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Area: WoT Background    Non-WoT    Opinion        Politix   
Zanzibar: Acid attack on two British women volunteer teachers
Today's Headlines
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Page 1: WoT Operations
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Page 6: Politix
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Afghanistan
Graveyard bomb kills 14 women and children in Afghan east
[Dawn] A bomb planted in an Afghan graveyard killed 14 women and kiddies on Thursday, many of them present at the graveside of a family member during the Mohammedan Eid al-Fitr holiday, officials said.

The bomb went kaboom! in a rural district of eastern Nangarhar
The unfortunate Afghan province located adjacent to Mohmand, Kurram, and Khyber Agencies. The capital is Jalalabad. The province was the fief of Younus Khalis after the Soviets departed and one of his sons is the current provincial Taliban commander. Nangarhar is Haqqani country..
province, said the provincial governor's front man, Ahmad Zia Abdulzai.

Nangarhar and its capital, Jalalabad, have been racked by a series of bombings and suicide kabooms over the last week.

It is common in Afghanistan on the first day of Eid for people to pay their respects at the graves of loved ones. The victims were mainly from one family, Abdulzai said.

Three women and one child were maimed, he added.

Three Afghan bodyguards for the Helmand
...an Afghan province populated mostly by Pashtuns, adjacent to Injun country in Pak Balochistan...
province police chief, Mohammad Hakim Angaar, were killed on Wednesday in a suicide kaboom, the provincial governor's front man, Omar Zwak, said.

In June, a jacket wallah rammed a boom-mobile into the former Helmand police chief's convoy, wounding three.
Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Taliban

#1  Fatwah against taliban in.... never.
Posted by: JFM || 08/09/2013 4:29 Comments || Top||


Africa North
Morsi supporters stage new protest rally in Cairo
[Iran Press TV] On Thursday, pro-Morsi protesters called for his reinstatement and rolled their eyes, jumped up and down, and hollered poorly rhymed slogans real loud against army chief General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Morsi's wife, Naglaa Mahmoud, appeared among the demonstrators for the first time, urging them to continue their rallies against the ousted president's continued detention.

Egypt has witnessed non-stop demonstrations in support of the country's first democratically elected president, since he was toppled by the army on July 3.

On Wednesday, Egypt's interim Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi called on supporters of Morsi to immediately leave their protest camps in Cairo.

"We ask them now again, once again, to quickly leave to their homes and their jobs. The government's patience to bear this is nearly expired," Beblawi said in a televised speech.

"The cabinet affirms that the decision to disperse the Rabaa al-Adawiya and al-Nahda sit-ins is a final decision, on which all agree, and there is no going back on it," he added.

Beblawi also accused the protesters of inciting violence and said their sit-ins are not peaceful.

Earlier in the day, interim President Adly Mahmoud Mansour said more than 10 days of diplomatic efforts by envoys from foreign countries, including the United States, to resolve the crisis in Egypt had failed.

The protests have turned violent on many occasions, leaving large numbers of people dead.

The demonstrators have rejected repeated calls by Egypt's interim government to end their rallies.
Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Arab Spring

#1  The tickey-tock tolls/chimes louder for possible civil war in Egypt.

NOT GOOD FOR ISRAEL.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 08/09/2013 23:21 Comments || Top||


Tunisia declares war on terrorism
[MAGHAREBIA] Jebel Chaambi in Kasserine province is no longer the only theatre of operations.

Residents of the Tunis suburb of Ouardia were awakened Sunday (August 4th) at dawn by the arrival of security units there to arrest six terror suspects.

One was killed, another was maimed and the rest surrendered. The maimed suspect had been a doctor before he joined the terrorist group, while one of those tossed in the calaboose
Drop the gat, Rocky, or you're a dead 'un!
was a former police agent who resigned in 1998. He was involved in the Solimane terrorism case. He is also a suspect in Chokri Belaid's liquidation.

"The security agencies and competent authorities are proceeding with their crackdown on the bully boyz to dismantle and eliminate them once and for all," Prime Minister Ali Larayedh said on Sunday.

He also demanded that bully boyz turn themselves and weapons in, telling them, "You will have no future in this world or in the afterlife."

A day earlier, the coastal city of Sousse witnessed confrontations between security elements and a terrorist group fortified in a flat.

The festivities ended with the arrest of two bully boyz while a third, believed to be involved in the liquidation of politicians Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi, managed to escape.

There are about 50 terrorist cells in Tunisia, according to Attounissia, "including active cells and other sleeper cells. The number of members of such cells is about 600, mostly radical elements."

