Khalid bin Mahfouz, a billionaire Saudi banker who paid $225 million to settle charges of bank fraud in 1993 and later won a string of lawsuits in Britain against writers who had accused him of supporting terrorism, died Sunday at his home in Jidda. He was 60. The cause was a heart attack, according to reports in the Arab news media.
In many ways, Sheik Mahfouz typified Saudi ArabiaÂ’s super-wealthy. He maintained opulent homes around the world and traveled in his own Boeing 767 with gold-plated bathroom fixtures, The New York TimesÂ’s Douglas Martin writes. Last year, the magazine Arabian Business ranked him 24th in its list of the 50 richest Arabs, with a fortune estimated at $3.35 billion.
He rose to prominence through his 30 percent ownership in the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, which was shut down in 1991 after charges of financial chicanery and money laundering. Sheik Mahfouz paid $225 million to settle fraud charges by the Manhattan district attorney’s office and the Federal Reserve. District Attorney Robert M. Morgenthau said $37 million of the settlement was a fine. But Sheik Mahfouz denied that any of the settlement was a fine, pointing out that he had not acknowledged any wrongdoing. He said he had agreed to the settlement “purely as a business decision.”
After the September 2001 terrorist attacks, considerable suspicion fell on Saudi financiers and charities as sources of financing for terrorism. Partly because it was probably true so much money passed through his bank and a charity he helped establish, Sheik Mahfouz faced a barrage of accusations in books, newspapers and magazines that he and his family had funneled money to Al Qaeda. He vehemently denied that and repeatedly and often successfully pressed publications for corrections. He also took advantage of Britain’s pro-plaintiff libel laws to sue publishers, almost all of whom settled before trial. One writer who fought back was Rachel Ehrenfeld, author of “Funding Evil: How Terrorism Is Financed — and How to Stop It” (2003). Sheik Mahfouz won a default judgment in 2005 ordering her to apologize, destroy all copies of the book and pay him roughly $230,000 in damages. Ms. Ehrenfeld has called his legal actions “financial jihad.”
#1
Ironic. A long time ago I suggested that a critical thing to do in the WoT was to take out the financiers, using plausible deniability operations that looked like accidents, including heart attacks, slip and falls, car accidents and the like. Not assassinations, just "bad luck".
#2
Moose,
It may have happened - a year or so back there were a couple of otherwise hale and healthy Saudi princes who suddenly died under...shall we say...odd circumstances.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
08/28/2009 15:51 Comments ||
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#3
"picnic in the desert gone bad" was a frequent plotline story
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/28/2009 16:16 Comments ||
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#4
Good Ole BCCI --- Bank of Crooks and Criminals, International
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/28/2009 21:42 Comments ||
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Except for the clothes, Amiri Park could be any park in the United States: kids jostling for positions on swings and seesaws or chasing each other over the grass and gravel paths. One boy makes long arcs with his inline skates; teenage girls parade new clothes. Families picnic on the grass, and others dine al fresco at a Turkish restaurant. The air is fresh and cool, while in the city, it's dusty and hot.
This is Mazar-i-Sharif, the capital of Balkh Province in northern Afghanistan. Mazar is an eight-hour drive from Kabul and a different cultural region, dominated by Tajiks, Uzbeks, Turkmen and Hazaras. Amiri Park occupies one-sixth of a "new town" of 648 acres planned to accommodate 30,000 people. It's an Afghan version of a gated community, though anyone well off enough to own a car or hire a taxi to get here can use the park without charge.
Its creator, Khaled Amiri, an unassuming man of 49, has never lived outside Afghanistan and speaks no foreign languages. But through private enterprise, he is showing Afghans a new way to live, which represents just about everything the U.S. would like to see in Afghanistan.
Continued on Page 49
A. Kurdistan is to Iraq
B. Tibet is to China
C. Lebanon is to Syria
D. Java is to coffee
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
08/28/2009 14:52 Comments ||
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#2
A
Posted by: lord garth ||
08/28/2009 15:37 Comments ||
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#3
Aren't yours a little young for that yet, liberal hawk? A. Or so one hopes, leading the way that the rest of the country will follow in a decade or two.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Sudan's Darfur region is no longer in a state of war and only has one rebel group capable of mounting limited military campaigns, the head of the area's peacekeeping force said as he ended his tour of duty.
The commander of the joint U.N./African Union UNAMID force, Martin Luther Agwai, told reporters the conflict had now descended into banditry and "very low intensity" engagements that could blight the remote western region for years without a peace deal.
"As of today, I would not say there is a war going on in Darfur," he said in a briefing in Khartoum late on Wednesday.
"Militarily there is not much. What you have is security issues more now. Banditry, localized issues, people trying to resolve issues over water and land at a local level. But real war as such, I think we are over that."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I wonder if something similar could happen to North American cities with significant Somali populations. I'm thinking of Minneapolis and Saint Paul Minnesota. Lots and lots of immigrant Somalis some of whom have gone back to Somalia to join the militants.
