[Tolo News] General Abdul Hakim from the Ministry of Interior (MoI) investigation department on Monday announced that a number of coppers on the Kabul-Kandahar highway were tossed in the slammer Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! in connection with extortion charges.
The announcement comes just days after media attention was drawn to the work of police along the troubled highway when a video capturing an officer extorting money from a driver went viral.
"On the basis of people's complaints, a joint commission was formed to prevent extortions by coppers on the Kabul-Kandahar highway and on Sunday night, a number of coppers were locked away Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! along the Kabul-kandahar route," Hakim said.
The MoI responded to the controversial video that went public earlier this week, and said that the officers implicated in it were fired from their jobs several months before.
"Our demand from the coppers is that they serve the people and prevent abuse," Hakim said. "Any coppers found guilty of extortion will be tried according to the prevailing laws of the country."
Hakim reported that a joint commission, consisting members from eight different ministries, was formed to further evaluate the issue.
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[Tolo News] Presidential candidate Daoud Sultanzoi on Monday said that the stance of the Afghan people with regard to signing the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between Kabul and Washington was clear. But he claimed that certain circles within the government have the accord hostage to preserve their own interests.
Karzai announced that he would not sign the BSA until after the April elections, and once the U.S. met certain preconditions, last month.
Sultanzoi said that if Karzai had criticisms about the BSA, he should have shared them with the Afghan people before holding the Loya Jirga.
The Jirga recommended Karzai sign the accord as soon as possible, which he has since ignored.
"In a situation where the people cope with poverty, hunger and insecurity...the Jirga voted in favor of the security agreement to support the interests of Afghanistan," Sultanzoi said.
He said he would support the agreement, which will ensure foreign troops stay in Afghanistan post-2014 and secure military aid for the Afghan forces, if elected President.
Sultanzoi also expressed concern ...meaning the brow was mildly wrinkled, the eyebrows drawn slightly together, and a thoughtful expression assumed, not that anything was actually done or indeed that any thought was actually expended... s about possible interference in the elections, and said that if transparency was not guaranteed, he would recommend the elections be held under the supervision of a forgein independent body.
"We witness some signs that indicate that the election in Afghanistan is under serious threats, we see the signs which reveal that the election is under the plots of the conspirers amongst those current people in power and they want to move Afghanistan in their direction through the elections," Sultanzoi said.
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[Tolo News] Residents and tribal elders of central Maidan Wardak province on Monday have expressed deep worries over growing insecurity across the province.
The residents added that the approach of spring election season and winter season are two major sources of growing insecurities in Wardak province, and are asking local officials, particularly police, to take serious measures to remove the security challenges there.
"Insecurities have increased in some parts of Wardak province and we urge responsible organizations to take step in this regard," one resident said in a gathering held in Maidan Wardak Police Headquarters.
"Wardak province has become insecure in the last months. The reasons are the approaching election and winter," another resident said.
Maidan Wardak Police Chief, who is newly assigned in his position, promised that security forces particularly police forces block krazed killers' activities.
"There are rumors that Wardak is insecure, but this is not true, owners of vehicles ... blow up vehicles and accuse the krazed killers. If we avoid such actions, God willing, Wardak will be secure," said Police Chief Ahmad Fahim Qayem.
Qayem asked all Wardak residents to closely cooperate with the provincial security officials , because people's cooperation is effective in providing security along with the efforts of security forces.
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[Tolo News] Pakistain's Top Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz on Saturday told news hounds in Islamabad that the Afghan Taliban have yet to accept his country's request for them to sit down with the Afghan High Peace Council (HPC).
He said that Pakistain has asked that the Taliban enter into dialogue with the Afghan government, as part of Islamabad's recent efforts to advance the grinding of the peace processor in Afghanistan, but the faceless myrmidons insisted that they do not recognise the regime in Kabul.
"As the Afghan Taliban have refused to talk to Kabul, there is need for informal contacts with the Taliban and Afghan government can approach the Taliban leaders in Afghanistan and Qatar," Aziz said. "We have contacts with the Afghan Taliban but do not have control over them, so it will be unrealistic to expect that Pakistain delivers the Taliban for the grinding of the peace processor."
He also confirmed that the HPC delegation met twith he senior Taliban leader Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar in Pakistain last month.
"But the Afghan council later said Baradar had been sick and was unable to talk," Aziz said. "But I think Baradar was not allowed by the Taliban leadership to talk."
Former Pak Ambassador to Afghanistan Rustam Shah Mumand, in an exclusive interview with TOLOnews, said last week that talks with the Taliban would not have any progress so long as foreign troops remain in Afghanistan.
"As long as the foreign troops stay in Afghanistan, relations between Afghanistan and Pakistain will not change for the better," Mumand said. "When the foreign troops leave the country, Afghanistan will stand on its own feet and will be an independent country and relations between the countries will improve."
He argued the signing of the Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) between Kabul and Washington would perpetuate the war with the insurgency. Despite assurances to the contrary, Afghanistan's neighbors are in opposition to foreign troops continuing to have a base of operations after 2014.
Mumand said he thought President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... would accept the U.S. conditions and sign the BSA soon.
Meanwhile, ...back at the cheese factory, all the pieces finally fell together in Fluffy's mind... in an exclusive interview with the Indian NDTV, President Karzai said that if the U.S. was really an ally to Afghanistan, it would stop issuing threats about the future if the BSA is not signed.
"Allies shouldn't be waging psychological war against each other," Karzai said while on his four-day trip to New Delhi to meet with Indian officials.
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12/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Dont make me laugh Pakistan saying they have contacts with the Taliban but no control over them.
Sounds like what Sinn Fein said about the IRA in the 80s and 90s.
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12/17/2013 6:46 Comments ||
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[Al Ahram] Tunisia's banned jihadist group Ansar al-Sharia ...a Salafist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends. There are groups of the same name in Libya, Tunisia and Yemen, with the Libyan and Tunisian versions currently most active... designated a "terrorist organization" by the authorities, has called for a demonstration Tuesday in central Tunis to mark the third anniversary of the revolution.
"The struggle is mandatory and it must be a popular struggle... which is why we extend our hands to anyone wanting to stand up to repression and we support the planned protest at the Kasbah on Tuesday," the group said on its official Facebook page.
"We must struggle against the tyranny of the authorities by all means possible," added the group, which is blamed for killing two leftist opposition MPs in separate attacks earlier this year.
It called on the people to carry with them "the anger of the orphans, the widows, the oppressed, the families of deaders and detainees, and those who have suffered torture and oppression."
