BERBERA, Somalia(land) -- Following a lengthy phone conversation between Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir and Somaliland leader, the separatist region has sent back huge arms consignment, Garowe Online reports. Multiple independent sources in Berbera Port City confirmed the move to Garowe Online.
Just a little too obvious...
Cranes reloaded MV Shakir with the seized weapons shipment including battle tanks, artillery pieces and modern combat vehicles late on Monday night, two days after public display.
Sudan's Al Bashir is said to have disclosed that the heavy weaponry was meant to be sold at a market in United Arab Emirates to Somaliland President Ahmed Mohamed Mohamud (Siilaanyo).
The controversial consignment prompted lambaste from the breakaway region's arch rival to the east, Puntland.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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[Nigerian Tribune] CHADIAN troops have arrived in Nigeria to join the battle against holy warrior Islamist group, Boko Haram ... not to be confused with Procol Harum, Harum Scarum, possibly to be confused with Helter Skelter. The Nigerian version of al-Qaeda and the Taliban rolled together and flavored with a smigeon of distinctly Subsaharan ignorance and brutality... Armoured vehicles and infantry crossed a bridge from Cameroon ...a long, narrow country that fills the space between Nigeria and Chad on the northeast, CAR to the southeast. Prior to incursions by Boko Haram nothing ever happened there... , following air strikes and mortar attacks on Boko Haram positions, officials said on Tuesday.
Director-General of National Orientation Agency (NOA), said with the arrival of the Chadian troops to join the multinational task force, fighting is now focused on the north-eastern town of Gamboru, in Borno State.
Last week, Chadian troops reportedly moved into Malumfatori, a Nigerian town, which lies near the borders of Chad and Niger, after a ground and air assault against the holy warriors.
The Chadian contingent of about 2,000 troops crossed the frontier without a shot being fired, AFP news agency reported from the scene, but Chad warplanes had earlier carried out air strikes for about an hour.
French planes on surveillance at Nigeria's borders
FRENCH military aircraft are carrying out surveillance missions to help countries bordering Nigeria tackle Boko Haram holy warriors, officials said on Tuesday.
This was amid efforts by African countries to coordinate a response to the threat posed by the group.
The African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... (AU) has authorised a force of 7,500 troops from Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Benin to fight the Death Eaters and it is expected to seek a United Nations ...the Oyster Bay money pit... Security Council mandate, which could also include logistics support from other countries.
"Our air force is carrying out reconnaissance missions, but not over Nigeria," said a French defence ministry source.
"Our support is limited to neighbouring countries such as Chad and Niger," the source added.
It stated further that intelligence was being given to Chadian forces currently fighting Boko Haram on the Cameroon and Nigeria border region.
Speaking at a ceremony on Tuesday, marking the accidental death of nine French airmen in Spain last month, French President, Francois Hollande ...the Socialist president of La Belle France, an economic bad joke for la Belle France but seemingly a foreign policy realist... , had earlier said aircraft were currently operating over Nigeria.
Clarifying Hollande's comments, the presidential palace said French planes were not flying over Nigeria, but that La Belle France was "cooperating in the fight against Boko Haram."
Hollande said in May that Rafale fighter jets would be used for reconnaissance missions to help find some 200 girls kidnapped by Boko Haram.
Since then there has been no official comment on any French operations in the country.
La Belle France has headquartered its 3,200-strong Sahel counter-insurgency force, Barkhane, in the Chadian capital N'Djamena, some 50 kilometres (30 miles) from the Nigerian border. It has fighter jets based there and in Niger, where it also has surveillance drones.
"La Belle France is in N'Djamena. We have the capacity to do surveillance and provide intelligence," a French diplomatic source said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
The French will get very, very nasty if Chad is threatened.
[Osun Defender] The Nigerian Army has debunked the rumour making the rounds in the social media that the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt-Gen. Kenneth Minimah, and the military leadership are actively working for an interim government after May 29, 2015.
The Acting Director of Army Public Relations (Ag.DAPR), Col. Sani Usman, said in a statement on Tuesday that the Army's attention has "been drawn to spurious and unsubstantiated allegations being circulated particularly, in the social media, about the Nigerian Army, the Chief of Army Staff and some serving senior officers.
