By Syed Saleem Shahzad - The Afghan Taliban has strongly rejected media speculation that its leader Mullah Omar has agreed to resign from his position and called for reconciliation with the United States. In a statement released late Tuesday, the Taliban reasserted that no peace talks would begin until there was a complete withdrawal of foreign troops from Afghanistan.
"The Islamic emirate of Afghanistan emphasises its unwavering stand regarding talks with the Americans and considers the unconditional withdrawal of all invading forces from Afghanistan a prerequisite for talks and negotiations with the Americans," the statement said.
"Talks with America in the presence of foreign forces would mean giving their invasion legitimacy."
The Taliban also claimed that the US presence in Afghanistan was the main reason for the "instability" in the country and the region.
"So any deal under the name of negotiation is a betrayal of the Islamic aspirations of the people of Afghanistan and all vital interests as long as this factor remains in its place," it said.
The Taliban statement also attacked the British weekly newspaper, The Sunday Times for promoting "farcical rumours" by claiming the Taliban was ready to take part in peace talks.
"The Sunday Times published the report against all codes of journalism, on the basis of two unknown and alleged members of the leadership council of the Islamic Emirate (Afghanistan)," the statement said.
Without naming any individuals, the Taliban said international media reports were often part of a campaign to malign the Taliban. It said only two spokesman were appointed to speak to the media and all reports should be "verified" with these spokesmen.
A matter of competing definitions, as far as I can understand, Sir Victor. We define homosexuality as preferential male-male sexual activity. They define sexual activity as exclusively between a husband and wife, therefore the male-male activity is something else, which therefore cannot possibly be homosexual, no matter the man's preference. Listen to our host, who claimed 2-3,000 encounters with dancing boys, but never any sex... after which he nearly came to blows with his guests over who would return the dancing boy to his owner.
#4
Ummm... were you being sarcastic, Sir Victor? As I demonstrated yesterday, I'm not necessarily good at recognizing that when it isn't clearly signposted with /sarc or a winking thingy or something.
#7
A guess on my part: I also wouldn't be surprised if the boy were considered to be not homosexual as long as he is under a certain age and therefore not a man yet and therefore not prohibited from homosexual acts.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Human Rights Watch (HRW) has ascribed stability in parts of Somalia to the tough rule of al-Shabab fighters who control much of the conflict-torn country's south.
However, a new report by the New York-based group adds that this stability has come at a high price for the local population.
The study cites killings, repression and harsh punishments based on extreme interpretations of Islamic Sharia law by the fighters in the lawless country which has lacked a strong central government since 1991.
"While al-Shabab has brought stability to some areas long plagued by violence, it has used unrelenting repression and brutality," AFP quoted Georgette Gagnon, HRW's Africa director as saying on Monday.
However, HWR also accuses the Western-backed transitional government of President Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed and African Union peacekeepers of extreme violations of the rules of war, including indiscriminate killing of civilians.
"Alongside abuses in al-Shebab-controlled areas, all sides are responsible for laws-of-war violations that continue unabated in Mogadishu," said Gagnon.
The HWR official also urged the United Nations, the US and the European Union to stop turning a blind eye to violation committed by the other side, simply because they are deemed allies.
"There is no easy, obvious way to solve the crisis in Somalia...But outside powers should address abuses by all sides instead of ignoring those committed by their allies," she stressed.
The transitional government and the fighters have been fighting for control of the capital ever since the new fledgling government took power in January 2009.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2010 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Ignoring resentment in the party, Jamaat-e-Islami high-ups have agreed to replace high-ranking leaders of the party after the possible arrest of some of its leaders for their alleged involvement in war crimes in 1971.
Sources said most of the leaders and workers of Jamaat and its different front organisations are worried about possible arrest of all top leaders, which might create a serious vacuum and their absence may lead to desertion of Jamaat by field-level activists.
Highly-placed sources said the party leaders are considering to have a alternative leadership ready against whom there are no war-crime allegations so that they could run the party after the arrests.
They said the party is passing its worst-ever time now after the Awami League government set up the International Crimes Tribunal to try people involved in crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War.
Sources in Jamaat said the party high-ups were under the impression that the government would not be able to set up the tribunal to try those people. After formation of the tribunal, party leaders seem very disorganised and many attempted to leave the country.