The authorities did not immediately respond to Ansar al-Sharia's call, which comes as Tunisia prepares to mark the third anniversary of the start of the revolution that toppled former strongman Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
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[Al Ahram] The Egyptian State Information Service (SIS) apologised for a spelling mistake in the "All Egyptian" constitution banner at Sunday's presser for the constitutional committee, but said criticism of using photos of non-Egyptians was "overblown."
"We apologise for the spelling mistake in the banner; we did not revise the banner before it was hanged because we received it shortly before the start of the presser as a gift from the Egypt Peace Lovers organization [that organized the presser]," Amgad Abdel Ghafer, head of SIS, told the Shorouk Newspaper on Monday.
On Sunday the banner hanging behind the speakers' panel in the conference misspelled the word "Egyptians" in Arabic (Misreyeen). Instead, missing one letter, the banner uses the Arabic word for "determined" (Mosireen).
Also, three people out of the five featured in the huge banner reading "All Egyptians Constitution" were identified as non-Egyptians whose photos were used in foreign commercial websites from Ireland and the US.
Abdel Ghafer said that he told officials in the SIS to revise all banners for language and grammar. But he said the SIS was not responsible for the photos in the banner.
The NGO told them the photos were from stock photo websites. Two of the photos, however, were sourced to two photographers including Ahram Online news hound Rowan El-Shimi.
"I believe the matter was overblown," Abdel Ghafer said regarding media's reaction to the banner and the photos used in it.
The spelling mistake and the use of foreign figures in the banner was heavily criticised on social media.
The Egypt Peace Lovers is a non-governmental group helping the Egyptian government to promote the newly-revised constitution.
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[Egypt Independent] In statements made on Monday, former Grand Mufti Ali Gomaa has urged citizens to vote for the constitution, saying that "God will support them."
Using religious themes to influence voters is common in Egypt, with each side often accusing the other of not holding true to Islamic religious values. Gomaa's comments aim to spiritually encourage voters as well as combat similar religious arguments coming from the Moslem Brüderbund against the constitution.
Gomaa continued, aiming his words to an international audience. "It is 'yes' in English for those who do not speak Arabic," he said. "We want to impress the whole world, East and West."
The former grand mufti's comments come at a time when Al-Azhar, along with the interim government, is encouraging citizens to approve the amended 2012 Constitution during the referendum. Approval of the new Constitution would be a big step towards completing the political roadmap laid out at the beginning of the army's power transfer, which began with the ouster of President Mohammed Morsy, Egypt's first democratically-elected president.
The new Egyptian interim government is eager to show the world, especially to the West, that it is prepared to push forward with the democratic process and hopefully reestablish itself in the eyes of their critics.
Meanwhile, ...back at the Senate, Odius Sepulcher called for war against the Visigoths... the Moslem Brüderbund and pro-Morsy forces have been urging citizens to boycott the referendum, as they say it merely legitimizes the military "coup." The group has announced plans to escalate protests during the referendum and possibly organize multiple sit-ins throughout the country.
The pro-Morsy alliance spokesperson Alaa Abu Al-Nasr, however, denies any intentions to promote violent on the day of the constitution. He accused the Internal Ministry of releasing such rumor as a pretext to strengthen security measures on referendum day.
"We want to show those forces of Evil who we Egyptians are," Gomaa continued. "We are against corruption, atheism and hypocrisy."
Interim President Adly Mansour called for the referendum to be held during the two days of 14 and 15 January in one stage throughout Egypt.
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[Egypt Independent] Hundreds of political activists belonging to the 6 April Movement, the rebels and the social revolutionary movements demonstrated outside the cabinet building to commemorate the second anniversary of the Cabinet festivities.
Though the Interior Ministry said the demonstration was authorized, demonstrators sprayed graffiti calling for a boycott of the constitution referendum.
The Cabinet festivities took place on 16 December 2011 between the army and protesters when security attempted to disperse a sit-in Tahrir Square, killing more than 40 protesters.
The protests were against the appointment of Kamal al-Ganzouri as prime minister.
The outcome declared on that day was 255 injured and 4 dead, including prominent Sheikh Emad Effat.
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[Egypt Independent] Fourteen pro-Moslem Brüderbund students were released on a LE50,000 bail by Giza Criminal Court on Monday, after their appeal on the decision during the hearing.
The prosecution had ordered their detention for four days pending investigations into their involvement in the riots and violence that took place last week at the Cairo University.
The defendants face charges of demonstrating without a permit from the Interior Ministry in violation of the new protest law, thuggery, crowding, assaulting individuals and public and private property, deliberately destroying government facilities, possessing firearms and bladed weapons without a license, endangering public security and resisting authorities.
Investigations said that most of the suspected students belong to a movement entitled "Students Against the Coup," who were protesting the detention of their colleagues by the police.
Investigation by the General Intelligence and the National Security Agency points to this group as the main perpetrators behind the Cairo University violence over the past two days, including the attacks it claimed on security forces, as four recruits police are now suffering cuts and bruises across their bodies.
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12/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] Carrying weapons in Libya without a licence is to become a criminal offence in March.
The General National Congress yesterday evening voted for a law criminalising the illegal possession of weapons and bringing in a licensing system for gun ownership.
The mass of arms in the hands of quasi-official militias and the general public is seen as the major reason for the country's present insecurity.
Confirming the law, Congress front man Omar Hemidan said it had been submitted by the government and but would not come into effect for 90 days. During this time, gun owners will have to apply for a licence from the Ministries of Defence or Interior.
Hemidan said that once the 90 days was over, anyone found carrying a weapon or ammunition without a license would be considered in breech of the law and placed in durance vile ... anything you say can and will be used against you, whether you say it or not...
So far, however, no system to apply for a licence has been set up as yet.
Although passed by Congress, not all members supported the new law. Zawia Congressman Said Muftah Jarjar, a member of the Justice and Judicial Bodies Committee, told the Libya Herald that the law was premature. The state was still unable to provide security and saftey It was much more important to concentrate on establishing the police and the army.
However, women are made to be loved, not understood... Zintan Congressman Abdulsalam Abdullah Nassiyah told this newspaper that the law was an important start in building law and order in the country.
Even if only a few Libyans obeyed the law, it would be better than the present situation.
The law has been welcomed by government officials and ordinary Libyans alike, even though there was scepticism that it would be carried out. "It's a very good move," said Sadat Elbadri, head of Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... Local Coucnil. "A very important decision and long overdue", was the reaction of Otman Gajiji, who praised the GNC for taking the step. It was now up to the government to enact it, he said.
