But don't tell nobody, okay? Cuz it's secret. [Khaama (Afghanistan)] Pakistain's military intelligence -- Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) chief has secretly visited Kabul to meet President Mohammad 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. .. on Afghan reconciliation process.
A source informed of the visit have told Voice of America (VOA)/Ashna that Gen. Rizwan Akhtar visited Kabul on Wednesday to meet President Ghani.
The source speaking on the condition of said Gen. Akhtar reaffirmed Pakistain's support to persuade the Talibs to join grinding of the peace processor.
The secret visit by ISI chief was also confirmed by the former Afghan intelligence -- National Directorate of Security ...the Afghan national intel agency... (NDS) chief Amrullah Saleh who took to Facebook calling the private and secret meeting Pakistain's continued fraud diplomacy. Proudly sporting his British para wings.
The visit by Gen. Akhtar comes as a two-day informal talks between the Afghan delegation and Taliban representatives concluded earlier this week over Afghan reconciliation process in Qatar ...an emirate on the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It sits on some really productive gas and oil deposits, which produces the highest per capita income in the world. They piss it all away on religion, financing the Moslem Brotherhood and several al-Qaeda affiliates... In the meantime, the Afghan Senate House Speaker Fazal Hadi Moslemyar said earlier this week he is not optimistic regarding the grinding of the peace processor brought to us by Pakistain as the Afghan delegation is set to meet with the Taliban representatives in Qatar today.
Moslemyar said he is personally not convinced with the reconciliation process which comes through Pakistain and the main motive behind such efforts are not ascertained.
Moslemyar also added that both the Afghan and Pak governments should take practical steps in eliminating those groups who are funded from Pakistain, if both the nations are working together to bring peace and stability in the region.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] Growing corruption in southern Zabul province has reportedly caused the locals to refer to the Taliban to settle their disputes instead of referring to the courts.
"Even the residents of central district of Qalat prefer the Taliban courts due to corruption in government courts," head of Zabul Provincial Council Atta Jan told TOLOnews.
Provincial appellate court chief, Wazir Mohammad Jalali, admitted that locals were referring to the Taliban, but strongly rejected what he called allegations of corruptions.
"There are no courts and judges due to insecurity in most of the districts, therefore, in some situations, people prefer the Taliban to settle their disputes," Jalali acknowledged.
The acting governor of Zabul, however, denied to comment on corruption but admitted to lack of courts in some parts of the province.
In addition, some of the residents told TOLOnews that as long as the government doesn't restore trust in judicial institutions, people will continue to visit Talban courts.
"Our demand is that prosecutors and judges should be appointed in all district and the government should strictly monitor them to avoid prosecutors from taking bribe," a resident of Zabul said.
Despite establishment of several anti-corruption bodies over the past 13 years, the government has been unable to curb the tragedy. Instead some reports have suggested that high-profile government officials have been involved in corruption.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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[AnNahar] Egyptian authorities have seized share certificates belonging to former star national footballer Mohammed Aboutrika in a company he founded amid allegations it funded the blacklisted Moslem Brüderbund, judicial officials said Thursday.
The authorities have cracked down on members and supporters of the Islamist movement since July 2013, when the army ousted president Mohammed Morsi, Egypt's first freely-elected leader.
Aboutrika, one of the biggest African footballers of his time, had publicly endorsed Morsi's 2012 presidential bid.
Morsi was ousted after mass protests against his sole year of divisive ...politicians call things divisive when when the other side sez something they don't like. Their own statements are never divisive, they're principled... rule, and an ensuing police crackdown targeting his supporters and his Moslem Brüderbund movement has left hundreds dead and thousands tossed in the slammer Maw! They're comin' to get me, Maw! On Thursday, the authorities confiscated Aboutrika's share certificates in his travel company Tours, which was formed when Morsi was in office, a judicial official said.
The authorities allege that the company funded the Moslem Brüderbund, which was blacklisted by the government as a "terrorist group" in December 2013.
Assets of six other companies were also confiscated on Thursday, and a court is expected to decide on the issue soon, officials said.
The move to seize Aboutrika's shares sparked an outcry on social networks, with the retired footballer's fans condemning it.
Expressing defiance over the seizure, Aboutrika himself tweeted: "Confiscate the money or confiscate the money's owner, I will not leave the country, and I will continue to work for its prosperity."