Sources said majority of the young leaders and activists, especially those born a few years before and after the independence, opined that it would be wise for the party to relinquish the leaders, with war-crime allegation against them, for the greater interest of the party.
They think if those leaders are removed from the party's portfolio the party might not face any difficulty rather it would improve its image. It is hard to make such a decision as most of the top-ranking leaders were allegedly involved in war crimes and they have strong influence in the party.
Jamaat leaders say if chief Matiur Rahman Nizami is arrested then the next in line to lead is Nayebe Ameer Moulana Yusuf or Delwar Hossain Sayedee. Both of them have allegation of war crimes against them. If all of them are arrested, Jamaat decided that the third Nayebe Ameer Makbul Ahmed would be the acting ameer of Jamaat.
There is a similar problem in the second most important post in Jamaat. Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed and three assistant secretaries general--Mohammad Qamaruzzaman, Abdul Kader Mollah and ATM Azharul Islam--also have war crimes allegations against them and all of them could be arrested.
In this context, Jamaat leaders are considering another assistant secretary general barrister Abdur Razzak who would step in as secretary general.
Similarly, there will be changes in other posts and process to form second front of leadership is almost finalised.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2010 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/20/2010 10:36 Comments ||
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#3
WARNING:
Reading this article will raise your blood pressure by at least 35 bpm.
Posted by: yo adrian ||
04/20/2010 10:46 Comments ||
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#4
IMHO the creative group of South Park has been remarkably consistant in satirizing everything and everyone...even the episodes where I do not find everything funny I still must give credit to them for doing quality work in both subtle and in-your-face techniques.
Making an episode anyways after their previous (controversial?) Mo/OBL showings reveals some good stuff, tens times the brass in one episode than the rest of their peers' last 8 years combined.
#5
Well, fancy that. Revolutionmuslim.com is down.
Which tells me that either they're typical jihadi wannabe pussies who can't take the heat or every hacker in America now has them in their crosshairs. Or both.
#7
I saw an interview with them on Boing Boing about a week ago. They basically spent half of it explaining that they were going to give the finger in this episode to radical Islam in defense of freedom of speech.
#9
and these people are still not under arrest, does no one realize we are involved in 2 wars! This is war time status and this kind of homegrown crap needs snuffing out ASAP.
#11
here's their YouTube video, explaining why satirical poetry drove Mo crazy so that he had to slaughter people and why the present day mooches must do the same. Gets a bit graphical.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — An Islamist politician whose party lost several members in a suicide attack blamed Pakistan's alliance with the U.S. for the violence and urged Islamabad on Tuesday to break ranks in the war on terror.
The comments showed the depth of anti-Americanism in Pakistan, whose support Washington considers key to stabilizing neighboring Afghanistan. In the past three days, attacks in Pakistan have killed some 74 people, signaling a potential new wave of violence.
The Jamaat-e-Islami party was hit Monday when a suicide bomber apparently targeted police watching over a rally of the pro-Taliban group. Many of the 24 dead and 45 wounded were party loyalists, while two were officers, police official Khan Abbas said Tuesday.
Although authorities blamed the Taliban in the immediate aftermath of the attack in Peshawar, the Islamist party's leaders have declined to do so, instead alleging that the CIA or Indian intelligence were behind it.
"It is because we have brought America's war to our own country," Sirajul Haq, a provincial party leader, said Tuesday in Peshawar after attending funerals for some of the victims. "Still, there is time to end this alliance with America" to avoid more bloodshed.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but that is not unusual in cases where many ordinary Pakistanis die.
Earlier Monday, a bomb exploded outside a school run by a police welfare foundation, killing a young boy and wounding 10 people. And over the weekend, multiple bombs in the Kohat region elsewhere in the northwest killed nearly 50 people.
Taliban and al-Qaida militants based in the Afghan border region — who are fighting Pakistani police and the army — have carried out hundreds of attacks over the last three years. They have frequently targeted security forces, government officials and their supporters or family members in mosques, schools and markets, showing no concern for civilian casualties.
Peshawar, the capital of the northwest region, has been one of the hardest-hit cities because it lies close to the border area.
#1
Taliban and al-Qaida militants based in the Afghan border region -- who are fighting Pakistani police and the army -- have carried out hundreds of attacks over the last three years. They have frequently targeted security forces, government officials and their supporters or family members in mosques, schools and markets, showing no concern for civilian casualties.
...but somehow this is America's fault?
