[ToloNews] The Afghan intelligence chief Ahmad Zia Saraj on Saturday blamed "ISIS and other terrorist groups" for the kidnapping of Abdul Rauf, a nine-year-old child who was kidnapped in the northern province of Balkh four months ago.
Addressing a press briefing in Kabul on Saturday, the NDS chief said that 55 suspects have been arrested in with the kidnapping, reiterating that security forces are close to finding the place where the child is kept.
"Overall, there are 55 suspects who are nationals of Uzbekistan and from Tajikistan. Most of the arrests were made in Balkh and it continues," Saraj said.
Abdul Rauf was kidnapped four and a half months ago in Balkh province. Since then, his parents and relatives have always protested. At some stage, President Ashraf Ghani ...former chancellor of Kabul University, now president of Afghanistan. Before returning to Afghanistan in 2002 he was a scholar of political science and anthropology. He worked at the World Bank working on international development assistance. As Finance Minister of Afghanistan between July 2002 and December 2004, he led Afghanistan's attempted economic recovery until the Karzais stole all the money... threatened to fire security officials in Balkh if the child is not rescued, but no progress has been made in this respect so far.
Rauf’s father Mohammad Nabi said he has received a new video of his son from kidnappers, giving him a new deadline of five days to pay the ransom.
"The kidnappers warned to cut my child into pieces. My blood pressure went high, and I fell down," he said.
Rauf’s father said the kidnappers have asked for $1.2 million as ransom and has given him a five-day deadline otherwise they will increase the ransom to $2.2 million.
"If they don’t do mercy on us as parents, they should be afraid of God and do mercy on an innocent child," said Zohra, Abdul Rauf’s mother.
Meanwhile, ...back at the shouting match, a new, even louder, voice was to be heard... Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission called on the Afghan government to mobilize all its resources for a safe recovery of the abductee.
People across the country also criticized the government for failing to rescue the child in the past four months.
Abdul Rauf’s family and relatives have been protesting for the release of the child in front of office of Balkh governor for the past three months.
The protestors have called on the president to deliver on his promises about the release of the child.
[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] The Algerian opposition Rally for Culture and Democracy (RCD) party condemned attacks on journalists during the Friday Hirak protests demanding change and reform.
Activists accused "thugs" of aiming to put an end to the Hirak, with some claiming the authority deliberately used infiltrators in the protests to ensue violence and discredit the movement.
In a statement issued Saturday, RCD said journalists, who have been reporting the people's revolution since its inception, were attacked and provoked on Friday, noting that reports showed attacks were carried out by unknown "thugs."
The statement asserted that freedom of the press and freedom of expression are two constitutionally established rights that should be defended.
The rally, headed by Mohcine Belabbas, denounced the use of media as a propaganda tool, in a clear targeting of freedom of the press, in reference to the six-state-owned television and many private channels, which are pressured by authorities to prevent the broadcast of demonstrations.
RCD called on everyone to be alert, reject all forms of violence, and support journalists in their "noble mission."
On Friday, protesters in Algiers attacked ten journalists during the demonstrations, according to a number of social media activists.
Journalist Lynda Abbou, who works with a private station, stated that demonstrators attacked the correspondent of La Belle France 24 when he was filming the protests.
Abbou stated that she and her coworker tried to protect the news hound but were also attacked. She did not identify the attackers, but a number of activists confirmed that the incident included members of an opposition organization led by an Islamist-affiliated refugee residing in Britannia.
Others claimed the assailants were introduced by the authority aiming to discredit the Hirak through violent mostly peaceful practices.
On Saturday, the Ministry of Information issued a final warning threatening to withdraw "for good" the media accreditation of La Belle France 24, alleging "blatant bias" in its coverage of the country's protest movement.
Protests resumed in Algeria after a year of suspension due to the spread of the coronavirus (aka COVID19 or Chinese Plague) ...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men... , and since then, demonstrators have been accused of having no clear agenda other than marching and chanting the same slogans that were raised two years ago.
A number of Hirak advocates called for the establishment of a party that would include all activists to participate in the legislative elections scheduled for June 12, hoping to oppose the authority from within the parliament.
Four newly formed parties launched by Hirak activists complained that the Interior Ministry refused to grant them licenses for their activity.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/15/2021 00:00 ||
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[LIBYAREVIEW] The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said that the issue of the presence of Ottoman Turkish-backed Syrian mercenaries inside Libya has not yet been resolved, as the return of these mercenaries is still stagnant.
SOHR communicated with some of these mercenaries in Libya as they told the observatory that they have not yet been asked to prepare for their return. This inaction has taken place despite the Libyan-Libyan consensus and all international demands for the exit of foreign forces from Libya.
On the 9th of March, SOHR sources said that in light of the Libyan-Libyan discussions to grant confidence to the new Government of National Unity (GNU), the mercenary issue is still a hinder to stability in the country.
