Minister of Energy & Water, Jaama Mohamed Ahmed (Jama Oday) who is one of the 17 committee members assigned to evaluate the community and fight the corruption, mentioned that they had their first meeting today at Shangaani district in Mogadishu.
The committee with 17 members including Ministers, MPÂ’s, chiefs and district commissioners came together at the compound of the Shangaani district administration and discussed on how to make it easier to cooperate on the safety of the city.
This meeting comes after yesterday the Prime Minister chaired a meeting in Villa Somalia and decided to assign a committee to monitor the security progress in the districts of Banaadir.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] The Qatari Embassy in Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... has denied that six men tossed in the calaboose ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not... at Benghazi's Benina Airport with forged Libyan passports are Qatari nationals.
Qatari diplomat, Nasser Mubarak, told the Libya Herald that there were currently no Qatari citizens in Libya other than diplomatic staff. He declined to comment on a video, circulating on social media, showing passport control personnel interviewing the men.
A number of them had pronounced Gulf accents.
Speaking at a presser yesterday, the Minister of Culture, Habib Al-Amin, said the investigation into the identity of the men, arrested two days ago, was ongoing. He added that a person's nationality could not be definitively proven by an individual's accent alone.
The Qatari news agency QNA has also rebutted reports that the six were from Qatar.
They were arrested on Saturday while trying to board a Turkish Airlines flight to Istanbul.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Presidential hopeful Hamdeen Sabbahi said he fears a return to autocratic rule in Egypt, telling Agence La Belle France Presse that the army chief, a likely election frontrunner, has failed to dispel these concerns.
Sabbahi, 59, who came third in the 2012 presidential election that Islamist Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... won, is seen by his supporters as a serious challenger, but Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi is widely tipped to win the poll if he stands.
The election, part of a road map outlined by Egypt's interim military-installed authorities for a return to democratic rule, is expected to be held by mid-April.
While his chances of winning against Sisi are seen as slim, Sabbahi said in an interview with AFP that young members of his leftist Popular Current, which he founded in 2012, encouraged him to run for the presidency.
Youths who took part in the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... "feel that their revolution was being stolen... as their comrades were being tossed in the clink Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! and some killed before their eyes".
"Mubarak's men are now making a comeback," Sabbahi said, adding that Sisi "has not taken a position that could comfort the youths regarding the danger... which is the return to power of those who symbolized corruption under Mubarak".
Sisi, who has yet to formally announce his candidacy, is the most popular public figure in Egypt after he led the ouster of Morsi in July following mass street protests against the Islamist's turbulent one-year rule.
Sabbahi said his intention to run for the presidency was also driven by concerns that "this election would feature only one candidate (Sisi) and would turn into a referendum".
Sabbahi expressed hope that youths who represented a "key voting" bloc would back him after many shunned the January referendum on a new constitution.
He also criticized a law adopted by the interim authorities in November to ban all but police-sanctioned protests, saying it was a "political error" and urged interim president Adly Mansour to release all who were tossed in the clink Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! for participating in peaceful protests.
The law "in its present form restricts more than it regulates," said Sabbahi.
"The killers of Khaled Said are still to be sentenced, but the youths who demonstrated to demand that they be held accountable have been sentenced to jail," he said, referring to a blogger whose killing by police in 2010 became a symbol for the anti-Mubarak uprising.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[BUSINESSWEEK] Egypt's military-backed government resigned after eight months in office, handing over the reins ahead of a scheduled presidential election this year that may be contested by Defense Minister Abdel-Fattah al-Seesi.
Prime Minister Hazem El Beblawi said his government, under fire for its handling of the economy and mounting violence, had done its best to steer Egypt out of a "narrow tunnel" since it was installed after the army's July 3 ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Mursi. The Egyptian people, he said in a televised address, must now step up and accept responsibility for the country's transition.
President Adly Mansour accepted the resignations and thanked El Beblawi for taking the job at a tough and critical time, according to an e-mailed statement from his office. Housing Minister Ibrahim Mahlab will be invited by Mansour later today to head a new government, the state-run Ahram Gate website reported.
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02/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] The US-based defence think-tank IHS Jane's has termed Islami Chhatra Shibir ... the student wing of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh... , the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... , as one of the most active non-state gangs in 2013. In its latest Global Terrorism and Insurgency Attack Index in February,it revealed the top 10 non-state gangs in 2013.