"Any discerning mind would notice that these false and baseless allegations are calculated attempts by unpatriotic elements to divide the Nigerian Army, create disaffection among its ranks and distract the service from its avowed constitutional duty of defending the territorial integrity of our great nation. Unfortunately for these individuals, their effort which are reminiscent of the NADECO days are obviously aimed at reversing the gains made and the renewed efforts in fighting terrorism and insurgency in the country is failing woefully".
Before dealing with these allegations, Usman said, it is important to note that these efforts are renewed attempts by the same faceless groups who since last year have made futile efforts to politicize ongoing counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations of the Nigerian Army and other security agencies.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
The US should be pushing back on Islam in Nigeria. Get some of those A-10s we are planning to get rid of and put them in theater and next time terrorist army shows up somewhere send them in to hammer the living crap out of them.
[Osun Defender] President Goodluck Jonathan ... 14th President of Nigeria. He was Governor of Bayelsa State from 9 December 2005 to 28 May 2007, and was sworn in as Vice President on 29 May 2007. Jonathan is a member of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP). He is a lover of nifty hats, which makes him easily recognizable unless someone else in the room is wearing a neat chapeau... said, yesterday, that he deserves a second term to enable him consolidate on the achievements he has recorded during his first term in office and promised to do better if he is re-elected.
Speaking with traditional rulers in Kogi State before the presidential rally in Lokoja, President Jonathan said most governments worldwide perform better during the second term of their administrations.
He said: "Whatever we have done in the last four years, we believe that we will even do more in the next four years. Most governments all over the world do better in their second tenure.
"This is because the Presidents are more stable that time, especially in this two-term arrangement. They sit down and plan for the country and focus on key areas."
The president told the traditional rulers that his administration would pay greater attention to the Ajaokuta Steel Company of Nigeria and ensure that the steel is included in the nation's rail system if he is re-elected.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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[The Peninsula] The presence of Chadian troops on Nigerian soil to fight Boko Haram does not compromise the country's sovereignty, the military in Abuja said on Tuesday.
Not that it would matter if it did, unless the military can enforce any displeasure it might feel.
Soldiers from Chad on Tuesday crossed the border from Cameroon to the Nigerian town of Gamboru, after three days of bombardment of Boko Haram positions in a regional fight-back against the militants.
But Abuja's defence spokesman Chris Olukolade said in a statement: "Nigeria's territorial integrity remains intact."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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[YEMENONLINE.INFO] The minority group whose holy warriors have overrun Yemen's capital said it would take power by force and impose its own political order if a consensual arrangement to end a political standoff isn't reached by Wednesday.
The Houthis--who desire a greater role in the government--met with other Yemeni factions and a United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... envoy, Moroccan Jamal Benomar, in the aftermath of President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi 's abrupt resignation on Jan. 22.
Bilateral talks on a power-sharing arrangement proved fruitless, however, prompting Houthi ...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 Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. 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 ... leader Abdul Malik al Houthi to call a three-day conference that started Friday. He then extended the conference, held at a converted indoor sports stadium San'a, until Wednesday.
As the new deadline for a deal approaches, Yemeni politicians say little consensus has been achieved on how the country should be run.
Houthi leaders are critical of U.N. moderation and wary of foreign interference.
"Some political factions want to compromise but on condition we let them continue in the corruption they are involved in," said another Houthi leader, Abdullah Shaban. "We are witnessing a revolution, and that's impossible."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
The Houthis keep acting like a cross between the Grand Duchy of Fenwick in The Mouse That Roared and Robert Redford's character in The Candidate: "We won. What the hell do we do now?"
Posted by: Anice Nim ||
02/04/2015 20:20 Comments ||
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[YEMENONLINE.INFO] A senior politician says that Yemen's main political parties suspended United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... -brokered talks with their rival Iranian catspaws who are in control of the capital.
Former President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who resigned last month, remains under house arrest by the rebels, along with his Cabinet.
Rival parties are demanding the rebels, known as Houthis, release Hadi and allow the parliament to convene to consider his resignation, the politician said.
He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press.
