Reader’s links for Jan. 4 – 2016

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Thank you all for those that take the effort to assist this site in keeping the public informed. Below, typically people can find the latest enemy propaganda, news items of related materials from multiple countries and languages, op-eds from many excellent sites who write on our topics, geopolitics and immigration issues and so on.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

96 Replies to “Reader’s links for Jan. 4 – 2016”

  1. Iranian diplomats given 48 hours to leave Saudi Arabia (BBC, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-35219282

    “Saudi Arabia has given Iranian diplomats 48 hours to leave the country, amid a row over the Saudi execution of a top Shia Muslim cleric.

    Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir announced on Sunday the country had broken off diplomatic ties with Iran.

    Iran said this would not distract from Riyadh’s “big mistake” in executing the cleric, the IRNA agency reported.

    The United States has appealed for calm, saying diplomatic engagement is essential to resolve differences.

    Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and 46 others were executed on Saturday after being convicted of terror-related offences.

    Saudi police were shot at late Sunday in his home village, the country’s official SPA news agency said.

    Security forces were looking for the attackers, calling the incident a “terrorist” act, SPA reported citing a police spokesman.

    Saudi Arabia announced that it would sever diplomatic relations with Iran after demonstrators stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran.

    It has also recalled its diplomats from Tehran…”

  2. Migrant crisis: Sweden border checks come into force (BBC, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-35218921

    “Sweden has introduced identity checks for travellers from Denmark in an attempt to reduce the number of migrants arriving in the country.

    All travellers wanting to cross the Oresund bridge by train or bus, or use ferry services, will be refused entry without the necessary documents.

    Rail commuters heading to Sweden will now have to change trains at Copenhagen Airport and go through ID checkpoints.

    Sweden received more than 150,000 asylum applications in 2015.

    Thousands of commuters cross the Oresund bridge daily. It connects the Swedish cities of Malmo and Lund with the Danish capital, Copenhagen.

    To comply with the new regulations imposed by Sweden, fencing has been erected around one of the platforms at the railway station at Copenhagen’s Kastrup Airport, Radio Sweden reported.

    Direct journeys from Copenhagen’s main railway station across the Oresund Bridge to Sweden will no longer be available…”

    • Denmark introduces controls at German border: PM

      Denmark announced the immediate introduction of random controls at the German border, Danish Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said Monday, on the same day neighbouring Sweden introduced controls on its frontier with Denmark to stem the flow of refugees.

    • Sweden imposes ID checks at Danish border to stem migrant flow

      For the first time in half a century, Sweden demands photo identification for all travellers from Denmark in a drastic move to stem an unprecedented influx of migrants and refugees.

  3. Jordan Frees No. 2 Figure in Muslim Brotherhood From Prison (abcnews, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/jordan-frees-figure-muslim-brotherhood-prison-36074206

    “A Muslim Brotherhood spokesman says Jordan has released the No. 2 figure in the opposition group after he served two-thirds of an 18-month prison term for criticizing the United Arab Emirates, an ally of the kingdom.

    Zaki Bani Ersheid’s release comes at a time of growing divisions in the Jordanian branch of the pan-Arab Brotherhood, weakening its long-time role as the main political opposition.

    The movement has suffered major setbacks region-wide, including government crackdowns, since first emerging as the main beneficiary of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.

    Spokesman Murad Adayleh says Bani Ersheid was released early Monday, 13 months after his November 2014 arrest. Bani Ersheid had been sentenced to 18 months after he criticized the UAE for labeling the Brotherhood a terrorist group.

    Jordan’s government had no immediate comment.”

    • I am not sure what this signifies but it is interesting given what else is going on in that region. This seems to be a break in normal practice which is something you always want to look for, actions often speak much louder then words.

  4. Gunshots heard inside Pathankot airbase as operation continues for third day (tribune, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/1021585/gunshots-heard-inside-pathankot-airbase-as-india-works-to-disarm-explosive-in-final-stages-of-operation/

    “Indian security forces were working on Monday to carefully defuse grenades in the final stages of an operation to secure a vast air base near the border with Pakistan, two days after a militant attack killed seven military personnel and wounded 22.

    The attack, a rare targeting of an Indian military installation outside the disputed region of Kashmir, threatens to undermine a tentative thaw in relations with Pakistan.

    According to the Hindu, fresh firing was reported at the Pathankot Air Force base with more terrorists suspected to be hiding in the area.

    A senior federal government official said two militants who were hiding in the administrative block of the base had been killed on Sunday, but authorities had yet to recover the bodies.

    “A total of six terrorists have been killed, but every inch of the air base has to be secured before we call off the operation,” said the official in New Delhi, who requested anonymity.

    Manish Mehta, an Indian army spokesperson, said the military was working at a “very fast pace” to defuse live hand grenades and gather the remains of the militants. “The air base is large and we have been working all night to ensure that the base is totally in our control,” said Mehta.

    A soldier from India’s counter-terrorism force, the National Security Guard, was killed by an exploding grenade on Saturday as he lifted the body of one dead attacker, prompting caution in work to clear the area of possible booby-traps.

    Military trucks were seen entering and leaving the walled compound and helicopters were flying over it on Monday morning. The attack came about a week after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a surprise visit to his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif, the first by an Indian premier in 11 years.

    Officials said the attack bore the hallmarks of previous suspected assaults by Pakistan-based militant groups, underscoring the fragility of recent efforts to revive bilateral talks between the nuclear-armed neighbours…”

    • At Least 2 Gunmen Still Holed up at Indian Air Force Base (abcnews, Jan 4, 2016)
      http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/india-search-attackers-air-base-36073952

      “At least two gunmen were holed up in a two-story building on an Indian air force base near the Pakistan border and exchanging gunfire with troops Monday, more than two days after they and several others attacked the heavily fortified compound, officials said.

      Seven troops and four gunmen have been killed so far in fighting that started after several suspected militants infiltrated the Pathankot air force base before dawn Saturday.

      Defense officials have said that authorities had been alerted about a potential attack in the area on Friday, and that aerial surveillance at the base spotted the gunmen as they entered the compound, leading to criticism of the handling of the situation.

      The army said in a statement Monday that the building where the remaining gunmen were firing from is part of the living quarters on the base.

      Maj. Gen. Dushyant Singh, from India’s elite National Security Guard, told reporters in Pathankot that it will take a “long time” to declare the base completely secure because of its size and geography…”

    • Pay close attention to this, anything there is conflict between two nuclear nations you have to consider that a nuclear exchange is possible. In this case the Hindu’s think they will be reincarnate and the Moslems think dying fighting the infidel is a ticket to the 72 virgins and unlimited booze. Both sides are more likely to resort to nukes then the First world nuclear powers.

        • True but if push comes to shove they will resort to them faster then we will, and their commanders may be willing to work their way up from bugs to keep Islam from controlling India again.

        • FYI. India has a martial and naval tradition that is several thousand years old, some of their commanders will accept just about anything to save their country. Weld Britiah military culture on top of the Indian traditions and you have a dangerous enemy,

          • India and Israel recently conducted joint naval exercises. They all played nicely with each other, it was quite touching.

