After 12 years of war in Afghanistan, officials are now pondering what to do with $50 billion in equipment half a world away -- including combat vehicles, dining rooms, gyms, clothing and more.
"A lot of this stuff, you're not really concerned about bringing it back," said Jim Hasik, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. "I mean if a Coke machine falls into the hands of the Taliban, this is just not a big disaster."
But eventually, much of the gear will trickle down to the public. With the click of a mouse the spoils of war can be yours on govliquidation.com. Each day, new items appear on the site -- as bases around the country release unneeded items -- from rafts and trucks, to fire engines and pretzel stands.
But first, the massive effort to bring some of the equipment home. By December 2014, the U.S. military will have transported home some 35,000 vehicles and 95,000 containers at an estimated cost of $6 billion. It is the largest retrograde or pullout in history.
"There are huge problems getting materiel out of Afghanistan," said Don Olson, top civilian leader of the Sierra Army Depot, America's largest repository of military equipment.
The biggest problem, since Afghanistan is landlocked, is that the U.S. must fly the equipment out or pay exorbitant customs fees to Afghanistan and Pakistan. The cost of moving the containers alone could reach $237 million, officials estimate.
"At some point, actually it becomes more sensible to destroy that equipment in place than to actually bring it back," said Hasik.
That's exactly what the Pentagon is doing with some 2,000 of the massive eight-ton troop carriers known as MRAPS. Each MRAP cost taxpayers more than $1 million, but with 24,000 already in the Army inventory, officials decided it was more cost effective to scrap 2,000 of the vehicles in Afghanistan rather than bring them home.
"Did we overbuild, did we overbuy on the MRAP? Almost certainly,"said Hasik, who is also quick to say it was impossible to know just how many of the armored vehicles were necessary. The MRAP is credited with protecting many American lives against roadside bombs. Many that did come home are parked at the Sierra Army Depot, 35,000 acres of steel and high desert scrub in California. The depot is home to tens of thousands of combat vehicles and more than $1 billion in clothing.
"We provide that catcher's mitt for the Army, for the nation," says Olsen. "They send that equipment here. We manage it until the Army can make a decision of what to do with it in the future."
Most battle tanks remain here, and replenish U.S. stocks. Some personnel carriers are sold to allies. Clothing is recycled and reused. The base has its own rail yard and airstrip and trucks arrive daily. Some 1,500 employees, all part of the Army Materiel Command, identify, sort and store each item that comes in.
"Where it goes next depends on where it is needed," said Olson.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Colonel, that Coca-Cola machine, I want you to shoot the lock off it. There may be some change in there.
Col. "Bat" Guano: That's private property.
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake: Colonel, can you possibly imagine what is going to happen to you, your frame outlook way of life on everything, when they learn that you have obstructed a telephone call to the President of the United States? Can you imagine? Shoot it off! Shoot, with the gun! That's what the bullets are for, you twit!
Col. "Bat" Guano: Ok, I'm gonna git yer money fer you. But if you don't get the President of the United States on that phone, you know what's gonna happen to you?
Group Capt. Lionel Mandrake; What?!!?
Col. "Bat" Guano: You're gonna have to answer to the Coca-Cola Company.
#3
"I mean if a Coke machine falls into the hands of the Taliban, this is just not a big disaster." Until it goes ka-boom....
"At some point, actually it becomes more sensible to destroy that equipment in place than to actually bring it back," said Hasik. 15, maybe 20 megatons and some strong Easterly or Westerly winds should do the trick....
[APNEWS.MYWAY] Egyptian authorities are considering disbanding the Moslem Brüderbund group, a government front man said Saturday, once again outlawing a group that held the pinnacle of government power just more than a month earlier.
The announcement comes after security forces broke up two sit-in protests this week by those calling for the reinstatement of President Mohammed Morsi, a Brotherhood leader deposed in a July 3 coup. The festivities killed more than 600 people that day and sparked protests and violence that killed 173 people Friday alone.
Cabinet front man Sherif Shawki said that Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi, who leads the military-backed government, assigned the Ministry of Social Solidarity to study the legal possibilities of dissolving the group. He didn't elaborate.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/17/2013 11:54 ||
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Unfortunately, it's like the War on Drugs. Those who want to get high on shitty ideology will not be deterred by the threat of arrest...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
08/17/2013 12:55 Comments ||
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#2
I seem to remember that Sadat tried this several decades ago. Just more proof that if you want to get rid of an infestation of vermin you've got to get ALL of them.
