[ToloNews] Documents seen by TOLOnews show that millions of dollars and hundreds of hundreds of kilograms of gold have been smuggled out of Afghanistan.
According to the documents, in one case, 66 million dollars and 329 kilograms of gold were smuggled through Hairatan Port to Uzbekistan and then to the United Arab Emirates and on to Kazakhstan.
Sources told TOLOnews that a number of politicians and politicians in collaboration with the government officials are smuggling US cash and gold from Hairatan Port.
Based on the documents, which have been confirmed by credible government sources, in the first three months of 2021, 329 kg of gold, worth 59.6 million dollars, was smuggled abroad.
Sources at Sarai Shahzada (Kabul’s main exchange center) have said that each day various currencies more than 8 million dollars are being smuggled to Uzbekistan and then on to other countries.
"Illegal circles are involved in transferring money from Afghanistan outside the country; the government has failed to prevent this trend," said Sayed Ekram Afzali, the head of Integrity Watch Afghanistan.
"There are people inside the parliament who are involved in smuggling gold and money—there are also people within the government who are involved in the smuggling of money and national assets," said Abdul Sattar Hussaini, a member of parliament.
A member of parliament’s finance and budget commission has said that the commission held several meetings with the Ministry of Finance to address the issue; however, nothing has been done so far.
"The black money is made white here and then provided to the armed opponents and then the money is used in terrorist attacks," said MP Jawed Safai.
Meanwhile, ...back at the barn, Bossy's udder had begun to ache... a number of politicians have said that the mafia circles by transferring the money abroad are seeking to launder the currency.
The Ministry of Finance so far has not commented.
Sources in Tajikistan meanwhile said that last November the Tajikistan police seized 90 kilograms of gold and 15 million dollars.
According to the sources, Mirza Mohammad Katawazai, the former deputy speaker of parliament, in a meeting with bigwigs of Tajikistan requested the release of the seized assets.
In which the Afghan government grapples with the Biden administration’s effort to destroy the little that’s been accomplished thus far toward defeating Pakistan’s pet jihadis.
[ToloNews] The US’s proposed 8-page draft, "Afghanistan Peace Agreement," will be discussed in a meeting of politicians hosted by the High Council for National Reconciliation led by Abdullah Abdullah ...the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against both Karzai and Ghani. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun. He also held the meaningless salaried sop position as CEO of Afghanistan, while Ghani was president... this week, according to an official of the council.
Sources said the meeting will likely be attended by key politicians, who will discuss the details of a transitional government for peace, elections, as well as an expected conference on Afghan politicians and the Taliban
Continued on Page 49
[Garowe] The government of Somalia has yet again been put on notice following claims that al-Shabaab ...... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... gunnies are now controlling large swathes of the country, amid an ongoing pre-election stalemate, which has literally brought many activities into a standoff in the country.
In a tough-worded statement on Monday, Somalia's opposition asked members of the international community led by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to chip in and save the country from plunging into chaos, arguing that the outgoing regime has given al-Shabaab a field of play.
According to the team, which comprises 15 presidential candidates, the government has been using security forces, which are heavily funded by taxpayers from foreign countries, to suppress civilians instead of extending the fight against al-Shabaab holy warriors.
Regrettably, the claim, the move has given the al-Shabaab a freeway to collect taxes from locals in the country, further making it impossible for the Horn of Africa nation to move forward. al-Shabaab controls large swathes of rural central and southern Somalia.
"Your governments rightfully continue to equip and provide budgetary allocations to Somali National Army," read the statement, which was copied to Blinken and a host of international community representatives in Somalia and those at UNSC.
"Regrettably, Farmajo's government has turned focus away from the fight against al-Shabaab who are now freely collecting taxes alongside the government and targeting civilians at will, while the government is preoccupied with the use of armed forces to suppress innocent civilians," the team noted.
Somalia, they said, has been without a constitutionally recognized government. The legislation made by parliament to extend her mandate last year does not mention the prolongation of the presidential term. President Mohammed Abdullahi Farmajo's term expired on Feb 8 last month.
