[Tolo News] A number of Pak analysts on Monday 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 over recent comments made by the leader of Pakistain's Jamaat-e-Ulema-Islam political party, Maulana Fazulurrahman, in which he said the war in Afghanistan should not end until all foreign troops have withdrawn.
Commentators on Monday disputed the claims made by Fazulurrahman, a holy man and spiritual leader of the Taliban, and argued that killing innocent people for any reason is against the teachings of Islam.
"I want to say that Pakistain's religious parties, such as Jamaat-e-Ulema Islam and Ahl-e-Hadis, are the supporters of the al-Qaeda network, they also support Tehrik Taliban Pakistain and the Afghan Taliban," Pak political commentator Shamim Shahid said. "We are opposed to al-Qaeda and Taliban and the killing of innocent civilians isn't allowed in Islam."
University lecturer Ajaz Khan expressed a similar sentiment. "The killing of innocent people is illogical, we are against bloodshed and war in Afghanistan and support the people of the country."
Yet others, especially sympathizers of Jamat-e-Islami, have expressed support for Fazulurrahman. "The U.S. presence spreads terrorism and we support the statement of Maulana Fazulurrahman," said Professor Ibrahim, a Jamat-e-Islami party official. "If we want the suicide kabooms to be stopped, then we must say goodbye to the U.S., otherwise, the attacks will continue, if the U.S. withdraws, then innocent people will not be killed anymore."
Pakistain, like Afghanistan, benefits immensely from aid funding from the U.S. and its allies. But unlike the government in Kabul, Pakistain has long embraced financial support from Washington while also helping the Taliban and other terrorist organizations fighting the NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... -coalition.
Despite the fact that almost all casualties in Afghanistan on a daily basis are Afghan military and police personnel or civilians, some Pak commentators who agree with Fazulurrahman maintain that the fighting will end once foreign troops leave the country.
"Peace isn't applicable in Afghanistan until the drawdown of foreign troops, already 62 percent of the Afghan territory is under control of the gangs," former Pak Ambassador to Afghanistan Rustam Shah Momand said.
Fazlurrahman's statement came just an hour before President Ashraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. arrived in Islamabad to meet with officials. The Afghan government has yet to comment on the statement.
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#1
the fighting will end once foreign troops leave the country
[Tolo News] The recent remarks of Sartaj Aziz ...Adviser to Pak Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on National Security and Foreign Affairs, who believes in good jihadis and bad jihadis as a matter of national policy... , the national security advisor to Pakistain's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif ... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf... , have provoked the anger of the Afghan government followed by huge criticisms from both Pakistain and Afghanistan.
In an interview with BBC on Monday Aziz said that the forces of Evil who do not pose a threat to Pakistain's stability should not be targeted.
"Why should America's enemies unnecessarily become our enemies," Aziz said.
"We do not oppose the Afghan Taliban, it is an Afghan issue and we suggest Afghanistan to negotiate. We were supporting the Taliban during 90s, but not now, if they act against us, then we oppose them."
These controversial statements of Sharif's senior aide were followed by huge criticism by Afghans and his political rivals in Pakistain.
According to Pak politicians and analysts, such statements from Pakistain could further strain the relations between the two neighboring countries.
"Such statements, and that from a government official, can boldly impact the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistain," said Latif Faridi, a Pak analyst.
Another Pak analyst, Safdar Hayat, criticized Aziz's remarks resonating what Afridi said.
"Lately, the relations between Afghanistan and Pakistain had improved, but such statements can again worsen the relations," Hayat said.
Meanwhile, ...back at the desert island, Irene was indignant at the thought of doing such a thing without benefit of clergy... the Police Chief of Kandahar Gen. Abdul Raziq, who has repeatedly accused Pakistain of backing Lion of Islam groups, once again said that Pakistain is still interfering in Afghanistan, but warned that the Afghan forces are always ready to thwart the plans of Pakistain against Afghanistan.
"Pakistain has always carried out its overt interference into Afghanistan," Gen. Raziq said. "We and our security forces are ready to prevent the overt interference of Pakistain," he added, accusing the international community for ignoring Pakistain's aggression onto Afghan soil.
This comes as Maulana Fazl-ur Rahman, a Pak politician and pro-Taliban holy man, made a statement during Afghanistan's Caped PresidentAshraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money. .. 's visit to Islamabad that the war against foreigners in Afghanistan is legitimate.
