Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Happy Birthday/Daily Gam Shot
Jeri Ryan aka Borg Seven of Nine in "Star Trek: Voyager" aka Sonya Blade in "Mortal Kombat: Rebirth" aka Veronica "Ronnie" Cooke in "Boston Public" aka Juliet Stuart in "Dark Skies" (age 43)
As for her husband... lets say that is dirty laundry that was supposed to have been sealed, but somehow got leaked to the press as a dirty trick from which Obumble was placed into office by the machine. Obama did not get where he is by merit, nor by his own efforts - dirty tricks all along the way to get this empty suit machine pol into office.
[Tolo News] There were no civilians present when coalition forces targeted hard boyz during an offensive in eastern Kunar province, ... which is right down the road from Binny's house in Chitral... Isaf said Monday.
Last Thursday, governor of Kunar Fazlullah Wahidi claimed that more than 50 non-combatants were killed in an operation by foreign forces in Ghaziabad district of the province.
Isaf Spokesperson Gen. Josef Blotz said the targets were hit after a solid confirmation of airborne teams about cut-throat's gathering in the spot.
"Airborne intelligence assets and coalition helicopters identified armed hard boyz massing around a remote area and the airborne teams verified that no apparent civilian structures were present before they opened fire," Blotz said.
Gen. Blotz said coalition forces videotape the areas prior to and during every operation, and that there are videotapes showing no sign of children or civilians during the strikes.
When asked about establishment of permanent bases in Afghanistan, he said Isaf and Nato are not determined to set up any permanent bases in the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] Twenty one bully boyz surrendered to government in western Badghis province on Monday, local officials said.
The men were active in Qadis district of the province. The 21 men inclusing their commander , Mullah Isfandyar, have surrendered to government, a front man for governor of Badghis told TOLOnews.
The men have handed over their weapons to Afghan forces, he added.
The group said they will support grinding of the peace processor in their district and will not fight against the government again.
Provincial officials expressed optimism saying security will improve in Qadis district in the province if more bully boyz renounce violence.
Taliban have not yet commented.
Afghan officials said they will start military operations in western Afghanistan soon to wipe out the jihad boys.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] More than 32 non-combatants were killed and more than 40 others were seriously injured in a suicide kaboom in northern Kunduz province on Monday.
The attacker detonated his boom jacket at 12:15 pm local time in provincial branch of national statistics department in Imam Sahib district in turbulent Kunduz province, senior provincial officials said.
All the victims of the incident were civilians including women and kiddies, Lal Mohammad Ahmadzai, a front man for 303 Pamir Zone in the north told TOLOnews.
Hours after the incident, President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai strongly condemned the attack.
No groups including the Taliban have grabbed credit for the assault.
On Saturday in a suicide kaboom and shootout in eastern Jalalabad city, nearly 40 civilians bit the dust and 70 others were maimed.
The bad turbans, who were later revealed as Pak citizens, raided a Kabul Bank branch in Jalalabad using Afghan police uniforms. The high level of fatalities made the incident the deadliest in months.
Afghanistan Human Rights Commission (AHRC) strongly slammed suicide kabooms that have mainly resulted in civilian casualties.
Officials in the commission described the attacks as "war crime".
In less than a month more than 120 civilians have been killed in attacks carried out by the Taliban while nearly 200 others have been hurt, according to AHRC.
Taliban have recently increased their suicide kabooms. The most recent attacks hit capital Kabul, southern Kandahar and Khost province ... across the border from Miranshah, within commuting distance of Haqqani hangouts such as Datta Khel and probably within sight of Mordor. Khost is populated by six different tribes of Pashtuns, the largest probably being the Khostwal, from which it takes its name... s and as well as eastern Jalalabad city.
Northern Kunduz, a once-peaceful province, has been the scene of some bloodiest attacks in the past.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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(CBSNews) Four Americans taken hostage by Somali pirates off East Africa were shot and killed by their captors Monday, the U.S. military said, marking the first time U.S. citizens have been killed in a wave of pirate attacks plaguing the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean for years.
U.S. naval forces, who were trailing the Americans' captured yacht with four warships, quickly boarded the vessel after hearing the gunfire and tried to provide lifesaving care to the Americans, but they died of their wounds, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement from Tampa, Fla.
Two pirates died during the confrontation and 13 were captured and jugged, the U.S. Central Command said. The remains of two other pirates who were already dead for some time were also found. The U.S. military didn't state how those two might have died.
On Monday, two pirates had peacefully come aboard the USS Sterett to negotiate with naval forces for the release of the hostages, and remained aboard overnight.
But on Tuesday, pirates aboard the Quest unexpectedly fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the Sterett. Shortly afterward, gunfire erupted inside the Quest cabin, and U.S. special forces responded, approaching the Quest in small boats and boarding the vessel, Vice Adm. Mark Fox, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a Tuesday presser.
Some pirates moved to bow and put up their hands in surrender. The U.S. forces killed two pirates in the course of clearing the vessel - one with a handgun and one in a close-combat knife fight. There were no injuries to U.S. forces or damage to U.S. ships, Fox said.
The Quest was the home of Jean and Scott Adam, a couple from Caliphornia who had been sailing around the world since December 2004 with a yacht full of Bibles. The two other Americans on board were Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, of Seattle, Wash.
Adam, in his mid-60s, had been an associate producer in Hollywood when he turned in a spiritual direction and enrolled in the seminary a decade ago, said Robert K. Johnston, a professor at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena and a friend of Adam's.
"He decided he could take his pension, and he wanted to serve God and humankind," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 11:38 ||
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From the news source whose name shall not be uttered ....
From what I gather the pirates were not under attack, they just decided to kill the hostages. They were on the phone talking to negotiators minutes before and had said that they would kill the hostages if they were attacked. Maybe one had an itchy finger and it all blew up after that?
And mere minutes after they were all shot, American forces stormed their boat.
Now 13 pirates are going to jail in an American prison, I assume. Maybe they thought they were going to a Somali prison and would get out ten minutes after the Americans turned their backs?
So they traded 13 lives for four, AFAIAC.
Truly too stupid to breathe, any way you cut it.
Why is it again that we can't just shoot holes in the pirates' boats on sight?
Oh, that's right. I forgot about all the international outrage whenever the Russians or someone kills them and chums the water with their worthless corpses.
The only tried and true way to deal with pirates is to kill them on sight. It's the only thing that worked then, and it will be the only thing that works now. I can't wait for us to get past our denial. Pirates are not something that you can regulate out of existance. Pirates break all the rules. That's why they are called pirates. They have already thrown civilization to the wind. Somalia isn't a country. Nobody cares about the pirates except maybe their own mothers. And Al Quaeda, maybe. If we have an administration with any salt at all, the gloves have to come off. We've been pretty restrained so far. No more.
#1
At times like this, I like to imagine a US ships' Captain giving instructions to his SEAL team that are much like those of Guru, talking to his Thuggees in the movie Gunga Din.
"Rise and kill. Kill, lest you be killed yourselves. Kill for the love of killing. Kill for the love of Kali. Kill! Kill! Kill!"
#2
A good friend of mine emailed me with the opinion that 'The Navy should have done something. like blow the ba$tad$ up,' or words to that effect. I remined him that the Navy works for the civilian leadership (taking great pains to use that word lightly). full disclosue, he is a Navy vet ( tried it for 4 years, didn't like it), currently an Army Guard Non-com and Boeing Screamliner engineer. And drives a Subaru....
Rescue attempt gone bad? SEALs spotted before being able to take control? Even if not it will be spun that way, and the deaths will be all out fault.
All four Americans were dead, killed apparently by their captors. There were more than a dozen pirates on board, some dead and others captured, Martin reports.
Navy forces tried to provide lifesaving care but the Americans died of their wounds.
The U.S. Central Command said negotiations had been under way to try to win their release.
