Hi there, !
Today Sat 01/06/2018 Fri 01/05/2018 Thu 01/04/2018 Wed 01/03/2018 Tue 01/02/2018 Mon 01/01/2018 Sun 12/31/2017 Archives
Rantburg
531702 articles and 1855986 comments are archived on Rantburg.

Today: 70 articles and 124 comments as of 14:29.
Post a news link    Post your own article   
Area: WoT Operations    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
Egypt executes four Islamist extremists over 2015 bomb attack
Today's Headlines
Headline Comments [Views]
Page 2: WoT Background
5 16:35 gorb [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
0 [1] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
1 09:04 DarthVader [] 
9 22:36 Zenobia Floger6220 [] 
0 [2] 
0 [] 
0 [] 
2 13:12 ed in texas [] 
5 09:15 P2kontheroad [] 
0 [] 
1 05:03 Bright Pebbles [] 
0 [1] 
1 02:39 gorb [] 
1 10:02 Frank G [] 
0 [1] 
1 18:04 rjschwarz [] 
1 01:25 newc [] 
1 02:41 gorb [] 
Page 1: WoT Operations
9 21:54 3dc []
0 [1]
1 06:29 Woodrow []
0 [1]
0 []
0 [1]
0 []
0 []
0 [2]
0 [1]
0 [1]
0 []
3 21:57 3dc [1]
0 []
0 [2]
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
2 11:05 trailing wife []
5 13:16 ed in texas []
Page 3: Non-WoT
3 22:48 Canuckistan sniper []
0 [1]
8 13:59 SteveS []
1 13:08 Vast Right Wing Conspiracy []
5 13:43 Abu Uluque [2]
2 13:41 Abu Uluque [1]
6 20:36 Frank G []
1 09:39 Frank G []
0 []
9 23:58 Kofi Grineng5706 []
0 []
0 []
0 []
3 15:03 Seeking cure for ignorance []
Page 4: Opinion
1 11:17 JohnQC []
0 []
6 20:03 Anguper Hupomosing9418 []
2 13:27 Abu Uluque []
5 22:54 Ulaigum Ebbineng7056 [1]
Page 6: Politix
3 12:49 g(r)omgoru []
9 20:35 Frank G [1]
4 13:10 Abu Uluque []
8 22:31 Thing From Snowy Mountain []
Afghanistan
Karzai welcomes President Trump’s latest remarks regarding Pakistan
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] The former Afghanistan's Caped President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai
...A product, probably the sole product, of the Southern Alliance...
welcomed the latest remarks by the US President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
regarding Pakistain and proposed a joint coalition between the US and the region in a bid to increase pressures on Pakistain to help restore peace in the region.

"President Donald Trump tweet on Pakistain’s duplicitous position over the past 15 years is vindication that the war on terror is not in bombing Afghan villages and homes but in the sanctuaries beyond Afghanistan," Karzai said in a Twitter post.

He also added "I welcome today’s clarity in President Trump’s remarks and propose a joint US ‐ regional coalition to pressurize the Pakistain military establishment to bring peace to not just Afghanistan but the entire region."

Posted by: Fred || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


Trump is now one of us: Afghan's ex-intelligence chief to Pak
[ANINEWS.IN] Afghanistan's former intelligence chief Amrullah Saleh has said that United States President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
had become one of his countrymen in view of the phrases he used to describe Pakistain in his recent strongly-worded tweet.

"Remember every time we spoke of your deception and support for mass murder of Afghans you would mention one of the above names. It is over now. Trump has had enough of your lies and deceptions and he has openly and rightly acknowledged the truth, the reality and by virtue of being truthful, he has become one of us. He has even borrowed our phrases to describe you," Amrullah Saleh said, in a statement.

"Dear Pak Establishment it gives me such a feeling of achievement to remind you that Trump is not a member of the Northern Alliance, (your fictional structure and imagination) he is not an agent of the NDS, he is not on the payroll of R&AW, he is not from Panjshir valley and has never had any affiliation and connection with late commander Masoud, the iconic national hero of Afghanistan who earned his fame fighting you with meagre resources and bare hands," the statement added.
Posted by: Fred || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  Be honest, direct, and simple.
Posted by: newc || 01/03/2018 1:25 Comments || Top||


Africa Horn
Give Residents Guns, Let Them Go Into Boni Forest To Finish Shabaab, Godhana Says
[RADIOSHABELLE] Tana River Governor Dhadho Godhana wants the national government to give residents in counties bordering Boni Forest guns. He said the ammunition will allow residents pursue al-Shabaab
... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...
militia.

Godhana said rising crime has led to residents in Lamu, Tana River and Garissa living in fear, which has hurt development.

The governor issued a New Year’s speech during celebrations at the county headquarters in Hola yesterday. Godhana said terrorist attacks have increased, despite the heavy presence of security personnel.

He said if men, youth, and women are given guns, they would go into the forest and wipe out al-Shabaab.

"If the government has failed let it give us the permission to work as Tana River, Ijara, and Lamu and come up with a solution,’’ he said. The governor spoke two days after a Police land-cruiser was stolen and a section of Ijara AP station in Garissa burnt by al-Shabaab on Friday night.