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[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Vice President Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum ...ethnic Uzbek warlord who distinguished himself fighting the Soviets and the Taliban. The story that he had a bad guy run over with a tank is an exaggeration. It was an armored personnel carrier... visited the family of a young girl who was killed following a suicide kaboom in Kabul on Sunday.
Gen. Dostum was perhaps the first high level government official who visited the family of the victim.
The 21-year-old Qudsia was among the three civilians killed following a suicide attack which targeted the vehicle of female politician Shukria Barekzai on Sunday.
Qudsia was a third-year student at the faculty of psychology in Kabul university student and was on her way towards the mosque when she was caught in the attack.
At least 32 others, including politician Shukria Barekzai and a number of children were also maimed following the suicide attack.
During his visit to Qudsia's house to share sorrow withe family of the victim, Gen. Dostum promised to bring peace and stability in the country.
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With humanitarian agencies warning of another hunger crisis in Somalia, questions are being raised about Britain's relationship with the country's president in the wake of a report by UN investigators alleging corruption and links with Islamic militants.
Caroline Lucas, the Green party's MP, plans to table questions in parliament this month seeking information on Britain's reaction to the corruption allegations and to a controversial oil deal.
"The UN monitoring group has raised some serious concerns about corruption in Somalia and about activities that may be undermining the arms embargo, which the UK has formally supported. My parliamentary questions are an attempt to get the facts into the public domain," Lucas said. "The allegations relating to the negotiation of oil company deals with the Somali government and exploitation of loopholes in an arms embargo are deeply worrying."
The UN monitoring group on Somalia and Eritrea, which monitors compliance with UN sanctions, submitted its report to the UN security council in October. It said army weapons and ammunition were still being diverted to open markets despite government pledges to act against this.
The report's authors accused Musa Haji Mohamed Ganjab, a man they said was an adviser to the president, of being involved in arms deals with the Islamist insurgency group al-Shabaab.
Reuters reported that President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud had denied that Ganjab had ever been an adviser, and said nobody close to him had been involved in diverting government weapons. Ganjab, a Somali-Canadian businessman, also denied the allegations.
"I know nothing! Nothing! Tell them, Hogan!"
However, the allegations cast fresh doubt on Mohamud, a professor and activist who was sworn in as president in September 2012. The report's authors said: "Underlying corruption as a system of governance has not yet fundamentally changed and, in some cases, has arguably worsened. The monitoring group has consistently found patterns of misappropriation, with diversion rates of between 70 and 80%. The indications are that diverted funds are used for partisan agendas that constitute threats to peace and security."
Foreign donors, led by Britain, have pledged large amounts of money to rebuild Somalia. The security council agreed to ease a decades-old arms embargo in March 2013, despite some members' concerns.
Britain rebuilds best by recycling the cash back to Britain, apparently...
A spokesman for the Foreign Office (FCO) said: "The security council has tightened the compliance requirements of the partial suspension of the arms embargo and we continue to press the federal government to improve its compliance with these and its own weapons management policy. We are also looking into how we can support the government in strengthening its compliance.
"The partial suspension is designed to allow the government to obtain the equipment needed to develop the national security forces, which are critical for Somalia's long-term security."
Potentially more damaging to the British government are allegations in the UN report that a London-based oil company, Soma Oil & Gas, signed a deal with the Somali government in August 2013 to conduct seismic surveys.
"The contract has never been made public, nor was it approved by the federal parliament of Somalia although it was ratified by the council of ministers," the monitoring group said.
Does Somali law require that to be done? If Soma follows local law (such as it is in the few blocks of Mogadishu) it's hard to make a big deal...
In return for gathering data, Soma Oil & Gas would receive the right to apply for up to 12 oil licences, covering a maximum of 60,000 square kilometres.
Soma Oil has told Reuters "the broad terms" of the deal were made public. The company said it had invested about $37m in a programme to gather and digitalise old seismic information and collect new offshore data.
Lucas said the monitoring group had called for a freeze on all new oil and gas deals until appropriate constitutional, legislative, fiscal and regulatory provisions had been agreed by the federal government and its regional authorities. "We need to know whether that's a position that the UK government supports in practice, not just on paper," she said.
The monitoring group needs time to get their own people on the oil companies' payrolls...
Barnaby Pace, an oil campaigner for the watchdog Global Witness, said exploration could cause more conflict. He said the Soma deal was "opaque", adding: "There are questions that need to be answered about this deal, including the role the British government has played. Without that transparency, concerns will linger over this deal and British policy on oil deals in Somalia."
There's always more questions. Mr. Pace is likely a trust fund baby and has the time to ask more questions...