Gunshots were heard Monday but when U.S. forces reached the yacht, they found that all four hostages had been shot, the U.S. military said.
Two pirates died during the ensuing confrontation, and 13 were captured and detained. The remains of two other pirates who were already dead also were found. In total the U.S. said that 19 pirates were involved in the hijacking of the Quest.
#1
If the hostages are all dead - meaning that no good guys are any longer at risk - then I do not understand why our National Command Authority should allow any Somali pirates within ten nautical miles of the yacht to remain breathing.
But - with Obambi calling the shots - I suppose that's an unlikely outcome. Hey Barack - how's the skiing, while your fellow citizens are bleeding out on the deck of a ship somewhere?
#7
"It's a black day for us and also the Americans, but they lost bigger than us," a pirate who said his name was Bile Hussein said Tuesday. "If they still want a solution and safety for their citizens in the oceans, let them release our men they arrested."
How about we kill 'em and air drop them on Bile's lawn?
#8
Time to bomb their nests and be done with them. And what about the C-17 that the Argies have impounded. Have we stopped the drone zapping in Pakistan over "Ray Davis?" Are totally phuchecing inept? Come on Washington, get off your asses.
On Monday, two pirates had peacefully come aboard the USS Sterett to negotiate with naval forces for the release of the hostages, and remained aboard overnight.
But on Tuesday, pirates aboard the Quest unexpectedly fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the Sterett. Shortly afterward, gunfire erupted inside the Quest cabin, and U.S. special forces responded, approaching the Quest in small boats and boarding the vessel, Vice Adm. Mark Fox, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a Tuesday press conference.
Some pirates moved to bow and put up their hands in surrender. The U.S. forces killed two pirates in the course of clearing the vessel - one with a handgun and one in a close-combat knife fight. There were no injuries to U.S. forces or damage to U.S. ships, Fox said.
#14
...killed two pirates in the course of clearing the vessel - one with a handgun and one in a close-combat knife fight. There were no injuries to U.S. forces...
So - some Somali pirate decided to attack some SEALS with a knife?!?!? I'll bet he thought he was going to carve up some American fightin' man. I guess maybe he bit off a little bit more than he could chew .... heh....heh
Some SEAL is going have a good bar-room story to tell - about the Somali who tried to off him with a knife. I wonder how many nanoseconds that "close combat" session lasted????
#16
Looking at pictures of the yacht I imagine it has a lot of spaces where you couldn't carry a shotgun or carbine (or cutlass) and use it effectively.
#17
Pappy, you remind me of the story my Dad told about the only time he discharged his firearm during WWII: He was an engine room officer on a merchant ship when their convoy was attacked by U-Boats. One of the crew refused orders to stay at his station and my Dad fired one (sidearm) shot - which bounced around what seemed like forever, and fortunately never hit anyone or anything that mattered. The crewman did return to his post.
#18
A pirate who said his name was Muse Abdi said killing hostages "has now become part of our rules," and he referred to a pirate who was sentenced in a New York court last week to 33 years in prison for a 2009 attack on the U.S. cargo vessel the Maersk Alabama.
"From now on, anyone who tries to rescue the hostages in our hands will only collect dead bodies," he said. "It will never ever happen that hostages are rescued and we are hauled to prison."
Appears they've upped the ante. Might be time to get preemptive and start killing them first.
The only thing I can imagine is that the various agencies involved think there is some political advantage to them to be beating around the bush this way.
Cut their budgets if they think they have so much extra money to play with.
Blast the fuc&ers out of the water and be done with it.
Q-ships. Reapers. Deck-mounted 50-cals on commercial ships. No prisoners.
#24
If Obama does not seek the death penalty, that would be typical. However, it could be an opening for whatever GOP candidate runs for the presidency in 2012. In the larger scheme of things, the death of the hostages could serve as a metaphor for the Obama administration.
#25
They still have to transport the pirates back to land. Of course, the sea is a dangerous place. People fall overboard all the time. By the time you realize their gone, it's usually too late to pick them up.
I mean, these pirates could just be up on deck, and a rogue wave comes along and carries them overboard. Real tragedy and all. The Navy would of course search for them, but they probably can't swim, and what with the sharks and everything... It would be a great tragedy.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
02/22/2011 19:06 Comments ||
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#26
Somali pirates are now raiding 1700 miles off their coasts. The more money they collect in ransoms, the greater their range gets. The circumference of the earth is 25,000 miles.
.
The problem with shooting pirates on sight is that the targets encountered at sea are uncertain, often you don't know exactly who or what you're shooting at until hostilities commence, giving the advantage to pirate sneak attacks. I don't imagine Somali pirates fly the Jolly Roger to make themselves easy to identify.
If the rest of the world decided to simply blockade the Somali coast (an act of war), then anything floating away from the Somali shoreline would be fair game for sinking. That seems a fair response for what has been going on. I strongly suspect that by now, the pirates have bases far away from Somalia, so piratical expeditions would continue even if the Somali coastline was blockaded.
#27
"often you don't know exactly who or what you're shooting at until hostilities commence"
One would think that a fast boat approaching with guys holding RPGs would be a dead giveaway.
If they are raiding 1700 miles off the coast, then it is time to start taking more active defensive measures. It doesn't take a lot of technology or money to develop an apparatus to squirt a stream of gasoline onto a boat attempting to land a boarding crew on a ship. A ten second squirt of fuel followed immediately by a signal flare brings their attempt to a spectacular end.
These people must be in radio communications with someone ashore or at least each other to the "mother ship". It shouldn't be too difficult to locate these people by electronic means and make preemptive checks on them.
There is much that could be done, but apparently we prefer to react rather than act.
#28
"often you don't know exactly who or what you're shooting at until hostilities commence"
Create a shipping lane and any boat not authorized to be in the shipping lane should be eliminated. After a few boats are sunk (while being filmed) and a good marketing plan; I suspect no unauthorized boats will venture into the shipping lane.
#29
Blow all these phueckers to hell--take no prisoners. A waste of time.
Not until they're drained of every speck of intel.
I would think some of the "frangible rounds" would minimize ricochet problems.
Not really if up close. Just creates a lot of shrapnel. We did practice firing in passageways and into compartments (using paint balls). Highly effective if you know what you're doing, but it's usually not recommended due to the various piping that's found.
#30
The only advantage I can think of now is that the pirates have quite a number of ships under their control, which translates to several hundred actual humans being held hostage.
This is why you don't let these ba$tards get a toe-hold.
#31
As Pappy has said, time to follow the money. Ask the eternal investigative question: Cui Bono?
Also, trace these back to their village and demolish any and all boats in that area, dock facilities, and anything resembling a maint or repair shop. Revisit every 30 days or so for a few months. Message: you support pirates, your seagoing ability will be erased. Be sure to take out the motherships.
#1
There are not enough words in the English Language for me to express my feelings about this.
I pray for the families of the hostages and I pray for the souls of the hostages.
I am conflicted on what to say.
This is a national tragedy at many levels and I know that Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and Alexander Hamilton are rolling in their graves.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
02/22/2011 10:25 Comments ||
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#2
"Fox said they had not planned to launch a military operation against the yacht.
"The intent always had been this would be a negotiated process and not ever go to the point where we had gunfire," he said."
Obama was quick to publicly take credit on the news of a rescue where snipers took out the kidnappers of another pirate vessel, a year or so back, but then behind the scenes he went after the US military snipers and the Seals in his vengeance for the death of the pirates.
In his narcistic mindset, he will blame the military and he will feel he has another reason to go after the US military again, even though this time they tried his worthless, pansy approache.
As Commander in Chieg he should be investigated by the House.
Posted by: Flaviter Lover of the Wee Folk1341 ||
02/22/2011 12:28 Comments ||
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#3
An aircraft carrier, a cruiser and two destroyers were tasked to negotiate for the release of the yacht and hostages. The flea on the elephant must have really been irratable. If the U.S. has assets like that in the region, is there any reason why pirates are able to pillage at will for any extended period of time. As my grandma was fond of saying---FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!!