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[Libya Herald] The Grand Mufti, Sheikh Sadik Al-Ghariani, has called on Libyans to put differences aside and work together in the nation's interests. Speaking to a large gathering in the Amazigh town of Jadu in the Jebel Nafusa, to which he had travelled with a delegation of elders from Tripoli ...a confusing city, one end of which is located in Lebanon and the other end of which is the capital of Libya. Its chief distinction is being mentioned in the Marine Hymn... , he praised the people of the Jebel for their role in the revolution and their present solidarity with Tripoli.
He said that the unity of purpose that had been demonstrated during the revolution was now needed more than ever as the country's enemies looked to exploit its weaknesses . He pointed to divisions between tribes, ethnicities and religious groups as examples of national disunity.
"God has given victory to Libya in its national unity. When people spoke with one voice, the sound of Takbeer ("Allahu Akbar"), the sound of Islam, united us. The situation today requires national unity again. Disunity brings nothing but evil and results in weakness, failure and loss, and finally humiliation and shame".
He had a stark warning for the various communities that have been putting their own agendas above those of Libya's.
"We must all realise that we are all in the same boat," he said. "If this boat sinks, there will be no survivors".
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[Pak Daily Times] Armed krazed killer groups in North and West Africa may have pledged allegiance to al Qaeda's vision of global jihad, but they act independently of its core command and have yet to make good on threats to strike the West.
Counterterrorism experts meeting in Washington noted an increase in anti-Western rhetoric from groups in the Sahel, Nigeria and Somalia, but said that African bad boy groups were still fighting local wars.
And the United States and its allies should be cautious, they warned, of intervening in these struggles and giving African Islamists a reason to expand their campaigns to target European and American interests. Al Qaeda's Yemeni franchise, once locked in a local struggle, is now an international threat that has put parcel bombs on planes and trained a Nigerian to make a failed suicide kaboom on a passenger jet.
"The movements in Africa -- they all enjoy the al Qaeda brand, they love the franchise. It gives them a certain panache," said Michael Hayden, former director of the US Central Intelligence Agency.
"But I'm not sure they want to become real enemies of the United States and they want to commit to the global Islamic caliphate," he added, referring to late al Qaeda figurehead the late Osama bin Laden ... who is now beyond all cares and woe... 's goal of a single Musselmen empire.
Hayden was speaking alongside other counterterrorism experts at The Jamestown Foundation's annual conference on terrorism, held Thursday.
While bin Laden lived for a while in Sudan and boasted that his fighters helped train the Somali militias to shoot down US helicopters, his successors appear to have no direct operational control of their African supporters.
Some groups, including the North African offshoot al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, had pledged allegiance to their late "sheikh," but bin Laden's deputy and successor Egyptian bad boy Ayman al-Zawahiri ... Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area. That is not a horn growing from the middle of his forehead, but a prayer bump, attesting to how devout he is... does not have the same star power.
"The jihadist movement in Africa is clearly not controlled by al-Zawahiri, if he controls anything," said Peter Pham of the Atlantic Council think tank.
"But the al Qaeda brand helps some local groups to distinguish themselves from other local competitors. "It gives them a bigger sense of meaning to attract young people and in some cases the al Qaeda cachet helps them secure funding from overseas, especially the Gulf," he explained. The African groups' ideological independence reflects their roots in different regional struggles, and has allowed them to latch onto and exploit causes such as Tuareg nationalism in Mali and northern Nigeria's resentment of corrupt governance.
But it also limits their real influence beyond their home areas, and even among diaspora African groups in the West. From core al Qaeda's point of view, groups like the Sahel's AQIM, Somalia's Shabaab and Nigeria's 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... and Ansaru have a use mainly as propaganda for a movement sometimes seen as on the back foot. "It serves al-Zawahiri to make the world believe he has more influence that he really has. He is a lonely man sitting in a house somewhere," said Pham. "He has greater perception of impact if he can claim credit or partial credit for all these independent actors in Africa."
This view is shared by French terrorism expert Jean-Pierre Filiu, who told AFP: "There is no operational unity or coordinated command in Africa, these groups are linked only by the same style of jihadist propaganda."
So what should the West's response be? If African conflicts are left to fester, might local militias one day transform into international terror threats? Or would intervening cause them to turn their guns on the West straight away? "The question we have to ask is: what is the appropriate way to deal with these groups?" asked Hayden, who led the CIA between 2006 and 2009.
"These guys in the tribal regions of Pakistain -- they are already committed to killing us if they can. We don't need to avoid making them an enemy, they are an enemy. There is no problem with putting an American face on dealing with that group.
"But in Africa, they are not quite global caliphate kind of folks yet, not quite targeting the US yet. So do we want to accelerate that process by too quickly putting an American face on dealing with those groups or do we want to risk waiting too long?
"It's not an easy kind of decision," he admitted.
And this caution in Washington is matched on the new African battlefields of today.
La Belle France has not hesitated to take the fight to AQIM snuffies in Mali nor, in recent days, to send troops to try to put a halt to fighting and massacres in the Central African Republic that could be seized upon by Islamists. But thus far, the far bigger US military has limited itself to providing logistical support.
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12/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
* See also TOPIX > VIDEO: AL-QAEDA, SAUDI ARABIA, + THE COLLAPSING FREE SYRIA ARMY. MANY [ordinary = mainstream]SYRIANS BELIEVE "GENEVA II" TALKS IS INTENDED TO PRESERVE THE ASSAD REGIME + CREATE A FIGHTING FRONT AGZ AL-QAEDA.
The Bammer Admin already got rid of Uncles Muammar [Libya] + Mubarak [Egypt] in North Africa - WHAT ANTI-ISLAMIST/JIHADIST COUNTRY [Muslim only?] IN CENTRAL AFRICA WANTS TO PLAY AT BEING BABY ASSAD, ANDOR NEW BAMMER BFF + FUTURE OWG "CO-SUPERPOWER" IRAN???
[Pak Daily Times] The Islamist supporters of deposed Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi ...the former president of Egypt. A proponent of the One Man, One Vote, One Time principle, Morsi won election after the deposal of Hosni Mubarak and jumped to the conclusion it was his turn to be dictator... will boycott a referendum on a new constitution next month and organise a campaign against the vote, a front man said Monday.
The Anti-Coup Alliance led by Morsi's Moslem Brüderbund movement had initially considered calling on its supporters to vote against the constitution.
But an extensive police crackdown on the Islamists has decimated their grassroots network, weakening their chances of defeating the new constitution at polls.
"We reject any vote under military rule," said Hamza al-Farawy, a front man for the Anti-Coup Alliance, which demands Morsi's reinstatement.
