[An Nahar] 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... on Wednesday accused the United States of killing seven children and one woman in an Arclight airstrike in central Afghanistan, in an incident set to further damage frayed ties between the two allies.
Relations between Washington and Kabul have been rocky for years, and negotiations over an agreement that would allow some U.S. troops to remain in the country after this year have broken down into a long-running public dispute.
Karzai made a surprise decision not to sign the bilateral security agreement (BSA) late last year despite having earlier vowed to do so, leading to the threat of a complete withdrawal of U.S.-led NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions... troops by the end of 2014.
"As a result of bombardment by American forces last night, which was conducted... in Siahgird district of Parwan province, one woman and seven children were martyred and one civilian injured," a statement from his office said.
"The Afghan government has been asking for a complete end to operations in Afghan villages for years, but American forces acting against all mutual agreements and guarantees... have once again bombarded a residential area and killed civilians."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Get out NOW, today! Burn or blow everything in place, and leave these thieving, dope infested bastids to their own misery.
#2
Reminds me way too much of Vietnam (without jungles.) No intention of winning. No strategy. Our 'friends' aren't really on our side. An enemy ruthless in exploiting our media and our attempt to conduct civilized war. Should have declared victory back in 2002 and left.
[Egypt Independent] The trial of four men charged in connection with Kenya's Westgate mall massacre opened Wednesday, an attack claimed by Somalia's Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab turbans.
The court heard testimony from a guard who was outside the upmarket mall when the gunnies launched their attack in September, killing at least 67 people.
The men are not accused of carrying out the attack, but of lending support to the gunnies.
The four, Adan Mohammed Abidkadir Adan, Mohammed Ahmed Abdi, Liban Abdullah Omar and Hussein Hassan Mustafah have all pleaded not guilty "Wudn't me." to charges of supporting a terrorist group.
Witnesses in the mall after the attack described how the fighters stormed the crowded complex, firing from the hip and hurling grenades at shoppers and staff.
In court, witness Stephen Juma described how he had been outside the mall directing traffic when a car pulled up outside and three men leapt out.
"I began to hear gunshots, I made a radio call for help while running to the main entrance," Juma said.
"I took shelter in a residential compound until when I saw coppers come," adding that he had not seen the faces of the three men.
All the gunnies in the Westgate siege -- understood to have totalled four, not the dozen that security forces initially reported -- are believed to have died during the attack, according to security sources.
The Shabaab said the gunnies came from a special suicide commando brigade.
They said it was a warning to Kenya to pull its troops out of southern Somalia, where they are fighting the hard boyz as part of an African Union ...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful... force.
Interpol and the FBI have assisted Kenya in trying to identify four bodies believed to be those of the attackers.
However, alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk... a New York police report said the lack of concrete evidence of their death means that they may have escaped.
Two of the gunnies are named in court documents as Mohammed Abdinur Said and Hassan Abdi Dhuhulow, a 23-year-old Somali who spent time in Norway.
Like the attackers, the four on trial are all ethnic Somalis, but it is unclear whether they are Somali or Kenyan citizens.
Western officials have suggested that as many as 94 could have died in total in the attack.
Bodies were buried under tonnes of rubble after part of the mall's roof collapsed at the end of the raid following an intense fire that burned for weeks.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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The Seychelles Coast Guard, Air Force and Police Force, together with the EU Naval Force Somalia Operation Atalanta and EUCAP Nestor, have recently carried out a counter-piracy exercise in the Seychelles.
Who has the bigger navy, the Seychelles or the EU?
The exercise, on January 10, involved the boarding of a suspected pirate skiff that had attacked a local fishing boat. The pirates were disarmed and taken into custody, along with evidence from the skiff. The Seychelles Coast Guard then handed over the pirates and evidence to the Police Force.
The purpose of the exercise was to practice cooperation between the Coast Guard, Police Force and EU Naval Force in a counter-piracy operation and, in particular, routines on evidence handling.
The EU Naval Force Italian frigate, ITS Libeccio, which is currently on a port visit to the Seychelles, took part in the exercise with a boarding team and embarked helicopter, the EU Naval Force said. The Commanding Officer, Commander Stefano Calvetti stated, This was a highly successful exercise. Everything went as planned, and our Seychelles partners clearly demonstrated their high level of professionalism in fighting piracy.
The Seychelles has been at the forefront among the countries of the region in the fight against piracy.
Piracy is the greatest challenge facing the Seychelles, together with illegal fishing and smuggling. The Coast Guard is in charge of deterring pirates, but its effectiveness is limited by having a small number of serviceable vessels available to patrol its vast exclusive economic zone (EEZ) covering nearly one million square kilometres.
The Seychelles is one of a few countries to detain and try pirates captured in the Indian Ocean, but has struggled with the cost of detaining over 100 pirates that have been arrested by international naval forces in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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MOGADISHU, Somalia -- Federal Government of Somalia for the first time spoke on the presence of US military advisers in Mogadishu on Wednesday, Garowe Online reports. The acting Defence Minister, Abdihakin Haji Mohamud Fiqi told the media that small cell of US military personnel arrived in Mogadishu in October 2013 to coordinate the fight against Al Shabaab militants with Somali Government and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) forces.
It is true that US military advisers are in Mogadishu and they have been in Somalia since October 2013.They only give advices to our military officials, said Fiqi, adding that their presence is crucial to Somalia Federal Government.
