[NDTV] As concerns grow in India about a resurgent Taliban ...Arabic for students... and the possibility of the terror group coming to power in Afghanistan, Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Zarif has told NDTV that it's impossible to have a future Afghan government without a role for the Taliban, though it should not have a dominant role.
Iran started formal talks with the Taliban for the very first time just last week. Mr Zarif also said extremism was an existential threat for Pakistain.
"I think it would be impossible to have a future Afghanistan without any role for the Taliban. But we also believe that the Taliban do not have - should not have a dominant role in Afghanistan. Of course at the end of the day that is the decision that the Afghans need to make," Mr Zarif told NDTV.
When asked about Pakistain's continued support to terror groups in Afghanistan, he said Pakistain was trying to play a "positive role".
"We believe that Pak position on Afghanistan is evolving and we believe that Pakistain now is trying to play a positive role in getting a grinding of the peace processor underway in Afghanistan. I understand that the Paks also do not wish to see an Afghanistan dominated by murderous Moslems groups... but for Pakistain it is an existential threat. Extremism in Pakistain and Afghanistan is an existential threat for Pakistain," Mr Zarif said.
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01/10/2019 00:00 ||
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[Al Jazeera] Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir Head of the National Congress Party. He came to power in 1989 when he, as a brigadier in the Sudanese army, led a group of officers in a bloodless military coup that ousted the government of Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi and eventually appointed himself president-for-life. He has fallen out with his Islamic mentor, Hasan al-Turabi, tried to impose shariah on the Christian and animist south, resulting in its secessesion, and attempted to Arabize Darfur by unleashing the barbaric Janjaweed on it. Sudan's potential prosperity has been pissed away in warfare that has left as many as 400,000 people dead and 2.5 million displaced. Omar has been indicted for genocide by the International Criminal Court but nothing is expected to come of it. has told a rally of his supporters on Wednesday he would stay in power, as protesters massed a few miles away, calling for him to quit.
Thousands of people gathered in Sudan's capital on Wednesday in a show of support for al-Bashir's embattled government after deadly anti-government protests erupted across the country last month.
The rally backing al-Bashir, who has ruled Sudan since 1989 when he swept to power in an Islamist-backed coup, came as rival protesters launched new demonstrations in the city of Omdurman.
Hundreds of riot coppers, soldiers and security agents, some carrying machine guns, were deployed around the site of the pro-Bashir rally in the Green Yard, a large open ground in Khartoum, an AFP correspondent reported.
Dressed in a khaki shirt and trousers and waving a stick, a smiling al-Bashir greeted the cheering crowd as men and women, who arrived in buses from early in the morning, whistled and waved flags.
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[Dhaka Tribune] The International Crimes Tribunal Act will be amended soon to try 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... as a political party for crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, Law Minister Anisul Huq said yesterday.
"As per the directive of Prime Minister the loathesome Sheikh Hasina
Continued on Page 49
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[Dhaka Tribune] Myanmar President’s Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay claimed that Arakan Army and Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) set up two and three bases inside Bangladesh territory
Dhaka on Wednesday strongly protested the remarks by a spokesperson of Myanmar President's Office, who claimed there are five bases of Rohingya turbans inside Bangladesh territory.
This Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) statement was issued after some media reports based on remarks by the spokesperson on Monday.
"Bangladesh strongly protests such baseless and provocative accusations. The current festivities are the outcome of Myanmar own political and social dilemma," reads a MoFA-issued press statement.
It also says: "As such, it'll be highly appreciated by the government of Bangladesh if the Myanmar government doesn't make any endeavour to associate Bangladesh with her internal political puzzle."
"The allegations are totally fake and baseless. It's not possible to operate terrorist bases anywhere in Bangladesh because of high alertness and effective preventive measures by security forces in the line with ’zero tolerance policy’ of the present government of Bangladesh," reads the statement.
"Bangladesh is also firmly committed not to allowing its soil to be used by any dissident group of any neighbouring country. The government has taken all possible measures, including compressive international engagements in counter-terrorism to fully implement the commitment," the MoFA statement notes.