The referendum on January 14 and 15 is expected to ratify the new constitution, which replaces the one suspended by the military when it ousted Morsi in July.
Farawy said the coalition of Islamist groups, which conducts almost daily protests, would launch a boycott campaign.
He did not elaborate on how the campaign would unfold, as thousands of Islamists, including the Brotherhood's top leadership, have been tossed in the slammer Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! . Morsi himself is behind bars, accused of inciting violence against protesters last year.
More than 1,000 people, mainly Morsi supporters, have been killed in street festivities since the president was tossed by the military amid massive protests against his turbulent year-long rule.
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[An Nahar] Attacks by 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... in Nigeria's restive northeast have killed more than 1,200 people since May, when a state of emergency was declared in the region, the United Nations ...an idea whose time has gone... said Monday.
Nigeria placed the states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe under emergency rule on May 14, following waves of deadly violence by the Salafist tough guys.
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... sent thousands of troops backed by air support to the northeast to crush the four-year-old uprising.
The U.N. toll is the first independent fatality figure to have emerged since the military operation was launched.
"Some 1,224 people have been killed in Boko Haram related attacks" since May, the U.N. humanitarian agency (OCHA) said in a statement.
The toll includes civilians, military personnel as well Death Eaters killed by security forces repelling attacks.
But OCHA spokeswoman Choice Okoro told AFP that U.N. figure did not include Death Eaters killed during targeted military operations.
Defense officials have in recent months released a series of statements claiming scores of rebel deaths in operations on Boko Haram strongholds.
The details of those statements have been difficult to verify amid a communication blackout in much of the northeast and the military has been widely accused of downplaying fatalities among civilians and its own personnel.
"The humanitarian situation in northeast Nigeria ... a particularly crimson stretch of Islam's bloody border... has been increasingly worrisome over the course of 2013," the U.N. said, adding that there have been 48 separate "Boko Haram related" attacks in the region since emergency rule was declared.
Among the most gruesome was a pre-dawn massacre at an agricultural college in Yobe state, during which gunnies entered dormitories under the cover of darkness and rubbed out 40 students in their sleep.
OCHA noted that "information on the situation is scarce," with figures of those displaced by the conflict and those who have fled to neighboring states "hard to gauge."
The military had switched off the mobile network across the region, apparently to block Islamists from coordinating attacks.
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[Pak Daily Times] Since the Central African Republic descended into crisis a year ago, Chad has been front and centre, described in turn -- and sometimes all at once -- as coup instigator, victim and peacekeeper.
"Ubiquitous but unclear," was how one seasoned observer in Bangui described Chad's presence in the impoverished country where sectarian violence has left 600 dead in a week.
Officially, the troubled country is home to a diaspora of some 15,000 Chadians, but Musselmen northerners are often referred to also as Chadians.
The broader "Chadian" community has been the main target of reprisal attacks by majority Christians.
Many Central Africans accuse Chad of criminal masterminding the Seleka rebellion, which disintegrated after its coup in March, releasing rogue fighters who have carried out killings, rapes and looting ever since.
Former colonial power La Belle France is leading the ongoing military effort to restore order but Chad's influence over its southern neighbour has been unchallenged for years.
A Western diplomat described Chadian President Idriss Deby Itno as the perennial kingmaker of Central African politics.
The presidency has numerous Chadian advisers, leading to a common perception that the Central African Republic is a Chadian province and its president little more than "Deby's administrator".
Francois Bozize seized power with Deby's support in 2003, but a decade later Chad backed the Seleka rebel coalition that toppled him.
Deby has ruled Chad, now an oil-exporting nation, since 1990.
The demise of Libya's Moamer Qadaffy has stripped Deby of a key ally but also left a regional power vacuum that he appears keen to fill.
Deby this year attempted to revive the moribund Community of Sahel-Saharan States that Qadaffy founded.
The Chadian leader also hosted a regional summit on sustainable development.
Chad currently holds the rotating chair of the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), whose mission in the Central African Republic was blended into the broader 3,000-strong MISCA force.
Chad is one of the force's largest contributors with 650 men, and its most active, but the contingent, operating under the FOMAC (Multinational Force of Central Africa) banner, has largely pursued its own agenda.
"We all act as if the Chadians actually take their orders from the Gabonese command, but we all know that the Chadian soldiers answer first and foremost to Chad," a MISCA officer said on condition of anonymity.
"We all pretend because otherwise it's too much of a headache."
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[An Nahar] Bahrain's king said Monday he is strongly in favor of a Saudi proposal to upgrade the Gulf Cooperation Council into a union.
"Bahrain is ready from this day for the declaration of the union, to assert our firm will and our solid determination," King Hamad ...King of Bahrain (since 14 February 2002), having previously been its emir (from 6 March 1999). He is a Sunni, while the rest of Bahrain is predominantly Shiite... said in an address on the occasion of the kingdom's national day.
"We look forward to the call for a special Summit in Riyadh to announce the establishment of this union," he added.
The six conservative Arab members of the GCC -- which includes Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... , Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Oman -- sit on 40 percent of the world's oil and a quarter of its natural gas.
The proposal to upgrade the bloc from a coordination council to a union was put forward by King of the Arabians, Sheikh of the Burning Sands Abdullah ... Fifth out of 37 sons of King Abdulaziz to ascend to the throne. He is, after his half-brothers Bandar and Musa'id, the third eldest of the living sons of Abdul Aziz ibn Saud. Abdullah's mother is from the Rashid clan, longtime rivals of the Saud. He has 6 sons and 15 daughters and about $20 billion. His youngest son is just seven years old... in 2011.
Bahrain's Sunni monarchy, which at the time was grappling with Arab Spring-inspired protests by its Shiite majority, strongly supported the proposal.
But other Gulf states have shown less enthusiasm, with Oman threatening last week to quit the loose alliance if the union proposal is pursued.
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[Pak Daily Times] Two inmates from the US prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba have been sent home to Soddy Arabia ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face... , the Pentagon said Monday, bringing the total number remaining there to 160. President Barack Obama Because I won... is trying to accelerate repatriations in order to close the prison, nearly 12 years after it was opened at a US naval base on the southeastern tip of the island.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Only a matter of time they are released and treated as heroes in Saudi.
Posted by: Paul D ||
12/17/2013 6:38 Comments ||
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#2
the two releasees may already have been given assignments in syria
Posted by: lord garth ||
12/17/2013 19:41 Comments ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Thousands of North Korean propaganda leaflets fell yesterday on a frontline South Korean island, warning of an attack on soldiers stationed there, a report said.