Posted by: Fred || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Shabaab (AQ)


Scholars Call For Somalia To Be Protected From Foreign Interference
[RADIOSHABELLE] The Commission of Somali Scholars called on Sunday for politicians to protect their country from "foreign interference" and to respect its illusory sovereignty, Anadolu reported on Sunday.

In a statement issued in response to the latest upheaval, the scholars expressed their concerns about the "unstable political situation" in Somalia over many months.

They called for efforts to adopt the "rule of reason and a constructive policy" instead of one driven by tribal interests. The latter, they said, has taken the country into chaos.

Insisting that the Somali government should aim for justice and equality in society, they stressed that it should also respect individual rights. The Moslem scholars added a warning about the use of "extrajudicial forces" leading to "sedition and unnecessary consequences."

In conclusion, the group reiterated the importance of unity and warned the government about the consequences of division in society.

Posted by: Fred || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:

#1  The rest of the world needs to be protected from somalians emigrating.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 01/03/2018 4:58 Comments || Top||

#2  I'm all for it: Somalia for Somalis!

Fence it off, round 'em up, pack 'em in.
Posted by: ed in texas || 01/03/2018 13:12 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Egypt files murder charges against man held for Coptic church attack
[Ynet] Egypt's public prosecutor has filed murder charges against a man accused of killing 11 people in an attack on a Coptic church and a Christian-owned shop in a Cairo suburb last week, judicial sources said.

The man, placed in durance vile
Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please!
after the Dec. 29 attack, was receiving medical treatment in jug for injuries sustained in an exchange of gunfire with authorities outside the church. The prosecutor ordered him detained pending investigations, the sources said.
This would be Ibrahim Ismail Mostafa, one assumes.
"He is accused of premeditated murder, attempted murder, possession of an unlicensed weapon and using it for terrorist activity," a judicial source said.

Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
grabbed credit for the attacks shortly afterwards, in a statement carried out by its Amaq news agency, though it provided no evidence for the claim.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (IS)


Egypt extends state of emergency for three months starting Jan 13: official gazette
Unexpectedly.
[AlAhram] Egypt has extended a nationwide state of emergency for a further three months, starting 13 January, state-run news agency
...and if you can't believe the state-run news agency who can you believe?...
MENA said on Tuesday.

The decree authorizes the army and police to undertake the necessary procedures to combat terrorism in order to preserve the safety of citizens and public properties across the nation.

The state of emergency was first imposed in April 2017 after two church bombings killed 47 people. It was then extended in July.

A new decree further lengthening it was issued in October. According the Egyptian constitution, a state of emergency cannot exceed six months from its date of declaration and decrees imposing or extending it should be approved by the parliament.

The new decree by Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi was published in the official state gazette on Tuesday.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


Arabia
Formerly detained minister joins Saudi cabinet meeting
[Al Jazeera] A Saudi minister, who was recently detained in the Kingdom's alleged anti-corruption crackdown, has attended a weekly cabinet meeting, according to state media.

Ibrahim al-Assaf, a state minister and former finance minister, was among dozens of bigwigs, businessmen and members of the royal family who were held in November.

The sweeping crackdown was seen by some as an attempt to strengthen the power of Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince and heir to the Saudi throne.

On Tuesday, the official SPA news agency shared images of al-Assaf at the meeting, which is also attended by Mohammed bin Salman.

Assaf was reportedly released last month.

He has been in office as state minister since November 2016

The 68-year-old PhD holder in economics is also a board member of national oil giant, Saudi Aramco.

He has also held positions at the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Two sons of 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 late King Abdullah - Prince Meshaal bin Abdullah and Prince Faisal bin Abdullah - were also released in late December, according to tweets by royal family members.

Posted by: Fred || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia


Europe
Refugees in Greece reflect on another year of waiting
[Al Jazeera] Closed borders, racism, xenophobic attacks, rejected asylum applications, poverty and lengthy waits.

These experiences are what many refugees and migrants colonists in Greece say defined 2017 for them.

More than 60,000 refugees and migrants colonists are trapped in Greece due to sealed borders across the so-called Balkan route and the March 2016 deal between The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
and the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
, which was sculpted to stem the flow of displaced people to Europe.

That deal has been roundly condemned by rights groups and watchdogs.

More than 15,000 refugees and migrants colonists have been confined to Greek islands by a government policy that bars them from moving to the mainland until their asylum procedures have been completed.

Although arrivals sharply decreased after the EU-Turkey deal, the United Nations
...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks...
refugee agency (UNHCR) statistics say that more than 170,317 people made the treacherous journey across the Mediterranean Sea in 2017.

At least 3,081 died or went missing along the way.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, some refugees in Greece explained that they no longer feel welcome, while others said they have started to build their lives from scratch.
Posted by: Fred || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists

#1  These colonists can return home at any time

Syria has erased it's jihadis so it's fine to go back...

