Amrullah Saleh, the ex-chief of the National Directorate of Security (NDS) on Friday blasted the government over the mass transportation of police cadets from Maidan Wardak province to Kabul in the wake of a deteriorating security situation in the country.
He said that two weeks back the NDS informed Wardak police headquarters about a possible planned attack on police cadet busses.
"I think those responsible who did not consider the small factors of the planning, must be fired from their posts so that it can be a lesson to others," Saleh said.
Joining Saleh, meanwhile, former minister of interior Mujtaba Patang said the attack on the police cadets' convoy was pre-planned. He called for the prosecution of police officials who were negligent in their duties.
He also said that the idea of a fifth pillar involvement cannot be ruled out.
The statement comes a day after two Taliban suicide bombers attacked a convoy of Afghan police cadets in Kabul, killing at least 32 and wounding more than 50 others.
Saleh said that the policy of mass transportation of police cadets raises questions.
"I think the transportation of the cadets during the day comes in the category of neglecting their duties and even we can call it an act of treason; they were able to move them at 2am or 1am or after Iftar while there is no traffic on the roads," Saleh said.
Amid speculation, meanwhile, the ministry of interior has said that it has launched an investigation into the attack.
"There has been a problem or a gap which provided a way to the enemy and the enemy succeeded to reach to the target, every angle and every side of the incident needs to be investigated," said Sediq Sediqqi, spokesman for the ministry of interior.
Patang said that officials cannot reject the idea of the involvement of infiltrators and fifth pillar elements in the attack.
"Time has been spent on the attack and the enemy closely worked on it, there is a possibility that infiltrators exist within the ranks of the security forces and they provided the completed planning to their collaborators about the timing of the convoy and how many personnel were on board," Patang said.
Thursday's deadly attack was not the first attack on Afghan security forces, but critics blast government for not finding an alternate to using a number of busses simultaneously to transport cadets – especially as they had been aware of threats.
Video report at the link
Taliban Attack on Police Cadets Draws International Condemnation I am sure their families are comforted that the "International Community" looked up from their Waygu steaks long enough to notice
Various countries as well as the United States and the United Nations on Friday strongly condemned the double suicide bombing by the Taliban against a convoy of busses carrying Afghan police cadets in Kabul on Thursday.
Thirty two cadets were killed and 53 others wounded.
The UN slammed Thursday's attack on the police officers and said it was an unjustifiable crime. They called on all warring factions in Afghanistan to stop the bloodshed and respect human rights.
The U.S has said that the attack on police cadets was carried out because of the international support to Afghanistan particularly the support of the United States to the government and the people of Afghanistan.
"This incident during the holy month of Ramazan underscores the extremists' complete disregard for human rights and the harm they continue to inflict on the Afghan people. Attacks like these are only deepening our support for the people and government of Afghanistan and their efforts for stability and security in their country," U.S state department spokesman John Kirby said.
A day after the deadly attack, a number of wounded soldiers gave chilling accounts of the attack and questioned the policy of transporting large numbers of cadets simultaneously.
"There were two or three private individuals at the door of the academy, they took them (cadets) to the vehicles, they looked frightened, the suicide attackers targeted the fifth and first vehicles," said one cadet, Esmatullah.
Meanwhile, some other wounded soldiers said that there is a possibility that it was a planned attack and certain elements from inside the police force had coordinated it.
"Two of my friends were sitting beside me and two others on the other side, when I saw them on the ground, they had been martyred," another wounded soldier Khirad Aqa said.
Along with the UN, Britain, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Brazil and other countries also condemned the attack on the police cadets and expressed their sympathies with the families of the victims.
India's government has said that New Delhi is with the people of Afghanistan in their struggle against terrorism. Video report at the link
A day after two suicide bombers attacked a convoy of Afghan police cadets in Kabul, a number of residents spoke out about the incident that killed 32 soldiers and wounded 53 others.
Thursday's attacks not only had a devastating impact on the lives of many Afghan families but also increased fear among residents.
The attack also had a major financial impact on nearby shops while a school and a mosque were also affected.
According to reports, several civilians were also hurt in the attack. A sixty-year-old man and two beggars were also killed in the incident.
Residents in Qala Haidar Khan, where the incident happened, have said that they were still collecting body pieces of victims that had been flung far from the blast site. They also said they thought the casualty toll was higher than that issued by government.
