[Dawn] A 57-member jirga comprising sitting and former parliamentarians and elders from the erstwhile tribal region left for Afghanistan’s capital Kabul on Wednesday for talks with the banned Tehrik-e-Taliban ...the Pashtun equivalent of men... Pakistain (TTP).
The Afghan Taliban’s interim government is facilitating peace talks between Islamabad and the TTP whose leadership is already in Kabul. Prior to the jirga’s visit bigwigs held several rounds of parleys with the TTP in the Afghan capital, but have yet to make a breakthrough except agreeing to extend a fragile ceasefire for an indefinite period.
The two sides had agreed to extend the ceasefire and continue peace talks following separate meetings with Mullah Muhammad Hassan Akhund, Afghanistan’s acting Prime Minister.
Sources said the jirga members attended an extensive briefing in Peshawar before departing for Kabul from Islamabad. Federal Minister for Oversees Paks Sajid Hussain Turi, former governor Shaukatullah Khan, Senator Hilalur Rehman, former parliamentarians Shah Jee Gul Afridi, G.G. Jamal, Akhunzada Chattan, Malik Saleh Shah and Malik Waris Khan Afridi are key members of the jirga.
The KP government is represented in the jirga by Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif.
Prior to this, jirgas of tribal elders from North Wazoo and South Waziristan tribal districts held extensive talks with the TTP in Kabul.
In a significant development, the TTP in a two-page statement welcomed the jirga members’ visit to Kabul and hoped that with the blessings of Allah the visit would usher in peace and prosperity. The TTP’s statement, written in Pashto, said that its Mujahideen would not accept any compromise on the independent status of the former Fata, which was merged with the KP province through a constitutional amendment in 2018.
"The TTP’s Mujahideen and warriors will neither compromise on its special independent status nor will they agree to live under the clutches of slavery," it said, adding that if the Pakistain government and its security agencies want peace, they would have to restore its previous status.
Main demands of the banned ...the word banned seems to have a different meaning in Pakistain than it does in most other places. Or maybe it simply lacks any meaning at all...
organization include release of prisoners, compensation for the dead and wounded, enforcement of Shariah in Malakand, withdrawal of troops from the borders and reversal of Fata merger.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
06/02/2022 02:09 ||
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[Khaama] The Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan Mansour Ahmad Khan said the countries involved in the TAPI Pipeline want to move forward, according to sources, exclaiming the security tensions are eased to resume the project.
The Turkmenistan—Afghanistan—Pakistan—India Pipeline, also known as Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline, is a natural gas pipeline being developed by the Galkynysh — TAPI Pipeline Company Limited with participation of the Asian Development Bank.
According to Khan, the security challenges facing the TAPI pipeline has been resolved, saying this project is an important progress in linking Central Asia to South Asia.
"All the countries involved in TAPI project, they want the TAPI project to move forward as soon as possible because it will be important for energy supplies from Central Asia to South Asia," he said, as TOLOnews quoted.
However, the Pakistani diplomat sees "lack of banking transaction" a major challenge for TAPI to be continued at the moment, as the Afghanistan is cutting a rough time due to its political instabilities and financial crisis.
"...I think in the last few months, negotiations have been underway. One of the main challenges in the past has been security," he added. "One of the challenges now in the current circumstances is lack of banking transaction."
Meanwhile, Ministry of Economy said the implementation of the TAPI project would boost the economy and reduce the rate of poverty in the country, which has drastically increased since the Taliban takeover last August.
"There isn’t any specific political obstacle for the TAPI project, but there are some technical problems that will be solved soon," said Abdul Latif Nazari, Deputy Minister of Economy.
While involved counties bid to move forward with TAPI project despite ongoing political and economic instabilities, the Taliban government said officials failed to held a particular ceremony for resumption of the project.
"The work on the TAPI project has begun and it has not been halted but the ceremony that should be held for the resumption of work on it has not happened," said Inamullah Samangani, deputy spokesman for the Islamic Emirate.
WHAT IS TAPI PIPELINE?
The Turkmenistan—Afghanistan—Pakistan—India (TAPI) Pipeline, also known as Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline, is a natural gas pipeline being developed by the Galkynysh — TAPI Pipeline Company Limited with participation of the Asian Development Bank.
The pipeline will transport natural gas from the Galkynysh Gas Field in Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India. Proponents of the project see it as a modern continuation of the Silk Road.