Unless you're a fleeing jihadi.
Posted by: Bright Pebbles || 01/03/2018 5:03 Comments || Top||


The Grand Turk
Turkish army to hire over 40,000 personnel
[Al Jazeera] The Ottoman Turkish army will hire nearly 43,000 new personnel in 2018, according to state media, after thousands of staff were dismissed in purges following the July 2016 failed coup attempt.

Anadolu Agency on Tuesday quoted an unnamed military official as saying that the new recruits would include 3,755 officers and 5,375 non-commissioned staff.

According to the report, the forces will also hire 13,213 specialised sergeants and 20,595 contracted officers.

The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
accuses Fethullah Gülen
... a Turkish preacher living in Pennsylvania whom the current govt of Turkey considers responsible for all the ills afflicting Turkey and possibly the entire world...
, a religious leader who lives in self-imposed exile in the United States, and his group of orchestrating the coup attempt, which killed around 300 people and led to massive purges, including in the military and other state institutions.

Posted by: Fred || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Sublime Porte

#1  Seems like awfully high turnover numbers, doesn't it?
Posted by: Raj || 01/03/2018 0:32 Comments || Top||

#2  Lots of Military Age Males (MAM's) wandering about in that vicinity. They should have their quota filled in no time at all.
Posted by: Besoeker || 01/03/2018 1:12 Comments || Top||

#3  new recruits would include 3,755 officers and 5,375 non-commissioned staff.

Eh?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/03/2018 1:44 Comments || Top||

#4  How many diversity officers?

Whats the queer and trans breakdown?
Posted by: AlanC || 01/03/2018 7:13 Comments || Top||

#5  ....this is Sparta Islam! (trumps - excuse the expression - gay and trans on the victim hierarchy)
Posted by: P2kontheroad || 01/03/2018 9:15 Comments || Top||


Home Front: WoT
NYC to install 1,500 barriers to stop ramming attacks
Good.
[IsraelTimes] Hundreds of new protective barriers will be permanently installed in Times Square and other locations around New York in an effort to block vehicles from hitting pedestrians after deadly attacks last year on crowds.

The city is spending $50 million on protective measures including the installation of 1,500 metal barriers, or bollards, in key locations around the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday.

In May, a man said by police to be high on drugs drove through crowds for more than three blocks, killing an 18-year-old tourist from Michigan. The vehicle was eventually stopped by one of the squat metal barriers.

Temporary concrete blocks were put up along the Seventh Avenue sidewalk while city officials weighed a long-term solution and considered banning vehicle traffic from the area all together.

Then, on Halloween, an Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
-inspired attacker drove down a busy bicycle path near the World Trade Center, authorities said. He killed eight people before he wrecked his rented truck and was shot by police.

Barriers were also placed there to keep cars out of the bike path.

"In 2017, New Yorkers witnessed the horrible capacity of people willing to do us harm, whether it was in our subways, on our bike paths or in Times Square," the Democratic mayor said. "We know we have to do even more to keep people safe and that’s why we conducted a review on how best to secure our streets and public spaces, and we formulated a plan of action."

The rollout will begin in March. Meanwhile,
...back at the Senate, the partisans of Honorius went for their knives and the partisans of Stilicho went for the doors...
the temporary blocks already set up will remain in place.

City officials didn’t specify what other locations will be fortified, beyond the bike path and Times Square, but said there would be barriers set up in all five boroughs.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Moslem Colonists

#1  And then Muslims will go back to explosive vests.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/03/2018 1:38 Comments || Top||

#2  de Blasio's statements omit any mention of the ideology of the people committing the ramming attacks
Posted by: lord garth || 01/03/2018 5:10 Comments || Top||

#3  Good? Very mixed feelings. Like we celebrate taking out shoes off with a full body scan at our airports.

The only barriers that used to be needed were at our borders, ports and around anything being used as jihad HQs. Very sad it has come to this.
Posted by: Woodrow || 01/03/2018 6:24 Comments || Top||

#4  Very mixed feelings.

Agreed, Woodrow, but as things are now, such measures are necessary. One of the reasons we elected Donald Trump was so that he could work toward making such measures unnecessary again, given that Mrs. Clinton would have made the situation even more dangerous.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/03/2018 11:40 Comments || Top||

#5  NYC to install 1,500 barriers to stop ramming attacks

Welcome to one of the many joys of unrestrained pluralism.
Posted by: gorb || 01/03/2018 16:35 Comments || Top||


India-Pakistan
Trump's 'incomprehensible' accusations contradict facts, negate Pakistani sacrifices: NSC
[DAWN] Participants of the seventeenth meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) on Tuesday expressed "deep disappointment" at the allegations levelled against Pakistain by US President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
, saying the accusations strike at the trust between the two countries and negate the sacrifices rendered by the Pak nation.

Chaired by Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and attended by high-level civil-military leadership, the meeting observed that Pakistain has fought the war against terrorism primarily using its own resources and at a great cost to its economy.

"... even more importantly the huge sacrifices made by Pakistain, including the loss of tens of thousands of lives ... could not be trivialised so heartlessly by pushing all of it behind a monetary value ‐ and that too an imagined one," a blurb issued after the meeting in Islamabad said, in a reference to Trump's claim that the US has "foolishly" given Pakistain over $33 billion in aid over the last 15 years.

