[Al Ahram] Reformers in Sudan's ruling party on Saturday told President Omar Al-Bashir that a deadly crackdown on protests over fuel price hikes was a betrayal of his regime's Islamic foundations.
"The (economic) package that was implemented by the government, and the crackdown against those opposed to it, is far from mercy and justice and the right of peaceful expression," the 31 prominent reformers said in a letter to Bashir which they made public.
The lead signatory was Ghazi Salaheddine, a former presidential adviser, but others included former armed forces Brigadier Mohammed Ibrahim. He was sentenced to five years in prison in April for allegedly leading a coup plot against the regime last year. Bashir later granted amnesty to him and others involved.
Other retired military and coppers, members of parliament, and a former cabinet minister who was a key figure in the 1989 coup which brought Bashir to power also signed the document.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2013 00:00 ||
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[Daily Nation (Kenya)] The criminal mastermind of the Westgate shopping mall terrorist attack is suspected to be a 50-year-old Kenyan man who is an associate of the late Al-Qaeda leader Fazul Abdullah, the Sunday Nation has established.
Abu Sandheere, whose parents were a Maasai and a European, is thought to have escaped moments after the assault started on Saturday.
"He escorted the attackers to the mall and then left as people were fleeing. He then travelled to the border and crossed to Somalia," said an intelligence source.
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Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2013 00:00 ||
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[Daily Nation (Kenya)] Did the criminal masterminds of the Westgate terror escape within an hour of launching the attack? Could the hard boyz who remained behind to continue the senseless killing and repulse security forces also slip away unnoticed?
And what is the fate of the hostages thought to have been held in the siege? What about the destruction of the mall, did the military bomb it? And who looted the shops?
These are some of the hard questions that Kenyans are seeking answers to as sources reveal new accounts that have not been formally released by the government, further intensifying the mystery that surrounds the four-day siege.
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Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2013 00:00 ||
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This is the horrifying moment one of the terrorists in the Kenyan shopping centre attack levelled his gun at cowering hostages, ready to execute them.
The attacker, wearing a camouflage jacket and facemask, points a handgun at customers in a bank as they lie under a counter with their hands around their heads. Picture worth a 1000 words --- makes it all real..... how is it, to stare up at this person with the mask on, and you can still feel the hate coming from his eyes?
The CCTV pictures were taken inside the Diamond Trust Bank on the ground floor of the Westgate shopping mall in the early stages of the hostage crisis.
Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir entered a new societal confrontation this week after the government suspended subsidies on petroleum products, as if problems with neighbouring Juba and Darfur and the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Al-Bashir were not enough to shake the regime's stability.
Tyres were burned, and anti-government slogans were chanted as hundreds of demonstrators took the streets of Sudan to express rejection to a decision influencing their day-to-day lives.
Those scenes cannot be regarded as unique for the people of Sudan, for a wave of wide-range demonstrations against price hikes and austerity measures adopted by government hit Khartoum in 2012.
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A 4-year-old British boy stood up to one of the Al Qaeda-linked terrorists that attacked a Kenyan shopping mall, telling him youre a very bad man, his uncle says, before he escaped the building with his family.
Elliott Prior was shopping with his mother and sister at the Westgate Mall in Nairobi on Saturday when the Islamists besieged the building, targeting non-Muslims.
The terrorist was taken aback by Elliot Priors remark, saying, "Please forgive me, we are not monsters, his uncle, Alex Coutts, told The Sun, according to the AFP. The attacker then handed the family Mars candy bars in an apparent sign of pity.
The situation began when the terrorists went into a supermarket inside the mall and said kids were allowed to leave, if they were still alive.
Elliotts mom, Amber, decided to stand up and say yes, Coutts said. Elliott then argued with the attackers before Amber scooped him and his sister up, along with two other children, and pushed them outside the mall in a shopping cart, The Sun reports.
Elliott and his sister Amelie were later seen eating the Mars bars outside the mall while a dead body lay behind them.
Amber told The Sun that the militants declared that they only wanted to kill Kenyans and Americans, according to the AFP.
The Somali-based terrorist group al-Shabab said it was behind the attack.
#1
The old saw "Out of the mouth of babes" comes to mind. The terrorist said: "Please forgive me, we are not monsters. Unfortunately for many of the innocents, they were monsters.
