Watch the hands, not the lips. [Tolo News] Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistain has asked Afghan Taliban to support the peace talk's process and meet with the National Unity Government leaders. Pak Deputy Minister warns that after this, Pakistain will not be a safe haven for them.
In a joint meeting with the Afghanistan officials, Pakistain Ministry of Interior has said that after this, Taliban cannot use Pakistain soil for activities against Afghanistan.
"Pakistain has a clear message to Afghan Taliban that is that Afghanistan has an elected government and Taliban must reach an agreement with the National Unity Government leaders. Our message to Afghan Taliban is that Pakistain is not a safe haven for them and also, Pak soil cannot be used to destabiize Afghanistan" says Azaz Ahmad Choudery, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistain.
Former military personnel of Pakistain have said that Afghan Taliban are Afghans, and must enter talks with the Afghan government.
"Taliban are Afghan, so is the government of Afghanistan and the members of the High Peace Council and parliament. So if Taliban do not accept the Afghanistan constitution and do not enter in to peace talks, they will not have a place in Pakistain in the future and neither other countries," says General Asef Yassin Malek, former Defense Minister of Pakistain.
Meanwhile, ...back at the laboratory the smoke and fumes had dispersed, to reveal an ominous sight... the CEO's adviser and a number of analysts who were part of the conference have said that Islamabad must prove its statement.
"Based on the talks that took place in today's conference, Pak officials were strict in their messages and their messages were clear to the anti-government gangs. Time will make it clear that how Pakistain will practically implement its statement," says Mahmood Saiqal, the CEO's Foreign Affairs Adviser.
"We hope that war will not take place again and hope that promises made by Pakistain will be implemented," says Said Ishaq Geelani, Political Analyst and former Member of Parliament.
Pak military has promised several times in the past to bring the Taliban to peace talk tables. Even some of the Afghan officials had said that based on the promises, they had said that the talks would start in March. But so far, it has been over a month since the promised period and there are no signs of talks.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2015 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
...No doubt the Talibs are quaking in their curly-toed slippers...
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/12/2015 7:56 Comments ||
Top||
[Ynet] Kenya said on Saturday it had given the United Nations ...boodling on the grand scale... three months to move a massive refugee camp mostly used by Somalis over the border into Somalia, after Death Eaters from that country killed 148 people in a Kenyan university.
Do that and they won't be "refugees" anymore, they'll be "internally displaced peoples". Now how in heck do you raise money for the Widows Ammunition Fund in proclaiming the plight of "internally displaced peoples", huh, riddle me that...
Kenyan authorities have in the past accused Islamist Death Eaters from Somalia of hiding out in Dadaab camp. Wat is it, something wrong with the neighborhood ?
The Kenyan government has come under increasing pressure to do more to secure its citizens after a series of attacks claimed by Somalia's al Qaeda-linked group al-Shabaab ... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
For which the Kenyans, of course, are being criticized by all the correct elites...
"We have asked the UNHCR to relocate the refugees in three months, failure to which we shall relocate them ourselves," a government statement quoted Vice President William Ruto as saying in a speech Saturday.
The article continues, quoting UNHCR and Human Rights Watch spokespersons to the effect that it would be illegal for Kenya to forcibly repatriate the hundreds of thousands of Somalis in the world's largest refugee camp. I imagine that the Kenyans don't much care -- they've been succoring these people since 1991.
BOSASO, Somalia -- In a mass exodus, around 260 Somali refugees fleeing violence in Yemen have arrived in Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in northern Somalia, officials on Friday, Garowe Online reports.
The influx of the refugees escaping the fighting in Yemen and the Saudi-led air strikes come as the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said it was making contingency plans to receive up 30,000 refugees over the next six months in Djibouti, which already hosts nearly 15,000 refugees.
In Somaliland and Puntland, Somalia, UNHCR and its partners have started preparations to receive up to 100,000 people. Those escaping Yemen include both refugees who had originally fled from Africa to Yemen and Yemenis fleeing their own country.
For safety reasons, Puntland security officials said the refugees would be resettled once they go through security checks. The region's intelligence officials often say that militants fighting in Yemen may use immigrants' boats to sneak into the region.
Wearing burqas. And wigs. And carrying rifles...
The new arrivals would raise the number of the refugees who arrived in Puntland from Yemen to 662, according to Abdullahi Hashi, Puntland's deputy interior minister.