Posted by: Fred || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  ...Pakistain has fought the war against terrorism primarily using its own resources and at a great cost to its economy.

Sounds like Trump putting a stop payment on our annual bribe to Pakiland's really gonna hurt!
Posted by: Raj || 01/03/2018 0:21 Comments || Top||

#2  FACTS are one US soldier was killed and several wounded on the Pan border on New Years day.
Posted by: Cheretle Angeans6218 || 01/03/2018 0:52 Comments || Top||

#3  Pan = Pak
Posted by: Cheretle Angeans6218 || 01/03/2018 0:54 Comments || Top||

#4  We have the border story here.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/03/2018 1:20 Comments || Top||

#5  While Paki help for the Taliban isn't even close to what it was before, there is still a significant amount of money, weapons and men coming from Pakland and keeping the insurgency going in Afghanistan.

One of the main reasons we turned a blind eye to it was our main supply route for our troops in Afghanistan ran through Pakistan. Hopefully we have other routes established as then we can press Pakistan and cut off funding if they don't play ball and don't have to worry about our troops being out of supply.
Posted by: DarthVader || 01/03/2018 9:52 Comments || Top||

#6  While Paki help for the Taliban isn't even close to what it was before,

When did that happen, DarthVader?

Separately, we outght to be able to enter Afghanistan via India. I seem to recall the Indians built a road for that purpose.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/03/2018 11:42 Comments || Top||

#7  Separately, we ought to be able to enter Afghanistan via India.

No, you can't India claims the entire Kashmir.

I seem to recall the Indians built a road for that purpose.

I think you confuse Route 606 built by India with a road to India.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 01/03/2018 12:48 Comments || Top||

#8  Thank you for exchanging my confusion for facts, g(r)omgoru, even though it means I must give up my conclusions.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/03/2018 14:27 Comments || Top||

#9  A hungry old Hindoo of Poonch
Hopped over to Kotli for loonch.
A Mussulman, Butt, let
Him have half his cutlet.
"Do come back on Sunday for broonch!"

Bloody cheek.
Posted by: Zenobia Floger6220 || 01/03/2018 22:36 Comments || Top||


Pakistan summons US ambassador over Trump tweet
[ARABNEWS] Pakistain has summoned the US ambassador to protest against a tweet by President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
that accused Islamabad of providing "safe haven to terrorists" and deceiving Washington in the war on terror.

Ambassador David Hale visited the Foreign Office late Monday to discuss the tweet, US Embassy front man Richard Snelsire said Tuesday.

This latest diplomatic row broke out when Trump, in his first tweet of the year, said the US had "foolishly given Pakistain more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years," and had not received anything in return "but lies & deceits."

This elicited a swift response from Pakistain’s Foreign Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, who said: "Trump’s ’no more’ does not hold any importance."

Asif said US financial assistance was reimbursement of expenses that Pakistain incurred in operations against Lion of Islams, and compensation for logistical facilities made available to coalition forces fighting in Afghanistan.

"We are ready to account for all the financial assistance that Pakistain has received from the US," he said. "All the monetary assistance was properly audited."
Posted by: Fred || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan


These three men will continue to fund Lashkar-e-Taiba
[IBTIMES.CO.IN] Pakistain on Monday dealt a decisive blow to Lashkar-e-Taiba
...the Army of the Pure, an Ahl-e-Hadith terror organization founded by Hafiz Saeed. LeT masquerades behind the Jamaat-ud-Dawa facade within Pakistain and periodically blows things up and kills people in India. Despite the fact that it is banned, always an interesting concept in Pakistain, the organization remains an blatant tool and perhaps an arm of the ISI...
boss Hafiz Saeed
...founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its false-mustache offshoot Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The United Nations declared the JuD a terrorist organization in 2008 and Hafiz Saeed a terrorist as its leader. Hafiz, JuD and LeT are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Pak intel apparatus, so that amounted to squat...
after it decided to ban the charities that he was receiving. Pakistain further indicated that they would take over the institutions that he runs to bring in the charity.

Saeed used outfits such as Jamaat-ud-Dawa
...the front organization of Lashkar-e-Taiba...
and Falah-e-Insaniyat
...the current false nose and mustache of Jamaat ud-Dawa, which was the false nose and mustache of Lashkar e-Taiba...
to receive charity. This money was in turn to nurture cadres of Lashkar-e-Taiba which carried out attacks in India. It had been found that the same funds were used to sponsor the Mumbai 26/11 attack.

While Saeed would rely on funds from 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...
, there were three key persons who managed the entire show. The three men -- Muhammad Ijaz Safarash, Alexander McLintock and Abdul Aziz Nuristani -- would arrange for the funds and then send it to Saeed's organizations through various channels, the main one being hawala.

The question is will this new action by Pakistain dry up funds for Saeed? Indian officials tracking the Lashkar-e-Taiba say that Saeed has faced such situations in the past. He, however, beat the system by coming up with news organizations. For instance, when the JuD was banned he came up with the FeI. He would do something similar now.