"In 2009, a worldwide total of 7,217 attacks were recorded from open sources. In 2013, that number increased by more than 150% to 18,524," said Matthew Henman, manager of IHS Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre (JTIC), which carried out the study.
A total of 492 attacks were reported in Bangladesh in 2013, while it was only 28 in the previous year.
It said the epicenter of activities was in the Middle East, with significant pockets of violence radiating out to neighbouring regions in Africa and South Asia. The six most active Middle Eastern states -- Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Egypt, Libya and Leb -- accounted for 52% of all global attacks in 2013 and 71% of all fatalities.
The six Middle East states and South Asia's Pakistain, Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh -- numbers three, four, five and seven on the IHS list of most active states in 2013 -- constituted 73% of all attacks and 86% of all fatalities incurred in 2013.
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02/25/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Jane's Fighting Turbans Of The World 2014
It just doesn't work for me.
Fire Control System: Hekameyer Visual Estimator integrated with Human Based Ballistic Computer.
[Dhaka Tribune] The three top JMB leaders who had been whisked off a prison van on Sunday on their way to Mymensingh from the jail in Gazipur had mobile phones inside their prison to communicate with other JMB men outside, sources said.
The JMB men criminal masterminded their escape while being in jail by keeping a regular connection with their cohorts that took part in the operation.
A section of coppers are suspected to be involved in the operation and planning while questions have also been raised on the poor security measures as the hardened JMB cadres were being taken to Mymensingh from Gazipur.
Police, Rab and Jail sources said the cadres, who took part in operation, were the JMB operatives and two of the three microbuses used in the operation were purchased recently at Tk21 lakh from the capital.
Three members of Majlish-e-Sura, the highest decision making body of JMB -- Salauddin Salehin, Rakib Hasan Rasel and Saidul Islam, alias Boma Mizan -- were taken away from the prison van on their way to a Mymensingh court, killing a policeman Sunday morning.
Within six hours of whisking away of the JMB men, Rakib had been re-incarcerated Book 'im, Mahmoud! in Shafipur. He also died in a reported shootout between police and a gang of criminals early yesterday.
Besides, two of the microbuses used in the operation were recovered by arresting three other JMB men, including a driver of one of the microbuses, Zakariya Himel, his wife Swapna Begum and another JMB man Anwar Hossain, alias Rasel.
Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Hasibul Alam, acting superintendent of police (SP) of Tangail district, admitted that the JMB turbans had their own mobile phones inside their prison cells and prison van for keeping communication with the other JMB men.
The acting SP, however, said: "So far we have come to know that those three JMB cadres had been supplied with a mini-size cellphone of a company for keeping regular contact with their fellows."
Asked, the acting SP said the mobile phone had been supplied to them when they were taken to a Dhaka court in connection with their court appearance for one of the cases, but he failed to specify when the cellphones were supplied.
"During primary interrogation Zakaria Himel disclosed their plan to carry out the operation and the ways of how they maintained communication," said Hasibul Alam.
He said: "Zakariya hails from Chapainawabganj and he is an active JMB operative, who played key role in the operation."
"Zakariya helped purchase the two of three microbuses used in the operation at Tk21 lakh from 'Car Hut' in front of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, he said, adding that one of the microbuses was purchased only four days before the operation and another around two weeks ago."
Replying to a query, SP Hasibul Alam said those who launched the operation to whisk off the three JMB leaders and carried out attack in Mirjapur where Rakib Hasan Rasel was killed were also JMB cadres.
Col Ziaul Ahsan, additional director general of Rab, agreed with the Tangail SP, saying, "We suspect that the attackers were JMB cadres."
However, by candlelight every wench is handsome... officials of the High Security Jail and Kashimpur 1 prison denied the claim of SP Hasibul Alam and they traded blame between each other.
They said police were trying to cover up their failure by shifting blame on the jail authorities.
"There is no scope of keeping any mobile phone inside the jail. We keep a close watch so that nobody can use mobile phone," said Abdur Razzak, senior superintendent of the High Security Jail.
Jamil Ahmed Chowdhury, senior superintendent of Kashimpur 1 Jail, added: "It was a foul mouthed tirade that the JMB leaders had their own phone inside the jail."
