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India-Pakistan
Govt bans 10 more organisations for alleged affiliation with proscribed outfits
2019-05-12
[DAWN] The interior ministry on Saturday announced that it has placed 10 more organizations on the list of proscribed outfits.

According to a blurb issued by the ministry, the action was taken in pursuance of the National Action Plan (NAP).

The newest additions to the list of banned outfits are Al Anfal Trust (Lahore), Idara-e-Khidmat Khalaq (Lahore), Al Dawatul Irshad (Lahore), Al Hamd Trust (Lahore and Faisalabad
...formerly known as Lyallpur, the third largest metropolis in Pakistain, the second largest in Punjab after Lahore. It is named after some Arab because the Paks didn't have anybody notable of their own to name it after...
), Mosque and Welfare Trust (Lahore), Al Madinah Foundation (Lahore), Muaz bin Jabal Education Trust (Lahore), Al Eesar Foundation (Lahore), Al Rehmat Trust Organisation (Bahawalpur) and Al Furqan Trust (Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
).

The entities were designated as proscribed organizations for their alleged affiliation with banned Jamatud Dawa (JuD), Falah-e-Insaniyat
...the current false nose and mustache of Jamaat ud-Dawa, which was the false nose and mustache of Lashkar e-Taiba...
Founda­tion (FiF) and Jaish-e-Mohammad
...literally Army of Mohammad, a Pak-based Deobandi terror group founded by Maulana Masood Azhar in 2000, after he split with the Harkat-ul-Mujaheddin. In 2002 the government of Pervez Musharraf banned the group, which changed its name to Khaddam ul-Islam and continued doing what it had been doing before without missing a beat...
(JeM).

In March this year, law enforcement agencies had intensified its ongoing crackdown on JeM, JuD, FIF and other banned outfits, and had tossed in the slammer
Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit!
more than 100 activists. Nearly 200 seminaries besides hundreds of other facilities and assets associated with them across the country were taken over by the government.
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
2 high-ranking Jaysh al-Islam leaders suddenly killed in Damascus’ Douma city, Jobar and FSA evacuated
2018-04-02
[ALMASDARNEWS] Confirmed reports have emerged stating that two rebel commanders belonging to Jaish al-Islam
...Liwa al-Islam (Brigade of Islam) was established by Zahran Alloush, the son of Saudi-based religious scholar Abdullah Mohammed Alloush, after Syrian authorities released him from prison in mid-2011 where he had been serving time for his Salafist activism. The group claimed responsibility for carrying out the July 2012 Damascus bombing that killed Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha, Deputy Defense Minister Asef Shawkat, and Assistant Vice President Hassan Turkmani. It was a driving force behind actions in the Damascus region. It cooperated and conducted joint operations with al-Nusra. In Sptember 2013 Saudi Arabia engineered Liwa al-Islam's merger with fifty other more or less Salafist groups as a counterweight to al-Nusra, which the Learned Elders of Islam considered was growing too powereful...
have been killed in Damascus’ eastern district city of Douma.

The slain rebel leaders have been identified as Jaish al-Islam management chief Abu Ali Idara and treasury chief Abu Omar Maliyah. At the present time, it is unclear how exactly the two krazed killer commanders died.

In an official statement, Jaish al-Islam claimed they were killed in a Syrian Army artillery strike, however local opposition sources are claiming they were assassinated by their own ranks.

If the claims by Douma-based activists are true, then it is possible that a dispute over the recent agreement reached between Jaish al-Islam and the Syrian government may have been the reason for the liquidation of the rebel commanders; however, this is only speculation for now.