#5
re #4: when does the weeding and fumigating start here? What will be the criteria for determining which is a weed and which is a flower? Who do you trust to point out the roaches?
[Ynet] Egypt's Moslem Brüderbund group called on Friday for a week of daily nationwide protests after thousands of its supporters rallied in different cities to denounce a violent crackdown on their followers this week.
"We call on the Egyptian people and national forces to protest daily until the coup ends," the Islamist group said in a statement in reference to the army's overthrow of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi last month.
Oh goody. Well, if it's a fight to the hilt they want, one imagines the current Mamluks are the ones to stick it in.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Do they hold organizing rallies where they hand out the "Target" shirts?
[Al Ahram] The Iranian foreign minister on Friday urged the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to intervene in member state Egypt to contain a deadly crackdown on Islamists, state television ... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
reported. See? Islam is the answer.
Mohammad Javad Zarif said a police crackdown on two protests camps set up by supporters of deposed Islamist president Mohamed Morsi that killed nearly 600 people was a "massacre", it said.
Zarif made the remarks during a telephone call with OIC secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, said a statement on the state broadcaster's website.
The foreign minister "condemned the massacre of the defenceless population in Egypt and called for an end to the violence" and urged the OIC "to intervene as soon as possible to... help find a peaceful solution," it said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Syria, Egypt + North Africa in general are all key to Rising Iran's desired future Naval = IRGC? presence in the Mediterranean, then the Atlantic.
[Al Ahram] The US on Friday urged Egypt to avoid using "lethal force" against demonstrators, as the corpse count from a crackdown on supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi continued to mount.
"We again urge all sides to cease violence, and we note that government has a particular responsibility to ensure an atmosphere that allows Egyptians to exercise peacefully their universal rights," State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told AFP in an email.
"Lethal force should not be used against peaceful demonstrators. Demonstrators must also demonstrate peacefully."
Thousands of Islamists protested Friday across Egypt, sparking violence that killed at least 70 people and turned parts of Cairo into battlefields after police authorized the use of live ammunition.
The festivities came two days after 578 people were killed as police cleared two Cairo protest camps set up by Morsi loyalists.
Egypt's cabinet issued a defiant statement, even as festivities continued in the hour before a night-time curfew began, saying it was confronting a "terrorist plot".
Psaki said US officials "have spoken with the Egyptian ambassador numerous times this week to convey our position, especially to urge an immediate end to violence and the start of inclusive dialogue."
The crackdown drew strong condemnation from the international community, and European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton called Friday for the bloc to adopt "appropriate measures" in response.
"We remain actively and closely engaged with our European partners on the situation in Egypt," Psaki said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Stay out of it. Someone please tell Kerry, Graham, McShame, and the rest to stay out of it as well.
#2
"We again urge all sides to cease violence, and we note that government has a particular responsibility to ensure an atmosphere that allows Egyptians to exercise peacefully their universal rights"
#4
The US has no more moral authority to influence events. Thanks to O's kowtowing to dictators and despots, effectively recognizing their legitimacy of their oppression, nobody listens to the US any more. The only people O and Co can influence or subjugate is US citizens, and that will not last forever.
A very tragic state of affairs.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/17/2013 14:31 Comments ||
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#5
The US has no more moral authority to influence events.
There's no such thing as "moral authority" in foreign policy.
[Al Ahram] The Salafist Call and its political arm the Nour Party have condemned the recent violence in Egypt as well the intervention of the UN Security Council in the country's domestic affairs.
In a joint statement issued on Thursday, the Salafist groups said "At this time, we feel sad for the victims of Rabaa [Al-Adawiya] and Al-Nahda sit-ins. We expected the bloody scenes to make the parties involved in the crisis regret it and work on any solution to stop bloodshed. Yet, things are escalating violently."
"We received indication of an international intervention in the Egyptian internal affairs as the [UN] Security Council called for a meeting to discuss what is happening in Egypt," read the statement, referring to an emergency meeting on Friday jointly requested by council members La Belle France, Britannia and Australia.