  5. Saudi police shot at in home village of executed cleric: state media (tribune, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/1021574/man-shot-dead-in-eastern-saudi-arabia-police/

    “Saudi police were shot at late Sunday in the home village of executed Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr, the country’s official SPA news agency said.

    Security forces were looking for the people who carried out “these terrorist actions”, SPA reported, citing a police spokesman in oil-rich Eastern Province.

    The 56-year-old’s execution on Saturday has fuelled tensions in the Middle East, with Shia-majority countries expressing condemnation and the kingdom’s diplomatic missions in Shia-dominated Iran coming under attack.

    Citing a police spokesperson, SPA said an eight-year-old child, Mohammed Jafar al-Thifa, was taken to hospital for treatment for a gunshot wound in the incident in Awamiya town. It did not elaborate but identified the dead man as Ali Imran al-Dawood.

    SPA said authorities were hunting what it called the perpetrators of a “terrorist” act. The security officers were seeking to recover stolen heavy equipment at the time of the shooting, SPA reported…”

  6. Yemen Declares Nighttime Curfew in Port City of Aden (abcnews, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/yemen-declares-nighttime-curfew-port-city-aden-36075820

    “A governor in southern Yemen has declared a nighttime curfew for the port city of Aden in a bid to push back against recent incursions by al-Qaida and other Islamic militants.

    Aidarous al-Zubaidi says the 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew will go into effect on Monday night. Over the weekend, government forces retook Aden’s strategic port after heavy clashes with militants who had seized it earlier.

    Al-Qaida and other militants have been using the port for lucrative smuggling operations.

    Yemen’s al-Qaida branch has exploited the chaos of the country’s civil war to stage significant land grabs and expand its footprint in the south.

    The conflict in Yemen pits the internationally recognized government, backed by a Saudi-led coalition against Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, allied with a former president.”

  7. Officials: Pakistan Arrests 42 Alleged IS Supporters (abcnews, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/officials-pakistan-arrests-42-alleged-supporters-36075762

    “A Pakistani minister says counter terrorism officials in the country’s eastern Punjab province have arrested 42 militant suspects with alleged links to the Islamic State group.

    Rana Sanaullah, the country’s law minister, says the arrests were the result of raids in four Punjab cities over the weekend.

    The minister says those arrested had been tasked with setting up sleeper cells for IS, and that those arrested include purported IS Islamabad chief Amir Mansoor, his deputy Abdullah Mansoori and the group’s chief for Sindh province, Umer Kathio.

    The minister says the raids also yielded IS literature and weapons.

    He says the operation against alleged IS militants was launched after a raid last week in Daska district, also in Punjab province, when 13 other IS suspects were arrested.”

  8. Germany: Shots Fired at Refugee Home, 1 Man Lightly Injured (abcnews, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/germany-shots-fired-refugee-home-man-lightly-injured-36075757

    “Police say several shots have been fired at a home for asylum seekers in western Germany and one resident was lightly injured.

    Police in Offenbach, near Frankfurt, said it wasn’t immediately who was responsible for the incident in the early hours of Monday or what the motive was.

    They said several shots were fired at a window of the building in the town of Dreiech at around 2.30 a.m. and one hit a 23-year-old asylum seeker who was sleeping. He was taken to a hospital, but was able to leave shortly afterward.

    Germany saw around a million refugees and other migrants arrive last year. While Germans have generally been welcoming, there have been arson attacks, assaults and other crimes against refugee shelters.”

    • Germany: Syrian refugee wounded after shots fired into refugee house in Dreieich

      A Syrian refugee was taken to hospital with light injuries after a refugee housing centre was attacked in the small town of Dreieich, in the Hessen region of Germany, Monday, as shots were fired into refugee residence.

      SOT, Andrea Ackermannn, Police Spokesperson (German): “So tonight shortly before 02:30 shots were fired at the building at Gleisstrasse, at the window, and then a young man, 23-years-old, was taken to hospital after suffering a light injury. The young man was treated, and now he is in good condition.”

  9. Machete-wielding man vandalizes mosque, leaves bacon at door
    Surveillance video shows man entering mosque

    TITUSVILLE, Fla. – A man with a machete vandalized a Brevard County mosque and left pork at the front door of the building, according to police.

    The Islamic Society of Central Florida’s Masjid Al-Munin at 1011 South Washington Avenue in Titusville was vandalized Friday night, police said.
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    Officers said several cameras, lights and windows were broken and bacon was left near the front door of the mosque. Pork is prohibited in Islam, a faith followed by 1.6 billion people worldwide.

    Surveillance video shows a man entering the mosque carport around 11 p.m. Friday and pulling out a machete to damage the mosque, police said.

    The incident was reported Saturday morning. No arrests have been made.

    “We’ll be asking state and federal investigators to investigate this as a hate crime,” said Ibrahim Hooper, the national communications director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim advocacy group, based in Washington.

    Anyone with information is asked to ca

  10. Hong Kong leader ‘very concerned’ over missing booksellers

    Hong Kong (AFP) – Hong Kong’s leader said he was “very concerned” Monday over the disappearance of five booksellers known for publications critical of the Chinese government after a prominent lawmaker accused mainland security officers of kidnapping the men.

    The booksellers all worked for the same Hong Kong-based publishing house and are feared to have been detained by Chinese authorities, adding to growing unease that freedoms in the semi-autonomous city are being eroded.

    Under its mini-constitution, Hong Kong enjoys freedom of speech and Chinese law enforcers have no right to operate in the city.

    “I and related government departments are very concerned. The government cares very much about Hong Kong residents’ rights and safety,” Leung Chun-ying told reporters, saying it would be ‘unacceptable’ if mainland law enforcers were operating in Hong Kong.

    http://news.yahoo.com/hong-kong-leader-very-concerned-over-missing-booksellers-072910159.html;_ylt=AwrC1jGacYpWIRwAw3LQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTBydDI5cXVuBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwM2BHZ0aWQDBHNlYwNzcg–

    • Hong Kong says ‘no indication’ China involved in case of missing booksellers

      HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong leader Leung Chun-ying said on Monday there was no indication so far outside agents were involved in the disappearance of five booksellers specializing in publications critical of China, but that it would be “unacceptable” if any were.

      The disappearances have stoked fears of mainland Chinese authorities using shadowy tactics that erode the “one country, two systems” formula under which the former British colony has been governed since its return to Chinese rule in 1997.

      Lee Bo, 65, a shareholder of Causeway Bay Books, “vanished” last week, according to a missing person report filed by Lee’s wife on Thursday. Four associates involved in publishing or selling literature critical of Beijing have also gone missing in mysterious circumstances over the past few months.

      Hong Kong opposition lawmakers protested on Sunday outside Beijing’s representative office over Lee’s disappearance.

      “We are highly concerned with this case,” said Beijing-backed Hong Kong leader Leung. He added there was “no indication” so far that Lee may have been kidnapped by Chinese State Security agents in the financial hub and whisked across the border to China, though investigations were ongoing.