The Houthis reject the legitimacy of the parliament. They have given a three-day-ultimatum, starting Sunday, for politicians and rival parties come up with an acceptable plan or else they threaten to completely take over the government.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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"Kim urged the Korean People's Army to increase its combat readiness against US aircraft carrier striking groups. The dictator is confident that the carriers can be beaten if the army diligently studies and improves its strategies for guerrilla warfare water wings?
and looks for weaknesses in the enemy, the report said."
#4
Putin lost a great opportunity to open up with the west when he chose to cast his lot with mobsters, liars, thieves, and despots. And monsters like Kim Jong Un. Putin's choices spell doom for progress in improving the lives for Russians. These are dark days when a leader of a nation throws in his lot with the forces of darkness.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
02/04/2015 14:33 Comments ||
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[AnNahar] The 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.... group called for fresh attacks against La Belle France in a video released Tuesday, nearly a month after a deadly Islamist assault on a Gay Paree magazine shocked the world.
In the video, an unidentified, masked jihadist is seen surrounded by holy warriors calling on French Moslems to quit their country for IS' self-proclaimed "caliphate", which covers parts of Iraq and Syria.
In the video, which was widely shared on Twitter and jihadist forums by IS supporters, the masked fighter calls for more killings in La Belle France.
He asks supporters to attack police and military targets, as well as those who participated in mass protests last month to condemn the killing of 12 people at the offices of French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo ...A lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe... on January 7.
The attack was claimed by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula ...the latest incarnation of various Qaeda and Qaeda-allied groups, including the now-defunct Aden-Abyan Islamic Army that boomed the USS Cole in 2000... , but has attracted praise from jihadist groups elsewhere.
The fighter in the video also demanded that La Belle France release Islamist detainees and allow them to leave the country.
Three soldiers were maimed in the French city of Nice on Tuesday by a knife-wielding assailant, leaving two injured, a police source said.
In September, La Belle France joined the U.S.-led coalition carrying out air strikes against IS holy warriors in Iraq, but it has not joined the United States in its aerial campaign against the jihadists in Syria.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
It is not for nothing tyrants fear the artist and political cartoonist.
In 1940, artist Jean-Jacques Waltz (Uncle Hansi), still wanted by the Gestapo for his militant works and his treason of 1914, had to flee into Vichy France. He was attacked by the Nazis in Agen, and fled to Switzerland.
Badly wounded because of this attack, he remained weak until he died in 1951.
A French graphic design company came under heavy criticism after it posted a notice for an available position on its website which included "If possible, not Jewish" as a criterion, French media reported on Tuesday.
Specifying that they sought an "organized, demanding and motivated" employee, NSL Studio seemingly included a preference for non Jews in its service, a request that caused a social media firestorm.
Users of Twitter and Facebook quickly took to their keyboards, chiding the company and expressing revulsion at such blatant bigotry. But NSL Studio denies that it was responsible for the foul post, claiming that they were the victim of hacking and that they âwould never have willingly published the advert." However...
An unrelated French publication, Inrocks Magazine, contradicted NSL Studio's hacking claim however, asserting that they had an insider source who had told them that company elites had made a conscious choice to express their disinterest in Jewish employees because they preferred flexible schedules without religious constrictions.
[THEGLOBEANDMAIL] A husband and wife who placed pressure-cooker bombs outside the B.C. legislature and branded themselves "al-Qaeda Canada" attempted the attack in the hopes it would make Canadians think twice about sending troops to Moslem countries, says the Crown. If you've never been to Victoria, it's about the most pleasant city you'll ever visit. And the beer is excellent.
The trial of John Nuttall and Amanda Korody began Monday in B.C. Supreme Court. The couple, described by the Crown as a two-person terror cell, is accused of planting the bombs on July 1, 2013, ahead of Canada Day festivities in the B.C. capital of Victoria. They have pleaded not guilty "Wudn't me." Peter Eccles, the Crown prosecutor, told the court the case is about "two individuals who became, for whatever reason, radicalized into an extreme form of Islamic ideology that considers it acceptable to kill for political agenda."
Lawyers for the accused, however, urged the jury to keep an open mind.