"In the past 10 days, some 900 people have crossed the Gulf Aden to Djibouti, Somalia's Puntland and Somaliland," said a statement by UNHCR, adding that those fleeing also included Yemenis.
Horn of Africa refugees accounted for nearly all of the 250,000 refugees registered in Yemen.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/12/2015 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] A Cairo court confirmed death sentences for Moslem Brüderbund leader Mohammed Badie
...an aptly-named man...
and 11 other defendants on Saturday, and placed in durance vile I ain't sayin' nuttin' widdout me mout'piece! a U.S.-Egyptian citizen for life over Islamist protest violence.
Judge Mohammed Nagy Shehata also sentenced to death two Islamists who have fled the country, and handed life terms to 23 detained defendants.
The defendants were accused of plotting unrest from their headquarters in a sprawling Cairo protest camp in the months after the military overthrew Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in July 2013.
Among those sentenced to life in prison was Mohammed Soltan, a U.S.-Egyptian citizen who is on hunger strike.
His father Salah Soltan was among the 11 detainees sentenced to death.
Soltan's family called for Mohammed's immediate release in a statement after the verdict, charging that there was no evidence against him
The sentencings can be appealed before the Court of Cassation, which has overturned dozens of other death sentences, including against Badie.
The sentencings can be appealed before the Court of Cassation, which has overturned dozens of other death sentences, including against Badie.
So far Egypt has executed one Islamist sentenced to death after Morsi's overthrow, following his conviction of involvement in the murder of a youth during violent protests in July 2013
Shehata, who has sentenced dozens of Islamists to death in other cases, read out a Koranic verse that stipulates amputation and crucifixion for outlaws, before rendering his verdict on Saturday.
At a previous session, he had sought the opinion of the country's mufti, the Islamic legal authority, on the death sentences confirmed on Saturday. The mufti has an advisory role under Egyptian law.
Known as the "Rabaa Operations Room" case, the prosecution accused the defendants of organising months of unrest and protests against the ouster of Morsi, a senior Brotherhood figure himself now on trial.
The Rabaa al-Adawiya protest camp in Cairo was dispersed by police on August 14, 2013 in a 12-hour long operation that left hundreds of protesters and about 10 coppers dead.
Mohammed Soltan was shot in the arm during the dispersal, and was placed in durance vile Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! days later as police hunted down Islamist activists who had fled the protest camp.
Police moved in to disperse the camp after weeks of failed European and U.S.-brokered negotiations with the Brotherhood, who publicly insisted on Morsi's return.
The Islamist was the country's first freely elected president and he ruled only for a year before the army toppled him, spurred by massive protests demanding his resignation.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the former army chief who toppled Morsi and then won an election, has pledged to eradicate the Brotherhood.
The government has blacklisted the movement as a terrorist organization amid a spike in hard boy attacks that have killed dozens of coppers and soldiers.
The deadliest attacks have been claimed by jihadists in the Sinai Peninsula and in Cairo, and the Brotherhood insists it is committed to non-violence.
But decapitated and driven underground, the Islamist movement is believed to have radicalised with members adopting hard boy tactics against coppers.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
04/12/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Fine. Now do it
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/12/2015 8:56 Comments ||
Top||
[ARABNEWS] At just a stone's throw away, you can see Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... on the other side of the border facing the Shahdan Mountain in the Al-Dayer governorate. The Yemeni villagers whose homes are barely about 500 meters from the frontier look to the Border Guard for help. "Save us from the Houthis," they tell the Saudi soldiers.
Col. Ibrahim Sharahili commander of Al-Dayer sector, confirms that elderss of some Yemeni tribes have sought protection.
The roar of fighter jets and the sound of cannon fire echo on Mount Shahdan, reminding one that it is a war zone. Nevertheless, the Border Guard soldiers are seen valiantly protecting the borders. "Our brave soldiers fearlessly repulse attacks and force the enemy to retreat," says Sharahili.
Notwithstanding threat to life from the Houthis, the rough terrain itself poses a big challenge. After a half-hour trek, we found ourselves next to the brave gunnies on full alert under the leadership of First Lt. Abdulilah Al-Mutairi.
Sharahili says that this is one of the most dangerous areas of Al-Dayir.
The Harfiya point looks porous but the Saudi solders won't let anybody sneak in. Three children with donkeys were quickly spotted and detained by the soldiers as they tried to cross the border.