He stressed that US advisers are also working on plans aimed at restoring peace in the southern part of country.
The move shows US and international communitys continued support to restoring peace and stability throughout Somalia, the caretaker defence minister noted.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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#2
Afri solutions for Afri problems I say. Former racist, apartheid regimes to the south are no longer available to assist, or are so grossly incompetent, corrupt, and HIV infested they are of not tactical or strategic value.
[An Nahar] The U.S. government could have prevented deadly attacks on its mission in the Libyan city of Benghazi by fixing "known security shortfalls," a damning Senate report concluded Wednesday.
Four American citizens, including Ambassador Chris Stephens, died in the double attack targeting a U.S. diplomatic facility and the nearby CIA annex on September 11, 2012.
A Senate Intelligence Committee inquiry held hearings and interviewed dozens of witnesses, against a back-drop of partisan point-scoring from both sides of Washington's political divide.
Some Republican politicians accuse President Barack Obama I mean, I do think at a certain point you've made enough money... of concealing evidence that al- Qaeda-linked jihadi groups were behind the outrage and of failing to properly protect the outpost.
Obama's administration initially suggested the attacks were a spontaneous protest by Benghazi residents angered by a privately-made American anti-Islamic film posted online.
Wednesday's bipartisan report emphasized the security shortfalls that allowed protesters and armed Death Eaters to storm Stephen's Benghazi compound and to torch the U.S. residence.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Does this report or finding give Nakoula Basseley Nakoula [the film maker] legal grounds for redress of damages ?
#4
Perhaps they were unfixed "known security shortfalls," because the consulate facility (or the Klingon one, for that matter) was not intended to be permanent?
#5
Obama and Hildabeeste first reactions were to lie and coverup. That should say it all. Had it been a GOP president the press would be howling from the rooftops. The problem has becom the press.
#6
My recollection is that the Beast was very quiet after the attack and that was why Susan Rice had to do the Sunday shows. She's trying to thread the needle of not lying but being a team player.
[Egypt Independent] Public Prosecutor Hesham Barakat has ordered removing name of Ahmed Shafiq, former presidential hopeful, from runaway watchlists, sources said on condition of anonymity.
The decision will be enacted within 48 hours after the final draft of verdicts in lawsuits of pilots land and casablanca are issued.
The sources attributed delay in issuing the decision over the past few days to delay by Shafiq's lawyer Yehia Qadry requesting his name be lifted. He sent the request only one week ago, although the verdicts were issued before. The prosecution decision will be sent to all ports so Shafiq would be allowed to return to Egypt, if he wants, without legal or procedural restrictions.
Qadry headed 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... to perform Umra ahead of the referendum and returned back to United Arab Emirates to vote on the constitutional amendments.
Shafiq was acquitted from two cases related to illegally granting sons of Mubarak lands owned by army pilots association.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Congress is prepared to allow US President Barack Obama Republicans can come along for the ride, but they've got to sit in the back... to restore $1.5 billion in aid to Egypt, which is on a political knife edge as the military-backed government bids to consolidate its rule.
A clause inserted deep into a broad federal spending bill, which is expected to pass as early as Friday, authorizes Washington to send $975 million to the Egyptian government.
[Egypt Independent] Abdul Latif Bin Rashid Al Zayani, secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), has denounced statements by Ahmed al-Zend, president of Egypt's Judges Club, who called on the Egyptian army to send troops to Qatar and arrest Egyptian supporters of the Moslem Brüderbund who fled Egypt after President Mohammed Morsy was deposed.
Zayani told the Kuwaiti news agency KUNA that the "deplorable" statement is unacceptable as Qatar has always stood and still stands by Egypt and the Egyptian people.
Egypt decided on Monday 6 January to withdraw its ambassador to Qatar, Mohammed Morsy, for consultation, once the constitution referendum is held for Egyptians expatriates.
Since the 3 July ouster of Egypt's first democractically-elected, President Mohammed Morsy, his opponents have railed attacks against Qatar, who was a staunch supporter of his administration. The interim government has already banned Al Jazeera network from operating within Egypt, accusing it of biased coverage.
Opponents of former President Morsy, from various political groups, have spoken out viciously against Qatar, demanding retaliation for Qatar's criticism of the interim government, in wake of the expansive crackdown on the Moslem Brüderbund and increased restriction of human rights When they're defined by the state or an NGO they don't mean much... .
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01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] Egyptian official says his country 'cannot get liberated from the terrorism of the Brotherhood in Egypt without ending it in Gazoo'.
After crushing the Moslem Brüderbund at home, Egypt's military rulers plan to undermine the Paleostinian Death Eater group Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,, which runs the neighbouring Gazoo Strip, senior Egyptian security officials told said.
The aim, which the officials say could take years to pull off, includes working with Hamas's political rivals Fatah and supporting popular anti-Hamas activities in Gazoo, four security and diplomatic officials said.
Since it seized power in Egypt last summer, Egypt's military has squeezed Gazoo's economy by destroying most of the 1,200 tunnels used to smuggle food, cars and weapons to the coastal enclave.
Now Cairo is becoming even more ambitious in its drive to eradicate what it says are Death Eater organizations that threaten its national security.