#4
...the terrorist was expecting weeping, begging, etc., and instead got a rational and objective observation from a 4y/o. Totally took him off his game and induced some well-deserved guilt. There is a lesson or two here somewhere (for both sides)....
The UGTT trade union confederation mediating crisis talks in Tunisia said Saturday that the ruling Islamist Ennahda party had agreed to a plan for talks on a new government.
The country's largest union confederation called on the Islamists and the secular opposition to agree on a date next week for a "national dialogue" aimed at ending a crisis sparked by the murder of a prominent oppositional MP in July.
The birthplace of the 2011 Arab Spring has been plunged into a protracted political crisis, with the secular opposition accusing the moderate Ennahda of failing to rein in radical Islamists.
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[Daily Nation (Kenya)] When the news hit the US East Coast that snuffies had attacked the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi last weekend, few would have anticipated that the events unfolding in faraway Kenya would have a Twin Cities angle.
But a tweet, whose origin is unclear, stirred curiosity when it claimed that among the dozen or so al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... attackers in Nairobi were a Minneapolis and a St Paul resident of Somali origin.
By Sunday evening, cable news channels had dispatched teams to Minneapolis in the state of Minnesota. A week later, the news crews have left and the Westgate siege has ended, but life for the Somali community in the Twin Cities may never be the same again.
"We have been under attack by the media and law enforcement agencies who have been going around asking questions. It is traumatising and unsettling to be under such scrutiny and harassment," Mr Abdi Noor, a Kenyan Somali who lives in St Paul, the city across the Mississippi River from Minneapolis, told the Sunday Nation.
Community leaders said on Wednesday that they feared a backlash after the Nairobi attack that left at least 70 people dead. But they acknowledged that al-Shabaab has in the past recruited from the Somali-American community in Minnesota, the largest in the United States.
US media reports indicate that at least 20 young Somali men from the state have since 2007 travelled to Somalia to join al-Shabaab. One was a jacket wallah who died in Mogadishu. The Minnesota Somali community has been the focus of a federal investigation ever since.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Well, one way to avoid a backlash is for every Imam to unconditionally denounce the attacks. Not in a whiny, please don't hurt us tone of voice, but a full throated, "this is WRONG".
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
09/29/2013 0:15 Comments ||
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#2
Black belts in the art of passive / aggressive behavior...
#8
Remember, someone shoots up a dozen people in the Navy yard, and every gun owner is labeled a troglodyte for days in the media. Have a team of MN based Muslims butcher even more and our MSM continues to downplay the behavior related directly to the words within their book that motivates them.
#9
One of these days some other countries are going to start demanding damages from us from all the people we take under our wing and then release on an unsuspecting world.
Posted by: James ||
09/29/2013 15:09 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned Saturday that Pakistain must stop being "the epicenter of terrorism" if it wants better ties ahead of his first meeting with 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... Singh will sit down for breakfast Sunday on the sidelines of the United Nations
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Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
No chance. If they cleaned up their jihadi organisations they would get no money off the West,
Once we pull out of Afghanistan they will looking to China/Russia to bail them out every year.
Posted by: Paul D ||
09/29/2013 8:57 Comments ||
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[Dawn] The Pak Talibs Saturday assailed 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... for changing his mind and giving preconditions of weapon lay down for the APC-backed peace talks with them.
The comments appeared to have been sparked by an interview Sharif made with the Wall Street Journal during a trip to New York, in which he said gunnies must lay down their arms and follow the constitution. Previously the prime minister had not given preconditions for the talks.
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Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] The head of the key Syrian opposition National Coalition, Ahmed Jarba, has denounced forces of Evil he said were trying to "steal our revolution", and blamed the regime for supporting them.
He made the comments in an address in New York to representatives from the Friends of Syria -- international backers of the rebels seeking to overthrow Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Lord of the Baath... .
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2013 00:00 ||
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#2
Our Syria policy is in such disarray that if the situation is to be saved the West must begin the excision of southern Syria and the creation there of a protectorate (a la Kurdistan in the nineteen nineties). Likewise, a protectorate for northeastern Syria (Syrian Kurdistan), could save that region from Islamist penetration and a future bloody confrontation. The creation of protectorates would portend the dismemberment of Syria, but worse things could happen.