Some of the bully boyz tossed in the slammer
Keep yer hands where we can see 'em, if yez please!
by security forces might belong to the Oqba Ibn Nafaa Brigade, which seeks to join al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Interior Minister Lotfi Ben Jeddou said on Saturday.

There have been several scenes of blasts, arrests, and explosives found around the country in the last few days.

On Monday, the National Guard arrested a salafist allegedly involved in the attack on the US embassy in Tunis, Tunisie Numerique reported Monday.

Furthermore, there is information indicating that government officials are threatened with liquidation, Ben Jeddou told Mosaique FM last Tuesday.

"I'm personally threatened by Ansar al-Sharia
...a Yemeni Islamist militia which claims it is not part of al-Qaeda, even though it works about the same and for the same ends...
's leader in Tunisia Abou Iyadh, and we have a list of people threatened with liquidation, including intellectuals and journalists," he said.

On her blog, researcher Olfa Youssef commented on the death threats against her: "There have been many warnings recently urging me to be cautious," she wrote. "These are perhaps the advantages of simple spiritual faith, to always remember what God Almighty said, 'And if Allah should afflict you with harm, then there is none to remove it but He; and if He intends good to you, there is none to repel His grace'."

"I will continue to resist the exploiters of religion until the last drop of my blood and ink," she added.

Nessma TV political analyst Sofiene Ben Hmida was provided with tight security protection like his colleague Sofiene Ben Farhat and blogger Lina Ben Mhenni.

"Death threats haven't changed any of my positions," Ben Hmida told Magharebia. "I'm proceeding with my work as usual, but my life style has changed because of the security protection I'm now receiving."
Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Ansar al-Sharia


Tunisia captures wanted terrorist
[MAGHAREBIA] Tunisian forces captured a "dangerous" terror suspect in the Kef region, Tunisie Numerique reported on Wednesday (August 7th). The unidentified man, said to belong to the al-Qaeda's Okba Ibn Nafaa brigade, was apprehended in his Tajerouine home late Tuesday. His son was also arrested.
Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa


Africa Subsaharan
Zanzibar: Acid attack on two British women volunteer teachers
[CNN] Two young British women were injured in an acid attack carried out by two men on a motorcycle on the east African island of Zanzibar, local police said Thursday.
Five-to-one it's a Pak or a Bangla.
The women, who were attacked in Stone Town, the island's historic center, had been working as volunteer teachers on the island, travel firm i-to-i Travel said.

Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site popular with tourists.

The Zanzibar government and a spokesman for the women's families identified the victims as Katie Gee and Kirstie Trup, both 18.

The attack occurred Wednesday night as the women were walking unaccompanied along a street, said police Cmdr. Muccadam Khamis. The attackers, who did not take anything from their victims, left the scene on the motorbike, he said.
Three-to-one.
Another sad case of the cycle of violence...
Eyewitnesses said the acid was splashed on the women's faces, chests and hands.
Just like back home in Olde Karachi...
The government condemned the attack and vowed to find the perpetrators.

"The event is a great tragedy, and an attack of this nature against a foreign citizen, has never happened here before," the Zanzibar government said in a statement.

"The government is appealing to the general public to assist in the arrest of the offenders and is offering a reward of 10 million shillings (about $6,000) to anyone providing information leading to an arrest," the statement continued.

The government also said it would regulate the purchase of acid and other related products, and warned that such attacks could seriously damage the island's tourism industry, one of its main sources of funds. Police patrols will be stepped up in major tourist spots, officials promised.

The women were given first aid treatment at a local medical center before British consular officials helped them reach a hospital in the city of Dar es Salaam, on the Tanzanian mainland, Khamis said.

The UK Foreign Office is providing consular assistance and is in contact with the Tanzanian authorities, a spokesman said.

The women, who were in the final week of their trip when they were attacked, have been discharged from the hospital in Dar es Salaam, i-to-i Travel said in a statement.

"The motive for the incident is as yet not known
...they know but they can't say...
and we will await the report from the local authorities in Zanzibar before any comment can be made," a company statement said.

"The safety of our customers is of paramount importance to us and our own investigation will be launched as soon as it is possible to do so."

Gee and Trup, both from London, are expected to fly out from Zanzibar on Thursday evening bound for the United Kingdom, the agency said.

The women's families asked for privacy until they're reunited with their daughters.

"Both families are extremely upset and distressed about this completely unprovoked attack on their lovely daughters who had only gone to Zanzibar with good intention," relatives said in a joint statement.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack but it comes against a backdrop of rising extremist Islamist sentiment in the area.