The pipeline will be 1,420 mm (56 in) in diameter with a working pressure of 100 atm (10,000 kPa). The capacity will be 33×109 m3 (1.2×1012 cu ft) of natural gas per year of which 5×109 m3 (180×109 cu ft) will be provided to Afghanistan and 14×109 m3 (490×109 cu ft) to each Pakistan and India. Six compressor stations would be constructed along the pipeline.
Construction on the project started in Turkmenistan on 13 December 2015, work on the Afghan section began in February 2018, and work on the Pakistani section was planned to commence in December 2018.
The pipeline was intended to be operational by 2019. But due to underlying conditions, the project has been delayed over time and now the involved countries show willingness to complete the project.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/02/2022 00:00 ||
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[TOLO] "Please don't get us killed!"
They held a gathering under the heading of "justice for journalists" in Kabul on Wednesday.
Journalists held a gathering in Kabul where they said that they would not recognize any media watchdogs as they are being negligent toward the Afghan media community.
They held a gathering under the heading of "justice for journalists" in Kabul on Wednesday.
They claimed that media wachdogs have failed to address the challenges ahead of the Afghan journalists.
"These organizations have not been supportive of journalists, and so the journalists called on the Islamic Emirate and relevant organizations to not recognize these organization as media watchdogs," said Mohammad Raqib Fayaz, a participant.
"These organizations misused the title of journalist. There are lobbies in the foreign organizations," said Mubeen Ahmad Muwahid, another participant.
Meanwhile, media watchdogs have various opinions about their activities as the media watchdogs.
"Whenever a journalist has any problem regarding the Afghanistan Independent Journalists' Association (AIJA), they can refer to the AIJA," said Hujatullah Mujadidi, head of the AIJA.
"The individuals who has no legitimate position, they don’t have the authority to dissolve the media organization," said Sayed Ali Azghar Akbarzada, a member of AIJA.
The participants in the gathering called on the Islamic Emirate to restart activities of the Commission of Media Violation.
There are more than 20 media watchdog organizations in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/02/2022 00:00 ||
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[TOLO] Tithing, in the case of agriculture, means giving 10 percent of your yield. Just like The Big Guy Baghlan's Department of Agriculture and Irrigation recently issued 20,000 collection bills to the province's farmers in order to collect tithes and zakat.
According to department officials, farmers are obligated to pay fifty percent of their tithes and zakat to this department based on the distributed documents..
"We collect half a tithe. If someone harvests 700kg wheat, 70kg is the tithe. We take half of it, that is 35 kg," said Nematullah, head of the Agriculture and Irrigation Department of Baghlan province.
Tithing, in the case of agriculture, means giving 10 percent of your yield.
However, in reaction to the Department of Agriculture's decision, farmers in Baghlan province said that the drought in recent years have caused them enormous losses, making it difficult for them to pay significant tithes and zakat.
"We are the farmers who work hard. It is too difficult for us (the poor people) to pay 50 percent of our yield to the Islamic Emirate, it is very difficult for poor people," said Zekrullah, a farmer.
"The farmers are the assets of the country. If farmers are provided with the opportunity to grow, they will also benefit other people," said Habibullah, another farmer.
These concerns arise as figures from the Baghlan directorate of Agriculture and Irrigation show that the Taliban collected up to 89 million Afghanis
...that’s US$ 998,290...
in tithes and zakat from those areas under its control areas.
[IsraelTimes] Bureau’s director says agents learned of planned digital strike from unspecified intelligence partner, got medical center the info needed to block it
The FBI ...Formerly one of the world's premier criminal investigation organizations, something for a nation to be proud of. Now it's a political arm of the Deep State oligarchy that is willing to trump up charges, suppress evidence, or take out insurance policies come election time... thwarted a planned cyberattack on a children’s hospital in Boston that was to have been carried out by hackers sponsored by the Iranian government, FBI Director Christopher Wray said Wednesday.
Wray told a Boston College cybersecurity conference that his agents learned of the planned digital attack from an unspecified intelligence partner and got Boston Children’s Hospital the information it needed last summer to block what would have been "one of the most despicable cyberattacks I’ve seen."
"And quick actions by everyone involved, especially at the hospital, protected both the network and the sick kids who depended on it," Wray said.
