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Today: 73 articles and 177 comments as of 9:49.
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Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
Gulf states expect Yemen's Saleh to quit: Qatari PM
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 1: WoT Operations
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Good morning
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I miss .com, there I said it. Who else does, a shot for you me boy, wherever you may be.

Things get so boring around here these days with forced editing via lawsuits, PC policing, and no troll executions.

Ah, troll executions, those were the days when the burg was fresh and innocent. Takes me back.
Posted by: Ominous1 || 04/08/2011 0:44 Comments || Top||

#2  We all miss .com, Ominous1. The man could think, he could write, and he had an incredible store of knowledge and experience... and no patience for fools. (Also of photographs, the family-friendly of which he shared for the Rantburg archive.) I'll have a shot of chamomile tea, please, in his memory. As I recall, .com liked a mug of Earl Grey in the morning.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/08/2011 1:22 Comments || Top||

#3  Happy Birthday/Daily Gam Shot

Patricia Arquette aka Allison DuBois in "Medium (TV series)" aka Miss Katherine/Kissin' Kate Barlow in "Holes" aka Linda Lovelace in "Deeper Than Deep" aka Valerie Veran in "Little Nicky" (Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress) (age 43)



Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC || 04/08/2011 3:38 Comments || Top||

#4  Patricia lost her britches it seems.
Posted by: JohnQC || 04/08/2011 9:53 Comments || Top||

#5  As the "host" here I always feel like I've got to be polite and hospitable to visitors. If you stop by my house I'll do the same. Politeness doesn't mean that sometimes I don't wipe my forehead when a visitor leaves and say "glad that's over!"

.com was like my alter ego or my evil twin. He wasn't the host, so he was perfectly free to say what he pleased to whomever he pleased, often with my mental "you tell 'em, PD!"

Without him I still feel obliged to be polite, and the job of putting visitors who overstep the bounds of good behavior mostly falls to the other mods. Each has his or her own style, from trailing wife's "have a cup of tea and take a deep breath" approach to badanov's ban-their-ip-bloc approach. The repartee's a bit milder than it was in the days when Jenny and Zenster were flaming each other and Not Mike Moore was occasionally exploding, I suppose.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 14:39 Comments || Top||

#6  I miss .com too. Learned a lot from him. but hey, we still have Old Patriot ready to bring an Arc Light strike whenever and wherever it may be needed.

And if we are going doing down memory lane, what about muck4doo? It took the universal translator to understand what he wrote.
Posted by: remoteman || 04/08/2011 15:07 Comments || Top||

#7  I miss .com, too. I hope he's OK.

.com, wherever you are - let us know how you're doing.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 04/08/2011 17:15 Comments || Top||

#8  Speaking of the "Old Days", who else remembers TGA - the True German Ally [did I spell that right?] I recall he was somehow connected to Merkel.

Is that an example of how The 'Burg punches above it weight?
Posted by: Bobby || 04/08/2011 18:25 Comments || Top||

#9  TGA - I think he did he mention us to Chancellor Merkel, but he most certainly did to then-Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld. And he was a chess-buddy of Pope Benedict when he was a mere bishop. Also spent time in both Nazi concentration camps and Soviet stalags, so had a bit different idea of what counts as meaningful antisemitism.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/08/2011 20:00 Comments || Top||

#10  I miss .com also. He wasn't so much my alter ego as me without filters. And he knew a lot more. He taught a lot. And he had a great photo library.
Posted by: Nimble Spemble || 04/08/2011 20:20 Comments || Top||

#11  #5 Fred - it probably also helps that I'm not as much of an asshole as I used to be....usually :-)
Posted by: Frank G || 04/08/2011 21:16 Comments || Top||


Afghanistan
5 Afghan Forces Killed, 12 Wounded in Kandahar Suicide Attack
[Tolo News] At least five Afghan cops were killed and 12 others were maimed after jacket wallahs attacked on the recruitment centre of Afghan police and national army in Kandahar on Thursday, local officials said.

The incident happened at 10:20 am local time as three suicide kaboomers targeted the recruitment cenre in Kandahar city, Khan Mohammad Mujahid, Kandahar Police Chief told TOLOnews.

One suicide bomber driving an ambulance detonated his explosives near the recruitment centre after which two other attackers broke into the compound and started exchanging fire with the Afghan cops, he said.

Three soldiers of National Directorate of Security, One Afghan police and one Afghan National Army recruit were killed and 12 police soldiers were maimed in the incident, Mr Mujahid added.

All the suicide bombers have been killed in the attack.

There were no civilian casualties in the incident, officials said.

The festivities continued for about six hours and foreign forces had also arrived in the area.

The roads were blocked until the festivities ended.

Some helicopters were also seen circling over the site of the incident.

No group including the Taliban has grabbed credit for the attack.

Militants have previously attacked on governments buildings in the province resulting to civilian casualties.

Insurgents are active in most villages of Kandahar and use Improvised Explosive Devices to target Afghan and foreign forces.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Afghan Civilians Killed in Ghazni Mine Blast
[Tolo News] At least five non-combatants were killed in a mine blast in southern Ghazni province on Wednesday, local officials said on Thursday.

Yesterday a civilian car was struck by a roadside mine in Zargar area of Ghazni city, Zorawar Zahid, police chief of Ghazni told TOLOnews.

No group including the Taliban has grabbed credit for the incident.

Insurgents often plant roadside mines to target Afghan and foreign forces in the country.

Also two Talibs were killed and one other was hurt in a clash with Afghan forces in Ander district of Ghazni, Mr Zahid added.

The maimed have been captured with some weapons by Afghan forces.

Taliban have not yet commented about the attack.

Violence has recently increased in the country while Afghan forces are preparing to take over security responsibilities of seven areas in July this year.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban


Africa North
NATO hits rebels by mistake - Again
This was about 1030 am local time on Apr 7. It was near Ajdabiya. The rebels had some sort of armored vehicles (te rebels called them 'tanks') apparently refurbished equipment taken from an old Libyan army post. This is the second such incident. The earlier one was on April 2 in same general region.
Posted by: lord garth || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I'm waiting for the Fwench and UBB (used to be British) to condemn IDF attacks on Gaza.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 04/08/2011 0:34 Comments || Top||

#2  Well, they're aren't going to have IFF, but one would think they'd do some sort of top-markings and let NATO know.

Amateur hour, all the way around.
Posted by: Pappy || 04/08/2011 10:51 Comments || Top||

#3  IIRC, the procedure in Afghanistan is to say that there was an ISAF strike that accidentally killed someone followed by a second announcement that the aircraft were, indeed, American, which then causes the Europress to snicker about our awful aim and murderous intent, blah blah. So: whose insignia were on these aircraft?
Posted by: Matt || 04/08/2011 11:16 Comments || Top||

#4  Since I believe the rebels are at least as much of a long-term threat to us as Daffy's people, I really can't get too upset about this.
Posted by: Glenmore || 04/08/2011 12:22 Comments || Top||

#5  Blue Force Tracker might be the answer. Oh wait.... there ARE no "Blue Forces" in this one. Sorry.
Posted by: Besoeker || 04/08/2011 13:08 Comments || Top||

#6  Tell the "rebels" that: Once is a mistake. Twice is a design.
Posted by: Shereter Poodle9774 || 04/08/2011 13:55 Comments || Top||


Egypts Salafist Ansar al-Sunna to form political group
[Asharq al-Aswat] Prominent Salafist holy man Sheikh Mohamed Hassan, one of the most renowned Salafist figures in Egypt, exclusively spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat about the future of the Salafist movement in the country. He also publicly announcing that the Ansar al-Sunna Society intends to form a political party and participate in the forthcoming parliamentary elections that are set to take place next September. Sheikh Mohamed Hassan also said that he had no intention of standing for presidential election, and stressed that Egypt's Islamists, like any other component of society, has the right to express their opinions and participate in politics.

The following is the full text of the interview:

[Asharq Al-Awsat] The Ansar al-Sunna Society is not known for its political activism however a number of Islamist groups, including your own organization, have recently entered the political arena, in support of the latest constitutional amendments. What is the reason for this?