The Salafist Call and the Nour Party insisted that the only path for Egypt to end the current violence and political crisis is through negotiations and talks. "Nour Party will not become weary from meditation or reconciliation attempts," said the statement, warning against violence.
The statement also warned the supporters of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi from attacking the Egyptian army as well as accusing it of blasphemy.
The Nour Party and Salafist Call also condemned the attack on churches urging citizens not to rush into accusations without knowing the real assailants.
The Salafist Party and its founding movement also attacked the non-Islamist TV channels accusing it of inciting hate against all Islamists.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] The official front man for the National Salvation Front resigned on Friday in protest at the group's support for police violence against supporters of ousted president Mohamed Morsi.
Khaled Dawoud resigned from the front, a liberal coalition that led opposition to Morsi, citing his rejection of the group's support for the police's use of force against pro-Morsi demonstrators in a crackdown on Wednesday which left hundreds dead.
"The National Salvation Front has refused to condemn the massacre committed by security forces in dispersing [pro-Morsi] sit-ins in Rabaa and Nahda squares," said his resignation statement, posted on his Facebook account Friday.
"The front has clearly decided to side with the police in its ongoing confrontation with the Brotherhood."
Dawoud also rejected the "unacceptable attack" by some of the front's members on Mohamed ElBaradei Egyptian law scholar and sometime Iranian catspaw. He was head of the IAEA from December 1997 to November 2009. At some point during his tenure he was purchased by the Iranians. ElBaradei and the IAEA were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for something in 2005. ElBaradei served on the Board of Trustees of the International Crisis Group, a lefty NGO that is bankrolled by the Carnegie Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as George Soros' Open Society Institute. After the fall of Mubarak he ran for president. He lost. , a leading liberal politician and member of the coalition who on Wednesday resigned his position as vice president following the crackdown.
Dawoud went on to stress that the only way out of the current crisis is a political solution that ensures the Brotherhood are reintegrated into the political process.
Clashes rapidly ensued on Friday afternoon after renewed protests by Morsi supporters. Dozens have been pronounced dead, with numbers expected to rise as violence continues.
The National Salvation Front was a strong supporter of the 30 June protests that demanded the resignation of Morsi and his subsequent ouster by the military.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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Egypts tourist industry was facing meltdown on Friday as foreign governments warned their citizens to stay away and told visitors already there to remain in their hotels. Fears of nationwide unrest in the wake of a violent crackdown by the military-backed interim government earlier this week have resulted in a string of countries issuing official advice against all but essential travel to Egypt.
That has dealt another blow to a sector that was already struggling with the fallout from the political instability that has ensued since the 2011 Arab Spring.
Russia, which has more than 50,000 of its nationals currently on holiday in Egypt and a similar number booked to go there in the coming months, advised travel agents to stop selling packages to the north African state.
Britain, which had previously excluded Egypts popular Red Sea resorts from its travel advisory, on Friday told its nationals visiting the Red Sea resort of Hurghada to stay in their hotels, in line with advice received from the Egyptian police. The warning followed a death in Hurghada on Wednesday.
Hurghada police advised tourists to remain in hotel grounds, a statement from the Foreign Office said. We advise you to follow their advice. You are strongly advised to avoid all demonstrations and large gatherings.
If you become aware of any nearby protests, leave the area immediately. Do not attempt to cross road blocks erected by the security forces or protestors.
British travel association ABTA estimates that there are currently around 40,000 Britons in Red Sea resorts such as Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh, which is an eight-hour drive from Cairo.
Tour operator Thomas Cook said it had cancelled excursions from the Red Sea resorts to Cairo, Luxor, Moses Mountain and Saint Catherines monastery. But a spokeswoman added: Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada are fully operational and holidaymakers are continuing to enjoy these popular resorts.
Italy, which has an estimated 19,000 citizens in Egypt, advised them to remain in hotels and holiday resorts.
We strongly advise you to avoid excursions outside of tourist areas, particularly in cities, the foreign ministry said in a statement on its website. The ministry also said the security situation in the northern part of the Sinai peninsula was very precarious and advised against any travel there.
There is a risk of terrorist attacks. There should be particular caution in the region bordering the Gaza Strip, in Cairo and Alexandria, it said. Great prudence is recommended in crowded areas.
The federation of Italian tour operators Fiavet said earlier this week that there had been an 80 per cent drop in the number of Italians visiting Egypt this year.