Meanwhile, ...back at the Council of Boskone, Helmuth ordered the entire 614th quadrant searched. The Green Lensman must be found!... the committees formed to probe the role of police in connection with the fleeing of three JMB cadres started their activities yesterday.
Additional Deputy Inspector General of Police (Dhaka Range) Faruq Hossain, chief of one of the probe committees, told the Dhaka Tribune they already started investigation into the incident.
Asked why only three coppers were assigned for escorting such hardened JMB cadres, the police officer said: "We are carrying out investigation, paying highest attention to the question."
"We are verifying whether police in Gazipur had negligence or had their involvement in the fleeing of those prisoners."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/25/2014 00:00 ||
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From Babalu Blog
The parallels between Bolivarian Venenozuela and Castroite Cuba are so many that they defy any attempts to number them. Add this one to the long list: the Bolivarian Revolution has chased out Venezuela's Jews.
Somewhere, in their Cuban-authored playbook, the Chavistas are surely counting on future visits to a remaining tiny number of Jews by Jewish congregations from around the world who come loaded with gifts.
The playbook probably reads something like this: "Be sure to make life so miserable for the Jews that they have to leave. But also make sure a tiny minority stays behind. In a few years, Jews from all over the world will come to visit them and provide your "Revolution" with a very significant revenue stream."
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain ||
02/25/2014 10:51 ||
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#1
"..But also make sure a tiny minority stays behind. In a few years, Jews from all over the world will come to visit them and provide your "Revolution" with a very significant revenue stream."
Most likely to be lead by the usual socialist inclined from the urban/academic United States communities.
North Korean leader Fat Boy Kim Jong-un's wife Ri Sol-ju appears to be pregnant again.
Chung Sung-jang of the Sejong Institute said Friday that a photo on the front page of the Feb. 18 edition of the official Rodong Sinmun daily shows Ri has put on weight and is wearing loose-fitting clothes. The outfit Ri is wearing is similar in color and design to a maternity dress she wore in October 2010.
Chung said Ri seems to be no more than three to five months into her pregnancy, if that is what it is.
She gave birth to a baby girl last year and the question now is whether she will produce a male heir to the North Korean throne.
We all know what happens to her if she doesn't...
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/25/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Remind me. Isn't it the male who 'decides' the gender of the child? Men are xy and women are xx, yes?
Not that he couldn't blame the wife; there is plenty of precedent.
Posted by: Bobby ||
02/25/2014 8:21 Comments ||
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#2
You mean the kims don't just spawn from neckfolds like some sort of trollish Athena?
#5
She has another daughter she will find herself standing in a 5 meter radius circle waiting for the impact. But Kim hasn't launched anybody into space yet so who's to knows. The daughters will disappear into an unnamed Private Swiss School.
China is considering whether to change tactics in its relations with North Korea, "which is becoming increasingly unpredictable since Kim Jong-un came to power," Hong Kong's South China Morning Post reported Sunday.
"Contact between Beijing and Pyongyang under the younger Kim is not as high profile as under his father Kim Jong-il," Cai Jian of Fudan University's Centre for Korean Studies in Shanghai told the daily. "On some occasions, Beijing even had to rely on information from non-governmental organizations and politicians from Seoul."
This has made it "difficult for Beijing to make accurate judgments about the situation in Pyongyang and to formulate its strategy," he added.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry has sent two delegations to the North over the past month, including one led by Vice Foreign Minister Liu Zhenmin. That it is sending officials from the Foreign Ministry, instead of the International Department of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee, implies a change in relations with the North, pundits say.
"Communications with the International Department usually stresses more on the relationship between the ruling parties Â… and that usually conveys a sense that the two are brothers or allies," the daily quoted Cai as saying. "With the involvement of the Foreign Ministry, it is more like nation-to-nation routine exchanges."
If I'm the South I'm doing everything I can, nice and quiet, to persuade China to switch sides. I'd even agree to a partition of the North and agree to become 'neutral' in the region. Anything as long as the ruling clique in the North are shot and dumped in an abandoned mine.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/25/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
IMO read, "UN-ANNEXED CHINESE PROVINCE" TO SOVEREIGN "ANNEXED".