A South Korean marine unit based on Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea had collected the leaflets which were carried across the border, Yonhap news agency said.
The South's military declined to confirm the report.
The leaflets carried threats of bombings, describing the marines as the first target to be wiped out.
The North also warned in the leaflets that its troops were always ready to strike the island with their "unprecedented" fire power and turn it into "a large graveyard", Yonhap said.
The warning came days after North Korea executed Jang Song-Thaek, long seen as the country's unofficial number two and leader Kim Jong-Un's political regent, for a host of charges including plotting to overthrow his nephew and corruption.
The execution was the biggest political upheaval since Kim took power after the death of his father two years ago.
South Korea has been on alert for potential fallout from the purge north of the border with President Park Geun-Hye warning of possible "reckless provocations" by Pyongyang.
The two Koreas' Yellow Sea border was the scene of several deadly naval festivities. In 2010, a South Korean naval vessel, the Cheonan, was sunk near Baengnyeong with the loss of 46 lives.
South Korean residents on frontline islands have lived in the constant fear of possible attacks since the North's shelling of an island killed four people in late 2010.
In 2004 the two sides agreed to stop all official-level cross-border propaganda. But the South's military resumed floating anti-Pyongyang leaflets in late 2010 as military tensions soared. The North resumed its own propaganda exercise in 2012.
South Korean activists including defectors from the North regularly launch anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border by balloon, despite the North's threats to shell them.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Perhaps more so than Japan, ROK, or Taiwan, iff any nation in NE Asia should feel deep angst about China's new ADIZ in the ECS, it should be North Korea.
#2
That's not clear to me, Joseph. Would you care to elaborate?
My biggest fear as the Norks would be for the SKors to wake up on the wrong side of bed one day and say "Fook them Norky sumbitches and their rotten kimchee pots" and call my bluff. That and the entire populace rising up and sticking my head on a pike.
The ouster and execution of North Korean eminence grise Jang Song-taek may have been planned or foreseen by former leader Kim Jong-il, according to the rumor mill. Sources have claimed that Kim senior warned his corpulent son, current leader Fat Boy Kim Jong-un, against Jang's overweening ambitions, which became apparent when he took over as quasi-regent after Kim Jong-il suffered a stroke in 2008.
Lee Yun-keol of the North Korea Strategy Information Service Center said Kim Jong-il was wary of Jang's growing power and support base and left a will "warning his rolly polly son to watch out."
He added that Jang appointed his cronies to key posts after Kim Jong-il's stroke and gained access to "secret reports the Workers Party Politburo submitted to Kim."
The late North Korean leader belatedly discovered this and was "furious." In other words, Jang had been spotted as a potential problem even before Suet Face Kim Jong-un came to power.
In this mysterious will, Kim Jong-il is said to have warned his underachieving son to watch out for "dissenters within our ranks" and to "prepare for threats," although Jang is not mentioned by name.
Ryu Dong-ryeol of the Police Science Institute said, "It's possible that Kim Jong-il told his son to watch out for Jang Song-taek, since he could change without warning. Kim Jong-il had always considered Jang ambitious."
Takes one to know one...
A member of the Institute for Peace and Unification Studies at Seoul National University said Kim Jong-il tried in vain to quell Jang's burning ambition by sacking him twice for dissent -- in 1978 and in 2004. But Jang was in some ways indispensable and bounced back every time.
Not so indispensable now is he...
Supporting this view are reports that Kim Jong-un's older brother Jong-chol and half sister Sol-song took the lead in Jang's ouster, while his wife Kim Kyong-hui, who is Kim Jong-il's sister, did not object.
Nice marriage...
But other experts are unconvinced by the rumors. They say it is clear that Jang was tasked with protecting Kim Jong-n, so there would have to be a more recent reason to purge him. One informed source said, "Nobody has seen the will. I wonder what the basis is for such speculation."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
IIRC there were rumors that in late 2011 Kim Jong-il was planning a purge and that intended victims in his entourage got wind of the plans and pulled the emergency brake.
There actually may be a kernel of truth in this story.
#2
Both KJU's "Dear Auntie" + his wife "First Babe" are repor now suddenly missing from official state photos.
KJU suppos liked and admired his now late Teacher-Mentor "Dear Uncle" Jang, so its possible he may had a grudge agz "Dear Auntie" for forcing him to purge + execute her beloved hubby Uncle Jang.
Have no clue at this time about KJU's missing First Babe, as her story is still developing.
The North Korean military pledged loyalty to leader Fat Boy Kim Jong-un in a ceremony on Monday, ahead of the second anniversary of the death of his father Kim Jong-il.
The official KCNA news agency reported that the ceremony took place at the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun, where the bodies of Kim Jong-il and nation founder Kim Il-sung lie embalmed.
Top brass including military Politburo chief Choe Ryong-hae, chief of the Army's General Staff Ri Yong-gil, armed forces minister Jang Jong-nam, and former chief of the Army's General Staff Kim Kyok-sik attended the ceremony. They swore to uphold Kim Jong-il's wishes and honor Pudgy Kim Jong-un as the "sole center of leadership and unity," KCNA said.
Or else...
The soldiers marched in front of the palace to demonstrate their loyalty. A similar event was held at the first anniversary of Kim Jong-il's death last year.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/17/2013 00:00 ||
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#1
Ditto BEIJING???
* TOPIX > [Japan Herald] NORTH KOREA'S PURGE MESSAGE TO CHINA: PAY UP.
ARTIC = KJU tells Beijing its H-I-S six that has to be kissed in North Korea for anything-n-everything, NOT HIS LATE "DEAR UNCLE"S???
Otherwise, iff Beijing won't ...
* SAME > LAWMAKER: NORTH KOREA SHOWING SIGNS OF PREPARATIONS FOR NUCLEAR TEST, ROCKET LAUNCH.
[Pak Daily Times] A Turkish court on Monday rejected bids by two Kurdish politicians to be released from lengthy pre-trial detention, a move that could undermine confidence in a fragile grinding of the peace processor with Kurdish bully boys.
The decision by the court in Diyarbakir, the regional centre of Turkey's mainly Kurdish southeast, came despite the country's top court ruling this month that the lengthy detention of another MP pending trial was unconstitutional. Gulser Yildirim and Ibrahim Ayhan, members of parliament for the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party (BDP), were tossed in the calaboose Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! in 2010 on charges of having links to the bully boy Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) and are still being held pending verdicts in their trials.
Ankara began peace talks with the PKK - designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union ...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing... - more than a year ago to try to end a three-decade conflict which has killed more than 40,000 people.