      “If mainland (Chinese) law enforcement personnel enforce the law in Hong Kong, this is unacceptable because it breaches the Basic Law,” Leung said, referring to the city’s mini-constitution, in rare comments defending Hong Kong’s autonomy.

      http://www.oann.com/hong-kong-says-no-indication-china-involved-in-case-of-missing-booksellers/

    • Hong Kong bookseller’s disappearance sparks protests at Beijing office

      HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hong Kong opposition lawmakers protested on Sunday outside Beijing’s representative office in the Chinese-ruled city over the disappearance of a bookseller who specializes in publications critical of the Communist Party government.

      Lee Bo, 65, a major shareholder of Causeway Bay Books, “vanished” on Wednesday after he went to fetch books from his warehouse in the city, Lee’s wife told Hong Kong media.

      She said her husband had called her from a mainland Chinese number to tell her he was safe but would not reveal his location, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on Sunday. She said Lee spoke to her in Mandarin even though the pair usually communicated in Cantonese.

      Lee is the fifth person linked to the bookstore to have gone missing in the past two months. Others include Gui Minhai, owner of Mighty Current, the publishing house that owns the bookstore, the SCMP reported. Missing person reports were filed for three others, it said.

      The disappearances have stoked fears of mainland Chinese authorities using shadowy tactics that erode the one country, two systems formula under which Hong Kong has been governed since its return to Chinese rule from Britain in 1997. The city’s constitution guarantees wide-ranging personal freedoms and independent law enforcement.

      Beijing’s Liaison Office and the Hong Kong Immigration Department could not be reached for comment. The Hong Kong and Macau Affairs Office, an agency of China’s State Council, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

      http://www.oann.com/hong-kong-booksellers-disappearance-sparks-protests-at-beijing-office/

      • China halts trading for day after 7% shares plunge triggers ‘circuit breaker’

        Chinese stock markets tumbled 7% in their opening session of 2016 on Monday as weak factory activity surveys and falls in the yuan added to concerns about the struggling economy, forcing exchanges to suspend trade for the first time.

        Early losses quickly snowballed in the afternoon, with trading suspended around 5.30am GMT, about 90 minutes before the regular close.

        Selling intensified after a brief 15-minute trading halt early in the afternoon when main indexes had shed 5%, and activity in Shanghai and Shenzhen was halted for the day soon after.

        It was the first day that the China markets so-called “circuit breakers”, intended to curb volatility, had been in effect.

        http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jan/04/china-halts-trading-for-day-after-7-shares-plunge-triggers-circuit-breaker

        • This has triggered a sell off causing the worlds markets to drop, the Dow opened about 350 points down.

          The world is primed for a major recession and possibly a depression it won’t take much to trigger one.

  11. Sunni states back Saudi Arabia in growing row with Iran

    DUBAI (Reuters) – Saudi Arabia’s Sunni allies rallied behind the kingdom on Monday and several joined Riyadh in severing or downgrading diplomatic relations with Tehran, deepening a sectarian split across the Middle East.

    Bahrain and Sudan cut all ties with Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), home to hundreds of thousands of Iranians, downgraded its relations. Saudi Arabia broke off relations on Sunday after a mob stormed its embassy in Tehran.

    Shi’ite power Iran accused Saudi Arabia of using the attack on the embassy as an “excuse” to sever ties and further increase sectarian tensions, after Shi’ites across the world denounced Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shi’ite cleric Nimr al-Nimr.

    A man was shot dead in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province late on Sunday, and two Sunni mosques in Iraq’s Shi’ite-majority Hilla province were bombed in the fallout from the dispute between the Middle East’s top Sunni and Shi’ite powers.

    Oil prices rose more than two percent, overcoming economic weakness in Asia, as the two big petroleum exporters traded insults and tensions spilled into other crude producers such as Iraq.

    Stock markets across the Gulf dropped sharply, led by Qatar which fell more than 2.5 percent, with geopolitical jitters outweighing any benefit from stronger oil.

    http://www.oann.com/iran-says-saudi-arabia-looking-for-an-excuse-to-fuel-tensions/

  12. Bomb attacks damage three Sunni mosques in Iraq ( muezzin slain )

    At least two people killed in suspected sectarian attacks amid tensions between regional powers Saudi Arabia and Iran.

    Three Sunni mosques in Iraq have been bombed and partially destroyed while at least two people have been killed in suspected retaliation for the execution of a Shia leader in Saudi Arabia, officials and police say.

    Groups of men wearing military uniforms detonated explosives at two mosques overnight in the Hilla region, south of Baghdad, while al-Fateh mosque in Sinjar, just outside Hilla, was also damaged in similar circumstances.

    Saudi Arabia executed 47 “terrorists”, including the Shia religious leader Nimr al-Nimr and a convicted al-Qaeda leader, Faris al-Zahrani, on Saturday.

    Saudi Arabia announced on Sunday it was severing diplomatic ties with Iran following an attack on its embassy in Tehran during protests against the executions in the kingdom on Saturday.

    In Hilla, about 80km from the Iraqi capital Baghdad, a police officer said the Ammar bin Yasser mosque in the Bakerli neighbourhood was bombed after midnight.

    “After we heard the explosion, we went to its source and found that improvised explosive devices had been planted in a Hilla mosque,” a police officer said.

    Ten houses were also damaged, he said, adding: “Residents said a group of people with military uniforms carried out this operation.”

    Falah al-Khafaji, a provincial council member, and a police source said that a guard inside the building had been killed.

    No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.

    ‘Criminal gangs’ blamed

    The interior ministry in Baghdad confirmed the attacks, which Haider al-Abadi, Iraqi prime minister, blamed on “Daesh [ISIL] and those who are similar to them”.

    He ordered provincial authorities “to chase the criminal gangs” who attacked the mosques.

    A muezzin – the person appointed to recite the call to prayer – was shot dead near his home in Iskandariyah, about 40km south of Baghdad.

    A local councillor identified the slain muezzin of the Mohammed Abdallah Jabbouri mosque, in Haswa, as Taha al-Juburi.

    Abadi gave warning in a Facebook post on Monday that the population against being dragged into sectarian conflict.

    “We have told the operations leaders in Babil [governorate] to track down the criminal gangs from groups like Daesh [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group] and the like, which use [the attacks on] the mosques to stir up sedition and undermine national unity,” he wrote.

    http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2016/01/sunni-mosques-bombed-town-south-baghdad-160104102900367.html

    • Iraq: Bomb blasts devastate Sunni mosques after Saudis execute Shiite cleric

      Two Sunni mosques were bombed just south of Baghdad in and around the city of Hillah, Monday, with reports of a muezzin shot dead in close-by Iskandariya on the same day. It is feared that the attacks were allegedly launched in response to the execution of the Saudi Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi authorities.

  13. LIBYA – 1,000 crack British troops deployed to Libyan oil fields to ‘halt the advance of ISIS’

    British Special Forces have been deployed in Libya to wrest back control of more than a dozen oil fields seized by Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants, it has emerged.