Last month, Tanzanian media reported that a businessman of Arab origin who had built a mall close to the American Embassy in Dar es Salaam was also injured in an acid attack. He is believed to be in South Africa for treatment.
According to the Jerusalem Post, they are two nice Jewish-English girls from Manchester, active in a Zionist youth organization and with a family tradition of charity work. The Jerusalem Post adds:
A friend of Trup's, Oli Cohen, 21, told the Jewish Chronicle, "Katie was attacked two weeks ago by a Muslim woman for singing on Ramadan. She was shocked as it just came from out of the blue - but she wasn't scared enough to come home she stayed out there to finish her trip and volunteering.”

The police, however, described the attack as "an isolated incident", refusing to link it to rising religious tension on the island between majority Muslims and its Christian population.

The Britons were expected to fly home on Thursday.

The attack came during the tourist season in the historic town and after a Zanzibar Muslim leader, Sheikh Fadhil Suleiman Soraga, was hospitalised with acid burns in a November attack.

Two Christian leaders were killed early this year in separate attacks.
Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [2 views] Top|| File under:

#1  For some reason I feel very little sympathy.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/09/2013 4:48 Comments || Top||

#2  because your heart is a stone?
Posted by: Frank G on the road || 08/09/2013 10:03 Comments || Top||

#3  The police described the attack as "an isolated incident", refusing to link it to rising religious tension on the island between majority Muslims and its Christian population.

I have never been to Zanzibar. Do they have Bayesian Probability there?
Posted by: SteveS || 08/09/2013 10:36 Comments || Top||

#4  Update from IB Times:

The men who attacked Katie Gee and Kristie Trup with acid in Zanzibar were part of a radical Islamic group that wants to impose stricter Muslim laws on the Indian Ocean island.

Five men have been arrested by police in relation to the attack - two men threw acid in Gee and Trup's faces before speeding off on a moped.

Religious leaders cited by the Telegraph say the men were followers of Uamsho, which wants Zanzibar to become independent of Tanzania and to impose stronger sharia laws.

The men were taken in for questioning late yesterday and early this morning in Stone Town, the old part of Zanzibar city where the attack took place. Three of the men arrested have been released, while two have been detained by police.

One of the men being questioned was the shopkeeper who is reported to have had an argument with the women while they shopped for groceries a few days ago.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/09/2013 10:51 Comments || Top||

#5  Because I'm tired of idiots.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/09/2013 11:41 Comments || Top||

#6  I think what Grom is trying to say is that after the attack after the singing, they should have high-tailed it out of there.

I think that's a little harsh, though they should have been armed. From the article is seems this is a more recent turn of events in the area, and being foreign it's possible they were insulated from most of the local-politics. Tourist money and all that being important I'm sure.

Now if they were teaching in Pakistan, or any 'stan for that matter, then they'd have to be idiots not to know the risk. Though considering some teachers I've had the pleasure of being acquainted it's a distinct possibility.
Posted by: Charles || 08/09/2013 12:59 Comments || Top||

#7  Zanzibar is off the bucket list. Novaya Zemla is next.
Posted by: Alaska Paul || 08/09/2013 13:01 Comments || Top||

#8  No Charles, I object to charity for Third World. My objections are squared when the suckers are Jewish.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/09/2013 13:21 Comments || Top||

#9  Introduce the perps private parts to generous dousing of acid.
Posted by: Secret Asian Man || 08/09/2013 19:56 Comments || Top||

#10  Islamists reminding non-Muslims who rules or makes the rules.

"THE FIVE'S" BOB BECKEL WAS DEMANDING THAT RADICAL MULLAHS-CLERICS PUBLICLY COME OUT AGZ THESE KINDS OF MUSLIM-LED ATTACKS AGZ NON-MUSLIMS, OTHERWISE THEY WILL PROVE THAT THEY ARE NOT BE DESERVING OF ANY KIND OF US OR WESTERN SUPPORT OR SYMPATHY.
Posted by: JosephMendiola || 08/09/2013 23:34 Comments || Top||


Arabia
Ministry: Qaida Suspects Arrested in Saudi Arabia
[AnNahar] 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...
tossed in the slammer
Book 'im, Mahmoud!
two suspected members of al-Qaeda who may have been plotting against Western embassies in the Middle East, the interior ministry announced Thursday.

The two men, a Yemeni and a Chadian national, had contacts with the Yemeni branch of the terror network, al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), state news agency SPA quoted ministry front man General Mansour al-Turki as saying.

The Chadian suspect had been expelled from Saudi Arabia but returned with a passport issued by another country, Turki added.

"The two suspects may have been implicated in the threats against Western embassies in the region," he said.

Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, at the heart of the security alert that has shut a number of U.S. and Western missions in Sanaa, the Middle East, Asia and Africa, is seen by Washington as the most active branch of the jihadist network.

It was formed in January 2009 as a merger of the Yemeni and Saudi branches of al-Qaeda and is led by Nasser al-Wuhayshi.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal citing an anonymous U.S. official, Wuhayshi criminal masterminded the plot.

Previous reports have said that he was ordered to go on the offensive by al-Qaeda's overall leader, the late the late Osama bin Laden
... who is no longer with us, and won't be again...
's former number two Ayman al-Zawahiri
... Formerly second in command of al-Qaeda, now the head cheese, occasionally described as the real brains of the outfit. Formerly the Mister Big of Egyptian Islamic Jihad. Bumped off Abdullah Azzam with a car boom in the course of one of their little disputes. Is thought to have composed bin Laden's fatwa entitled World Islamic Front Against Jews and Crusaders. Currently residing in the North Wazoo area. That is not a horn growing from the middle of his forehead, but a prayer bump, attesting to how devout he is...
But the official who briefed the Journal said that an intercepted communication had shown that Zawahiri merely approved an operation that had been drawn up in Yemen.

"Zawahiri's giving his blessing for a plot is very different from ordering that plot or being able to launch a 9/11-style attack," the official said, according to the report.
The Jerusalem Post adds:
The pair were tossed in the calaboose
Drop the rod and step away witcher hands up!
in late July after they exchanged information on social media about imminent attacks, the official Saudi Press Agency reported, quoting an Interior Ministry official.

It said an investigation was continuing into the pair, who used mobile phones and encrypted electronic communications.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/09/2013 01:42 || Comments || Link || [1 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Arabia


Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia
Islamic insurgent leader killed in Caucasus
A man thought to be the leader of the Islamic insurgency in the regions of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachayevo-Cherkessia has been killed by security forces.

Authorities in Kabardino-Balkaria told reporters on August 7 that Khasanbi Fakov, his wife Irina Ortanova, and two of their associates were killed in a shoot-out in the republic's capital, Nalchik. Both Fakov and Ortanova were wanted for terrorist activities. One policeman was injured during the special operation and later died in the hospital.
Posted by: ryuge || 08/09/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under:


India-Pakistan
Suicide attack on Quetta funeral kills 30
[Dawn] A suicide kaboom at the funeral of a slain police officer in Quetta killed 30 people on Thursday, including at least 21 coppers, said Balochistan
...the Pak province bordering Kandahar and Uruzgun provinces in Afghanistan and Sistan Baluchistan in Iran. Its native Baloch propulation is being displaced by Pashtuns and Punjabis and they aren't happy about it...
police chief Mushtaq Sukhera.

"So far we can confirm 21 police personnel, including senior police officials, have been killed. Nine other victims are yet to be identified," Inspector General Mushtaq Sukhera told a presser. "I can confirm 40 people have been injured."

Sukhera confirmed the attack was carried out by a jacket wallah. "The corpse count may rise because the condition of most of the injured is critical," he said.

According to reports, the suicide bomber detonated his explosives outside the mosque in Quetta's Police Lines area where the funeral procession of station house officer Mohibullah was being held. The bomb went off as senior officers prepared to offer prayers for their colleague.

The injured were shifted to the Civil Hospital and the Combined Military Hospital.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Police Operations Fayyaz Sumbal, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Headquarters Shamsuddin and Superintendent Ali Mehr were among the senior police officials killed in the bombing.

Sukhera said among the bigwigs killed were one DIG and three DSPs. "Our brave officers embraced martyrdom but we will continue sacrificing our lives for the security of our motherland," he said.

The blast was the second targeted attack on Thursday on police personnel in the thriving provincial capital, which has been under high security the entire day. SHO Mohibullah was rubbed out by unknown gunnies earlier this morning when he was reportedly taking his family for Eid shopping.

Eyewitnesses said fear and chaos spread among the people attending the funeral following the blast. TV channels broadcast live footage from inside the mosque of frightened mourners scrambling for cover as they heard the loud kaboom.

"All my colleagues are gone. The DSP, SP, DIG... they're all gone," said one emotional eyewitness reduced to tears.

Some described the horror after the kaboom. "I was inside the mosque and we were lining up for the funeral prayers when a big blast took place. I came out and saw injured and dead bodies," policeman Mohammad Hafiz told news hounds. "I have no words to explain what I've seen. It was horrible."

Shahidullah Shahid, a front man for Pakistain's umbrella Tehrik-e-Taliban faction, grabbed credit.