Sub-read - ANOTHER SIGN THAT RISING CHINA ISN'T GOING TO GIVE UP, AMEND, OR DELAY ITS "POST-US" GEOPOL AMBITIONS = MANIFEST DESTINY, + THAT OBAMA MAY VERY SOON HAVE ONE OR MORE EAST ASIA MIL CONFLICT(S) ON HIS HANDS.
Despite his similar Clintonian desire for wanting no FP probs or crises whatsover AMAP ALAP, + despite SecState Jaawhn.
Pudgy must recognize it as well - the only question with him is whether to wait for China to formally annex another Korean kingdom, or take his chances + unilaterally start a major US-China war himself, to include LIMITED NUCLEAR WAR = LIMITED TACNUKE WAR???
#2
If I'm in the South I'd tell the Chinese that if the Koreas ever combined that combined Korea might not be as friendly to China as now and it would inherit the North's nukes.
Best for China to put someone in charge of the North that can slowly bring them into the world again adn guarantee Korea is non-nuclear and politically neutral.
[An Nahar] Norway's intelligence agency said Monday that it fears an increased "terrorist threat" to its country due to dozens of Norwegian nationals fighting in the Syrian conflict.
At least 40 or 50 people with links to Norway have fought, or are currently fighting, with forces opposed to the Bashir al-Assad regime and run the risk of returning as seasoned radical fighters, the Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS) wrote in its annual threat assessment report.
"We conclude that the threat has already increased and will continue to increase throughout 2014," the head of NIS General Kjell Grandhagen said, adding that these "jihadists" are often in the most radical Islamic groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq (ISIL) and Al-Nusra Front.
The NIS estimates that about 2,000 rebel fighters have traveled from Europe to fight the Syrian regime but did not reveal how the figure was calculated.
Norwegian daily Verdens Gang also reported Monday that about a dozen women have left Norway for Syria to join rebel groups.
In late 2013 the fate of two teenage girls of Somali origin hit the headlines in Norway when they left to join a jihadi group in Syria and were located weeks later by their father who brought them home.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Chief of the Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems... said on Monday that the Taliban should announce an 'unconditional ceasefire' to save the dialogue process.
Addressing media persons outside the Parliament House in the federal capital, Khan said an operation should be carried out against Talibs involved in terrorism while negotiations should be held with those ready for talks.
Referring to the claim of responsibility by the Mohmand chapter of the Taliban for the killing of 23 FC personnel, he said an operation could be conducted against them.
He further said the majority of Talibs, comprising of about 50 groups, and other tribes were in favour of dialogue, adding that the snuffies should be given another chance to hold peace talks.
Ups and downs were a part of the negotiation process and had he been in 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... 's shoes, he would have led the peace talks himself, the PTI chief added.
Talking about the possibility of an operation, Khan said 80 per cent of the people displaced during the operation in South Wazoo were yet to be re-settled and the concerns of the population of North Waziristan should be considered before an operation was carried out in the region.
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02/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] The Afghan government initiated investigations Monday into the possible involvement of Pakistain in the recent attack on military outposts in Ghazi Abad District of Kunar Province ...one of the four N2KL provinces (Nangarhar, Nuristan, Kunar and Laghman). N2KL is the designation used by US and Coalition Forces for the rugged and very violent region opposite Pakistain's Federally Administered Tribal Areas and Northwest Frontier Province. Kunar is the center of the N2KL region. Its population is 95% Pashtun. It is adjacent to Bajaur Agency.. that left 21 Afghan soldiers dead, according to the Ministry of Interior Affairs (MoIA).
The Afghan security officials have blamed Pakistain for the attack and said that Islamabad coordinated it as Dire Revenge™ for the country's 23 security personnel killed by the Pak Taliban.
"Whether or not Pakistain is involved will be clear after the necessary investigations," Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) front man Ahmad Shekib said.
However, facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable... officials were quick to make clear that no conclusions have yet been made.
"It is too early to blame Pakistain for the attack yet," Shekib added.
On Sunday, hundreds of Taliban hard boyz attacked two Afghan military outposts killing 21 Afghan soldiers and injuring another, according to Afghan officials.
There is some speculation that the heavy casualties could have been avoided if air support from the 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 cut of the American pants... coalition had been more responsive. International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) officials have said that they responded to the request of the Afghan National Army (ANA) for air support, but the ISAF helicopters did not reach the scene in time.