A FORMER head of the Armed Forces has launched a scathing attack on the Ministry of Defence over its handling of the war in Afghanistan. General Lord Charles Guthrie said our brave servicemen and women were starved of single-minded leadership because of ministers who "sit frozen in indecision".
The former UK Chief of Defence Staff said: "Britain is at war, but one would never know it walking around Whitehall. For too many politicians it is merely another day of awkward things happening in far away places. The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan appear no more than inconvenient blips - something to be muddled through until things return to normal."
In a column in The Times newspaper Lord Guthrie wrote: "And muddle is the word, as was manifest in a scathing report into defence procurement leaked this week. Its author, the former Labour adviser Bernard Gray, an experienced observer of the defence scene, blamed incompetence and "political fudge" for £35billion of defence project overspending.
"Moreover, The Times revealed that poor decisions about software have kept eight Chinook helicopters, costing a total of £259million, in climate-controlled hangars during the Iraq and Afghan conflicts. Such an error would never happen in the private sector without dismissals and a plain identification of where the buck stopped.
"The revelation is all the more appalling because Chinooks are lifesavers. They are the safest way to evacuate injured soldiers from the battlefield - and a brilliant tactical device to get behind Taliban lines to confuse and mystify the enemy. Chinooks also help resupply and reinforcement where land movement is dangerous.
"That we have insufficient available for our needs in Afghanistan is best explained by the size and structure of the Ministry of Defence. The department employs 87,000 civilian staff for 175,000 servicemen and women.
German authorities said Friday they had arrested a man suspected of aiding a terrorist bomb plot, and a newspaper said he was picked up as he was leaving for a training camp in Pakistan.
The federal prosecutor's office in Karlsruhe said Kadir T, aged 24, had been remanded in custody after a hearing. T is the latest accused from a group of young men, either of Turkish background or converts to Islam, who grew up amid German affluence and volunteered to join the jihadist cause.
The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper said police swooped when T left home, bound for an Islamist camp somewhere in the lawless zone along the Pakistan-Afghan border. Investigators suspect he purchased a video camera and a rifle night-vision sight which an associate delivered to the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), a shadowy group similar to al-Qaeda.
He was linked to four men who have confessed during their current trial in Germany to plotting bomb attacks in Germany against US bases so as to spread terror among the German public. Prosecutors said T was associated with one of the plotters, Adem Yilmaz, a German national of Turkish ethnicity, who asked him in June 2007 to buy the devices. Yilmaz sent a brother, Burhan Yilmaz, to the camps with the consignment in October 2008, prosecutors said. Yilmaz and two other men were arrested in September 2007 in a country village in the German region of Sauerland
[Iran Press TV Latest] A senior Islamic theologian Tariq Ramadan, who has been recently dismissed from his positions at a university in the Netherlands, described his dismissal as being the result of Western "hypocrisy".
In a statement, the municipality of Rotterdam and the Erasmus University Rotterdam declared that the Swiss-born theologian's hosting of a program on Press TV was "irreconcilable" with his position as a guest professor and relieved him from his duties.
Ramadan, who will chair an Islamic studies department at Oxford University in September, has strongly criticized the Dutch authorities over their decision.
"The situation is completely different from what they portray, because I have been working with Press TV on a program mainly focusing on theology, Islamic issues, philosophy and contemporary issues," Ramadan told Press TV.
"Because of the political climate in the Netherlands and especially in Rotterdam, they use it as a pretext to target the visible Muslim intellectuals and as I am visible in the Netherlands, it is what they were going to do," he added.
"The Dutch government and the municipality of Rotterdam have direct contacts with Iran and they did not cut it even after the election, so this is all hypocrisy," Ramadan concluded.
One feels so, for the poor darling.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Well I have seen his program on "Live Station," and Ramadan is about as anti West as possible. George Galloway also slugs it out on "Press TV." Objectivity is a thought-crime there.
If it's August, it must be time for Cindy Sheehan to drop in on a presidential vacation.
Sheehan, perhaps the most outspoken and most visible anti-Iraq war protestor, came to Martha's Vineyard to push President Obama to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Sheehan's son Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004 when he volunteered for a rescue mission in Sadr City. She became a prominent symbol of the anti-war movement with her protests against then-President George W. Bush.
Sheehan said today she wanted to tell Mr. Obama that even if he goes on vacation, her group will not take a break from spreading their message of peace.
Sheehan noted that "Martha's Vineyard is a lot nicer than Crawford, Texas" where Bush vacationed.
When Sheehan first set up her anti-war vigil, deemed "Camp Casey," near Bush's ranch in Crawford in 2005, thousands joined her to protest the president's foreign policy and demand an end to the war in Iraq.
She said at the time she would not leave Crawford until Bush met with her.