A star of the Cairo-based club Al-Ahly as well as the Egyptian national team, 36-year-old midfielder Aboutrika retired in 2013, and since then has avoided expressing his political views publicly.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Football/Soccer is unislamic. Consider it Karma, asshole
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/09/2015 13:57 Comments ||
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[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] Iran rejected Friday allegations it was interfering 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... by backing Iranian catspaws there, accusing 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... of seeking to absolve itself of responsibility in the war-torn Arabian Peninsula country. "Of course not! They make the weapons in their garages on weekends!"
Riyadh's new Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir on Thursday criticised what he called Iran's "negative" role in the Yemen conflict, and repeated claims Tehran was providing arms and funding to anti-government forces.
Iran has long denied sending weapons to Shiite Houthis in Yemen, with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei saying this week that forces fighting supporters of exiled Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi did not need military support from Tehran.
Iran's foreign ministry spokeswoman Marzieh Afkham said allegations it was arming the Huthis "were nothing but efforts to put the blame on others based on repeated and unfounded analysis".
A Saudi-led coalition has been conducting air strikes on Yemen rebel positions since late March and there are growing calls for an end to its aerial campaign as the corpse count mounts in the impoverished nation.
Riyadh proposed a five-day humanitarian ceasefire on Thursday, but later warned the Huthis had crossed a "red line" by targeting southern Saudi Arabia with cross-border shelling.
Coalition air strikes on Thursday hit the Huthis' northern stronghold of Saada, Saudi state media reported.
Tensions between Shiite Iran and Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia have been rising steadily, not only over Yemen but also the situation in Syria, Iraq, Leb and Shiite-majority but Sunni-ruled Bahrain.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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[ALMANAR.LB] Iranian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Marziyeh Afkham on Friday strongly refuted allegations by the Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir against Iran.
She said such allegations were nothing but efforts to put the blame on others based on repeated and unfounded analysis.
Saudi foreign minister put finger of accusation on Iran in a meeting with his US counterpart, she said.
The Saudi officials are accusing Iran of intervening 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... ignoring the fact that Riyadh with the aid of its allies has been targeting Yemen for over 40 days now, she said.
The foreign ministry spokeswoman stressed that the 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... has virtually taken the country hostage through their ground, marine and aerial blockade.
People in Yemen like other independent nations will never and under no circumstances let other countries interfere in their affairs, she said.
The Islamic Theocratic Republic of Iran within its Islamic and humanitarian principles calls for immediate lift of blockade and swift shipment of relief aid in order to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen, she said.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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[ALMANAR.LB] Thousands of Yemenis once again erupted into the streets of the capital, Sana'a, to denounce 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... 's deadly aggression against their country.
The demonstrators on Friday rolled their eyes, jumped up and down, and hollered poorly rhymed slogans real loud against Saudi Arabia, the United States, and the Israeli regime amid intensified Saudi Arclight airstrikes against the country.
"King Salman ...either the largest species of Pacific salmon or the current Sheikh of the Burnin' Sands, Cutodian of the Two Holy Mosquesand Lord of Most of the Arabians.... you are the loser you will be defeated," the demonstrators chanted, adding "Down with the US. Down with the Israel," and "In the end we will be triumphant."
"Those who have betrayed 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... and have signed an agreement with Riyadh to sell out the nation of Yemen will be forgotten in time," one of the speakers addressing the protesters said. "The Yemeni people will stand strong in the face of this aggression," he added, stressing, "The aggression and alliance against Yemen has begun to disintegrate."
Historian, Abdullah Khomein, who was one of the speakers during the rally, described Yemeni people as "courageous and generous," stressing that the aggressors "should understand that we are strong and we will stand in our land."
Noting that Yemen is an Arab nation and part of the Arabian Peninsula, he said Yemen's history goes even before the Pharaohs. He further condemned "the Saudi and Zionist aggression" against Yemen, saying, "We are against Saudi intervention against Yemen.... We are living some harsh days. We are living days of pride."
"We will continue to liberate every single meter of our land," another speaker said, adding that the aggressors aim to "transform Yemen into a land of conflict, but we will resist." He also warned the aggressors against the reprisal by the Yemeni people, stressing, "We will come for you."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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HT to Hotair headlines. Some in Europe are starting to awaken
Norway has scrapped its longstanding blasphemy law, meaning it is now legal to mock the beliefs of others, in a direct response to January's brutal attack on the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
The proposal to rush through the change was made in February by Conservative MP Anders B. Werp and Progress Party MP Jan Arild Ellingsen, who argued that the law "underpins a perception that some religious expressions and symbols are entitled to a special protection".
"This is very unfortunate signal to send, and it is time that society clearly stands up for freedom of speech," the two wrote in their proposal.