Intelligence operatives, with help from Hamas's political rivals and activists, plan to undermine the credibility of Hamas, which seized
control of Gazoo in 2007 and ousted rivals Fatah, headed by Paleostinian President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... According to the Egyptian officials, Hamas will face growing resistance by activists who will launch protests similar to those in Egypt that led to the downfall of two presidents since the Arab Spring in 2011. Cairo plans to support such protests in an effort to cripple Hamas.
"Gazoo is next," said one security bigshot, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. "We cannot get liberated from the terrorism of the Brotherhood in Egypt without ending it in Gazoo, which lies on our borders."
Asked why Egyptian intelligence is not going after Hamas now, another security bigshot said: "Their day will come."
Egypt accuses Hamas of backing al-Qaeda-linked Death Eater groups which have stepped up attacks against security forces in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula over the past few months. The attacks have spread to Cairo and other cities.
Both the Moslem Brüderbund and Hamas deny accusations of terrorism, and the Brotherhood says it is committed to peaceful activism. The group was ousted from power in Egypt after the military threw its weight behind street protests last summer.
Freely elected 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... is now on trial on charges of inciting the murder of protesters during his presidency. Egypt's military-backed government has cracked down hard on the Brotherhood, arresting almost its entire leadership and thousands of its backers as well as formally declaring it a terrorist organization.
But the situation is very different in Gazoo, where Hamas, an offshoot of the Brotherhood, is heavily armed, has years of experience fighting Israel, and moves swiftly to squash dissent.
A Hamas official said the comments made to Rooters by Egyptian officials showed Cairo was inciting violence and trying to provoke chaos.
"We reaffirm that Hamas did not and never would intervene in the internal Egyptian affairs," Hamas front manSami Abu Zuhri ...a senior spokesman for Hamas. Zuhri gained notoriety in 2006 when he dropped his money belt containing somewhere between 640,000 and 900,000 euros, which was confiscated by Paleostinian security and customs officials at a routine border crossing from Egypt to Gaza. The news brought competing Hamas and Fatah forces to the crossing checkpoint for an epic face-making and hollering contest... told Rooters. "No one should ever dream to weaken Hamas."
So far, contacts between Egypt and Fatah have been limited to discussing ways to help Fatah undermine Hamas, said the officials. They declined to name Paleostinians involved in those discussions or give details of how many meetings have been held.
Hamas keeps Fatah party officials under very close watch in Gazoo. A senior Fatah official in the West Bank, where the party is far more powerful, denied any plot to oust Hamas.
"There is a lot of anger in Gazoo. People are suffering, but protest is not easy. We cannot hope that Hamas will vanish tomorrow," he said.
Hamas has an estimated 20,000 fighters, with another 20,000 in its police and security forces. Despite growing economic hardship in Gazoo, the group can still draw on significant support from among the territory's 1.8 million people.
But Egyptian officials hope to exploit tensions with rival Death Eater groups, even if there are no signs of major splits yet.
"We know that Hamas is powerful and armed but we also know that there are other gangs in Gazoo that are not on good terms with Hamas and they could be used to face Hamas," another Egyptian security source said.
"All people want is to eat, drink and have a decent living, and if a government, armed or not, fails to provide that, then the people will rise against it in the end," the source said.
'First spark'
In early January, Cairo publicly hosted the first conference of a new anti-Hamas youth group called Tamarud, or rebel, the same name used by the Egyptian youth movement that led last year's protests against Mursi.
Members of the Paleostinian Tamarud stood with the Paleostinian flag wrapped around their necks to highlight what they called Hamas' crimes against activists in Gazoo.
The event was attended by representatives from Egyptian liberal parties and Fatah.
"We support the movement and any peaceful movement against the cruelty of the Islamist group that is part of the terrorist Moslem Brüderbund organization," said Ayman al-Raqb, a Fatah official in Cairo in his speech at the conference.
The activists showed video clips of masked gunnies chasing and dragging away protesters, and posted banners showing activists who they said had been tortured by Hamas for their opposition.
The Gazoo-based Paleostinian Center for Human Rights last year accused Hamas of orchestrating a fierce crackdown against activists suspected of trying to organise a Tamarud-like protest in November. It said some of those detained were tortured and the mooted rally never materialised.
Hamas has accused Tamarud members of being Israeli agents, but has denied allegations of torture.
Activists in Cairo have called for protests in Gazoo on March 21.
Egyptian officials hope that future Hamas crackdowns may turn the tide against the movement's leadership.
"Surely, the world will not stand still and allow Hamas to kill Paleostinians. Someone will interfere," said the Egyptian security official. "But so far we are only working on firing the first spark."
But officials also concede that the plan is likely to take years.
"The aid Egypt will mainly provide to the anti-Hamas groups will be logistical not financial. Tamaruds don't cost much," one Egyptian security official said.
Tunnels
The plan to undermine Hamas reflects renewed confidence among Egypt's security forces after being sidelined following the fall of long-time president Hosni Mubarak ...The former President-for-Life of Egypt, dumped by popular demand in early 2011... in 2011. Senior security officials are now determined to eliminate their Islamist foes for good - inside and outside Egypt.
They were angry when Mosi became the first Egyptian president to meet Hamas leaders in the presidential palace. Morsi also sent his prime minister to Gazoo on the second day of Israel's Operation Pillar of Defense there in November 2012.