The warnings issued by Britain and Italy were mirrored in France, Germany and Spain.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius indicated that a possible evacuation of French nationals was being kept under review. We will see how the situation evolves, he said, adding that, in the meantime, citizens in Egypt were very strongly advised to stay at home.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Shocker! Who could have seen this coming?
Posted by: Barbara ||
08/17/2013 13:30 Comments ||
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As opposed to an iPhone or Galaxy Tab, of course, which are made in .. China...
North Korea's first homegrown smartphone is in fact a Chinese knockoff with a North Korean label, the Hong Kong daily Ta Kung Pao speculated Wednesday. Photos released by North Korean state media show that the smartphone uses the Android operating system but do not show any production line where the phone might credibly be produced.
Earlier, the official KCNA news agency reported that leader Kim Jong-un visited the "May 11 Plant" where the phone is allegedly being made, and expressed great satisfaction with the product.
So he visited China?
He stressed that the phone is made with local technology and expressed confidence that it would become a cause of national pride.
Local Nork technology would actually explain a lot about Android...
The North set up its own rudimentary mobile network in 2002. In 2008, it built a 3G mobile communication network and released a 3G mobile phone in collaboration with Egyptian telecom Orascom. The number of mobile phone users is now estimated at about 2 million.
Last Tuesday, the BBC also quoted experts as suggesting that the Arirang smartphone is a Chinese product. Steven Millward, an editor of Singaporean IT website Tech In Asia said, "Possibly, the whole smartphone is made in China and only the final boxing is done in the rather sparse plant that Kim Jong-un toured."
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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And who will get to use one of these? Who will be trusted enough to use them. Anything you say will be used against you.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/17/2013 14:33 Comments ||
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#2
So they have smart phones. But no cell towers. And no electricity to power the cell towers or the phone batteries...
Jane Richard is just seven years old, but she bears the scars of the Boston marathon bombing attack that killed her brother, eight-year-old Martin. She is missing her left leg below the knee. The family has now released a picture of little Jane smiling and standing on her crutches.
Jane was discharged from the hospital on April 15, which is when the entire family returned home; they had stated that they would not return home until after Jane got out of the hospital.
As Breitbart and others are saying, this is a picture that Rolling Stone magazine could have used instead of the evil Dozer Tsarnaev. But then, it wouldn't be Rolling Stone, would it?
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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Someone has to ask, was the NSA tracking the communications of these brave lions of Islam ?
[Breitbart] A group called The American Muslim Political Action Committee (AMPAC) is planning a one million Mohammedans march to Washington D.C. on September 11th. The timing of the group's march is seen by many as tasteless (to say the least) considering it is scheduled for the anniversary of the worst domestic massacre in American history perpetrated in the name of Islam. AMPAC ups the tasteless quotient by issuing "demands".
Demands listed at link.
We all know why they're trying to take over the date 9/11. It's for the same reason that certain people wanted to build a mosque in the shadow of the WTC. It's why the Dome of the Rock was built exactly where it was built.
#10
Unfortunately, there is no sure way to separate the Islamist and Islamist Apologist sub-sets from the Muslims as a whole. This being said, I've got a pretty good idea as to whom is behind the demo. Would be great optics, IMHO, if some delays, etc., could be arranged so as to make the march conflict with prayers or, maybe, a twofer of Oprah getting an acid spritz (yeah, I'm feeling a little owley tonite)....
[Dawn] The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and Human Rights Watch ... dedicated to bitching about human rights violations around the world... (HRW) Friday, showing deep concerns on the government's recently announced decision to resume executions, urged it to renew the moratorium on executions with a view to abolishing the death penalty.
Pakistain has had a moratorium on the death penalty since June 2008, with only the exception of Muhammad Hussain's execution in November 2012 following a court martial.
An anti-terrorism court in Sindh province had issued 'black warrants' for the execution of two members of the banned sectarian and krazed killer group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ... (LeJ). Attaullah alias Qasim and Muhammad Azam alias Sharif were convicted by the anti-terrorism court in July 2004 for the killing of a Shia doctor. They are scheduled to be executed between 20 and 22 August 2013.