After the attack, Afghan forces launched an operation of their own that resulted in the deaths of 13 Taliban Death Eaters.
The coffins of the fallen Afghan service members were taken by helicopters to Kabul early on Monday, where Afghan security officials, political figures and families of the killed soldiers paid tribute to the soldiers at a somber ceremony.
A number of Presidential contenders also honored the dear departed soldiers and declared them "deaders of peace."
Presidential candidate Abdullah Abdullah ... the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against Karzai. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun... took the opportunity to scrutinize President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... 's recent policies and rhetoric toward Death Eaters, which have grown increasingly friendly. Earlier this month, Karzai's administration oversaw the release of some 65 prisoners labeled "dangerous" by the U.S. from Bagram prison despite heavy protest.
"These soldiers defended our people and this very government," Abdullah said. "They [the soldiers] are the deaders of peace, not those who kill our people."
In recognition to the sorrows of the families, Presidential Candidate Zalmai Rassoul ... former foreign minister and a very close confidant of Hamid Karzai. Before serving as foreign minister Rassoul also spent seven years laboring as a national security adviser to the president. An ethnic Pashtun born in Kabul, Rassoul was the valedictorian of his class at the illustrious Franco-American school in Kabul, Lycee Istiqal. He has an MD from the Paris Medical School in France..... delayed his election campaign activities for the day and made donations to the families of the victims.
Two other candidates, Ashraf Ghani-Ahmadzai and Hedyat Amin Arsala, have also strongly condemned the attack.
"Attacks on ANA, ANP and NDS are attacks on our honor; this is unacceptable," Ahmadzai said.
"These sacrifices double our responsibilities to expand our efforts and prevent further killings," Arsala said.
In a blurb, Turkey's Foreign Affairs Ministry said that Ankara strongly condemns any act of violence that "targets Afghanistan's peace and security."
The Pak Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, who is in Kabul on business at the moment, also condemned the attack, saying that Pakistain "was not involved in the incident."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] Detained top Qaeda-linked turban Naim Abbas has allegedly confessed that the Naameh boom-mobileing ring busted in August 2013 has links to the the Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades ... Leb's current al-Qaeda affiliate, named after a guy whose car the current head of al-Qaeda had boomed... .
According to al-Akhbar newspaper published on Monday, Paleostinian national Abbas, who is also known as Abou Ismail, informed the army intelligence that the members of al-Naameh ring have close ties with the brigades.
The Naameh cell members are allegedly involved in the Ruweis bombing that shook Beirut's southern suburbs on August 15 2013, killing more than 20 people and wounding at least 300 others.
The report pointed out Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau detained during the recent months people involved in the bombing.
The Naameh ring members Issa Aa., Wissam Aa.and Khaled M. were tossed in the slammer Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! , however the whereabouts of S. B. and M. A. are still unknown.
According to al-Akhabr one of the detained members, Issa, was tasked with transferring "stuff" from the Beirut mainly Sunni neighborhood of Tariq al-Jadeideh to al-Naameh, which is a neighborhood in South of Leb, and vice-versa.
Eight people, of Lebanese and Paleostinian nationalities, were found involved in the scheme to detonate a booby-trapped car found in Naameh neighborhood in South of Leb in another location.
The Naameh plot was believed to be the springboard for the attacks.
The car carried a fake license plate and contained five boxes of TNT, an unidentified explosive substance, fuses and a device for remote detonation.
Earlier in February, the army announced the arrest of top turban Naim Abbas, one of the leaders of the Qaeda-linked Abdullah Azzam Brigades. Following his interrogation, he told the army about two car rigged with explosives which were dismantled in Beirut's Corniche al-Mazraa district and the Bekaa area of al-Labweh.
A string of car and suicide kabooms have targeted Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... strongholds in Leb in recent months, killing dozens of civilians.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] State Commissioner to the Military Court Judge Saqr Saqr on Monday authorized the handing over of the bodies of the two army troops who were killed in the Hermel blast to their families.
The bodies were handed over after forensic doctor Fouad Ayyoub conducted DNA tests, state-run National News Agency reported.
The agency said investigations are still ongoing in a bid to identify the jacket wallah who staged the attack.
"A part of his face is still intact and one of his fingerprints is being analyzed," NNA said.