Sheehan stayed over three weeks in Crawford, but Bush never met with her, sending two senior aides instead. Sheehan dogged Bush for the rest of his presidency and never stopped demanding that sit-down. She even purchased five acres of land in Crawford to hold her rallies but over the course of the second Bush term, the crowds dissipated and her strong views on the war came to be seen as on the fringe.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2009 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Mike ||
08/28/2009 11:10 Comments ||
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#5
As much as I hater her - and I do, I do - you have to admit that she's consistent. The fact that the Donks dumped the whole anti-war movement thing the moment they came to power actually seems to have surprised her.
#9
You know what, Im a christian, and soo IMHO the charitable attitude towards her starry eyed optimism is the best. She lost a son, and shes been remarkably persistent in being a pain in the arse. If she could have her roots touched up, a manicure, Im confident we could have her republican by the next presidential election!
#10
Nice thought GirlTuesday, but what you are talking about is a rather superficial Republican makeover, when in reality ole Cindy is batshit crazy to the bone -- and thus genetically predisposed to be a Dem.
Posted by: regular joe ||
08/28/2009 14:25 Comments ||
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#11
/"kill em with kindness" bring em closer to doubting their affiliations, then get switch hit against Obama in the next election.
#13
"Nice thought GirlTuesday, but what you are talking about is a rather superficial Republican makeover, when in reality ole Cindy is batshit crazy to the bone "
Must - resist - joke
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
08/28/2009 14:54 Comments ||
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#14
The fact that the Donks dumped the whole anti-war movement thing the moment they came to power actually seems to have surprised her
BHO has consistently said that the war in Afghanistan was the "war of necessity". As for Hillary and Biden, I dont need to tell you what issues Cindy had with them, or they with her.
If its Pelosi who is inconsistent, well you will need to ask her.
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
08/28/2009 14:56 Comments ||
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#15
OK, LH - point well taken. But as former resident of San Francisco and Berkeley I can attest to the fact that the anti-war movement ramps up when Republicans are in power, and goes silent when Democracts are running the show. That's the evidence of my own eyes.
#16
So true, Libs only bitch anti war when a repub is in office, but now they're behaving like good boys and girls.
musical chairs: the music just stopped, everyone has a seat except Cindy... Who is still standing up and complaining to anyone in ear shot. Which is why I could manipulate her to become a republican. Evil maniacal laughter.
#17
"the anti-war movement ramps up when Republicans are in power, and goes silent when Democracts are running the show"
Not really
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyndon_B._Johnson
So you mean lately. What examples are there lately? The far left opposed the interventions in Bosnia and Kosovo, but didnt really take it to the streets? Because they loved Clinton? Or cause they knew that holding a demo against a war with zero US casualties would mean such low attendance as to be a huge embarrasment?
That leaves Obama basically. Obviously the far left is trying to get a better handle on what will work politically for them - and its pretty clear, that despite some liberal disappointment with Obama, to stage massive protests against him on the war would lose them sympathy from the kinds of folks they want to recruit.
Which leaves the loons, like Cindy. Who IS protesting in the Vineyard, as this article shows.
Posted by: liberal hawk ||
08/28/2009 15:39 Comments ||
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#18
really? Seen Code Pink lately? What about resos to remove military funding from the Donk caucus? I'll be civil and just assume you're being naive
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/28/2009 16:15 Comments ||
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#19
Anti-war protesters, oooh, scary, they can stick a military theater up theirs. And suffer knowing the foreplay and lube provided by Obama has worn off.
WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has written a searing critique of government efforts at “strategic communication” with the Muslim world, saying that no amount of public relations will establish credibility if American behavior overseas is perceived as arrogant, uncaring or insulting.
The critique by the chairman, Adm. Mike Mullen, comes as the United States is widely believed to be losing ground in the war of ideas against extremist Islamist ideology. The issue is particularly relevant as the Obama administration orders fresh efforts to counter militant propaganda, part of its broader strategy to defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
“To put it simply, we need to worry a lot less about how to communicate our actions and much more about what our actions communicate,” Admiral Mullen wrote in the critique, an essay to be published Friday by Joint Force Quarterly, an official military journal.
While President Obama has sought to differentiate himself from his predecessor, George W. Bush, in the eyes of the Muslim world — including through a widely praised speech in Egypt on June 4 — the perception of America as an arrogant oppressor has not changed noticeably, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan, where United States forces remain engaged in war, and in Pakistan, where American-launched missiles aimed at militants from the Taliban and Al Qaeda have killed civilians. Maybe we can talk the enemy to death.
#1
Sad. If Mullen and his Master want better relations, he could start by flying the black flag of islam over the Pentagon. After all, muslims were responsible for the remodeling of a substantial portion of it.
Posted by: ed ||
08/28/2009 13:03 Comments ||
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#2
I wonder?