Posted by: Mike Hunt ||
04/20/2010 10:55 Comments ||
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#2
Well, without banks, there'd be no bank robbery, every rapist says "she was asking for it." You get the drift...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/20/2010 12:23 Comments ||
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The battle to form an Iraqi government was thrown wide open Monday after it was ordered that ballots cast in Baghdad be manually recounted, in a surprise move that could affect who leads the country.
The judicial panel decision came after an appeal by incumbent Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki who, according to unofficial results, narrowly lost the March 7 vote to his rival and former premier Iyad Allawi.
Baghdad, with a total of 70 seats, was by far the biggest prize for parties competing in the second national election since the 2003 ouster of Saddam Hussein. The poll will eventually lead to a new parliament comprising 325 MPs.
Posted by: ed ||
04/20/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Maliki must be a Democrat - he'll keep recounting until it comes out 'right'.
Israel has delivered a secret warning to Syrian President Bashar Assad that it will respond to missile attacks from Hezbollah, the militant Lebanese-based Islamist group, by launching immediate retaliation against Syria itself.
In a message, sent earlier this month, Israel made it clear that it now regards Hezbollah as a division of the Syrian army and that reprisals against Syria will be fast and devastating.
It follows the discovery by Israeli intelligence that Syria has recently supplied long-range ballistic missiles and advanced anti-aircraft systems to Hezbollah.
“We'll return Syria to the Stone Age by crippling its power stations, ports, fuel storage and every bit of strategic infrastructure if Hezbollah dare to launch ballistic missiles against us,' said an Israeli minister, who who was speaking off-the-record, last week.
The warning, which was conveyed to Damascus by a third party, was sent to reinforce an earlier signal by Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister. “If a war breaks out the Assad dynasty will lose its power and will cease to reign in Syria,' he said earlier this year.
The Israeli decision to hold Syria directly responsible for Hezbollah's actions is believed to be the result of intelligence assessments that Beirut has lost control of the Shi'ite organisation, which has become an increasingly powerful force in Lebanon.
Reports that Syria has supplied Hezbollah with Russian-made Scud ballistic missiles have alarmed Israeli ministers. The missiles have the potential to reach the entire country and could carry chemical warheads. New gas masks are being supplied to Israel's entire population, with an intensive television advertising campaign underway to stress their importance.
#2
Bombing the infrastructure will not get their attention. Start on the only major port and some of those luxury homes on the med sea and you will see a swift change in policy and probably leadership.
The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas ruling the Gaza Strip said on Monday it will keep up executions of those convicted of spying for Israel despite the outrage of human rights groups. "Because death and destruction is the Islamic way."
"We will continue to implement the death penalty for all those who are so sentenced," Hamas interior minister Fathi Hamad told a press conference, adding that spying for Israel was a "red line" for the Islamist-run government.
"Anyone who finds himself in this treacherous condition is an agent and a spy. He is providing information without regard to who he really is, and should be brought to justice," he said.
"If there is a death sentence we will implement it immediately in order to preserve our people and its project of jihad (holy war) and liberation."
Rights groups roundly condemned the Hamas government's pre-dawn execution by firing squad of two alleged "collaborators" last Thursday, saying there was little chance of them having been given a fair trial in the besieged territory.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2010 00:00 ||
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They flocked to the open field by the hundreds to praise Allah. In a village in central Java, just a few miles from where Indonesian special forces shot dead an Islamic terrorist linked to the fatal July bombings of two hotels in Jakarta, worshippers raised their hands to the heavens. But this ceremony, which took place as the call of the muezzin echoed in the sultry air, was not a celebration of Islam. Instead, in the heart of the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation, Christians held a Pentecostal revival, complete with faith healing and speaking in tongues. As a tropical downpour fell, believers' tears mixed with rain -- and a line of sick and disabled took to the stage to claim they had been cured by a God they, like Indonesian Muslims, call Allah. "People think Indonesia is just a Muslim country, but look at all these people," says pastor David Nugroho, whose Gesing church boasts a congregation of 400 worshippers today, up from 30 when it was founded in 1967. "We are not afraid to show our faith."
In a place where converting from Islam carries a de facto death sentence.
A religious revolution is transforming Indonesia. Part of the spiritual blossoming entails Muslims embracing a more conservative form of faith, mirroring global trends that have meant a proliferation of headscarves and beards in modern Islamic capitals. More surprising, though, is the boom in Christianity -- officially Indonesia's second largest faith and a growing force throughout Asia. Indeed, the number of Asian Christian faithful exploded to 351 million adherents in 2005, up from 101 million in 1970, according to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, based in Washington, D.C.