Suleiman, one of the boys, said, "We rent donkeys for SR150 to SR200 for one trip; we don't indulge in smuggling."
At another location we found ourselves next to Yemeni homes whose owners said they will "fight with full force" if Houthis attack them.
Al-Dayer is a mountain range in Jazan and covers 80 km on the patrol path, and more than 96 km through checkpoints.
However, a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package... Sharahili says, nobody is allowed to infiltrate.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2015 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
#1
I wish I could claim authorship but I saw this somewhere else. "It's the Rock and Roll Houthi Coup".
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/12/2015 8:18 Comments ||
Top||
#2
^ Thing got it from Brian Suits' show
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/12/2015 8:57 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Yeah, and they're led by DA ayatollas of rock and rollah...
[ARABNEWS] Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh has stressed the need for enlisting young Saudis in the army in order to utilize their capabilities for defending the country against enemies.
He called on the authorities to be prepared financially and morally to train and make Saudi youths capable of defending the country.
"Compulsory military service for our youth is important and required to ensure that our strength is unbeatable," the grand mufti said.
Delivering his Friday sermon at Imam Turki bin Abdullah Mosque in Riyadh, he said: "Young Saudis must be ready and armed at all times to resist any demon. We must prepare our youth in a proper way so that they become our shield for jihad in the service of God against enemies of the religion and the nation."
The grand mufti said that in times of prosperity and peace, the country must invest in the capabilities of the youth and enable them to defend their country. "People should thwart the attempts of those trying to brainwash the youth and attract them toward deviant ideology and misleading thoughts," he added.
He said young Saudis must be constantly ready to defend the religion and the nation through their compulsory military training.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2015 00:00 ||
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[16 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Saudi Arabia
#4
...Problem here is that Saudi yoots don't give a flying Kaaba about their country. This is a nation where everybody gets a mid-five figure income from birth, and where third country nationals do all the hard work. They may not exactly be of a mind to jump in if things get rough.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/12/2015 18:13 Comments ||
Top||
[DAWN] Pak politicians' call for the government to remain neutral on the escalating crisis in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... has evoked a strong response from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
"The vague and contradictory stands of Pakistain and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... are an absolute proof that Arab security -- from Libya to Yemen -- is the responsibility of none but Arab countries," UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash said.
As quoted by renowned Emirati newspaper Khaleej Times, Garhash warned Pakistain of having to pay a "heavy price" for taking on what he called an "ambiguous stand". He added that Pakistain should take a clear position "in favour of its strategic relations with the six-nation Arab Gulf cooperation Council".
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2015 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[AnNahar] Hizbullah ...Party of God, a Leb militia inspired, founded, funded and directed by Iran. Hizbullah refers to itself as The Resistance and purports to defend Leb against Israel, with whom it has started and lost one disastrous war to date, though it did claim victory... denied on Saturday media reports that any of its members had been killed in Yemen ...an area of the Arabian Peninsula sometimes mistaken for a country. It is populated by more antagonistic tribes and factions than you can keep track of. Except for a tiny handfull of Jews everthing there is very Islamic... where a Saudi-led coalition is stepping up air raids on allies of Iran-backed rebels.
" 'E's not dead, 'e's just resting. And anyway, it wudn't him. It wuz someone else altogether."
"The Saudi Asharq al-Awsat daily and some Saudi and Lebanese news outlets have claimed that a Hizbullah member had been martyred in Yemen," said the party's press office in a statement.
The terse statement added that these reports are "totally baseless."
But it stopped short of confirming whether any of its members are fighting in Yemen.
Last month, a Gulf diplomatic official said that according to estimates, there are 5,000 Iranians, Hizbullah and Iraqi militia on the ground in Yemen.
Hizbullah is now militarily involved in Syria, where it is bolstering the embattled regime, and reportedly in Iraq.
A months-long rebellion by Shiite Huthi fighters in Yemen escalated into a regional conflict last month, when the coalition led by 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... began conducting air strikes on rebel-held territory.
Hizbullah leader His Eminence Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah The satrap of the Medes and the Persians in Leb... has stressed in a speech that Saudi Arabia will be roundly "defeated" in its campaign, which he called "unjust" and "illegal."
According to al-Mustaqbal ... the Future Movement, political party led by Saad Hariri... daily Saturday, several Hizbullah fighters had been killed in Yemen.