According to SOHR, 6,750 Syrian fighters of Ottoman Turkish-backed factions are still in Libya, and the operations which have taken place since November were only change of shifts, as some groups returned to Syria while other groups were sent to Libya.
The presence of foreign mercenaries in Libya continues despite international demands and the Libyan-Libyan agreement. The deadline given for the foreign mercenaries to leave Libya has long passed.
According to the Libyan-Libyan agreement, mercenaries were supposed to withdraw from Libya within three months after the ceasefire came into force on October 23rd,2020.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/15/2021 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Sublime Porte
BREAKNG | Field Marshal #Haftar receives Hussein Atiyah al-#Qatrani, 1st Deputy Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity (#GNU), at the #LNA General Command, in the first meeting by the LNA with a GNU official since it gained Parliamentary confidence in #Sirte. Libya pic.twitter.com/nUMitJ0vIA
[THETIMES.CO.UK] An alleged £5 billion fraud linked to a former Libyan government official included a web of Scottish companies and more than 90 bank accounts, according to leaked documents that reveal the scale of a Police Scotland operation.
Details of the six-year investigation — code-named Adelanter — were laid out in a briefing by Scottish police shared with Libyan authorities in 2018.
They reveal that a single Scottish company was awarded contracts worth £150 million by government agencies in Libya, including the Organisation for Development of Administrative Centres, tasked with developing infrastructure.
Between 1989 and 2011, it was headed by Ali Dabaiba, 74, a Qadaffy-era government official who was accused of inflating the cost of construction projects and awarding tenders to companies he was connected with.
It is nothing, just some fraud, corruption at the expense of the lives of Libyan people. Nothing important here. #Libyahttps://t.co/v9uPuLvikA
🇪🇬 🇹🇷 FM Sameh Choukry spoke to Parliament about rapprochement talks with Turkey and said that "the basis for restoring normal relations with Turkey would be a change in Turkish policy that ensures the region's stability and non-interference in the internal affairs of countries." pic.twitter.com/jZJASyWj52
[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...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 legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. 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 They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... front man Mohammed Abdelsalam tried to implicitly reverse his group’s hasty rejection of a peace proposal put forward by the US Special Envoy for 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... Tim Lenderking by retweeting a clarification post by an anchor at Almasirah TV.
In the tweet, the anchor who interviewed Abdelsalam says that Houthi-run Sanaa did not reject Oman-sponsored peace talks, but rather expressed reservations towards the current state of Lenderking’s peace plan.
The anchor also adds that the Iran-backed group is still engaged in discussions regarding the peace plan’s frameworks.
Abdelsalam, in his interview with Almasirah TV on Friday, rushed to reject Lenderking’s proposal and labeled it a "conspiracy" against Houthis.
While Houthis showed remarkable confusion towards the proposal, the internationally recognized Yemeni government renewed its support for efforts to end the war.
Lenderking, speaking at an online forum organized by the Atlantic Council think tank on Friday, reaffirmed that implementing a ceasefire in Yemen must be a priority for all warring sides there.
He noted that the Saudi-led Arab Coalition backing the Yemeni government against coupist militias was ready to truly support peace efforts.
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 leadership is providing "full support" to the US effort to end the war in Yemen, affirmed Lenderking.
A "sound plan" for a nationwide ceasefire in Yemen has been before Houthi leadership for "a number of days," but it appears the group is prioritizing a military offensive to take Marib, said Lenderking.
The US envoy said that the Iran-backed militia is giving priority to the campaign to take Marib over "suspending the war and moving relief to the Yemeni people."
He warned that Yemen "will spiral into greater conflict and instability" without ceasefire progress, and said he will return to the region when Houthis are prepared for talks.
It is worth noting that Houthis are the only party in the Yemeni war that still refuses to make any concessions and continues to escalate its military hostilities, especially in the Marib governorate.
She didn’t just pull a gun on the officer—she actually shot him first. He was only attempting to serve her the five outstanding felony warrants she had been dodging. Why is she being presented as a BLM martyr? https://t.co/f4jabzbUA4
#6
Problem is to many in the black community have been convinced the Cops are hunting them. If you truly believe that drawing and firing first is logical.
Undercover video recorded of an #antifa meeting in Seattle on Saturday night shows one of the militant leaders chastising the group for their bad tactical decisions that resulted in arrests by @SeattlePD. The group had been smashing up business windows. pic.twitter.com/HZOj0fxZmj
[PJ Media] All the Boston Marathon jihad murderer Dzhokhar Tsarnaev did was murder three people; why is everyone being so mean to him? Young Tsarnaev is suffering, and he wants you to feel his pain: CBS Boston reported Wednesday that he has filed a hand-written lawsuit claiming that he has been mistreated in prison. This complaint shows that the killer, besides being a confirmed jihadi with the deaths of several infidels on his record, has also mastered what has proved to be in many cases the most lucrative game of all: the game of victimhood.