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/09/2015 10:21 ||
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[CA.NEWS.YAHOO] Omar Baby Face Khadr's apologetic tone didn't seem to move Stephen Harper much Friday as the prime minister defended his Conservative government's efforts to keep the former Guantanamo Bay prisoner behind bars.
"Mr. Khadr, as we all know, pled guilty to very grave crimes, including murder," Harper told a news conference as he offered his thoughts and prayers to the family members of U.S. Sgt. Christopher Speer.
"Our government's priority in these matters is always to make sure, first and foremost, we keep in mind the protection and security of the Canadian population."
Harper said little else, citing the fact the matter remains before the courts.
Khadr, now 28, pleaded guilty in October 2010 before a widely discredited military commission to five war crimes -- including murder in the death of Speer, a U.S. special forces soldier.
On Thursday, he walked free after an Alberta judge rejected the government's last-ditch attempt to block his release, saying they had failed to prove Khadr posed a risk to the public or could do harm to Canadian interests.
Some hours later, during a remarkable news conference on his lawyer's Edmonton driveway, Khadr apologized for the pain he's caused and urged Canadians to give him a chance to demonstrate his worth.
"I will prove to them that I'm more than what they thought of me, I'll prove to them that I'm a good person," Khadr said.
"Give me a chance -- see who I am as a person, not as a name -- and then they can make their own judgment after that."
Khadr spent almost 13 years behind bars -- four of them as a convicted war criminal.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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[Ynet] The US military has increased the threat level at bases across North America. Officials say the incremental boost will likely mean heightened vigilance and more random bag or vehicle checks. The baseline level went from A to B, although most military installations -- including the Pentagon -- were already at a slightly higher level of protection than level A. There are four levels, A through D.
Army Col. Steve Warren says the increase was not triggered by a specific event. He says it was due to a generally heightened threat environment, which would include the recent terror threat and attempted attack surrounding a provocative cartoon contest in Texas.
#1
Dang, why can't these guys just tell us what is going on?
I mean to say that I work at LAX as a construction manager/quality assurance manager AND the number of policemen and county sheriffs in battle gear with dogs has gone through the roof. Lately the airport police and the sheriffs are starting to do armed walk through the terminals.
I ride the Metro and there are now dozens of sheriffs with dogs and LA city policemen at every stop.
They have really dialed up the security and the presence.
So what's going on? I bet there is a real threat out there and they are not talking because it doesn't fit the "narrative."
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
05/09/2015 11:37 Comments ||
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On one hand, future bad guys find a community and are radicalized. On the other, the jihadi hunters can easily find them there, and trace their connections. On the third hand, the Bill of Rights. It's all soooooo complicated!
[AnNahar] The U.S. government is struggling to counter the 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.... group's fast-paced online propaganda, which played a role in inspiring a failed attack in Texas this week on an exhibit of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.
One of the two gunnies had been in frequent contact via Twitter with an American Death Eater from the IS group who was well known to federal authorities, according to groups that monitor gunnies online.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
Total defensive mode, hoping that the crocodile will eat you last. Not a good plan for survival. If you do not deal with the problem then the problem will deal with you.
The present so-called national leadership is symptomatic of who we are collectively as a nation. We are effectively invaded by a serious disease.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/09/2015 11:12 Comments ||
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#2
Hmmm...issue Marks of Reprisals for the cyber crowd to practice their skills. This site has borne the blunt of such actions from without, maybe the game should be played by 'independents' on both sides.
Recently the Army confirmed what many have long suspected, that illegal immigrants saved from deportation by DACA have been allowed to enlist in the U.S. Army, totaling 81 enlistees thus far this year, nearly twice as many as the 46 enlistees previously announced.
"These individuals have signed enlistment contracts, and are currently undergoing the process to determine their eligibility to enlist -- which includes a thorough background check," said Army spokesman Wayne Hall. Somehow, I would feel more comfortable if there were a "Capt." or "Maj." in front of Mr. Hall's name.
I am under the impression that one path to citizenship has long been through military service, with not necessarily much concern whether the volunteer is legal or not. Am I wrong?
#3
I question his "top level clearance". That's why he only knows what he reads in the newspapers
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/09/2015 14:08 Comments ||
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#4
I don't know whether to applaud or criticize this.
In WWII, lots of illegals/non citizens enlisted and fought for us. It was a ticket to citizenship for them. I have personal knowledge of a couple of really tough young men that were illegals and fought like tigers hoping for citizenship as a benefit for serving.
But that was then and this is now.
As for MISTER Hall, I would prefer he was a Captain or a Major (preferably with extensive service in harm's way).