    Approximately 6,000 European and US soldiers, including 1,000 British troops, will be involved in a number of offensives set up to halt the advance of the jihadist terror group.

    The operation will be led by Italian forces and supported mainly by Britain and France.

    Special Forces, including military close observation experts from the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, are spearheading the major coalition offensive against the jihadist group, according to the Daily Mirror.

    IS has seized several revenue-boosting oil fields in Libya and is eager to win more control over the country, as the land could provide them with millions of dollars to fund terror attacks.

    The terrorist network is now targeting the Marsa al Brega oil refinery, the biggest in North Africa.

    If jihadists successfully capture the oil refinery, located between Sirte and Benghazi, they would gain full control of the country’s oil.

    Britain’s SAS is working with Libyan commanders to advise them on key “battle-space management” tactics to control the battlefield using troops, tanks, warplanes and navy ships.

    They will also send intelligence to Ministry of Defence (MoD) chiefs that could be used to determine whether airstrikes are needed.

    A senior military source told the Mirror: “This coalition will provide a wide range of resources from surveillance, to strike operations against Islamic State who have made significant progress in Libya.

    “We have an advance force on the ground who will make an assessment of the situation and identify where attacks should be made and highlight the threats to our forces.”

    “Moreover, the ideologies of jihadism and of political Islam are alive and well. It is far too soon to write off Islamic State and organizations similar to it.”

    European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told IB Times: “In Libya, there is the perfect mix ready to explode and in case it explodes, it will explode just at the gates of Europe.”

    The Libya intervention would mark the first time British troops have officially taken part in a direct ground assault against IS.

    Libya has been in the throes of a chaotic civil war since the 2011 ousting of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi. Today, two rival governments and parliaments compete for dominance amid a deepening Islamist insurgency.

    More than 5,000 IS extremists are active in the country, according to the Libyan Interior Ministry.

    https://www.rt.com/uk/327846-sas-libya-oil-isis/

    DAILY MAIL – SAS to spearhead operation involving 1,000 British troops to wrest back control of a dozen oil fields from ISIS in Libya

    British special forces to lead offensive by 6,000 U.S. and European soldiers
    SAS will advise Libyan commanders on key tactics to control the battlefield
    ISIS has seized several oil fields and is targeting biggest refinery in region

    http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3383459/SAS-spearhead-operation-involving-1-000-British-troops-wrest-control-dozen-oil-fields-seized-ISIS-Libya.html

  14. Iran: Tehran protesters rally against Saudi Arabia’s execution of Shiite cleric

    Hundreds of protesters gathered at Imam Hossein Square in Tehran, on Monday, to protest against Saudi Arabia’s execution of top Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr. Demonstrators held banners supporting the late al-Nimr and denouncing Saudi Arabia along with their ally the United States.

    • Iraq: Baghdad protesters clash at demo against Saudi execution of al-Nimr

      Hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Baghdad on Monday, to condemn the execution of prominent Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabian authorities. Several of the protesters scuffled with one another in front of police lines in the Iraqi capital.

  15. Germany: Refugees queue all night in freezing temperatures outside LaGeSo offices

    Over 500 refugees queued for hours in freezing temperatures of -11 degrees Celsius (12.2 degrees Fahrenheit) through Sunday night and Monday morning, as they tried to register with authorities in the hope of receiving accommodation, medical treatment, or money at the Berlin Office of Health and Social Affairs (LaGeSo).

  16. Bulgaria: Sofia celebrates liberation from Ottomans on 138th anniversary

    Hundreds of soldiers, commemorators, and protesters gathered together in Sofia, Monday, to mark the 138th anniversary of Bulgaria’s independence from the Turkish Ottoman Empire. Politicians, priests, and locals participated in the annual march and prayer at the Saint Nedelya Church.

  17. Turning away from terror: deradicalisation in the UK – ( 8 min 30 )

    A group of teenagers play table tennis at the Active Change Foundation (ACF), a youth charity based in Walthamstow, east London.

    ACF focuses on combating the forces of radicalisation that can lead teenagers into a life of gang violence or religious extremism.

    For Javed Khan, who came from Afghanistan seven years ago, coming to ACF changed his life.

    “They helped me with my education, with my social life, with my college, university, everything. They helped me (keep away) from recruiters

  18. euronews – Iran hits out at Saudi Arabia as row over cleric’s execution escalates

  19. Charlie Hebdo anniversary edition goes to print

    French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo will mark a year since the jihadist attack on its offices with a cover featuring a bloodied, gun-toting, bearded God figure, under the headline: “One year on: The assassin still at large”.

  20. Defending Against Dhimmitude In France
    French mayor denounces Muslim offer to protect church at Christmas.

    The mayor of the southern French city of Beziers is facing heavy criticism and accusations of racism after sharply denouncing a Muslim group’s offer to protect a church during a Christmas midnight mass.

    Robert Menard, elected mayor of Beziers’ 72,000 inhabitants in 2014 with the support of France’s nationalist party, Front National, didn’t pull any punches when condemning the Muslim initiative. Responding on the city’s website on December 26 in an entry titled “Muslim Guard: What Is the State Doing?” he wrote:

    “A Muslim guard ‘protecting’ a Catholic church. Against whom? Hordes of Buddhist monks? Siberian shamans? Who are they mocking here? And where is this country going? Since when do the arsonists protect against fires?”

    Menard, the former head of the respected ‘Reporters Without Borders’ organization, later pointed out that the proposal was simply a “foretaste of the Lebanisation of France” and that the Muslim group making the offer is led by “two activists known for their fundamentalist and anti-Israeli stances.” Menard stated the Muslim group made the same offer at the city’s 13th-century cathedral, adding he will inform police about this ‘Muslim guard’.

    As expected, besides Muslims, France’s liberals and leftists were highly indignant, to say the least, that Menard had compared Muslims to arsonists. One group, SOS Racisme, said it will launch a complai

    http://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/261323/defending-against-dhimmitude-france-stephen-brown

  21. Gun Control Works: Murders Up 54% in Washington D.C.
    “Let’s be honest. They don’t want jobs.”

    Obama will be doing his Town Hall about “common sense reforms” for “folks” to do away with Bill of Rights. But maybe he should start gun control small. Like making it work in Washington D.C.

    The hives of bureaucrats, consultants, regulators and politicians in D.C. think they can run America. But here’s what their own city looks like.

    Murders are up to 162 in D.C. Up from 105 last year for a 54.3% increase.

    Maybe Obama can do some sort of town hall in D.C. Invite all the gang members and drug dealers he insists on freeing from prison, along with some of the “unaccompanied children” covered in gang tattoos coming up out of El Salvador, and talk to them about gun control.

    Paul Trantham, an ANC commissioner in Ward 8, represents one of the most violent areas of the District.

    Tratham is outraged and impassioned about the homicide spike in the city.

    He said, “We have had all of these forums. We have had discussion after discussion. And right after we have these discussions, guess what? ‘Boom, boom, boom’ again.