The FCO said Soma had received no preferential support, "nor did the British government lobby in support of a deal. We offer all companies seeking to work in Somalia a security briefing and political update, and this was provided to Soma."
IThe FCO spokesman said: "The UK supports responsible investment in Somalia and, in line with Somalia's wishes, we are keen for the federal government to be able to use Somalia's natural resources to generate much-needed revenue so that it can deliver services for its people.
"The UK is encouraging the Somali government and the emerging federal states to reach agreement on resource ownership and revenue-sharing – and to develop a legal framework that both supports that agreement and reflects best practice – before signing oil deals."
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11/19/2014 00:00 ||
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HARGEISA -- Somaliland authorities shut down opposition-owned radio station in the latest crack down on dissidents in the capital, Hargeisa on Monday evening according to officials, Garowe Online reports.
Speaking at a press conference, Somaliland Police Commander-in-Chief Gen. Abdullahi Fadal Iman said the security forces took Baidigoob FM off the air in Hargeisa’s October neighborhood at 9:30 PM. Gen. Iman added that the police also captured four broadcasters who will be arraigned in the court in the operation.
Baadigoob FM is believed to have been launched by opposition parties in Somaliland at the beginning of this year. Somaliland constitution bars opposition from opening independent radio stations, a move slammed by international press watchdogs.
Somaliland, located in northwestern Somalia declared its independence from the rest of the country as de facto sovereign state in 1991 but it has not been recognized internationally yet.
Perhaps there's a reason why -- hard for western nations to recognize a new country in which the leaders are just another bunch of thugs. Might as well stick with the thugs in Mogadishu, it's one fewer ambassador we have to appoint...
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[Libya Herald] Libya telecommunications company LTT has been told by the Hassi antigovernment to give it access to its databases so it can track individuals using their IP addresses.
The Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Libyan Company for Post, Telecommunications and Information Technology Holding, Majdi Ali Toumi Shaibani, ordered LTT to coordinate with Hassi's Ministry of Communications and with security forces by providing data to help them track 'criminals'.
In a letter addressed to the LTT's chairman, Shaibani ordered the following:
Access to the database of Libya's phone system
Access to LTT's wi-max and ADSL systems
Access to IP addresses of criminal suspects in order to pinpoint their locations
Blocking of 'suspicious' sites -- for example, pornographic, Christian and atheist sites.
The demand is seen as a bid by the Hassi regime to monitor and locate those who do not support it.
LTT has, in the past, blocked some culturally offensive websites.
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11/19/2014 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] The delay at the Ras Jedir border crossing remains intolerably long for those trying to reach Tunisia from Libya, with waits of over 20 hours being the norm.
"It took me 22 hours to cross," one traveller told the Libya Herald. "I arrived at the border at 8:50 am and finished the crossing at 6:35 am the next day!" He added, "My friend got out of the car, walked across the border, got on a bus and arrived in Tunis before I ever got across."
Last month the long queues at the border were reportedly caused by the murderous Moslems guarding Libya's side of the border ‐members of the Libya Shield ...a conglomerate of pro-Islamist militias deployed across Libya. It reports to the Libyan defense ministry and is organized like a real army unit. Its commander used to head a Benghazi brigade called Free Libya Martyrs... brigade ‐ who were giving priority to their friends and those with the right "connections", allowing them to pass through immediately, but allegedly threatening to shoot others who tried to do the same.
Now, Libya Dawn ...aka Fajr Libya, the Islamist operation launched to counter that of General Khalifa Haftar (Operation Dignity). It is made up of the Libya Shield militia (Misrata and Moslem Brotherhood), Libya Revolutionaries Operations Room (Moslem Brotherhood), and Tripoli Brigade (close to Abdul Hakim Belhaj, head of Al-Watan party). Financing and moral support come from Turkey and Qatar... is blaming Tunisian border officials for the holdups. The Libya Dawn Information Office released a statement calling on Libya's National Salvation Government to "quickly intervene with the Tunisian authorities and resolve the unjustified congestion".
The statement did not say why it is placing the blame on the Tunisians. It did, however, accuse the French of placing pressure on Tunisia to support the Tobruk-based government and "crack down" on Omar Al-Hassi's "National Salvation Government".
According to the statement, the Tunisians are allowing themselves to be manipulated by La Belle France rather than honour the long history of good relations between the two countries.
Tunisia, it said, is now "harassing the Libyan people by land and by air", referring to the ban on flights from Libya and to the problems at the border crossing.