"We affirm that there's no existence of any foreign terrorist groups within Bangladesh nor Bangladesh is harbouring any terrorist organization within its soil. Security forces of Bangladesh alongside border always remain vigilant to prevent any untoward incidents that may affect the existing peaceful relation between neighbors," it says.
Myanmar President’s Office spokesperson U Zaw Htay at a presser on Monday claimed that Arakan Army and Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), two Rohingya bully boy groups set up two and three bases inside Bangladesh territory.
According to U Zaw Htay, top brass of both turbans group met in Ramu in July last year, allegedly to discuss the groups’ respective areas of control within Myanmar.
Citing an unconfirmed source, the spokesperson also claimed that both groups’ have high stakes in illegal drug trafficking in Bangladesh.
U Zaw Htay also said his government has lodged a complaint with Bangladesh over the issue, which MoFA claims is not the case.
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[PULSE.NG] Britain on Wednesday announced it would immediately end its policy of asking women rescued from forced marriages abroad to take out loans to cover the cost of helping them, following a backlash.
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[AnNahar] Kazakhstan on Wednesday said dozens of its citizens, including children, had been evacuated from Syria after being held "hostage" in the country.
Hundreds of Kazakhs have left the Moslem-majority country to join up with bad boy groups in Syria since 2011, according to Kazakhstan's security services.
"On January 6 this year... 47 citizens of Kazakhstan, including 30 children, were evacuated from Syria," Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev ...has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the Fall of the Soviet Union and the nation's independence in 1991. Contrary to commonly held belief, there is a difference between Kazakhs and Cossacks: Kazakhs have mustaches. Or maybe it's the other way around... said.
"They were deceived into going to this country in crisis where they were held hostage by terrorists," Nazarbayev said.
"We will continue to work on the return of children who (were taken to) a combat zone against their will," he added, without providing details of the operation.
In 2014, authorities reacted to an official 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.... (IS) group propaganda video showing Kazakh child soldiers training by blocking media outlets that shared the footage.
One such outlet, British tabloid The Daily Mail, only became accessible in the ex-Soviet country late last year.
Kazakhstan has hosted a series of talks on Syria brokered by Iran, Russia and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey ...just another cheapjack Moslem dictatorship, brought to you by the Moslem Brüderbund.... since the beginning of 2017.
The talks have featured negotiators from the Syrian regime and armed rebel factions but not bad boy groups such as IS.
Thousands from other Central Asian nations and the Caucasus have traveled to Syria to join jihadists since war broke out there.
[IsraelTimes] Head of anti-Semitism watchdog flags clip of 2009 sermon by Mohammed Toujgani, who is set to be the next leader of Belgium’s conference of imams
Unexpectedly.
A senior imam in Belgium prayed in a 2009 sermon for Allah to kill all Zionists and burn them in a fire ignited by the blood of "deaders."
The YouTube video of Imam Mohammed Toujgani was flagged earlier this week to the Belgian League Against Anti-Semitism, or LBCA, its president, Joel Rubinfeld, told the DH news website for an article published Wednesday.
"Lord, master of worlds, fill with fear the hearts of the Zionist oppressors," Toujgani is seen saying in the 31-minute sermon. "Lord, fill their hearts with fear. Lord, make the earth tremble beneath their feet. Lord, make the blood of the deaders a weapon under the feet of the Zionists oppressors, and may this blood ignite a fire that burns them and start a wind that eviscerates them. [...] O Lord, tear them down."
Rubinfeld said the text is anti-Semitic because "it just substitutes ’Jew’ with ’Zionist,’ he told DH.
According to DH, Toujgani, who is the imam of the el Khalil mosque in Brussels, is tapped to be nominated president of the conference of Belgia holy mans. He has spoken in favor of tolerance and against jihadism in recent years. Toujgani declined to speak with DH when it contacted him for a reaction to the video, the news website reported.
[IsraelTimes] Latest First Amendment suit comes as Democratic politicians block GOP Senate bill granting states legal cover for penalizing contractors who support Israel boycott.
A Moslem civil rights group is suing to block the US state of Maryland from enforcing an executive order barring state agencies from contracting with businesses that boycott Israel.