The FBI chief recounted that anecdote in a broader speech about ongoing cyber threats from Russia, China and Iran ...Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979... and the need for partnerships between the US government and the private sector. "Like our satellite office in Perkins Coie"
He said the bureau and Boston Children’s Hospital had worked closely together after a hacktivist attacked the hospital’s computer network in 2014. Martin Gottesfeld launched a cyberattack at the hospital to protest the care of a teenager at the center of a high-profile custody battle and later was sentenced to 10 years in prison. The attack against the hospital and a treatment home cost the facilities tens of thousands of dollars and disrupted operations for days.
"Children’s and our Boston office already knew each other well — before the attack from Iran — and that made a difference," Wray said.
He did not ascribe a particular motive to the planned attack on the hospital, but he noted that Iran and other countries have been hiring cyber mercenaries to conduct attacks on their behalf.
When it comes to Russia, he said, the FBI is "racing" to warn potential targets about preparatory actions that hackers are taking toward destructive attacks. In March, for instance, the FBI warned that it was seeing increased interest by hackers in energy companies since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Hackers from China, meanwhile, have stolen more corporate and personal data from Americans than all other nations combined as part of a broader geopolitical goal to "lie, cheat and steal," Wray said.
The speech took place as the FBI continues to combat ransomware attacks from criminal gangs, an ongoing concern for US officials despite the absence of crippling intrusions in recent months.
Wray emphasized the need for private companies to work with the FBI to thwart ransomware gangs and nation-state hackers, adding that building those relationships is a key to success.
"What these partnerships let us do is hit our adversaries at every point — from the victims’ networks, back all the way to the hackers’ own computers," Wray said.
The FBI and other federal agencies have been working to assure hacking victims that it is in their best interest to report intrusions and cyber crimes. Many companies attacked by ransomware gangs often don’t go to the FBI for a variety of reasons.
US Sen. Rob Portman, a Republican from Ohio and the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, issued a report earlier this year critical of the FBI’s response to some ransomware victims. In two cases, the FBI "prioritized its investigative and prosecutorial efforts to disrupt attacker operations over victims’ need to protect data and mitigate damage," the report said.
One unnamed Fortune 500 company told committee staff that the FBI did not offer any "helpful assistance" when responding to a ransomware attack.
"For example, the FBI offered their hostage negotiator who appeared to have little expertise in responding to ransomware attacks," the report said.
#2
Sort of dumb to target a Children’s Hospital. With respect to a kinetic attack, targeting our kids is a dumb move. It will illicit a response not in proportion to the attack. Just ask Disney Corp or Netflix.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
06/02/2022 11:47 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Unlikely strictly Boston.
That was the era of encrypting ransom malware.
Several hospitals failed in their defensive admin.
#5
Between covering for the DeepState (Hillary), lying about Russiagate, lying on FISA warrants, monitoring parents who oppose woke-ism at their local school board... I'm surprised the FBI actually had any time or personnel available to actually do real law enforcement work.
[Dawn] The revelation that a number of Pak expats and a couple of citizens recently travelled to Israel as part of a delegation has sparked a controversy, with former prime minister Imran Khan ...aka The Great Khan, who who convinced himself that playing cricket qualified him to lead a nuclear-armed nation with severe personality disorders... and his party spinning the incident into their narrative of a foreign conspiracy against the previous government, and alleging that the trip had their successors’ tacit approval.
The issue has been discussed at length in parliament as well as during pressers and public meetings and portrayed as a political step by the government. The fact that other predominantly Moslem countries, such as the UAE and The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: trailing wife ||
06/02/2022 02:10 ||
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[Rudaw] No major efforts have been made to breach Iraq's political barriers that are halting government formation efforts, a Coordination Framework MP told Rudaw on Wednesday while blaming the Sadrists for the deadlock suffocating the country.
"We have not discussed anything major, because the Sadrists do not want to reach an agreement with the Coordination Framework ... there is no understanding with the Sadrist bloc for forming the government," Fadhil Mawat told Rudaw’s Snur Majeed.
Mawat rebutted the Sadrists' claim that they hold the majority of seats in parliament, saying the "obstructing third" alongside the independent MPs hold more than 50 percent of parliamentary seats.