And the term now accuses Farmajo of engineering a political standoff for the sake of his own political capital, further making it impossible for the country to move forward. Villa Somalia is, however, yet to respond to the latest claims by the opposition.
"The argument made by the former president that he should stay in office until a new government takes over does not stand since he's the one engineering the current political stalemate," the opposition said. "He has refused to engage in good faith with federal states representatives and other stakeholders and is keen to hold until power by use of force."
Efforts to broker a truce between the opposition and the federal government of Somalia have stalled with each side holding tough political stands. The country was set to go for polls from December last year but the government is yet to implement September 17 agreement.
[Garowe] A contingent of GorGor troops landed in Mogadishu's Aden Abdulle International Airport on Monday after months of training in The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire... , just amid an ongoing pre-election stalemate, which has triggered wrangles between the opposition and the federal government.
In footage taken at the airport, the troops were seen matching and taking instructions from their commander, with most of them wearing the trademark red berets, as they chanted patriotic slogans as a sign of solidarity with the appointing authority.
Somalia, which had one of the strongest forces at independence, is now struggling to constitute a loyal formidable force that can be used in protecting her borders and fighting the al-Shabaab ...... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda... Death Eaters.
Besides the GorGor troops, the country also benefits from US-trained Danab troops and those equipped by the Royal British army.
Reports indicate that the contingent which landed on Monday will serve in the 15th battalion of GorGor, who are deployed in sophisticated missions such as the liberation of various parts of the country from the al-Shabaab Death Eaters.
Ankara is a major security stakeholder in Somalia and has traditionally trained GorGor troops as part of rebuilding Somalia.
Traditionally? How long has this been a tradition?
Gorgor troops and Haram'ad special police force are the most prominent units that the Ottoman Turkish government has trained and equipped.
But there are fears that the outgoing President Mohammed Abdullahi Farmajo could use the troops to extend his rule in power instead of directing them to the fight against al-Shabaab. Farmajo has often been accused of turning the priority of the forces upside down.
Like last year, most of the GorGor troops were linked to the fierce battles within the Gedo region of Jubaland, where they wrestled most parts from the local authority. Since then, there have been reports of festivities between Jubaland security forces and GorGor, and even contributing to the current electoral impasse.
However, it's easy to be generous with someone else's money... sources told Garowe Online that Ottoman Turkish authorities warned Farmajo against using the troops for political purposes before they returned home. The Haram'ad and Gorgor troops have for a long time been used to harass and intimidate the opposition candidates.
A report published by the Washington Post recently revealed that the Danab commander refused to authorize his battalion to engage protesters in Mogadishu. The country used security forces to scuttle a peaceful demonstration that had rocked the capital.
There are close to 1,500 soldiers serving various Danab battalions across the country and most of them received training under the US Africa Command team whose headquarters are in Djibouti. The team is also credited for the liberation of various towns from al-Shabaab.
[DW] Abductions have become more indiscriminate across northern Nigeria as small-time Mister Big gangs view victims as a source of income, and the villagers — who have been ignored by the government — as disposable.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, in response to the recent mass kidnapping of 279 schoolgirls in the country's Zamfara state, ordered security agents "to shoot any person or persons seen carrying AK-47s in any forest in the country."
Buhari also directed a ban on "all mining activities in Zamfara State, as well as the imposition of a no-fly zone over the state," his office said.
Continued on Page 49
[AlMasdar] The United States will seek ways to improve its support for 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... to defend itself from attacks by Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of... ’s Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... rebels, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki ...a valley girl who woke up one morning and found she was spokeswoman for the U.S. Department of State under Obama... said in a press briefing on Monday.
"We understand that they face genuine security threats from Yemen and others in the region", Psaki said. "As a part of our interagency process, we’ll look for ways to improve support for Saudi Arabia’s ability to defend its territory against threats."
Psaki noted the United States is alarmed by the frequency of Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, pointing out that such actions are perpetrated by a group that is serious about peace.
"The attacks are unacceptable and dangerous", she said.