"Two women were begging here, but they were killed and I saw their bodies," one eye witness Qurban said.
"I saw one beggar was dead and another one wounded, I ran with my son to help her and we took her to the hospital, but she did not survive," another resident of Kabul Karim said.
"I strongly criticize the police, despite being warned of suicide attacks, they (police officials) still transport the sons of the people on these buses," another resident Mohammad Nasir said.
"95 percent of school windows have been shattered, the loss is huge," Mohammad Gul, a school watchman in the area said.
"Our hands are still crippled because of the shock of the attack, we are extremely frightened after seeing the attack," a Kabul resident Abdul Salam said.
Insurgents also stormed a police check post in the same area a few weeks back, however they fled the scene after coming under fire by security forces. At least six police officers were reportedly killed and wounded in that attack. Video report at the link
Taliban Attack On Cadets 'A Violation of Islamic Principles' For some reason I don't see a civil or criminal case emerging from that revelation
Religious scholars on Friday strongly condemned the Taliban's attack on a convoy of Afghan police cadets in Kabul that left 32 dead and 53 others wounded.
They said that the Taliban's act of terrorism, its violence and killing of people is against the Islamic guidelines and human values and it is in clear enmity of Islam and the Muslim nation.
Two Taliban suicide bombers on Thursday targeted a convoy of Afghan police cadets on their way from Maidan Wardak province to Kabul. The attack marked one of the deadliest against Afghan security forces - particularly against the police force - over the past few years.
Meanwhile, a number of residents have said that religious scholars must take a tougher stance against the Taliban.
"Such killing is prohibited and it is an act of aggression, verses of the Holy Quran proves this," said Maulavi Rahmatullah, the Imam from Khairul Bashar mosque.
According to scholars, those committing acts of terrorism are infidels and they cannot represent Muslims and Islam.
"Such killing is unlawful and it is a great sin especially during the holy month of Ramazan," another scholar Abdul Hadi Hedayat said.
But, still there are some mosques in Kabul which have not reacted to the incident.
Residents have strongly criticized those scholars who have not reacted to the Taliban's violence.
"It is not only a crime, but also enmity against the Prophet of Islam and Allah and the religion. Violence has no place in Islam," another scholar said.
At the same time, residents have asked the government to clarify the friend and the enemy.
"It is the responsibility of every scholar to denounce these acts of violence in the Juma prayers," Kabul resident Baktash said.
"When a high-ranking government official is travelling, dozens of armed vehicles accompany them and provide them security. All cadets who graduated yesterday came to Kabul without the coordination of the ministry of interior," another resident said.
"I think yesterday's incident was pre-planned, it is impossible to carry out such attacks without making plans," said another Kabul resident.
Thursday's attack marks one of the deadliest attacks against Afghan police in recent years. Video report at the link
AMISOM demonstrates a rather tenuous grip on the idea of "clear and hold"...
Somali National army (SNA) forces and Ethiopian troops of AMISOM contingent have fully withdrew from fresh towns in Bakool region of southern Somalia on Friday.
Residents in Rabdhure and Burdhuhule towns have confirmed the pull out of the allied troops from that towns. The reason behind the retreat of the army is unclear. But local villagers say they are in fear and panic of possible Al Shabaab come-back that could trigger battle between the squeezing coalition forces and the militants.
Al Shabaab seem to be making a little-by-little return to the towns and villages in south and central Somalia that are being vacated by Somali and AMISOM troops.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/02/2016 00:00 ||
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Rome is driving its own peace initiative to help rival Libyan camps to end distrust and rebuild the country as the UN-backed unity government struggles to impose its authority. High key talks between Prime Minister-designate Faiez Serraj-led Government of National Accord (GNA) and rival Beida-based government supported by Trobruk-based Parliament have taken place in Tunis under Rome’s auspice to end tension between the opposed groups, the New Arab reports.
“Meetings have been held with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni, who have expressed their support for the proposal,” a source from within the GNA told the London-based Qatari media.
Beida-based government has refused to relinquish power to Serraj-led cabinet, which moved in Tripoli last March. The Beida-based government and god-father House of Representative (HoR) based in Trobuk have rejected the GNA which they deem a west-imposed cabinet on Libyans.