Sadrist Movement leader Moqtada Tater al-Sadr ...hereditary Iraqi holy man and leader of a political movement in Iraq. He had his hereditary rival, al-Khoei, assassinated only a few hours after the holy rival's appearance out of exile in 2003. Formerly an Iranian catspaw, lately he's gagged over some of their more outlandish antics, then went back to catspawry... last month ruled out the possibility of striking a deal with the Coordination Framework, accusing Iraqi politicians of having "become an example of corruption and vice."
Iraq held elections in October following demands from nationwide protests. However, there's more than one way to skin a cat... eight months after the election, a new government is yet to be formed in the country due to political tensions.
Tensions between the Kurdish ruling parties also arose after both parties took opposing sides in the quest to form the government. The Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) joined forces in a tripartite alliance with the Sadrist bloc and the Sunni Sovereignty Alliance, while the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) allied with the pro-Iran ...The nation is noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence... Shiite framework.
Discussions within the Kurdish house are "very important" for putting an end to Iraq's shattered political scene, Mawat continued, announcing an upcoming visit by the Coordination Framework delegation to meet with the KDP.
"If there was an understanding between the two Kurdish parties, it would have an impact on the political process and would result in an understanding between the Shiite blocs too," he explained.
He further called on the KDP to resolve differences with the framework’s ally, the PUK.
However, there's more than one way to skin a cat... improving relations between the two Kurdish parties could take a hit when it comes to agreeing on a presidential candidate.
Masoud Haider, the senior advisor to KDP President Masoud Barzani, told Rudaw's Bestoon Othman on Wednesday that the KDP will not renounce their backing for Reber Ahmed to become the country's next president and that the decision is final.
Haider also contradicted Mawat's claims, instead saying the Shiites "are talking to each other, they are trying, it is possible at the end they find a way because the Shiites themselves are worried about the Iraqi streets blowing up in their face," warning of a possibility of renewed protests filling the cities' streets.
"It will not be like ... the October protests, but it will become a big danger for the whole political system in Iraq," he stressed, ringing alarm bells that "they may not get out this time."
Iraqis erupted into the streets in October 2020 in massive protests against corruption and unemployment and called for the provision of basic services. The protests resulted in early elections, but the country's political future remains mired by instability with repeated government formation efforts failing.
The inability to form a government hinders the current caretaker cabinet from carrying out proper, long-term decisions to stabilize various sectors of the country, including its economy, following a clarification from Iraq's Federal Supreme Court ...the political football known as The Highest Court in the Land, home of penumbrae and emanations... last month addressing the current government's capabilities.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
06/02/2022 00:00 ||
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A convoy carrying ISIS militants has reached Nineveh Governorate, coming from the Syrian Al-Hol camp.
Shafaq News Agency correspondent reported that the convoy reached Sinjar district, west of the city of Mosul, and is heading to Al-Jada'a camp.
The convoy is accompanied by close protection and includes about 150 families.
Earlier today, the Joint Operations Command revealed that it had received from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) 50 ISIS members through the Traibeel Border Crossing in the far west of Iraq.
Since 2021, the Iraqi government has transferred dozens of Iraqi families that some of whose members belong to ISIS, from the Al-Hol camp in Syria to the Al-Jada'a camp in Nineveh, amid the refusal and objection of the local government and residents of Nineveh.
It's noteworthy that the Al-Hol camp is one of the largest camps where ISIS families and members in northeastern Syria live. There are more than 60,000 Syrian citizens and other nationalities living there.
Al-Hol houses the wives, widows, children, and other family members of ISIS militants — more than 80% of the residents are women and children. The majorities are Iraqis and Syrians, but it includes some 10,000 people from 57 other countries, housed in a highly secured separate area known as the Annex. Many of them remain die-hard ISIS supporters.
[IsraelTimes] Military says dozens of fighter jets conduct ’long-range flight, aerial refueling and striking distant targets’ maneuvers over Mediterranean
Dozens of Israeli Air Force fighter jets conducted air maneuvers over the Mediterranean Sea on Tuesday night, simulating striking Iranian nuclear facilities.
According to a statement by the Israel Defense Forces on Wednesday, the drill included "long-range flight, aerial refueling and striking distant targets."
According to Channel 13 news, more than 100 aircraft — as well as navy submarines — participated in the drill that spanned some 10,000 kilometers.