However,
facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable...
to ensure that Saeed's funds dry up considerably, the establishment needs to act on the above-mentioned persons. Each of them plays a key role in ensuring that the funds reach Saeed without any problem. Indian officials also point to the fact that the new action by Pakistain may not be linked to its war on terror. It is also a way of ensuring that he does not have funds to fight the elections. Saeed had recently launched the Milli Moslem League and said that he would be fighting the 2018 elections in Pakistain.

Can Pakistain act against these three men?

Muhammad Ijaz Safarash: He is the key player when it comes to bringing in funds for Saeed. Based out of Saudi Arabia, he has been providing financial assistance to the Lashkar-e-Taiba since the past decade. The Indian agencies got wind of him when in 2003, a conversation between him and the commander in chief of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi, was intercepted.

Safarash played the lead role in setting up charity boxes in Saudi Arabia. A huge amount of funds would be collected which would later be transferred to Pakistain. Apart from this, he would also tap wealthy businessmen and seek donations. Safarash also ensures that several operatives of the Lashkar-e-Taiba who were on the run got adequate protection in Saudi Arabia.

Alexander McLintock: He is a key player not just for the Lashkar-e-Taiba, but also the al-Qaeda and Taliban
...Arabic for students...
. Today, he is more connected with the Lashkar-e-Taiba and has played the lead in channelising funds for the outfit.

A Scottish by birth, this 52-year-old embraced Islam when he was 20 years old. He decided to support the cause of these terror groups by opening the al-Ramah Welfare Organisation. The primary role of this organization was to raise funds through donations. A Financial Intelligence Unit note mentions that Alexander over the past 15 years has channelised at least 25 million dollars for these terror groups.

Abdul Aziz Nuristani: He is the local point man for Hafiz Saeed. He plays one of the most important roles in the channelising of funds. He is based out of Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire.
and it is his Jamia Asariya Madrasa which has played the frontal role in collecting funds for the Jamaat-ud-Dawa. This Madrasa ironically falls under the sanctions list, but Pakistain is yet to act against it.

Through this Madrasa, Nuristani gives a legitimate face to the funds that are coming in. Both McLintock and Safarash have often sent money directly to the Madrasa. Apart from this donations are collected in the Gulf in the name of this Madrasa. Prior to be being placed on the sanctions list, a probe by the international agencies showed that the Madrasa had been collecting money under the garb of relief work and routing them into the coffers of the Lashkar-e-Taiba.


This article starring:
ABDUL AZIZ NURISTANILashkar-e-Taiba
ALEXANDER MCLINTOCKLashkar-e-Taiba
MUHAMAD IJAZ SAFARASHLashkar-e-Taiba
Posted by: Fred || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Lashkar e-Taiba


Difa-e-Pakistan council protests against Trump's Pak tweet
[ANINEWS.IN] The Difa-e-Pakistain council on Tuesday protested against United States President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
over his recent tweet on Pakistain.

The Difa-e-Pakistain council also includes United Nations
...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships...
-designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed
...founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba and its false-mustache offshoot Jamaat-ud-Dawa. The United Nations declared the JuD a terrorist organization in 2008 and Hafiz Saeed a terrorist as its leader. Hafiz, JuD and LeT are wholly-owned subsidiaries of the Pak intel apparatus, so that amounted to squat...
's Jamaat-ud-Dawa
...the front organization of Lashkar-e-Taiba...
(JuD).

At the rally, Saeed said: "The entire Pakistain and Moslems are very angry with him [Trump]. We condemn the thought [tweet] Trump has said. We are not jealous of the American Government."

He also added that although the US had provided aid to them for the past many years, he rejected Trump's claims of the aid used for providing safe havens to terror camps in the country.

Saeed also said the JuD would teach him a lesson.

Trump, in a strongly-worded tweet, had earlier said the US had been 'foolishly' providing military aid to Pakistain for 15 years, but in return, it has only received 'lies and deceit.'

"The United States has foolishly given Pakistain more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the holy warriors we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" Trump posted on the micro-blogging site, on Monday.

The tweet came in the wake of the JuD chief looking to contest the 2018 general elections in Pakistain and thereby, forming a party by the name of Milli Moslem League (MML).
Posted by: Fred || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistain Proxies

#1  Why don't you clowns just hold a UN vote to declare it invalid?
Posted by: gorb || 01/03/2018 2:41 Comments || Top||


Iraq
Iran Reopens All Border Posts with Iraqi Kurdistan
[AnNahar] Iran on Tuesday reopened the last two border posts with Iraqi Kurdistan that it closed in response to an independence vote rejected by Baghdad and neighbouring countries, officials said.

The Iranian consulate in the Kurdish autonomous region's capital Arbil announced the Parwezkhan and Haji Omran posts were beginning work again "from Tuesday".

A Kurdish front man at Parwezkhan confirmed the post had "reopened officially at 0900 (0600 GMT)" after notification was received from the Iranian side.

The opening of the two posts means that all crossings on the border between Iran and Iraqi Kurdistan are now up and running after a third post at Bashmaq started working again in October.

Iran first announced on December 18 the reopening of all its border posts with Iraqi Kurdistan, without setting a specific date.