The aim of the Italian initiative is to end distrust between the rival seats of power and encourage militias to hand over their weapons through a comprehensive amnesty program.
“It will span five years, beginning with reconciliation then the rebuilding of state institutions in a manner that ends the east-west divide and excludes no parties,” the GNA source said.
Meetings have been taking place and the future meeting will include Tobruk-backed army general Khalifa Haftar and other militia leaders backing the GNA.
Meanwhile, four members of the GNA have reportedly submitted their resignations to the Presidential Council on Thursday evening and their resignation has been accepted. The resigning Ministers are those of Finance Fakhir Muftah Bouferna, of Justice Jumaa al-Dersi, of National Reconciliation Abdel Jawadd al-Abadi and of Economy and Industry Abdel Matloub Bouferwa.
The reasons behind their move are yet to be known, but given that all the four ministers are from the eastern bloc, analysts believe that there could be regional tensions within the GNA.
Hashed out of the Libyan Political Accord signed in December in Morocco, the GNA failed to receive official endorsement from the HoR. Division between rival camps has also impeded coordinated assault against the Islamic State group militants in control of the coastal city of Sirte.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/02/2016 00:00 ||
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The Yarmouk barracks in Tripoli’s Salahadeen district, previously used as the defence ministry’s main operating base, has been formally handed over to Government of the National Accord defence minister Colonel Mahdi Al-Barghathi.
Walking along a red carpet which had been specially laid out in the spruced-up camp, he and Presidency Council member Fathi Al-Majbri shook hands with a row of senior army officers at the start of the formal handover.
“The GNA option is the only peaceful choice for Libyans for stability. All other options are taking the country to new civil wars,” he said in a short speech in which he called on all Libyans any military groupings to support the GNA and help his ministry build up the legitimate armed forces in Libya.
He added that attempts try and take over the country by force would fail.
This is seen as reference both to the so-called Islamic State and to General Khalifa Hafter.
Majbri was more direct in criticising Hafter, although he did not mention him by name. He spoke of military officers who were trying very hard to impose their will on the country and convince people of the need to return to military rule as under the Qaddafi regime.
Acknowledging that the defence ministry was facing challenges to draw in all various military factions under its control, he added that the peaceful handover of the barracks was a significant boost for the GNA but that the country was living in critical times.
"Hey! Thanks for the kool toilet paper!"
UN envoy to Yemen said on Thursday that he offered Yemen’s warring sides a “road map” that includes a unity government and details a comprehensive political dialogue to end conflict in the southern Arabian Peninsula country.
Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed also the next two weeks will be “dedicated” to support consultation with the warring sides and their leaderships.
The diplomat made his statement following what he described as a two-week break in peace talks the day before.
He said the delegations would return to Kuwait on July 15 to “embark on a new phase” in the talks.
The UN-backed talks between Iran-backed Shiite Houthi rebels, who have seized control of large parts of the country, and President Abedrabbu Mansour Hadi’s government began in Kuwait on April 21.
Ould Cheikh Ahmed said Kuwait talks have tackled most of the contentious issues, indicating that “there is a big improvement” in delivering humanitarian aid to Yemen.
The envoy has urged both sides to make concessions to end the conflict, which has cost more than 6,400 lives since March 2015 and displaced 2.8 million people.
He also said the warring sides have agreed to transfer the pacification committee to Dhahran city, south of Saudi Arabia.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday met the two delegations in Kuwait and urged them to accept the roadmap.
Despite a Saudi-led military intervention launched last year in support of Hadi’s government, the militias and their allies remain in control of many key areas territory, including the capital Sanaa.
#13
I guess there wouldn't be enough space to write this in all Arabic dialects, urdu, pashto...
Posted by: European Conservative ||
07/02/2016 19:15 Comments ||
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#14
"We Swedes lay the table with lingerie
For Muslims to tuck our blancmange away,
But as we commingle,
Our manacles jingle
Coquettishly, 'Noli me tangere!'"
[IsraelTimes] The suicide kaboomers who launched the deadly Istanbul airport assault were planning to take dozens of passengers hostage, Turkish media reported Friday, as two of the bombers were identified.
State-run news agency Anadolu said 24 people were tossed into the calaboose in Istanbul in a string of raids over the attack, including 15 foreigners.