Many Egyptians believe the Brotherhood intended to give part of the Sinai to Hamas. The Brotherhood has consistently denied the allegation.
Morsi's administration did acknowledge the problem posed by the tunnels under the border between Egypt and Gazoo. His national security adviser last year said the government was flooding a number of tunnels he described as illegal.
But the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gazoo was kept open for much of Morsi's rule, allowing vital food and goods to flow into Gazoo.
After Morsi's overthrow, the army took over command of the Sinai and started destroying hundreds of tunnels. No Hamas official has been allowed to travel into Egypt since then.
Last month, Egypt's public prosecutor accused Hamas of conspiring with Morsi and Iran to stage terrorist attacks in Egypt.
"We know Hamas is the Brotherhood and the Brotherhood (members) are snuffies and no country could develop with snuffies in or around it," the security official said.
Gazoo prime minister and Hamas deputy leader Ismail Haniyeh ...became Prime Minister after the legislative elections of 2006 which Hamas won. President Mahmoud Abbas dismissed Haniyeh from office on 14 June 2007 at the height of the Fatah-Hamas festivities, but Haniyeh did not acknowledge the decree and continues as the PM of Gazoo while Abbas maintains a separate PM in the West Bank... has said repeatedly since July that his group is focused exclusively on confronting Israel and has no armed presence in Egypt.
"We do not intervene in Egyptian internal affairs," he told supporters last month. "Egypt cannot do without us and we cannot do without Egypt. This historical, geographic and security link can never be severed."
But an Egyptian security official, who declined to be named, dismissed his words. "They (Hamas leaders) can say what they want on their role in Sinai. We don't base our judgment on them, but on intelligence and information."
#1
The West should be fully supporting Egypt's army.
Posted by: Paul D ||
01/16/2014 7:14 Comments ||
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#2
And Israel should allow Egypt to conduct operations in Gazoo. Maybe even exchange intelligence. After all Hamas is MB in Gaza. Egypt could clean up with a lot less condemnation than the Jooos.
[An Nahar] The German government on Wednesday said it had no reason to believe an attack by gunnies on two German diplomats in 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... this week was politically motivated.
The two envoys escaped unharmed when their car came under fire Monday in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, where most of the country's Shiite Moslem minority lives.
German foreign ministry front man Martin Schaefer said the area was known for "security risks".
"We have no evidence and no concrete indications that this attack on the two German diplomats had a terrorist motive, a political motive," he told news hounds.
"But this is a conclusion that I must put under the caveat that in the course of the investigation, which we of course are pursuing with great intensity, and which we are insisting on from the Saudi side, new evidence could emerge that requires us to change that judgement."
The Saudi official news agency SPA reported that authorities were seeking the gunnies without saying whether the incident was linked to unrest in Eastern Province.
Schaefer declined to comment directly on German media reports that said the two envoys worked for the country's foreign intelligence service BND.
"A diplomat is easy to define: it is someone who is formally accredited in a host country," he said. "So when I say 'diplomat', I mean that."
Reports on Wednesday quoted officials as saying that they believed the attack was likely a kidnapping attempt to extort a ransom rather than a politically motivated assault.
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01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] Jessore police have turned the gang raping of at least five Dalit women into stories of two ordinary rapes, trying to bury a part of the spate of post-election violence against minority people, investigation reveals.
Evidence suggests that police tried to bury the incidents altogether until the matter was revealed in the media in the early hours of January 8 -- two days after the rapes at Rishipara of Monirampur in Jessore.
The local police also allegedly influenced the stories of the victims in two cases filed, making them sound like ordinary incidents of rape. The three other victims mysteriously changed their previous statements and are now denying to have been raped.
The police took three days to have medical examinations of the two complainants, significantly reducing the chances of finding any evidence at all, which ultimately led to the conclusion that there had been no rape.
However, some men learn by reading. A few learn by observation. The rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves... contradictions in the first information reports (FIRs) filed by the two victims, video footage recorded by local journalists and statements of witnesses still substantiate that at least five women of the families of two neighbouring brothers were raped on the same night.
The victims are the wives of the two brothers, their daughters, and a daughter-in-law.
"We decided to leave the village and not to file any case as we barely have a hand-to-mouth existence and cannotbear the cost of running a case," said the husband of a victim.
The victims are Dalits,members of the Rishi community, who are cobblers by profession and are socially considered at the lowesttier in the Hindu caste system --the "untouchables."
Neighbours suspect when one of the families left the area with all their belongings the morning following the rape, the other took shelter in a date orchard near Rishiparawhere they had bought three kathas of land.
The Rishiparaincident took place three days after some 300 families of Malopara village of Abhaynagarhad been driven away by the activists of 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... , its student wing IslamiChhatraShibir and their key ally BNP.
"The question is whether the rapestook place at all. Does a husband lie with his wife the next day she was raped?" saidMonirampurcop shoppe's Officer-in-Charge Mir Rezaul Hossain in his first reaction to a question asked by thisnews hound about the rape.
Rezaul went on speaking in the same manner at his office on January 14 evening, claiming that those women had come up with the stories of rape for getting money or aid.
"Rape is not a matter for them [Dalits]. Theydo not hold it [having sex] in high regard like us. They can compromise their honour for anything, for mere fun!
"They make a mountain out of a molehill. They lie a lot," Rezaul said.