Mr. Eccles said the police investigation into Mr. Nuttall began in February, 2013, though it was unclear exactly why he was a target. The prosecutor said Mr. Nuttall was approached by an undercover police officer who posed as a businessman and said he was looking for his niece. Mr. Nuttall agreed to help and the conversation quickly shifted to Islam, of which Mr. Nuttall was a recent convert, the Crown said.
Mr. Nuttall, before long, allegedly told the undercover officer Moslems were being oppressed and that he wanted to participate in jihad.
Mr. Eccles said Mr. Nuttall initially wanted to build rockets, such as those used by Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,. When that proved too difficult, given the number of materials involved, Mr. Nuttall instead decided to replicate the Boston Marathon bombings because they were relatively inexpensive and simple, the Crown said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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Islamabad -- The Obama administration is deliberating a 10 per cent cut in economic and security assistance provided to Pakistan in its new financial year budget proposal.
The administration has sought over $800 million of which $534 million is reserved for civilian assistance and $307 million for security assistance, according to the Voice of America. The budget document stated that the request for aid demonstrates US commitment to assist Pakistan’s counter-terrorism and counterinsurgency capabilities.
The document added that in view of the ongoing transition in Afghanistan, the Foreign Military Financing is essential to Pakistan’s efforts to increase stability on its western border region as well as overall stability within its own borders.
If we don't give them money will Pakistain become noticeably less stable?
The request is part of US President Barack Obama’s $4 trillion spending plan for 2016.
I'm willing to give foreign aid to certain countries. Pakistan isn't one of them...
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Cut it by 100% forall of me.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
02/04/2015 0:30 Comments ||
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#2
Pakistan funds and trains Taliban supports a number of terrorist groups and hid obl/omar.why do the west fund them is beyond me!
Posted by: paul ||
02/04/2015 6:20 Comments ||
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#3
why do the west fund them is beyond me!
paul, this is called bureaucratic inertia.
Pakistan was funded as the counter-balance to the socialist, Soviet (non, ha) aligned India in the good old cold war days.
Once the spigot is turned on it takes an act of God to turn it down not to mention off.
#7
The administration has sought over $800 million
The latest data shows that Pakistan spent $6,630,000,000 on their military in 2012 which amounted to 2.7% of the country's the country's GDP that year.
[DAWN] The government assured provinces in the National Assembly on Monday that they would get aid to fight terrorism "beyond their expectations" after both its opponents and some allies accused it of indifference over Friday's suicide kaboom on an Imambargah ...since Pakistain is very religiously correct, Shia Moslems can't call their houses of worship 'mosques,' which are reserved for Sunnis. It's not clear if imambargahs are used for explosives storage like mosques are... in Shikarpur that killed more than 60 people.
The government gave no explanation about complaints from Leader of Opposition Khursheed Ahmed Shah and some other politicians from both sides of the aisle wondering why neither Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... , who was in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... on the day of the attack, nor any of his ministers had visited Shikarpur so far to show solidarity with the people of the city.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), 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. High Court on Tuesday dismissed appeal of four turbans and upheld their conviction by an anti-terrorism court in a case of possessing high quality of explosives and weapons.
A bench comprising Justice Abdul Lateef Khan and Justice Syed Afsar Shah pronounced a short order after hearing arguments of the defence and prosecution in the joint appeal filed by the four convicts -- Niazbeen, Sheraz, Asif Khan and Haji Habib.
The appellants were tossed in the calaboose Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try! by police on Oct 27, 2013, in a raid on a hujra and attached residence in the limits of Mattani cop shoppe. Police claimed to have recovered 840 kilograms of kaboom, a Kalashnikov rifle and several pistols from them. They were charged under different sections of Anti-Terrorism Act, Explosive Substance Act, Arms Ordinance and Pakistain Penal Code.
One of the appellants, Niazbeen, had also recorded his confessional statement wherein he admitted that the kaboom belonged to them. An anti-terrorism court in Peshawar had found the appellants guilty of the offence and sentenced each of them to 14 years rigorous imprisonment.
The defence counsel argued that the appellants were falsely implicated in the case and they were not present on the spot of occurrence. He contended that the kaboom was recovered from the hujra of a local commander of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP), Khalid Khan, and the appellants had no relation with him.