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
05/09/2015 18:19 Comments ||
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#5
If we're cutting tens of thousands out of the force structure, why are they recruiting non-citizens? Making a complete lie out of the meme - doing the jobs Americans won't.
[NATION.PK] Lower Dir: 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... (JI) has retained the PK-95 (Lower Dir-II) seat with a decisive margin, in a male-voters-only by-election.
JI's Lower Dir Ameer (chief) Aizaz-ul-Mulk Afkari scooped up 18,711, while Awami National Party founded by Abdul Wali Khan in 1986. Part of the PPP-led cabinet 2008-13. The ANP is considered left wing, advocating for secularism, democratic socialism, public sector government, and economic egalitarianism.... 's (ANP) Bahadur Khan got away with 16,403 votes as the runner-up, according to unofficial results.
On the other hand, Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam ...the political wing of the Pak Taliban... (JUI) candidate Anwar Khan secured just 91 votes, independent Obaiduillah Sajid 24, Liaquat Ali 17, Maulana Zia ul Haq 304, and Mirzada got 102 votes.
A total of 38284 were polled while 1273 votes were rejected. The bye-election was held in the constituency after JI Ameer (chief) Sirajul Haq ...current head of the Pak Jamaat-e-Islami. Siraj was born in 1962 and entered politics shortly after that... stepped down, as member Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... assembly in the favors of a senatorial seat.
Earlier, voting for the by-elections in PK-95 constituency held peacefully amid tight security arrangements. There are around 140,743 registered voters for the 85 polling stations across the constituency. Out of a total 85 about 33 polling stations were declared sensitive.
Though, JI Chief Sirajul Haq had appealed to the female voters to exercise their right to vote but not a single woman was allowed even to go near a polling station, which is why the turnout was alarmingly low and clearly male-dominated.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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[National Review] Nina Shea reports that Sister Diana Momeka has now been granted a visa to enter the United States. A leading spokeswoman for persecuted Iraqi Christians, Sister Diana is expected to testify before a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee. Other details of her itinerary have not yet been set. Last week, American advocates for Middle Eastern Christians loudly objected when they learned that the U.S. consulate in Erbil had denied her visa application for reasons that did not add up.
Sunshine is the best disinfectant. Well done, all!
She had been invited to testify before congressional hearings in both the House and the Senate and had arranged to meet with representatives of several NGOs in the United States.
[AnNahar] More than 1,000 Sunni fighters from Anbar joined Iraq's Popular Mobilization force Friday as part of government efforts to make the fight against the 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.... group a cross-sectarian drive.
Political, security and tribal leaders attended a large parade at a base in Amriyat al-Fallujah in a bid to give new momentum to the province's homegrown anti-IS fightback.
"Your country has been stolen by a bunch of thieves and thugs and you must fight to take it back," Anbar Governor Soheib al-Rawi said at the event.
"Let this day be the day when we declare a massive revolution against Daesh... kick Daesh out of our homes, fight their Lion of Islam ideology and tighten the noose around them," he said, using an Arab acronym for IS.
Parts of Anbar province have been under jihadist control since before the nationwide June 9 offensive by IS, and the capital Ramadi has been on the brink of falling completely for months.
The counter-offensive has so far been spearheaded by Shiite militias, some of which are now operating under a government-controlled umbrella known as the Hashed al-Shaabi -- or Popular Mobilization Brigades.
However, a woman is only as old as she admits... Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has been keen to deflect criticism of the organization as a Shiite-only body, and has defied challenges within his own camp to push for the inclusion of Sunni fighters in their home provinces.
Hundreds of Sunni tribal fighters had already been fighting under the Popular Mobilization banner in Anbar in recent weeks, but Friday marked their official recruitment.
Sunni fighters in the troubled western Iraqi province had so far been using their own weapons and not receiving payment.
The new system comes with an organized vetting process designed to avoid the lack of accountability that prevailed under previous attempts to enlist Sunni fighters in recent years.
Rawi said that, according to Abadi's executive order, the plan was for the Sunni force with the Popular Mobilization units in Anbar to reach 6,000 men.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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#1
I thought Ramadi was just about fully under the control of the Iraqi Army. How come every time the media mentions Ramadi, it is about to fall into enemy hands.
Who's telling the truth?
I thought I saw something to indicate the Iraqi Army was nibbling around at Fallujah contemplating taking that tough nut on.
Posted by: Bill Clinton ||
05/09/2015 18:22 Comments ||
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[RUDAW.NET] Iraq's central government has refused to send the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG)'s share of oil revenue for the month of April which were previously agreed to, sources told Rudaw on Thursday.