Citing a prosecution source, the agency named two of the attackers as Rakim Bulgarov and Vadim Osmanov, without giving their nationalities.
Officials had previously said the three bombers were a Russian, an Uzbek and a Kyrgyz national.
Police had also found a damaged laptop in a dustbin near an Istanbul apartment used by the attackers and were trying to retrieve information from it, Anadolu added.
‘Number one enemy’
Turkish media identified the strike’s organizer as Akhmed Chatayev, the Chechen leader of an IS cell in Istanbul who reportedly found accommodation for the bombers.
Chatayev allegedly organized two deadly bombings this year in the heart of the city’s Sultanahmet tourist district and the busy Istiklal shopping street, the Hurriyet newspaper said.
Michael McCaul, chairman of the US House Committee on Homeland Security, described Chatayev as "probably the number one enemy in the Northern Caucasus region of Russia."
"He’s travelled to Syria on many occasions and became one of the top lieutenants for the minister of war for ISIS operations," McCaul told CNN.
Swedish court documents seen by AFP showed the 36-year-old had been sentenced to 16 months in jail there in 2008 for arms trafficking, after which he would be deported.
He was granted political asylum in Austria in 2003.
The pro-government Sabah newspaper reported that the attackers scouted the scene and planned to take dozens of passengers hostage inside before carrying out a massacre.
But they began the assault early after attracting suspicion, Sabah said.
CCTV images released by police show the three alleged attackers arriving, wearing dark coats over their boom jackets -- clothing that was much too heavy for a hot summer night.
More images show a plainclothes police officer confronting one of the men and asking to see his identification. The attacker pulls out a gun and shoots him.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
07/02/2016 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, called on Friday for Dire Revenge against Israelis following the death of two Paleostinians, as Israel continued to grapple with a string of terror attacks.
Israeli Security forces on Friday morning thwarted an attempted attack next to the Tomb of the Patriarchs in the West Bank city of Hebron. The attacker, named as 27-year-old Sarah Tarayrah, was said to be a relative of the teenage terrorist, Muhammad Tarayrah, who on Thursday murdered 13-year-old Hallel Yaffa Ariel as she slept in her own bed.
Later on Friday, a Paleostinian man, 63-year-old Muhammad Habbash from Nablus, died at the Qalandiya checkpoint in the West Bank between Ramallah and Jerusalem. An Israeli military source said that the man’s death was caused by a heart attack; the Paleostinian Health Ministry said he died from inhaling tear gas during festivities.
In a blurb, the terror group as well as other armed Paleostinian factions called for the "youth" of the West Bank to take Dire Revenge against Israelis for "crimes against our elders" through "resistance in all its forms" -- a euphemism for terrorism and violent attacks.
Hamas said Israel would pay a "heavy price" for its crimes over the month of Ramadan, adding the Islamic holy month has always been the "month of Jihad and resistance."
The Gazoo-based terror group’s calls for attacks came amid two bloody days for Israelis.
Miki Mark, a rabbi who heads a West Bank yeshiva, was killed Friday afternoon and his wife and children were maimed when their family car came under gunfire from a passing vehicle and overturned, south of the West Bank city of Hebron.
On Thursday, 13-year-old Hallel Yaffa Ariel was killed in her home at the Kiryat Arba settlement adjacent to Hebron.
On the same day, two adult Israelis were maimed during a stabbing in Netanya, one was seriously maimed and the other lightly injured.
Hamas calls for financial and military support
Hamas released a second blurb on Friday urging Islamic and Arab nations to give it financial and military support.
The terror organization, in a rare admission of weakness, said it was facing abandonment and dealing with increased security coordination between Arab nations and Israel.
The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... , one of Hamas’s main allies, signed a normalization deal with Israel on Wednesday, in which Ankara agreed to prevent any military action by Hamas on its soil.
Egypt, another historical ally to the terror group, has scorned Hamas since its ideological umbrella group the Moslem Brüderbund was kicked out of office in 2014 by Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah el-Sissi.
[IsraelTimes] Army adds 2 battalions to ‘disrupt terrorist activities’; Netanyahu says money Abbas pays to terrorists’ families will be deducted
Amid a surge in terror attacks, Israel on Friday placed an effective closure on the West Bank city of Hebron and announced an immediate cut to tax funds it collects for the Paleostinian Authority, saying it would deduct the amount the Paleostinian leadership pays to the families of terrorists.
