Posted by: Fred ||
01/03/2012 12:26 ||
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#1
Happy Birthday/Daily Gam Shot
Mara Corday aka Stephanie 'Steve' Clayton in "Tarantula (1955)" aka Sally Caldwell in "The Giant Claw (1957)" aka Teresa Alvarez in "The Black Scorpion (1957)" aka Valerie Hudson in "Undersea Girl (1957)" aka Irene in "The Quiet Gun (1957)" aka Louisa Jackson in "Naked Gun (1956)" aka Sue Randolph in "Drums Across the River (1954)" aka Kate in "Francis Joins the WACS (1954)" aka Maria in "Foxfire (1955)" aka Jail Matron in "The Gauntlet (1977)" aka Playmate of the Month October 1958 (age 82)
A suicide bomber on a motorbike struck a crowded market in the southern Afghan city of Kandahar on Tuesday, killing four children and a policeman. The attacker set off his explosives near a mobile police post as officers ordered him to stop.
Kandahar police chief Abdul Raziq said, "The attacker was on a motorbike in a crowded bazaar in Kandahar city near the border police mobile checkpoint. When police stopped him he detonated his explosives, killing five, including four children and one police."
Sixteen other people, including three police officers, were injured.
KHARTOUM: Sudan shut the newspaper of the countrys largest Islamist opposition party on Monday, the latest step in a growing crackdown on independent media in the large African country.
Security forces raided offices belonging to the daily Al-Rai Al-Shaab newspaper run by the Popular Congress Party of Hassan Al-Turabi. They told staff that publication would be halted and the papers assets confiscated, the party said.
They havent given us any reason for the decision. They are now occupying the newspapers building, said party spokesman Naji Dahab. We think its because the government cannot handle press freedom.
It's Sudan. What press freedom?
Journalists in Sudan complain of increasing pressure and harassment by security forces if they criticize the government or cover sensitive issues such as Sudans severe economic crisis since the south split to become an independent state last July. On several occasions in recent months, security forces have confiscated entire editions of independent newspapers, editors say.
Al-Rai Al-Shaab, a regular critic the government, had only resumed publication in October after a previous government-ordered shutdown lasting several months. The Sudanese Media Center (SMC), a state-linked news website, said the paper had been closed because it had violated professional and ethical standards.
Did they also violate the dignity of the state?
The SMC added that security services were calling on national media not to violate national security by exploiting Sudans press freedom.
In July, two female journalists were both sentenced to one month in prison for writing about an alleged rape case.
One day before the independence of South Sudan in July, Khartoum suspended six newspapers because southerners were among their publishers or owners.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/03/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
I think they are trying to impress the radicals that North Sudan will now be a dictatorship, *not* run into the ground by some Taliban-like Sharia council like Afghanistan was.
[Al Ahram] Bahrain's security forces fired tear gas at anti-government protesters and beat them with iron bars leaving dozens injured, human rights One man's rights are another man's existential threat. activists and the opposition said on Monday.
The violence erupted Sunday night in the town of Sitra after the funeral of 15-year-old Sayyed Hashem Saeed, who the opposition says was killed when he was struck on the head by a tear gas canister fired by security forces the previous day.
Another teenager, Hani al-Qanish, was also seriously maimed Sunday by a direct hit to the head by a tear gas canister, former opposition MP Matar Matar told AFP.
Opposition human rights activist Nabil Rajab said riot police used tear gas and iron bars to disperse the crowds that had gathered in Sitra after Said's funeral procession.
"Dozens of people were maimed and treated for tear gas inhalation but they all sought treatment in homes by volunteer doctors, because they feared being tossed in the clink if they went to the hospital", Rajab told AFP adding that the police beat some of the protesters with "iron bars."
The Bahrain news agency, quoting police officials, said that "a group of saboteurs erupted into the streets in an illegal march and committed acts of sabotage, blocking public roads with garbage bins and hurling stones, iron bars and Molotov cocktails at the security forces."
Shiite-led anti-government protests have escalated in recent weeks, with almost daily festivities taking place with police and security officials in Shiite towns and villages on the outskirts of the capital.
On Sunday, officials announced the arrest of 11 "saboteurs" in connection with the latest unrest.
Shiite-led mass demonstrations which rocked Bahrain early last year were violently crushed by government forces using live ammunition and heavy-handed tactics.
A special commission appointed to probe last year's crackdown on anti-government protests published a report in November denouncing the "excessive and unjustified use of force" by the authorities.