The OC insisted that the number of rape victims -- three -- as mentioned in the FIRs was not true and it would be two, and that too was "highly doubtful."
The Dhaka Tribune has copies of the FIRs filed by two rape victims -- one of the daughters and the daughter-in-law, who mentionedthe name of a third victim.
The half-page FIRssound incomplete, only describingthat seven to eight masked men stormed into their houses around 1:30am and 2:30am on Wednesday andthat only one of them raped the complainants. The other members of the group held the family members hostagesfor an hour.
The name of a fourth rape victim appears in the statement ofAshutoshMandal, a member of the Village Defence Police posted in the area. He told the Dhaka Tribune thathehad encountered the family while they were leaving the village the next morning.
Video footage recorded during a visit to the area by two local journalists on January 9, a copy of which is available with the Dhaka Tribune, shows the fifth victim.
"I addressed them as my sons and begged for not dishonouring me, but they defiled me!" criesone of the mothersin the footage.The husband of a victim is seen saying: "They entered the house one after another."
Ashutosh said: "I heard three men raped...[name withheld]."
He confirmed that the Monirampurupazila nirbahi officerhad been informed by Union Parishad Member Afzal Hossain around 3:30pm on Wednesday.
"Police visited the area twice that evening," said Govinda Das, one of the youths who have been guarding the area at night since the incident.
OC Rezaul, however, claimed that he had not learnt the matter until Thursday evening, a statement that contradictsthat of the district's Police Superintendent Joy DevBhadra, who told the Dhaka Tribune: "We came to know about it in the evening of January 8 [Wednesday]."
A local journalist said police had forced the two complainants to lodge stories of being raped by a single man in the case as a case of a gang rape would have caused further backlash against the law enforcers' failure to protect Hindus.
"But they could not hide it entirely as the media had already interviewed some of the victims," said a journalist.
According to the two complainants, they had not been taken to the cop shoppe until Thursday night, and had their tests done two days later -- on Saturday morning.
Jessore General Hospital Superintendent Yakub Ali and several forensic experts told the Dhaka Tribune that the chances of finding rape evidence in the body of a victim were slim after 24 hours, especially in case ofmarried women.
The Dhaka Tribune has copies of the medical tests that found no proof of rape.
The case could have been proved in another way -- byexamining the victims' clothes they were wearing during the violence. But police appear not to have even given it a thought.
"I donot see any hope because of the role police are playing," said Niranjan Prasad Biswas, chairman of Haridaskathi union.
Police have tossed in the slammer Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please! two people who are not even suspected by the victims.
The four suspected by victims are still on the lam.
Although the police claim that the two arresteesare activists of the BNP and Jamaat, the one identified as a Jamaat activist is known as a supporter of the Awami League in the area.
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01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] On a foggy winter morning of January 2 this correspondent slung a pretty big rucksack on his back and set off for Kansat from Chapainawabganj city in a hired auto-rickshaw.
It was a one and a half hours of journey to Kansat. Noticing a big luggage the driver of the rickshaw inquisitively asked me if I wanted to go to the other side of the border meaning India.
The young lanky driver got a negative reply but did not give in as he could not think of a person who could venture out to visit a place at a time when political unrest and violence gripped the area. Moreover, the big luggage grew more suspicion in him.
Habibullah, the auto-rickshaw driver, insisted that he could arrange everything for this correspondent so that he could safely go to the other side of the border. Eventually I had to give in in fear of being exposed that I was a journalists.
He pulled over at Shyampur Bazar and took me to a two-storey building nestled just next to the bazar. Out came a man in his 30s with a suntanned face. His confident demeanour bears the testimony of his all-round skill.
His name is Fazlu who gave a scary picture of the area saying that the border was under tight security and if I wanted to cross it I had to pay not less than Tk2, 500.
Somehow I managed to say goodbye to him saying that being a student I did not have that much money. Later I came to know that a large section of people in the area are involved in illegal border-trespassing and smuggling.
Contacted, Abdur Razzak, Inspector (investigation) of Shibganj cop shoppe, said people of the area are mainly engaged in mango farming during the summer season but at other times they either idle away their times or are involved in illegal trans-border business.
"You never find anyone involved in clash or violence during the mango season but it is something different at other times. People in the bordering area are so impoverished that they do everything even for a piece of chapatti and a plate of lentil.
"We have locked away Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up! some people and seized several vehicles used in drug smuggling," Inspector Razzak continued pointing to some trucks and vehicles on cop shoppe premises that were seized during smuggling.
What was most surprising to this correspondent was that Modasser Ali, a Jamaat leader, Golam Azam, secretary general of Upazila Jamaat unit and Kibria operate a smuggling racket in the area, said police and locals in return for anonymity. They smuggle Phensydle, hemp and others Indian items into the country, they said.
About the funding of Jamaat-Shibir Abdur Razzak said members of the Islamist outfit mainly collect money from drug smuggling to run their political activities in the area.
Contacted Modasser said he used to operate a mobile cell phone shop at Shibganj Bazar and during that time he brought best quality items from India. "I have a trade license. The ruling party men vandalised my shop and since then it has remained closed."
In the course of conversation Modasser denied being involved in smuggling.
However, alcohol has never solved anybody's problems. But then, neither has milk... people in the area said Modasser provide fund to Jamaat-Shibir to operate their political activities.