A meeting of the high-level security cabinet was set for Saturday night, when ministers could decide on further punitive steps.
Continued on Page 49
A Turkish aid ship carrying 11,000 tons of supplies for the Gaza Strip left the southern port of Mersin Friday afternoon, Anadolu reported.
The Lady Leyla sailed south for the Israeli port of Ashdod carrying 2,000 tons of rice, 5,000 tons of flour, 3,000 tons of sugar, 500 tons of cooking oil, and 10,000 food packages in addition to 100,000 pieces of clothing, 20,000 shoes, and 10,000 toys from the Turkish Grain Board and the Turkish Red Moon-Shaped Thingy Crescent (Kizilay). The Panamanian-flagged vessel is expected to dock within 30 hours.
The humanitarian mission departed Turkey following this week’s reconciliation deal between Ankara and Tel Aviv to end a six-year freeze in relations.
“The supplies aboard this ship are a sort of present from the Turkish people to their brothers and sisters in Gaza ahead of the upcoming Eid al-Fitr,” Development Minister Lutfi Elvan said at a ceremony in Mersin to mark the ship’s departure. “They are a present from our children to Gazan children.”
Elvan thanked Turkish President Recep Tayip Erdogan for leading the process which led to the restoration of ties between Turkey and Israel, and subsequently the aid being sent today. He also extended his thanks to the Turkish aid agency AFAD, the Turkish Red Crescent, and the Foreign Ministry for their help and coordination.
Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak said that Turkey would continue to help the Palestinian people in the areas of education, health, development, and information technology.
"God willing, all these projects will be completed at the earliest thanks to the [reconciliation] deal,” Kaynak said, adding that Palestine’s largest hospital – which is being built by The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) – would be opening soon.
"The end goal is to ensure that the Palestinians live happily and freely in their own country, and enjoy the same rights as everyone else,” he said.
Mersin Governor Ozdemir Cakacak said that the aid being sent to the Palestinians was not only a show of support, but an indication that “we are always with them”.
“We hope that the pain and tears in Palestine will end soon,” he said.
Palestinian Ambassador Faed Mustafa praised Turkey’s continued help and support to the Palestinian cause since the beginning.
"Turkey has given us much support during the establishment of the State of Palestine. And later on the Gaza issue. Turkey continues to be our number one supporter,” he said.
The NTV network reported it would take 30 hours to reach Israel and the aid -- to be transferred overland from Israel’s Ashdod Port, in accordance with the blockade -- would arrive in Gazoo before Eid celebrations on Tuesday marking the end of Ramadan.
Turkish presidential front man Ibrahim Kalin said Tuesday that the ship’s departure would be "the first test to see if Israel will play a controller role," in easing the situation in Gazoo.
Posted by: Steve White ||
07/02/2016 00:00 ||
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#1
I'd run those through scanners before delivery
Posted by: Frank G ||
07/02/2016 13:20 Comments ||
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[IsraelTimes] Iranians staged anti-Israel rallies across the country for annual al-Quds Day events on the last Friday of Ramadan established by the late ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
Tens of thousands joined the annual pro-Paleostinian rally in Tehran, where the usual threats against Israel combined with newer concerns about a region mired in bitter disputes and war.
Israel and its perceived supporters in the United States and Britannia were still the main bogeymen of the Quds (Jerusalem) Day protests, which saw huge crowds rally across Iranian towns and in allied countries.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
07/02/2016 00:59 ||
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#1
Liberation of Palestine is ‘far away,’ laments Rouhani at al-Quds day rally
Yep. Shame, innint?
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
07/02/2016 9:55 Comments ||
Top||
#2
If you must have a messianic religion the belief in Mars is much better for the rest of the planet.
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.
Rome is driving its own peace initiative to help rival Libyan camps to end distrust and rebuild the country as the UN-backed unity government struggles to impose its authority. High key talks between Prime Minister-designate Faiez Serraj-led Government of National Accord (GNA) and rival Beida-based government supported by Trobruk-based Parliament have taken place in Tunis under Rome’s auspice to end tension between the opposed groups, the New Arab reports.