The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry (BICI) said 35 people were killed in the unrest, including five security personnel, and five detainees who were tortured to death while in jug. Hundreds were also injured.
Bahrain's newly-appointed police chief said Sunday that 500 officers would be recruited across the country, including Shiites, to help bolster community ties as the country tries to "learn lessons" from past unrest.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/03/2012 00:00 ||
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SANAA: Yemeni police found the dead body of a French-Algerian journalist in his hotel room in the capital Sanaa on Monday, four days after he went missing, officers said.
The man, who worked for the France 24 television channel according to an identification card, had been strangled with electric wire, a police official told Reuters. It was not immediately clear why the journalist was killed, the force said.
Sudden Jihad Syndrome, or perhaps its near cousin Damned furriners are f'r killin'.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/03/2012 00:00 ||
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JEDDAH/RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Monday announced the names of 23 Saudis wanted in connection with the Awamiya riots in the Eastern Province city of Qatif last October.
Ministry of Interior spokesman Mansour Al-Turki said the men were working according to a foreign agenda, but he did not single out any country for blame.
[cough] Iran [cough]
He added that the men were sponsored financially or supplied with weapons and were working as part of an organization. Therefore we released a list of the 23 today to encourage them to come forward. We also appeal to the public to disclose any information that could help in the investigations, he said.
Al-Turki urged the men to report to the nearest security authorities inside the Kingdom or Saudi missions abroad as quickly as possible. If they do this then this will be taken into account when looking into their cases, he pointed out.
The ministry also warned the public against providing shelter to the wanted men, and said anyone found doing so would be prosecuted.
Al-Turki said the group was acting on its own accord and did not represent the feelings of residents in the area. We are not concerned with the other countries, as the Kingdom is targeted by more than one section. Drug dealers, gangs and Al-Qaeda are all examples.
Al-Turki pointed out that it was evident to the Ministry of Interior the men were working systematically to spread violence. He said the wanted men had criminal records. Some of the wanted were also previously arrested for violent offenses and signed a pledge not to be involved in such behavior, but they regressed, said Al-Turki.
The 23 men, Al-Turki revealed, were requested to present themselves to the authorities after all criminal evidence was reviewed with the Bureau of Investigation and Prosecution. When they failed to comply after a certain period of time, Al-Turki said a list of their names and pictures was released and orders for their arrest were issued.
Al-Turki said the whereabouts of the wanted men was not clear. As some of the wanted are young, Al-Turki pointed out that they are more vulnerable and enthusiastic and the chances of manipulating them are greater. Every individual is responsible for his actions whether he was misled or not, Al-Turki stressed. Having grievances does not justify violence. There are bodies to look into those grievances, and our mission is to maintain security.
Al-Turki, while blaming foreign influence behind deviant groups, said these groups are continuously escalating their activities and seeking ways to break the law. Two people died and three wounded in an exchange of gunfire in Qatif following a string of attacks on security checkpoints by rioters during a funeral procession.
These casualties occurred following the exchange of gunfire with unknown criminal elements who have infiltrated the citizens' ranks and are firing from residential areas and narrow streets, the ministry said in an earlier statement.
The first incident took place in October when 14 people, including 11 policemen, had been wounded in an attack on a police station in Awamiya. According to a security source, a number of security checkpoints and police vehicles came under fire during clashes in the area.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/03/2012 00:00 ||
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Police arrested a Hollywood resident believed to be a German citizen on Monday in connection with a wave of 53 arson fires across Los Angeles that terrorized neighborhoods over the holiday weekend.
Harry Burkhart, 24, was taken into custody early on Monday morning after a reserve sheriff's deputy spotted him driving a van similar to one being sought after a string of fires set in Los Angeles, Hollywood and surrounding communities.
Authorities booked Burkhart on suspicion of arson and said he was being held at Los Angeles County jail. Authorities declined to comment on a Los Angeles Times report that Burkhart was embroiled in an immigration dispute with the federal government over the status of his mother.
[Dawn] Pak hard boy commanders say prominent al-Qaeda and Afghan Taliban fighters have asked them to set aside differences and step up support for the battle against US-led forces in Afghanistan.
The Pak Taliban capos say the request came during two meetings in Pakistain's tribal region in November and December.
They said Monday that the senior al-Qaeda commander Abu Yahya al-Libi attended both meetings, as did Sirajuddin Haqqani, the de-facto head of the most feared hard boy group in Afghanistan.