In an open letter addressing Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... , President Asif Ali Ten Percent Zardari ... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who has been singularly lacking in curiosity about who done her in ... , Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and Secretary for Law, Justice and Human Rights Muhammad Raza Khan, the NGOs said they oppose the death penalty under all circumstances as an inherently cruel and irreversible punishment that violates the right to life.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Jordan said on Friday it backs Egypt's efforts to "impose rule of law" and "combat terrorism," in its first official reaction to the deadly crackdown on the Moslem Brüderbund.
"Jordan stands by Egypt in its serious efforts to impose the rule of law and restore security and stability," Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh said in a statement carried by state-run Petra news agency.
"Egypt is seeking to combat terrorism and attempts (by others) to meddle in its affairs," he said.
Judeh hailed remarks by Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... 's King Abdullah, who pledged his country's support to Egypt's fight on "terrorism."
"All Arabs and Moslems should stand firm against attempts to tamper with Egypt's security and stability," Judeh said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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Palestinian foreign minister Riyad Al Maliki lobbied on Friday for international help to protect the new round of peace talks with Israel in the face of what he said were Israeli attempts to 'derail' the negotiations.
They screech loudest about the things they do themselves. They're sorta like Democrats in that way...
"Our concern here is really how we could preserve, protect the process from being derailed by Israel and what kind of mechanisms are needed by the international community in order to protect that process," Maliki said after talks in Sofia with his Bulgarian counterpart Kristian Vigenin.
He said he hoped the international community, including the European Union, could help to ensure the talks were "continuous, serious and results-oriented".
Maliki said he counted on EU member Bulgaria -- a country with close ties to both Israel and the Palestinian Authority -- to convey his message to the European Union.
Israelis and Palestinians began a new round of direct peace talks on Wednesday in Jerusalem after a nearly three-year break. The negotiations were however overshadowed by Israel's announcement of plans to build 2,000 new settler homes in annexed east Jerusalem and elsewhere in the West Bank, infuriating Palestinian officials.
"If you want to go with good faith into the resumption of talks... you do not go and announce publicly that you insist on building further illegal settlement units in the Palestinian occupied territories," Maliki said.
Did it motivate to settle down and negotiate? No? Okay, Bibi, build another 2,000 units...
The Palestinians were expecting Israel would do things "in order to undermine the process" but that they themselves were fully committed to the talks.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Its a total waste of time. The Settlements are a very good idea. More settlements, less Palestinians. That is a good idea. You will have peace when somebody loses and somebody wins. The Settlements are a way to finally win.
The Palestinians are worthless. Build and settle everything you can see and let the Palestinians take the bus to New Jersey or Brazil. The Palestinians never were worth any respect. They are a phony people who came out of Arafat's rectum.
There never was anything to gain by negotiating with the Palestinians. They never have kept their word and anything they promised was all BS.
Have fun, guys. And tread carefully -- lots of bad people wandering the landscape over there.
[Al Ahram] A UN mission to investigate alleged use of chemical weapons in Syria's civil war tentatively plans to enter the country on Sunday, officials said on Friday.
The team, consisting of weapons experts from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, plans to look into claims of use of sarin gas and other toxic nerve agents.
UN Secretary-General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... said on Wednesday details of the trip had been worked out with the Syrian government and that the team's departure was imminent.
An official told Rooters on Friday the team would cross into Syria on Sunday, assuming security conditions permitted. A diplomat in the region confirmed the timetable.
One site to be visited by the UN experts is Khan al-Assal in Aleppo, where the Syrian government says rebels used chemical weapons in March.
Two other locations have not yet been identified and may be too dangerous for the team to visit, the official said.
The Syrian government and the opposition have accused each other of using chemical weapons during the two-year conflict, and both have denied it. The UN inquiry will try to establish only whether chemical weapons were used, not who used them.
The United States said in June it had concluded that Assad's forces used chemical weapons against rebel fighters.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
"An official told Rooters on Friday the team would cross into Syria on Sunday, attend a nice Buffet in Aleppo, and go on a culinary Road Trip to a couple other areas".
Fixed it.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
08/17/2013 13:10 Comments ||
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#2
If it's safe for the UN team to go there, then any chemical weapons have been moved or disabled.
[AAWSAT.NET] Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Lebanese Hezbollah, gave a speech on Friday afternoon during a rally commemorating the victory in the July 2006 war with Israel in which he condemned Thursday's kaboom on a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut and warned his followers against sectarian violence.