[Hassan] The crucial stage that Egypt is currently passing through has necessitated the [religious] scholars to take action, as they have previously, with regards to [Islamic] dawa [missionary work]. They must take action as this current stage and direct people towards what they believe to be in the interests of this noble country. I acknowledge that the Salafists are not as efficient with regards to political action as other groups that are experienced in this field, but they have entered via the door of promoting virtue and preventing vice, they have entered as part of legitimate politics. We do not say "no religion in politics; and no politics in religion" but rather we believe that religion rules over all parts of life. We do not take from religion only that which is compatible with our needs and desires, we must take everything, both what we like and what we may dislike. It is the duty of our brothers to advise the nation about what they believe is good for this noble country, for as God Almighty said "O ye who believe! Enter into Islam whole-heartedly" [Surat al-Baqara; Verse 208].

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Following the establishment of the new political parties' law, does the Ansar al-Sunna Society intent to establish a political party, or will it lend its support to an already established party, especially as a number of other Islamist trends have entered the political field?

[Hassan] Yes, we intend to establish a [political] party according to the laws and regulations, and this is something that is not denied to any Islamist trend, for any Egyptian citizen has the right to express his opinion politely, respecting the opinions of others. Nobody has the right to prevent any Egyptian citizen from political operation or participation, for they are citizens living in this country, and they have the right to participate like everybody else. The Ansar al-Sunna Society is made up of Egyptian citizens who want to participate in creating the future of our country, according to the holy book [the Koran] and the Sunnah [of the Prophet]. The group does not follow the policy of equivocation or deception, but will put forward a policy based upon mercy, justice, and righteousness.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Will your party take part in the forthcoming parliamentary elections?

[Hassan] Yes, many of our brothers in Alexandria and Cairo will take part in this, both with regards to the People's Assembly elections, and the Shura Council elections.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] What do you think of the Turkish state model, namely a civilian state with an Islamic reference?

[Hassan] I will not name the desired features of a future state at this point, whether we are talking about a religious, civil, or democratic state. We will not discuss the model of the state or its terminology, but we will comment on the approach that the state should use. Our starting point will be the f of the Prophet, which says "hear and obey even if an Abyssinian slave with a head like a raisin is appointed over you." Therefore the type of state is unimportant to us, what is important is that the approach that is followed by the state should be derived from Article II of the [Egyptian] Constitution, which states that Islam is the official religion of the state, and Islamic Sharia law is the primary source for legislation. The type of state does not matter, what is important is that the state follows the approach, provided for by Article II of the constitution.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] What is your opinion of the dread or fear expressed by some components of society towards the possibility of the establishment of an Islamic state in Egypt?

[Hassan] There is no fear of Islam, for Islam is not just the religion of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, but the religion of all the prophets. Islam is not a scarecrow, I want to reassure our brothers of all different beliefs, sects, and ideologies, and tell them that Islam is the religion of Allah Almighty which is characterized by the divine approach. Islam is characterized by integration, balance, moderation, justice, righteousness, mercy, and tolerance in dealing with others. Islam does not impose its beliefs on others, and as it says in the Holy Koran "if it has been thy Lord's will, they would all have believed -- all who are on earth! Wilt though then compel mankind, against their will, to believe!" [Surat Yunus, Verse 99]. God Almighty also said "Say: (It is) the truth from the Lord of you (all). Then whosoever will, let him believe, and whosoever will, let him disbelieve." [Surat al-Khaf, Verse 29]. Therefore I do not think anybody has the right to break the lamp which I hold in my hand and by which I bring the light to those who live in darkness. Let me also say that anybody who wants to enter God's religion...they are most welcome!

The other issue is that Islam, is not as some portray it, Islam is not a religion of cutting off ears or throwing acid in women's faces [in reference to recent attacks on Christians in Egypt]. Egypt has lived in a state of terror from Islamists in general, and Salafists in particular, for a number of weeks. Some said that the Salafists have now emerged and want to turn Egypt upside down, and this is not true, for Islam has controls in place with regards to taking action to prevent vice, and this should be clear to everybody.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] In the recent period, some enthusiastic Salafist youth have come out to carry out violence, believing that the change that occurred in Egypt is not for the best. This has led to general accusations that the Salafists are trying to impose Islam on the country by force. What is your opinion of this?

[Hassan] I have clarified Islam's ruling regarding the jurisprudence of preventing vice, and it is not fair to prosecute Islam as a religion...based upon the mistakes of an individual or a group affiliated to this religion. Until now, I have not been informed of one event in which a Salafist has been accused in a just and clear manner.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Some people are calling for the implementation of Islamic Sharia punishments; do you believe this will happen?

[Hassan] Allow me to say that it is unfair that Islam, with its faith, laws, morals and features, to be reduced to its legal punishments. However in spite of this, we are proud of our religious punishments, for this is the religion of our Lord, and God Almighty said "In the Law of Equality there is (saving of) Life to you, o ye men of understanding; that ye may restrain yourselves." [Surat al-Baqara, Verse 179].

[Asharq Al-Awsat] What is your opinion about women and Christians being allowed to stand at the presidential elections?

[Hassan] Jurists of the Islamic community have come to a consensus that women should not be granted the right to hold a leadership position, and I am not ashamed of this. I do not support intellectual etiquette or the diplomacy of dialogue regarding the principles and provisions of Islamic Sharia law. How can anybody renounce the [religious] consensus on this issue, and this is something that is clear and explicit. Scholars have prohibited woman from holding leadership positions...as for a non-Mohammedan holding a leadership position in a Mohammedan state, I say that when Rome thinks of nominating a Mohammedan to rule Italy, then we will think about this issue.

[Asharq Al-Awsat] Some have called on you personally to stand at the forthcoming presidential elections, what is your position on this?

[Hassan] I am not looking for any religious or political post, my primary concern is serving God's call, and after this, serving my country Egypt which I love, and I will continue to serve the people of Egypt. I can honestly say that for myself, I am not interested in talking about nominating myself for this position.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Five rebels said killed in NATO strike in Libya
[Arab News] A NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the style of the American pants...
air strike killed at least five rebels near the Libyan port of Brega on Thursday, medics said, and rebels reported Muammar Qadaffy's forces killed five more in a bombardment of besieged Misrata.

Wounded rebels being brought to the hospital in Ajdabiyah in rebel-held east Libya said their position was hit by an air strike on Thursday outside the contested port.

"It was a NATO air strike on us. We were near our vehicles near Brega," maimed fighter Younes Jumaa said from his stretcher at the hospital.

Nurse Mohamed Ali said at least five rebels were dead.

There was no immediate comment from NATO.

The rebels have been fighting to wrest control of Brega from forces loyal to Qadaffy for a week in a see-saw battle along the Mediterranean coast. Bloodstained stretchers were brought out of the hospital in Ajdabiyah, gateway to the rebel stronghold of Benghazi in the east.

Rebel spokesmen also told Rooters that Qadaffy forces killed five people and maimed 25 in an artillery bombardment of the isolated western city of Misrata on Wednesday.

The barrage forced the temporary closing of Misrata's port, a vital lifeline for supplies to besieged civilians, the spokesmen said. They added that NATO air strikes hit pro-Qadaffy positions around Misrata.

Misrata, Libya's third city, rose up with other towns against Qadaffy in mid-February, and has been under siege for weeks, after a violent crackdown put an end to most protests elsewhere in the west of the country.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Africa Subsaharan
UN-backed Forces Slaughter Christians in Ivory Coast
Backed by French and United Nations military forces, and approved by President Barack Obama, Muslim militias loyal to opposition leader Alassane Ouattara are on a rampage in the Ivory Coast that, according to news reports and officials, has left over a thousand Christians dead so far in an effort to oust current President Laurent Gbagbo.

Though conflicts have been a regular occurrence in recent decades, the current civil war engulfing the West-African former French colony stems from a contested presidential election held in November. The original vote count indicated a narrow victory for Ouattara, a U.S.-educated Muslim from the largely Islamic Northern part of the country who has worked at the International Monetary Fund and the Central Bank of West African States.