I would expect doubling due to natural increase -- the rest must be from conversion.
For many in the global evangelical community, though, it is the faith's inroads in Indonesia -- a nation with some 215 million Muslim adherents -- that are most riveting. Exact figures are hard to gather in a country where conversions from Islam to Christianity face a stigma and likely lead to an underreporting of Christian believers. The 2000 census counted just under 10% of Indonesians as Christians, a figure many Christian leaders believe is too low. Anecdotal evidence paints a compelling picture of the faith's rapid rise. In the early 1960s, for instance, there were no evangelical churches in Temanggung, where the soccer-field revival took place; now there are more than 40. In the capital Jakarta, newly built megachurches that might seem more at home in Texas send steeples into the sky. Other Christians worship at unofficial churches based in hotels and malls, where Sunday services rival shopping as a popular weekend activity. Asia's tallest statue of Jesus Christ, built in 2007, presides over Manado city in eastern Indonesia, while Indonesian cable TV beams 24-hour Christian channels.
Six million Muslims converting to Christianity per year as of 2008, according to this article.
Posted by: ed ||
04/20/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Whoops. Please bump to Tuesday.
Posted by: ed ||
04/19/2010 21:05 Comments ||
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#2
Christianity accepts women as equals, participating in services as families, which should have strong appeal to half the population. If only the Paleos would convert, if only to pi** off the Jews, a real peace plan could be worked out. Love your neighbor and that sort of thing.
#3
@ #2 Lumpy... "there will be peace in the mid-east when the Palestinians begin to love their children more than they hate the Jews."
(Golda Meier quote)
Posted by: Mike Hunt ||
04/20/2010 10:59 Comments ||
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#4
That attempt was just pathetic, Justice. Enjoy being dumped yet again by a woman.
Iran may be able to build a missile capable of striking the United States by 2015, according to an unclassified Defense Department report on Iran's military sent to Congress and released on Monday. "With sufficient foreign assistance, Iran could probably develop and test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the United States by 2015," said the April report, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.
Posted by: ed ||
04/20/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
IIRC STRATEGYPAGE [old] > ARMING CONTAINER SHIPS WITH AIR DEFENSE? MISSLES???
Where goes ADS so goes also BMD, TLCMS-LACMS, + SRBMS, MBMS, IRBMS, ICBMS, + Space BMS. CHIN MIL BLOOGERS LIKE THEIR FAT, STUBBY, ONE-SIZE-FITS-ALL ARSENAL/FIRE SHIP + CONVERTED MERCHANT CARRIER DESIGNS [also read, $$$ CHEAP = LOW-COST].
#4
No, No, No, that is not correct. According to my calculations the world will be destroyed three years prior to that. I actually have secret information from a recent Operation Mayan Calendar that reveals the exact time but, not at liberty to share that at this time.
Posted by: yo adrian ||
04/20/2010 10:54 Comments ||
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#5
And this thread underpins why we love Josephs contribution to this amazing and useful site :)
Posted by: Oscar ||
04/20/2010 10:59 Comments ||
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#6
Oh good, we don't REALLY need worry about doing anything about this for another 4 years and 7 months then.
Bambi will be relieved.
#11
What if they accidently hit Mexico or Canada? Do they get a Mulligan?
Realistically, there are 50 states so I like my chances of not getting hit by the Iranian salvo in the next half decade.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
04/20/2010 21:43 Comments ||
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#12
ISRAEL MILITARY FORUM > IRAN HINTS AT ELECTRO-MAGNETIC PULSE NUCLEAR WAR WITH THE US.
ARTIC > Essentially, IRAN in time being desires to CRIPPLE + OBTRUCT, NOT DESTROY, the US = US-WEST as per EMP strikes agz US Communications grids which in turn will hamper the flows of information in our MAIN LINES OF LOGISTICS, SUPPLY + REPLACEMENT + REINFORCEMENT,
Which in turn suppors
* SAME > MEMRI + AL-JAZEERA(TV)> [Anti-Iran] AHWAZI ORGANIZATION:IRAN IS THREATENING GULF STATES WITH SSMS EQUIPPED WITH FRAGMENTTAION WARHEADS AND SARIN, MUSTARD, AND CYANIDE GAS
[CHEMWAR Warheads], + ramping up BIOWAR WEAPS DEV.