#5
Mohammed, a guy who married a wealthy trader and merchant, became raider, murderer, and thief who lived off of doing these things along trade routes, wrote the book on the religion of thieves, murderers and bandits. The book is the Quran supported by the the writings of the sira and hadith.
#7
"Christian people or evangelists" "bible thumpers"
They were good people, doing what "Koran thumpers" are agressively doing supported by CAIR and the fanatical Imams. Only the Mohammedans don't get the viscious ridicule Christians get for exercising their faith. God bless their souls.
"No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light."Luke 8:16
#8
I know bible thumpers. The more I read about these souls the more they sound like the real deal.
The pirates had complete control in creating the situation and ending the situation. After pure, unblemished murder they throw their weapons overboard and beg mercy. Their deaths lay squarely on Piracy.
The US Sailors showed complete control afterwards - whether that will be viewed as strength or weakness will depend upon whether the US or anyone is in control before these situations occur; now that it is clear, distilled, unblemished, who the good guys and bad guys are.
#9
Don't forget wr - Mohammand was also a slaver who was a firm believer that 'blacks had the heart of a donkey and were good for nothing but slavery' (his words - not mine!).
As for weather they were 'bible thumpers' - so what? They were still murdered in cold blood. They were in international waters and not actively 'thumping the bible' as it were. Besides I think (can't say for sure) they simply delivered bibles to existing congregations.
#10
See also CHINESE MILITARY FORUM Thread > KILLING HOSTAGES "HAS NOW BECOME PART OF OUR RULES", SAYS A PIRATE.
IMO it appears that these Hostages never had a chance to make it out alive, i.e. their Pirate captors had always intended to kill them from Day One, in retaliation for US = US-ALLIED failure to release captured or detained Pirate Bad Boyz.
ON A LARGER SCALE, THE SOMALI PIRATES ARE THE MARITIME BRANCH = "COUSIN" TO RADICAL ISLAM'S LAND JIHAD, + RIGHT NOW THE LATTER ARE BENT ON EXPANDING BOTH THEIR VARIOUS VIOLENT REGIONAL ARMED INSURGENCIES AS WELL AS "POLITICAL-LEGAL JIHAD". The Regional + TransRegional Islamist Jihad(s) is in reality a WORK-IN-PROGRESS GLOBAL CONQUEST, + the Somali Pirates are part of it.
On a separate Note, AM NEWS > US SECSTATE HILLARY'S FORMAL ADMIN = US RESPONSE TO THE HOSTAGE KILLINGS > Although she didn't say it directly, IMO Hillary just gave the World + Somali Bad Boyz a SUBTLE = INFERRED WARNING THAT MAY FORMALLY CONSIDER STRONG MILACTION, VEE SPECOPS IFF NOT DIRECT MILITARY INTERVENTION, IN SOMALIA = EAST AFRICA IN RESPONSE TO THE HOSTAGE KILLINGS???
#11
I do not understand why the boat is still afloat. I do not understand why these so called pirates are still alive. I do not understand why the dock this ship used is still standing. I do not understand why the houses these people lived in are still standing.
And do not give me any crap about co-lateral damage of the killing of innocents.
Posted by: kelly ||
02/22/2011 20:21 Comments ||
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[Haaretz] A Libyan opposition activist and a Tripoli resident say the streets of a restive district in the Libyan capital are littered with the bodies of scores of protesters rubbed out by security forces loyal to longtime leader Muammar Gadhafi, who is reported to be barricaded in his compound in the city.
Mohammed Ali of the Libyan Salvation Front and the resident say Tripoli's inhabitants are hunkering down at home Tuesday after the killings and warnings by forces loyal to Gadhafi that anyone on the streets would be shot.
Ali, reached in Dubai, and the Tripoli resident say forces loyal to Gadhafi shot at ambulances and some protesters were left bleeding to death. The resident spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.
Western media are largely barred from Libya and the report couldn't be independently confirmed.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
02/22/2011 11:28 ||
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#1
A fatwa has been issued on Daffy--shoot on sight. Eventually, someone is going to make good on that.
#5
I heard on the news that Daffy brought in foreign merceneries that keep pouring in and they are slaughtering people in their beds--mass genocide. Dunno how they knew as Al Jazeerrz has even been jammed. Wonder if the mercenaries are the Venezuelan-trained Hezbollah?
#6
French-speaking Africans. Pappy guessed Chad. That sounds right to me
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/22/2011 19:53 Comments ||
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#7
8 mins in:
Posted by: Water Modem ||
02/22/2011 20:07 Comments ||
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#8
FOX NEWS AM > Among other, Uncle Muammar warned the PROTESTERS ON TV THAT ANY FURTHER CHAOS MAY ULTIMATELY RESULT IN THE US MILITARILY
"INVADING" LIBYUH???
* FREEREPUBLIC > Ditto FIDEL CASTRO as per US-NATO INVASION = PLAN FOR POTEN MIL INTERVENTION IN LIBYA.
* WORLDTRIBUNE > LIBYAN MILITARY UNITS DEFECTING [en masse],GADHAFI LEFT WID EX-SOVIET SPECIAL FORCES [+ Mercenaries], vee his Presidential Guard + other elite Security.
Libya's leader, Muammar Gaddafi, has dismissed reports that he had fled amid the unrest sweeping the country, calling foreign news channels "dogs". Ooh, downgraded from monkeys. He must be really pi$$ed.
Speaking to state TV from outside a ruined building, he said "I am in Tripoli and not in Venezuela," after rumours that he had flown to Caracas. What? No formal press conference?
below is an excerpt
"Oh worshippers of Allah, see the slogan of the outlaws -- I won't call them
people who revolted against the regime -- in Egypt, in Tunisia, and
elsewhere. They chant a loathsome Zionist slogan: 'Topple the regime.' Is it
appropriate for a Muslim to revolt against the regime? They also blame the US and Qatar (the latter because of Al Jazeera)
Posted by: lord garth ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Nah. If the protesters were Jewish they would have shot down those strafing aircraft ....
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
02/22/2011 6:46 Comments ||
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#2
Well, where's Soros at the moment? Not that I'd classify him as Jewish, but the usual suspects* would. Buying up oil futures?
*The same suspects that call the Wisconsin governor a Nazi not understanding that the term refers to the National Socialist Workers Party with whom they are far closer aligned.
[Maghrebia] Tunisia's provisional government on Monday (February 21st) appointed Mouldi Kéfi as foreign minister. The 65-year-old career diplomat served as ambassador to Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra-Leone and Indonesia, AFP reported. He replaces Ahmed Ounais, who resigned on February 13th.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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That's the original headline... [Ennahar] The Libyan aviation bombed yesterday protesters in Tripoli making many dead, whose number is still unknown. The raid targeted the Republic Avenue, which, according to reports, caused 200 people dead and many maimed.
Moreover, Libyan officers blew up a plane last night at the airport of Benina when it was landing with onboard African mercenaries, according to the newspaper "Asharq Al Awsat."
According to knowledgeable Libyan sources, Colonel Qadaffy reportedly appealed to the commander Abdesslam Djelloud, former number two of the regime in the nineties, who had left the Libyan political scene for over 20 years, in order to intervene to stop the troubles that have caused a large number of deaths.
The same sources added in this sense that Djelloud had a violent argument with Qadaffy informing him that he refused to intervene if he did not stop the carnage committed by the army, police and African mercenaries against Libyan civilians. "I reject these proposals, but I'm ready to go to Benghazi and do everything in my power to stop the protests if a number of urgent demands are taken into consideration," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
He's never going to get this cat back in the bag. Its not going to quiet down and he cant kill enough people to make it go away.
He needs to fill his suitcase with gold and get a quick private jet to anyplace that will take him. Who will take him? I will bet he doesnt have a soul out there who will be a friend in need. Not even Chavez will touch him. He hasnt got anyplace he can go.