The counsel contended that the confessional statement of Niazbeen was given under duress as he was severely tortured and forced by police to record statements in some of terrorism related cases. He added that police involved the appellants in several untraced cases.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Jamaat-e-Islami ...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores... provincial chief Professor Ibrahim Khan on Tuesday said the ruling and opposition parties in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... Assembly were considering fielding joint candidates for Senate elections to discourage horse trading.
Addressing a news conference here at the party's provincial secretariat, Professor Ibrahim said central general secretary of his party Liaquat Baloch met Chief Minister Pervez Khattak in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar ...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), 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. on Monday and discussed the strategy for the March 3 Senate polls.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The lawyers who thronged the court in support of Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of Salman Taseer, do so in hope of a 'heavenly reward' as they believe defending the convict is part of their 'religious obligations.'
They were there on a chilly Tuesday morning, in all shapes and sizes and ages ‐ thin, plump; old, middle aged and young; dressed in crumpled gowns and with straggly beards or clean shaven, clad in smart winter coats.
There were so many of them that the small room at the Islamabad High Court could not accommodate them all and many had to be content to wait outside in the cold. Those inside were hardly more comfortable as they were pushed and shoved as they stood balancing themselves against the wall, in a room that grew warm and humid while it drizzled outside.
Also read: Qadri's appeal: IHC re-issues notice to Salman Taseer's legal heirs
Among those who attended the hearing of an appeal filed by Qadri against his conviction by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) were member Punjab 1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots.... Bar Council Sajjad Akbar Abbasi, former presidents Lahore High Court (LHC) bar association, Rawalpindi, Taufiq Asif, and Ahsanuddin Sheikh, and former president Islamabad bar association Naseer Kayani ... four star general, current Chief of Army Staff of the Mighty Pak Army. Kayani is the former Director General of ISI... All of them were there to assist the lead counsel for Qadri - former chief justice of LHC Khawaja Mohammad Sharif and retired Justice Mian Nazir Ahmed, who have come out of retirement to defend Qadri.
As a lawyer present there commented: "These two 'defence' lawyers are senior to the judges hearing this case."
But it appeared that most of those present were doing their 'religious duty'.
When Dawn asked a lawyer why he had associated himself with the case, Mohammad Waqas Malik replied: "Ghazi Ilam Din, who killed a 'blasphemer', was represented by Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah."
When another lawyer reminded him that Ghazi Ilam Din was convicted and hanged, Malik shrugged and said: "It was during the government of non-believers and the judge who convicted Ilam Din was also a non-Moslem."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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Members of the House Armed Services Committee met with Jordan's King Abdullah Tuesday not long after news broke that ISIS had burned to death a Jordanian pilot captured in the fight against the terrorist group. In a private session with lawmakers, the king showed an extraordinary measure of anger â anger which he expressed by citing American movie icon Clint Eastwood.
"He said there is going to be retribution like ISIS hasn't seen," said Republican Rep. Duncan Hunter Jr., a Marine Corps veteran of two tours in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, who was in the meeting with the king. "He mentioned 'Unforgiven' and he mentioned Clint Eastwood, and he actually quoted a part of the movie."
Hunter would not say which part of "Unforgiven" the king quoted, but noted it was where Eastwood's character describes how he is going to deliver his retribution.
"And he said, 'The only problem we're going to have is running out of fuel and bullets.'" An we have a leader with an unusual, yet deadly, knack of being unable unwilling to identify a threat.
#2
I am right in thinking that it was the Hashemites that the Al-Sauds' defeated in the early 20C for stewardship of Mecca and Medina? And that they're known for a more 'moderate' Islam (oxymoron I know)?
Didn't .com have a plan around having the Hashemites take control of Mecca and Medina and a new country of 'Eastern Arabia' (going from memory here, it was a long time ago and I don't think .com posts here any more) looking after the oil?
Ah well, we can dream can't we?
I agree with you mystic, it's going to be quite a ride...
Posted by: Tony ||
02/04/2015 5:42 Comments ||
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#3
No stranger to Fort Bragg, Jordan's King Abdullah is an accomplished parachutist, marksman, and ardent admirer of U.S. Army Special Forces. It will be interesting to see how these events sort out.