"Iraqi Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi will not approve a payment which equals the total amount of oil sold by the KRG at the Turkish Ceyhan port last month," the source said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The source said Baghdad will not include the export of oil from Kirkuk's fields into the KRG's share of the total revenue, deepening a long-standing disagreement between Erbil and Baghdad.
The governments reached a groundbreaking agreement in December last year, which ended simmering disputes between the two governments over share of oil revenues.
According to the deal, the KRG was obliged to export 550,000 barrels of oil per day (bpd), including 300,000 bpd from Kirkuk's oil wells, in return of Kurdistan's 17 percent share of the total revenues. The sale would take place in the Turkish port of Ceyhan through Iraq's State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO).
"PM Al-Abadi has authorized a payment of $543 million for the month of April which is less than the $856 million that the KRG expected for the same month," the source said.
Rudaw has obtained documents from the Kurdish Ministry of Natural Resources, which show the KRG exported 16.3 million barrels of oil in April through the Iraqi SOMO. Baghdad says it has only received 15.3 million, excluding the exported of oil from Kirkuk.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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[RUDAW.NET] The United States has reassured Iraq's Kurds they will have the weapons they need in the war with ISIS, promising the arms will continue to be expedited by Baghdad, a member of the Kurdish presidential delegation in Washington told Rudaw.
The official, speaking to Rudaw on background and refusing to be named or directly quoted, said US officials had told Kurdish President Masoud Barzani's delegation that Baghdad would be courting problems with Washington if it tried to delay weapons funneled to Erbil through the Iraqi central government.
He said that US weapons deliveries had been stepped up, and that currently the clearance process for arms arriving in Baghdad for the Kurds is about 48 hours. Washington has been given a list of weapons the Peshmerga say they need, he disclosed, adding that the US has avoided direct arms shipments to the Kurds over legal issues.
With Kurdistan's Peshmerga forces acknowledged by the US as their most reliable allies on the ground, there has been a growing rift between US leaders and politicians over whether the Kurds should be armed directly.
On Thursday, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said that the Pentagon opposes directly arming Kurdish forces and Sunni tribes in Iraq.
Some congressmen and senators have introduced a bill that authorizes direct shipment of weapons for Kurds. A provision of the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) asks that 25 percent of the budget to Iraq be directly delivered to Kurdish and Sunni forces.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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Great article by Daniel Pipes. I put this article in WoT background, as this water crisis will affect goings on in the ME in war, politics, and population movements. As a born, raised, and practicing Pisces, I have always been interested in water, resources, uses, and water policy. With the ignorant, careless, and even malicious water policies of many ME countries, with very few exceptions, lack of water may overshadow the sport of jihad, and create wars to the death over limited water.
A ranking Iranian political figure, Issa Kalantari, recently warned that past mistakes leave Iran with water supplies so insufficient that up to 70 percent, or 55 million out of 78 million Iranians, would be forced to abandon their native country for parts unknown.
Many facts buttress Kalantari's apocalyptic prediction: Once lauded in poetry, Lake Urmia, the Middle East's largest lake, has lost 95 percent of its water since 1996, going from 31 billion cubic meters to 1.5 billion. What the Seine is to Paris, the Zayanderud was to Isfahan â except the latter went bone-dry in 2010. Over two-thirds of Iran's cities and towns are "on the verge of a water crisis" that could result in drinking water shortages; already, thousands of villages depend on water tankers. Unprecedented dust storms disrupt economic activity and damage health.
Nor are Iranians alone in peril; many others in the arid Middle East may also be forced into unwanted, penurious, desperate exile. With a unique, magnificent exception, much of the Middle East is running out of water due to such maladies as population growth, short-sighted dictators, distorted economic incentives, and infrastructure-destroying warfare. Some specifics:
Egypt: Rising sea levels threaten not only to submerge the country's coastal cities (including Alexandria, population 4 million) but also to contaminate the Nile Delta aquifer, one of the world's largest groundwater reservoirs. The Ethiopian government finally woke to the hydraulic potential of the Blue Nile that originates in its country and is building massive dams that may severely reduce the flow of river water reaching Egypt (and Sudan). That will get the attention of the Egyptians.
Gaza: In what's called a "hydrological nightmare," seawater intrusion and the leakage of sewage has made 95 percent of the coastal aquifer unfit for human consumption. Coupled with the double whammy of mining sewage pond sand berms and having sewage flash floods.