Psaki pointed out that the United States continues to work in close cooperation with the Saudi government given the threat the country is facing on a frequent basis from such attacks.
Earlier on Sunday, the Saudi-led Arab coalition claimed it intercepted ten drones launched by the Houthis targeting civilians. As the Houthis have recently stepped up cross-border missile and drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, the coalition announced the launch of a military operation against Houthi targets.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
03/10/2021 00:00 ||
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#1
I thought Biden was going to get tough with the Prince. Is Joe gonna charge him for the improvements?
Posted by: Bobby ||
03/10/2021 17:43 Comments ||
Top||
#2
"Improve Saudi defenses" will entail big contracts for Raytheon (SecDef on the board) and BAE (SecState on the board).
Posted by: ed in texas ||
03/10/2021 19:16 Comments ||
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[AnNahar] Half a year after the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain established diplomatic relations with Israel, discreet Jewish communities in the Gulf Arab states that once lived in the shadow of the Arab-Israeli conflict are adopting a more public profile.
Kosher food is now available. Jewish holidays are celebrated openly. There is even a fledgling religious court to sort out issues such as marriages and divorces.
"Slowly, slowly, it's improving," said Ebrahim Nonoo, leader of Bahrain's Jewish community, which recently hosted an online celebration of the Purim holiday for Jews in the Gulf Arab region.
Continued on Page 49
Major developments in strategic defense ties between #Israel and #Saudi Arabia taking place behind the scenes, Arab affairs expert Zvi Yehezkeli tells @radio103fm, citing personal knowledge of undisclosed details.
[Woke dot net] If you're unfamiliar with this, it is what Antifa/BLM use to communicate with each other. Do not click on it unless you have a good VPN to cloak your network IP address. If they are not streaming all you will see is a blank page.
I replaced "." with the word dot so your browser wouldn't accidentally open the evil site. Warning: Just viewing the dot net name will attempted to put 2 executables in your browser cache directory.
Better I don’t check it out, being an end user. But useful for some here to be aware of.
[AlMasdar] The Ottoman Turkish Ministry of Defense accused Greece of "continuing to violate treaties by deploying warships to the islands of the Mediterranean," noting that "the last of them was sending warships to the island of Meis (Kastellorizo)
Major Pinar Kara, the media and public relations officer at the ministry, said in a press briefing that "the Ottoman Turkish armed forces continue to protect Ottoman Turkish interests in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean."
"Greece continues to violate treaties by deploying warships on the islands, the last of which is to send warships to the island of Meis in the Mediterranean Sea (which is 2.1 km from the Ottoman Turkish coast)," she said, as reported by the Anadolu Agency of The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...Qatar's satrapy in Asia Minor... "Despite all of Turkey’s positive and constructive efforts, Greece continues its provocative and unlawful actions," Kara said.
"However, if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well... Turkey maintains its efforts in favor of resolving the issue through dialogue and negotiations based on international law and good neighborly relations via peaceful means," she added.
Greece has yet to respond to these allegations from Turkey.
Visa applicants rejected under Trump’s “Muslim ban” can re-apply: US state dept
President Joe Biden overturned Trump’s so-called Muslim ban on Jan. 20, his first day in office, calling it “a stain on our national conscience” in his proclamation.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/10/2021 00:00 ||
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#1
And when one of these folks commits an act of terrorism in the USA the Biden's look stupid and Trump looks good. I'm amazed they announced this rather than just letting it slip by.
[OneIndia] A total of 42 terrorist organizations like the 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... and the Jaish-e-Mohammed have been banned by the government for their involvement in various acts of terrorism, which is largely been sponsored from across the border, Lok Sabha ...After the Libyan Civil War, Sabha grew in importance as a slave auctioning town. However, an investigation by the National Commission for Human Rights in Libya (NCHRL) revealed that while there was illegal slavery, reports were exaggerated, as slave auctions were rare and not made public. This was a great comfort to everyone but the slaves peddled in secret. The city was later seized by forces loyal to the Libyan National Army (LNA) and its leader Khalifa Haftar in January 2019, probably for its collection of MiG-25 aircraft.... was informed on Tuesday.
Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy also said that 635 bad boyz were potted by security forces in Jammu and Kashmir ...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it Azad (Free) Kashmir. The remainder they refer to as "Indian Occupied Kashmir". They have fought four wars with India over it, the score currently 4-0 in New Delhi's favor. After 72 years of this nonsense, India cut the Gordian knot in 2019, removing the area's special status, breaking off Ladakh as a separate state, and allowing people from other areas to settle (or in the case of the Pandits, to resettle) there.... between 2018 and 2020, while 115 civilians bit the dust to terror violence in the Union Territory during the period.
Three civilians were also killed in the hinterland due to the terrorist violence in last three years, he said.
"The government has declared 42 organizations as terrorist organizations and listed their names in the First Schedule of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. Terrorism in India has largely been sponsored from across the border," he said in a written reply to a question.
In response to a separate question, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said 61 cases of infiltration were reported along the Indo-Pakistain border in last two years, 1,045 infiltrations along the Indo-Bangladesh border and 63 along the Indo-Nepal border.
[DAILYTIMES.PK] The PTI government has offered the Senate deputy chairman seat to its staunch opponent Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...Assembly of Islamic Clergy, or JUI, is a Pak Deobandi (Hanafi) political party. There are two main branches, one led by Maulana Fazlur Rahman, and one that was led by Maulana Samiul Haq. Fazl is active in Pak politix and Sami spent more time running his madrassah until his secretary rubbed him out in a jealous rage. Both branches sponsor branches of the Taliban, though with plausible deniability... (JUI).
As per details, Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak has confirmed the development, saying that the ruling party has told senior JUI-F leader Abdul Ghafoor Haideri ...Central Secretary General of JUI-F, member of the Pak senate, formerly provincial minister of Balochistan. He has a master's degree in Islam and runs a madrassah... that he can be the deputy chairman Senate.
Earlier today, Khattak and Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani met Haideri and offered him the position.
Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, whose party is member of opposition alliance Pakistain Democratic Movement (PDM), said that he cannot predict who will become Senate Chairman on March 12 nor has he been informed about PDM’s decision about candidates for the top slots of Senate.
On the other hand, PDM has decided to field JUI-F candidate for slot of Senate Deputy Chairman while Pakistain Moslem League-Nawaz (PML-N) will get post of Opposition leader in the upper house of parliament.
A meeting of steering committee was held under the chair of former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi at his residence. The meeting deliberated on names of candidates for the elections; however an official announcement will be made by PDM head Maulana Fazl-ur Rehman.
The elections for the coveted slots of Senate chairman and deputy chairman are slated to be held on March 12 and the opposition is contesting these polls jointly. It has already nominated Pakistain People’s Party (PPP) leader Yousaf Raza Gillani as its candidate for the Senate chairman seat.
Earlier, on March 4, Prime Minister Imran Khan ...aka The Great Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality disorders... announced Sadiq Sanjrani as the party’s candidate for chairman Senate.
However, alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk... from that total of 49, the PML-N’s Ishaq Dar, who was elected senator in 2018, has yet to take oath and is unlikely to be able to vote for the Senate chairman.
That means the opposition in reality has only 48 senators, and the Senate itself will have 99 members able to vote.
Bear in mind that the the government and opposition’s numbers combined (46+48 = 94) still leave 5 senators to be accounted for.
These are the senators who will be key to determining the final result. More on them below.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/10/2021 00:00 ||
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For those still confused by Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, it’s worth a reread of @FDD @adesnik’s 2018 study of ten of the leading groups. https://t.co/xpHIWtVErs
A Turkish company set up by Hamas operatives to funnel funds from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) and Hezbollah to the Qassam Brigades dissolved itself after it was designated by the US Treasury as a sponsor of terrorism, a Nordic Monitor investigation has found out.
