefit.
Bishop Khadim Bhutto, who is leading an interfaith initiative with Allama Sialvi, told Dawn that on his request the Learned Elders of Islam had also visited the CAA office and submitted a joint application with the director general, requesting him to take disciplinary action against the official involved.
[Rudaw] Ottoman Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Tuesday that he discussed Syria "extensively" with his Iranian counterpart in Ankara, adding that both neighbouring countries have exchanged information regarding Kurdish fighters.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian on Tuesday arrived in Ankara, meeting with Ottoman Turkish President His Enormity, Sultan Recep Tayyip Erdogan the First ...Turkey's version of Mohammed Morsi but they voted him back in so they deserve him. It's a sin, a shame, and a felony to insult the president of Turkey. In Anatolia did Recep Bey a stately Presidential Palace decree, that has 1100 rooms. That's 968 more than there are in the White House, 400 more than in Versailles, and 325 more than Buckingham Palace, so you know who's really most important... . He later met with Cavusoglu and both ministers held a joint presser.
"We discussed Syria extensively," Cavusoglu told news hounds, adding that Ankara still prioritises the territorial integrity of Syria.
"The fight against terrorism is important for both countries. Iran ...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites.... and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the occupiers of Greek Asia Minor... are suffering from terrorism," he said, adding that this issue was discussed during the meeting with the Iranian minister.
Syria and Turkey ties severed in 2011 after Turkey accused Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Leveler of Latakia... of massacring his people who were seeking to topple his regime. Turkey later supported gangs who were fighting the Syrian army.
Turkey has recently tried to normalise relations with Damascus but the Syrian regime seems skeptical, with Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad ...Syrian foreign minister, formerly Perrmanent envoy to the UN. He replaced Wally Muallem, who died in office at age 79, having been FM since approximately age 12... telling Amir-Abdollahian on Saturday that "We cannot talk about the resumption of normal ties with Turkey without removing the occupation."
Erdogan has repeatedly said recently that he wants to meet Assad.
Mekdad affirmed that a potential meeting between Assad and the "Ottoman Turkish leadership depends on removing the differences that led to this dispute," referring to the presence of Ottoman Turkish troops in Syria and Ankara’s support for armed opposition factions.
The talks between Turkey and Syria are mediated by Russia. The meetings were initially held at the level of security heads but defence ministers of both neighbouring countries met in Moscow late last month for the first time.
Cavusoglu said that preparations are underway for a meeting between him and Mekdad.
Amir-Abdollahian said on Tuesday that Iran welcomes the efforts to normalise Ankara-Damascus relations, claiming that this is the outcome of "efforts made by Iran in previous years."
The Ottoman Turkish and Iranian foreign minister also talked about the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) - gang struggling for the increased rights of Kurds in Turkey but listed as a terrorist group by Ankara.
The Ottoman Turkish minister said that the PKK is present in both Turkey and Iran, noting that his country has taken "necessary measures" at home and outside the country to fight the Kurdish group.
He also said that Turkey and Iran had previously exchanged information about the PKK.
Turkey often carries out military operations against the PKK at home and in the Kurdistan Region, and it also targets Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria (Rojava), claiming that they are affiliated to the PKK.
Turkey has conducted three offensives against the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) since 2016, and it is threatening to carry out a fresh military campaign against them in the near future.
YPG is the backbone of the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Mazloum Abdi, General Commander of the SDF, told al-Monitor on January 14 that he expects Turkey to attack the Kurdish city of Kobane in northern Syria next month "because of its symbolic meaning for Kurds world over."
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/18/2023 00:03 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[13 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
...Arabic for 
...... al-Qaeda's tentacle in East Africa...
...aka Abu Mazen, a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial. While no Yasser Arafat, he has his own brand of evil, just a little more lowercase....
...dictatorial for repealing some (but not all) of the diktats of his predecessor, misogynistic because he likes pretty girls, homophobic because he doesn't think gender bending should be mandatory, truly a man for all seasons......
[NYPOST] New video shows the chaotic moment accused ISIS-inspired terrorist 
...aka 
...the act of insulting or showing contempt or lack of reverence to a deity, or sacred objects, or toward something considered sacred or inviolable. Some religions consider it to be a crime. In Pakistain you can commit blasphemy by looking cross-eyed at a Koran...
...a theocratic Shiite state divided among the Medes, the Persians, and the (Arab) Elamites....