Pakistain's most prominent hard boy leaders, including Pak Taliban capo Hakimullah Mehsud, also attended. The commanders who described the meetings spoke on condition of anonymity because of their sensitivity.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/03/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
Too bad, fellas. We'll be gone in a year or so and then you'll have to kill each other because there won't be anybody else left for you to kill.
[Dawn] Jamaat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Azeem Khan was killed in an attack by unknown myrmidons in Lakki Marwat on Monday, DawnNews reported.
According to police the JUI-F leader and the former union council nazim ...small time big shot, the chief elected official of a local government in Pakistan, such as a district, tehsil, union council, or village council... was attacked by unknown people near Nawar Khel area.
Police said that Khan was returning back to Lakki Marwat after visiting his native town Bibo Khel, when unknown people opened fire on his vehicle.
The dead body and the injured guard were taken to Lakki Marwat hospital immediately after the attack.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/03/2012 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Police on Sunday tossed in the calaboose six alleged outlaws in remote villages of the district, bordering the frontier tribal region.
A police official told this correspondent that following a tip-off about the presence of proclaimed absconders and suspected forces of Evil in the border villages a special team was sent for an operation.
He claimed that the team, headed by DSP Naurang Sanaullah Khan, destroyed several hideouts of criminals in border villages, including Karkanai, Wanda Meer Azam, Wanda Meer Salam and Bargai. He said that police also tossed in the calaboose six outlaws, including Noor Rehman, Kiramatullah, Shah Hussain, Saadullah Khan, Mir Qalam and Gulzada.
VILLAGE PROBLEMS: Jamat-e-Islami's local leader Sabz Ali Naveed has reminded the government and humanitarian organizations of promises they made with residents of Shah Hasankhel village following a blast two years ago.
In a meeting with area peace committee on Sunday, he said the residents needed attention of the government, as the village was devastated when a jacket wallah killed 100 villagers during a volleyball match on Jan 1, 2010. He said that the villagers still lacked healthcare facilities and drinking water while the government could not rebuild the damaged schools. He lamented that the government could not fulfill its promise to recruit youth of the village in police. He said that on the second anniversary of the tragic incident the villagers still lacked basic amenities though the government had promised to transform the village into a model town.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/03/2012 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] Security forces claimed to have killed 12 bad turbans, four would-be jacket wallahs among them, in a daylong operation in Karamna locality of Landi Kotal on Sunday.
Security forces lost one of their men in the operation. Landi Kotal Assistant Political Agent Khalid Mumtaz Kundi told Dawn that apart from killing 12 bad turbans, security forces took into custody three women and five children from a house where hard boyz had taken refuge and freed three people held by them.
Officials said that security personnel surrounded the house of one Gul Mat Khan in Karamna locality after receiving information about presence of hard boyz of the Tariq Afridi group in the area.
An official handout said those killed in the operation included senior Taliban figure Qari Kamran who was accused of being involved in attacks on security forces and installations in Nowshera, Risalpur and Shabqadar.
Local sources said a number of hard boyz were killed when a suicide bomber holed up in the house detonated his jacket packed with explosives.
A military helicopter provided air cover during the operation.
The sources said Taliban affiliated with the Tariq Afridi group only recently occupied the house after they had been expelled from Kukikhel ...a tribe of primitives inhabiting Khyber Agency. They are a branch of the Afridi tribe. Traditionally they have been migratory, tromping between Jamrud and the Rajgal valley with the seasons. The tribe has had mustache-cursing relationships with several other tribes, including the Zakkakhel and Kambarkhel, and with the Mullagori. They make welcome most anyone with a turban and automatic weapons, but every once in awhile they get together a tribal lashkar to mollify the government... -dominated areas of Tirah valley.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/03/2012 00:00 ||
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#2
I think I remember hearing some cr*p about snipers being categorized as war criminals? That if they targeted a specific individual it was murder/assassination and not simply war? Seemed (and seems) idiotic, but with the number of idiots loose in positions of power I don't think I'd want to publicly admit I was an ace sniper.
#4
Read some of the comments there. Some just about call him that. I suppose those same idiots consider homicide bombers who kill innocent civilians as 'freedom fighters' and martyrs.
#8
Given a 10:1 kill ratio, that seems about right.