[An Nahar] President Michel Suleiman ...before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Leb Armed Forces. That was after the previous commander, the loathesome Emile Lahoud, took office as president in November of 1998. Likely the next president of Leb will be whoever's commander of the armed forces, too... stated that Hizbullah does not accept the use of chemical weapons, reported the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat on Saturday.
He therefore told the daily: "Syria's chemical weapons have not been smuggled to Leb and there is no evidence of their presence in the country."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2013 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Syria's main opposition group has lost its bargaining power ahead of any potential peace conference, after rebels withdrew their support and a U.N. resolution failed to meet its expectations.
With talks aimed at bringing about an end to the civil war planned for November in Geneva, the opposition feels more abandoned than ever by its friends in the West.
National Coalition chief Ahmad Jarba officially welcomed the U.N. resolution to eradicate Syria's chemical weapons, but other members of the group expressed bitterness at the outcome.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2013 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] Syria is "comfortable" with a U.N. Security Council resolution on destroying its chemical weapons and will not discuss the future of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Despoiler of Deraa... , the country's foreign minister said Saturday.
Walid Muallem told news hounds the resolution voted by the 15-nation council late Friday meant the opposition could be the target of U.N. sanctions.
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Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Iran confirmed to Argentina on Saturday that it would cooperate to probe the 1994 bombing of a Buenos Aires Jewish center after charges that Tehran ordered the attack emerged, diplomats said.
The van bombing of the building of he Argentine Jewish Charities Federation, or AMIA, left 85 people dead and 300 others injured in the worst attack of its kind ever to strike the South American country.
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, closing a week of hectic diplomacy at the United Nations ...aka the Oyster Bay Chowder and Marching Society... that included breakthrough contact with the United States, held talks on the bombing with his Argentine counterpart Hector Timmerman.
"Iranian authorities confirmed that the relevant authorities have approved the agreement," an Argentine diplomat told AFP.
But the deal, which follows talks between foreign ministers a year ago, will not come into force until a formal exchange of documents occurs, she said.
The two sides have still not resolved two key issues, including the naming of a investigatory commission, whose five members will be neither Argentine nor Iranian.
There has also been no agreement on a date for Argentine Sherlocks to travel to Iran to interview suspects.
Argentina charges that Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shiite movement, carried out the attack under orders from Iran. Tehran's holy manal regime denies the charges.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
I can guess the conclusion "The Juice done it themselves.".
[An Nahar] Al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... bloc MP Mohammed Kabbara Saturday called on concerned authorities to "hurry up" and adopt a security plan in the Bekaa city of Baalbek to protect the people against Hizbullah.
"We demand a security plan in Baalbek to protect the people against the terrorist party that conducted an attack to eradicate our people from the Bekaa," Kabbara said in a released statement, referring to Hizbullah.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] A shoe was thrown towards Iran's diminutive President Hassan Rouhani's car Saturday as he arrived home to a mixed reception for his historic call with Barack Obama I am not a dictator!... , an AFP correspondent reported.
Some 60 hardline Islamists chanted "Death to America™" and "Death to Israel" as Rouhani's motorcade drew out of Tehran's Mehrabad Airport.
But they were outnumbered by 200 to 300 supporters of the president who shouted: "Thank you Rouhani."
A small police contingent separated the rival demonstrators.
The shoe missed the car and Rouhani stood up through the sunroof to acknowledge the crowds.
Before leaving New York where he attended the UN General Assembly, Rouhani had a 15-minute telephone conversation with Obama on Friday, the first contact between leaders of the two countries in more than three decades.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Nobel laureate and former ineffective International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) secretary-general Mohamed El-Baradei has called on both the US and Iran to seize the opportunity for potential dialogue.
El-Baradei added via Twitter that dialogue between the US and Iran is "key to Middle Eastern stability." He asserted such discussion has been on the table for years but has been periodically halted by "hype & failed policies."
The former Egyptian vice-president's comments come after a historic telephone call between US President Barack Obama
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Posted by: Fred ||
09/29/2013 00:00 ||
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An Al-Qaeda front group in Syria says girls in a village it controls will not be allowed to attend school unless they wear Islamic clothing, a monitoring group said Saturday.
Tweihineh, "the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant... has forbidden girls in primary education and above from attending school unless they wear fully Islamic clothing including an abaya (gown), gloves and a veil," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. Remembering: Clinton did request "school uniforms" but not with the point of a gun.... Somehow, there is a difference
Citing activists in the ISIL-controlled northern village, the British-based Observatory also said boys were told to dress in what the extremist group considers Islamic clothing.