The jets were refueled twice during the simulation, as they circled Cyprus and conducted mock Arclight airstrike ...KABOOM!... s in Israel, the report said. Meanwhile, ...back at the pound, the little lost dog had finished eating the rat terrier... the elite helicopter search-and-rescue Unit 669 was on standby to assist pilots who may have needed to abandon their planes.
Earlier this month, The Times of Israel learned that the drill — as part of the military’s major Chariots of Fire exercise — would simulate a widescale strike in Iran, including against its nuclear facilities.
Chariots of Fire, which involves nearly all branches of the IDF, has been focusing on training for fighting on Israel’s northern borders, including against the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon Hezbollahstan ...Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. ... In light of growing uncertainty regarding a return by Iran ...The nation is noted for spontaneously taking over other countries' embassies, maintaining whorehouses run by clergymen, involvement in international drug trafficking, and financing sock puppet militias to extend the regime's influence... to the 2015 nuclear deal amid long-stalled negotiations with world powers, the past year has seen the Israel Defense Forces ramp up its efforts to prepare a credible military threat against Tehran’s nuclear facilities.
At the beginning of last year, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi announced that he had instructed the military to begin drawing up fresh attack plans against Iran. By September, Kohavi said the army had "greatly accelerated" preparations for action against Tehran’s nuclear program.
Still, defense officials estimate that while some aspects of the IAF’s strike plans, which are still in their early stages, could be ready within a short period of time, others would take more than a year to become fully actionable.
In addition to having to find ways to strike Iranian facilities that are buried deep underground, requiring specialized munitions and tactics, the IAF will have to deal with increasingly sophisticated Iranian air defenses in order to conduct such a strike. The air force will also have to prepare for an expected retaliation against Israel by Iran and its allies throughout the region.
The drill has also focused on preparing for and responding to such retaliation.
According to Channel 13 news, the US Air Force was supposed to serve as a complementary force with refueling planes during the drill. The IDF did not confirm the report, and the US Central Command denied it, saying "there is no direct US military involvement in that exercise." A Pentagon spokesperson also denied the Department of Defense was "directly participating" in the drills, according to The War Zone online magazine.
On Tuesday, Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited another part of the Chariots of Fire drill taking place in Cyprus, which aims to simulate fighting against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
06/02/2022 09:59 ||
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#1
over the Mediterranean Sea ... simulating striking Iranian nuclear facilities.
#4
Mr. Wife was at a Guitars For Vets event here yesterday with special guest Corey Taylor, lead singer of the heavy metal band Slipknot. Mr. Taylor recently signed up to be a national ambassador for the charity. According to one of the vets there, Slipknot was his unit’s raid theme music in Iraq.
[JPost] EU giving succor and justification for brutality and terror just because they hate the Juice "What do you think a child who sees the houses of their parents, their brothers and sisters demolished?"
Terrorist attacks against Israelis should not be surprising given the depth of Palestinian suffering from the 74 years of conflict with Israel, according to European Union Representative Sven Kuhn von Burgsdorff.
"When you are a Palestinian child living next to the separation wall, what do you think this child will grow up with," he said Tuesday at an Alliance for Middle East Peace conference in Jerusalem.
THE PALESTINIAN EXPERIENCE
"What do you think a child who sees the houses of their parents, their brothers and sisters demolished because he or she was a suspected or real terrorist" will feel? he asked. "What kind of hatred will burn in this child? What do you think will happen?"
Burgsdorff cited the spate of terrorist attacks that have rocked the country since the start of the year.
"We saw, a few months ago and the last few weeks, terrible terror attacks perpetrated on Israeli territory," he said. "Twenty Israeli innocents lost their lives. But don’t be surprised, because there is hatred burning in many of these young Palestinians."
Burgsdorff gave a brief but impassioned speech about the overall toll the Israel-Palestinian conflict has taken on the lives of Palestinians and the particular danger that exists now, given the absence of any peace process.
He spoke to a gathering of diplomats and activists who gathered to explore the role civil society can have in ending the conflict.
PEACE IS NON-NEGOTIABLE
Burgsdorff said the actions of civil society and measures taken to improve the lives of Palestinians are important, but they are not enough to make the difference unless a resolution to the conflict is also in the offing.
"It is not sufficient to just talk about people-to-people contacts," he said. "It is not sufficient to just underline the importance of civil society."
"It does not matter whether you shrink the conflict," he added. "It does not matter if you provide economic incentives, unless human beings also have dignity and justice."