An officer, a soldier and a civilian were killed on Saturday when a suicide bomber blew up a car rigged with 125 kilos of explosives at an army checkpoint at an entrance to the Bekaa town of Hermel. The attack was claimed by a group calling itself al-Nusra Front in Leb.
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02/25/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] A group calling itself al-Nusra Front in Leb, an apparent offshoot of the Syria-based Death Eater organization, on Monday issued what it called "a letter to the rational people in Leb," urging them to remain neutral in the "battle" with Iran and Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... .
"Any reasonable person should be aware of the tyranny practiced by Iran's party (Hizbullah) across all Lebanese and Syrian regions, especially Qusayr and Qalamoun, and the crimes that were committed there," the group said in the message that was published on its Twitter account.
The Front, which had claimed Saturday's suicide kaboom on an army checkpoint in Hermel, said the military institution was targeted because of "the facilitation of the entry of its (Hizbullah's) men and arms into Syria via the Lebanese border crossings and under the eyes of the decorative Lebanese government and the extortioner Lebanese Army."
It also accused the army of allowing Hizbullah's fighters to cross its checkpoints on daily basis.
Hizbullah "has left the protection of its dens to the Lebanese Army in order to focus on the battle against the Sunni Syrian people, putting the army at the forefront and making it pay for the crimes it is committing in Syria," al-Nusra added in its statement.
"All the lairs of the party are a legitimate target for us, so stay out of the confrontation as there is a hefty price to pay," the group said.
Addressing "the rational people in Leb," the group added: "Neutralize your sons from the battle of Velayat-e faqih (Iran's Islamic regime) and its project in the region and don't aid the oppressor against the oppressed."
An officer, a soldier and a civilian were killed on Saturday when a jacket wallah blew up a car rigged with 125 kilos of explosives at an army checkpoint at an entrance to the Bekaa town of Hermel, a Hizbullah stronghold.
Al-Nusra Front in Leb quickly grabbed credit for the attack, announcing that it targeted Hermel with "a blessed martyrdom operation" and vowing to keep supporting "the Sunni community in Syria."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/25/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
US = RUSSIA = RISING IRAN, ETAL. = Baby Assad's job is to keep the Soon-to-be-Nuclear Qaeda Boyz + Friends down down down by any each + all means necessary.
Because iff Assad don't, Assad himself will be out of power before the ink is even dry.
Ditto for Assad frenemy Rising Iran + Its NucProgs.
#2
The shipments - one in Dec 2012 and the other last April - were sent by courier from the Israeli town of Binyamina-Givat Ada, near Haifa, via a company in Greece, the newspaper reported. The firm was later established to be a ghost company. Its contact number was said to belong to a British national in the Greek city of Thessaloniki, who could not be traced. Was Mossad involved? But of course.
Quietly noted on the Burg when it was initially reported.
[An Nahar] The Pentagon plans to scale back the U.S. Army by more than an eighth to its lowest level since before World War II, as it hopes for an end to 13 years of war in Afghanistan.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recommended shrinking U.S. forces from 520,000 active duty troops to between 440,000 and 450,000.
In a speech outlining the proposed defense budget Monday, he said that after Iraq and Afghanistan, military leaders no longer plan to "conduct long and large stability operations."
If approved by Congress, the move would reduce the army to its lowest levels since 1940, before the American military dramatically expanded after entering World War II. And we saw how well that worked.
The proposed 13 percent reduction in the army would be carried out by 2017, a senior defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Agence La Belle France Presse.
The move comes amid growing fiscal pressures and after years of protracted counter-insurgency campaigns, which saw the Army reach a peak of more than 566,000 troops in 2010.
U.S. troops have already withdrawn from Iraq and President Barack Obama If you like your coverage you can keep it... has promised to end America's combat role in Afghanistan by the end of this year.
The Pentagon had previously planned to downsize the ground force to about 490,000.
But Hagel warned that to adapt to future threats "the Army must accelerate the pace and increase the scale of its post-war drawdown."
He said the changes "would result in a smaller army, but would help ensure the army remains well-trained and clearly superior in arms and equipment."
Hagel also said the army national guard and reserves would be cut by five percent.
The smaller force would entail some "added risk" but it would still be able to defeat an adversary in one region while also "supporting" air and naval operations in another, he said.