  22. Channel 4 – ISIS video: Brit says so-called Jihadi Junior ‘is my grandson’

    The young boy in the latest ISIS video ‘is the son’ of British jihadi bride Khadijah Dare, her father has told our reporter.

    In footage obtained by Channel 4 News that shows her and her son in 2013, she said she wanted to be a martyr and was pictured out shopping with a Kalashnikov.

    • Channel 4 – Isis video: Is this the mother of ‘jihadi junior’?

      Is this the mother of the ISIS child soldier? And is the toddler in the background of this footage the so-called ‘Jihadi Junior’?

      A child in an IS video has a striking resemblance to a British woman in Syria’s son – featured in footage obtained by Channel 4 News and first broadcast in 2013.

      An ISIS video released this weekend purports to show the execution of five people that I.S. militants claim are “British spies”.

      At the end of the film that is currently being scrutinized by British security services, a young child speaking in English threatens “the unbelievers”.

      The child is being widely reported to bear a striking resemblance to the son of British woman Grace ‘Khadijah’ Dare, it is being reported. She is originally from Lewisham in London and in the footage refers to herself as ‘Maryam’.

      It’s not possible to immediately verify whether the two children are the same person, but they appear bear a striking physical resemblance, and they would now be roughly the same age, it is being reported.

      Ms Dare, and her husband Abu Bakr, were featured in footage exclusively obtained by Channel 4 News in 2013 from the film-maker Bilal Abdul Kareem, an American Muslim convert who’s living among western jihadi fighters and their families inside Syria, documenting their lives.

      In the footage from Idlib province, Ms Dare shoots a Kalashnikov for the camera, and then fires off a revolver.

      In the footage she says that she would like to fight, to become what she calls a martyr.

      • Wonder who built the house? Put up the curtains? Chose the car?
        Allah-ha paying for the nappies. Nice to be so close to power, but essential to have guns & ammo.

  23. Saudi Arabia defends Shia cleric’s execution – BBC News ( 7 min 55 )

    … we apply sharia law according to the facts we see…

    *This interview has a simulcast translation which was provided by Saudi TV* In a rare interview with the BBC, the Saudi Arabian government has defended its decision to execute a leading Shia cleric on Saturday. His death sparked angry protests in Iran and other countries including Pakistan and Bahrain.
    Diplomatic relations between Saudi Arabia and Iran have now been severed.
    Saudi justice ministry spokesman Sheikh Mansour Al-Ghefary spoke to the BBC’s chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet and said the cleric was executed because he was guilty of violent crimes.

  24. Democrats rip Donald Trump’s ‘disgusting’ new TV ad

    Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump’s new television commercial apparently didn’t win him many new friends on the other side of the partisan aisle.

    Trump released his provocative first TV ad early Monday morning. The ad’s narrator declared that last month’s mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, justified Trump’s call to temporarily bar all Muslim immigrants and tourists from entering the US.

    “The politicians can pretend it’s something else, but Donald Trump calls it ‘radical Islamic terrorism,'” the narrator said as the apparent image of an immigration line was transposed with one of the terrorists.

    Multiple Democratic groups said they found the ad offensive. Priorities USA, the main super PAC supporting Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, released a statement calling the ad “disgusting.”

    “Donald Trump’s new ad is more of the same disgusting and offensive demagoguery we’ve come to expect from the GOP front-runner,” said the PAC’s communications director, Justin Barasky, who further blasted Trump’s rivals for their “political cowardice” in pledging to support Trump if he becomes the nominee.

    The national Democratic Party was also unimpressed with the Trump ad. The Democratic National Committee released a statement from spokesman Mark Paustenbach that similarly went after both Trump and his Republican rivals.

    “GOP front-runner Donald Trump’s offensive ad is the latest Republican demonstration of xenophobia and fearmongering,” Paustenbach said. “His proposals represent Republican Party values that would only serve to make America less safe.”

    http://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-donald-trump-campaign-ad-2016-1

  25. Czech leader claims Muslim Brotherhood behind migrant wave

    Czech President Milos Zeman, known for his anti-migrant comments, on Jan. 4 claimed the current wave of more than a million newcomers to Europe was the work of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.

    “I believe this invasion is being organised by the Muslim Brotherhood, using financial means from a number of states,” the outspoken 71-year-old leftwinger told the public Czech Radio.

    Zeman said he had received the information regarding the Muslim Brotherhood — an opposition force in Egypt where it has been outlawed as a terrorist organisation — from two sources, “both Muslims and leading Arab politicians”.

    He said the record migrant crisis is due to Europe’s obliging stance towards migrants on the one hand, and to “the efforts of the Brotherhood to meet its goals” on the other.

    “The Muslim Brotherhood cannot start a war against Europe, it doesn’t have the power, but it can prepare a growing migrant wave and gradually control Europe,” said the Czech Republic’s first-ever directly elected head of state.

    Late last year, Zeman called the refugee wave “an organised invasion,” urging young men from Iraq and Syria to “take up arms” against the Islamic State (IS) group instead of running away.

    More than one million migrants reached Europe in 2015, most of them refugees fleeing war and violence in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

    But few asylum seekers have chosen to stay in the largely secular Czech Republic, an EU and NATO member of 10.5 million people, with the majority heading to wealthier Germany and other western EU states.

    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/czech-leader-claims-muslim-brotherhood-behind-migrant-wave-.aspx?pageID=238&nID=93391&NewsCatID=351

    • I’m not a gambler, but I’d lay money that Zeman’s right.
      Especially in the context of Jordan’s releasing Big MF-B #2 from prison.

      • I hadn’t thought of that one, I do agree that the MB is behind the Sunni invasion.

  26. Libyan oil port of Sidra attacked by Islamic State (BBC, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35220281

    “Islamic State (IS) fighters have clashed with guards as they tried to enter Libya’s oil port of Sidra.

    Two members of the Petrol Facilities Guard militia, which is defending Sidra, were reportedly killed.

    The militants are said to have been pushed back, but IS says it now controls Bin Jawad, 30km (19 miles) west of Sidra on the road from its stronghold in Sirte.

    In December, France said IS was aiming to control Libya’s oil wells.

    IS, which has been operating in Libya for about a year, failed to take Sidra in an attack last October…”

  27. Greek Minister: Now An Influx of Algerian And Moroccan Migrants Is Coming

    Greece’s Commissioner for Migrant Ioannis Mouzalas has warned of a new influx of Algerian and Moroccan migrants as the continent’s immigration crisis continues to worsen.

    Speaking to the country’s Eleftheros Typos newspaper, Mr. Mouzalas, formerly an obstetrician-gynecologist warned: “We have a new phenomenon: Moroccans and Algerians… coming in large numbers”.

    Greece is one of the main countries to bear the brunt of the migrant crisis, with its shores, as well as those of Cyprus and Italy, being amongst the key routes into the continent.

    He said that the new migrants, who are unlikely to qualify for asylum or refugee status, would have to be returned to their home countries.

    And he has warned that 2016 looks to be as difficult a year as 2015 was for European nations seeking to control their borders and stem the migrant flow.