Iraq's Kurds voted overwhelmingly in a controversial non-binding referendum in September to establish their own country, but the vote was deemed illegal by the central government.

Neighbouring Iran and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire....
also condemned the poll over concerns that it could stir up their own Kurdish minorities.

In the wake of the vote Baghdad moved to isolate the region by imposing an international flight ban -- recently extended through February -- and urging neighbouring nations to sever links.

Federal forces then retook swathes of disputed territory from the Kurds, wrestling back control of key oil-rich regions that were a major source of income for the region.

The calamitous fallout from the independence vote has sparked an economic and political crisis in Iraqi Kurdistan that has seen angry protests in a string of towns.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Kurdish govt: no handover of borders to Iraq, joint management instead
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) Kurdistan government has rejected handing over the autonomous region’s border management to the Iraqi federal cabinet, saying that the law instead provides for joint administration.

"Instructions and laws emphasize on joint administration and oversight on border crossings,and the region is prepared to discuss matters related to airports and border crossings,"Safeen Dizayee, a spokesperson of the Kurdish government, told Iraqi website Alghad Press.

"There is no phrase in the law or the instructions that provide for handing over crossings and airports, but instead for a joint administration", Dizayee said, adding that "Kurdistan Region was, from the beginning, for resolving the problem through dialogue, and certainly technical issues require dialogue more than anything else".

Dizayee added that no talks have been held between Baghdad and Erbil to that end. ’We can see a desire (to hold talks) from our brothers in Baghdad according to statements by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi.

A crisis erupted between Baghdad and Erbil following Kurdistan Region’s vote in September to secede from Iraq, a measure which Baghdad deemed unconstitutional, consequently taking penal economic measures that included an air embargo and a withholding of employee payments.

Earlier on Tuesday, Ihsan al-Shamri, an adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, said the government adopted a number of decisions towards dialogue with Erbil, which involve "(Baghdad’s) taking over of Kurdistan’s border crossings with Iran and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund....
, and forming a high committee to regulate land ports, customs and airports".

Speaking to the Iraqi independent New Sabah newspaper on Monday, cabinet front man Saad al-Hadithi said technical talks with Kurdistan were "necessary" to resolve pending issues including "border crossings, airports, oil fields and their exports, water resources and the Region’s employee salaries".
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iraq


Nearly 37,000 people killed in Iraq in 2017, U.S. website claims
Baghdad (Iraqinews.com) ‐ A U.S. website has claimed that at least 36,898 people were killed, and another 8,753 were maimed in Iraq during 2017.

According to a report published by the Antiwar.com on Tuesday, at least 9,036 non-combatants were killed, and another 6,607 were maimed in Iraq last year.

Speaking about casualties among coppers, the U.S. website reported that at least 1,696 security personnel were killed and 1,827 were maimed.

"In September, Coalition forces revealed that over 1,200 Iraqi soldiers were killed during the djinn-infested Mosul
... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn...
campaign alone, nearly doubling the number of dead," the report read.

The website quoted Kurdish intelligence as reporting in July a belief that at least 40,000 non-combatants were killed in Mosul alone.

"Among the Death Eaters, at least 24,276 were killed, and 309 were maimed. Unlike the civilian and security casualties, the number of Death Eater dead could be an exaggeration, or it could also be a low number," the report explained.

"These figures should be considered lowball estimates, especially considering that the number of casualties being reported publicly was reduced," the report read.

"The Iraqi government chose to censor information about security casualties and perhaps even civilian ones. Consequently, at the end of 2016, the United Nations
...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships...
was hectored into limiting the number of casualties it was allowed to compile on the ground," it concluded.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State


UNAMI: Over 200 Iraqis killed, injured due to violence in December
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) A total of 69 civilians, excluding police personnel, were killed, while 142 others were maimed in December due to acts of terrorism, violence and armed conflict in Iraq, the monthly release by the United Nations
...where theory meets practice and practice loses...
Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) announced on Tuesday.

The worst affected province, according to UNAMI, was Baghdad with 122 civilian casualties (24 killed, 98 injured). Salahuddin ranked the second place, with 7 killed and 25 injured, then Kirkuk came third with 15 killed and 6 injured.

"Casualty figures for the month of December 2017 have remained at a similar level to November, which is disappointing," Ján Kubiš, the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General (SRSG) for Iraq, said. "I very much hope that, as we move in the new year, these figures will fall rapidly as much-needed peace and stability return to Iraq."

The figures saw a significant decline from November’s which reached a total of 117 Iraqi civilians killed and another 264 injured.

According to the UNAMI report, 3298 non-combatants were killed and 4781 others were maimed in 2017, excluding Anbar civilian casualty figures for November and December, which are not available.
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under:


Israel-Palestine-Jordan
Trump threatens to cut off US aid to Palestinian Authority
Ay-Pee. Abu Mazen's bluff is called
Acknowledging his push to broker peace in the Middle East has stalled, President Donald Trump on Tuesday appeared to threaten to cut off U.S. aid money to the Palestinian Authority, saying they were no longer willing to negotiate.