But after the nation’s Constitutional Council discovered evidence of alleged voting fraud and ballot stuffing, it nullified the results, re-counted the votes, and declared Gbagbo the winner. Gbagbo, who has ruled the Ivory Coast since 2000, is a leftist Catholic from the largely Christian Southern part of the country. He is claiming to be the legitimately elected President and is refusing to leave power.
Why am I not surprised?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 04/08/2011 01:20 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:

#1  There have been and there currently are many American Christian missionaries who have built up the Christian faith in Africa, and now Obama is destroying that work with the slaughter of Christians through Obama's Muslim allies.
Posted by: Spagum Grundy6770 || 04/08/2011 2:01 Comments || Top||

#2  Reminds of the Nigeria civil when the UN backed the Muslim side and the West meekly followed along.
Posted by: phil_b || 04/08/2011 2:38 Comments || Top||

#3  like its any of our business, christian, muslim, who cares, they all die in the end anyway
Posted by: 746 || 04/08/2011 10:15 Comments || Top||

#4  They could just as easily put a tribal name to those killed, but since we are not moved by tribal warfare they called them all Christians hoping to elevate the attrocity from mere tribal warfare to another war of religion, which in this case it is not.
Posted by: killjoy || 04/08/2011 13:22 Comments || Top||

#5  I dunno, folks. Maybe it's tribal. Maybe it's religious. Maybe it's a little of each. But remember, it's typical for Muslims to spread their creed at the point of a gun.
Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 || 04/08/2011 13:55 Comments || Top||

#6  They could just as easily put a tribal name to those killed, but since we are not moved by tribal warfare

Actually, given French and UN intervention in behalf of the Muslims, it appears that somebody's moved. Besides, we've gotten ourselves involved in Europe's tribal disputes, including a couple that killed perhaps 50m people and involved the largest non-famine related genocides known to man, WWI and WWII.
Posted by: Zhang Fei || 04/08/2011 15:34 Comments || Top||

#7  Enabling the Muzzies to be winner via a slaughter.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 04/08/2011 15:55 Comments || Top||

#8  "christian, muslim, who cares"

I do, for one. As far as I can tell there are some rather large differences between the two groups.
Posted by: Jefferson || 04/08/2011 16:42 Comments || Top||

#9  one will pray for you that you will follow their God, and the other would kill you (or force you to pay a high-tax in submission) if you don't follow their god.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 04/08/2011 16:58 Comments || Top||

#10  The Ivory Coast is ten times the size of Belgium. It is a single country instead of a number of smaller kingdoms that preceded French conquest because for administrative convenience, the French governed the collection of kingdoms it conquered as a single territory.

The problem is that the native peoples have a lot of history of interacting with each other in the form of wars and genocides. In Africa, national independence wasn't really national in the sense of the European countries. A close analogue would be Yugoslavia, where warring kingdoms were forced into a single country. Independence condemned African minorities to rule by figures from neighboring tribes or kingdoms that had previously massacred them before the advent of European rule. This was the real tragedy of decolonization - it placed oppressed peoples under the rule of their oppressors simply because they had been administered as a single geographical unit/province under European rule. The independent countries were simply empires covering many (pre-European rule) kingdoms, but without the (relative) impartiality of foreign rule. This is the source of many of the internal genocides and civil wars in former European colonies.

Posted by: Zhang Fei || 04/08/2011 17:10 Comments || Top||

#11  "one will pray for you that you will follow their God, and the other would kill you (or force you to pay a high-tax in submission) if you don't follow their god."

The case in Bosnia was that the Muslims were the former, and the Christians were the latter.

In places like Iran it's the other way around, of course.

Do you have information about which is which in Ivory Coast?

Nice usage of the word "slaughter" in the article, but other sources I've seen indicate that though both sides have committed crimes, the Christian Gbagbo is actually the worst one.
Posted by: Aris Katsaris || 04/08/2011 19:37 Comments || Top||

#12  Dang.

We ask for word from .com and TGA, and get Aris.

Sigh. Nobody said life was fair. :-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 04/08/2011 20:02 Comments || Top||

#13  Aris! Long time no see (or argue with)! How's it going?
Posted by: Secret Master || 04/08/2011 20:14 Comments || Top||

#14  someone did the beetlejuice 3x times chant, and look what crawled out of the ground
Posted by: Frank G || 04/08/2011 21:01 Comments || Top||

#15  Nostalgia just ain't what it used to be.
Posted by: SteveS || 04/08/2011 23:40 Comments || Top||


Gbagbo Not Dead Yet
[Tolo News] The residence of incumbent Laurent Gbagbo
... President-for-Life of Ivory Coast since 2000. Gbagbo lost to Alassane Ouattara in 2010 but his representtive tore up the results on the teevee and Laurent refused to leave despite the international community's hemming, hawing, and broad hints...
in Ivory Coast's Abidjan was put under siege by forces loyal to Alassane Quattara on Thursday, reports say.

Quattara forces have been struggling to unseat Gbagbo after he rejected a UN call urging him to cede power to Alassane Quattara.

Forces loyal to the UN-recognised President Quattara arrived to the capital Abijdan a week ago.

The Japanese ambassador's residence was reportedly broken into by Gbagbo's forces.

The ambassador and seven other employees had to take shelter in a room before French forces rescused them by a helicopter.

Quattara forces renewed an assault on Gbagbo's residence lat on Wednesday, according to his advisor based in Gay Paree.

The residence was reportedly stormed after talks about Gbagbo's safe departure failed.

Earlier, there were reports that Gbagbo's generals were negotiating conditions for surrender.

Gbagbo then told French media by telephone that he was not ready to surrender and cede power.

La Belle France is said to have taken a leading role in talks to convince Gbabgo to stand down.

The UN has said negotiation with Gbagbo's camp are continuing but as Gbabgo seems reluctant to step down it is

unclear whether talks will have any positive results.

Meanwhile,
...back at the Senate, Odius Sepulcher put forth his proposition...
UN helicopters have bombarded Gbagbo's heavy weapons stockpiles.

Fighting between Gbagbo and Quattara forces broke out after the November disputed election in which Quattara was announced the winner.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Arabia
Yemenis turn mosque into hospital
[Iran Press TV] Yemeni doctors and students have turned a mosque in the capital into a makeshift hospital to take in victims of the government's brutal crackdown on the popular revolution.

Joining hands with the medical students from the Sana'a University, the physicians have equipped the mosque, located near Sana'a's Change Square, with 35 beds, medical equipment and about a dozen medical staff, Rooters reported.

The volunteers serve patients that have been targeted with live rounds and tear gas canisters.

"Our presence is important here. We receive a lot of cases," said one doctor, named Iman al-Awisi.

Since late January, demonstrators have been calling for an end to widespread corruption and unemployment in Yemen, also demanding ouster of the 32-year rule of despotic 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. ...

Some 40 percent of the population live on $2 a day or less and a third face food shortages.

Hundreds of thousands of people have turned out for regular demonstrations around the country, namely in the capital and the southwestern cities of Aden and Taiz.

The protests have been met by riot police or Saleh's supporters armed with knives and batons.

According to local reports, the corpse count in the country has surpassed 300 since the protests began.

Saleh has said he will not seek another term in office in 2013 but has vowed to defend his regime 'with every drop of blood.'
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Now that's a change from the usual weapons depot.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 04/08/2011 0:35 Comments || Top||

#2  Now that's a change

Nitroglycerin is a dual use chemical.
Posted by: Zebulon Thranter9685 || 04/08/2011 1:00 Comments || Top||

#3  And by 'hospital', we mean 'weapons depot'.
Posted by: SteveS || 04/08/2011 1:59 Comments || Top||

#4  Curing the World from infidel infection, SteveS?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 04/08/2011 2:28 Comments || Top||

#5  I don't remember which country it applied to, but apparently some government types have taken to cruising the hospitals and looking for those who have injuries that could have been caused by being involved in riots or other resistance.

This may be how these folks get around that problem. It would probably be done "charitably" and therefore bypass the usual checkin procedures and any government types would only have faces to deal with, not names.
Posted by: gorb || 04/08/2011 13:51 Comments || Top||


Bahrain's opposition divided on Iran
[Asharq al-Aswat] Senior figures within Bahrain's Democratic Alliance have revealed that the joint statement issued by the opposition coalition condemning Iranian interference in Bahrain's internal affairs, was not endorsed by a number of other Bahraini political opposition parties. The Democratic Alliance, which recently issued a statement condemning Iranian interference in Bahraini affairs, is made up of three opposition parties, namely the Waad party [National Democratic Action Society, the al-Minbar party [Progressive Democratic Tribune], and the al-Qawmi party [National Democratic Alliance Society]. The senior figures within Bahrain's Democratic Alliance coalition stressed that this statement was not endorsed by the 4 other prominent Bahraini opposition parties, who are members of the [Shiite] Wefaq National Islamic Society bloc, saying that "[this statement] may differ from the viewpoint of other [opposition] groups."

Observers have stressed that this difference in opinion between the Democratic Alliance and the Wefaq bloc -- which is the largest Shiite political grouping in Bahrain -- publicly reveals, and for the first time, a change in the attitude and policy of the Bahraini political opposition with regards to the recent events in the country.