    “The flows continue unabated. And on good days, on days when the weather isn’t bad, they are increased,” Mr. Mouzalas told the Associated Press.

    “This is a problem, and shows that Turkey wasn’t able — I’m not saying that they didn’t want — to respond to the duty and obligation it had undertaken to control the flows and the smugglers from its shores.”

    The European Union recently announced an aid package of over €3bn to assist Turkey in tackling the criminal gangs associated with the migrant boats. The Turkish government has shown reluctance to address the problem, and EU insiders warn that the country’s authorities are actually complicit with human traffickers.

    “If measures are not taken to stop the flows from Turkey, and if Europe doesn’t solve the problems of the returns as a whole, it will be a very difficult year,” Mouzalas warned.

    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2016/01/02/greek-minister-now-an-influx-of-algerian-and-moroccan-migrants-is-coming/

    =======================================================
    AL jazeera -Despair and anguish for Moroccans stuck on Greek border

    Moroccans braving sea crossings and smugglers to join wave of refugees to Europe find impassable borders

    Idomeni, Greece – As the sun gradually dimmed into night, 20-year-old Hamza Chimawi hung off the side of a train car with one arm and swung himself down to the platform at the Idomeni crossing on the border of Greece and Macedonia.

    Like thousands of other mostly young Moroccans, Hamza left his home town and took off for Europe. Lighting his cigarette and then another for his friend Mohamed, who is a year younger than him, he said that they risked their lives on boats and land to make it to any country in Europe.

    “I left Casablanca, left my family behind, my home,” he said, recalling taking a flimsy rubber dinghy with Syrians and Iraqis from Turkey to Greece.

    “I want to live in dignity and respect like everyone else. Now we’re stuck [in Greece].”

    more :

    http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/12/despair-anguish-moroccans-stuck-greek-border-151219081129816.html

  28. Czech leader claims Muslim Brotherhood behind migrant wave (ahram, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/1/64/180083/Egypt/Politics-/Czech-leader-claims-Muslim-Brotherhood-behind-migr.aspx

    “Czech President Milos Zeman, known for his anti-migrant comments, on Monday claimed the current wave of more than a million newcomers to Europe was the work of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.

    “I believe this invasion is being organised by the Muslim Brotherhood, using financial means from a number of states,” the outspoken 71-year-old leftwinger told the public Czech Radio.

    Zeman said he had received the information regarding the Muslim Brotherhood — an opposition force in Egypt where it has been outlawed as a terrorist organisation — from two sources, “both Muslims and leading Arab politicians”.

    He said the record migrant crisis is due to Europe’s obliging stance towards migrants on the one hand, and to “the efforts of the Brotherhood to meet its goals” on the other.

    “The Muslim Brotherhood cannot start a war against Europe, it doesn’t have the power, but it can prepare a growing migrant wave and gradually control Europe,” said the Czech Republic’s first-ever directly elected head of state.

    Late last year, Zeman called the refugee wave “an organised invasion,” urging young men from Iraq and Syria to “take up arms” against the Islamic State (IS) group instead of running away.

    More than one million migrants reached Europe in 2015, most of them refugees fleeing war and violence in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

    But few asylum seekers have chosen to stay in the largely secular Czech Republic, an EU and NATO member of 10.5 million people, with the majority heading to wealthier Germany and other western EU states.”

  29. UAE, Bahrain cut ties with Iran after attacks on Saudi missions (tribune, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://tribune.com.pk/story/1021739/bahrain-severs-ties-with-iran-after-attacks-on-saudi-missions/

    “Bahrain announced on Monday it was cutting diplomatic ties with Iran, state news agency BNA reported, a day after its ally and neighbour Saudi Arabia also severed relations with Tehran.

    “Bahrain decided to break off diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and calls upon all members of the mission to leave the kingdom within 48 hours,” BNA said.

    Similarly, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also announced on Monday it was downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and limiting the number of Iranian diplomats in the country, state news agency WAM reported.

    “The UAE has decided to reduce the level of diplomatic representation with the Islamic Republic of Iran to the level of a charge d’affaires and to reduce the number of Iranian diplomats in the country,” WAM said…”

  30. Berlin activists condemn mass refugee shelters (DW, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://www.dw.com/en/berlin-activists-condemn-mass-refugee-shelters/a-18957170

    “Germany’s capital is struggling to provide for a record number of refugees. Authorities are planning to build more mass shelters, but activists say they offer only inhumane conditions and social discontent.

    As passengers hurried to their trains at a busy station in central Berlin this week, a group of refugees, clutching plastic bags, huddled in front of the underground train map.

    As they conferred quietly, few of the commuters bracing the icy cold took much notice. These days, asylum seekers are not an unusual sight in the German capital’s roads, supermarkets and train stations.

    As of late November 2015, almost 30,000 refugees have applied for asylum in Berlin – with thousands more waiting to do so as the capital’s authorities struggle to keep up with the steady influx and an ever-growing backlog of cases.

    In a recent interview with a local newspaper, Berlin’s mayor Michael Müller (SPD), who in his Christmas address called the situation of refugees in Berlin “a huge challenge”, said that the city of 3.6 million was housing some 70,000 refugees – many in temporary refugee accommodation, including sports facilities, schools and Berlin’s former Tempelhof airport .

    Some 85 percent of asylum seekers in Berlin are housed in mass shelters, according to Georg Classen of Berlin’s independent Refugee Council, and only 15 percent in private flats.

    While conditions vary between shelters, activists have repeatedly warned that they are unacceptable at Tempelhof. Several thousand refugees are living in cramped conditions in three of the former airport’s hangars, which many remember for its role in airlifting food and medicine to West Berlin during a Soviet blockade in the late 1940s.
    ‘It’s a catastrophe’

    Conditions in Tempelhof are dire, according to local volunteer Irmgard Wurdack, who teaches German to refugees in Tempelhof. “It’s a catastrophe, simply degrading,” she said. Refugees have to be bussed to local swimming pools each day to wash because the center lacks adequate sanitary facilities.

    She vehemently opposes the city’s plans to expand the shelter at Tempelhof to create accommodation for up to 15,000 refugees. “If you want to integrate people, you have to put them in flats, not in huge camps,” she said.

    Mass accommodation, she added, led to resentment among local residents – and made refugees more vulnerable to xenophobic attacks, which have been on the rise in Germany in recent months.

    Others agree. Classen from Berlin’s Refugee Council is pushing for an immediate end to policies that require refugees to live in shelters while their applications are being processed.

    Some 5,000 to 10,000 refugees could be housed with relatives, he added: “They could live in private housing right now if we let them.”

    Calls to crack down on illegal holiday flats

    Activists, who want the city to invest in more affordable housing, realize that calls to house refugees in private accommodation may lead to resentment in Berlin, where housing is increasingly rare and expensive. So they make a point of emphasizing that poorer Berliners would also benefit from more subsidized housing.

    They are also calling for authorities to crack down on illegal holiday homes, that is, flats that are registered as private homes but let out to tourists.