#2
Klan sues to block anti-segregation measure in Maryland
Any different? The judiciary has assumed powers over the government they never were intend to have. Thus inviting anyone in to challenge democratic self rule. The court has decided that they'll intervene on any soup cause du jour that titillates the coastie culture. Terms and term limits for our self appointed aristocracy.
#3
if your company wants a contract with Maryland there are pages and pages of boilerplate provisions that you have to agree to including safety, environmental, racial and sex discrimination, etc.
none of these limits freedom of speech or association so the contractor's employees could attend BDS meetings to their heart's content and write BDS letters to the editor, etc.
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Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) ‐ Iraqi President Barham Saleh stressed on Wednesday his country’s keenness on building balanced relations with all friendly countries, particularly the U.S.
The president made the remarks during a meeting at al-Salam palace in Baghdad with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Alsumaria News TV channel quoted the Iraqi presidency as saying in a statement.
The two sides discussed the latest security and political developments in Iraq and the region, said the statement.
During the meeting, Saleh stressed the need for adopting the approach of "constructive dialogue among all parties to achieve peace and security and ease tension and instability at the Arab and regional levels."
He also called for promoting cooperation among regional and international powers to put an end to terrorism and extremism, stressing that Iraq is keen to build balanced relations with all friendly and allied countries "based on respect for its illusory sovereignty and the independence of its national decision."
The Iraqi president further called on the American side to contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq and the improvement of services provided for Iraqis, praising the support provided by the U.S. for Iraq at the political and security levels, especially in the war against terrorism.
Pompeo, for his part, reiterated the U.S. administration’s keenness to establish special relations with Iraq at various levels, stressing Washington’s continued commitment to fighting 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.... and terrorism.
Pompeo said that the U.S. considers Iraq "an important and strategic partner in the political, economic and security fields," expressing his country’s readiness to contribute to the reconstruction of the areas liberated from terrorism in Iraq.
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[Rudaw] Iraq’s prime minister called on the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to lower the Kurdistan flag in Kirkuk, ... a thick stew of Arabs, Turkmen, Kurds, and probably Antarcticans, all of them mutually hostile most of the time... saying that hoisting the banner was "unconstitutional."
"Kirkuk is a disputed city and located outside the borders that the constitution has drawn for the Kurdistan Region," Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi said in a published statement on Wednesday.
"The statute of the disputed areas will remain as such and no changes will be made until it is decided on through the constitution," he said.
The PUK on Tuesday night raised the flag of Kurdistan over their offices in the disputed city, in defiance of a ban imposed when federal forces took control of the province in October 2017.
Acting governor Rakan Saeed al-Jabouri demanded it be removed Wednesday morning and warned the PUK would be responsible for whatever consequences might result in the city where Kurdish and Iraqi forces briefly clashed during the takeover.
Kirkuk is part of the multi-ethnic disputed areas defined under Article 140 of the constitution that stipulate their status should be resolved via a referendum to determine whether these areas will remain part of federal Iraq or be absorbed by the semi-autonomous Kurdistan Region.
Article 140 was supposed to have been enacted more than a decade ago, but successive governments have failed to do so.
When first deciding to raise the Kurdistan banner alongside the Iraqi one in Kirkuk for Newroz in March 2017, the Kurdish leadership argued that both flags should be represented in the province until its status is resolved.
Abdul-Mahdi said he held an "urgent" phone call with President Barham Salih to urge him to fulfill his office as "protector of the Iraqi constitution."
He also called on the Federal Court to weigh in and resolve the matter.
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[Rudaw] There has been more than a 25 percent reduction in the number of foreign troops on the ground in Iraq, the prime minister said on Tuesday.
"There is a decrease every month. For instance, last September, the number of foreign troops ‐ Americans and non-Americans ‐ in all Iraq was 11,000, but now it is 8,000. There is a decrease," Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi told news hounds in his weekly presser.
He made the statement in answer to a question about a reported relocation of American forces to Kirkuk’s K1 military base. The commander-in-chief of the armed forces answered that he did not have information of an increase in the number of foreign troops in Kirkuk.
"We have not been informed and have not received reports of the establishment of a new base or entrance of any troops," he said.
A Peshmerga commander said on Monday that American forces had moved into Kirkuk’s K1 military base.