When asked, Modasser said he did not need to finance anybody. "People love me and they follow my instruction."
Almost similar reply came from Azam, another Jamaat leaders, who said they mainly cultivate mango and tomato. They have no time to smuggle things into the country.
AKM Mizanur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Shibganj cop shoppe, said that smuggling was not a new trend in the area. "We are working on it and a number of illegal shipment has already been recovered in a couple of months.
Rab-5 Lieutenant Colonel Anwar Latif Khan of Shibganj said members of the elite force are active and a large quantity of drugs had been seized in recent drives.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] BNP chief the loathesome Khaleda Zia Three-term PM of Bangla, widow of deceased dictator Ziaur Rahman, head of the Bangla Nationalist Party, an apparent magnet for corruption ... softened her stance on the anti-government campaign apparently to give a positive impression of the 18-party alliance to people and the international community.
After a nerve-racking street agitation for two and a half months, Khaleda yesterday announced a series of fresh programmes, including demonstration and procession, much to the relief of the common mass.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[Dhaka Tribune] The first question the rapists asked before storming into the homes of two neighbouring brothers and gang raping their wives, two daughters and a daughter-in-law was: "Did you vote? Who did you vote for in the election?"
The victims, who could barely guess from this question what awaited their fate, and replied at once in the negative. The houses were a few hundred yards away from the periphery of Hrishipara in Monirampur's Haridashkati union.
Chairman of the union Niranjan Prosad Biswas believes the incident is related to the national election as 95% of about 750 voters in the Hrishipara are known to be Awami League supporters.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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has launched "patriotic patrols" in Poland's bars and nightclubs in an effort, it says, to protect Polish women from being chatted up by Muslims.
The Polish Defense League, which describes itself as "showing the true face of Islam and acting against the Islamization of Europe," launched the operation in December in cities including Warsaw, Poznan and Krakow.
The league's website stated, "We are there to observe how Muslims behave and to intervene. In the space of one evening, in hundreds of places across the country, incidents occur involving the seduction of our female compatriots."
"This is a fight for the future of our country and our women," continued the statement, "Because one of these girls, unwittingly charmed by an exotic prince could, along with her offspring, end up very badly in the Islamic world, which is advancing on us with great strides."
Is white slavery an issue in Poland? Or does the statement mean something else?
According to the PLO, which has around 3600 fans of its Facebook page, Polish women are warned during the patrols about the "threats" of getting involved with Muslim men.
A post on the PLO web site by 'Mr Niki' describes a visit to a club in Warsaw where the 'activists' - who were "defending the honor of Polish women" - observed "Muslims" dancing with Polish girls.
"We walked between the dancers and parted them. This was much more effective than simply talking to the ladies," says the web site. Not all interventions were successful, however.
The post continues, "At around 3 am, one of the Muslims decided to try and seduce a beautiful but unfortunately extremely intoxicated girl. Later when she went to the restroom we waited outside and talked to her for around 15 minutes [about what she was doing] but the conservation did not end positively and she returned to her 'chosen one' even more submissively."
On an international anti-Islamist web site, a post by the PLO warns Muslims in English: "In Poland, there will be NO sharia law. NO headbanging or shouting Allahu Akbar in the streets. NO insulting our religion and our culture. NO burning cars like in France. NO burning down police stations. NO imposing your ways on us. NO calling us the sons of apes and pigs. If you do, we will be the ones waging jihad...on YOU!"
[DAWN] The public displeasure of Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf ...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations.... Chairman Imran Khan ... aka Taliban Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality problems... over late response of the provincial government towards the sacrifice of Aitzaz Hassan Bangash against terrorism on Monday forced Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] The U.S. Marine Corps has launched an investigation into photos released Wednesday that purport to show troops burning corpses in Fallujah, ... the City of Mosques, which might have somthing to do with why it's not called Center of Prosperity or a really nice place to raise your kids... Iraq, a front man said.
The probe was focused initially on verifying if the images were genuine, after the gossip website TMZ, known for its coverage of celebrities, posted eight grisly photos online.
"We are conducting an investigation into it right now," Captain Tyler Balzer told Agence La Belle France Presse.
"At this point it's just to really determine the veracity of the photos and what the circumstances depicted in them are, and, if possible, whether we can identify the service members involved," he said.
The TMZ site said it had 41 photos and were told the images were taken in Fallujah, the scene of heavy fighting by Marines nearly ten years ago and where al-Qaeda-linked forces of Evil recently took back control.
In the photos, an American Marine appears to be pouring fuel or other flammable liquid on two corpses. Then other pictures show the remains on fire.
In other pictures, a U.S. Marine smiles for the camera as he kneels next to a corpse, and another soldier appears to search the pockets of the clothes on a corpse.
TMZ wrote that it handed over the photos to the U.S. Defense Department.
A Pentagon front man said the photos do not appear to show a war crime, but the troops in the pictures possibly violated military rules that prohibit the mishandling of remains or inappropriate photos on the battlefield.
"Based on our initial discussions with our legal team, there's been no law of war violations here," Colonel Steven Warren said.
In some cases, torching corpses can be permitted under military rules for "health and hygiene," Warren said.
If military authorities conclude there was wrongdoing, the individuals involved could be prosecuted under the military code even if the incident occurred several years ago, Warren said.