"We need to bring to the fore and to the worldwide attention the plight the people of Palestine have been under for the past 74 years," Burgsdorff said, citing events dating back to the 1948 War of Independence.
As an example, he said thousands of Palestinians had been killed since 2008, without distinguishing between innocent Palestinian civilians and those engaged in violent activity.
Burgsdorff did not specify whether they were Palestinian militants or civilians killed during the three Gaza wars nor if they were Palestinian terrorists executing attacks against Israelis or rioters who died in clashes with the IDF.
"Since 2008, thousands of Palestinians have been killed," he said. "Only a handful of those perpetrators have been brought to justice, only a handful."
"The truth needs to be told"
"The truth needs to be told," he added. "Without truth, there is no accountability; without accountability, there is no justice; without justice, there is no peace."
Burgsdorff warned against the radicalization of Palestinian society as despair, frustration and hatred grows with no end in sight.
"Work on the ground can only bear fruits if there is political engagement," he said. "If political decision-makers understand that, unless they make this conflict a priority... we are not going to see an end to this conflict."
"This is a call for action," Burgsdorff said. He urged the Biden administration and the 27 member states of the EU to "act now and not wait any longer."
[EEAS]After his German military service in a Paratrooper Regiment, Mr. Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff studied Political Science and International Law at Freiburg University, Germany, where he graduated first with a MA and then with a PhD, followed by a post-graduate degree in Development Studies from the German Development Institute (DIE), Berlin. He then joined the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) with assignments in Lome, Togo, and Eschborn, Germany.
Mr. Kühn von Burgsdorff became an EU civil servant in 1992 and has worked ever since in the field of EU external relations, with posts and assignments in Maputo, Bratislava, Havana, Port-au-Prince, Noumea, Miami, Juba and Brussels.
Mr Kühn von Burgsdorff represented the EU as Head of Mission in Havana, Cuba (2003-2007), Juba, South Sudan (2012 - 2014) and Maputo, Mozambique (2014 -2018). Notably, in his last two ambassadorial assignments, he has been actively involved in local peace processes. He is married and has five children.
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06/02/2022 00:00 ||
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[BenarNews] As the muezzin’s call to prayer echoed at dawn in a remote village in this southern Philippine city, former separatist rebel Rashid Kanton was preparing recently for an examination that could change his life.
The 35-year-old ex-member of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front
...once the Philippine’s largest separatist group, they signed a peace deal with Manila and now control a Moslem autonomous region in southern Mindanao Island...
hoped to pass the exam to be considered eligible and among the first batch of former MILF snuffies recruited into the ranks of their former enemy, the Philippine National Police.
"I want to become a policeman to protect the people and catch the bad guys," he told BenarNews.
"And now we have the peace agreement, we want what was promised to us. We can be part of the police if we pass the examination."
But the odds are against Kanton, who has only finished high school. He has spent nearly all of his life as a member of the front, which was the country’s largest rebel force until it signed a peace deal with Manila in 2014 to end its decades-long separatist insurgency in the south.
Now, the former guerrilla force controls an expanded autonomous region in the southern Philippines, officially known as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Moslem Mindanao.
Kanton said he had joined the rebel force because he believed in the cause it was fighting for and because he was born into conflict. All his male relatives, at one point or another, were MILF fighters or civilians who helped in the rebellion, he said.
One of the conditions of the peace deal was the integration of select fighters of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front into the country’s police and military forces, subject to a rigid selection process.
Like Kanton, Sahid Lumabao, a 23-year-old high school graduate from Datu Odin Sinsuat, said he was thankful for the opportunity to take the police exam.
"Every night before our examination, I was reading materials related to police duties and functions," Sahid told BenarNews.
"That’s my focus. I am doing this for my future family."
NOT ENTIRELY WELCOME
Murad Ebrahim, the chief of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and head of the transitional government in the autonomous region in Moslem Mindanao, said that when they received the go-ahead from the government on the examination for the police force, many ex-rebels wanted to serve, although some were automatically eliminated because they lacked basic qualifications.
"After three years of the transition period, we are happy that we are finally taking the first step into making this provision a reality," Ebrahim, also known as Ahod Balawag Ebrahim, told BenarNews.
Still, passing the examination is only one of the qualifications required for joining the police force, said Ricardo Bernabe III, who heads the National Police Commission.