My thinking is that a sniper goes after the really nasty stuff that is more of an immediate threat. In the case of the woman with the grenade, she could easily have killed several. Any guy with an RPG would be a greater threat, too, and would be more of a threat than the average jihadi with an AK-47 and an attitude. Some guy with an AK-47 worthy of this sniper's attention would be part of an operation to pin down Coalition forces in a way that could have resulted in several deaths. By my thinking, it seems this guy may well have saved way more than 25 lives.
The army recently updated threat scenarios for every major city in Israel -- and for the first time predicted that missiles might hit Jerusalem, even in a relatively minor conflict.
The threat scenarios -- as they are called in the IDF -- are compiled by the Home Front Command and are based on intelligence collected regarding the enemy's intentions, as well as its capabilities. The municipalities and local councils are then provided an estimated number of missiles they can expect to face in a conflict and are advised on how they should prepare.
For years, the defense establishment widely assumed that Israel's enemies -- primarily Hezbollah and Syria -- would avoid targeting Jerusalem due to the relatively large Arab population in the city, and the fear that Muslim holy sites such as the Aksa Mosque would accidentally be hit. Islamic holy sites are only holy when said holiness can be used to manipulate stupid infidels
"That is no longer the case," a senior IDF officer told The Jerusalem Post. "We now believe that in a future war, there's a possibility that Jerusalem will also come under missile fire even from the Gaza Strip."
#5
On a more practical note, Jerusalem has an area of only 48 square miles, so it would not be unreasonable for Israel to build two or three tunnels leading out of the city to giant underground bunkers with enough food, water and medical supplies for 2-3 weeks.
The city only has a population of 780,000, and the metro area over a million, but those on the periphery can evacuate on the surface, with those inside the city proper taking wide automatic sidewalks, such as are used in airport concourses.
These can move a lot of people on foot a long distance quickly.
#7
as Dr Steve says (and I hinted at) they'll be blamed anyway. Never let a crisis go to waste. Blow Al-Aksa off the Mount and blame the Hamas rockets.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/03/2012 21:11 Comments ||
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Two Thai troops were killed by a bomb explosion while delivering New Year presents to villagers in Pattani province on Tuesday. The slain soldiers were part of an eight-member team travelling in a convoy of four motorcycles and a pickup truck to give out New Year gifts to villagers. They were about one kilometer from their base when attacked around 10:30 a.m.
The bomb, buried under the road surface, was detonated directly under a truck in which Lt Direksan Rattanasin, 26, and Sgt Yutthaya Jampa, 25, were riding. The two men succumbed to their injuries while being taken to a hospital.
The intensity of the blast sent the vehicle into the roadside ditch and totally destroyed it. There were about 15 kg of explosive in the improvised bomb. The blast left a hole about one meter deep and two meters wide in the road. and was detonated by an electric wire.
[Fox News] At first, Iran claimed it had launched three long range missiles; a pronouncement at the end of ten days of war games in the Strait of Hormuz designed to test the patience of western nations as they weigh how to sanction Iran's oil exports.
"We are able to announce that our shore-to-sea missile systems are so powerful that we can hit any target, any time, if it's necessary" announced Habibulah Sayari, Iranian Navy Commander.
Seyyed Mahmoud Moussavi, Iranian Military Drills Spokesman, stated "Both missiles hit the intended targets successfully."
It turned out the missiles weren't that long range after all.
The Qhader missile, introduced in September, has a range of just 124 miles. The U.S. Navy's fifth fleet in Bahrain is 150 miles from Iran. Israel is four times farther.
"We've seen that they've photoshopped, for example, photographs of missile tests before to make it look more impressive than it actually is, so I would take all this with a grain of salt. I think this is mainly posturing. It's gamesmanship. And it's again meant to send a message that the Iranians aren't simply going to sit back while their oil is sanctioned," said Michael Singh, Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
Their leaders backed away from threats to close the strait as President B.O. signed a defense spending bill on Saturday, which includes the new sanctions. It also has a national security waiver, allowing the president to withhold the sanctions if they are deemed to cause the price of oil to rise.
Singh continued "I think maybe you'll see some symbolic sanctions. Maybe you'll see some smaller measures. But are you likely to see big sanctions against Iran's main oil customers? It seems unlikely given that waiver provision that's in there."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/03/2012 12:43 ||
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#1
The Qhader missile, introduced in September, has a range of just 124 miles. The U.S. Navy's fifth fleet in Bahrain is 150 miles from Iran. Israel is four times farther.