#4
Tony. You are right. The Hashemites as supposedly direct descendents of Muhammd don't ned to play the "Muslimer than thou" the Saudis are forced to play.
In the whole "Seven Pillars of wisom" Lawrence of Arabia wrote single sentence about the Seoud/Wahabis "That (name forgotten) region was home to the fanatical and dangerous Wahabis". By the standards of the Hashemites, Lawrence was used to wahabites were nuts.
#8
The last time Jordanians and Syrians got into a tussle, the fight was basically a draw - in the course of the Black September in 1970. The Jordanians managed to push them back out of the country and kept the Syrians from reinforcing the Palestinian rebels, but the Hashemite ground troops got knocked around pretty badly in the course of the fighting. They won primarily because the Jordanian air force smothered the Syrians and the usual half-assed Arab attitude ("we can pretend we're not actually invading if we just send in the army and keep the air force out of it!") kept the Syrian air force from being committed. Jordan's reputation for military prowess by Arab standards is largely the fading memory of the old British-commanded Arab Legion, which hasn't been an institution for almost sixty years now.
In short, don't expect them to be any more effective than the modern Egyptian military.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
02/04/2015 11:33 Comments ||
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#9
Thanks for the clarification JFM - very helpful.
Crikey @Shipman - I'm very flattered by that :)
Very sad to hear that TW, I learnt a huge amount from his posts.
Posted by: Tony ||
02/04/2015 14:46 Comments ||
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#10
I thought this pilot was a part of Obama's "American led" Arab coalition. If so, where was the search and rescue effort?
#15
Mitch, I have been over there in the recent past, and I think your statements are a little overblown. Check into what hte US Military Liaison mission has been up to for the past 4 years.
[AnNahar] Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... 's ambitions are spreading far beyond its Leb home as the Shiite movement appears increasingly bent on taking on Sunni foes across the Middle East. It has sent thousands of its fighters into Syria and senior military advisers to Iraq, helped Iranian catspaws rise to power in Yemen and threatened Bahrain over its abuse of the Shiite majority.
But the regional aspirations also are taking a heavy toll and threatening to undermine Hizbullah's support at home. The group has suffered significant casualties, there is talk of becoming overstretched, and judging by the events of recent days, even a vague sense that the appetite for fighting the Israelis is waning.
Continued on Page 49
[Beirut Daily Star] A Syrian rebel leader has vowed a resumption of rocket fire on Damascus beginning Wednesday.
Zahran Alloush, the leader of the Islam Army, made the vow in a statement released Tuesday and said the barrage would come in response to a series of deadly regime air raids on the Damascus suburbs.
"Because the capital is full of military barracks, intelligence centers, artillery and rocket facilities ... we declare the entire city of Damascus a military zone and an arena for [military] operations," Alloush said.
"We ask all civilians, diplomats and students to stay away from any regime center, checkpoint or vehicle" throughout the day, he added.
Alloush's Islam Army militia carried out a similar threat late last month, also citing several deadly regime Arclight airstrikes against rebel-held suburbs as its justification. Dozens of rockets and mortar bombs killed at least seven people in the capital before it was called off in the late afternoon by Alloush.
Pro-opposition circles were divided on the value of last month's barrage; some maintained that the rebels should inflict pain on regime-held areas while others argued that causing civilian casualties would only turn more people against the armed opposition.
Damascus has largely been spared the ravages of the war, although jihadi groups have claimed a number of car kabooms, often targeting government or military targets.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] 'Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran has helped Iraq, Syria, Paleostine and Leb's Hezbollah by exporting technology needed for production of missiles and other equipment,' top Iranian general says.
Iran has admitted it exported its arms production know-how to Hezbollah and Paleostinian groups, a top Iranian general said, in a bid to give them the skills they need to create their own arms.
"The Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran has helped Iraq, Syria, Paleostine and Leb's Hezbollah by exporting the technology that it has for the production of missiles and other equipment," Revolutionary Guard Air Force commander Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh told Fars News Agency on Monday.
"They can now stand against the Zionist regime, (ISIS) and other takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... (infidel) groups and cripple them."
Hajizadeh stressed Iran's self-sufficiency in building radar systems and drones, and said that the country has also exported its drone technology and products to other countries.