SAME > IRAN IS DEV PLANS TO [militarily] INVADE, OCCUPY IRAQ AND JORDAN IN WARTIME ALONG FIVE STRATEGIC AXIS OF ADVANCE.
IMO, iff true for any of Iran's wartime goals to be achieved 2015-2020/2025 IRAN WILL LIKELY HAVE TO STRIKE PREEMPTIVELY WID ANTI-SYS EMP + ALSO CHEMWAR, BIOWAR MISSLE + COMMANDO-TERROR STRIKES.
That being said, whether it has ICBMS OR NOT I STILL HOLD THAT IRAN WILL IDEALLY PREFER TO STAY ON PR + GEOPOL DEFENSIVE, + LET THE ISLAMIST MILTERRS DO ALL THE FIGHTIN', NUKIN' GASSIN' GERMIN' + CHEMIN', VIA NUKE-WNMDS TERROPS AGZ THE US + ALLIED.
* ION SAME > CALLS FOR JIHAD AT KUWAITI STUDENT UNION: THIS IS A WAR OF RELIGION, NOT A WAR BETWEEN ISRAELIS AND ARABS.
* YOUTUBE VIDEO: MILITANT TRAINING CAMPS IN AMERICA [ + pro-Islamist/Radiclaist MOSQUES].
#13
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > CANADIAN MUSLIMS TO BUILD WORLD'S FIRST ARCTIC MOSQUE [Sections to be designed, built elsewhere first, then moved to Town of Inuviak].
[Al Arabiya Latest] United States President Barack Obama's national security advisers are considering a broad range of options to curb Iran's nuclear program, among them military strikes, if diplomacy and sanctions fail, Pentagon officials said early Monday.
Defense Secretary Robert Gates, releasing a statement on Sunday about a secret memorandum he sent to the White House in January, said he identified "next steps in our defense planning process" that would be reviewed by decision makers in the coming weeks and months.
"There should be no confusion by our allies and adversaries that the United States is properly and energetically focused on this question and prepared to act across a broad range of contingencies in support of our interests," Gates said in the statement, issued to refute characterizations of the memo in a New York Times report.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the U.S. military's Joint Chiefs of Staff, said early Monday the military options available to Obama would go "a long way" to delaying Iran's nuclear progress but may not set the country back long-term. He called a military strike his "last option" right now.
The comments underscored the difficult choices facing Obama in trying to keep Iran from getting a nuclear bomb without setting off a broader conflict.
"It's very hard to predict outcomes there," Mullen told reporters after addressing a forum at Columbia University in New York.
Mullen said there was "not much decision space to work in because of both outcomes -- having a weapon and striking generate unintended consequences that are difficult to predict."
"I think Iran having a nuclear weapon would be incredibly destabilizing. I think attacking them would also create the same kind of outcome," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Striking Doing Anything About Iran last option: US military chief.
#4
Geez, I'd think that a naval war, full-scale invasion, and saturation nuclear bombing would be the third, second-to-last, and last options, respectively, but that's why they hand out the big gongs to flag-grade officers, I guess.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
04/20/2010 10:16 Comments ||
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#5
How about they lose an oil refinery every day until they come round with the cooperation.
[Al Arabiya Latest] President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has approved the sites for new uranium enrichment plants in Iran, a close aide said on Monday, despite growing world pressure to stop the sensitive nuclear work.
"The president has confirmed the designated location of a new nuclear site and on his order the building process has begun," Ahmadinejad's senior adviser Mojtaba Samareh Hashemi told Iran's ILNA news agency.
"New locations on which the plants should be constructed this year have been determined and initial construction is underway," Samareh-Hashemi was quoted as saying.
He said that the designs of the new plants were currently under study but did not specify how many new facilities had been approved.
Defying Western pressure to curb its sensitive nuclear work, Iran announced in November it planned to expand its enrichment activities by building 10 new sites. The announcement was condemned by the United states and its European allies.
Iran currently enriches uranium at a plant in the central city of Natanz in defiance of repeated U.N. Security Council ultimatums to suspend the sensitive process.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/20/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
See, when you don't cut the cancer out right away it begins to metastasize.
Posted by: yo adrian ||
04/20/2010 10:57 Comments ||
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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.