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11/19/2014 00:00 ||
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[Libya Herald] Omar Al-Hassi, prime minister of the Tripoli-based antigovernment has stirred up a storm of controversy by describing Ansar Al-Sharia as 'simple, beautiful and amiable' as well as being engaged in 'missionary work . . ." Remainder behind the paywall.
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[Ynet] Egypt will double the depth of a security buffer zone it is clearing on its border with the Gazoo Strip after some of the worst anti-state violence since President Mohammed Morsi was tossed last year.
"A decision was taken to increase the buffer zone along the border in Rafah to one kilometer. The decision... came after the discovery of underground tunnels with a total length of 800 to 1,000 meters," the state MENA news agency said.
Egypt declared a state of emergency in the border area after at least 33 security personnel were killed last month in two attacks in the Sinai Peninsula, a strategic region bordering Israel, Gazoo and the Suez Canal.
It also accelerated plans to create a 500-meter deep buffer strip along the border by clearing houses and trees and destroying subterranean tunnels it says are used to smuggle arms from Gazoo to holy warriors in Sinai.
[ARABNEWS] The Border Guard has widened borders in the Northern Border Province, Tabuk, and in the Eastern Province by 20 km for security reasons.
It issued a warning that citizens and expatriates are banned from picnicking, hunting, grazing their animals or participating in any other activity within these zones for one year.
The Border Guard is following an order issued by the government dated Nov. 4, said front man Maj. Gen. Muhammad Al-Ghamdi in a statement on Monday.
Al-Ghamdi said the Border Guard has already started implementing the new instructions and posted signboards detailing the new zones. Violators of the ban would be punished, he said.
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h/t Gates of Vienna
Muslim groups have stepped up efforts to co-opt protests over the fatal shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., with a drive to equate the teen’s death to the death of a radical Islamist shot during an FBI raid in 2009, a Washington-based security watchdog group is warning.
Using social media, conference calling and traditional outreach methods, leaders of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) are portraying Brown and Detroit mosque leader Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah as African-American victims of police targeting, according to the Washington-based Center for Security Policy (CSP). In a conference call organized by CAIR-linked "Muslims for Ferguson, a CAIR official called Abdullah a “Shaheed,” or martyr, and said both he and Brown were victims of a national security apparatus that had “completely gone wild” and engaged in “demonizing and criminalizing Muslims.”
#1
With so many different groups throwing their hats in the ring, I see each group trying to out-shine each other, and some groups are just not interested in peaceful protest; the last go-round with the white kids from Illinois throwing molotovs for instance. The media's tendency to find a bloody shirt even if they have to make it up. The professionals who will probe the law enforcement's moral. Obama's agents thinking they have a reign on this monster. Obama himself, taking this to the floor of the UN, and really trying to get this very thing going since the Gates bullshit. This is his fruit, hung squarely on his door.
And all the while, Obama is stabbing the Black community right in the a-hole when he declares amnesty and seals the fate of all low-income Blacks, the bad and good ones.
I don't know if there can be a winner, but the flat out losers will be the people of Ferguson, for generations.
[IsraelTimes] Israel's largest cargo shipping company suspended its operations at a Caliphornia, an impregnable bastion of the Democratic Party, port.
Zim Integrated Shipping Services, the 10th largest global container shipping company in the world, has temporarily cut off its shipping services to the Port of Long Beach, The Jewish Journal of Los Angeles reported.
What's the opposite of a quid pro quo? If not this, therefore not that?
The company has not offered a reason for the suspension, although the decision comes after months of picketing this summer against Zim vessels by anti-Israel protesters along the West Coast of the United States.
A Zim employee in Long Beach told the Jewish Journal that the suspension is "not a long-term thing."
The protest campaign, Block the Boat, was organized by the the Socialist paradise of San Francisco ...where God struck dead Anton LaVey, home of the Sydney Ducks, ruled by Vigilance Committee from 1859 through 1867, reliably and volubly Democrat since 1964... -based Arab Resource and Organizing Center and has been especially active in Oakland. In August and September, protesters there prevented Israeli cargo ships from unloading.
Lee Peterson, a front man for the Port of Long Beach, confirmed that Zim had temporarily suspended service at the port. He said he was not given a reason for the action.
"I'm not sure how long they will be in this mode," he told JTA.
Peterson added that there were "some protests" in the summer, often on Saturdays.
"At the time," he said, "it did not affect the longshore workers and operations continued."
But it certainly affected Zim, which ended up sending ships all over the coast to get cargoes unloaded.