Trump, in a pair of tweets, said the U.S. pays "the Palestinians HUNDRED OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS a year and get no appreciation or respect. They don't even want to negotiate a long overdue ... peace treaty with Israel."

"We have taken Jerusalem, the toughest part of the negotiation, off the table, but Israel, for that, would have had to pay more. But with the Palestinians no longer willing to talk peace, why should we make any of these massive future payments to them?" he wrote.

Trump infuriated many in the Middle East when he announced late last year that the U.S. would consider Jerusalem the capital of Israel and move its embassy there.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said the announcement destroyed Trump's credibility as a Mideast peace broker, calling the decision "a declaration of withdrawal from the role it has played in the peace process."

Tuesday's tweets mark a tacit admission by Trump that his decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem has thrown a wrench into his administration's plans to restart the peace process between Israelis and Palestinians. Trump tasked son-in-law Jared Kushner to restart the effort, and brought his former attorney, Jason Greenblatt, into the White House to lead the negotiations ‐ which he had dubbed "the ultimate deal."

On Twitter, Trump also issued a threat to cut off foreign aid dollars to an unspecified list of countries that don't reciprocate.
"Hello Pakistan, did you receive our check? LOL, I know"
Posted by: Frank G || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority

#1  AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

No more martyr payments for you!
Posted by: DarthVader || 01/03/2018 9:04 Comments || Top||


Knesset's al-Quds vote is an end to peace process: Palestine's Abbas
[PRESSTV] Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas
... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial...
has said that Knesset’s passing of a law that requires two-thirds of its members to approve any ceding land in Jerusalem al-Quds is a "declaration of war."

"The Israeli Knesset’s vote on the united Jerusalem law is equivalent to a declaration of war on the Paleostinian people and its political and religious identity," said Nabil Abu Rudeinah, Abbas' front man, on Tuesday.

He added that the Tel Aviv regime has already begun to impose its dictatorial rule on Paleostinians living in the occupied East Jerusalem al-Quds.

"This vote clearly indicates that the Israeli side has officially declared the end of what is called the political process and has begun imposing a policy of dictates," he added.

Abbas also stressed that Israel was not capable of such actions without the full support of the US government.

Israeli politicians on Tuesday approved the amendment to an existing legislation, raising the number of required votes from 61 to 80 in the 120-seat parliament (Knesset) before the regime can relinquish control over any portion of the holy city to a "foreign party."

Posted by: Fred || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Palestinian Authority

#1  An end to an endless process.
Posted by: gorb || 01/03/2018 2:39 Comments || Top||


Hamas demands formal end to peace process
[ISRAELNATIONALNEWS] Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", leader Ismail Haniya called today for the formulation of a new overall strategy aimed at thwarting US and Israeli decisions on Jerusalem and re-positioning the Paleostinian issue as a national liberation struggle centered on "popular intifada".

Speaking at a presser Haniya stressed the importance of formulating "a united Arab-Islamic plan in coordination with international bodies that support Paleostinian rights" and feel wronged by US policy in the region.

In order to preempt the "American blockade", Haniya suggested working on two political levels: One - declaring the end of the grinding of the peace processor, and the other - a demand to cease all aspects of normalization with Israel.

He accused Israel of seeking to ignite religious wars in the region in order to exhaust the Arab states and involve them in their internal problems. Haniyeh said that the "war for Al Quds" would be decided "in the streets, hills, and houses of Jerusalem and the rest of the Paleostinian areas through struggle and determination".

Hamas continues to incite the Arab public into confrontations with Israel, in addition to attempting numerous terror attacks from Judea and Samaria and persuading the Paleostinian Authority to renounce the Oslo Accords, stop security coordination, and return to confrontation with Israel as a policy instrument.
Posted by: Fred || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Hamas

#1  because they were such supporters before
Posted by: Frank G || 01/03/2018 10:02 Comments || Top||


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Palestinian terror chief in Lebanon camp says he's moved to Syria
[Ynet] A prominent Paleostinian terrorist whose followers have fought other factions in a refugee camp in Leb has travelled to Syria, he said, removing one of the main combatants in one of Leb's most volatile settlements.

A statement by Bilal Badr, who led a hard-line Sunni Islamist faction against mainstream Paleostinian groups in the Ein el-Hellhole refugee camp at Sidon, did not say when or how he had travelled to Syria.

The rebellion against Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Despoiler of Deraa...
has drawn krazed killer Sunnis from across the region. After fighting in Ein el-Hellhole in August, Paleostinian groups urged wanted security suspects to leave the camp.

Badr's statement addressed his supporters "from the land of jihad and glory, from Assad's lair in Syria, to which we migrated to support the religion of God."
Posted by: trailing wife || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Salafists


Fearless Leader: Enemies deploying various tools to hurt Islamic establishment
[PRESSTV] Fearless Leader of the Islamic Revolution
...Iran's doddering head theocrat...
Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei
...the successor to Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and the actual dictator of Iran...
says enemies have been using various tools to deal blows to the land of the Medes and the Persians and the Islamic establishment in the course of the latest developments in the country.