Dr. Hassan al-Aali, the leader of the al-Qawmi party, which is part of the Democratic Alliance, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the statement issued by this political coalition does not reflect a division "because the three parties [that make up the Democratic Alliance] represent all sections of Bahrain's society, whether they are Sunnis or Shiites." He added that "there have been sectarian fears and misunderstanding with regards to the position of some groups towards the situation in Bahrain, and the picture has not been clear, particularly with regards to Iran's blatant interference in Bahrain's internal affairs. Therefore we had no choice but to announce our position to send a message to the nation that we do not believe in what some other [oppositional] groups believe."

He stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat that "we [the Democratic Alliance] believe that the entry of the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] Peninsula Shield force occurred according to legal and legitimate agreements between the GCC states, and that this took place within the framework of the fraternity of the Gulf States, and our common destiny."

Dr. al-Aali also pointed out that Tehran had attempted to exploit the legitimate demands [for reform] of the people of Bahrain, in order to interfere in Bahrain's internal affairs and draw attention away from the internal situation in Iran. He also told Asharq Al-Awsat that the al-Qawmi party has also considered that Tehran was also trying to use Bahrain as a Bargaining chip regarding its nuclear ambitions, and also in an attempt to extend its regional influence.

Al-Aali said that "we completely reject Iranian interference in our affairs, and Tehran must stop its brutal response to the demands of its people. Iran should focus on its own internal affairs rather than involving itself in the internal affairs of GCC states."

Dr. Hassan al-Aali also told Asharq Al-Awsat that "this statement was not put before the other [opposition] groups." He added that "we believed it was important to issue a statement such as this and take a position supporting national unity, issuing a calm and rational response to the people regarding their demands."

Al-Aali also acknowledged the importance of opposition parties reviewing their position in light of the recent events in Bahrain, telling Asharq Al-Awsat that "I acknowledge that we, as a political movement, made mistakes, we opened the way for escalation and extremism, and the raising of slogans that are rejected politically, as well as by the public." He added that "these slogans forcibly seized the Bahraini street, and things took a direction that we, along with the Bahraini government, find unacceptable."

For his part, Ibrahim Kamal al-Din, a member of the central committee of the Waad party, which is also a member of the Democratic Alliance, revealed that "this tripartite alliance was established around a year ago, and it is important for us to be part of a larger coalition. We are seeking to promote national unity, and we have made many concessions for the sake of the unity of this country."

He added that "it was very important for the Waad party as part of the Democratic Alliance -- to issue this statement, particularly in light of the attacks of the homeland" adding that this has noting to do with "forming consensus or causing division."

Al-Din also said that "we, as a [secular] democratic movement, find ourselves being accused by the other sectarian [political] parties. All parties accuse us of being controlled by other parties."

As for the reason behind this statement, he said that "there are differences of opinion that required us to clarify our positions, particularly with regards to the Iranian statement."

He stressed that "the situation required the issuance of a distinct and independent statement [from the other oppositional groups]" adding that "the Wefaq group also issued a statement via its leader Sheikh Ali Salman."

The Waad party senior figure also said that "we, as a political movement, wanted to inform the Bahraini street that we are above sectarianism, and we have a huge stake in confronting this, whilst we have also paid the price for all the sectarian conspiracies that have stuck Bahrain."

Ibrahim Kamal al-Din also stressed that "now is not the time for [political] score settling, for what is important now four our party is to get out of this situation that the country is facing without being biased towards one party at the expense of another, rather we will remain on good terms with all the present sides."

He added "we, in the Waad party, have yet to announce our clear position in all its details regarding what has happening [in Bahrain], but we have an opinion that we will announce to the public once the country has emerged from this crisis."

Al-Din also said that "the Democratic Alliance agrees with the other parties on the broad lines, whilst the opinions put forward to the Crown Prince are [also] agreed upon, although there are differences on the ceiling of demands, and differences in viewpoint [with the other opposition bloc]."

In related news, Dr. Salah Ali Mohamed, Chairman of the Bahraini parliamentary Foreign Affairs, Defense, and National Security Committee announced Bahrain's comprehensive rejection of Iranian interference in the country's internal affairs, stressing that Bahraini illusory sovereignty is a red-line that must not be transgressed.

Commenting on the statement issued by the Iranian Shura Council's National Security and Foreign Policy committee, Mohamed stressed that legislative institutes, such as the one which issued the Iranian statement, should be the most concerned about respecting laws, and not violating them. He said that the Iranian Shura Council committee's statement represented an explicit transgression of international rules and conventions and the UN charter. He also said that this statement was contrary to Islamic principles, and a violation to the principle of good neighborly relations.

Dr. Mohamed also condemned the Iranian statement regarding its comments on the GCC, and the deployment of the Peninsula Shield force to Bahrain, stressing that this was welcomed by the leadership, government, and people of Bahrain, and took place according to international conventions. The Bahraini official called on Tehran to move away from issuing statements such as this, which do not serve the desires of the GCC state to achieve regional security and stability, and good relations with the surrounding region.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Soddy Arabia releases 15 ex-militants
[Arab News] Soddy Arabia announced on Wednesday that it was releasing 15 hard boyz after they successfully completed a yearlong counseling program organized by the Prince Muhammad bin Naif Center.

According to the center, the hard boyz had enjoyed three vacations ranging between 10 to 25 days during their detention period in order to spend Eid and other happy occasions with their families.

"We also helped them to perform Umrah with their relatives during Ramadan and visit the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah. They also got an opportunity to perform Haj last year," a front man for the center said.

Arrangements were also made to help the hard boyz visit Dariya during the National Day and the Riyadh International Book Fair. "We also helped them to attend special courses to join the job market," he added.

This is the 19th group of hard boyz released by the Interior Ministry after counseling.

Soddy Arabia's counseling program for Al-Qaeda hard boyz has been widely praised due to its positive results. More than 3,000 youths have changed their ways after attending the program.

Bandar Al-Iban, president of the Human Rights Commission, visited the center in July 2010 and commended its role in convincing hard boyz to abandon their ideology. Al-Iban visited the center's educational, cultural, sports and recreational facilities.

"The center has achieved international recognition and many foreign officials have visited it to benefit from its programs," the HRC chief said after visiting the center. Started in 2004, the center is manned by Islamic scholars, psychiatrists, sociologists and psychologists.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda

#1  Future Predator Fodder of Arabia.
Posted by: Zebulon Thranter9685 || 04/08/2011 1:02 Comments || Top||


Gulf states expect Yemen's Saleh to quit: Qatari PM
Gulf states leading mediation efforts to end a political crisis in Yemen hope to reach a deal by which embattled 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. ...
would quit, Qatar's prime minister said on Thursday.

Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council "hope to reach a deal with the Yemeni president to step down," Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani said according to QNA state news agency.

Foreign ministers of the GCC agreed Sunday to begin contacts with the Yemeni government and the opposition "with ideas to overcome the current situation".
Brokering deal
Qatar daily Alarab said the Gulf proposal which was presented to Yemeni parties calls on Saleh to step down and pass power to an interim national council comprising tribal and key political figures.

Both sides have received invitations to hold talks in the Saudi capital Riyadh, but a date of such talks has not been disclosed.

The GCC groups Bahrain, Kuwait and Soddy Arabia with Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Gulf states are trying to broker a deal to have Yemen's president step down and hand over power, possibly to an interim council of tribal and politicians, sources told Rooters on Wednesday.

Ali Abdullah Saleh's at times bloody response to protests, inspired by those in Egypt and Tunisia, against his 32-year rule has tried the patience of his U.S. and Saudi backers.

A variety of official sources say they are now ready to push aside a long-time ally against Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the hope of staving off a chaotic collapse of the poorest Arab state.
Though diplomats familiar with the negotiations question whether a deal is anywhere close to being struck, the proposal by the Gulf Arabs involves Saleh finally agreeing to stand down and handing his powers for a short time to a national council.

"The proposal is to have a governing council grouping all the various political parties and tribes for a period that would not exceed three months," one Gulf official told Rooters on Wednesday of a plan to be presented to Saleh and his opponents at talks to take place soon in Soddy Arabia. A date is not set.

"The council will set the way for elections," the Gulf official added, echoing other sources in the region and beyond.

The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which groups Soddy Arabia with its small neighbors Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, made the invitations on Monday.