He will cut and run as soon as he has a place that seems to offer haven. But with none available he will hold out until his own military hangs him on a guthook.
And the end result of his life will be what's scrawled on a toilet door.
In southern Russia there once was a general of the Whites who failed and was executed by his own men. A slang term in that part of Russia may still refer to rural outdoor privies as "Dershensky's Headquarters". Kadaffy should be so lucky.
Yes. And how about a "compassionate execution" of Abdel Baset al-Megrahi while you are taking care of Qadaffy? The guy that was part of Great Britain's catch and release program.
#10
Actually, Egypt intervening in Libya might be the least worst solution in a long list of bad solutions -- like when Vietnam invaded Cambodia and stopped the Kymer Rouge.
#11
he cant kill enough people to make it go away.
I wouldn't bet on that. Gaddafi did not inherit his position. To get to the top of a dictatorship, you have to have some awe-inspiring political skills. Mubarak served until he was physically unable to, for health reasons. Ditto with Ben Ali.
[Ennahar] Ten Egyptians were killed by bullets in the Libyan city of Tobruk near the Egyptian border, told AFP an Egyptian doctor who tried to travel to Libya, citing Egyptians fleeing the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] Five people were killed and 128 were maimed, including 115 members of security forces, during disturbances that followed the peaceful events which took place Sunday in Morocco, officials said Monday .
"The charred bodies of five people were found inside one of the bank branches burned by the troublemakers in the town of Al Hoceima" in the north, "said Interior Minister Taib Cherkaoui In a statement to the press.
An investigation is underway, added the minister, adding that 120 people were nabbed following disturbances in a half-dozen Moroccan cities. Minors nabbed were handed over to their families.
Thousands of people marched Sunday in several cities in Morocco to demand political reform and limiting the powers of the king, responding to a call by young people on Facebook and taken up by various NGOs and organizations.
The interior minister argued that "democratic practice" of Morocco and the "right to freedom of expression in the country", have ensured that the demonstrations Sunday "took place in a peaceful atmosphere imbued by serenity and discipline."
The minister said some 37,000 people have participated in these gatherings.
But trouble erupted after demonstrations in the cities of Tangier, Tetouan, Larache, Al Hoceima in the north and Marrakech in the south Guelmin as well as Sefrou (center). The Minister attributed the violence to "troublemakers, including minors and habitual criminals."
In Larache, the "troublemakers," he said, have invested a customs building and seized drugs and liquor that were seized by customs.
Cherkaoui has finally stated that 33 public buildings, 24 banks, 50 shops and private buildings and 66 vehicles were burned or damaged.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Jesus, is that the whole Maghreb now? It's something terrible when endemically insecure Algeria is the quiet spot in the region...
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
02/22/2011 9:24 Comments ||
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#2
Do you suppose G*d has some grudge against Peoples who oppose his plans for Eretz Israel?
[Arab News] Wintershall, the oil and gas exploration arm of BASF, prepared to shut down its output in Libya and fly out international staff as violence spread in Africa's third-largest oil producer.
Wintershall said it was winding down Libyan oil production of as much as 100,000 barrels per day (bpd). Companies including Royal Dutch Shell and OMV said they were withdrawing expatriate staff.
Norway's Statoil, Austria's OMV and Anglo-Dutch Shell acted as scores of anti-government protesters were killed in Benghazi and unrest spread to the capital Tripoli over the weekend.
Wintershall's move would amount to a sizeable drop in supply from Libya, most of whose oil exports flow to Europe and which pumps about 1.6 million bpd of crude oil, making it Africa's third-largest producer after Nigeria and Angola.
Most of Libya's oil production operations are located in the east of the country south of Benghazi -- Libya's second city.
Production at the Murzaq oil field run by Spain's Repsol has been unaffected so far, as has output from Eni's operations.
UK oil major BP, which does not produce oil or gas in Libya but has been readying an onshore rig to start drilling in the west of the country, has suspended operations because of the escalating violence.
"We are looking at evacuating some people from Libya, so those preparations are being suspended but we haven't started drilling and we are years away from any production," a BP front man said, adding BP has about 40 staff in the country.
Shell, whose operations in Libya are also limited to exploration, has temporarily relocated the dependents of expatriate staff outside the country, a front man for the company said, declining to comment further on operations.
Austrian oil and gas group OMV said none of its operations in Libya have been affected but that it was withdrawing expatriate staff.
Statoil, which participates in land-based oil production and exploration activities in the Mabruk field and in the Murzuk basin with Spain's Repsol, has closed its office in Tripoli and "a handful" of its foreign workers are leaving the country, a Statoil front man said.
Oil production from the isolated Murzuq oil field in the desert in the south of the country continues as normal, a front man for operator Repsol said.
Al Jizz television reported that production from the Arabian Gulf Oil Company Nafoora oilfield had stopped because workers are striking, as violent unrest spread across the country which produces over one million barrels of oil a day.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
The companies ought to worry about their staffs- to heck with the oil.
Libya is neither a top-10 producer or exporter ("Africa's third-largest oil producer" is just a scary way of saying they're bush-league); the market can muddle through the hiccup. UAE would be another matter.
[Arab News] Libya's intelligence agency is behind the powerful jamming that has disrupted Al Jizz television's signal across much of the Middle East and North Africa, the Arab satellite broadcaster said on Monday.
"The source of (the) signal blockage has been pinpointed to a Libyan intelligence agency building... south of the capital Tripoli," said Al Jizz, whose coverage of a regional political unrest has been watched across the Arab world.
Access to the network's website continued to be blocked in Libya, the Qatar-based broadcaster said in a statement.
"The media should be able to operate freely, so all interference with our work and our broadcast signal should cease forthwith," an Al Jizzfront man said.
There was no immediate response from Libya, as Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy's four-decade-old rule appeared in increasing jeopardy as anti-government protests reached the capital for the first time and security forces killed dozens of people.
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02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] Residents of the Libyan capital say 'armed mercenaries' have gone on a shooting spree, carrying out a massacre in Tripoli, a report says.
Armed African mercenaries landed from helicopters in some neighborhoods in the capital and opened fire on 'anyone in the streets,' causing a large number of deaths, AFP reported on Monday, quoting local witnesses.
There has been "a massacre" in the Tajura and Fashlum districts of the Libyan capital, with gunnies indiscriminately shooting people including women, the report added.
"What happened today in Tajura was a massacre," a resident told the agency, adding, "Armed men were firing indiscriminately. There are even women among the dead."
The International Federation for Human Rights said earlier that as many as 400 pro-democracy protesters have so far been killed in the popular Libyan Revolution.
The Gay Paree-based group added that its information came largely from human rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... groups in Libya.
This comes as protesters have seized several cities, including Sirte and Benghazi, Libya's second largest city, as several army units have defected amidst a bloody crackdown launched by the Qadaffy regime.
In the meantime, there have been unconfirmed reports that Qadaffy has decamped the country.
In a televised speech on Sunday, Qadaffy's son, Seif al-Islam, warned against an ominous civil war in the North African country, saying the pro-democracy revolt will entail "thousands of deaths and rivers of blood will run through Libya."
Libyans, however, disregarded the regime's stark warnings and erupted into the streets across the country on Monday in the ongoing show of defiance.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
It won't be too long before the Libyans have a house cleaning and take out the garbage. It won't go well for these mercenaries if they are still Libya.
#3
It won't be too long before the Libyans have a house cleaning and take out the garbage. It won't go well for these mercenaries if they are still Libya.
I wouldn't be so confident. A tiny sliver of Arabs ran Egypt for over a thousand years, displacing both the native language (Copt) and the native religion (Coptic Orthodox Christianity).