#1
We experienced huge shipping delays in outbound cargo from both LA and Seattle; started using Houston. Bit longer on the road ( team truckers needed) but goods got to Europe ( Airbus) on time. Zim might want to look at Texas.
[DAWN] Former president and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari said here on Monday that defeating the ideology of Death Eaters was necessary to win the battle against militancy, DawnNews reported.
Mr Zardari, who was addressing a presser, said the international community woke up too late to combat the menace of militancy.
The PPP leader said he had highlighted several times at international forums that the world was losing the war against terrorism.
"Terrorism cannot be defeated by simply fighting myrmidons... the mindset has to be defeated as well," he said.
Our party, the Pakistain Peoples Party, has sacrificed the most in the fight against terrorism, he said.
Speaking about the political situation in Pakistain, he expressed the hope that the current government would complete its five-year tenure.
We fought against dictatorship for ten years and for the restoration of democracy.
For the first time in Pakistains history a democratic government completed its term, he said.
Mr Zardari said he wanted to complete the mission 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... .
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11/19/2014 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] Acknowledging that there is no law in the country to curb cyber crimes and terror funding, Convenient, that.
Finance Minister Ishaq Dar expressed confidence on Monday that digitising the financial sector would help trace money laundering and financing of terrorism. But since there's no law against it...
A draft bill for controlling cyber crime and terrorism funding, he said, was in final stages and would be presented before parliament in a couple of months for approval. "Really. We are on top of this!"
Mr Dar was addressing an international conference on Innovations in digital finance for financial inclusion organised by the State Bank in cooperation with the UK Department for International Development.
He said the bill would help boost security for mobile and internet banking and curb funding for terrorist activities, adding that the government was fully supportive of transition from traditional banking system to the digitised system of banking.
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[DAWN] The departure of NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... combat forces from Afghanistan could push India and Pakistain towards a proxy war in the troubled state, former military ruler General Pervez Perv Musharraf ... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ... warned in an interview with AFP.
"The danger for Pakistain is... the Indian influence in Afghanistan," he told AFP at his house in Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... .
"That is another danger for the whole region and for Pakistain because Indian involvement there has an anti-Pakistain connotation. They (India) want to create an anti-Pakistain Afghanistan."
Musharraf was a key US ally in its war on terror when he was presdient, but he now lives under tight security in his Karachi home, facing Taliban death threats and criminal cases dating back to his near decade-long rule that ended in 2008.
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#1
Makes a change from the current proxy war with Pakistan and US/Nato!
Posted by: Paul D ||
11/19/2014 8:01 Comments ||
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[DAWN] The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday clarified that a statement made by Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz was reported out of context. Other than inserting the word "not" before every verb he uttered, I can't think of any other reasonable context.
'The advisor made the statement in a historical context,' FO spokesperson Tasneem Aslam said in a statement. "All in the past. Over and done with. See? It was just past tense. These aren't the droids you're looking for."
A day earlier, Aziz told BBC Urdu in an interview that Pakistan was not going to target militant groups that do not 'pose a threat to the state' ' a statement that received harsh criticism by political rivals and on social media. The country's premier spy agency has long been accused of harbouring the 'good' and 'bad' Taliban narrative. The "good" Taliban only beat their own wives.
'As for [the] present, Pakistan has launched operation Zarb-i-Azb and taking action against all groups without any distinction or discrimination,' Tasneem Aslam, foreign office spokesperson, said in a statement. Except that they seem to be targeting only Uzbeks.
She added that Sartaj Aziz's interview with BBC's Urdu service has created confusion in the official stance of the country. Pakistan's policy and actions should be seen in the light of its commitment in fighting terrorism in all forms and manifestations, she added. It's taken thirteen years to get around to trying to establish a govt presence in North Wazoo. That's some kinda commitment.
Aziz had said that Pakistan should not target militants who do not threaten the country's security. 'Why should America's enemies unnecessarily become our enemies,' he said. So how's that work out in context?
'When the United States attacked Afghanistan, all those that were trained and armed were pushed towards us,' the adviser had said, adding that some of the militants were dangerous for Pakistan and some were not. 'Why must we make enemies out of them all?' he added. Because they're "militants"?
Aziz went on to say that Afghan Taliban were Afghanistan's problem and that Haqqani Network was a part of it. The Quetta shura lives someplace in Balochistan. I can't quite recall the name of the city. The Haqqanis live in North Wazoo.
The development comes at a time when Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif was on a visit to the US and operation Zarb-i-Azb commander Major General Zafarullah Khan had recently stated that the military was targetting all local and foreign militants. As long as they're Uzbeks.