A ceasefire has largely held since March and the government has proposed a package of limited reforms aimed at bolstering democracy, but PKK commanders have warned of fresh violence unless the process moves forward.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2013 00:00 ||
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YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan -- A U.S. Navy Knighthawk helicopter crash landed in an empty area of reclaimed land about 10 miles southwest of Yokosuka Naval Base, officials said Monday afternoon.
The MH-60S, belonging to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron 12 out of Naval Air Facility Atsugi, crashed after sending a distress call at 3:31 p.m. Monday, according to a Commander Naval Forces Japan spokesman.
The helicopter attempted an emergency landing and crashed on its side in the empty area, across from Jogashima island on the southern part of the Miura Peninsula, in Miura city.
Of the four crewmembers aboard, two appeared to have suffered non-life-threatening injuries, a Miura fire department spokesman said. One appeared to have a suffered a leg injury, the spokesman said.
The injured crewmembers were transported to a hospital in Yokosuka and are in stable condition, Navy officials said Monday night.
The cause of the crash is under investigation. Navy police
were at the scene Monday night, preparing to examine the downed aircraft. There was no reported property damage, the fire department spokesman said. Although the lot that the crew landed in was vacant, it is a few blocks away from a town fish market, docks, a beach and several restaurants.
Helicopters from the squadron, which belong to the USS George WashingtonÂ’s carrier air wing, typically perform search and rescue operations, anti-surface warfare exercises and other functions.
The bipartisan defense budget that passed through the House Thursday includes strict language mandating the Air Force not execute any plans to retire the A-10 Warthog. The legislation specifically blocks the Air Force from spending any money to divest A-10s through calendar year 2014.
Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh has said the service needs to retired older, single mission aircraft like the A-10 in order to reserve funding for newer aircraft like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, which is slotted to take over the A-10Â’s close air support role.
In service since the 70Â’s, the twin-engine jet aircraft is designed to provide ground troops with close air support by using its armored fuselage for protection, flying low to the ground to track and hit enemies and firing deadly 30mm rotary cannons.
Lawmakers have pushed back against any talk of the A-10Â’s retirement. Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., blocked the nomination of the Air Force secretary, citing her concerns about Air ForceÂ’s A-10 plans and Defense Department struggles to bring the Joint Strike Fighter online.
Air Force has not formally made a decision about whether to retire the aircraft. However, Lt. Gen. Charles Davis, Military Deputy for Air Force Acquisition, made clear that budget restrictions have forced the service to consider cutting entire programs to save money.
“Everything that we have is being effected by sequestration right now – satellites, missiles, air frames have already been cut 13 percent. Do you try to retire something so that you get rid of the entire logistics trail and the depot? You can save a lot of money. That is the discussion that is going on right now,” he said.
The potential budget deal that still needs to be approved by the Senate and signed by President Obama would reduce sequestration cuts and add $3 to $7 billion to the Air ForceÂ’s budget. However, Davis said the service would not prioritize saving the A-10 and instead listed funding more flying hours and the Joint Strike Fighter program has higher priorities.
Davis did say that technological advances such as sensors and laser-guided weaponry have made it possible for a number of aircraft, such as F-16 fighter jets, to successfully perform close air support. F-16s have regularly provided close air support in Afghanistan, service officials specified.
“F-16 does a wonderful close air support mission. You don’t need to fly slow with a lot of titanium armor with a 30-mm gun just to be able to do close air support. We’ve got B-52s and B-1s doing close air support. The weapons have changed the game,” Davis said.
Furthermore, Davis emphasized that close air support in potential future conflicts will likely require different technologies than are currently needed in Afghanistan today.
“Close air support is not hovering close with a gun anymore. That works great in a situation like Afghanistan — but if you assume that we are not going to fight that way all over the world you are going to do close air support much differently. Your ultimate close air support weapon would be something above the earth with a pinpoint accuracy laser that can pick off a person individually when they get too near our troops and do it repeatedly,” Davis added.
#2
Your ultimate close air support weapon would be something above the earth with a pinpoint accuracy laser that can pick off a person individually when they get too near our troops and do it repeatedly," Davis added.
And that capability exists where? Until then, the Reach out and Touch Someone practice should be maintained
#3
They would like standoff so that the JAG legal officers have more time to decide whether to let the pilot to shoot. Besides, it's not a fighter & the Air Force fighter clique has been trying to put this AC down for the last 30 years. It was brought out of "mothballs" more than once because nothing else does CAS as well.
#4
Ahh... but I believe (being non-military) that CAS is not just killing the enemy - but to (legitimately) terrorize those who survive so that they think twice before attacking again.
Having a great big noisy flying gun literally in your face would have a lot more impact than some remote jet or B-52 you might not even be able to see.
But then again I'm not military so probably don't understand...
#5
Your ultimate close air support weapon would be something above the earth with a pinpoint accuracy laser that can pick off a person individually when they get too near our troops and do it repeatedly," Davis added.
A pinpoint accuracylaser that can pick point a person individually all while 999,999 other bad guys are firing at you.
#6
Your ultimate close air support weapon would be something above the earth with a pinpoint accuracy laser that can pick off a person individually when they get too near our troops and do it repeatedly"
#7
You don't need to fly slow with a lot of titanium armor with a 30-mm gun just to be able to do close air support.
Let's see...A10, MH60 DAP, Spooky...
Hey, they all fly low & slow!
I still remember hearing the turbines whine overhead as one banked, pirouetted on the wingtip light as a dragonfly, and strafed a line of trucks as he was coming around. Amazing.
#8
CrazyFool, I'm also not military but I've read stories of VC in bunkers during an archlight strike in Vietnam. I read that and knew that when we bombed Saddams bunkers for a number of days they were gonna surrender with brown shorts.
The other thing is a spooky gunship which can put a bullet in every square inch of a football field in a matter of minutes. That has to be intimidating. And it can stay over target.
Both these and the A10 would be better and cheaper than the F-35 but the Air Force likes the high profile beauty of the combat jets.
#10
This brings back mmories of 'burg discussions about Iraq & Astan.
We seem to have developed the mentality that it's bad to kill the enemy in groups larger than one at a time. There has always been a tactical advantage through out history to beating a population into submission (see Huns, Romans, Mongols, etc.)
Will the nicey nice approach that this implies be effective in reducing the need to keep going to war? How does the wash, rinse and repeat approach fit here?
[An Nahar] The White House Monday renewed its demand for Edward Snowden to return home to face trial, after a top spy official floated the idea of an amnesty deal to plug his damaging intelligence leaks.