    Theresa Keilhacker, an architect from the association “Architekten für Architekten” (architects for architects), estimates that there might be as many as 10,000 illegal holiday flats, which the city could “confiscate” – or rather convince the owners to house refugees.

    Another estimate, by Berlin’s Mitte district council, put the number of refugees at 17,000 illegal holiday flats.

    Authorities in Berlin maintain that they are doing what they can, but are simply overwhelmed by the continuing influx of asylum seekers and are expanding mass accommodation as a stop-gap measure.

    But activists like Classen say this is just not acceptable: While he conceded that not all mass accommodation was bad, he warned that keeping people in dire conditions like those at Tempelhof was ultimately making people sick: “People in Tempelhof are telling us that conditions are so bad they can’t sleep,” he said.”

  31. Turkey’s religious body says engaged couples should not hold hands (hurriyetdailynews, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkeys-religious-body-says-engaged-couples-should-not-hold-hands.aspx?PageID=238&NID=93379&NewsCatID=393

    “The Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet), Turkey’s top religious body, has stated that engaged couples should not hold hands or spend time alone together during their engagement period.

    “In this period, it is not inconvenient for couples to meet and talk to get to know each other, if their privacy is considered. However, there could be undesired incidents with or without their families’ knowledge … such as flirting, cohabitating or being alone [with one another]. This encourages gossip and holding hands, which Islam does not allow,” the Diyanet said, responding to a public question.

    It urged couples to fulfil their engagement period “in line with Islamic norms,” encouraging couples not to have a religious marriage unless a civil marriage had been decided upon.

    The Diyanet – which is one of Turkey’s best funded state institutions, largely provided for by public taxation – has previously made headlines with controversial rulings on the usage of toilet paper and cleaning products containing alcohol.”

  32. I N D I A – Only 33% of Muslims work, lowest among all religions

    NEW DELHI: Muslims have the lowest share of working people – about 33% – among all religious communities in India. This is lower than the nationwide average work participation rate of 40%.

    The figure for Jains and Sikhs stands at 36% each. Buddhists, comprising mostly Dalits who embraced Buddhism in the 20th century, have a high working population share at 43%. For Hindus, the figure is 41%. Drawn from the Census 2011 data, the statistics show a faith-based profile of India’s 482 million strong workforce. The figures haven’t changed much from the 2001 Census, indicating a stasis in the economic status of communities.

    The key reason behind low work participation rates in some communities seems to be the low work participation of women. Women’s participation is just 15% for Muslims and Sikhs, and even lower at 12% among Jains. Among Hindus, there are 27% working women, while it is 31% for Christians and 33% for Buddhists. Several smaller faiths fall under ‘Other Religions’. These are mostly tribal communities from peninsular India and the northeastern states. Their work participation rates are markedly different from other communities. Nearly 48% of members of this section work, more than any of the country’s six major religious communities. Women’s work participation is also highest in tribal communities, at nearly 44%.

    Census data also provides a picture of how many are engaged in what kind of work. For the country, 55% of workforce is in agriculture, as cultivators or as agricultural workers. The Census classifies all occupations in industry and services as ‘Other’, a convention since British times. This makes up 41% of all workers.Only 13% of Jains are involved in agriculture, the lowest for any community.

    While 41% of Muslims and Christians work in agriculture, this goes up to 47% among Sikhs and to 54% for Buddhists. The highest share of workers involved in agriculture is among Hindus, at 57%.

    The Jain community is predominantly working in industry and services. Muslims too are largely concen trated in these sectors as are Christians. Muslims are also notably more involved in the `Household Industry’ category which is mainly artisanal work like carpentry, black-smithing etc.

    Among tribal communities classified under ‘Other Religions’, over 80% of their members are working in agriculture, indicating their poor economic status.

    http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Only-33-of-Muslims-work-lowest-among-all-religions/articleshow/50433358.cms

  33. Former CIA chief says Taliban gaining ground in Afghanistan (khaama, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/former-cia-chief-says-taliban-gaining-ground-in-afghanistan-1919

    “The former acting director of Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has said the Taliban group has made major geopolitical gains in Afghanistan last year.

    Michael Morell has also predicted that Afghanistan will re-emerge as a pivotal foreign policy during the current year amid rampant insurgency by the Taliban group.

    “I think one big challenge is going to be the reemergence of Afghanistan as an issue,” Morell told CBS’s ‘Face of the Nation’ program on Sunday.

    He said “The Taliban have made major gains over the last year. I would expect major gains going forward. They control more territory than they have in a number of years.”

    Morell further added that the debate on how many troops to keep in the region will take center stage in Washington.

    “I think the debate on how many troops we keep in Afghanistan is going to reopen,” he said, adding that “General Campbell already last week said we need upwards of 10,000 troops, which is double the number the president is currently looking at.”

    The remarks by Morell comes as the Taliban-led insurgency has been rampant during the recent months as efforts have been put in place for a peaceful settlement of the ongoing violence in the country.

    Meanwhile, Pentagon released its report regarding the security situation in Afghanistan in mid December last year, stating that the overall security has deteriorated dramatically during the second half of 2015 as the country continues to face threats from both the Afghan insurgency and extremist networks, including the Taliban, the Haqqani Network, and to a lesser extent al Qaeda.

    “The overall security situation in Afghanistan deteriorated with an increase in effective insurgent attacks and higher ANDSF and Taliban casualties,” the report said.

    It also added he border regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan continue to remain a sanctuary for terrorist organisations like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Haqqani Network and Al Qaeda.”

  34. Mother, two sons arrested on terrorism charges in Nangarhar (khaama, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://www.khaama.com/61199-2-4463

    “Security forces have arrested a woman and her two sons on terrorism charges in eastern Nangarhar province.

    Police say the woman and one of her teen-aged sons were arrested with a magnetic bomb, pistol, three magazines and 120 bullets from the jurisdiction of Jalalabad city, capital of Nangarhar.

    Nangarhar Police Chief Fazal Ahmad Shirzad told reporters during a press conference on Monday that another son of the same woman was detained before exploding a landmine in Behsood District.

    Shirzad said security forces have also arrested an important member of Taliban during a separate raid from the jurisdiction of Jalalabad city.

    He did not name the Taliban member but said that weapons, ammunition and explosive materials were previously recovered from his resident.

    Nangarhar has become the hot spot of militant groups in the eastern part of the country. So far, these groups operate mostly in the province’s far flung areas but they try to reach out to the provincial capital.”

  35. Islamic State video suspect thought to be Briton Siddhartha Dhar (BBC, Jan 4, 2016)
    http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-35228558

    “The chief suspect in the latest propaganda video by so-called Islamic State (IS) is thought to be British man Siddhartha Dhar, the BBC understands.

    Mr Dhar is the focus for the security services’ study of the video, which purports to show the killing of five men who IS says were spying for the UK.

    “A lot of people think it is him,” a source told the BBC, although there has been no official confirmation.

    Mr Dhar – also known as Abu Rumaysah – is a Muslim convert from east London.