They must wear "traditional Pakistani clothing and a cap", said the Observatory, which relies on activists, doctors and lawyers across Syria for its information.
The news comes just two days after ISIL fighters torched statues and crosses inside churches in northern Syria.
The main opposition National Coalition condemned ISIL's "aggression" against the churches in the city of Raqa.
It said the jihadist group "is outside the Syrian revolution and does not at all represent the Syrian people's aspirations".
Activists in opposition-controlled areas have reported escalating abuses by ISIL against local rebels and civilians, including kidnappings and public executions.
Despite fears of retaliation, there have been anti-ISIL protests.
On Saturday, an amateur video distributed online showed activists in Raqa staging an anti-ISIL demonstration and carrying a large cross that the jihadists had torn down.
"The Syrian people rose against (President) Bashar al-Assad because they aspired for freedom and to rid themselves from dictatorship, not to replace one form of oppression with another," said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman.
By committing abuses "and war crimes" in rebel-controlled parts of Syria, "ISIL is doing Assad's regime a great service", he added.
"For hundreds of years, people in Syria have lived side-by-side with each other, and we believe in freedom of religion."
Extremism is not the only obstacle to education in Syria.
The UN agency for children said this month that nearly half of Syrian children are not in school.
More than 3,000 schools have been damaged or destroyed in the 30-month conflict, and nearly 900 are being used to house displaced families, UNICEF said.
Of more than two million Syrians forced to flee their country, some half are children, and only a minority are in school this year.
Iranian protesters threw shoes, eggs and stones on Saturday at the car of President Hasan Rouhani, back from a five-day trip to New York to speak at the UN General Assembly.
The president got a mixed reception at the airport, as several dozen hardline Islamists chanted "Death to America" and "Death to Israel" as his motorcade drew away. Others attempted to obstruct the road by praying on the pavement, the New York Times ...which still proudly displays Walter Duranty's Pulitzer prize... reported. New York Times news hound Thomas Erdbrink, who is based in Tehran, described the airport scene as chaotic, with one person almost being run over by the convoy.
The hardline protesters were outnumbered by several hundred supporters of the president who shouted: "Thank you Rouhani," AFP reported Saturday.
Fighting during Rouhani homecoming illustrates his troubles ahead as he pushes forward for Iran US ties.
[FreeBeacon] Move seen as bid to halt division among jihadists over Syrian rebel split
A taste:
An official al Qaeda website that is restricted to members of the terrorist group opened its first Twitter account this week in what U.S. officials say is an effort to resolve a major split over Syria's Salafist tough guys.
Shhhh... It's a secret. No infidels allowed.
The Shamukh al-Islam website, used as an official clearing house for al Qaeda members to communicate and issue propaganda statements, started its first Twitter account on Tuesday.
The first posts on the account focused on divisions between two al Qaeda rebel groups in Syria, al Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
The account, @shomokhalislam, issued 29 tweets, followed one account, and attracted 1,532 followers as of Friday afternoon. U.S. officials said among its followers are several high-profile digital jihadists.
Counterterrorism analysts view the new account as another indicator that terrorist groups are stepping up their use of social media over traditional Internet sites.
#2
The account, @shomokhalislam, issued 29 tweets, followed one account, and attracted 1,532 followers as of Friday afternoon. U.S. officials said among its followers are several high-profile digital jihadists.
Hopefully Fred has approved the NSA overtime requests.
#10
They did indeed, newc. According to the Daily Mail:
o The suspension comes less than a week and fifty tweets after the account went live
o It also comes only hours after a media report saying Twitter refused to comment Saturday on why the account was still live
o Followers were mostly journalists and curious onlookers
During [the September 26] Senate Intelligence Committee hearing, Dianne Feinstein more or less admitted that they get emails via "upstream" collection methods.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[Dawn] Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned Saturday that Pakistain must stop being "the epicenter of terrorism" if it wants better ties ahead of his first meeting with 
Nawaz Sharif
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[Al Ahram] Nobel laureate and former 
Iranian protesters threw shoes, eggs and stones on Saturday at the car of President Hasan Rouhani, back from a five-day trip to New York to speak at the UN General Assembly.
[FreeBeacon] Move seen as bid to halt division among jihadists over Syrian rebel split