Sources told the newspaper that Hizbullah's involvement in battles in Sanaa is "possible because several of its fighters and experts, who hold the Lebanese nationality, were in Yemen's Saada before the rebels seized swathes of territory in Yemen since they entered Sanaa last September.
[Iran Press TV] Uruguayan President Tabare Vazquez says the Office of 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... High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will provide homes for the six men formerly held at the US-run Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. They smell different when you're in the same room, don't they?
The UNHCR has "the necessary resources to attend to the needs of the (former) prisoners," Vázquez said on Friday after a meeting with US President Barack Obama If I had a son he'd look like Trayvon... at the Summit of the Americas in Panama City, adding "Each one of them will have a home."
The four Syrians, one Tunisian and one Paleostinian were held in the notorious detention camp for more than a decade over their alleged links with the al-Qaeda terrorist group, but they were never charged or tried.
The six were freed from the infamous prison in December last year. Uruguay accepted the ex-detainees as refugees, saying the decision was out of respect for human rights ...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions... .
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
In other words: they are tired of keeping their sorry asses up.
Posted by: chris ||
04/12/2015 8:00 Comments ||
Top||
Teaser: There always has to be a party pooper, though, and Code Pink's Medea Benjamin and others managed to track down some less-than-flattering comments by Bolivian President Evo Morales, who reportedly questioned Obama's moral authority when it comes to preaching the merits of democracy.
ISLAMABAD: The UAE has strongly condemned Pakistani parliament’s decision to stay out of the conflict in Yemen, according to a report published in Khaleej Times.
"Nice economy ya got there. Be a shame if anything (more) happened to it..."
“The Arabian Gulf is in a dangerous confrontation, its strategic security is on the edge, and the moment of truth distinguishes between the real ally and the ally of media and statements,” Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Anwar Mohammed Gargash tweeted after a unanimous resolution passed by joint session of parliament. The resolution, however, backed the government’s commitment to protect Saudi Arabia’s territory.
Gargash said Pakistan is required to show a clear stand in favour of its strategic relations with the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council, “as contradictory and ambiguous views on this serious matter will have a heavy price to pay”. “This is nothing but another chapter of laggard impartial stand,” Gargash said, criticising identical views held by Turkey and Iran about the armed conflict in Yemen, as affirmed by the Turkish foreign minister, who had said a political way out of the crisis is the responsibility of Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
The UAE has better control over their Shi'a minority than the Paks have over theirs...
“Tehran seems to be more important to Islamabad and Ankara than the Gulf countries,” Gargash said. “Though our economic and investment assets are inevitable, political support is missing at critical moments,” he added.
“The vague and contradictory stands of Pakistan and Turkey are an absolute proof that Arab security - from Libya to Yemen - is the responsibility of none but Arab countries, and the crisis is a real test for neighbouring countries.” The Pakistani parliament’s decision that stipulates “neutrality in the Yemeni conflict” and expresses “its genuine support for Saudi Arabia” is “contradictory and unexpected from Islamabad”, he said.
But completely expected from the mealy-mouthed ingrates in Islamabad...
The parliament resolution turned down long-standing ally Riyadh’s request for troops, ships and warplanes, saying: “Pakistan should play a mediating role and not get involved in fighting in Yemen.” “Parliament of Pakistan...underscores the need for continued efforts by the government of Pakistan to find a peaceful resolution of the crisis,” the resolution said.
In other words, the Pak Mighty Army isn't up to the fight and would prefer not to get sucked into something the Master Race™ should handle on its own...
“(Parliament) desires that Pakistan should maintain neutrality in the Yemen conflict so as to be able to play a proactive diplomatic role to end the crisis.” In Islamabad, the Foreign Office refused to immediately comment on the remarks by UAE minister.
“We don’t have any confirmation of what exactly has been said and by whom; I have no comments at the moment,” the spokesperson said. In Riyadh, the military spokesperson for the Saudi-led offensive codenamed ‘Operation Decisive Storm’, Brigadier General Ahmed Asiri claimed that Pakistan is yet to announce its official position on the issue.
"Can't they see we got enough problems of our own here? We got evil Hindoooz to the east, crazy Talibunnies to the north, and the Medes and Persians to the west!"