Saleh told GCC envoys on Tuesday that he would come to the talks in Riyadh. The ambassadors were waiting for a response from opposition leaders who they met in Yemen on Wednesday.
Suggested caretakers
"The talks in Soddy Arabia will discuss the modalities and mechanism for transition of power," another source close to the discussions told Rooters. "There are some names being circulated to head a transitional council."

These included Sheikh Hamid al-Ahmar, a leading figure among Yemen's powerful tribes, Abdulkarim al-Iryani, a U.S.-educated former prime minister and currently an adviser to Saleh, and another former premier Abdulaziz Abdul-Ghani.

It is not clear whether any of these could win a consensus among the opposition, which includes the Islamist Islah party, socialists, Arab nationalists and others. Nor is it clear they would be acceptable to Saleh, who wants a say in the matter.

Soddy Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter and key ally of Saleh, fears that its neighbor could fragment along tribal or regional lines if a way is not found out of the crisis soon -- something Saleh has warned of in recent speeches.

Washington has long seen Saleh as a pivotal ally in its fight against al-Qaeda, which has used its Yemen base to stage attacks on Soddy Arabia and the United States. In return for billions of dollars in military aid, Saleh has pledged to fight faceless myrmidons and allowed unpopular U.S. air strikes on their camps.

The opposition accuse him of playing fast and loose with his Washington ally, making deals with Islamists and faceless myrmidons at the same time as assuring the United States of his commitment.

Recent talks between Saleh and the opposition, some held in the presence of the U.S. ambassador, yielded little. Sources close to the talks in Sanaa say the United States gave Saleh an ultimatum to accept a deal and has since lost patience.

The sources said talks had most recently bogged down over Saleh's demand for assurances that he and members of his family will not face prosecution, particularly for the corruption that is a particular grievance of many of the thousands of protesters who have been camping out at Sanaa University for two months.

Opposition sources have said they would be prepared to accept Saleh's vice-president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, as interim head of state and to discuss removing some of Saleh's sons who have key positions once Saleh has stepped down. They want Saleh to leave the country during the transition period.
125 people killed
According to medics and witnesses, about 125 people have been killed in Yemen's crackdown on protesters, who launched nationwide demonstrations in late January to unseat Saleh, in power since 1978.

The deaths of 52 protesters on March 18, apparently at the hands of gunnies supporting Saleh, have been a turning point in the conflict, turning allies both within Yemen and abroad against the veteran head of state.

Again on Wednesday, tens of thousands of Yemenis rallied as police rubbed out one demonstrator and maimed 30 others even after calls mounted for Saleh to stand down over the bloodshed.

White House front man Jay Carney said: "The United States strongly condemns the use of violence by Yemeni government forces against demonstrators in Sanaa, Taez and Hudaydah in the past several days".

"We call upon the government of Yemen to conduct full investigations into these events and to hold those responsible accountable for their actions," Carney added.

In a further sign of ebbing support for Saleh, the statement called on him to resolve the political deadlock so that "meaningful" political change could take place in an orderly and peaceful manner.

Washington, which has expressed fears of al-Qaeda taking advantage of a prolonged crisis, is now pressing him to negotiate a transition of power.

The veteran political survivor has seen a string of top generals, ambassadors and some tribes announce their backing for the protesters since the March 18 massacre of protesters.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Bangladesh
Jamaat leaders make bail
[Bangla Daily Star] The High Court yesterday granted anticipatory bail to three Jamaat-e Islami leaders including its Dhaka City Unit Ameer Rafiqul Islam Khan in connection with the police assault case.

The other two leaders on bail are the party's Dhaka City unit Secretary General Hamidur Rahman, MP, and its office secretary Aminul Haque.

Around 1,000 activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Shibir
... the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh...
clashed with police at the city's Paltan area last Tuesday, injuring at least 25 people, including 10 coppers.

An HC bench of Justice Shamim Hasnain and Justice MR Hasan passed the order after Barrister Moudud Ahmed submitted a petition seeking bail in the case.

The accused Jamaat leaders were also present before the HC bench.

Assistant Attorney General Gazi Mamunur Rashid told The Daily Star that the government will move an appeal to the Supreme Court against the HC order.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Jamaat-e-Islami


Plot hatched in Hawa Bhaban meetings
[Bangla Daily Star] Mufti Hannan in a confessional statement disclosed the involvement of Hawa Bhaban and some former BNP ministers and intelligence officials in the August 21, 2004, grenade attack on an Awami League rally.

Harkat-ul Jihad (HuJI
Founded in 1984 by Fazlur Rehman Khalil and Qari Saifullah Aktar. The Bangla branch was established in 1992 with assistance from Osama bin Laden. Recruits come mostly from Deobandi madrassahs. HuJI and Fazlur Rehman Khalil are signators of bin Laden's declaration of war on the west.
) leader Mufti Mohammad Abdul Hannan made the fresh confessional statement before a Dhaka court yesterday about the attack that left Ivy Rahman, wife of President Zillur Rahman, dead along with 23 others and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina maimed. At least 300 others were also injured.

On October 27, 2009, The Daily Star published an investigative report on the attack. The report disclosed the chilling conspiracy that was hatched in Hawa Bhaban.

Hannan, prime accused in the case, on November 1, 2007, made a confessional statement but Criminal Investigation Department moved for a new confessional statement following revaluations of more information through investigation.

First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate AHM Habibur Rahman Bhuiyan recorded yesterday's statement for over five hours from 4:00pm.

Sources in the CID said in the first confessional statement Hannan admitted carrying out the attack but in the new statement he said the attack was planned in meetings held at the Hawa Bhaban.

Hawa Bhaban was widely regarded as the alternative powerhouse of the then BNP-led coalition government.

Hannan said the meetings were held in presence of some then BNP ministers and businessmen close to BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami top brass.

However,
The emphatic However...
the CID sources declined to disclose names of the people Hannan mentioned.

Hannan said runaway Maulana Tajuddin, brother of jugged former BNP deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu, had coordinated the attackers and the people of different agencies who aided them.

In the first confessional statement, Hannan said they had smuggled in the grenades from Afghanistan, where Hannan had joined the Mujahideens to fight against the Soviets in the 1980s.

Now he says that the grenades came from Pakistain via Chittagong.

In the first statement, Hannan said they planned the attack in a Badda house in the capital a few days ahead. He had said around 12 hard boyz carried out the attack.

He had said they wanted to kill Sheikh Hasina because she had slapped a ban on religious edict when she was in power, the sources added.

CID Special Superintendent Abdul Kahar Akand, investigation officer of the case, declined to make any comment on the new statement of Hannan.

So far, 12 accused have given confessional statements admitting their involvement in the attack. They are Mufti Hannan, his brother Mohibullah alias Mafizur Rahman alias Ovi, Sharif Shahidul Islam alias Bipul, Maulana Abu Sayeed alias Abu Zafar, Abul Kalam Azad alias Bulbul, Arif Hossain, Rafiqul Islam Sabuj and Jahangir Alam, Islamic Democratic Party leader Sheikh Abdus Salam, Pakistain based LeT leader Abdul Majid alias Yusuf Butt, LeT leader Abdul Malek alias Golam Mohammad and Abdur Rouf.

The eight absconding accused are Pintu's brothers Maulana Tajuddin and Maulana Liton, Anisul Mursalin and his brother Mahibul Muttakin, Iqbal, Maulana Abu Bakar alias Selim Howlader, Jahangir Alam Badar and Khalilur Rahman.

On June 11, 2008, the CID submitted a charge sheet accusing 22 people, including top HuJI leader Mufti Abdul Hannan and BNP leader and former deputy minister Abdus Salam Pintu.

But the court asked police for further investigation into the attack to find out the sources of the grenades used in the attack, the suppliers of the grenades and also to unfold the mystery behind defusing the unwent kaboom! grenades soon after recovery.

During the rule of BNP-led coalition government, the then Sherlocks allegedly staged a drama to mislead the investigation and protect the real culprits.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: HUJI


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Doku Umarov still alive, planning repraisals
Doku Umarov, Russia's most wanted terrorist, whom the authorities hoped to have killed in an air strike last month, is alive and preparing reprisals, according to an audio tape.

A man claiming to be Umarov telephoned the North Caucasus service of Radio Free Europe, saying that he was "absolutely healthy" in a Chechen language message, the radio said on its website late Thursday.

Although the authenticity of the message is unverified, the correspondents said the voice was "recognizably" that of Umarov.