If the troops have since left the military, they would have to be ordered back to duty to face charges, which is extremely rare, he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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#8
One of the only two stories my father told me about his service in WWII as a Seabee was bulldozing and burning corpses of soldiers, women & children that committed suicide after the fall of Saipan.
It pretty much scarred him for life and it wasn't until I was 24 and he was drunk that he told me that much.
War is hell pretty much no matter how you slice it.
#9
Ya know, I remember a book my family had when I was a kid. It was Time (or Life) "WWII in Pictures". One of the pictures was of a Japanese tanker who couldn't get out of his tank when it brewed up. It was hard to tell it was a human head, unless you squinted and filled in some gaps.
So was that pic a war crime? And who the hell cared?
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/16/2014 21:49 Comments ||
Top||
...that being the time remaining on the current hudna, one imagines...
[Jpost] Masses of Islamic movement's loyalists hold parade five year to IDF's three-week offensive in Gazoo.
Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason, Interior Minister Fathi Hammad predicted on Monday that Israel has only eight years left before its demise.
"We are coming after the Zionists with all our leaders and soldiers," Hammad said. "You have only eight years on the land of Paleostine before your demise."
Hammad was speaking during a military parade organized by Hamas on the fifth anniversary of the IDF's Cast Lead Operation in the Gazoo Strip.
Masses of Paleostinian forces loyal to the Islamic movement took part in parades marking the IDF's three-week offensive against Hamas snuffies in the coastal encalve.
The army's 22-day-long offensive was launched on December 27, 2008 and ended on January 18, 2009.
Hammad said the Paleostinians were marching toward victory and have forgotten past "setbacks."
"We are still on the threshold of an Islamic march and we will enter the Aksa Mosque as liberators, by God's will."
Or not, as God's will thus far has seemed to suggest very strongly.
[Ynet] "The self-proclaimed criminal mastermind of the September 11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, has released a manifesto claiming that the Koran forbids the use of violence to spread Islam.
The document, published Tuesday by The Huffington Post and Britannia's Channel 4 News, marks Mohammed's first public communication since 2009, when the US government officially accused him of terrorism. In a major departure from his previous position, Mohammed said that "the Holy Koran forbids us to use force as a means of converting!"
So will he go to hell for planning 9/11, or is jihad a separate issue?
Lawmakers representing Zamboanga City on Wednesday vowed that they would defend every inch of the city's territory so as to be excluded from the proposed Bangsamoro political entity as the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) are making their final push to conclude the peace deal.
The two congressmen of the city made their statement during the state of the city report in support of the stand of Mayor Isabelle Climaco-Salazar for the exclusion of this city in the proposed Bangsamoro entity.
The adamant opposition of the city leaders comes even after the bloody Sept. 9 siege staged by the Nur Misuari faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF). Second district Rep. Lilia Nuño said the recent siege has strengthened the city's desire to opt out of autonomy. She said, "We will continue to push and defend to ensure that Zamboanga will stay out from being included in the autonomy."
Posted by: ryuge ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Sounds good to me, whatever works for them. No butter on the toast this morning please.
[An Nahar] Two suspects in the liquidation of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri are in Iran while the rest "have been killed," the German news magazine Der Spiegel reported on Wednesday.
"Western intelligence agencies believe that the two prime suspects in Hariri's liquidation are in Iran," Der Spiegel said.
The same source added that other suspects could have been victims of "preventative liquidation."
Der Spiegel explained that Iran's President Hassan Rouhani might know the whereabouts of the two desperados that are allegedly hiding in the country, but it doubted that he will cooperate, despite the newly found openness to the West and his predilection for reform.
"He will not want to do anything to endanger Teheran's special relations with Hizbullah and Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Oppressor of the Syrians and the Lebs... ," it said.
The German magazine also perceived that the international tribunal probing Hariri's liquidation and trying the suspects might "cause further unrest in Leb."
Four suspects from Hizbullah will go on trial in absentia on Thursday, charged with the February 14, 2005 bombing that killed Hariri and 22 others in downtown Beirut.
The four suspects have been charged with nine counts, ranging from conspiracy to commit a terrorist act to homicide and attempted homicide.
A fifth suspect, Hassan Habib Merhi, 48, was indicted last year and his case may yet be joined to the current trial.
Hizbullah has denied responsibility Nope. Nope. Wudn't us. for the attack, and its leader His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... has dismissed the tribunal as a U.S.-Israeli conspiracy, vowing that none of the suspects will be nabbed Book 'im, Mahmoud! .
He has vowed never to cooperate with the tribunal, saying that the suspects, who remain on the lam, will never be found.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] U.N. Secretary General the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... said Wednesday the international organization has not taken a final decision on whether Iran should attend the Geneva II conference on Syria.
"As of this moment, we have not been able to finalize whether Iran should participate or not," Ban told a presser in Kuwait where he attended a donors conference for Syria.
"I had consultations with Russia and the United States and there are differences on... the exact role and reasons for this participation," Ban said.
The U.N. chief said Iran is a very important regional power.
The conference is scheduled to take place next week in Switzerland ...home of the Helvetians, famous for cheese, watches, yodeling, and William Tell... in a bid to find a political solution to a 34-month civil war that has claimed more than 130,000 lives and displaced millions of people.
Ban also said the Syrian opposition has not yet confirmed whether it will attend the meeting.