The US has roughly 5,200 troops in Iraq and does not plan to pull out of the country like they are doing across the border in Syria.
The US-led coalition against ISIS has brought troops from multiple countries into Iraq to train, advise, and support Iraqi and Peshmerga forces in the war against the murderous Moslem group. With ISIS militarily defeated ‐ though still a security threat ‐ in Iraq, the coalition’s mission is now turning to focus on training, to be led by NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A cautionary tale of cost-benefit analysis.... "In 2019, the NATO mission in Iraq will take the lead in the 'train the trainer' mission to teach Iraqi military instructors to impart key skills such as countering improvised bombs, civil-military planning, armored vehicle maintenance, and military medicine to their trainees," the coalition said in a published statement on Tuesday.
The coalition has trained more than 173,000 local forces.
Baghdad’s relationship with Washington is strained after Iraqi politicians were outraged when US President Donald Trump ...New York real estate developer, described by Dems as illiterate, racist, misogynistic, and what ever other unpleasant descriptions they can think of, elected by the rest of us as 45th President of the United States... dropped into visit American troops without meeting Iraqi leaders.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is currently in the Middle East. A stop in Baghdad is not on his itinerary, though there is speculation he may make a quick visit.
Abdul-Mahdi said he would be open to meet with Pompeo.
"Of course he is an ally and he represents a friendly country. We have so many common things in the international coalition, [which] helped Iraq to defeat ISIS [ISIS]. We will raise those issues. We will raise how to deepen our relationship with the coalition and how to deal with regional issues all together," he said.
He added that he would also discuss deepening economic and educational ties.
Though the Americans are bypassing Baghdad, Abdul-Mahdi said the number of foreign delegations visiting the capital has increased and they are staying for longer. He hailed this as a sign that security in Baghdad is improving.
The US withdrawal from Syria has created a security concern for Iraq. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are battling the jihadists in the Euphrates River valley just across the border.
The Iraqi air force occasionally carries out Arclight airstrikes against ISIS targets in Syria and Iraqi and coalition forces are stationed on the border.
"We constantly monitor developments on the Iraq-Syria border," said Abdul-Mahdi. "There is an agreement with the Syrian government and the US-led coalition on the border, fighting ISIS."
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[IsraelTimes] Terror group set to renew violence amid rising criticism from Gazooks, who see recent cash injections from 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. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi... as easing living conditions only of Hamas, the well-beloved offspring of the Moslem Brotherhood, members rather than public
An Egyptian security delegation is expected to arrive in Gazoo in the coming days in an attempt to prevent a deterioration in the security situation along the border with Israel this weekend.
On Tuesday, the "Supreme National Authority for the March of Return and Breaking of the Siege," the body officially behind the weekly border protests that the Hamas terror group has been encouraging saince last March, called on the Paleostinian public to participate extensively in marches near the fence on Friday.
Over the past two weeks, after a months-long lull, there has been an increase in the number of demonstrations close to the fence, and last Friday also saw a rise in the number of violent incidents at those protests.
There have also been attempts by Paleostinians to break through the fence at several locations, and an explosives-laden drone attached to balloons was launched toward Israel on Sunday, followed by a rocket attack.
These moves have been interpreted by Israel as an attempt by Hamas to renew hostilities in light of its ongoing failure to change the reality of life in Gazoo.
Monthly cash injections of $15 million from Qatar via Israel over the past two months have been perceived by some in Gazoo as designed to ease the living conditions only of Hamas members rather than the public on the lam. The result has been an increase in criticism of the terror group among Gazooks. This is exacerbated by the fact that electricity supply to the coastal enclave has again decreased to only five hours of power followed by 12-hour outages.
Paleostinian sources in Gazoo report that Hamas is planning to renew incendiary balloon attacks, along with the offensive tactics implemented in the weeks preceding the Qatari cash injection.
A week ago, Hamas officials met with the heads of the "kite unit," as well as the leaders of the groups the so-called "tire unit" and a unit that carries out a variety of operations close to the border under the cover of darkness, such as demonstrations and attempts to damage the fence.
At that meeting, the unit heads received a new budget to prepare for the next round of violence.