After expressing his condolences to the families of the dear departed and condemning the "silence of other countries who support terrorists," Nasrallah spoke on both the 2006 victory and issues surrounding Thursday's massacre.
The Hezbollah rally came a day after a boom-mobile left at least 20 dead and over 100 injured in the Dahieh neighborhood, a Hezbollah stronghold in the Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Hundreds of Hezbollah supporters gathered in the southern Lebanese village of Ayta, near the Israeli border, which Nasrallah said is "a symbol of its people, the resistance and deaders." At the start of his speech, he recalled how Ayta remained steadfast under heavy fire during the 2006 war.
Speaking on Thursday's kaboom, he said that only further investigations could reveal whether or not it was a suicide kaboom and declined to speculate further.
Nasrallah also revealed that he had prior information that groups he labelled "Takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... st" (apostate) hoped to attack to the Dahieh area. He said those "Takfirist" groups "kill Sunnis and Shi'ites and Christians alike".
"But not Juices. Those we don't share."
However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... he stressed: "Whoever says Sunnis are in charge of the bombing is speaking with an Israeli mentality. These Takfirist groups are just murderers without a religion, a nation or a cause." He called on Lebanese people to be "patient and aware" and asked his followers to send the message that no amount of bombings will bring Leb into a conflict. "Leave our differences to our politics," he said.
The speech then went on to address the perpetrators of the attack, whom he labelled "murderers."
"If you work for Israel, we will find out," Nasrallah said.
"But not necessarily if you're Al Nusra," he added.
He also spoke on the ongoing civil war in neighboring Syria, to which his organization is known to be sending fighters: "We are fighting in Syria against armed Takfirists and not against civilians. If you think attacking our women and kiddies will change our path or goal or vision, you are wrong."
Nasrallah also criticized to the "deteriorating Arab media," specifically mentioning the Al-Jazeera ... an Arab news network headquartered in Qatar, notorious for carrying al-Qaeda press releases. The name means the Peninsula, as in the Arabian Peninsula. In recent years it has settled in to become slightly less biased than MSNBC, in about the same category as BBC or CBS... and Al-Arabiya television channels. He called on people not to believe the "fabricated lies" about Syria, citing what he said were "divergent" reports from the two channels about recent events in Egypt.
Throughout the speech, Nasrallah also emphasized the need for Leb to extract its energy resources from its coast and that Israel has no say in this or in any other Lebanese affair.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
"Hezbollah leader condems "Takfirist" groups for killing civiliansnon-Jews"
FTFY
Posted by: Barbara ||
08/17/2013 13:28 Comments ||
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Azerbaijan, Baku -- Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has highlighted his priorities, Mehr news agency reported.
"It is vital to help sides in Egypt to find common grounds and stop the bloody clashes," he said. "It is vital to stop the violence in the country."
Zarif went on to note that he will start working in this direction on August 17.
Earlier, Iranian Foreign Ministry issued an official statement, saying that the current conflict in Egypt can fuel a civil war in the Muslim nation and jeopardize the interests of its citizens.
Sounds like the Iranians are worried that their proxies are getting their butts kicked...
Proxies in Egypt?
The Iranians were among the first lined up to shake Morsi's hand, and hinted at various and sundry "aid projects". It makes sense in that it'd be another front against Israel; a buttress for Hamas at the very least. For some reason the Iranians later quietly backed off.
"The Islamic Republic of Iran is closely following the ... developments in Egypt ... and stresses the urgency of remaining committed to a democratic process and using the means and tools of realizing democracy," the ministry said in a statement.
It added that the Egyptian-Egyptian clashes provoke violence in the country, undermine national unity and domestic solidarity.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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Thousands of Syrian refugees poured into the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq on Thursday, taking advantage of a new bridge along the largely closed border, the United Nations said on Friday. Between 5,000 and 7,000 refugees followed a first group of some 750 people who crossed the Pontoon bridge at Peshkhabour over the Tigris River, and more buses were seen dropping off families on the Syrian side, it said.
Thousands of Syrians crossed into northern Iraq yesterday (Thursday) in a sudden, massive movement, Adrian Edwards, spokesman of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told a news briefing in Geneva.
Most were families with women, children and the elderly, mainly from Aleppo, Hassakeh and other embattled areas of Syria where fighting has intensified in the civil war, now in its third year, that has driven nearly 2 million refugees abroad.