"We did it and soon you see another big attack in the next coming days," he said.

"We are at war with police and other security agencies. They are attacking us and we are targeting them," Shahid said.

"Anywhere and whenever we get the chance, we will target security forces, government officials and police," he added.
Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: TTP


Firing injures Pakistani civilian at Kashmir border
[Dawn] Pak military officials on Thursday said Indian troops opened fire and seriously wounding a male civilian along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmire.

Officials said Indian troops shot up around 8:30 am in the Tatta Pani sector, "seriously" wounding one civilian who was evacuated to a military hospital.

"Today (in the) morning at about 0830 hours, Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing at the LoC (Line of Control) ... One civilian Kaka Sana Muhammad ... was seriously maimed due to the unprovoked firing by Indian troops," the official said.

"The injured Kaka Sana is being evacuated to a military hospital," said the source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

The incident comes amid a recent spike in tension across the heavily militarised border as India accused Pak forces of being involved in an attack on one of its army posts in which five of its soldiers were killed.

"The attack was carried out by 20 heavily-armed terrorists, along with persons in Mighty Pak Army uniform," said Indian Defence Minister A.K. Antony.

Pakistain rejected the allegations and reiterated its commitment to a ceasefire agreement reached in 2003.

"These are baseless and unfounded allegations. Our military authorities have confirmed that there had been no exchange of fire that could have resulted in such an incident," a Foreign Office statement on the reported LoC incident said on Tuesday.

On Wednesday, Pakistain asked Indian authorities to beef up security for its diplomats and high commission staff after a demonstration outside the Pakistain High Commission in New Delhi on Wednesday over the killing of the Indian soldiers.

The military operations chiefs of the two countries also spoke to each other over the hotline in an attempt to calm down tensions.

Under the Nov 25, 2003 ceasefire agreement, Pakistain and India committed not to target each other's posts and personnel.

The agreement has largely held and was considered as one of the main successes in the grinding of the peace processor. However,
a person who gets all wrapped up in himself makes a mighty small package...
violations increased in January this year and have been holding up the third round of the resumed peace dialogue between the two countries.

The two sides are now preparing to restart the round and dates for talks on Wullar Barrage and Sir Creek have been proposed by Pakistain.

Analysts say the attack has also complicated efforts to arrange a meeting between India's veteran Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Pak premier Nawaz Sharif
... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan

#1  "civilian" = "we recovered his arms"
Posted by: Frank G on the road || 08/09/2013 10:07 Comments || Top||


Tribal elder injured in Mohmand blast
[Dawn] A prominent elder of Haleemzai tribe was injured in a roadside blast in Mohmand Agency
... Named for the Mohmand clan of the Sarban Pahstuns, a truculent, quarrelsome lot. In Pakistain, the Mohmands infest their eponymous Agency, metastasizing as far as the plains of Peshawar, Charsadda, and Mardan. Mohmands are also scattered throughout Pakistan in urban areas including Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta. In Afghanistan they are mainly found in Nangarhar and Kunar...
on Wednesday morning, officials said.

They said that Malik Aurangzeb was on going from his home to Ghalanai on foot when he was targeted with a remote-controlled bomb. He was injured in the blast, they added.

The injured tribal elder was shifted to Leady Reading Hospital in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar
...capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (formerly known as the North-West Frontier Province), administrative and economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan. Peshawar is situated near the eastern end of the Khyber Pass, convenient to the Pak-Afghan border. Peshawar has evolved into one of Pakistan's most ethnically and linguistically diverse cities, which means lots of gunfire.
for treatment. The security forces launched a search operation in the area after the incident and enjugged
Please don't kill me!
scores of rustics.

In Bajaur Agency, aka Turban Central
...Smallest of the agencies in FATA. The Agency administration is located in Khar. Bajaur is inhabited almost exclusively by Tarkani Pashtuns, which are divided into multiple bickering subtribes. Its 52 km border border with Afghanistan's Kunar Province makes it of strategic importance to Pakistain's strategic depth...
, a pro-government tribal elder and close relative of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central...
governor escaped unhurt when a remote-controlled bomb went kaboom! near his car in Neeiage area on Tuesday evening.

Officials said that Malik Dawood Khan along with his son and gunman was going in a car from Khar to his village Neeiage when a remote-controlled bomb went off near his car. He narrowly escaped the attack.

People of the area, members of peace committees and Bajaur Levies rushed the spot soon after the incident and launched a search operation but the saboteurs managed to escape. Malik Dawood, 44, is a close relative of Governor Eng Shaukatullah Khan. He has survived several attacks by Death Eaters in the past.