Redin Danışmanlık İç Ve Dış Ticaret Limited Şirketi, a consulting and foreign trade firm identified as Redin Exchange by the US, was sanctioned by the US Treasury on September 10, 2019 for transferring money to Hamas for terrorist acts. The company’s owners rushed to liquidate after the designation and decided to dissolve it 10 days later at a board meeting.
The decision was notarized on September 30, and the official petition to dissolve the company was approved by authorities on October 4, 2020.
[JPost] Some reports said that the result of the vote was not final and that a second round would take place And keep voting til they get it right?
Hamas has elected a new leader in the Gaza Strip to replace Yahya Sinwar, according to people familiar with the matter. His name is Nizar Awadallah, the sources said.
Awadallah, 63, was one of four candidates who challenged Sinwar, the Palestinian daily Al-Quds reported. The other three candidates were identified as Mahmoud Zahar, Fathi Hammad and Ziyad al-Thatha.
1- @euphrateseye is reporting that there was a meeting by IRGC at Al-Bukamal periphery,where IRGC leaders of Al-Bukamal & Al-Mayadin has received orders by the IRGC to target US bases in SDF-Held Deir Ez Zor & MAT-Held Tanf,If there is a US Retaliation for Ain Asad Airbase attack
[NPASYRIA] In the city of Raqqa, north Syria, shop owners say that trading has sharply declined recently due to the Syrian pound’s collapse and people’s poor purchasing abilities.
During the past two weeks, the Syrian pound recorded a new decline, bringing the exchange rate on Monday to about 3,700 Syrian pounds (SYP) against the US dollar in the city of Raqqa.
"Trading declined by about 90%; profits value also decreased by about 50%," Raqqa shopkeeper Mahmud Hamis said.
"We make between 3 and 4 dollars after we used to make about 100 dollars a day in the past," he added.
"Most of the customers buy one piece, and the cheapest one," he said.
Shop owners are suffering from deteriorating living conditions in the light of the Syrian pound’s collapse, according to Hamis.
"I used to make $3,000 per month, but for two months I have been witnessing losses of about $600," he added.
Meanwhile, ...back at the desert island, Bert climbed the cocoanut tree, looking for ships. He saw none. He looked in the other direction and saw Irene, vigorously scrubbing her backside... most shop owners in Raqqa sell their goods considering the exchange rate at about 4,000 SYP even if it is less, fearing losses.
The implementation of the US Caesar Act in July added to the collapse of the Syrian pound, affecting the Syrian markets in general.
Residents of Raqqa are now foregoing luxuries and are concerned with securing food and basic needs.
Although some American officials stated that Caesar Act implementation would not affect Syrians especially in areas north and east Syria, its impacts have worsened living conditions, especially for those with limited incomes.
Abdullah al-Abdullah, a shop owner in Raqqa, said that the increasing exchange rate declined trading in his shop from 3,000,000 SYP to less than 1,000,000 SYP per month.
He pointed out that the market of Tel Abyad Street "has become empty after it has witnessed crowding, and now people are concerned with buying food rather than clothes and furniture."
Despite the salaries of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) that have reached an average of 200,000 SYP, residents of the area believe that this amount is inconsistent with the rising prices that have not stopped for years.
He added that shop owners in the market have no work to do.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/10/2021 00:00 ||
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Israeli Military (IDF) Intelligence Directorate allows publication of its psychological profile of Hezbollah Sec-Gen Hassan Nasrallah. https://t.co/OhglwOfcOk
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.
...the former foreign minister of the Northern Alliance government, advisor to Masood, and candidate for president against both Karzai and Ghani. Dr. Abdullah was born in Kabul and is half Tadjik and half Pashtun. He also held the meaningless salaried sop position as CEO of Afghanistan, while Ghani was president...
...... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire...
/> 
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the .jpg "Kashmir")
...a disputed territory lying between India and Pakistain. After partition, the Paks grabbed half of it and call it 
...Central Secretary General of JUI-F, member of the Pak senate, formerly provincial minister of Balochistan. He has a master's degree in Islam and runs a madrassah...
[JPost] Some reports said that the result of the vote was not final and that a second round would take place