"So far, we don't have a confirmation from the Syrian opposition to attend the conference," said Ban, adding that there is not much time left.
He advised the main opposition National Coalition to "come with a coherent delegation" to the conference.
British media reported Tuesday that Britannia and the United States have told the main Syrian opposition that they will stop their support if it fails to send a delegation to the peace talks.
"The U.S. and UK are telling us you need to go to Geneva," an unnamed senior Coalition official was quoted as saying by the BBC and the Guardian newspaper.
U.S. Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you know Kerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat, conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... expressed hope this week that the opposition would attend the so-called Geneva II talks set to open on January 22, saying they were a "test of credibility of everybody" in the conflict.
The Coalition is expected to make a decision on Friday.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
These "Geneva II" talks will be all but absolutely useless or meaningless anyway iff neither Iran nor the Syrian opposition nor Baby Assad attend.
[An Nahar] President Hassan Rouhani, responding to domestic critics, said Wednesday Iran's foreign policy is in the hands of the government only, ISNA news agency reported.
The president's moderate views on recent nuclear talks and foreign policy have clashed with ultraconservative factions in the regime.
But he has so far enjoyed the qualified support of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say on all state matters.
"The government is in charge of foreign policy and... makes decisions about it within the framework of the supreme leader's policies and no one else can interfere," said Rouhani.
"Political infighting and festivities which create tension in society and have (an adverse) impact on economic activities are not acceptable," Rouhani said during a visit to oil-rich Khuzestan province.
Western powers had slapped Iran with crippling sanctions over suspicions it is using its nuclear activities to produce an atomic bomb. Tehran has repeated denied that, insisting its program is peaceful.
Iran and major world powers clinched a historic nuclear deal in November.
In a major achievement for Rouhani, Tehran agreed to curb parts of its nuclear drive for six months in exchange for modest sanction relief and a promise by Western powers not to impose new measures on its economy.
Rouhani won a first-round electoral victory over a pool of conservatives last year. He was elected with the vow of a more diplomatic approach with the West after eight years of stalled talks and escalating sanctions under hardline predecessor Mahmoud Short Round Ahmadinejad.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
Judging by the lack of progress on Iran's domestic issues, I'd say the regime is only "moderate" when it comes to nuclear talks and foreign policy.
#2
IIRC TOPIX, DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > IS IRAN SURRENDERING TO THE US?
1990's Amerika's sacred National Communism-SOcialism + post-9-11 OWG Globalism = OWG Globalist Co-Superpower precepts says or infers its the other way around, albeit covertly or PDeniably.
Again, by NOT asking the Mainstream/Voters iff they want OWG-NWO, etc. the Globies are risking that Ameri's actions, i.e. global or worldwide unialteral strategic retreat or pullback, will be interepreted as de facto US-specific weakness by dedicated enemy nations andor competitors, inspiring these latter to attempt to takeover from the US by ANY EACH + ALL MEANS NECESSARY.
Anyhoo, ...
* VOICE OF RUSSIA > IRAN CALLS US BLUFF - TIGHTENED SANCTIONS DOESN'T SCARE US: IRANIAN FM [Javad Zarif].
[Ynet] The intelligence services of some Western countries opposed to Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... have visited Damascus to discuss security cooperation with his government, Syria's deputy foreign minister said in remarks broadcast on Wednesday.
"I will not specify (which countries) but many of them have visited Damascus, yes," the deputy minister, Faisal Mekdad, said in an interview with the BBC. Mekdad said that the contacts appeared to show a rift between the political and security authorities in some countries opposed to Assad.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/16/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
"Iwill not specify (which countries)
French pragmatism (ˈpræɡməˌtɪzəm) n: 1. action or policy dictated by consideration of the immediate practical consequences rather than by theory or dogma
[Ynet] Paramilitary Basij volunteer corps, part of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, has ever-increasing influence on life in Iran News Agency that Dare Not be Named
With a presence in nearly every city and town across Iran, the paramilitary Basij volunteer corps has an ever-increasing influence on life in the Islamic Theocratic Republic.
Authorities created the Basij, which means mobilization in Persian, just after the country's 1979 Islamic Theocratic Republic. It is part of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard.
The Basij has its roots as volunteer fighters during the 1980-88 war with Iraq. It then developed as a grass-roots defender of the system -- taking on roles such as Islamic morality police at checkpoints and parks or as shock troops busting up pro-reform gatherings or publications. Precise numbers on Basij membership are not published, but some estimates range as high as 1 million or more.
It responds to emergencies like earthquakes and other natural disasters. It also has its influence online as well: The Basij has a group
of hackers made up of university teachers, students and holy mans that launch attacks on websites of "enemies," a state-backed newspaper reported in 2011. It also monitors social media as well and will begin teaching "drone-hunting" to students.
Basij branches can be found in all governmental bodies, universities and schools. Volunteers often enjoy favorable treatment from the government, particularly in securing jobs in the public sector.
Here's a gallery of images by News Agency that Dare Not be Named photographer Ebrahim Noroozi showing Basij volunteers training in Iran.
Click on the headline to go the the story, with lots of colourful photos.
Why do the pix make me think "Nuns with Guns"?
Posted by: trailing wife ||
01/16/2014 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.
[An Nahar] President 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
[Ynet] Paramilitary Basij volunteer corps, part of Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard, has ever-increasing influence on life in Iran