Meanwhile,
...back at the hoedown, the fiddler suddenly struck a sour note. The dancing stopped abruptly. Everyone looked at Bob...
security forces and Bajaur Levies arrested several suspected persons in different areas of Khar during a search operation on Wednesday.

An official said that the search operation was conducted in the areas after receiving information from members of village defence committee about presence of suspected persons.

In Mansehra
...a city and an eponymous district in eastern Khyber-Pakthunwa, nestled snug up against Pak Kashmir, with Kohistan and Diamir to the north and Abbottabad to the south...
, police seized three improvised bombs (IEDs) and other material, which could be used in carrying out an act of terrorism in the district.

The residents of Hafiz Bandi village informed police that someone had placed two bags full of explosives and other material at the roadside.

A police party along with bomb disposal squad reached the spot and defused two hand grenades and seized the explosives and other material.
Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Pakistan


Iraq
Iraq Qaida Escapee 'Led Raid that Killed Own Brother'
[AnNahar] An al-Qaeda inmate who beat feet from Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison led Death Eaters who killed his own brother and 10 others overnight, a general said on Thursday.

The attack was the first attributed to one of more than 500 former prisoners, including senior al-Qaeda members, who escaped last month in a major security breach that analysts say may bolster krazed killer groups.

On Wednesday night, a group of Death Eaters went to the house of a policeman in Tikrit, north of Storied Baghdad
...located along the Tigris River, founded in the 8th century, home of the Abbasid Caliphate...
, took him into the garden and executed him, army Staff Lieutenant General Abdulamir al-Zaidi told Agence La Belle France Presse.

The policeman's brother, an al-Qaeda member whose name was not given, led the group of killers, apparently in Dire Revenge™ for being informed on.

The Death Eaters then bombed the house and left a boom-mobile at the scene which went kaboom! after a crowd of people arrived, killing 10 and wounding 58.

Zaidi said a file indicated the policeman had informed on his brother, who was locked away
Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try!
three years ago for multiple bombings and killings and given two death sentences, but who escaped during a mass breakout in July.

Militants assaulted Abu Ghraib prison west of Storied Baghdad and another in Taji, to the capital's north, on the night of July 21.

Officials said more than 500 inmates escaped and over 50 prisoners and members of the security forces were killed in the assaults, which were claimed by al-Qaeda front group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The assaults and jailbreaks highlighted the growing reach of Death Eaters and the worsening security situation.

"The prison attacks demonstrate that the security forces are poorly resourced and unable to protect what should have been well-defended facilities," said John Drake, an Iraq specialist with risk management firm AKE Group.

"The release of inmates could also bolster the ranks of the Death Eaters and increase their capabilities, both in Iraq and in neighboring Syria."

Violence killed almost 1,000 people in July, government figures show, making it Iraq's deadliest month since April 2008.

Attacks have markedly increased this year, especially since an April 23 security operation at a Sunni Arab anti-government protest site that sparked festivities in which dozens died.

Protests erupted in Sunni-majority areas in late 2012, amid widespread discontent among Sunnis who accuse the Shiite-led government of marginalizing and targeting them.

Analysts say Sunni anger is the main cause of the spike in violence this year.

In addition to security problems, the government in Storied Baghdad is also failing to provide adequate basic services such as electricity and clean water, and corruption is widespread.

Political squabbling has paralyzed the government, which has passed almost no major legislation in years.
Posted by: trailing wife || 08/09/2013 01:42 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Iraq

#1  Oh boo hoo, if you wern't a terrorist, your brother would still be alive.

And probably bombing a girl's school, so better dead.
Posted by: Redneck Jim || 08/09/2013 11:25 Comments || Top||

#2  So, is he now at blood feud with himself?
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/09/2013 11:40 Comments || Top||

#3  He'll have to shoot himself in his feet...
Posted by: Steve White || 08/09/2013 11:49 Comments || Top||

#4  Sounds like his brother wasn't pious enough, suppose its good he didn't take his sister as a r@pe trophey.
Posted by: swksvolFF || 08/09/2013 12:00 Comments || Top||

#5  Damn, when they say at the narrow passage there is no brother there is no friend they really mean it.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain || 08/09/2013 12:30 Comments || Top||

#6  How do you behead yourself with a blade? Table-saw maybe?
Posted by: Charles || 08/09/2013 12:49 Comments || Top||


Southeast Asia
Seven terrorists, one soldier killed in Basilan battle
Philippine troops battled Abu Sayyaf gunmen in a clash on Thursday that killed 7 militants and left one soldier dead in Basilan province on Mindanao.