Russia had said that some 17 Islamist rebels were killed in an air strike on March 29 in the Ingushetia and security sources had hoped that Umarov was among the dead. But Umarov's death has never been confirmed officially.

"There was an operation in which several mujahedin died," the voice said. "My death was announced too. They won't receive any respite from me. I'm preparing my answer to them. They should expect news from me soon."

The tape was also the subject of an article on the Kavkaz Center website.

According to Kommersant, Umarov also said that the structure of the Caucasus Emirate he leads has not been destroyed despite the considerable blow.

Only one prominent jihadi militant leader, Supyan Abdullayev, was killed in the attack, Umarov claimed.

Asked by the radio why he staged the Moscow airport attack, Umarov responded that airports were "not civilian targets."
Posted by: ryuge || 04/08/2011 11:44 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Well Crap!!!

If he's still alive, whose head is Vlad using as a door stop in his office?

Well the Spetnaz is going to get a nasty telephone call from the Kremlin on this one. If I was Doku, I'd keep my head down and I'd keep moving. No time for propaganda videos or news conferences. The next TV reporter you meet might be a NKVD/OVRA/OGPU/KGB/Whatever they call that thing now operative.
Posted by: Bill Clinton || 04/08/2011 13:32 Comments || Top||

#2  I toldya we shoulda let Annakin decapitate him way back at the start of the third movie.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain || 04/08/2011 14:07 Comments || Top||

#3  Umarov responded that airports were "not civilian targets."

Nor are mosques.
Posted by: Zebulon Thranter9685 || 04/08/2011 14:12 Comments || Top||

#4  How come these guys are like monsters in a video game and have to be killed several times?

How many times was Zarqawi in Iraq "killed" before we finally had a body?
Posted by: crosspatch || 04/08/2011 18:13 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
Dupe entry: Man arrested in NY Times Square case reaches deal
A Pakistani man arrested in Massachusetts during the investigation into the failed Times Square bombing has agreed to a deal with prosecutors in which he'll plead guilty, avoid prison time and be deported.
Posted by: Zebulon Thranter9685 || 04/08/2011 14:50 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Man arrested in NY Times Square case reaches deal
A Pakistani man arrested in Massachusetts during the investigation into the failed Times Square bombing has agreed to a deal with prosecutors in which he'll plead guilty, avoid prison time and be deported.
Posted by: Zebulon Thranter9685 || 04/08/2011 14:50 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Thereby letting other jihadi-wannabes that they only need to buy a one-way ticket to the US and Uncle Sam will pay for their return ticket.
Posted by: gorb || 04/08/2011 15:59 Comments || Top||

#2  "he'll plead guilty, avoid prison time and be deported"

And go back home for better, more extensive jihadi training. >:-(
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 04/08/2011 17:23 Comments || Top||

#3  What a great plan! Think of all the money we'll save by not having to feed him for the rest of his life!

Until he changes his name, comes back, and is sucessful with a Times Square Bombing.

Unless, of course, the CIA makes him disappear in a few weeks. [shakes head] Sure. Riiiiiiiiiiiight!
Posted by: Bobby || 04/08/2011 17:25 Comments || Top||

#4  Obama continues to release mass murderers or mass murderer want to bees. He just turned this into another trial run where that this guy learned from and who will pass that information to the next mass murderer.
Posted by: Helmuth, Speaking for Unomorong8956 || 04/08/2011 17:34 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
IB inspector killed, 19 injured in Karachi
[Dawn] A hand-grenade blast near the Rainbow Centre in Saddar on Thursday night left Abdul Razzak, an inspector of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), dead and 19 people injured.

Police said the blast occurred around 10pm outside a milk shop where fruit pushcarts were lined up.

The injured, who included fruit vendors and passersby, were rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and the Civil Hospital.

During the treatment one of the injured, IB Inspector Abdul Razzak, who was going to Larkana, died at the Civil Hospital.

The condition of two other people was stated to be critical.

Since the Rainbow Centre had shuttered down before the kaboom, not many people were present in the area.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


4 children killed by grenade
[Dawn] In a heart-rending incident, four children of a family were killed in suburban Jarma area of Kohat on Wednesday when an bomb they had found in a dry pond went off.

Police said that the children were playing when something sticking out of the muddy part of the pond attracted their attention. Not knowing that it was a deadly grenade, they pulled out the pin of the grenade in their curiosity and were blown up by the kaboom that followed. Three of them were real brothers and the fourth a cousin — aged between 8 and 13.

Local people said the father of the three brothers Sajid Khan (8), Sultan Khan (10) and Daud Khan (12) had died just two months back of a stroke. Their cousin was identified as Hassan Khan (13).

Volunteers and police shifted the bodies to the KDA divisional hospital where Hayat Khan, father of Hassan Khan, collapsed after seeing them. Mothers of the dear departed went into shock while the whole neighbourhood mourned the lively children.

The children were laid to rest in the graveyard of Mohallah Miangan in Jarma, 12 kilometers south of Kohat city.

The Jarma police started the paperwork but haven't done much else and have started investigations.

Kohat district is just 15 kilometers away from Darra Adam Khel where automatic and semi-automatic weapons and explosives are easily available and smuggled to other parts of the country.

Business in illegal arms goes on in spite of the crackdowns conducted occasionally by the security forces in Darra Adamkhel since 2008.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  I wonder if the grenade fell out of Dad's pack on his way home from jihadi-ing? Or if that's just a cover story, and it was still in his pack when the kids fooled with it.
Posted by: Glenmore || 04/08/2011 12:24 Comments || Top||


Fifty militants killed in Mohmand Agency
[Dawn] At least 50 faceless myrmidons have been killed during a clash with security forces in the Mohmand
... Named for the Mohmand clan of the Sarban Pahstuns, a truculent, quarrelsome lot. In Pakistain, the Mohmands infest their eponymous Agency, metastasizing as far as the plains of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Mohmands are also scattered throughout Pakistan in urban areas including Bloody Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta. In Afghanistan they are mainly found in Nangarhar and Kunar...
Agency. According to official sources the faceless myrmidons were killed as helicopter gunships pounded their hideouts.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Jordan indicts man who threatened bombing
[Arab News] A Jordanian public prosecutor on Wednesday indicted a man who on Tuesday threatened to blow up the headquarters of the Islamic Action Front
...Jordan's branch of the Moslem Brüderbund...
(IAF), the country's main opposition party, judicial sources said.

Abdul Wahab Yamani, in his late 50s, was charged with causing a public annoyance, threatening others and entering a place without prior permission.

Yamani arrived at the IAF building at Dhuhr prayers and threatened to blow up the building, accusing the Front of not being loyal to the king, and pretending to blow the building with an boom belt that he was wearing.

He was later tossed in the calaboose by secret police who found that the man wore a wooden belt connected to rusty batteries.

As the prosecutor issued the charge list, a group of Yamani's relatives and friends gathered outside the prosecutor's office to demand his release.

They said that the defendant was a merchant in downtown Amman whose business was drastically affected by the series of demonstrations that swept the Jordanian capital and other major cities over the past three months.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Performance Art comes to Jordan.
Posted by: Zebulon Thranter9685 || 04/08/2011 1:06 Comments || Top||


Target of Sudan attack was Hamas weapons man
[Ma'an] Paleostinian security officials said that target in what has been alleged to be an Israeli strike on Sudan was the successor to assassinated Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, official Mahmoud Mabhouh.

Abdul-Latif Ashkar, one of two men killed in a strike on a car in Sudan, is said to have taken over the role of weapons gathering formerly carried out by Mabhouh, who was assassinated in a Dubai hotel room last year.

Hamas Deputy Politburo Chief Moussa Abu Marzouq, however, told the Jerusalem-based daily Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper that the two "were not Paleostinian and had no connection to Hamas."

The strike hit the car Tuesday on Sudan's Red Sea coast near the main port, and on Wednesday, Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Ahmad Karti accused Israel of carrying out the attack.

Karti's charge came as a number of Israeli newspapers spoke of the same thing, with one running the headline "IDF carried out attack on Sudan," but the Israeli military and foreign ministry both declined to comment.

While Sudanese media said both victims were nationals of the country, daily London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Arabiya said one of the victims was a national of an Arab country, and said the man was involved in arms smuggling for Hamas.

Abdul-Latif Ashkar was in his 40s and was a senior member of Hamas' military wing. He was born in the Jabaliya refugee camp in the Gazoo Strip and was incarcerated by Israel during the First Intifada.