The objective isn't to hit Bahrain or Israel. The Iranians' stated intention is to base the launchers far inland and then target the Straits. The idea is that there'd be a larger land-area for opponents to cover in order to attack the launchers and for the launchers to move about in. Additionally, there'd be (some sort of) air defense.
#2
Agree - iff anything. IMO it will be Hezbollah + other MilTerr Proxies whom will be in the forefront as per pro-Iran, retaliatory Conventional, WMD? attacks inside Israel.
However, ONE DAY ASAP AMAP IRAN WILL HAVE THE DE FACTO CAPABILITY.
#3
TOPIX > IRAN THREATS OVER STRAIT OF HORMUZ REFLECTS ITS "POSITION OF WEAKNESS" [due to econ sanctions]: WHITE HOUSE.
and
* SAME > IRAN THREATENS TO USE "FORCE" IFF US CARRIER RETURNS.
VARIOUS MIL BLOGGERS = opine that, in the present, Iran would essens have to focus or target the bulk of its available LR firepower on the narrowest parts of the Straits to maximize strike effect.
An explosion struck a gas pipeline in central Syria on Tuesday in an attack the government blamed on terrorists. No casualties were reported. The blast occured near the town Rastan in Homs province.
[Al Ahram] Activists piled pressure Monday on Arab monitors to do more to prevent Syrian forces pursuing their brutal crackdown against pro-democracy protesters, amid fresh criticism of the observer mission. Cheez, the Arab League has already said it's 'annoyed' with Pencilneck -- what else do these activists want, anyways? Boy the nerve of some people...
The Arab League ...an organization of Arabic-speaking states with 22 member countries and four observers. The League tries to achieve Arab consensus on issues, which usually leaves them doing nothing but a bit of grimacing and mustache cursing... insisted however it would not back down from the operation, which Damascus ...The City of Jasmin is the oldest continuously-inhabited city in the world. It has not always been inhabited by the same set of fascisti... accepted after weeks of stalling, and said that a new batch of monitors would head to Syria Thursday to join 66 already there.
On the ground, security forces killed five people on Sunday, marking a brutal start to the New Year, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights watchdog reported.
Among the dead was a seven-year-old boy, the Britannia-based watchdog said.
Protesters on Sunday greeted 2012 with fireworks and fresh protests calling for the ouster of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Sonny, disguised as Fredo, trying to be Mike... , while accusing the vaporous Arab League observers of not doing enough to end his regime's brutal crackdown.
On Sunday, an Arab League advisory body called for the immediate withdrawal of the monitors saying their presence in Syria was having no effect on the government's deadly crackdown on dissent.
Arab Parliament speaker Salem al-Diqbassi urged Arab League chief Nabil al-Arabi to "immediately pull out the Arab observers, considering the continued killing of innocent civilians by the Syrian regime."
The Arab Parliament is an 88-member advisory committee made up of politicians from each of the League's 22 member nations.
Damascus's actions are "a clear violation of the Arab League protocol which is to protect the Syrian people," Diqbassi said in a statement.
"We are seeing an increase in violence, more people are being killed including children ... and all this in the presence of Arab League monitors, which has angered the Arab people," he said.
The Local Coordination Committees network of activists echoed the disenchantment with the observers, saying they were not doing enough to protect civilians in flashpoints, namely the Damascus suburb of Daraya.
Daraya residents on Sunday turned out in large numbers on the streets to welcome observers when they heard news of their arrival in their district but "were met with tear gas, live ammunition, brutal attacks," the LCC said.
The Observatory reported late Sunday that more than 20 demonstrators were maimed when security forces fired on protesters in Daraya when they raised an opposition "independence flag."
"Daraya will not break and will not back down... (and) calls on the Arab League observers to fulfill their duties and restore their credibility which was shaken after their absence today in the town squares," the LCC said.
In a statement it urged the monitors to witness repression by "the tyrannical regime's security forces" accusing them of abducting a maimed activist, Mohamed Anwar al-Dabbas, from his hospital bed.
"We hope for their presence and testimony, as dictated first by their conscience, and second by their sworn duty," the LCC added.
The Arab League has declined so far to comment on the mission but its Syria operations chief Adnan al-Khodeir said on Sunday that more observers will be dispatched Thursday to Syria.
"Around 20 more observers will head to Damascus from Soddy Arabia, Bahrain and Tunisia," Khodeir said.
The monitors are on a month-long mission that kicked off December 26.
Syria agreed to allow the deployment of observers as part of an deal calling for the withdrawal of the military from residential districts, a halt to violence against civilians and the release of detainees.