Asiri said while Pakistan’s participation would be an addition to the coalition, its absence in the operation wouldn’t affect the coalition’s work. The Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, Shaikh Abdul Aziz bin Abdullah Al Shaikh, who is also chairman of the senior scholars authority, called for military conscription of youth.
It's one way to reduce the excess number of young males so as to leave more young females for the harems...
Aziz said, “We must prepare our youth properly to become a shield for us in the holy war against the enemies of religion and the nation.”
Aziz, unfortunately, had neither the thought nor the ability to be his nation's shield...
The government of Pakistan, according to analysts, is facing dilemma as sending troops to Yemen could create serious rift in Islamic countries but not sending could also cause resentments among the allied countries in the Middle East.
Screwed if you do, screwed if you don't; or as they say, everyday life in Pakistain...
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/12/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
The problem Saudi has with conscription, is you get a population that knows how to handle weapons, and look how well that worked out for Iraq and Syria.
#2
The UAE has strongly condemned Pakistani parliament’s decision to stay out of the conflict in Yemen, according to a report published in Khaleej Times.
TRANSLATION: "We've covered your butts long enough, plus we paid for the gorram bombs - man up, or we turn off the tap."
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/12/2015 8:01 Comments ||
Top||
#3
TRANSLATION: "We've covered your butts long enough, plus we paid for the gorram bombs - man up, or we turn off the tap."
Of course the counter argument is: "We got the gorram bombs suckers. Now play nice or we use them on you."
#12
UAE, Kuwait, + Qatar are all criticizing Islamabad while Oman declares its neutrality - AFAIK all that's missing is Bahrain.
IMO undoubtedly First-Muslim-Nuclear-Superpower Wannabe Pakistan sees an opportunity in the Yemen Crisis for many or all of its major Sunni rivals + Shia Iran to eliminate themselves from Muslim/Islamic Nuclear Superpower contention???
* WAFF > PAKISTAN STRIKES BACK AT UAE FOR MAKING THREATS | [Dawn.com] NISAR HITS AT UAE MINISTER FOR MAKING THREATS.
* SAME > KUWAITI DAILY LAUNCHES SCATHING ATTACK ON PAKISTAN [for ambiguous, neutralist Yemen stance] | GULFNEWS.
[HINDUSTANTIMES] The Pakistain Foreign Office has responded to criticism from India on the release of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi ...an asset of the Pak govt and a big turban in Lashkar-e-Taiba, which is actually a redundant statement. Zak was the criminal mastermind behind the 2008 Mumbai attack. Despite what India's provided there is not enough evidence in this world for a Pak court to convict him or even to keep him in the calaboose for very long... , the criminal mastermind behind the Mumbai attacks, by blaming India for some of the developments in the case.
Pakistain maintains that India has not given it evidence that would stand in a Pak court of law and help convict the JuD commander and his associates.
In response to a question regarding the remarks of the Indian spokesperson on the recent Lahore high court order setting aside the detention of Zakiur Rehman Lakhvi, the spokesperson said the case of the Mumbai attack suspects was sub-judice.
"It would not be proper to cast aspersions on Pakistain's commitment to countering terrorism at a time when Pakistain has entered a critical stage of defeating the menace of terrorism," the spokesperson for foreign affairs ministry further said.
The spokesperson went on to say, "As I had mentioned earlier also, inordinate delay in extending cooperation by India complicated the case and weakened the prosecution. We respect the judicial process and are confident that it would serve the interest of justice."
Meanwhile, ...back at the alley, Slats grabbed for his rosco... minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju said Lakhvi's release exposed the "twin face" of Pakistain in dealing with terrorism.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/12/2015 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
The Baghdad bureau chief for Reuters has left Iraq after he was threatened on Facebook and denounced by a Shi'ite paramilitary group's satellite news channel in reaction to a Reuters report last week that detailed lynching and looting in the city of Tikrit.
Threatened for doing his job? Good that he hung in there and did it, but no point in being a martyr...
The threats against journalist Ned Parker began on an Iraqi Facebook page run by a group that calls itself "the Hammer" and is believed by an Iraqi security source to be linked to armed Shi'ite groups. The April 5 post and subsequent comments demanded he be expelled from Iraq. One commenter said that killing Parker was "the best way to silence him, not kick him out."
Three days later, a news show on Al-Ahd, a television station owned by Iranian-backed armed group Asaib Ahl al-Haq, broadcast a segment on Parker that included a photo of him. The segment accused the reporter and Reuters of denigrating Iraq and its government-backed forces, and called on viewers to demand Parker be expelled.