His comments confirmed the Pentagon has abandoned the idea of ensuring the army could fight two major wars at the same time.
The proposed budget also calls for scrapping the Air Force's entire fleet of A-10 "Warthog" aircraft and retiring the storied U-2 spy plane.
Instead, commanders have opted to invest more in the new F-35 fighter and the unmanned Global Hawk surveillance drone.
Hagel also called for slowing growth in pay and benefits, which make up nearly half the Pentagon's budget.
Military spending doubled after the attacks of September 11, 2001 but has started to decline as politicians push to slash the government's budget and debt.
Under a bipartisan accord adopted in December, the Defense Department will have a $496 billion budget for fiscal year 2015.
But the Pentagon has a "wish list" of $26 billion that would fund new weapons and bolster training programs.
Hagel warned that if automatic budget cuts resume in two years, the effects would be devastating and force more drastic reductions in manpower and equipment.
The full U.S. federal budget will be presented officially on March 4.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/25/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
The proposed 13 percent reduction in the army would be carried out by 2017
Sounds like their in something of a hurry, but I guess we already know why.
#5
Like Rosevelt's withering on the branch Armed Forces policy worked so well. Tell it to the people who died because the US Army's answer to the Tiger and Panther were undergunned, underamored Shermanns. And to the NAvy and Marine people because America was sending Brewster Buffaloes and Wildcats against Zeroes (yes I know about the Wilcat but that was after the Thatch Wave, objectively the Zero was superior and America could and should have had far better fighters).
Now, America is at war, China's threat is growing and growing, Russia hates America, Iran is still unchecked and Obama is cutting the Armed Forces. Is he a mole or just uncompetent?
#8
1. In 1940, the Army Air Corps was part of the Army and not yet the separate Air Force. Need to roll the numbers in.
2. The Army was down to about 480k before 9/11. The Donks made big play about burn out during the war and that we didn't have enough troops - all just to make political points then. We know what we need, even they by their action admit it.
3. No major commitments are being terminated, as in leave just a MAG team at NATO HQ or Korea, and end troop deployments to 'first world' countries.
It's the military mission version of accumulated debt, it grows and never balances.
#9
So O has opted for decline? Now will the congress go along, or for the first time in years, do the right thing and resist this suicide action on the installment plan?
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/25/2014 10:02 Comments ||
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#10
Does anyone know what the proposed manning of DHS will be as the army is cut?
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
02/25/2014 10:37 Comments ||
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#11
Well all those food stamps and ObamaPhones aren't going to pay for themselves you know!
Not in terms of money, anyway.
This is what liberals do. They starve the army to pay for services that idiots will sell their vote for. When the idiots figure it out temporarily, the liberals disappear for a few years while the conservatives put things back on their feet. Of course, that money has to be taken away from the boodle the idiots have been receiving. Then the liberals knowingly take advantage of the idiots ability to properly assign blame and start pointing out how hard things have been recently compared to how it was in the good old days when liberals were in charge. So now the liberals are ushered back in, they have a military they can use at first and suck dry later. Then the whole process repeats. Of course, it doesn't help when big-government conservatives try to expand government, either.
#12
He is right on track with his plan. He has corrupted every government agency. America now fears and distrusts all government agencies because he uses them for political tools against his enemies. We loath Congress, fear the IRS, Have no respect for the FBI and DOJ. DHS is turning unto his personal Army. FEMA is a mess. And now the only honorable and respected arm of our government he is going to hollow out. By 2016 America will be broke, the agencies will be run by political hacks, and Americans will despise every aspect of the government. His changing of America will be complete...
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
02/25/2014 11:15 Comments ||
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#16
Sadly it's always the Army that takes the cuts. It takes 6 years to build a carrier, evidently it takes 20 years to build a strike fighter. Infantry are easier to stand up.
#19
Cuts in the land fighting force and cuts in the A-10 Wharthog, anti-armor ground attack CAS system in favor of the few F-35's. Can anyone tell me that an honest Threat assessment on the major opponents facing the US does not spell out China, in some form somewhere on the globe? And the warfighting systems that will be required if that happens are the ones you cut? Really? Of all the parts of the US military, ground fighters aren't required for counter-terrorism, counter-insurgency, sovereignty missions? This is utterly nuts!
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