But the mission has hit snags and triggered controversy.
Mission chief General Mohammed Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi has disputed a YouTube video footage showing an Arab monitor accusing Syrian authorities of posting snipers on rooftops and demanded their removal.
Dabi said the remarks were hypothetical.
A veteran Sudanese military intelligence officer, Dabi is a controversial figure because he served under Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court ... where Milosevich died of old age before being convicted ... for alleged war crimes.
According to the LCC, a total of 5,862 people were killed in the regime's crackdown last year, including "321 male children, 74 female children and 146 women."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/03/2012 00:00 ||
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And the last thing you want to do is annoy the Arab League. Why, they could refer you to the International Criminal Court, buddy, and you just see what would happen to you then.
CAIRO: Syria's government has withdrawn heavy weapons from inside cities and freed about 3,500 prisoners but security forces continue to kill protesters even with foreign monitors in the country, the Arab League chief said Monday.
Nabil Elaraby said pro-regime snipers also continue to operate in Syria and he demanded a complete cease-fire. But despite the regime's ongoing crackdown, he listed the achievements of the Arab League monitors since they began work.
The monitors are supposed to verify Syria's compliance with an Arab League plan to stop the nine-month-old crackdown on dissent. President Bashar Assad agreed to the plan on Dec. 19. But since the Arab League monitors began work last Tuesday, activists say government forces have killed more than 150 people, the vast majority of them unarmed, peaceful protesters.
"Yes, there is still shooting and yes there are still snipers," Elaraby told a news conference in Cairo, where the Arab League is based. "Yes, killings continue. The objective is for us to wake up in the morning and hear that no one is killed. The mission's philosophy is to protect civilians, so if one is killed, then our mission is incomplete."
"There must be a complete cease-fire," Elaraby said.
But he also said tanks and artillery have been pulled out from cities and residential neighborhood, food supplies reached residents and bodies of dead protesters recovered.
Rami Abdelrahman, who heads the British-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, confirmed that tanks had withdrawn from Syrian cities. But he said residents reported that the weapons were still a threat.
"They can bring the tanks back and use them to fight," Abdelrahman told The Associated Press. Elaraby did not say when the heavy weapons pulled out of cities, but Abdelrahman said it was on Thursday.
The Arab League plan requires Assad's regime to remove security forces and heavy weapons from city streets, start talks with opposition leaders, free political prisoners and allow human rights workers and journalists into the country.
Already, Syrian opposition groups and a pan-Arab group, the Arab Parliament, have been deeply critical of the mission, saying it is simply giving Assad cover for his crackdown.
Suggesting that the League did not have a figure for the number of Syrians detained since the uprising began, Elaraby called on the opposition and ordinary Syrians to aid the observers by sending them names of relatives or friends they think are detained by Assad's regime.
He did not say whether the League was able to verify the release of 3,484 prisoners or when they left prison.
The Observatory meanwhile said armed rebels captured dozens of members of the security forces by seizing two military checkpoints in the northern province of Idlib on Monday.
It said the army deserters also clashed with security forces at a third checkpoint, killing and wounding an unspecified number of troops loyal to Assad.
Abdelrahman said Monday's operation took place in the Jabal Al-Zawiyah region of Idlib. It was not immediately clear how many people had been killed or captured by the rebels, he said.
The reported attack came three days after the anti-government Free Syrian Army said it had ordered its fighters to stop offensive operations pending a meeting with Arab League monitors. Syrian authorities say armed groups have killed 2,000 security forces personnel during the uprising.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/03/2012 00:00 ||
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#1
Bet they're not half as annoyed as the dead guys....
Posted by: Barbara ||
01/03/2012 18:58 Comments ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
KHARTOUM: Sudan shut the newspaper of the countrys largest Islamist opposition party on Monday, the latest step in a growing crackdown on independent media in the large African country.
SANAA: Yemeni police found the dead body of a French-Algerian journalist in his hotel room in the capital Sanaa on Monday, four days after he went missing, officers said.
[Dawn] Pak
[Dawn] Jamaat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader Azeem Khan was killed in an attack by unknown 
[Dawn] Police on Sunday 
[Dawn] Security forces claimed to have killed 12
At first, Iran claimed it had launched three long range missiles; a pronouncement at the end of ten days of war games in the Strait of Hormuz designed to test the patience of western nations as they weigh how to sanction Iran's oil exports.
International Criminal Court