Colonel Carlito Galvez said seven Abu Sayyaf gunmen and a soldier were slain in fierce firefights in the town of Al Barka. The fighting also left three soldiers injured. He said they stormed the area after intelligence units confirmed the presence of terrorists in the village of Macalang.

Galvez said troops raided an Abu Sayyaf encampment and clashed with the group's leaders - Nurhassan Jamiri, Isnilon Hapilon, Puruji Indama and Khair Mundos - who have links with Indonesian rebel Jemaah Islamiya. He said troops recovered improvised explosives assembled from mortar bombs in the encampment.

Galvez said the Abu Sayyaf leaders are hiding in areas where the Moro Islamic Liberation Front is operating and using them as a shield from pursuing soldiers. Abu Sayyaf militants also attacked an MILF camp in Al Barka town in an effort to drag them into the fighting.
Posted by: ryuge || 08/09/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Abu Sayyaf


Thai militants threaten to quit peace talks
Terrorists Militants in southern Thailand have threatened to quit peace talks with the government, as bloodshed during a Ramadan cease-fire dashed hopes of an end to years of fighting.

In a video posted on YouTube, three terrorists militants wearing balaclavas and combat gear and holding automatic weapons said the Barisan Revolusi Nasional (BRN) would withdraw from the talks. One of them said in the video posted Thursday, "The Thai occupiers have committed betrayal, violence, lied and slandered the Pattani people."

In the clip, terrorists militants said Thai authorities had not met the conditions of the negotiations, without detailing their complaints. It was not possible to verify who the terrorists rebels in the clip represent. But an official involved in the talks said they were from BRN, one of several rebel groups.

The official said the video is an attempt to pressure Thailand into meeting the BRN's five key demands, which include releasing terrorists prisoners and recognizing it as a liberation movement. The official said, "It sounds like there won't be any more talks, but actually that's not the case."
Posted by: ryuge || 08/09/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Thai Insurgency


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Syrian rebels 'targeted' Assad motorcade on its way to mosque
[Dawn] A Syrian rebel brigade has said it targeted Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad
Terror of Aleppo ...
's motorcade as he headed to a Damascus mosque for prayers to mark the Mohammedan holiday of Eid al-Fitr, but footage broadcast by state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
on Thursday showed him unharmed.

The Tahrir al-Sham rebel brigade, a unit of the Free Syrian Army, said in a statement: "After conducting reconnaissance [on] the timing and course of Bashir al-Assad's motorcade the area was hit with artillery. We pray to God and await the field report about the results."

After the statement, Syrian state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
showed what it described as footage of Assad praying at Anas bin Malek Mosque in the Malki district, where his residence is located.

Islam Alloush of the Liwa al-Islam, another rebel brigade, had told Rooters earlier on Thursday that rebels fired rockets which hit Assad's motorcade on his way to attend the prayers.

"Assad was not hit but the information we have, based from sources within the regime, is that there were casualties within his entourage," Alloush said.

Other activists also reported rockets were fired into the Malki area, which was sealed off by security forces.

Syria's information minister denied the motorcade was hit by rebel rocket fire. "The news is wholly untrue," Omran Zoabi told Syrian state television
... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria

#1  See also TOPIX > SYRIAN GOVT. DENIES REBEL ATTACK ON ASSAD MOTORCADE.

* SAME > [Arutz Sheva, Israel National News] LEBANON CHRISTIAN LEADER: HIZBULLAH FIRED ON [Assad's] PALACE.

versus

* GROONG > ASSAD'S DISMISSAL IS NOT ON THE AGENDA NOW - EXPERT.

US goal is to weaken Syria, but NOT destroy it as the US needs strong Syria to support its agenda.

* RELATED GROONG > THE US IS SYRIA'S ALLY.

The collapse or preservation of Global Order, US Agenda in ME starts wid CONTROL OF SYRIA.

* BIG BEWS NETWORK [Sify] > [Ex-] IRAN PRESIDENT [Ahmadinejad] ESCAPES ATTACK, i.e. an alleged new assassination attempt.

Its NOT Rouhani.

Iff true, despite Moud no longer being in political office, apparently someone is still out to whack him.

Posted by: JosephMendiola || 08/09/2013 23:19 Comments || Top||


Nearly 4,500 killed in Syria during Ramadan: NGO
[Al Ahram] At least 4,420 people were killed in Syria violence during the Mohammedan fasting month of Ramadan, some two thirds of them fighters on both sides, a monitoring group said Thursday.
So happy holidays, y'all!
Compared with August last year, when the majority of the dead were civilians, fewer ordinary people were killed this Ramadan.