Earlier this week, those units were expected to hold a presser in Gazoo at which they were to announce the relaunch of their activities. However, women are made to be loved, not understood... the event was canceled for reasons that were not immediately clear.
Hamas’s recent attempts to escalate the situation along the border have been linked to the ongoing failure of mediators, chief among them Egypt, to secure a reconciliation agreement between the Islamist terror group and the Paleostinian Authority.
Earlier this week, Israel reportedly asked Qatar to delay its monthly delivery of $15 million to the Gazoo Strip, after a rocket was fired from the coastal enclave at a southern Israeli city.
The Qatari cash injection is part of an unofficial truce between Hamas and Israel that was supposed to see an end to months of violent protests along the Gazoo-Israel border in exchange for an easing of Israel’s blockade of the coastal enclave.
Gazoo protesters have launched hundreds of incendiary kites and balloons into Israel over the past nine months, sparking fires that have destroyed forests, burned crops, and killed livestock. Thousands of acres of land have been burned, causing millions of shekels in damages, according to Israeli officials. Some balloons have also carried improvised bombs.
[IsraelTimes] The Paleostinian Authority has cut off the salaries of Hamas, always the voice of sweet reason,politicians in the West Bank, the latest in a series of recent measures that have escalated tensions between the rival factions.
PA President the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas ... a graduate of the prestigious unaccredited Patrice Lumumba University in Moscow with a doctorate in Holocaust Denial... dissolved the 132-member assembly last month.
Deputy Parliament Speaker Hassan Khreisheh says that all but 48 politicians ‐ mostly Hamas members ‐ received their salaries this week.
Paleostinian officials aligned with Abbas’s Fatah movement have threatened further action against Hamas over its refusal to hand over power in the Gazoo Strip, even as Israel has sought to preserve calm in and around the blockaded territory.
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council has recently intensified their talks with the government in a bid to resolve their disputes and seek a peaceful settlement, a source told al-Masdar News from Damascus.
According to the government source, the Syrian Democratic Council is working with Damascus to prevent a Ottoman Turkish military invasion in the northern part of the country, while also making strides to end the political deadlock between the two entities.
The source said that the Syrian Democratic Council is seeking political autonomy in their areas, but they do not want to separate from the state.
In turn, the Syrian government has rejected the idea of federalization but is reportedly open to the idea of joint control of the SDF-held area until the war is over.
Both parties agree that the primary concern as of now is the impending Ottoman Turkish military operation which seeks to expel the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and People’s Protection Units (YPG) from northern and eastern Syria.
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[ALMASDARNEWS] The U.S. Coalition released a statement on January 8th that reflected on their four-year-long campaign 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.... (ISIS/ISIS/IS/ISIS).
"Within one year, the Coalition has grown from 70 nations and four partner organizations to 74 nations and five partner organizations in the campaign to ensure the lasting defeat of ISIS. The Coalition welcomed the Philippines in February, Republic of Guinea and the Community of Sahel-Sahran States in June, Kenya in August, and Fiji in September," the statement began.
Following their opening statement, the U.S. Coalition claimed that their forces and their partners recaptured "more than 99 percent" of ISIS-held ground in Syria and Iraq.
"Since the establishment of CJTF-OIR in 2014, the Coalition reclaimed more than 99 percent of ISIS’s previously held ground of more than 100,000 square kilometers, roughly equivalent in size to Britannia. CJTF-OIR and partner forces liberated key cities in Iraq and Syria, including, Hajin, djinn-infested Mosul ... the home of a particularly ferocious and hairy djinn... , Hawijah, al-Qa’im, Tal Afar, Raqqah, and Tabqah. Each town the Coalition liberated has continued its path toward normality free of ISIS influence," they claimed.
However, you can observe a lot just by watching... despite these claims by the U.S. Coalition, this statement disregards the fact that the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) retook the entire southern half of the Islamic State’s pocket inside of Syria.
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
...an 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. Home of nutbag holy manYusuf al-Qaradawi...
[ALMASDARNEWS] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Council has recently intensified their talks with the government in a bid to resolve their disputes and seek a peaceful settlement, a source told al-Masdar News from Damascus.