[Asharq al-Aswat] As angry Libyan protesters attacked the state broadcaster and set government buildings ablaze in Tripoli today, Asharq al Awsat has learned from Libyan sources that Colonel Muammar Qadaffy ... dictator of Libya since 1969. From 1972, when he relinquished the title of prime minister, he has been accorded the honorifics Guide of the First of September Great Revolution of the Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya or Brotherly Leader and Guide of the Revolution. With the death of Omar Bongo of Gabon on 8 June 2009, he became the longest serving of all current non-royal national leaders. He is also the longest-serving ruler of Libya since Tripoli became an Ottoman province in 1551. When Chairman Mao was all the rage and millions of people were flashing his Little Red Book, Qadaffy came out with his own Little Green Book, which didn't do as well. Qadaffy's instability has been an inspiration to the Arab world and to Africa, which he would like to rule... , met yesterday in Tripoli with several tribal elders, to listen to their demands. [This move was taken] in order to stop the violence and demonstrations which have been taking place in several eastern Libyan cities for days, demanding an end to the regime that has ruled Libya since 1969.
The sources, who are affiliated with the Qadaffy family, told Asharq al-Awsat in a telephone interview: "There is no truth in any rumors suggesting the Libyan Revolutionary Command Council, and a number of military leaders, have demanded that Qadaffy step down...all council members support the leader. Even Abdessalam Jalloud, one of the leaders of the Magariha tribe, who was considered the second most powerful man in the Libyan regime for a long period (although later ostracized from Qadaffy's inner circle for a number of years), has expressed his support for Qadaffy". The sources highlighted that all Libyan statesmen are currently located in Tripoli, which remains predominantly calm, with the exception of the thousands of people who have gathered in "Green Square" over the past four days to express their support for Qadaffy.
Sources close to Qadaffy said: "The Leader is based in Tripoli, and he himself is holding meetings and negotiations with various parties, and is carrying out the affairs of the state in person".
Regarding the situation in the city of Benghazi, the sources revealed that the demonstrators had yesterday surrounded a military camp in the city, which is being fortified by the troops inside. They explained that some festivities took place at the gates of the camp, when protestors tried to break in. Furthermore, they confirmed that the army does not wish to leave its barracks, so as not to clash with the protestors.
The sources denied that Islamist cadres are leading the demonstrations, stating that: "Libyan authorities recently released 110 Islamists belonging to the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), following their initiative to stop the violence. All of them returned to their homes, they did not lead the armed militias or anti-Qadaffy protests. In fact, their leader appeared on BBC Television to express his support for Qadaffy".
The sources added: "No one knows who is behind these acts, especially in the city of al-Bayda, which is still out of control". They pointed out that the Libyan regime still refuses to intervene by force to restore security to al-Bayda, because it has [instead] "granted an opportunity to negotiate with tribal elders, in order to appease the rioters".
The sources warned of the danger of what is happening in east Libya, saying that: "matters are developing quickly, and following a dangerous curve. At the beginning of the demonstrations, demands were related to improving living conditions, then the overthrow of the regime, and now they are demanding the secession of east Libya, and the establishment of a new state. This separatist direction is dangerous, especially as the Libyan authorities observed the presence of foreign elements in both Benghazi and al-Bayda. Perhaps it is these elements that are behind the escalating situations in both cities, and they are helping to fuel separatist demands".
Sources revealed there had been communication disruptions relating to the internet and mobile phones for some time, in a number of Libyan cities, because some armed militias had destroyed mobile frequency towers, and internet connection infrastructure. However, The infamous However... these services returned to normal yesterday afternoon.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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[Al Jazeera] Scores of people have been reported killed in continuing violence in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, amid escalating protests against Muammar Qadaffy's 40-year rule across the north African nation.
Deep cracks were showing and Qadaffy seemed to be losing vital support, as Libyan government officials at home and abroad resigned, air force pilots defected and major government buildings were targeted during festivities in the capital.
At least 61 people were killed in Tripoli on Monday, witnesses told Al Jizz. The protests appeared to be gathering momentum, with demonstrators saying they had taken control of several important towns and the city of Benghazi, to the east of Tripoli.
Protesters called on Monday for another night of defiance against Qadaffy, despite a harsh security crackdown by his government.
A huge anti-government march in Tripoli on Monday afternoon came under attack by security forces using fighter jets and live ammunition, witnesses told Al Jizz.
Libyan authorities have cut all landline and wireless communication in the country, making it impossible to verify the report.
As violence flared, the Rooters news agency quoted William Hague, the British foreign secretary, as saying he had seen some information to suggest that Qadaffy had decamped Libya and was on his way to Venezuela.
But Al Jizz's Dima Khatib, reporting from the Venezuelan capital, Caracas, said government officials there denied that Qadaffy was on his way to the South American country.
The Libyan deputy foreign minister also denied that Qadaffy had decamped the country.
With reports of large-scale military operations under way in Tripoli, a spokesperson for the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon said the UN chief held extensive discussions with Qadaffy on Monday, condemned the escalating violence in Libya and told him that it "must stop immediately".
" ... The secretary-general underlined the need to ensure the protection of the civilian population under any circumstances. He urged all parties to exercise restraint and called upon the authorities to engage in broad-based dialogue to address legitimate concerns of the population," Ban's spokesperson said.
For this part, several Libyan diplomats at the country's UN mission called on Qadaffy to step down.
Ibrahim Dabbashi, the deputy ambassador, said that if Qadaffy did not relinquish power, "the Libyan people [would] get rid of him".
"We don't agree with anything the regime is doing ... we are here to serve the Libyan people," he told Al Jizz.
Dabbashi urged the international community to impose a no-fly zone over Libya to prevent mercenaries, weapons and other supplies from reaching Qadaffy and his security forces.
He said the Libyan diplomats were urging the International Criminal Court, the Netherlands-based body, to investigate possible crimes against humanity in the Libyan context.
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02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] Protesters camped out in Manama's Pearl Square hardened their stance Monday ahead of possible opposition talks with the authorities, while pro-government supporters staged an impressive rally. A young man died of his injuries received during Friday's police action and an exiled opposition figure said he would return home Tuesday.
The organizers of the Bahrain Grand Prix canceled the March 13 season-opening race, the kingdom's biggest international event it has hosted annually since 2004.
A group of young protesters in Pearl Square said they would not be satisfied with anything less than the introduction of a constitutional monarchy and trial of those who ordered the troops to crack down on the protesters. It was not possible to ascertain whether the youthful protesters were coordinating their demands with the mainstream opposition. The protesters in the square call themselves "Youth of Feb. 14."
The weeklong unrest has already affected Bahrain's economy. An international rating agency has cut the government's credit ratings because of concerns about political turmoil.
The proximity of Pear Square to Manama's major business district and congestion of traffic in and around the square where at least 800 protesters meet and greet each other, serving traditional coffee and dates to passers-by has virtually brought traffic to a standstill. With dusk the number of protesters start swelling, making it harder for trucks to come to the central market and offload fresh vegetables, fruits, fish and meat.
Khalid Amin, a leading businessman and member of the board of Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industries, urged all parties to give a serious thought to the call for dialogue by Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al-Khalifa to resolve the issue. "The sooner we reach an agreement, the better it would be for the country as we can't sit idle and watch deterioration of the economy and destruction of businesses," he said.
The pro-government rally that included people in cars started from Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al-Khalifa Highway around 6 p.m. and was moving into Al-Fateh Highway around 9 p.m.
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02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] World markets have plenty of oil, the Kingdom said on Monday, as a wave of revolution that has already toppled two presidents tightened its grip on OPEC member Libya and drove prices to a 2-1/2 year-high.
Energy ministers arrived in Riyadh on the eve of talks designed to narrow the gap between producer and consumer nations.
The formal agenda could be overwhelmed by concern anti-government protests will drive oil prices still higher.
Oil on Monday climbed above $106 as energy firms recalled international staff from Libya and spreading unrest shut down some 100,000 barrels per day (bpd) of production there.
It was the first output disruption since popular unrest erupted in Tunisia, ousting its president, before spreading to Egypt, where it unseated Hosni Mubarak after 30 years of rule.
Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffy's four-decade-rule also appeared in jeopardy as protests reached the capital Tripoli for the first time.
Saudi Oil Minister Ali Al-Naimi will open proceedings at the International Energy Forum with a speech on Tuesday, but declined to comment to news hounds on Monday.
His deputy, Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al-Saud, told a news conference on Monday the market had plenty of oil.
"We're much more focused on how the market balance is, is it sufficiently supplied? And the answer is 'yes, abundantly,' therefore does the situation warrant any kind of intervention? I don't think so," he said.
He also reiterated the long-held Saudi view $70-$80 was the fair price for oil.
"It is justified because it enables producers to invest, it is justified because it does not harm consumers."
Even though oil prices are well above those levels, OPEC ministers have repeatedly said the market has enough supply and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries has no plans to meet formally to reassess output until June.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
In a way, he has a point, although he might not know it. If we want oil that badly we _could_ drill for it ourselves.
#2
TOPIX > OIL INDUSTRY FEAR SPREAD OF LIBYA UNREST.
Personally, I'm more interested in World Perts, Govts-Nations reaching a UNIVERSAL CONSENSUS ON THE ISSUE OF PEAK OIL, FOOD, RESOURCES. ETC.
WHY?, you say...
Wehell,
To wit,
* SAME > SCIENTISTS: PLANET MAY BE
"UNRECOGNIZABLE" IN 2050.
"CAUSE", LET ME INTRODUCE THEE TO [one]"EFFECT".
Our future OWG-NWO is gonna look silly, to be POLITE, iff the World wakes up one day before 2050 + discovers Earth has naturally SUDDENLY run out of everything.
#3
Reuters reports this AM that 'Libya's oil terminals are blocked.' Libya also supplies 10% of Italy's natural gas needs through an undersea pipeline that is still flowing at the moment. Libya usually produces 1.9% of world oil production.
#4
"Peak oil"? Yeah, right. The world won't run out of oil anytime soon. The cassandras of the world have been predicting the depletion of oil supplies within the first decades of oil being discovered.
Meanwhile, while they're still pushing out the oil, the Saudis are developing "civil" nuclear power with France. The Saudi cover story is they expect a long-term energy shortage, which is clearly at odds with their public statements about their ability to supply the world with oil.
Posted by: American Delight ||
02/22/2011 8:49 Comments ||
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Two young Oklahoma wildcaters headed home from a double date with some farm girls stopped off on a creek bridge to finish off a bottle. Not knowing where to drill, they decided to pitch the bottle through the brush and come back the next day to lease the spot where the bottle landed. The year was 1906. The Shire Lease was drilled and the Southern Illinois oil patch boom began. The well is still pumping today.
[Iran Press TV] Protesters continue to demand the ouster of Yemeni President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh, despite a government crackdown on demonstrations which has killed at least 22 people.
In the country's south, police rubbed out a protester in the regional capital of Aden on Monday, bringing to 22 the number of people killed in pro-democracy protests over the past nine days, a Press TV correspondent reported on Monday.
Scores of others have been maimed as police continue to crack down on the protesters across the country.
Anti-regime protests spread to the north of the country on Monday, with tens of thousands of Houthis demonstrating in Sa'ada to demand the ouster of Saleh, a local tribal leader said.
Houthis, who say they have been discriminated against by Sana'a have fought six wars with Saleh's government. They signed a peace treaty with the government in 2010.
Around a dozen opposition politicians also joined students who gathered outside Sana'a University.
The president, however, vowed not to quit under pressure from protesters.
"If they want me to quit, I will only leave through the ballot box," Saleh told a news conference.
The president, in power since 1978, said the protests were "not new," accusing his opponents of having been behind the demonstrations for a while.
Yemenis, inspired by revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia, erupted into the streets of capital Sana'a on February 12 to bring down the 32-year autocratic rule of Saleh.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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[Yemen Post] Thousands of Houthi loyalists erupted into the streets in Dhahyan district, Saada, in solidarity with the widespread anti-government protests, a day after the Joint Meeting Parties, the opposition, joined the popular and youth protests demanding the departure of the regime.
The Houthi demonstrators chanted the slogans of the other protests in Sana'a, Taiz, Aden and other cities including those demanding the ouster of President-for-Life Saleh.
A front man for the Houthi Group said the thousands of Houthi protesters wanted to remove the Yemeni regime peacefully. They toured the streets and announced their support to the youth in other cities protesting the 33-year rule of Saleh, said Dhaifullah Al-Shami.
The front man announced more massive rallies will be held in Saada districts by the Houthis, as tens of thousands of Yemeni people in other provinces are determined their sit-ins will not come to an end until the regime was ousted.
Earlier, Houthi commander condemned in a statement oppressive measures and killings of peaceful demonstrators, saying what the protesters are facing in Sana'a, Aden and Taiz is illegal.
The protests in various cities for the sake of one goal: the removal of the corrupt and oppressive regime, will liberate the people from tyranny and oppression, and will promote the role of the people in making the future, Abdul Malik Al-Houthi said, adding that these protests can also help reunify the Yemeni people.
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02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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[Ennahar] The protest against the regime of President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the army. He had been part of the conspiracy that bumped off his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, in the usual tiresome military coup, and he has maintained power by keeping Yemen's many tribes fighting with each other, rather than uniting to string him up. ... has spread Monday to the Shiite north of Yemen, while tens of thousands of people staged a sit-in in the capital Sanaa and a protester was killed by police in Aden in the south.
"Tens of thousands of people attended a march in Sa'ada (north) to call for the fall of the regime at the call of (Zaidi rebel leader) Abdul Malek al-Houthi and the Joint Forum," parliamentary opposition , told AFP one of the organizers.
He said the protesters have proclaimed, during the march, their support for the protesters who continue to demonstrate in Sana'a, Aden and other Yemeni cities since February 16 to demand the change of the regime.
The Shiite Zaidi rebels had proclaimed, in a statement issued Saturday, his support to protests across the country calling for radical reform and the resignation of President-for-Life Saleh, in power for 32 years.
In February, government forces and Iranian catspaws signed a cease-fire in northern Yemen, after the deteriorating situation on the border with Soddy Arabia, raising fears of the kaboom of regional conflict. Renewed fighting in August 2009 in this recurrent conflict since 2004 had caused a mass exodus from the region of Saada, a stronghold of the rebellion against Sanaa.
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02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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[The Nation (Nairobi)] Yemeni President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh, ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the army. He had been part of the conspiracy that bumped off his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, in the usual tiresome military coup, and he has maintained power by keeping Yemen's many tribes fighting with each other, rather than uniting to string him up. ... in power since 1978, vowed today not to quit under pressure from the street, as MPs joined thousands of protesters in Sanaa calling for his departure.
In the country's south, police rubbed out a protester in the regional capital Aden, bringing to 12 the number of people killed in protests that have raged there since February 16, according to an AFP tally based on reports by medics. Dozens have been maimed.
Anti-regime protests also spread to the north of the country, with tens of thousands of Shiite Houthis demonstrating on Monday in Saada to demand the ouster of Saleh, a local tribal leader said.
Saada is the stronghold of the rebels, who from 2004 fought six wars with Saleh's government before signing a peace treaty in 2010.
"If they want me to quit, I will only leave through the ballot box," Mr Saleh told a news conference as the protesters, including opposition MPs, gathered outside Sanaa University.
"The opposition are raising the level of their demands, some of which are illicit," the Yemeni leader said.
Mr Saleh, whose long reign makes him one of the Middle East's great survivors, said the protests were "not new," accusing his opponents of having been behind the demonstrations for a while.
Around a dozen opposition MPs, who vowed to take to the streets in a statement issued on Sunday, joined students who have been protesting for the past nine days.