"More than 4,420 were killed over the past month," Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP.

Of the total, 1,386 were civilians, 64 defectors who joined the rebels and 1,172 civilians who had taken up arms on the opposition side.

Of the civilians killed, 302 were children, said the watchdog.

A further 485 were foreign jihadists who joined the rebels, the Observatory said.

Another 1,010 of the dead were loyalist troops, while 211 were members of the pro-regime paramilitary National Defence Force, it said.

Ninety-two others remained unidentified.

"What we see is that the majority of those killed were fighters," Abdel Rahman told AFP.

The toll contrasts sharply with that of August 2012, which had been the deadliest month in Syria's conflict until then. In that month, 5,440 were killed, among them 4,114 civilians.
Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: Govt of Syria

#1  the 4400 killed in ramadan is only about 10-15% the long term monthly average
Posted by: lord garth || 08/09/2013 0:11 Comments || Top||

#2  Hold a sec lord garth. A 100000+ for (approx) 2 years works to 4000 - 5000 a month. A regular month then.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/09/2013 4:53 Comments || Top||

#3  yes grom

i meant 10-15% above the monthly average
Posted by: lord garth || 08/09/2013 6:49 Comments || Top||

#4  Well, you ever tried to fast for a whole day---makes you antsy.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru || 08/09/2013 11:42 Comments || Top||

#5  Largest fight over animal crackers ever?
Posted by: Charles || 08/09/2013 13:00 Comments || Top||

#6  "Nearly 4,500 killed in Syria during Ramadan"

It's traditional!
Posted by: Barbara || 08/09/2013 13:39 Comments || Top||

#7  Red on Red. F em.
Posted by: Hellfish || 08/09/2013 13:46 Comments || Top||


Army Arrests Gunmen Infiltrating Arsal from Syria, 'Suicide Vest' Seized
[An Nahar] The Lebanese army on Thursday placed in durance vile
Drop the rosco, Muggsy, or you're one with the ages!
three gunnies who were trying to infiltrate the Bekaa border town of Arsal and found weapons and a "boom jacket" in their possession.

"As part of the mission of controlling the land borders, army troops arrested three gunnies who were trying to infiltrate the Arsal area this afternoon," an Army Command statement said.

"Two of them are Paleostinian nationals, one carrying a European passport, and the third is a Syrian," the statement added.

"In addition to personal firearms, an armed boom jacket and a number of hand grenades and fuses were found in their possession," the statement said, adding that the gunnies and the seized arms were referred to the relevant authorities and that an investigation got underway.

On July 14, the army arrested a number of individuals for transporting weapons in Arsal.
Posted by: Fred || 08/09/2013 00:00 || Comments || Link || [0 views] Top|| File under: al-Nusra



Who's in the News
20[untagged]
4Govt of Pakistan
4Arab Spring
3Salafists
3Govt of Syria
1al-Qaeda in Iraq
1al-Qaeda in North Africa
1al-Qaeda in Pakistan
1Ansar al-Sharia
1Commies
1Govt of Iran
1Hezbollah
1Palestinian Authority
1Taliban
1Thai Insurgency
1TTP
1Abu Sayyaf
1al-Nusra
1al-Qaeda
1al-Qaeda in Arabia

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Two weeks of WOT
Fri 2013-08-09
  Zanzibar: Acid attack on two British women volunteer teachers
Thu 2013-08-08
  Rebels attack Assad motorcade
Wed 2013-08-07
  Kashmir: Five Indian soldiers killed in shooting
Tue 2013-08-06
  Clashes between Military, Insurgents Kill 35 in North Nigeria
Mon 2013-08-05
  Thirty killed in heavy fighting in Syrian mountains
Sun 2013-08-04
  9 Afghans killed in attack on Indian consulate
Sat 2013-08-03
  22 Police, 76 Taliban Killed in Afghan Battle
Fri 2013-08-02
  At least 40 killed in Syrian weapons depot blast
Thu 2013-08-01
  Qaida Chief Says Syria Exposed Hizbullah as Iran 'Tool'
Wed 2013-07-31
  Pakistan Elects Mamnoon Hussain President
Tue 2013-07-30
  Manning Acquitted of Aiding the Enemy
Mon 2013-07-29
  US drone kills 6 suspected militants in Yemen
Sun 2013-07-28
  Report: Hizbullah Wired Money To Bulgaria Bomb Suspects
Sat 2013-07-27
  Muslim Brotherhood claims its supporters massacred in Cairo
Fri 2013-07-26
  Officials: Cafe Bombings, Attacks Kill 42 In Iraq

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