In his plaintive handwritten lawsuit filing, Tsarnaev claims the Bureau of Prisons and Attorney General Merrick Garland are "interfering with his ability to communicate with his family, placing a hold on his money and hurting his chances of avoiding a death sentence." He says that he has been forbidden to send photos to his family since 2019, and that this has been well-nigh unbearable: "I am suffering psychological injury, emotional distress and destruction of my familial relationships." Too bad he didn't think about getting released to avoid getting COVID in prison.
#11
IIRC Joker hit Speed Bump's head at 35 MPH with the front wheel of the SUV he was driving when trying to escape, then ditched the cops somehow. Some hours later a guy in Watertown came outside for a cigarette and saw Joker hiding under his boat's tarp in his back yard, so that's how he got busted.
[ENGLISH.AAWSAT] Iran's Houthi sock puppets ...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 legitimate Yemeni government has accused the them of having ties to the Iranian government. Honest they did. 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 They like shooting off... ummm... missiles that they would have us believe they make at home in their basements. On the plus side, they did murder Ali Abdullah Saleh, which was the only way the country was ever going to be rid of him... militias are threatening 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... i expatiates in the US with seizing and kidnapping their properties and relatives in Yemen if they refused to fund the Iran-backed group’s war effort.
In Ibb governorate, where the largest community of Yemeni expatriates in the US comes from, Houthis launched an expanded extortion campaign targeting Yemenis with relatives living abroad.
Militants collected millions of Yemeni rials from Ibb’s al-Shaar and al-Nadrah districts, local sources told Asharq al-Awsat, adding that Houthi officers argued the need for either sending more fighters to battlefronts or paying large sums of money to underpin the group’s operations.
Locals reported that Houthi officers claimed the group having "enough information" about the assets and wealth accumulated by Yemenis in the US and were using it to blackmail their relatives in the war-torn country.
Houthis have employed their connections in the US to produce a database for Yemeni expatriates there, sources said.
Back in the 50s, flocks of Yemeni families from al-Shaar and al-Nadrah traveled to the US, where they were either naturalized as citizens or given permanent residency.
A descendant of those families, who requested anonymity, said that a pro-Houthi individual living in the US had contacted members from the Yemeni diaspora and demanded they pay money to the Iran-aligned group.
The individual that approached the families on behalf of Houthis is from al-Shami family and is the child of one of the group’s senior intelligence officers.
"After refusing to make the payoff, Yemeni expatriates were told that their relatives in Yemen will pay the price for their refusal," said the descendant.
Blackmailing Yemenis abroad has expanded the reach of Houthi extortion.
Houthis have tasked agents in the US and some European countries with reaching out to Yemeni expatriates and asking them for money in exchange for the group staying away from their homes and relatives in Yemen.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/15/2021 00:00 ||
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[IsraelTimes] Jamila al-Shanti has become the first woman elected to the Hamas, a contraction of the Arabic words for "frothing at the mouth", terror group’s political bureau, its highest decision-making body.
Al-Shanti, a member of the defunct Paleostinian legislature, is the widow of assassinated Hamas leader Abd al-Aziz al-Rantisi, who was killed by Israel during the Second Intifada.
"This confirms the Hamas movement’s respect for Paleostinian women, their struggle, heroism, and sacrifices," senior Hamas official Suheil al-Hindi tells Paleostinian media outlet Dunya al-Watan.
Hamas has been conducting its internal elections for the past few months. The vote is conducted in secret in Gazoo ...Hellhole adjunct to Israel and Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, inhabited by Gazooks. The place was acquired in the wake of the 1967 War and then presented to Paleostinian control in 2006 by Ariel Sharon, who had entered his dotage. It is currently ruled with an iron fist by Hamaswith about the living conditions you'd expect. It periodically attacks the Hated Zionist Entity whenever Iran needs a ruckus created or the hard boyz get bored, getting thumped by the IDF in return. The ruling turbans then wave the bloody shirt and holler loudly about oppression and disproportionate response... , the West Bank, abroad, and in Israeli prisons. Some Hamas members, such as bigwig Yahya Mousa, had publicly urged the election of more women to high-ranking Hamas positions.
[Times of Israel] 120mm shell, which offers division-level firepower to battalion-sized forces, touted by Defense Ministry as reducing collateral damage, danger to noncombatants, due to its accuracy.
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.
...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...
...the twenty first century equivalent of bubonic plague, only instead of killing off a third of the population of Europe it kills 3.4 percent of those who notice they have it. It seems to be fond of the elderly, especially Iranian politicians and holy men...
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the 
[PJ Media] All the Boston Marathon jihad murderer Dzhokhar Tsarnaev did was murder three people; why is everyone being so mean to him? Young Tsarnaev is suffering, and he wants you to feel his pain: CBS Boston reported Wednesday that he has filed a hand-written lawsuit claiming that he has been mistreated in prison. This complaint shows that the killer, besides being a confirmed jihadi with the deaths of several infidels on his record, has also mastered what has proved to be in many cases the most lucrative game of all: the game of victimhood.
...a Zaidi Shia insurgent group operating in Yemen. They have also been referred to as the 