Not having examples handy, is the "Black Flag" of Islam, and the "Black Flag" of Piracy similar?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/28/2009 13:23 Comments ||
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#3
Posted by: ed ||
08/28/2009 13:39 Comments ||
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#4
Saudi flag:
Posted by: ed ||
08/28/2009 13:42 Comments ||
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Khaaaannnn!!!!
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- A court in Pakistan on Friday directed the government to lift any remaining restrictions on the movements of Abdul Qadeer Khan, the rogue scientist who confessed to having run an illicit global nuclear proliferation network. The ruling is likely to create a new irritant with the Obama administration, which had said it was "exceedingly concerned" about Mr. Khan and whether the restrictions that remained on him were sufficient. Whether the government will follow through with the new ruling is unclear.
Mr. Khan, a metallurgist by profession, is hailed in Pakistan for developing the nation's nuclear weapons program. He was placed under house arrest in 2004 after a tearful public apology in which he confessed to selling nuclear technology to several countries. American officials believe these included Iran, Libya and North Korea.
In February, a court in Islamabad lifted Mr. Khan's house arrest and declared him a free man, to the elation of his supporters. But the government assured the United States that it would continue to monitor him, and some restrictions on the disgraced scientist remained intact. Mr. Khan has been able to meet friends and family only after getting approval from the security agencies. He has not been allowed to travel abroad and is required to inform the government 48 hours in advance of his travel plans within the country. The restrictions have exasperated Mr. Khan and his family, and the court ruling came in response to a petition filed Thursday in which Mr. Khan complained that the official protocol made him feel "like a prisoner."
In response, Justice Ijaz Chaudhry of Lahore High Court suspended the protocol and issued contempt notices to senior Islamabad police and administration officials, asking them to explain at the next hearing, scheduled for Sept. 4, why they continued to restrict Mr. Khan.
In a telephone interview, the scientist's wife, Hendrina Khan, said that her husband wanted to attend a granddaughter's graduation on June 7 in Islamabad and had notified government officials a month in advance. "But the moment we were about to leave our house, 12 people -- from police, the ISI and, well, everybody -- came, and Islamabad commissioner padlocked the gate," she said. "They put up roadblocks outside on the road and physically prohibited us from leaving." The incident, she said, compelled her husband to approach the court once again.
Mr. Khan and his family members welcomed the Friday ruling.
"It is excellent and heartwarming and very gratifying," Mr. Khan was quoted as saying while talking to reporters gathered at his house. "I think the people who have been involved in playing mischief with me will get the message and allow me live a peaceful, private life as a citizen."
But Mrs. Khan expressed some skepticism. "I am sure they are going to use one pretext or another to continue the restrictions," she said, "but we always remain hopeful." Someone not under house arrest and constant police observation could have an accident. Or develop a sudden, fatal illness. Just saying. Cirrhosis. He could always get acute cirrhosis ...
[Dawn] Half of the planned assistance pledged by the US to Pakistan is likely to be wastefully spent on administrative costs, Islamabad's top finance official has said.
Shaukat Tarin, Pakistan's finance minister, has urged the US to channel its assistance through Pakistani agencies instead to save on high intermediation costs incurred by US counterparts.
His comments come as Pakistan struggles to secure funds from international donors who want to know more about where it will be spent. At an international donors meeting in Turkey this week, Pakistan failed to cement earlier pledges of $5.7 billion in aid in spite of an appeal by the United Nations not to ignore the country's plight.
Pakistan has become one of the largest recipients of US aid as Washington seeks to help stabilise the country threatened by a Taliban insurgency. US president Barack Obama plans to raise economic assistance to about $1.5 billion per year, or $7.5bn over the next five years.
'Whatever aid [the US is] giving must have full impact on the ground which is why they should route as much of this aid through our agencies than their own agencies,' Mr Tarin said in an interview with the Financial Times. 'Frankly, we only receive almost 50-55 per cent of the aid, 40-45 per cent becomes expenses [because of intermediation costs by the US].'
Some Pakistani officials express concern that USAID, the US's foreign development arm, will establish a large infrastructure in the country and employ generously paid foreign experts. They are concerned that higher personnel and administrative bills will inflate the cost of development projects.
Mr Tarin added Pakistan would resist any linkage of financial assistance to the country's nuclear programme or confidence-building measures with arch-rival India. He said aid would be 'unacceptable' if it was tied to greater monitoring of the country's nuclear arsenal.
'If [the US] put conditions on the money to be spent where it is intended (to be spent), that's the kind of condition I would like to place on myself. But if they bring in other things, nuclear or [opening up] trade with India or anything which we believe is not related, that will not be acceptable to us.'
US aid is intended to win public goodwill across Pakistan where anti-Americanism is widespread. US administrations have in the past been viewed as generous with military support, but stinting on civilian partnership.