Security forces surrounded the protesters as they gathered in a square near Sanaa university, which they have dubbed Al-Huriya (Liberty Square), brandishing banners declaring: "People want change", "People want to overthrow the regime" and "Leave!"
The protesters, who have set up tents at the square, vowed to stand firm despite Saleh having announced the formation of three committees to examine issues relating respectively to security, medical care and nutrition.
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02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] Yemeni President President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh, ... Saleh initially took power as a strongman of North Yemen in 1977, when disco was in flower, after serving as a lieutenant colonel in the army. He had been part of the conspiracy that bumped off his predecessor, Ibrahim al-Hamdi, in the usual tiresome military coup, and he has maintained power by keeping Yemen's many tribes fighting with each other, rather than uniting to string him up. ... in power since 1978, said Monday only defeat at the ballot box will make him quit, even as MPs joined thousands of protesters in Sanaa calling for his departure.
In the country's south, police rubbed out a protester in the regional capital, Aden, where protests have raged killing 12 people and wounding dozens since February 16, medics and witnesses said.
"If they want me to quit, I will only leave through the ballot box," Saleh told a news conference as the protesters, including opposition MPs, gathered outside Sanaa University.
"The opposition are raising the level of their demands, some of which are illicit," the Yemeni leader said.
Saleh, whose long reign makes him one of the Middle East's great survivors, said the protests were "not new," accusing his opponents of having been behind the demonstrations for a while.
Opposition MPs, who vowed to take to the streets in a statement issued on Sunday, joined students who have been protesting for the past nine days.
Security forces surrounded the protesters as they gathered in a nearby square carrying banners declaring: "People want change," "People want to overthrow the regime" and "Leave".
The Common Forum, an alliance of parliamentary opposition groups has urged all of its parties on Sunday to "join the protesting youths... in their demonstrations against oppression, tyranny and corruption," in a statement received by AFP.
Responding to Saleh's calls earlier this month to resume dialogue, stalled since October, the parliamentary opposition had refrained from calling for protests since February 3.
But "after bloodshed and the fall of victims, and after the government has sent its thugs onto the streets... we insist that there is no dialogue with bullets and batons" and with a regime "that brings thugs to occupy public places and terrorise people," the statement said.
Protests, have become increasingly violent in poverty stricken Yemen despite calls by Saleh -- who was elected to a seven-year-term in September 2006 -- urging dialogue to form a government of national unity.
Farther south, in Aden, Yemeni police rubbed out a protester and maimed four others on Monday, witnesses and medics told AFP.
Ali al-Khalaqi died of his wounds at a hospital in Aden. One of the four others receiving treatment is seriously maimed, medics told AFP.
Khalaqi is the 12th protester to die in the port city since February 16, according to an AFP tally. Dozens of people have been maimed, including seven soldiers.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... Yemeni holy mans issued a statement on Monday prohibiting the use of force against protesters, which they described as a "crime," and calling for a ban on arbitrary arrest and torture.
"Any act of beating or killing of protesters is a deliberate crime," said the association of Yemeni holy mans headed by Sheikh Abdul Majid Zindani.
The holy mans demanded a ban on "arbitrary arrest and (all forms of) torture" and said that pro-government rallies should be held away from protest demonstrations to avoid the deadly festivities of recent days.
Zindani is blacklisted as a "global terrorist" by Washington for his suspected links to Al-Qaeda but the association groups holy mans of both Yemen's Sunni majority and its Zaidi minority, from which under-fire Saleh hails.
Clashes between pro- and anti- Saleh demonstrators left dozens maimed last week.
Saleh has outlived the Cold War division, civil war and an Al-Qaeda insurgency but is now scrambling to see his term through to the end as sustained popular uprisings in Sanaa and Aden test his grip on power.
The veteran strongman had already pledged not to seek re-election after the expiry in 2013 of his current seven-year term as head of the impoverished country, and has made other concessions aimed at stemming popular discontent.
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02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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A total of 19 individuals were murdered in ongoing drug and gang related violence in the Mexican state of Chihuahua, including three men shot to death in an intergang shootout near Parral. For a map of Chihuahua click here.
A Juarez traffic police officer was shot to death in Juarez Saturday night. The officer stopped an individual driving speeding vehicle near the corner of calle Sierra Madre and Oscar Flores when he was shot with a .40 caliber handgun.
Four unidentified individuals were murdered in three separate incidents in Juarez Saturday, according to the Mexican news daily La Polaka
Two unidentified men were shot to death near the intersection of calles Oaxaca and Zaragoza.
A woman was found dead bound hand and foot near the intersection of calles Ruiseñor and Golondrina in the El Marquez colony. The victim was also gagged with duct tape.
An unidentified man was found beaten to death in Chihuahua, Chihuahua early Sunday morning. The victim was found near the corner of calles Alfredo Nevarez and Horacio Alvarez in the Deportistas colony in the northern sector of the city.
Four unidentified individuals were shot to death at a late night house party in Juarez Saturday night. The shooting took place on calle Sierra del "guila in the La Cuesta colony where armed suspects entered the home and shot the victims.
An unidentified man was found shot to death on a highway north of Chihuahua, Chihuahua. The victim was found on Kilometer 27 for the Juarez-Chihuahua highway lying face down shot three times in the head. Three spent 9mm casings were found at the scene.
On Kilometer 70 a vehicle was found with one dead and one wounded suspect. Police seized a .380 caliber pistol.
Several spent shell casings for AK-47 and AR-15 assault rifles were found strewn along the highway.
Two individuals were shot to death and three others were wounded in two separate shootings in Juarez Sunday, according to the Mexican news daily La Polaka.
Edgar Gutierrez, 25, was shot to death as he was leaving the Soriana Zaragoza mall near the intersection of avenidas Juärez-Porvenir and Jilotepec to board his Honda Element when he was shot. Reports say armed suspects aboard a Ford Explorer were waiting for the victim.
The unidentified employee of a tire shop was shot to death and three others were wounded. The shooting took place at a tire shop near the intersection of Calle Sierra Encantada and Bulevard Oscar Flores in the La Cuesta colony.
Two unidentified men were shot to death in two separate incidents in Delicias, Chihuahua Sunday, according to the Mexican news daily La Polaka.
Misael MartÃnez MartÃnez, 26, was found shot to death near his residence on a remote road leading to rancho El Ponce in the Rosales municipality in the Tierra y Libertad colony. Two .40 caliber, six .45 caliber and 9 9mm spent shell casings were found at the scene.
Juan de Dios HolguÃn Jurado, 66, was shot to death at his residence on Calles Sur in the Tierra y Libertad colony in Delicias. His wife said she saw a man wearing a black balaclava leave the scene. Twelve AK-47 assault rifle spent shell casings were found at the scene.
An unidentified man was shot to death in Juarez Sunday night. The victim had been dumped from a vehicle near the intersection of calle Fray GarcÃa de San Francisco and Estaño in the Arroya Colorado colony, gagged with tape with his hands bound shot in the head.
[Emirates 24/7] Two Indian judges on Monday confirmed the death sentence for the sole surviving gunman of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which 10 snuffies laid siege to the city, killing 166 people. Sounds fair. He participated in imposing a death penalty on 166 people who hadn't done anything.
The Bombay High Court dismissed the claim by Pak national Mohammed Ajmal Amir Kasab that he was wrongfully convicted of taking part in the attacks, likened in India to those in the United States on September 11, 2001. "No, really. They shoulda let me off on a technicality!"
"What technicality?"
"I dunno. You're the lawyers. Find one!"
The judges also threw out the state's appeal against a lower court's decision to acquit two Indian nationals accused of providing hand-drawn maps to the 10 gunnies.
Kasab, who did not attend the appeal for security reasons but was able to follow proceedings via video link, looked at the floor as the judgment was handed down, news channel NDTV said. "Harsh penalty of death is required in some cases, especially this one, and the court would be sending a wrong signal to society if any penalty less than death is given," judges Ranjana Desai and RV More said in their ruling. "Kasab has never shown any remorse after his arrest and we have observed that even on video conference he has not shown any signs of regret."