    He was arrested in 2014 but later jumped bail and subsequently appeared in Syria.

    Mr Dhar, from Walthamstow, was a Hindu who converted to Islam and joined radical group al-Muhajiroun.

    Earlier, one of his associates told the BBC he had “no doubt” that the voice on the video was that of Mr Dhar.

    Mr Dhar’s sister told the BBC that when she first heard the audio of the video she feared it was her brother, although having watched a clip she was now not so sure.

    “I was in a state of shock,” said Konika Dhar.

    “I believed the audio to resemble, from what I remember, the voice of my brother but having viewed the short clip in detail, I wasn’t entirely convinced which put me at ease”.

    In the latest video by the extremist group – which has not been independently verified – the masked man, who is holding a gun, mocks David Cameron for daring to “challenge the might” of the extremist group.

    He goes on to say: “We will continue to wage jihad, break borders and one day invade your land where we will rule by the Sharia.”

    The 10-minute video also features a boy with a British accent.

    Channel 4 News has reported that a south London man they named as Sunday Dare recognised the boy in the video as his grandson Isa Dare, who was taken to Syria by his daughter Grace Dare.

    “It’s my grandson, I can’t disown him, he’s my grandson. I know him very well,” he said, adding that he was being used for propaganda and “as a shield”.

    He said his daughter “should come back and face the music because she has let herself down”.

    Grace Dare, who also goes by the name Khadijah, comes from a British-Nigerian background and converted to Islam when she was 18. She travelled to Syria in 2013, aged 22.”

  36. EGYPT – ISIS executes 20+ Egyptians in Sinai Peninsula

    The Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) has posted another video via social media that contains disturbing footage of several prisoners being executed by their Shari’ah Council in the Sinai Peninsula in northern Egypt.

    According to the executioner in the ISIS video, the 20+ civilians dressed in orange jumpsuits were government collaborators who were providing information about the terrorist group; these men were then summarily executed.

    ISIS has recently expanded its presence in the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, capturing several small villages that were once under the control of the Egyptian Army.

    Unlike most armies in the Middle East, the Egyptian Army vastly exceeds the terrorist group in total military personnel and advanced weaponry, leaving ISIS members in a quagmire if they choose to press into government controlled territory.

    http://www.almasdarnews.com/article/isis-executes-20-egyptians-sinai-peninsula/

    G R A P H I C video :

    https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9P8ceg14rkgODJUaEJpMy10VEU/view?pref=2&pli=1

  37. Douglas Murray’s “COFFEE HOUSE”:
    The Middle East’s 30 Years’ War just took a turn for the worse

    In January 2014, Douglas Murray explained in The Spectator how relations in the Middle East were becoming increasingly tense. With Saudi Arabia having now cut diplomatic relations with Iran, Douglas’s insight seems prescient.

    Syria has fallen apart. Major cities in Iraq have fallen to al-Qa’eda. Egypt may have stabilised slightly after a counter-coup. But Lebanon is starting once again to fragment. Beneath all these facts — beneath all the explosions, exhortations and blood — certain themes are emerging.

    Some years ago, before the Arab ‘Spring’ ever sprung, I remember asking one top security official about the region. What, I wondered, was their single biggest fear? The answer was striking and precise: ‘That the region will clarify.’ That is a fear which now appears to be coming true.

    The Middle East is not simply falling apart. It is taking a different shape, along very clear lines — far older ones than those the western powers rudely imposed on the region nearly a century ago. Across the whole continent those borders are in the process of cracking and breaking. But while that happens the region’s two most ambitious centres of power — the house of Saud and the Ayatollahs in Iran — find themselves fighting each other not just for influence but even, perhaps, for survival.

    The way in which what is going on in the Middle East has become a religious war has long been obvious. Just take this radio exchange, caught at the ground level earlier this month, between two foreign fighters in Syria, the first from al-Qa’eda’s Islamic State in Iraq and Syria [ISIS], the second from the Free Syrian army [FSA]. ‘You apostate infidels,’ says the first. ‘We’ve declared you to be “apostates”, you heretics. You don’t know Allah or His Prophet, you creature. What kind of Islam do you follow?’ To which the FSA fighter responds, ‘Why did you come here? Go fight Israel, brother.’ Only to be told, ‘Fighting apostates like you people takes precedence over fighting the Jews and the Christians. All imams concur on that.’

    http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/01/the-middle-easts-30-years-war-is-now-underway/

    h/t ElderZ

  38. Giulio Meotti brings together our two themes – almost as a poem.
    The West’s most precious ally
    Israel symbolizes everything Western ethos stands for.

    Islamic terrorism is succeeding in reversing the basic values ??of conservation and survival of humanity.
    […]
    “We love death as you love life”, Islamists repeat to us.

    But we, in our cynicism and hedonism, despise the values ??of life and those who advance them: the Israelis and the West as idea and fate, the ethos which has given us, at least so far, dignity and freedom.

    Take the last top ten anti-Semites of the Simon Wiesenthal Center. You find the butcher of San Bernardino, obsessed by the Jews; the Islamic State, which promised to not leave one single Jew alive in “Palestine”; the Iranian Khamenei, who wishes to destroy Zionism in 25 years; and the Holocaust denier Mahmoud Abbas.

    But you also find: a German leftist journalist, who compared Israel to fascism; a Spanish music festival which banned a Jewish singer, and the leader of the British second largest party, Jeremy Corbyn.

    This is our current and most horrendous tragedy. We are suffering under the shadow of two groups, the Muslim apocalyptic lunatics and the Western defeatist relativists, those who love death and those who betray the civilization of life.

    http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/18171#.VosJuDZlmgw

  39. CHANNEL 4 – Isis’ origins: Saddam Hussein’s Iraq?

    Behind the endless stream of propaganda, who is really pulling the strings of the so-called Islamic State? .

  40. How Deep are the Cracks in the Russian-Iranian Coalition in Syria?

    After months of an air-land military effort by the Russian-Iranian coalition in Syria, the integrated attack has been halted. The main goal of Iran’s intervention in the fighting in Syria is a strengthened Shiite Iran-Iraq-Syria-Hezbollah axis, built on the Alawite regime with its pro-Iranian orientation. For its part, Russia has other interests, and its preferred goal is a settlement that will give it a foothold and facilitate its influence in the Middle East, while putting an end to Western dominance in the region. Yet regardless of various points of contention, and despite the efforts of the Western powers and Sunni Arab countries to puncture the Russian-led coalition, the pro-Assad partnership is still a long way from dissolution. Iran has no option for an exit from the game in Syria, and will therefore prefer continued cooperation with Russia, even if it sometimes leaves a sour taste. Furthermore, by persisting in this cooperation, Iran avoids leaving Russia to build the foundations of a settlement in Syria by itself, at the expense of Iranian interests in Syria and elsewhere in the region.

    http://www.inss.org.il/index.aspx?id=4538&articleid=11210

    • Probably a lot deeper then we realize, both Russia and Iran have plans for Syria and they are mutually exclusive plans.