The fate of runaway contractor Snowden, currently in temporary asylum in Russia, is under fresh scrutiny after a National Security Agency official said he would personally consider a deal with Snowden if he stopped exposing U.S. secrets.
"Our position has not changed on that matter at all," White House front man Jay Carney said.
"Mr Snowden has been accused of leaking classified information and he faces felony charges here in the United States.
"He should be returned to the United States."
Rick Ledgett, who heads the NSA's task force investigating the damage from the Snowden leaks, told CBS television's "60 Minutes" program that it was worth talking about the possibility of an amnesty deal for Snowden, such is the rolling damage caused by his revelations.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2013 00:00 ||
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The White House Monday renewed its demand for Edward Snowden to return home
Translation: The last thing the regime actually desires is a Snowden trial and airing of NSA laundry.
[Bangla Daily Star] Pakistain National Assembly yesterday adopted a resolution expressing concern over the capital punishment of Jamaat leader Abdul Quader Mollah.
The resolution, moved by 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... Pakistain member Sher Akbar Khan, was adopted with a majority vote, reports the country's English-language daily Dawn.
"This House expresses deep concern on hanging of a veteran politician of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh for supporting Pakistain in 1971," said the resolution.
The Assembly expressed grief and sorrow for the bereaved family, and demanded Bangladesh avoid reviving the wounds of 1971 and amicably resolve cases against the leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh.
Earlier, speaking on a point of order in the Assembly, Pakistain Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said Mollah was hanged "through a judicial murder for supporting a united Pakistain in 1971".
The minister said, "Abdul Quader Mollah remained patriotic to pre-1971 Pakistain and his hanging has once again reminded Paks of the wounds of the separation of East Pakistain."
He said the government fully supported the resolution, as this incident was an eye opener for the Pak nation and leadership.
"We claim to have democracy in the country but are still far off democratic attitudes and approaches. We need to learn as a nation from debacles like the separation of East Pakistain," said Nisar.
He expressed grief and sorrow for the Bangladeshi nation and followers of Mollah.
The minister, however, clarified that Pakistain respected the illusory sovereignty of Bangladesh, but the execution of Mollah had been "on the basis of charges levelled against him for supporting a united Pakistain".
"I believed that people will not politick [sic] on a judicial murder. It is our tradition that we forget our bitterness when somebody dies or is killed," he said.
Meanwhile, ...back at the pond, Gloria slowly backed away from the eight-foot bull frog. If the creature croaked she would surely be deafened... members of Pakistain Peoples Party and Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... had spoken against the resolution.
In response, Nisar said there was nothing against the illusory sovereignty of Bangladesh in the resolution.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] A court on Monday reserved judgement on a request by former military ruler Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... for permission to travel abroad to see his sick mother.
Musharraf's lawyer petitioned the Sindh High Court last month to remove the retired general's name from an Exit Control List so he could leave the country. The matter has been adjourned repeatedly over the past month but on Monday a two-member bench reserved its decision. The ruling is likely to be announced later in the day, a court official said. Musharraf has faced a range of criminal cases dating back to his 1999-2008 rule since returning to the country from self-imposed exile in March, including the murder of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto ... 11th Prime Minister of Pakistain in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996. She was the daughter of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, founder of the Pakistain People's Party, who was murdered at the instigation of General Ayub Khan. She was murdered in her turn by person or persons unknown while campaigning in late 2007. Suspects include, to note just a few, Baitullah Mehsud, General Pervez Musharraf, the ISI, al-Qaeda in Pakistain, and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who shows remarkably little curiosity about who done her in... . He was granted bail in the four main cases against him but remains under guard at his farmhouse on the edge of Islamabad because of threats by Taliban bully boyz to his life. Last month the government announced it would put the 70-year-old on trial for treason and he has been ordered to appear before a special court on December 24. It will be the first time in the country's history that a former military ruler will face a treason trial. There have been persistent rumours that a deal would be struck to allow Musharraf to leave the country without standing trial to avoid a clash between the government and military. But aides to the former commando have said he wants to stay and clear his name of all the charges against him. So far the cases have proceeded slowly, edging from adjournment to adjournment with little clear progress apart from the granting of bail.
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12/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Frustrated with the government's inability to help him, a man in Pakistain has appealed to Taliban warlords to rescue his 11-year-old son kidnapped by criminals more than a month ago.
"I knocked on the door of each and every government official but no one gave me justice to recover my only son," Fareed Khan told Rooters 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. . "Now the Taliban are my last hope. I believe they will recover my son. The Taliban are good Mohammedans and good human beings. They don't demand bribes for the provision of justice." Khan, 45, said he had no other choice in his quest to rescue his son, Furqan Fareed, who was kidnapped on November 5 in the city of Bannu.
Bannu is near North Wazoo, an ethnic Pashtun region on the Afghan border where many al Qaeda-linked Taliban fighters are based. State security forces have next to no presence there. Government officials were not available for comment. Khan said his son suffered from epilepsy and feared that he might die. He added: "Now my wife, my three daughters and I publicly appeal to the Pak Taliban to recover my son."
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12/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] KARACHI: Supporters of the Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Musselmeneen (MWM) staged citywide rallies on Monday to condemn the targeted liquidation of renowned Shia scholar Allama Nasir Abbas of Multan. Thousands of Shiites attended the demonstrations and rallies staged in Shia majority areas, ie, Jafar-e-Tayyar Malir, Ancholi Society and other places where the supporters raised slogans against the US and Zionist regime for using the outlawed terrorist outfits as their proxy against Shia Musselmens of Pakistain. They were also carrying banners and placards. "Government of Punjab must arrest the Death Eaters of takfir ...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... i seminaries involved in the martyrdom of Allama Nasir Abbas. No lip service, please," said Hassan Hashmi, secretary-general of the MWM 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... chapter, while speaking to protesters in Ancholi. Allama Sadiq Raza Taqvi, Maulana Ali Anwar Jafari, Ali Hussain Naqvi, Ahsan Abbas and Raza Naqvi also spoke to the demonstrators. They said fanatic seminaries were responsible for spreading sectarian hatred against Musselmens, and demanded a ban on hate-material being taught at such places. They said Shia Musselmens made memorable sacrifices for the sake of Pakistain and enemies of Pakistain and Islam want to punish Shiites for the fact they led the Pakistain Movement. They demanded the government to punish arrest the assassins of Allama Nasir Abbas be tossed in the slammer Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'! , and also to order a military operation against sectarian terrorist outfits.