This is what Iran-dominated Iraq looks like...
The pressure followed an April 3 report by Parker and two colleagues detailing human rights abuses in Tikrit after government forces and Iranian-backed militias liberated the city from the Islamic State extremist group. Two Reuters journalists in the city witnessed the lynching of an Islamic State fighter by Iraqi federal police. The report also described widespread incidents of looting and arson in the city, which local politicians blamed on Iranian-backed militias.
To be fair, the IS guys did the same things when they took Tikrit. But the government forces were supposed to be better than that.
A Reuters spokeswoman said the agency stood by the accuracy and fairness of its report. Facebook, acting on a request from Reuters, removed a series of threatening posts this week.
The threats appear to be part of a broader power struggle in Iraq.
No, really?
The country is divided between its Shi'ite Muslim majority, which now dominates the government, and its Sunni Muslim minority, which held sway under the late dictator Saddam Hussein. Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi, a moderate Shi'ite, is attempting to defeat Islamic State – a radical Sunni offshoot of Al Qaeda that has seized huge portions of Iraqi territory – while at the same time trying to mend fences with the broader Sunni community.
The Iraqi military is rebuilding following its collapse last June. That has forced Abadi's government to rely on a constellation of Shi'ite paramilitary forces backed by Iran. The paramilitary forces, which include Asaib Ahl al-Haq, routinely denounce Western media coverage of Iraq's internal conflict.
Rafid Jaboori, a spokesman for Abadi, said the government was "definitely against any message that encourages hatred or intimidation, whether it comes from a local or international network." At the same time, the al-Ahd segment "was primarily a criticism of the government, something that we have to live with" he said.
Jaboori said the environment for media "has improved significantly since this prime minister took over." He advised any foreign journalists who feel threatened to call the Iraqi police for help.
Sure, you bet. Just 9-1-1 the very people who likely belong to the militias in their spare time...
Many Iraqis – both Sunni and Shi'ites – do not trust the police, some of whom are believed to have links with the Shi'ite paramilitaries.
Like I was just saying...
Michael Lavallee, a U.S. State Department spokesperson, said: "We condemn all forms of intimidation and violence toward the media as the protection of journalistic freedoms is an essential aspect of all democratic societies."
So State harfed out a statement...
He said the State Department had spoken with Abadi's office "to raise our concerns about the potentially dangerous atmosphere created by an editorial broadcast on a private Iraqi television network about the Reuters bureau chief and the Reuters staff in Iraq." The State Department "will continue to closely monitor the treatment of international media in Iraq and raise objection to any form of intimidation that may inhibit the ability of the media to perform their work."
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/12/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
What's why they like to cover Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
[AnNahar] A new security plan will be implemented in the southern refugee camp of Ein el-Hellhole as further reinforcements will deploy in the area to preserve security, media reports said on Saturday.
According to Voice of Leb radio (100.5), the plan will include new neighborhoods in the camp and the 150-member force, which deployed in Ein el-Hellhole last year, will reach 350.
The camp will also witness the erection of new checkpoints in areas that weren't included in the previous plan.
The radio station said that the plan was set in coordination with the Lebanese military and security forces.
In March, a 50-member Paleostinian joint security force deployed at the camp of Miyeh Miyeh in the southern city of Sidon.
By long-standing convention the Lebanese army does not enter the camps, leaving security inside to the Paleostinians themselves.
There have been several reports that the camps have become a safe haven for Death Eaters.
Several wanted terrorists, including Shadi al-Mawlawi, are allegedly hiding in Ein el-Hellhole.
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
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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.
[Tolo News] Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistain has asked Afghan Taliban to support the peace talk's process and meet with the National Unity Government leaders. Pak Deputy Minister warns that after this, Pakistain will not be a safe haven for them.
[AnNahar] A Cairo court confirmed death sentences for 
[ARABNEWS] At just a stone's throw away, you can see 
Sheikh Abdul Aziz Al-Asheikh
[DAWN] Pak 
ISLAMABAD: The UAE has strongly condemned Pakistani parliament’s decision to stay out of the conflict in Yemen, according to a report published in Khaleej Times.
[HINDUSTANTIMES] The Pakistain Foreign Office has responded to criticism from India on the release of 