"Once they have the eligibility, they can apply now to the Philippine National Police," he told news hounds, adding that candidates would not be appointed for merely passing the examination.
"They have their recruitment process" after the exam, he added.
However, if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning... not all members of the national police force have openly embraced the prospect of rebels being integrated into their ranks, especially officers from special units who saw action in the volatile south, sources said.
Seven years ago, 44 police commandos were killed in a fierce gunbattle with Moro Islamic Liberation Front rebels in January 2015, following a clandestine operation to kill Malaysian terror suspect Zulkifli bin Hir (also known as Marwan), who was one of Southeast Asia’s most wanted faceless myrmidons at the time.
In the botched operation at Mamasapano, Marwan was slain but dozens of the commandos were trapped and died after engaging the guerrillas, who said they thought they were under attack by enemy forces. It was described as the biggest single-day combat loss for the government in recent memory.
The rebel group justified its action, saying government forces had entered its area in the south unannounced in violation of a ceasefire.
The fighting set back the grinding of the peace processor, and it was only after President Rodrigo Duterte succeeded Benigno Aquino III that Congress passed a law giving autonomy to the areas in the south controlled by MILF.
[Rudaw] The notorious al-Hol camp in northeast Syria (Rojava) saw at least 18 deaths since the beginning of the year, Hawar News Agency (ANHA) reported on Wednesday amid a destabilizing situation in the camp.
Al-Hol camp continues to live up to its "ticking time bomb" label and violence in the camp have seen a surge in the past five months, documenting at least 18 murders and a further 13 injuries, ANHA said.
The camp has seen a total of 148 murders and 103 injuries since it first opened, it added.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested droves of Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really 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 western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) fighters and their families when they overran ISIS's last stronghold in Syria in March 2019. Many of these people were taken to al-Hol, which is now home to around 56,000 people — mostly women and kiddies of different nationalities.
Iraqi nationals make up the bulk of the camp's population and are followed in second place by Syrians.
The camp has infamously been branded a breeding ground for terrorism, with Kurdish and Iraqi authorities describing the sprawling camp as a "ticking time bomb," saying the situation in the camp is "very dangerous" with ISIS sleeper cells roaming the camp.
Suspected ISIS cells in the camp have also burned 23 tents since January in the camp, almost doubling last year's total of 13 burned tents, according to the numbers ANHA published which further indicates the escalation of violence there.
The outlet blames the deteriorating situation in the squalid camp on the international community's unwillingness to repatriate its nationals housed in the camp over security concerns.
The body of an Iraqi woman on Tuesday was found by the internal security forces (Asayish) in the camp, which marked the sixth killing in the camp in the month of May. The woman was found decapitated and handcuffed.
Around 450 Iraqi families returned to Iraq from the camp in April, an Iraqi immigration official told Rudaw, despite the country being one of the world's top executioners.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
06/02/2022 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Islamic State
See more about their arrival in Iraq here. [Rudaw] The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Wednesday handed over 50 alleged members of the Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really 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 western pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) to Iraq, according to the Security Media Cell.
Iraq's Joint Operations Command "through joint understandings and agreements and with the aim of combatting ISIS terrorist gangs at the regional and international levels" received 50 suspected ISIS fighters from the SDF at the border crossing near Rabia town, the media cell said.
The suspects will be handed over to the Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency in the interior ministry, where they will be investigated and charged appropriately.
The same scenario also played out in January when Iraq previously received 50 ISIS members from Syria at the Rabia border crossing.
Posted by: trailing wife ||
06/02/2022 00:00 ||
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[12 views]
Top|| File under: Islamic State
#1
where they will be investigated and charged appropriately.
This should be handled like cross border carbon credits. Kill them in place and send an invoice.
Cheaper.
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.
...the Pashtun equivalent of men...
[Khaama] The Pakistani Ambassador to Afghanistan Mansour Ahmad Khan said the countries involved in the 
...Formerly a fairly civilized nation ruled by a Shah, it became a victim of Islamic revolution in 1979...
[Rudaw] No major efforts have been made to breach Iraq's political barriers that are halting government formation efforts, a Coordination Framework MP told Rudaw on Wednesday while blaming the Sadrists for the deadlock suffocating the country.
...The nation is noted for 
Hezbollah
...The nation is noted for 
[JPost] 
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling 