"During the events of the past several days, Iran’s enemies, using the various tools at their disposal, including money, weapons, politics, and security apparatus, have allied [with one another] to create problems for the Islamic establishment," the Leader said on Tuesday.

Ayatollah Khamenei, however, described "the spirit of courage, sacrifice and faith" in the land of the Medes and the Persians as an obstacle in the way of the enemy.

The Leader made the remarks during an address to a weekly meeting with a number of deaders' families.

Ayatollah Khamenei referred to the woeful situation besetting certain West Asian and North African countries, which have been the target of foreign invasion.

The Leader commemorated the sacrifices made by Iranian soldiers who fought and bit the dust during the 1980-88 war with Iraq.

Had the enemy found its way into Iran during the eight-year war, "they would have had no mercy and a situation considerably worse than that of Libya and Syria would have been created for Iran," Ayatollah Khamenei said.

Posted by: Fred || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Iran


Terror Networks
'Islamic State' seeks new foothold in Africa
[DW] French President Emmanuel Macron found clear words on terrorism in Africa during his recent visit to Niger.

"The fight is not won today," Macron said. Within the next few months, one thing was needed above all: "Clear victories for our armed forces against the terrorists."

In Niger, as with most other countries in the region, few such successes can be claimed.

Jihadi forces have established footholds across the Sahel, in Chad, Mali, and indeed Niger. And the prospects of defeating them and neutralizing their ideology are far from good. At the very least, considerable efforts are required from French and other western troops, together with local forces, to rein in jihadism in the region.

Alternative territory in Africa
Macron's urgent focus on the next six months was no accident. That's because the so-called Islamic State
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(IS) has recently lost large areas that it used to control in Iraq and Syria. Now it's trying to make up for that lost ground elsewhere, including western Africa. IS fighters in Niger recently showed just how dangerous and combative they can be. Early in October, soldiers from the US and Niger clashed with gunnies associated with IS on the border with Mali. The battle claimed the lives of four US and five Nigerien troops.

IS "has aspirations to establish a larger presence" in Africa, according to US General Joseph Dunford. He said after the October attack that the US military would make recommendations to President Donald Trump
...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States...
and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis "for the allocation of forces that meet what we see as the threat, what we anticipate the threat to be." Republican Senator Lindsey Graham
... the endangered South Carolina RINO, fellow maverick of Honest John McCain...
found more blunt words: "The war is morphing. We're going to see more actions in Africa, not less."

Posted by: Fred || 01/03/2018 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Islamic State

#1  Gotta hide somewhere.
Posted by: rjschwarz || 01/03/2018 18:04 Comments || Top||



Who's in the News
25[untagged]
7Islamic State
5Govt of Pakistan
5Moslem Colonists
4al-Shabaab (AQ)
4Govt of Iran
3Taliban
3Palestinian Authority
2Govt of Pakistain Proxies
2Govt of Iraq
1TTP
1Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (IS)
1Commies
1Govt of Iran Proxies
1Govt of Saudi Arabia
1Hamas
1Lashkar e-Taiba
1Muslim Brotherhood
1Salafists
1Sublime Porte

Bookmark
E-Mail Me

The Classics
The O Club
Rantburg Store
The Bloids
The Never-ending Story
Thugburg
Gulf War I
The Way We Were
Bio

Merry-Go-Blog











On Sale now!


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.
Click here for more information

Meet the Mods
In no particular order...
Steve White
Seafarious
tu3031
badanov
sherry
ryuge
GolfBravoUSMC
Bright Pebbles
trailing wife
Gloria
Fred
Besoeker
Glenmore
Frank G
3dc
Skidmark

Two weeks of WOT
Wed 2018-01-03
  Egypt executes four Islamist extremists over 2015 bomb attack
Tue 2018-01-02
  Pakistan plans takeover of charities run by Lashkar-e-Taiba
Mon 2018-01-01
  Nigeria: Scores Killed in Boko Haram Attacks in Borno, Yobe
Sun 2017-12-31
  Iran protests: Telegram and Instagram restricted
Sat 2017-12-30
  IS says it was behind Saint Petersburg supermarket bombing
Fri 2017-12-29
  Senior Pakistani Taliban leader blown by own explosives in Kunar province
Thu 2017-12-28
  Islamic State claims attack on Shiite center in Kabul, 41 dead
Wed 2017-12-27
  Swede among 'terror' suspects arrested in the Netherlands
Tue 2017-12-26
  Six Islamic State, involved in killing policeman, killed in Kirkuk
Mon 2017-12-25
  ISIS military commission chief killed in US drone strike in Afghanistan
Sun 2017-12-24
  Taliban’s IED expert famous as Osama killed in NDS operation
Sat 2017-12-23
  Terror Attack in Pennsylvania's State Capital?
Fri 2017-12-22
  US drone strike kills Qaeda propaganda chief in Yemen
Thu 2017-12-21
  ISIS shadow judge among 5 killed in Afghan forces operations
Wed 2017-12-20
  US drone targets compound in Kurram

Better than the average link...



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.
3.95.2.54
Help keep the Burg running! Paypal:
WoT Operations (23)    Non-WoT (14)    Opinion (5)    (0)    Politix (4)