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[DAWN] The government on Tuesday finalised the formation of a five-member joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the killings of Pakistain Awami Tehrik (PAT) workers on June 17, DawnNews reported.
The JIT will start investigations from Wednesday.
The investigation team will be led by CCPO Quetta Abdul Razzaq Cheema and will also comprise Col Ahmed from Inter Service Intelligence (ISI), Muhammad Ali from Intelligence Bureau (IB), SSP Shahzad Akbar and DSP Khalid Abu Bakar.
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[ARABNEWS] Iraq believes Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... snuffies have stolen more than one million tons of grain from the country's north and taken it to two cities they control in neighboring Syria, the agriculture minister has said.
Falah Hassan Al-Zeidan said in a statement posted on the Agriculture Ministry's website on Sunday that the government "had information about the smuggling by Islamic State gangs of more than one million tons of wheat and barley from Nineveh Province to the Syrian cities of Raqqa and Deir Al-Zor."
Rooters was unable to verify the information.
When Islamic State pushed from Syria into northern Iraq in June, they swiftly took over government grain silos in Nineveh and Salahadeen provinces, where about a third of Iraq's wheat crop and nearly 40 percent of the barley crop is typically grown.
The former head of the Grain Board of Iraq told Rooters in August that Islamic State snuffies had seized 40,000 to 50,000 tons of wheat in Nineveh and the Western province of Anbar and transferred it to Syria for milling.
However, it was a brave man who first ate an oyster... it is not known precisely how much wheat the snuffies seized over the summer, as they forced hundreds of thousands of people -- including many farmers -- off their land in what amounted to a purge of the ethnically and religiously diverse area.
The Death Eaters' offensive coincided with the harvest of the strategic wheat crop there. Many farmers were unable to sell to the government or to private traders because of the conflict.
Islamic State is hoping to make its self-proclaimed caliphate self-sufficient.
The minister said the snuffies considered the eastern Syrian cities "safe for them" and thus transferred wheat and barley in Nineveh "to preserve it."
Iraq's grain board imports millions of tons of wheat and rice every year. The United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... Food and Agriculture Organization predicts Iraq's import needs will grow given "conflict-related challenges to production, storage, and other logistical arrangements," it said in a recent report.
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11/19/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
1,000,000 tons seems unlikely, unless Iraqi tons are greatly different. That would be 40,000 semi trailer truck loads. Unless they shipped the grain by barge, which is even less likely.
[KurdPress] The head of the Kirkuk Provincial Council, Rebwar Talabani, has said that the only way to export Kirkuk oil is via pipelines through the Kurdistan Region. Once a decision is made to utilize this route, they can sell 400,000 barrels per day.
Talabani revealed that they are trying to restart official sales of Kirkuk oil, “The previous pipeline through which Kirkuk oil was sold is under Islamic State control. The only way to export and sell Kirkuk oil is through the Kurdistan Region.”
He continued, “Kirkuk has the ability to sell 400,000 oil barrels per day.”
Baghdad has agreed to allow Kirkuk’s oil to be piped through Kurdistan as there is no alternative route, and the federal government needs to increase overall oil revenues.
[IsraelTimes] For the first time in decades, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered the deployment of checkpoints at the entrance to East Jerusalem's Arab neighborhoods.
The decision to impose greater security measures on the city's Paleostinian population came in the wake of Tuesday's terrorist attack at a synagogue in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem, in which four men were killed and several others injured during morning prayers.
The two suspects, residents of the neighborhood of Jabel Mukaber, were killed in a shootout with police outside the house of prayer.
The prime minister also instructed security forces to carry out raids on the homes of suspected murderous Moslems in the city.
In addition, two more Border Police companies were to be assigned to the capital, which has already seen a significant increase in police presence over the past month.
The decisions came after Netanyahu met with Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon, Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch, Shin Bet chief Yoram Cohen, and legal and police officials at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, Channel 10 reported.
Under the new directives, police will conduct routine large-scale raids into problematic East Jerusalem neighborhoods. Police will be authorized to arrest those resisting the entry of law enforcers as well as demonstrators who verbally assault officers.
Security forces will also be increased throughout the West Bank.
Another plan under consideration is to order the positioning of security guards at public buildings, such as synagogues and places of entertainment.
[Ynet] Abbas condemns attack on 'Jewish worshippers in their place of prayer'; festivities erupt in East Jerusalem as security forces move in to terrorists' home village.