The US seems unlikely to change how it delivers any increased aid to Pakistan. The US says it expends a lot of time and resources trying to make sure its taxpayers' money does not end up in the wrong hands. Transparency International, the Berlin-based corruption watchdog, last year ranked Pakistan 134th out of 180 countries on its corruption perceptions index.--
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Half of the planned assistance pledged by the US to Pakistan is likely to be wastefully spent on administrative costs..
Well, then they're running a better rate than the 700B Stim Package the Donks used to loot the public treasury with back at the beginning of this year.
#2
Vs. 100% stolen if Pakistanis are given control. Do American taxpayers a favor in the era of $2,000,000,000,000 deficits and keep the money at home.
Posted by: ed ||
08/28/2009 8:33 Comments ||
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#3
Half of US aid to be wastefully spent
And the other half will end up in the politicians pockets.
#4
Yeah? Why is this news?
More important, why is this well known behavior so accepted?
Name a country, before 'O', Bush, Clinton, Bush, ..., the money spent in supporting foreign governments and humanitarian aid has always become payments to the puppet shows.
[Dawn] Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram he was disappointed with the statements of his Pakistani counterpart Rehman Malik. He also asked other countries whose nationals were killed in Mumbai to pressurise Pakistan.
Malik had said that Pakistan was not being given evidence about the involvement of Jamaatud Dawa Chief Hafiz Saeed in the Mumbai terrorist attacks. The interior minister was also quoted as asking for information about the Samjhota Express tragedy and saying that Islamabad would not be responsible for any future terrorist attacks in India.
'I was disappointed when I heard him say that evidence was still not being presented to Pakistan and what was worse was when he said Islamabad is not responsible if something happens in the future,' Chidambaram told reporters. He said 'the evidence given to Pakistan in the series of dossiers is more than enough to arrest Hafiz Saeed and if they follow all the leads given in the dossiers, they can bring charges against him'.
The Indian home minister said the comments made by Malik were 'not very encouraging'. 'I am very surprised,' he said adding that 'such statements were not expected from such a responsible minister of a government.' 'The last dossier which was handed over to Pakistan a few days ago has been shared with about 15 or 16 countries,' the minister said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I would pressurize Pakistan. Would that be a #3 or #4 Foster?
[The News (Pak) Top Stories] Maulana Waliur Rahman, the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander, who has emerged as the pivotal figure in the banned organization following the death of Baitullah Mahsud, is a 35-year old cleric who studied at a madrassa in Faisalabad.
Taliban sources said Waliur Rahman graduated from the Jamia Islamia Imdadia, Faisalabad in 1994. He had studied at local madrassas in his native South Waziristan before seeking admission in the seminary in Faisalabad.
Subsequently, he taught for about seven years in a madrassa in Karama in South Waziristan. Some years ago he joined the Taliban movement and started enjoying Baitullah Mahsud's trust. In due course of time he was entrusted responsibility to look after the financial matters of the TTP.
"Baitullah trusted him in money matters. He became a close aide to the TTP leader even though his designation was that of a deputy to Baitullah in charge of the organization's finances," said a knowledgeable Mahsud political activist, who requested anonymity.
According to Taliban sources, Waliur Rahman's brother Qareebur Rahman was killed when the militants stormed the military fort at Saplatoi in South Waziristan sometime back. The paramilitary Frontier Corps resisted the attack and Qareebur Rahman, along with a number of militants and soldiers, was killed in the fighting.
Waliur Rahman's father Asmatullah reportedly suffered heart attack and died when he was informed about his son's death.At one stage in his life and before joining the Taliban militants, Waliur Rahman was associated with Maulana Fazlur Rahman's Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) and pursued peaceful politics.
He attended the Deoband conference organized by the JUI-F at Taru Jabba near Peshawar on the Grand Trunk Road some years ago.Waliur Rahman belongs to the Malkhel clan of the Manzai sub-tribe of the Mahsuds. He isn't a cousin of Baitullah as wrongly reported in a section of the media.
In fact, he and Baitullah belonged to different sections of the Mahsud tribe. Baitullah was from the Shabikhel clan of the Mahsud tribe.Following Baitullah's death in the US drone attack on the night of August 5 on his father-in-law Ikramuddin's house in Zangara village in South Waziristan, Waliur Rahman emerged as a key leader in the TTP. He holds the TTP purse and was privy to Baitullah's secrets.
Waliur Rahman was one of the main contenders for Baitullah's job as the TTP head. Tribal sources said his appointment as the TTP head for South Waziristan made him the pivotal figure in the organization. South Waziristan is the TTP headquarters and its major stronghold and any Taliban commander heading the chapter there would control all its fighters and resources.
Hakimullah Mahsud no doubt was chosen as the TTP's central head but he would need Waliur Rahman's support and blessings to effectively run the organization that has been weakened by Baitullah's death and the loss of certain other key commanders and bases due to military operations by Pakistan's armed forces. It would be an even bigger challenge to keep the TTP intact in the absence of the powerful figure of Baitullah.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > LOST IDENTITY: THE NEW TALIBAN CHIEFS AND THE FUTURE OF THE TTP; + WHAT THE TALIBAN FEAR MOST! AH-IF = AH-1 COBRA GUNSHIPS.