The 23-year-old was found guilty last May of a string of offences including waging war against India, murder, attempted murder and terrorist acts after a trial at a maximum security prison court in Mumbai. During the trial, the prosecution produced weighty fingerprint, DNA, eye-witness, CCTV and other evidence against him.
In the appeal, which began last October, Kasab's legal team asked for a retrial, arguing that his trial lawyer was not given sufficient time to wade through the 11,000-page charge sheet before the case began. They also claimed that prosecution evidence and witnesses were manipulated.
Under Indian law, death sentence cases have to be referred to the local state high court. The judges can uphold the sentence, reduce it, order a retrial or overturn the conviction.
Kasab has a further right of appeal to the Supreme Court in New Delhi and as a last resort to India's president for clemency.
One of his lawyers, Farhana Shah, told news hounds outside court: "We will inform Kasab of his legal rights. Kasab has to decide. If he wishes (to appeal) he can do so."
Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam flashed a victory sign on the court steps and described the judgment as a "historic verdict".
"Truth has prevailed," he said. "We appealed to the court that this was the rarest of rare cases and that he should be hanged, which the court approved."
India's home minister P. Chidambaram said the verdict was "a tribute to our legal system" and contrasted it with the trial of the alleged criminal masterminds in Pakistain, where he said there had been "no movement at all".
Prithviraj Chavan, the chief minister of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, also called on Pakistain to prosecute those responsible. India claims the banned, Pakistain-based group Lashkar-e-Taiba were behind the attacks, which led to the suspension of fragile peace talks between the two neighbours and rivals. New Delhi and Islamabad only this month agreed to resume dialogue. Why? The victims aren't dead anymore? Hafiz Saeed is in jug waiting for the high jump?
Kasab was found to have been one of the two gunnies responsible for the bloodiest episode in the three-day attacks, when 52 people were killed at Mumbai's main railway station on November 26, 2008.
A number of senior Mumbai coppers, including the head of the Maharashtra state anti-terrorism squad, were killed as the gunnies decamped from the scene of carnage.
Three luxury hotels, a popular tourist restaurant and a Jewish centre were also attacked.
In the case of Kasab's co-accused, the high court judges agreed with the trial judge that there was "no corroboration of evidence to prove involvement of Faheem Ansari and Sabauddin Ahmed".
The men's defence teams had said a Pak-American man, David Coleman Headley, conducted the reconnaissance. He was nabbed in 2009 and has admitted to scouting out targets.
Chief minister Chavan said the state would appeal against the high court's decision to uphold the not guilty verdicts.
This article starring:
DAVID COLEMAN HEADLEY
Lashkar-e-Taiba
FAHIM ANSARI
Lashkar-e-Taiba
MOHAMED AJMAL AMIR KASAB
Lashkar-e-Taiba
SABAUDIN AHMED
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] An Iraqi al Qaeda operative was believed to be one of seven Islamic fascistikilled by a US missile strike in a the Tribal Areas along the Afghan border overnight Monday, Pak intelligence officials said.
The officials said the man, identified as Abu Zaid al-Iraqi, handled the terrorist group's finances in Pakistain. He was not known to be on any published US lists of wanted al Qaeda leaders, and US officials do not normally acknowledge the existence of the CIA-led missile program or talk about who is being killed.
The strike was the first since the arrest of US citizen, Raymond Davis, who shot two Paks in late January. Three missiles hit a house in the village of Kaza Panga in the Azam Warsak area of South Wazoo tribal region, said two intelligence officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to talk to news hounds.
Al-Iraqi was believed to be one of several foreigners among the dead. He was described as being in his late 30s and going by the local name "Ali Khan." Al-Iraqi is believed to have shifted to South Wazoo in 2008 after time spent in Afghanistan. The officials said they learned of his death through agents on the ground in South Wazoo, as well as sources in the Taliban.
This article starring:
Abu Zaid al-Iraqi
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
...identified as Abu Zaid al-Iraqi, handled the terrorist group's finances in Pakistain.
So money is the root of all evil.
Good shot, whoever pulled the trigger.
Posted by: Mike Ramsey ||
02/22/2011 5:41 Comments ||
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[Arab News] A suicide kaboomer detonated a car boom Monday at a cop shoppe north of Storied Baghdad, killing at least 12 coppers, police and health officials said.
The attack in Samarra, 95 km north of Storied Baghdad, comes nine days after a jacket wallah targeted Shiite pilgrims returning from a religious ceremony at the city's Al-Askari Mosque. Thirty-six were killed in that attack.
Monday's bombing also maimed at least 22 people, according to two coppers and hospital official.
The police battalion that came under attack had been dispatched from a southern Shiite province two weeks ago to help protect pilgrims during the ceremony, said Niyaz Oglu, a member of the area's provincial council.
Oglu accused Al-Qaeda in Iraq of organizing the attack.
«They are taking Dire Revenge™ on the security forces that have foiled their attempts to ignite sectarian violence," he said.
No group grabbed credit for Monday's bombing, but such attacks bear the hallmarks of Al-Qaeda or its allied, Death Eater organizations.
Samarra has been a flashpoint since a 2006 attack by Al-Qaeda destroyed part of the golden-domed mosque there. The event sparked a vicious bloodbath between the country's Shiite majority and Sunni minority that swept through the country.
Shiites flocked to the site earlier this month to celebrate a religious holiday, prompting the deployment of extra security forces in the city.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/22/2011 00:00 ||
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Another car bomb thought to have been detonated by terrorists insurgents killed a woman and wounded 12 other people in a busy area in Yala province yesterday. The bomb caused a great deal of property damage.
The home-made bomb was hidden near a food shop and detonated as a police pickup truck drove past at around 4:30 p.m. The explosion, set off remotely, killed a female bystander instantly, while policemen in the passing vehicle were wounded. A police vehicle caught on fire along with motorcycles parked nearby.
In Narathiwat province, terrorists insurgents gunned down two people in two separate incidents. At 7:50 a.m., a man was gunned down in Tak Bai district by two attackers on a motorcycle. Grocery store owner Withoon Seedam was hit with a round from an M-16 assault rifle. He was taken to the hospital where he was later pronounced dead.
At 9 a.m., Abu Bakree was shot by two men on a motorcycle while walking in Joh I Rong district. The gunmen fired four shots from a handgun before fleeing. Police said both murders were related to the jihad insurgency.
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.
Hamid 
Four Americans taken hostage by 
Libya's leader, Muammar Gaddafi, has dismissed reports that he had fled amid the unrest sweeping the country, calling foreign news channels "dogs". 
[Ennahar] The Libyan aviation bombed yesterday protesters in Tripoli making many dead, whose number is still unknown. The raid targeted the Republic Avenue, which, according to reports, caused 200 people dead and many 
[Ennahar] Ten Egyptians were killed by bullets in the Libyan city of Tobruk near the Egyptian border, told AFP an Egyptian doctor who tried to travel to Libya, citing Egyptians fleeing the country.
[Ennahar] Five people were killed and 128 
[Arab News] Wintershall, the oil and gas exploration arm of BASF, prepared to shut down its output in Libya and fly out international staff as violence spread in Africa's third-largest oil producer.
[Iran Press TV] Residents of the Libyan capital say 'armed mercenaries' have gone on a shooting spree, carrying out a massacre in Tripoli, a report says.
Colonel Muammar Qadaffy
[Al Jazeera] Scores of people have been reported killed in continuing violence in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, amid escalating protests against Muammar Qadaffy's 40-year rule across the north African nation.
President-for-Life Ali Abdullah Saleh
[Emirates 24/7] Two Indian judges on Monday confirmed the death sentence for the sole surviving gunman of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which 10 
[Pak Daily Times] An Iraqi al Qaeda operative was believed to be one of seven 
Another car bomb thought to have been detonated by 