Yemen: Oil remittances permit Yemenis to indulge more heavily than ever before in chewing qat, a leaf whose bushes absorb far more water than the food plants they replaced. Drinking water "is down to less than one quart per person per day" in many mountainous areas, reports water specialist Gerhard Lichtenthaeler. Specialist Ilan Wulfsohn writes that Sana'a "may become the first capital city in the world to run out of water."
Syria: The Syrian government wasted $15 billion on failed irrigation projects in 1988-2000. Between 2002 and 2008, nearly all the 420,000 illegal wells went dry, total water resources dropped by half, as did grain output, causing 250,000 farmers to abandon their land. By 2009, water problems had cost more than 800,000 jobs. By 2010, in the hinterland of Raqqa, now the Islamic State's capital, the New York Times reports, "Ancient irrigation systems have collapsed, underground water sources have run dry and hundreds of villages have been abandoned as farmlands turn to cracked desert and grazing animals die off."
Iraq: Experts foresee the Euphrates River's waters soon halved (refer to Revelations 16:12 for those implications). Already in 2011, the Mosul Dam, Iraq's largest, shut down entirely due to insufficient flow. Sea water from the Persian Gulf has pushed up the Shatt al-Arab; the resulting briny water has destroyed fisheries, livestock, and crops. In northern Iraq, water shortages have led to the abandonment of villages, some now buried in sand, and a 95 percent decrease in barley and wheat farming. Date palms have diminished from 33 million to 9 million. Saddam Hussein drained the marshes of southern Iraq, at once destroying a wildlife ecology and depriving the Marsh Arabs of their livelihood.
Persian Gulf: Vast desalination efforts, ironically, have increased the salinity level of gulf sea water from 32,000 to 47,000 parts per million, threatening fauna and marine life.
Nearby Pakistan may be "a water-starved country" by 2022.
Israel provides the sole exception to this regional tale of woe. It too, as recently as the 1990s, suffered water shortages; but now, thanks to a combination of conservation, recycling, innovative agricultural techniques, and high-tech desalination, the country is awash in H2O (Israel's Water Authority: "We have all the water we need"). I find particularly striking that Israel can desalinate about 17 liters of water for one U.S. penny; and that it recycles about five times more water than does second-ranked Spain.
In other words, the looming drought-driven upheaval of populations â probably the very worst of the region's many profound problems â can be solved, with brainpower and political maturity. Desperate neighbors might think about ending their futile state of war with the world's hydraulic superpower and instead learn from it. But they won't for a while yet, if they ever do.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/09/2015 12:27 ||
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#1
Whoops.....I should have highlighted the first paragraph in yellow.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/09/2015 12:58 Comments ||
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#2
lack of water may overshadow the sport of jihad, and create wars to the death over limited water
Still using rhetoric of Jihad, though---that's the beauty of Islam.
#3
I did a report on Israel's newer desalination plants. Some really neat stuff there. It's not super cheap but it's a big step forward and an important one for them.
#4
I read about Israeli desalination progress, too, silentbrick. It is amazing. If the ME states could work with Israel, they would make the desert bloom, but their time honored tradition of blaming all their troubles on the Jews will accelerate their trip down the drain.
3dc and I did some rough calculations a few years ago about taking Med water, running down toward the Dead Sea, and generating electricity for reverse osmosis desalination, and sharing the benefits with Jordan. We figured that we would do enough to make enough flow, coupled with briny reject water to slowly fill the Dead Sea and make up for annual evaporation to fill the sea to appropriate natural levels in a long horizon. I know Israel has been looking at it for years, but political situation for it is not good. Ye Olde River Jordan flow is not enough now to replenish the sea, as the river is being over drawn by users upstream.
It is also notable that the Persian Gulf is being made more saline due to heavy reverse osmosis (RO) water process plants. 36000 to 47000 ppm is a significant rise. I know that EPA is concerned about the rise of salinity. It seems to me that in California, the briny reject water could be transported in HDPE pipe outfall lines along the continental shelf 12 km or less and sent to deep water for mixing by ocean currents. In the case of the Persian Gulf, there is limited water flow through.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/09/2015 15:30 Comments ||
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#5
Not to belittle the sand peoples' water problem but this is BS of the scale of blaming man for Global CoolingWarming Climate Change:
Persian Gulf: Vast desalination efforts, ironically, have increased the salinity level of gulf sea water from 32,000 to 47,000 parts per million, threatening fauna and marine life.
The PG is a very warm, shallow sea with little fresh water inflow and limited exchange with the Arabian Sea. A similar, though not as extreme, example is the Eastern Mediterranean which can reach 40,000 PPM salinity in the summer.