There are already more than 150,000 Syrian refugees registered in Iraq, according to the UNHCR which has urged all neighbouring countries to keep open their borders to Syrians needing international protection.
The border between Syria and Iraq has been largely closed since authorities of the Kurdish regional government shut the crossing on May 19, apart from a single formal crossing point at Al Wahid in Anbar province.
Some Syrian refugees had been allowed in since mid-July for reasons of family reunification or dire humanitarian need, Edwards added. Asked about growing insecurity in Iraq after a surge in sectarian violence, he said: Kurdistan remains relatively safe and stable, however tensions are increasing in view of the forthcoming elections and also to do with other domestic factors there.
This does have impact on our (aid) delivery programme in Iraq, but nonetheless it is the region where most refugees have come into.
Overall the flow of Syrian refugees has dropped sharply since a peak earlier this year when 5,000 to 8,000 crossed every day into neighbouring countries, according to the UNHCR.
Most everyone who wanted to leave has left?
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[Telegraph] Heathrow Airport staff have been warned that women could conceal dangerous explosives in their breasts.
Al-Qaeda's chief bomb-maker Ibrahim al-Asiri is thought to have developed explosives that can be concealed in implants or bodily cavities and escape detection from airport scanners, according to The Mirror.
One staff member said: "There are genuine fears over this. We have been told to pay particular attention to females who may have concealed hidden explosives in their breasts. This is particularly difficult for us to pick up but we are on a very high state of alert.
"It's led to long queues here at Heathrow -- much longer than usual at this time of the year. But because it's the summer holiday season, no one has complained."
According to Philip Baum, editor of Security International, body scanners are good at identify objects outside the body but not inside and the "possibility of medically implanted explosives is a concern to the industry."
Explosives expert Andy Oppenheimer said: "There is a great fear that al-Qaeda are planning on using internal devices to try and get through airport scanners. These explosives could be in breast implants."
Another specialist, who asked not to be named, said breast implant bombs could be set off by injecting another liquid. The expert added: "Both are very difficult to pick up with current technology and they are petrified al-Qaeda are a step ahead here. It's pretty top secret and potentially very grisly and ghastly."
Independent security analyst Paul Beaver said: "There are currently deeply serious concerns over body cavities and implants of all kinds -- including breast implants -- being used to hide explosives. It is taking longer to get through Heathrow and other airports in Europe and North America because of these fears. They are taking longer to screen people and there is definitely some sort of profiling going on.
"The general alert state remains the same in the UK but overseas, the recent Pakistan prison breakouts and foiled attacks in Yemen are raising fears of a new jihadist wave of violence."
Mr Beaver added: "The terrorist is getting clever, but so are detection methods. The fact we know about the new methods suggests there are detection and counter-measure options.
"Implant bombs are a one-way ticket anyway so the suicide bomber won't care what the trigger might be. It would have to be simple and straightforward -- perhaps electrical."
A Heathrow Airport spokesman said: "We don't comment on specific security measures."
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
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Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
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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.
Gov't looks to unload Afghanistan war hardware
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Jane Richard is just seven years old, but she bears the scars of the Boston marathon bombing attack that killed her brother, eight-year-old Martin. She is missing her left leg below the knee. The family has now released a picture of little Jane smiling and standing on her crutches. 
Nawaz Sharif
President Asif Ali 
Palestinian foreign minister Riyad Al Maliki lobbied on Friday for international help to protect the new round of peace talks with Israel in the face of what he said were Israeli attempts to 'derail' the negotiations.
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
[AAWSAT.NET] Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, the secretary-general of Lebanese Hezbollah, gave a speech on Friday afternoon during a rally commemorating the victory in the July 2006 war with Israel in which he condemned Thursday's 
... an Arab news network headquartered in Qatar, notorious for carrying al-Qaeda press releases. The name means 
Thousands of Syrian refugees poured into the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq on Thursday, taking advantage of a new bridge along the largely closed border, the United Nations said on Friday. Between 5,000 and 7,000 refugees followed a first group of some 750 people who crossed the Pontoon bridge at Peshkhabour over the Tigris River, and more buses were seen dropping off families on the Syrian side, it said.
[Telegraph] Heathrow Airport staff have been warned that women could conceal dangerous explosives in their breasts.