Wally the "Moderate" + Hakeemullak the "Lion".
* SAME > US ENVOY DENIES NEW HUGE DEPLOYMENT OF MARINES [only 20 Marines to stand guard at alleged new US "MASSIVE EMBASSY COMPLEX/ DETAINMENT CENTER"?].
IMO the selection of HAKEEMULLAH means a NEW STRATEGIC, POTENS MORE VIOLENT PHASE OF THE AFPAK/REGIONAL + INTERNATIONAL JIHAD IS BEGINNING, one meant to protect and divert from Iran's Nuclearization drive come 2012 [IRAN'S NEW NUKES TO MIL PROTECT JIHADIST GAINS IN ASIA].
[Asharq al-Aswat] While Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki hinted that Syria shoulders responsibility for Wednesday's bombings and that Iraq would have responded in the same way "were it not for our values, concern, and desire to reach an agreement with this state to get rid of those it is sheltering", his adviser Sadiq al-Rukabi has stated that what Al-Maliki meant "is that any country can host another country's oppositionists. Iraq can host the Syrian opposition in the same way that Syria is hosting oppositionists to Iraq." He added however that "the Iraqi Government will not play the same game."
Asked if Syria refused to extradite to Iraq those it considers responsible for the recent bombings, al-Rukabi said "the government can act in two directions. The first is to look toward Syria's cooperation in this matter and the other through the UN framework, especially as the latter has a previous resolution on the issue of terrorism in Iraq, specifically Resolution1618 which urges all countries to demonstrative effective cooperation for arresting the perpetrators of terrorist actions and those sponsoring them and for trying them. There is in addition another Security Council Resolution No.1483 which talks about criminals who are fugitives in neighboring countries. We therefore believe it is our right to demand from the Security Council and the international community to stand with the Iraqi people against those lying in wait for them."
On Al-Maliki's recent visit to Syria, which was described as successful, and how the relations would fare following the recall of the two countries' ambassadors, Al-Rukabi said "Iraq has always expressed its desire to establish the best relations with neighboring countries, including Syria, particularly as we exercised self-restraint and patience all these past years, and this makes it incumbent on us to shoulder our responsibility of defending our people." Asked if Al-Maliki presented the Syrians with a list of wanted persons, the prime minister's adviser stressed that "the security issue was at the top of the dossiers discussed by Al-Maliki and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad during his recent visit." He refused however to disclose any further information.
Moreover, Iraqi Government Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said "we informed the Syrian side that we are ready to conclude a strategic agreement with you on condition of extraditing the criminals and expelling the terrorist organizations from your territories. But they refused." He asserted to Asharq Al-Awsat that the "Iraqi state does not barter the lives and blood of its citizens for a relationship with any country, in particular Syria. Our citizens' lives and blood are more important than any relationship with any country and therefore the Iraqi state will not be lenient after what happened and will put relations within the framework where they should be and act at the international level to make the world realize that there are crimes against humanity and crimes of genocide launched from some countries of the region. There must be an international effort to help Iraq stop this kind of crimes launched from this country." He added that "our relations have now reached the point of differentiation and the Syrian Government must choose either to have good relations with Iraq or keep persons who are hostile to the Iraqi people."
Now what?
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2009 00:00 ||
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Ma'an -- Hamas and Islamic Jihad rejected caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's plan to establish a de facto Palestinian state within two years, arguing that "resistance" is the only way to establish a Palestinian state.
Fayyad's 65-page plan deepens "the reality of [Palestinian] division and the presence of the Israeli occupation. This fulfills the desire of the occupation in line with the policy of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," said Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum.
"Fayyad is not authorized to make determine the political course for the Palestinian people ... Fayyad's government is not legitimate because he believes in coordination and negotiation with the [Israeli] occupation," Barhoum added.
"We have one path for our Palestinian state to be established. The only way to do so is through resistance and a state without settlements, when all detainees are released and the refugees are back to their homeland," he said.
Fayyad, a US-educated economist was appointed as prime minister when Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007. He presented his plan to build up Palestinian government and economic institutions on Tuesday. The plan envisions state-building despite the ongoing Israeli occupation.
Islamic Jihad leader Nafeth Azzam also said that he sees resistance, a term that encompasses armed resistance, as the only path to a Palestinian state.
"This document has illogical points and others not that clear," Azzam said in an interview with Ma'an.
The establishment of a state, he said, "is not easy at all especially that Israel is not giving Palestinians their simplest rights."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
[Asharq al-Aswat] The parliament of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) elected on Thursday six new members to its executive body.