[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] Aleppo's Salafist tough guys on Sunday have formed a new command room called 'Fatah Aleppo' in step imitates their counterparts in neighboring Idlib province who made remarkable gains started by taking control of Idlib city and most of its countryside.
Jaysh al-Islam, al-Shamiya Front, Fastaqem Kma Amrt, Ahrar al-Sham ...a Syria jihadi group made up of Islamists and salafists, not that there's that much difference, formed into a brigade. They make up the main element of the Islamic Front but they don't profess adoration of al-Qaeda and they've been fighting (mainly for survival) against the Islamic State. Their leadership was wiped out at a single blow by a suicide kaboom at a crowded basement meeting in September, 2014... , Fajr al-Khilafah, al-Sham revolutionaries and al-Sham Legion have merged in the the biggest alliance in the key northern city northwest Syria.
The new command room, according to source from Fastaqem Kma Amrt, is to take advantage of the humiliating defeats of Syria forces in Idlib inflicted by the Army of Fatah, an alliance that includes Nusra, the Ahrar al-Sham movement and Jund al-Aqsa.
'Army of Fatah' is a reference to the conquests that spread Islam across the Middle East from the 7th century.
At dawn on Monday, Fatah Army seized Qarmeed camp, an army base in Idlib after a jacket wallah from al Qaeda's Nusra Front drove a truck packed with explosives inside and set it off.
The capture of Qarmeed camp, if confirmed, would be the latest in a series of setbacks for the army in the region. It would allow the rebels to tighten their siege on the major Mastouma army base nearby which has seen heavy fighting in recent weeks.
On Saturday, the coalition captured the northwestern town of Jisr al-Shughour for the first time in the four-year-old conflict.
Insurgents have been trying to push the army out of the few remaining government areas in the province, bringing them closer to Latakia, the ancestral home of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Supressor of the Damascenes... .
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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[EN.ZAMANALWSL.NET] Pro-Syrian regime people in Homs started moving their dead relatives' remains from the deaders' graveyard to their home villages.
Sources mentioned that families refused to bury their killed sons in Fardous graveyard, the one allocated for Alawite people in Homs since the Seventies last century, and preferred to bury them in their villages. Moreover, after the increasing number of the killed soldiers brought to the graveyard, almost 3000, its name has been turned into "Martyrs' graveyard".
Eye witnesses mentioned that a state of panicking prevails the pro-regime's area of Homs after the significant achievement in Hama and JisrAlshughour, as many sand bags and walls are being installed to separate these areas from the rebels' held areas.
Activists expect that reasons behind noticeable defending procedure is the fear of sudden attacks by Homs' rebels at regime's security branches and military bases.
All those security developments coincided with the announcement of re-opening Khalid bin al-Walid street, that connects Waer neighbourhood and the Baladi Stadium, as part of the truce between regime and rebels.
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05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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[ALMANAR.LB] The US Senate overwhelmingly passed legislation Thursday giving Congress the right to review and perhaps even reject any nuclear deal with Iran.
The bill passed 98-1 after overcoming initial objections from President Barack Obama If you like your coverage you can keep it... . It comes amid intense negotiations between world powers and Iran on a deal over the Islamic Theocratic Republic's nuclear program.
"We worked hard to create a great bipartisan balance," said the measure's chief author, Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman Bob Corker.US Senate
Republican Tom Cotton was the lone member voting in opposition to legislation that would give politicians at least 30 days to review any final Iran accord.
According to White House front man Eric Schultz, Obama "said he would sign the legislation in its current form."
Lawmakers would have the ability to support or oppose the nuclear pact by voting for or against lifting congressionally imposed sanctions on Iran.
Should Congress pass a resolution opposing the accord, Obama would have 12 days to veto it. If he does, Congress would have 10 more days to override the veto.
Iran and the P5+1 group of countries -- the United States, La Belle France, Britannia, Russia, China, and Germany - reached a mutual understanding on Tehran's nuclear program in the Swiss city of Lausanne on April 2.
Tehran and the six-party group have agreed to finalize a comprehensive deal by the end of June.
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05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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[ALMANAR.LB] Thousands of people demonstrated Friday in Tehran as well as other parts of the country to denounce Saudi-led air aggression on Yemen. The demonstrators erupted into the streets after the Friday prayers.