According to the news agency, Tehran launched an arms development program during the 80s as part of its war with Iraq and after the US weapons embargo following the 1979 Islamic revolution in the country. The report further claimed that since 1992, Iran has produced its own tanks, armored personnel carriers, missiles and fighter planes.
Iran frequently makes unconfirmed claims regarding its military strength and developments, however Monday's comments come amid heightened tensions between the Islamic republic and Israel after a January attack in Syria attributed to Israel saw anIranian general killed alongside Hezbollah fighters.
For example, the Iranian website "Mashark" threatened Wednesday to eliminate three Israeli army officers, providing names and photos - the head of the Home Front Command Major General Eyal Eisenberg; Golani Brigade Commander Colonel Ghassan Alian and Colonel Yaniv Asor, who has been tapped to command the Bashan Division.
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which spotted the threatening post, notes that the site is considered close to Iran's security circles. It is not clear if the site is a mouthpiece for the Revolutionary Guards or the Defense Ministry in Tehran, but it is clear that the site states the positions of the Iranian defense establishment.
In the immediate aftermath of the killing of seven senior Hezbollah and Iranian officials in Quneitra two weeks ago, an act attributed to Israel, the site threatened that Hezbollah would assassinate the sons of Israeli politicians such as Ehud Olmert, Ariel Sharon and Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as the children of IDF commanders.
The site's most recent post includes details - some wrong ‐ about the three IDF officers who are the current targets for Dire Revenge.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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[7 views]
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[AnNahar] Abou Malek al-Shami, the emir of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra ...the current nom de guerre of al-Qaeda in the Levant, which isn't to be confused with al-Qaeda in Iraq and the Levant... Front in al-Qalamoun, considered on Tuesday that the blast which targeted a bus carrying Lebanese Shiite pilgrims in Damascus a "clear message for those who are assaulting Sunnis."
"Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... played a substantial role in supporting the vicious Nusairi regime and shed the blood of Sunnis in Damascus... our response had to be brutal," al-Shami said in a post via his Facebook page.
He slammed "certain sides that are describing the assault as terrorist and turning a blind eye to the Iranian Hizbullah crimes against the Sunnis in the Sham."
"Those sides are aiding Hizbullah by oppressing (the Syrians) who were compelled to flee their country to Leb and other areas."
A blast destroyed a bus carrying Lebanese Shiite pilgrims in Damascus on Sunday, killing at least nine people in an attack claimed by al-Nusra ...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli sh-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ... Front.
Al-Shami also called on Sunnis in Leb and Syria to "avenge" those who contributed to the genocide in the Sham.
The bombing underscored the sectarian nature of Syria's four-year war, and how neighboring Leb has become ensnared in the complex conflict.
Al-Nusra accused the bus passengers of being Hizbullah fighters, claiming it was a suicide kaboom, while Syrian state media and al-Manar TV both said the blast was caused by a bomb placed on the bus.
The Nusra Front claim spotlighted why the pilgrims were likely targeted: as Dire Revenge for Hizbullah fighters defending Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Leveler of Latakia... Hizbullah's direct participation in the Syrian conflict has prompted hard-line Sunni snuffies to lash out against Shiite communities in Leb.
[Beirut Daily Star] The United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... World Food Program has declared itself "extremely concerned" by photographs showing its food parcels being handed out in Syria with ISIS logos on them.
Images circulating on social media show food being distributed from cardboard boxes with "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.... in Syria" labels pasted over the WFP logo.
ISIS or ISIL, which last year changed its name to the Islamic State, rules over millions of people in Syria and Iraq, and keeping the public fed is part of its effort to portray its "caliphate" as a genuine government.
To get food and medicine to areas ruled by ISIS, the U.N. says it relies on partner humanitarian organizations such as the Syrian Arab Red Islamic Thingy, which told Rooters Tuesday that it negotiates access with ISIS but distributes all aid itself.
"WFP condemns this manipulation of desperately needed food aid inside Syria," said Muhannad Hadi, WFP Emergency Regional Coordinator, in a statement late Monday. The agency was trying to confirm the authenticity of those images, it said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
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#1
Why are they alarmed by this? They usually work in conjunction with a number of terrorist organizations.