The families of the two bandidosholy warriors who killed four people in a brutal attack in a Jerusalem synagogue on Tuesday morning have hailed the two as heroes, as candies to celebrate the attack were handed out in the West Bank and Gazoo.
Alaa Abu Jamal, a cousin of the terrorists, said that Israeli policies were to blame for the attack at the synagogue, when the two entered the compound during morning prayers, armed with meat cleavers and a gun.
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#2
Well, I guess these "families" will be moving soon.
Israel should create a "New East Jerusalem" as far east as possible, build some of those horrible Jew houses that JFnK keeps on about and re-locate any celebratining terrorist family there.
Then the Paleos could be just like Mormons when they get moved along. Think the Paleos could build a Salt Lake City?
#4
It's been a long time ago but this is what they do:
many inhabitants of the long Muslim "street," stretching from Morocco to Indonesia, appear to be overjoyed by what Osama bin Laden's henchmen had accomplished? From Newsweek April 7, 2008 dated
#5
many inhabitants of the long Muslim "street," stretching from Morocco to Indonesia, appear to be overjoyed by what Osama bin Laden's henchmen had accomplished
My darling mother-in-law reported at the time the same joy and handing out of candy in the streets of the Yemeni section of Lackawanna, NY. They'd notice her as she was driving up and stop, then resume after she passed -- she looked in her rear view mirror to check. It was only later, when their own lads joined up, that they decided that was a step too far.
#6
Then the Paleos could be just like Mormons when they get moved along. Think the Paleos could build a Salt Lake City?
I dought their skill sets are haggling, digging and begging. Perhaps they could build an underground Souk, much like the one depicted in that big OZ miniseries (recommended) and start begging.
#8
"Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us." - Golda Meir
I keep wondering how a family can knowingly and persistently raise their children to be murderers. I'm not getting into religious edicts, etc., I just can't imagine celebrating a child's killing others that carry little or no threat of harm to you, even ideologically.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
11/19/2014 13:51 Comments ||
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#9
Build a giant crescent out of wood. Fill it with the families of these guys, set it on fire in full view of their neighbors. Repeat as necessary
[IsraelTimes] Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch pledged to ease controls on carrying weapons for self-defense after a gruesome terrorist attack at a Jerusalem synagogue that left four dead Tuesday.
It was not clear exactly what new measures would be put in place, but it was reported that the move would apply to anyone licensed to carry a gun, such as private security guards and off-duty army officers.
Aharonovitch added that "we have instructed synagogues to place security guards at their entrances."
Army Radio reported that four Border Police reserve units have been called up.
After a meeting called by Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino, police raised the threat level to one notch below the highest designation.
Danino also said that patrols around mosques, synagogues, and holy sites would be enhanced.
The move came after two Paleostinian attackers armed with a gun and knives stormed into a Jerusalem synagogue, killing four people and injuring several more during morning prayers.
The two assailants were killed by police.
Police released the names of all four victims Tuesday afternoon: Rabbi Moshe Twersky, the head of the Torat Moshe yeshiva, 59; 40-year-old Aryeh Kupinsky; 50-year-old Rabbi Kalman Levine; and 68-year-old Rabbi Avraham Shmuel Goldberg, all of whom were Jerusalem residents.
The funeral of Twersky, originally from Boston, Massachusetts, and a grandson of leading Modern Orthodox rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, began at 2 p.m. The remaining funerals were scheduled to begin at 3 p.m.
The morning attack took place at a synagogue in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Har Nof, on the western outskirts of the city.
"I've seen attacks with much higher corpse counts, but the scenes this time were worse than any I have seen," ZAKA head Yehuda Meshi Zahav told Army Radio.
He also protested the fact that gruesome images have been posted on the internet, exacerbating the grief of the victims' families.
Economy Minister Naftali Bennett, who heads the hawkish Jewish Home party, held up a picture of one of the victims on BBC News before his interviewer asked him to put it down.
But a weak Israeli response would get a much stronger backfire.
[ARABNEWS] Tuesday's deadly attack on a Jerusalem synagogue marked a new level in the violence plaguing the city but a tough Israeli response could trigger further escalation, experts say.
How nice for them. No doubt after pronouncing, the experts' corner adjourned to the nearest pub for a cold one. Unless they're in England, in which case it's at room temp, or thereabout.
After two Paleostinians burst into the synagogue armed with a gun and meat cleavers, killing four and wounding nine other people, hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged a harsh response to the murders.