Among the six elected are Ahmed Qorei, a veteran who recently lost his position in the leadership of the secular Fatah movement, along with top negotiator Saeb Erakat, and lawmaker Hanan Ashrawi, a PLO spokesman said.
The Palestinian National Council (PNC), the organisation's parliament, last held a plenary meeting in 1996, and was replacing members of the PLO's 18-member Executive Committee who have since died.
Among Executive Committee members who died in recent years was iconic Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who passed away in 2004 in a Paris hospital.
The Executive Committee is headed by Palestinian Authority president Mahmud Abbas.
The PLO groups the main Palestinian nationalist factions, including Abbas's Fatah, but not the Islamist Hamas which has ruled the Gaza enclave since 2007.
It created the Palestinian Authority in July 1994 when Arafat returned to Palestinian land after 27 years in exile.
The international community recognises the PLO as the "sole and legitimate" representative of the Palestinian people, but Hamas disputes that claim and has in the past sought to create a rival body.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: PLO
[Asharq al-Aswat] Following the bombings and violent disorder seen in the northern town of Tripoli and the recent wave of prison break-out attempts from the Roumieh prison, concerns are being raised over the current governmental vacuum and its affect on the current security situation in Lebanon
Asharq Al-Awsat spoke to a high-ranking Lebanese security source who revealed that "there are no worries with regards to civil peace at the current stage, and there is no information that this is under threat." The source added "the problem is in the politics. If the political official agreed [to form a government] this worrying atmosphere would come to an end. If they disagree, talk about sedition, destruction, and explosions increases; however this is not the case in reality."
Speaking about the violence that the Lebanese city of Tripoli has recently witnessed, the security source said "the series of nightly grenade attacks in the Jabal Mohsen area of Tripoli is not carried out by those outside the region, but from within."
The high-ranking Lebanese source added "It is known that Syria and Hezbollah have allies in some parties who follow the Islamist Salafist trend in Tripoli. They support them with money and weapons. It seems that some of this support [initially] did not reach everybody for one reason or another, and following the death of one of the [Salafist group] leaders...this support began to reach them in a more direct and clear way. This improved the condition of the groups, which naturally drew attention to them. And so the specialist security force immediately took stock of the situation, and undertook raids on some of their weapons cache."
The source revealed that the link between the Salafist groups and Hezbollah was discovered after the Lebanese security force raided a house belonging to a Salafist group member with ties to Hezbollah and discovered a weapons cache.
Speaking about Hezbollah providing these groups with weaponry, the Lebanese security source also told Asharq Al-Awsat "The Lebanese security forces, from the army to the internal security apparatus, are in control of the situation. This is why they have separated the Beddawi Palestinian Refugee Camp and Jabal Mohsen. They have set up in position between these two areas in order to monitor any suspicious activity or attempts to transfer arms."
The source also denied that there was any threat to Tripoli saying "There is no threat to civil peace if the situation remains as it is in Tripoli because there is solid cooperation between the region's officials and leaders, particularly the Grand Mufti of the North, Sheikh Malek al-Shaar. In short, the measures undertaken by the security forces are good, and the people of Tripoli have expressed their satisfaction with the steps that have been taken."
The recent foiled breakout attempt from Roumieh prison by members of the Fatah al-Islam group saw only Taha Hajj al-Suleiman escape, with the other seven Fatah members being caught before they could get over the wall. Al-Suleiman was recaptured less than a day later by Lebanese authorities. Speaking of the investigation into this incident, the source told Asharq Al-Awsat "the suspect, Taha Hajj al-Suleiman, is a member of Fatah al-Islam...but he did not give up any information or implicate any of his accomplices. He also attempted to mislead the investigation by giving up names of security personnel who had nothing to do with him obtaining a cell phone whilst inside prison, but rather this was an attempt at gaining payback, as was later revealed. The investigation had difficulty in getting information from him, and particularly looked at where he was heading once he fled prison, and who facilitated his escape. The investigation also arrested an individual from the Beqaa town of Arsal who was supposed to meet with the escapees and provide them with aid. The investigation is still ongoing."
As for the information that Fatah al-Islam prisoners are given preferential treatment and enjoy freedom of movement in Roumieh prison, the security source told Asharq Al-Awsat "it is not true that religious figures intercede on their behalf [to secure this], things are focused only on the humanitarian aspect...religious figures say that those who commit terrorist activities should be subject to the law and punished."
Speaking about information about assassination plots against official figures, the source revealed "around one month ago the authorities arrested a network of ten individuals who belong to Fatah al-Islam who were in possession of Hungarian passports and Greek telephone numbers. After questioning them, the authorities received unconfirmed information about plans to booby-trap a UNIFIL [United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon] truck which would be detonated close to the headquarters of the Phalange Party whilst MP Samy Gemayel was present. The Lebanese authorities warned Gemayel of this treat and provided him with the necessary protection."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
#1
Strange bedfellows. While a Salafist government in Yemen is slaughtering shiites, while a Salafist terrorist organization is slaughtering Shiites in Iraq, while Salafists slaughter Shiites in Pakistan ... the Shiite Hezbollah is going to support a Salafist organization in Tripoli?