He was a founder of Hamas' "aid and logistics department," which coordinated weapons smuggling to the Gazoo Strip. It is not known when he arrived in Sudan, or how long he resided there.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Hamas leader's family deny his death in Sudan attack
Posted by: ryuge || 04/08/2011 12:06 Comments || Top||


5 Palestinians killed in Gaza after missile strikes Israeli bus
[Ma'an] Israeli fire killed five Paleostinians and injured dozens more after a projectile from the Gazoo Strip hit a school bus in southern Israel, injuring two people, medical and security officials said.

Witnesses said artillery fire injured five people, including a small child, and killed Mahmoud Al-Manasra, 50, who died after shells landed near his home in the Shejaiya neighborhood of Gazoo City.

Air strikes hit two Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, positions in and around Gazoo City, and other raids hit targets in the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Yunis, killing another two people and wounding dozens more, eight of whom were maimed when shell fragments hit an ambulance, Paleostinian medical sources said.

In total, more than 40 people were maimed across the Gazoo Strip.

A spokeswoman for the military confirmed troops had launched multiple attacks on targets in Gazoo, saying it "fired at places from which mortars are fired at Israel."

The shelling came after beturbanned goons fired an anti-tank missile which hit a bus in southern Israel, critically wounding a teenager, as well as wounding one other person who was only lightly hurt, Israeli medics said.

"An anti-tank missile was fired directly at the bus," police front man Micky Rosenfeld said shortly after the attack on the school bus which was passing in front of kibbutz Nahal Oz, just across the border from Gazoo City's eastern flank.

Militants lobbed at least 45 mortar rounds into southern Israel, hitting a house, and the army responded by staging multiple raids across the enclave, one of which hit an ambulance, Paleostinian medics said.

One projectile landed 700 meters inside Egyptian territory and caused a deep hole in the ground, an Egyptian security official said, adding that the army opened an inquiry to determine its origin.

As rockets flew over the border, Israel's Iron Dome short-range missile defence system intercepted a projectile heading for the southern port city of Ashkelon, in what was the first time the system has ever been successfully used in a combat situation.

The bus attack was the first time an anti-tank missile had hit a civilian target in Israel, prompting Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to order the army "to act swiftly" in response.

The military wing of Hamas grabbed credit for firing the anti-tank missile.

Over the past month, dozens of rockets have hit southern Israel, some reaching cities as far as 25 miles away, prompting a series of Arclight airstrikes and raids.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is currently en route to Prague after talks in Berlin with German Chancellor Angela Merkel
...current chancellor of Germany. She was educated in East Germany when is was still run by commies, but in 1989 got involved with the growing democracy movement when the Berlin Wall fell. Merkel is sometimes referred to by Germans as Mom...
, said he would deal with the surge in violence when he returned to Israel on Friday.

"I'm not going to manage things from Berlin airport ... when I get to Israel tomorrow, we shall, of course, continue the necessary actions to ensure the safety of the citizens of Israel," he said in comments broadcast on Israel's Channel 10 television.

Ofir Gendelman, a front man for the Israeli prime minister, said Israel was committed to its truce with Hamas and did not seek to escalate the situation along the border.

"However,
The essential However...
Hamas launched 16 mortar rounds in addition to targeting an Israeli bus in southern Israel that left two maimed," Gendelman told Ma'an, saying he held Hamas responsible.

Asked if that meant Israel was considering a new Gazoo assault, he responded, "I don't rule this out."
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  Witnesses said artillery fire

About damn time.
Posted by: Zebulon Thranter9685 || 04/08/2011 1:10 Comments || Top||

#2  Pre-mortum analysis: What does Israel and Palestine expect to achieve as each continues to do the same back forth skirmish crap over and over? This is something that no head of state answers satisfactorily, honestly and for the long term future. What is going to change in five, ten, or fifty or one hundred years at this rate?
Posted by: Fi || 04/08/2011 1:26 Comments || Top||

#3  What is going to change in five, ten, or fifty or one hundred years at this rate?

Both Islam and Transnational Progressivism will be extinct.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 04/08/2011 2:39 Comments || Top||

#4  Good question.

What's going to change in the next 10 years is that the arms race on both sides accelerates if and when Iran supplies more powerful weapons to the Paleos. Then the fireworks will be quite something to contemplate. We had better sort out our energy independence way before that point.

The extinction of Islam and Nuttyism will take a bit longer. The Aztecs aren't around to practice their blood-thirsty religion anymore, so that gives me hope for Islam's fate.
Posted by: Shereter Poodle9774 || 04/08/2011 12:02 Comments || Top||

#5  The correct term is "counter-battery fire"
Posted by: mojo || 04/08/2011 12:14 Comments || Top||

#6  Both Islam and Transnational Progressivism will be extinct. (Instead of Texas Hold'm it's Juice Wait 'm Out)

1) Islam? Agreed -- itsa house of cards
2) The problem w/the TP crowd is the "Doin' good ain't got no end" element. At best, they'll become an international joke like PETA.
Posted by: Pollyandrew || 04/08/2011 15:23 Comments || Top||

#7  Perhaps if Israel used tactical nukes as counter-battery fire, they'd get the idea and stop shooting rockets.


Just a thought.
Posted by: Silentbrick - Lost Drill Bit Division - Halliburton || 04/08/2011 17:38 Comments || Top||

#8  Not sure about that silentbrick - they just can't seem to grasp the concept of Cause -> Effect.
Posted by: CrazyFool || 04/08/2011 18:03 Comments || Top||

#9  Agreed, in part, Poodle.

Nobody sets out to make bad decisions, but smart people make bad decisions. Israel is not above that, as smart as they may be, they are surrounded on all sides by enemies.

Heres an illustrative story, in 2008, Big Brown a wonderful the horse that won the first two legs of the Triple Crown, had everyone on the edge of their seats to see him win the Third leg. His trainer spoke as if it was foregone conclusion that his horse would win the third leg.

On racebday, it was extremely hot, the crowds were turning out in droves, and poor Big Brown came in last. He did gain distinction that day of being the first Triple Crown Contender to come in dead last. And all the braggadocio in the world just didn't help.

Unfortunately, Islam is one of the major world Religions, not some small sect. Basic Religious Literacy causes me to opine that I disagree that it is going extinct. It keeps coming back in waves.

To wit, the history of Jerusalem is a microcosm of the fleeting grasp religions have had on territory. Muslims seized Jerusalem from the Christians in 637 c.e., crusaders then retook it in 1099, Saladin re-seized it for Islam in 1187, and the British recaptured it for Christianity in 1917.

If past is prologue, Israel is anything but secure. Five times a day, 365 days a year, for more than a thousand years, Muslims have gone out to pray on all the continents.

If anything, Islam's rapid growth in Europe, and its tense relations with non-muslims means one thing only: watch your f-in back.

I don't think of Islam as a force for good. But I certainly don't equate that with my "side" ie: Judeo-Christian's sizeable ranks are bullet and bomb proof.

Israel may want to reconsider its position that it is somehow secure because of Iron Dome and nukes. By the time a nuke was used, it could be too late. Strategically, it is my opinion that Israel has put all its eggs in one geographical basket that as we have seen above, has been passed around by all the major religions. A wise move would be to heavily invest in acquiring real estate elsewhere as a back up.



Posted by: Fi || 04/08/2011 18:54 Comments || Top||

#10  Hey "fi", 3 billion people are wrong, and more than that -try all socialists. Just because they are wrong does not mean Israel ever, EVER changes position. Light of the World means being right and having the big guns upstairs watching over you. Screw your "position". Why don't you bend over instead of looking things over through an NBC point of view?

Israel does not belong to stupid moslems, jews or the self ignorant democrats. It belongs to something higher; and if it means ending your sorry asses existences for it, so be it.

Signed - Some DOG with the bite.
Posted by: newc || 04/08/2011 22:47 Comments || Top||

#11  Hi Newc. So you speak for DOG? Ask him this--if he's the one and only all powerful why the fuck doesn't he stop the territorial disputes among all his eight different little religions? Oh wait, its because we're all parts of him and we're made of sin. He has eight different chess pawns on his board: Islam, Judaism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism, Atheism and Christianity. And I'll give you a hint, he lets different players win at different time, if it amuses him. If you really think you can call the outcome, then I think you're one egotistial fool.
Posted by: Fi || 04/08/2011 23:05 Comments || Top||


Shell lands in Egyptian territory
[Ma'an] A military-use projectile landed inside Egyptian territory late Thursday as deadly violence increased along the Gazoo-Israel border, an Egyptian security official said.