Political and security analyst Daniel Nisman said there was likely to be a "bigger deployment" of police and border police throughout Jerusalem and even talk of deploying the army in the annexed eastern sector.
"To stop these attacks, the only thing you can really do is to close off those (east Jerusalem) neighborhoods, but that's a double-edged sword," he told AFP.
"You could risk increasing tensions with the people there, the majority of whom don't want an escalation."
Mark Heller, a political analyst at the Institute for National Security Studies in Israel (INSS), said cracking down would be difficult.
"There is no magic solution. There's not much you can do against 'lone-wolf' attackers who wake up in the morning and decide all of a sudden to act," he told AFP. "The government will undoubtedly toughen its stance, but this will not solve the problem."
Still, knocking down the family homestead is one way to clarify the message.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/19/2014 00:00 ||
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[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] State-run and anti-regime media in Syria confirmed the death of more than a dozen men in a recent video released by Islamist murderous Moslems, identifying more than five as members of the Syrian army, Leb's the Daily Star reported.
The graphic footage also showed the death of U.S. aid worker and former army ranger Peter Kassig, sparking international outrage within hours of its circulation on Sunday.
However, today is that tomorrow you were thinking about yesterday... the Daily Star reports that Syrian media only responded to the video on Monday when pro-regime daily al-Watan mentioned the slayings, marking the first reference to the incident in pro-government press.
Syria's state-run news agency ...and if you can't believe the state-run news agency who can you believe?... SANA reported the incident hours after al-Watan, but focused on the Western nationals believed to have been some of the executors in the video and referred to the Syrian victims as "hostages" rather than military personnel.
Meanwhile, ...back at the pie fight, Bella grabbed the cocoanut cream... social media news outlets and online forums, some pro-regime, have been attempting to identify the victims.
Col. Aktham Khatib, from the village of Safarqieh in Latakia, was identified to be one of those killed in the video by a Facebook page dedicated to reporting news from his hometown.
Four other men were also identified on social media forums: Abdo Tohme and Ghaith Mahanna from Homs province, and Issa Iskandar and Wissam Attar from Hama province, the Lebanese daily reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/19/2014 00:00 ||
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[THEATLANTIC] Of the 17,958 people who died in terrorist attacks in 2013, 82 percent were in one of five countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistain, Nigeria, and Syria. That's one finding from this year's Global Terrorism Index report, published by the Institute for Economics and Peace. The report is based on data from the University of Maryland's Global Terrorism Database, which has information on more than 125,000 terrorist attacks between 1970 and 2013.
Of the 17,958 people who died in terrorist attacks in 2013, 82 percent were in one of five countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistain, Nigeria, and Syria.
The report found a 61-percent jump in terrorism fatalities between 2012 and 2013. "Over the same period," the authors wrote, "the number of countries that experienced more than 50 [terrorism-related] deaths rose from 15 to 24"--an indication that the problem of terrorism was getting both more fatal and more widespread a year before ISIS declared a new caliphate.
In 2013 specifically, there were 113 terrorism-related deaths in OECD countries--0.6 percent of the worldwide total. Six of these took place in the United States.
But it's also striking where terrorism didn't occur. Much of the increase in terrorism-related fatalities in 2013 took place in Iraq, where snuffies claimed nearly 4,000 lives--a 168-percent increase over 2012. Worldwide, Iraq was the worst-affected country, accounting for 34 percent of terrorism-related fatalities in 2013, with Afghanistan ranked next with 17.3 percent. Meanwhile, ...back at the dirigible, the gondola was dangling by a single thread of rope.
Jack! Cynthia cried. I just realized I'm afraid of heights! I don't even like high heels!... between 2000 and 2013, the report found, around 5 percent of terrorism-related fatalities occurred in the 34 wealthy countries of the OECD. In 2013 specifically, there were 113 terrorism-related deaths in OECD countries--0.6 percent of the worldwide total. Six of these took place in the United States.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/19/2014 00:00 ||
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#1
In the US an individual is 64 times more likely to be victim of a homicide than terrorism.
This gets a little muddled statistically when terrorism is defined as "workplace violence."
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[DAWN] The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday clarified that a statement made by Advisor to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz was reported out of context.
[THEATLANTIC] Of the 17,958 people who died in terrorist attacks in 2013, 82 percent were in one of five countries: Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistain, Nigeria, and Syria. That's one finding from this year's Global Terrorism Index report, published by the Institute for Economics and Peace. The report is based on data from the University of Maryland's Global Terrorism Database, which has information on more than 125,000 terrorist attacks between 1970 and 2013.