I dunno. Salafists see Shiites as evil incarnate. I don't see why they would even accept such help.
#2
The big Sunni-Shiite final conflagration is supposed to happen at the End of Days.
But...get this: according to the witless prophecy, a 70,000 man Jewish army is supposed to rise in what is now Iran, only to be faced with a larger army from what is Afghanistan, which will massacre the Jews and Shiites and move on towards Jerusalem, where they confront the anti-christ (Dajjal). According to the shiites, the "hidden imam" will arise to lead the army. But...where do they find 70,000 Jews in Central Asia?
[Al Arabiya Latest] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Thursday for "crippling sanctions" against Iran to stop its disputed nuclear work, on a solemn visit to Berlin marked by Holocaust remembrance.
After talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Netanyahu expressed hopes for a quick resumption of Middle East peace talks as he warned of a mortal threat to Israel's survival posed by Iran.
"There is not much time" to halt Tehran's nuclear ambitions, he told reporters.
"I think the most important thing that can be put in place is what the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called crippling sanctions. It is possible to put real pressure, real economic pressure, on this regime if the major powers of the world unite."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
And just what would those be? China is happy to accept 100% of Iranian oil output and sell any goods Iranians desire.
Posted by: ed ||
08/28/2009 9:31 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Would China be so happy if the Oil was Radioactive?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/28/2009 13:20 Comments ||
Top||
[Al Arabiya Latest] Some Iranian reformers jailed after the disputed presidential election were raped in prison, a member of a parliamentary investigation said on Thursday.
"Raping of some detainees with a baton and soda bottle has been proven to us," the Parlemannews website quoted the unidentified lawmaker from the investigative committee as saying.
Iran's defeated presidential candidate, Mehdi Karroubi, had said some imprisoned protesters were raped and abused in jail, a charge government officials rejected as "baseless."
But parliament speaker Ali Larijani said last week he would be ready to consider any documents or other evidence submitted by Karoubi to back up his claims.
Larijani had ordered the formation of the parliamentary committee to investigate the plight of detainees, most of whom were held during mass protests following the results of the June 12 election.
Karroubi, a moderate, had said four people were ready to testify to parliament that they were sexually abused in jail if their security was guaranteed.
The pro-reform cleric has angered some hardliners in power for raising the allegations and they suggested Karoubi should be jailed or lashed if he failed to prove his claims.
Another moderate, losing candidate Mirhossein Mousavi, backed Karroubi and accused "establishment agents" of raping and abusing detainees.
Iranian moderates say the June vote was rigged to secure President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election, a charge the authorities deny.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/28/2009 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
Al Qaeda's second-in-command on Friday accused the United States of leading a crusade to turn Pakistan into a divided nation and urged Pakistanis to join in a jihad to resist. "The war in the tribal areas and Swat is an integral part of the crusade on Muslims across the world," Zawahri said in the tape posted on an al Qaeda-linked website.
In the 22-minute video address entitled "Path of Doom" he reiterates comments made in July calling for Pakistanis to wage war against the American "crusaders" and the Pakistani army. "There is no honour for us except through Jihad," Zawahri said. "People of Pakistan ... back the jihad and mujahideen with your persons, wealth, opinion, expertise, information and prayers and by exhorting others to help them and preach their message."
#1
The plea might work better if Zawahri and Binnie got on the rooftop and shouted it to all the world. Say tomorrow 6PM sharp. Mutual "leg" massages optional.
Posted by: ed ||
08/28/2009 9:34 Comments ||
Top||
#2
ahhhh...felling your stones being squeezed, are you? Nothing like the sound of drones and mortars to bring on a fatwah.
#3
ION IRAN-DAILY > RIGI IMPLICATES US IN TERROR ATTACKS. Alleged terror mastermind claims US created JONDOLLAH GROUP, gave orders for attacks and targets.
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.
Khalid bin Mahfouz, a billionaire Saudi banker who paid $225 million to settle charges of bank fraud in 1993 and later won a string of lawsuits in Britain against writers who had accused him of supporting terrorism, died Sunday at his home in Jidda. He was 60. The cause was a heart attack, according to reports in the Arab news media.
German authorities said Friday they had arrested a man suspected of aiding a terrorist bomb plot, and a newspaper said he was picked up as he was leaving for a training camp in Pakistan. 
If it's August, it must be time for Cindy Sheehan to drop in on a presidential vacation.
Al Qaeda's second-in-command on Friday accused the United States of leading a crusade to turn Pakistan into a divided nation and urged Pakistanis to join in a jihad to resist. "The war in the tribal areas and Swat is an integral part of the crusade on Muslims across the world," Zawahri said in the tape posted on an al Qaeda-linked website.