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12/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] ISLAMABAD: Security has been beefed up in Rawalpindi and some parts of the capital Sunday in the aftermath of Shia leader Allama Nasir Abbas Multani's killing.
A senior police official, who requested not to be named since he was not authorised to speak to the media, told that security forces were placed on a high alert to avoid occurrence of any untoward incident in Rawalpindi. In addition, he added, police personnel of Special Forces were also deployed at all sensitive parts of Rawalpindi. Security was tightened at all entry and exit points of the city and patrolling was also increased to avoid occurrence of any untoward action.
He said that the situation in Rawalpindi was under control and district government had deployed a good number of police and security forces in all major mosques and Imambargah ...since they're religiously correct™, Shia Moslems in Pakistain 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... s to maintain order, with the Special Forces on call in case of any violence, police official in Rawalpindi told this scribe, adding that security had been beefed up.
"Extra police forces have been deployed in the sensitive areas and around the Shia and Sunni mosques," the official said, requesting anonymity.
"We are taking pre-emptive measures to ensure peace," he explained.
The Rawalpindi administration has already intensified security arrangements after sectarian riots erupted in Rawalpindi on 10th of Muharram leaving 10 dead and dozens injured.
Meanwhile killing of Shia scholar triggered a strong protest as a good number of his followers from Majlis Wahdatul Musselmeneen, Shia Ulema Council and Shia Azadari council protested in Rawalpindi later they marched towards Islamabad and recorded their protest in front of national press club Islamabad. Protesting over the recent Shia killings in Lahore as many as three dozens people stood outside the press club to voice their concerns over the government's lack of control of the situation, which they said was getting worse.
Demanding that the government take immediate notice of the growing violence in the society, participants were carrying banners and placards inscribed with slogans like "Stop Shia genocide" Stop minorities Massacre and give peace a chance.
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12/17/2013 00:00 ||
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[Al Ahram] Turkey has shipped 47 tonnes of weapons to Syrian rebels since June despite repeated government denials, a local newspaper reported on Monday.
The Hurriyet Daily News, citing UN and Turkish Statistics Institute records, said 29 tonnes of military equipment were sent to opposition fighters in September alone.
The government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a vociferous opponent of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Terror of Aleppo ... , has openly supported the rebels but has always denied arming them.
"Turkey does not supply arms to any group" in Syria, a Turkish diplomat told AFP when asked to comment on the report.
He said the UN and Turkish records cited by Hurriyet were "guns without military uses".
Hundreds of Turks have crossed the border into Syria to fight with Al-Qaeda linked jihadists against the Damascus regime, according to an interior ministry report published last month.
Ankara has been accused of turning a blind eye to the fighters crossing its border into Syria.
But a local newspaper earlier this month said that Ankara had deported 1,100 European citizens who had come to Turkey to join Al-Qaeda groups in Syria.
Syria's moderate opposition appears to be in deep disarray, a concern highlighted after a powerful Islamist faction seized weapons warehouses from the Western-backed Free Syrian Army earlier this month.
The United States and Britannia responded by saying they were suspending all non-lethal military aid to the FSA.
Turkey is sheltering about 600,000 Syrian refugees who have fled the civil war at home and also hosts the main Syrian opposition grouping.
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[An Nahar] Phalange party's political bureau warned on Monday of "the exported culture of suicide bombers" in the country, calling for controlling the border and the entrances of refugee camps.
"We strongly condemn the attacks against troops and we consider it a dangerous development of events," the party said in a released statement after the political bureau's weekly meeting.
"The attack targeted the last strongholds of military and security legitimacy and the last line of defense of stability and security in the country," the statement added.
"We warn of the exported culture of suicide bombers and we call for controlling the border and monitoring the entrances of refugee camps and of assemblies."
It also urged seeking the help of UNIFIL troops, noting that United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 allows expanding their mission to include such tasks.
One soldier and four gunmen died on Sunday evening in near-simultaneous attacks on two army checkpoints in Sidon -- one of them involving a suicide bomber.
In the first attack, an unidentified attacker hurled a hand grenade at an army checkpoint on Sidon's northern entrance in the al-Awwali area, prompting troops to retaliate, which left a gunman dead and a soldier wounded.
According to LBCI television, the army scoured the groves that lie near the al-Awwali checkpoint and closed the road for a while.
Soon after the army intensified its patrols in the area, another attack targeted one of its checkpoints in the Sidon suburb of Majdelyoun.
State-run National News Agency said three gunmen attacked the checkpoint at the Majdelyoun-Bqosta intersection, noting that one of them blew himself up while the other two were killed by troops.
At dawn, the army issued a statement saying Sergeant Samer Youssef Rizk was killed in the Majdelyoun attack.
The politburo stressed on following-up with the security plan implemented in the northern city of Tripoli to ensure stability and urged "benefiting from the current calm to deal with the roots of the problem."
"We hail the stances voiced by the March 14 General Secretariat that assure that Tripoli is a city of openness, moderation and dialogue."
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[An Nahar] Hizbullah deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem ... the Grand Vizier of the Hezbullies... and newly-appointed Qatari Ambassador to Leb Ali bin Hamad al-Marri stressed on Monday the importance of political solutions to regional crises, announced the party in a statement.
It said: "Political solutions are key to ending disputes in the region."
They also serve to achieve reconciliation among people in the region, it added after a meeting between Qassem and al-Marri.
"Cooperation between Lebanese parties will help reach the solution that will serve the country and all of its sons," it said.
Ties between Hizbullah and Qatar were strained in light of the latter's support of the Syrian rebels against the Syrian regime of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Horror of Homs...
Hizbullah has acknowledged that it had sent fighters to Syria to fight alongside regime forces against takfir ...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... i groups.
On December 3, Hizbullah chief His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... had revealed that communication between Hizbullah and Qatar was not suspended despite being at odds on several political issues.
He added: "We have met with a Qatari delegation ... and we're still in a disagreement over Syria but we were not seeking problems with anyone, not even with Soddy Arabia." ...a kingdom taking up the bulk of the Arabian peninsula. Its primary economic activity involves exporting oil and soaking Islamic rubes on the annual hajj pilgrimage. The country supports a large number of princes in whatcha might call princely splendor. When the oil runs out the rest of the world is going to kick sand in the Soddy national face...
He continued: "We told the Qatari envoy that the military choice in Syria is futile and the attempt to oust Assad militarily is an act of madness, that's why I call on all countries to contribute towards finding a political solution. We also spoke of neutralizing Leb in the Syrian crisis."
"Qatar is reevaluating all its stances in the region," Nasrallah noted.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/17/2013 00:00 ||
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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.
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Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