Perhaps it's because they (WFP) got caught?
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
02/04/2015 8:35 Comments ||
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Ya know, I'm starting to think that "relief" to barbarians just encourages their wars to go on ad infinitum. No more free food, no more free medicine, no more refugees. The world would get harsher for a fe years, but I suspect it would be more peaceful after that.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
02/04/2015 12:07 Comments ||
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[SAUDIGAZETTE.SA] The man stands furtively on a street corner, his face masked by a hoodie, his tense eyes scanning the crowd for any hint of murderous Moslems linked to the self-proclaimed 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.... group.
He was one of them before he left Syria a year ago, and he is afraid. Now he chain-smokes as he describes the indiscriminate killing, the abuse of female recruits, the discomfort of a life where meals were little more than bread and cheese or oil. He recounts the knife held to his throat by fellow fighters who demanded he recite a particular Koranic verse on Islamic warfare to prove himself.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
02/04/2015 00:00 ||
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[1 views]
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#1
"It was totally different from what they said jihad would be like,"
Oh really? What did YOU think it would be like?
Posted by: European Conservative ||
02/04/2015 9:22 Comments ||
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#2
"Germany considers about 30 of its 180 returnees extremely dangerous. There is no way to prove their intentions."
If you come back from a terror camp, what intentions could you possibly have? I suggest deportation to the Kerguelen Islands
Posted by: European Conservative ||
02/04/2015 9:26 Comments ||
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"oh wait, that was Hillary"
NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams admitted Wednesday he was not aboard a helicopter hit and forced down by RPG fire during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, a false claim that has been repeated by the network for years. "oh wait, that was someone else"
Williams repeated the claim Friday during NBC's coverage of a public tribute at a New York Rangers hockey game for a retired soldier that had provided ground security for the grounded helicopters, a game to which Williams accompanied him. In an interview with Stars and Stripes, he said he had misremembered the events and was sorry. "Prolly from my PTSD from my time with Seal Team Six"
The admission came after crew members on the 159th Aviation Regiment's Chinook that was hit by two rockets and small arms fire told Stars and Stripes that the NBC anchor was nowhere near that aircraft or two other Chinooks flying in the formation that took fire. Williams arrived in the area about an hour later on another helicopter after the other three had made an emergency landing, the crew members said. "what's an hour if the narrative is powerful enough? Fake but true!"
"I would not have chosen to make this mistake," Williams said. "I was forced by the Cong....errrr ratings...errr..."
"I donât know what screwed up in my mind that caused me to conflate one aircraft with another." RESIGN NOW, fraud, and join Dan Rather in liar's retirement
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/04/2015 18:42 ||
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#1
yeah...right...I always forget the details when some splodedopes are trying to kill me...just translate his comments as "So sorry (I got caught)
#3
God I love that plane! (as you would imagine) very thoughtful design on the engines and an "in-your-face" flying cannon. Strikes fear in the hearts of camels as well as their jockeys everywhere ;)
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.
Goodluck Jonathan
"Kim urged the Korean People's Army to increase its combat readiness against US aircraft carrier striking groups. The dictator is confident that the carriers can be beaten if the army diligently studies and improves its strategies for guerrilla warfare 
A lefty French satirical magazine, home of what may well be the majority if the active testicles left in Europe...
It is not for nothing tyrants fear the artist and political cartoonist.
A French graphic design company came under heavy criticism after it posted a notice for an available position on its website which included "If possible, not Jewish" as a criterion, French media reported on Tuesday. 
Islamabad -- The Obama administration is deliberating a 10 per cent cut in economic and security assistance provided to Pakistan in its new financial year budget proposal.
[DAWN] The lawyers who thronged the court in support of Mumtaz Qadri, the killer of Salman Taseer, do so in hope of a 'heavenly reward' as they believe defending the convict is part of their 'religious obligations.'
Members of the House Armed Services Committee met with Jordan's King Abdullah Tuesday not long after news broke that ISIS had burned to death a Jordanian pilot captured in the fight against the terrorist group. In a private session with lawmakers, the king showed an extraordinary measure of anger â anger which he expressed by citing American movie icon Clint Eastwood.
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