The protests came as Iran rejected anew Saudi claims it was interfering 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... by backing the Houthi ...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the Believing Youth. Hussein Badreddin al-Houthi is said to be the spiritual leader of the group and most of the military leaders are his relatives. The Yemeni government has accused the Houthis of having ties to the Iranian government, which wouldn't suprise most of us. The group has managed to gain control over all of Saada Governorate and parts of Amran, Al Jawf and Hajjah Governorates. Its slogan is God is Great, Death to America™, Death to Israel, a curse on the Jews ... fighters, and accused Riyadh of seeking to absolve itself of responsibility in the war.
Protesters rolled their eyes, jumped up and down, and hollered poorly rhymed slogans real loud against 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... . They also held the United States responsible for the military aggression, which has claimed the lives of over 1,200.
The rallies in the capital featured people taking to the streets in droves to show support for the people of Yemen, condemning the interference and aggression against the country.
Some protesters were holding up placards bearing in Arabic, the slogan, "I am Yemeni."
The protests across Iran came a day after, during a joint presser with US 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... , Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir accused Iran of meddling in regional countries, including Yemen.
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05/09/2015 00:00 ||
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[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... stated on Friday that the number of fighters who were killed in Syria's al-Qalamoun front were only three, denying media reports claiming otherwise.
"Some Lebanese and Arab media reports continue to broadcast false reports on the number of Hizbullah fighters killed in the last few days in al-Qalamoun front claiming that the number has totaled 40," the statement said.
"Hizbullah emphasizes that these reports are totally untrue and baseless. Only three fighters have been killed since the confrontations began. Their honorable families have been notified," it added.
Some media outlets said that more than 40 of Hizbullah fighters had died in fighting against Islamic forces of Evil near the border with Leb this week.
However, facts are stubborn; statistics are more pliable... al-Nusra ...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli sh-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ... Front said in statement via Twitter later during the day: "A large number of Hizbullah and Syrian army members were killed and others maimed in fighting with al-Fatah al-Qalamoun army in Assal al-Wared.
"After Hizbullah infiltrated the area from the Lebanese side, the Mujahedin made a tactical withdrawal from Assal al-Wared to repel the infiltration," added the statement.
"Hizbullah is exploiting Leb's land to sneak behind our fighters. We warn the Lebanese, Hizbullah is trying to drag them into a war schemed by Iran."
Hizbullah has been fighting alongside Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Light of the Alawites... 's forces against predominantly Sunni rebels and forces of Evil seeking to topple him.
Fighting has intensified in the past week in the mountainous al-Qalamoun region across the border from Leb, where forces of Evil from the 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.... group and the al-Qaeda-affiliated Nusra Front are entrenched.
Hizbullah and Syrian government troops took control on Thursday of strategic heights in the Syrian region of al-Qalamoun that abuts Leb's eastern border.
The control of the area on the outskirts of Assal al-Wared came following heavy festivities with al-Nusra Front.
[RUDAW.NET] A Kurdish opposition leader called on members of the Iranian security forces on Friday not to turn their guns on civilian protesters, warning that the demonstrations may turn nation-wide.
"Members of Iran's armed forces or the security should remember that they are part of that nation and therefore they should not be silent when something like this happens to their people," Omar Baleki, member of the political bureau of the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran told Rudaw.
"They must not take the side of the Islamic Theocratic Republic against their own people," Baleki added. "On a day like this they must protect the people."
Abdullah Muhtadi, secretary general of the Kurdish Komala Party told Rudaw that the situation in Kurdish cities in Iran is tense due to the heavy deployment of security forces.
"I confirm that the Iranian regime has deployed the army and security forces heavily in many Kurdish cities especially in Mahabd city and this has created a very tense situation," Muhtadi said.
Meanwhile, ...back at the cheese factory, there was only one thought in the mouse's mind: I can do this! I can do this! Then the trap sprung... Baleki said that the demonstrations by the people of Mahabad against the death of Farinaz Khosrawani is the expression of more than three decades of oppression.
"That incident could easily become a nation-wide protest," he said. "On the surface it is just an attack on a single woman, but in reality this injustice and repression has been happening to the Kurdish people for 36 years."
Thousands of people erupted into the streets of the Kurdish city of Mahabad on Thursday to protest the death of Khosrawani, 25, who jumped from the fourth floor of Tara Hotel.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/09/2015 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.
[Khaama (Afghanistan)] Pakistain's military intelligence -- Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) chief has secretly visited Kabul to meet President Mohammad 
A source informed of the visit have told Voice of America (VOA)/Ashna that Gen. Rizwan Akhtar visited Kabul on Wednesday to meet President Ghani.
[CA.NEWS.YAHOO] 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir 