The projectile landed 700 meters south of Gazoo's Rafah crossing and caused a deep hole in the ground, the official said, adding that the army opened an inquiry to determine its origin.

During Israel's assault on Gazoo in December 2008 and January 2009, 15 shells landed in Egypt without exploding, according to security officials.

Israeli fire killed five Paleostinians and injured dozens more after a projectile from the Gazoo Strip hit a school bus in southern Israel, injuring two people, medical and security officials said. In total, more than 40 Paleostinians were maimed across the Gazoo Strip by nightfall, medics said.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Hamas military wing claims attack on Israeli school bus
[Ma'an] The military wing of Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, on Thursday grabbed credit for firing an anti-tank missile at an Israeli school bus, the Al-Qassam Brigades said in a statement.

Israeli fire killed five Paleostinians and injured dozens more after a projectile from the Gazoo Strip hit a school bus in southern Israel, injuring two people, medical and security officials said.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas


Palestinian factions announce immediate cease fire
[Jerusalem Post Front Page] The Israel Air Force struck three smuggling tunnels in the Gazoo Strip late Thursday night after Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, announced an immediate cease-fire in the Gazoo Strip in an effort to reign in growing escalations.

After consulting with various other Paleostinian terrorist factions in Gazoo and other international Arab officials, Hamas said that the cease-fire went into effect at 11 p.m. Thursday.

Hamas reportedly ordered all armed factions in Gazoo to halt fire into Israel.

Earlier Thursday, the Hamas military wing, the Izzadin Kassam Brigades, grabbed credit for firing a Kornet anti-tank missile at a children's schoolbus near Kibbutz Saad in the Sha'ar Hanegev regional council, which left a 16-year-old at death's door and the driver in light condition.

The attack was "the first response to the continuing crimes of the occupation," a Hamas statement said.

In response to the attack, the IDF spokesperson said that the air force had struck nine targets in the Gazoo Strip and that artillery forces had struck the area from where the anti-tank missile was fired.

Five Paleostinians were killed and 33 injured in the strikes, Paleostinian medical sources reported.

Speaking at the IDF's Southern Command earlier Thursday night, Defense Minister Ehud Barak spoke about the school bus attack and called it a "very serious event that hit deep into Israeli territory from deep within the Gazoo Strip. That is something that we cannot accept," he added.

Commenting on IDF, IAF and artillery strikes on Gazoo, the defense minister said: "The actions being taken right now are a response to [the attack] and they will continue as long as necessary in order to make clear that things like this cannot continue."

The responses by the IDF are both purposeful and effective, Barak said, adding that, "We see Hamas as responsible for everything originating in Gazoo, and we expect that Hamas will understand what is allowed, and of course, what is forbidden."
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  Today Gazans shot 21 mortars at Israel. They would have shot off more, but Israel struck three cells while they were setting up, killing nine and wounding many more civilians, according to a Hamas spokesman. A perfect example of a hudna, Hamas's self-proclaimed ceasefire lasted about six hours.

Note the different language used in link 1, released about an hour and a half after link 2.
Posted by: trailing wife || 04/08/2011 17:30 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
3 dead in two attacks in southern Thailand
One person and one terrorist Two people were killed in an exchange of gunfire between a security guard near the Pattani Veterans' Office and presumed terrorists insurgents on Thursday morning as Thailand's army chief visits the nearby province of Narathiwat.

The dead were identified as local veterans' affairs office security guard Vichet Boonchai, 42, and suspected terrorist insurgent Abdulromae Chaewae, 23.

A police investigator said that Mr Vichet was riding his motorcycle home after working at the veterans' office when two men on a motorcycle shot at him from behind. The security guard fired back at his assailants, injuring one of them, before he died.

The other presumed terrorist insurgent fled the scene while Mr Vichet and the wounded assailant were sent to hospital, where they were pronounced dead.

The incident took place as Army Commander-in-Chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha was visiting nearby Narathiwat, meeting with governors of the three jihad-plagued restive southern provinces and security agencies to be briefed on the situation.

Gen Prayuth’s visit was also to follow up on the strategy of the Internal Security Operations Command which is focused on better understanding with local residents and economic development.

Also:
Local adviser gunned down in drive-by shooting
Posted by: ryuge || 04/08/2011 09:24 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Malaysia arrests nine Iranians over drug haul
[Straits Times] MALAYSIAN police said on Thursday they had dealt a major blow to a drugs syndicate operating across Asia after arresting nine Iranians and seizing more than 70kg of methamphetamine.

Anti-narcotics chief Noor Rashid Ibrahim told AFP the haul, which included seven million ringgit (S$2.9 million) in foreign currency, was uncovered in Kuala Lumpur but refused to name the exact location or say when it was seized.

'Initial investigations show that these Iranians are part of a major syndicate and they smuggled in the drugs and have been selling them in Malaysia and shipping them overseas as well,' he said.

'The seven million ringgit in cash is just from sales in the past month and the drugs seized could easily fetch another 17 million ringgit,' he added.

Mr Noor Rashid said the Iranians were believed to be supplying drugs to Japan, Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia, using Malaysia as a base.

Four women were part of the nine placed in durance vile, he said, adding that police were carrying out further operations based on the information from the group in a bid to destroy the syndicate's operations in the country.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Narcos


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iran reloads fuel into Bushehr n-plant
Posted by: Beavis || 04/08/2011 13:41 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Syria's Assad makes Kurds citizens
[Arab News] The Syrian president granted citizenship Thursday to thousands of Kurds, fulfilling a key demand of the country's long ostracized minority and making another overture amid extraordinary anti-government protests that have shaken Bashir al-Assad's authoritarian regime.

State-run television
... and if you can't believe Syrian state-run television who can you believe?
said Assad issued a decree granting citizenship to more than 250,000 Kurds registered as aliens in the records of the northeastern Hasaka province. In a separate decree, Assad fired the governor of central Homs province, which has been the scene of festivities between anti-government protesters and security forces over the past three weeks.

The overtures are part of a series of concessions by the regime designed to subdue the protests that erupted in a southern city on March 18 and spread to other parts of Syria. The decrees come on the eve of more protests planned by Syrian activists, who used social networking sites to call for nationwide demonstrations Friday.

Local and international human rights
...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty...
groups have said at least 100 people have been killed in the crackdown on demonstrations that echo the recent uprisings across the Arab world.

Many Syrian activists were skeptical about the concessions.

"All these decisions are cosmetic, they do not touch the core of the problem," said Haitham Al-Maleh, a leading opposition figure.
Picked right up on that, didn't he?
Al-Maleh, an 80-year-old lawyer and longtime rights activist who spent several years in jail, said the protests that began in Syria will "continue to snowball until real changes are made." He said among those changes are lifting the state of emergency in place since 1963, separating the state from the judiciary, a new law that allows formation of political parties and free elections.

Kurds -- the largest ethnic minority in Syria -- make up 15 percent of the country's 23 million people and have long complained of neglect and discrimination. The more than 250,000 Kurds who have been denied citizenship were barred from voting, owning property, going to state schools or getting government jobs as a result.

The government had argued that they are not Syrians but Kurds who decamped to the country from neighboring Turkey or Iraq.

Tensions between Kurds and the authorities have went kaboom! into violence on several occasions. In March 2004, festivities between Syrian Kurds and security forces in the northeastern city of Qamishli spread to the nearby cities of Hasaka and Aleppo, with at least 25 killed and 100 maimed.

Kurds have so far not joined anti-government protests that started last month, but authorities have been concerned they would -- making Thursday's move a likely attempt to pacify the community.
Posted by: Fred || 04/08/2011 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  In that picture he looks like the butler from "Mr. Deeds".
Posted by: whitecollar redneck || 04/08/2011 20:00 Comments || Top||

#2  "The Syrian president granted citizenship Thursday to thousands of Kurds"

Watch it, Assad. Don't be giving Bambi any ideas about our illegals.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut || 04/08/2011 20:05 Comments || Top||



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Fri 2011-04-08
  Gulf states expect Yemen's Saleh to quit: Qatari PM
Thu 2011-04-07
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Wed 2011-04-06
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Tue 2011-04-05
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Thu 2011-03-31
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Wed 2011-03-30
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Tue 2011-03-29
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Mon 2011-03-28
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Sun 2011-03-27
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