Free Syrian Army fighters stranded in Damascus’ Douma city evacuated to north Syria

[ALMASDARNEWS] Despite the fact that Faylaq al-Rahman (Free Syrian Army
... the more palatable version of the Syrian insurgency, heavily influenced by the Moslem Brüderbund...
affiliate) rebels operated far away from Douma city in Damascus’ East Ghouta region, it has become apparent that some group’s fighters nonetheless got stranded in the Jaish al-Islam
...Liwa al-Islam (Brigade of Islam) was established by Zahran Alloush, the son of Saudi-based religious scholar Abdullah Mohammed Alloush, after Syrian authorities released him from prison in mid-2011 where he had been serving time for his Salafist activism. The group claimed responsibility for carrying out the July 2012 Damascus bombing that killed Defense Minister Dawoud Rajiha, Deputy Defense Minister Asef Shawkat, and Assistant Vice President Hassan Turkmani. It was a driving force behind actions in the Damascus region. It cooperated and conducted joint operations with al-Nusra. In Sptember 2013 Saudi Arabia engineered Liwa al-Islam's merger with fifty other more or less Salafist groups as a counterweight to al-Nusra, which the Learned Elders of Islam considered was growing too powereful...
stronghold.

In any case, as of Sunday, all Faylaq al-Rahman that found themselves besieged in Douma alongside Jaish al-Islam faceless myrmidons have since been evacuated to Syria’s northern province of Idlib; hundreds of civilians departed with them.

It is unclear exactly how many Faylaq al-Rahman rebels (dozens or hundreds) left Douma, information on this may emerge later.

As for Jaish al-Islam, evacuation of its fighters (i.e. those who have chosen not to reconcile with the Syrian government) to areas of Aleppo province under Ottoman Turkish-backed rebel forces control so far only includes those who are injured; standing faceless myrmidons are yet to depart.

Syrian Army hoists national flag above toughest-ever rebel stronghold in east Damascus

[ALMASDARNEWS] Militants defending Jobar ‐ actually part of Damascus city proper and not the nearby East Ghouta region ‐ resisted countless attacks by the Syrian Army from the earliest years of the Syrian conflict.

The sheer amount of tunnels and trenches connecting to Jobar from neighboring rebel-held districts meant that Syrian forces could never quite outflank the or surround it; many government troops fell during the battles for the east Damascus suburb.

In the end, a powerful Syrian Army advance from the eastern direction (where defenses were never prepared) threatened to completely overrun myrmidon forces and upon realizing this, forces of Evil capitulated.

On Saturday, the last rebel fighters present in Jobar along with those in Arbeen, Hazzah and Zamalka evacuated towards Idlib province; since then the Syrian Army has assumed full control over the district.

Syrian war reporters drive their vehicle through 20 km-long rebel tunnel in east Damascus

[ALMASDARNEWS] The Alikhbaria Syria news channel has released an exclusive video report (below) showing what appears the be the largest rebel tunnel ever discovered in the Syrian War.

The tunnel, located in Damascus’ East Ghouta region, is twenty kilometers long. It connected rebel positions and underground bases throughout the once bully boy-controlled districts of Jobar, Ayn Tarma and Arbeen.

As the video shows, the tunnel is wide enough to allow the Syrian war news hounds drive through it in their van.

One of the people present with the Alikhbaria Syria news team (front passenger seat) was captured by Lions of Islam earlier in the war, only recently being released following the capitulation of rebel forces in East Ghouta. He claims that forces of Evil used civilian and Syrian Army hostages to dig the tunnel.

The tunnel allowed rebels to relocate forces throughout vast areas of East Ghouta without being detected and attacked by Syrian and Russian warplanes.
Link


Down Under
Pak scholar's tour cancelled after anti-Jewish video surfaces
2016-10-08
[The Australian] A Pakistani scholar on a speaking tour across Australia has had events cancelled and has been asked to leave the country after a video emerged in which the man says global peace will only be established when the last Jew is killed.

Muhammad Raza Saqib Mustafai spoke at Blacktown Mosque, and Al-Madinah Masjid in Liverpool on Monday, and was due to speak in Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide in the coming weeks. He has since been asked to leave by the imam who organized the tour, Hafiz Raza from Blacktown Mosque.

"Muslims are not terrorists; they are the lovers of peace and preachers of peace. And all the troubles that exist around the world are because of the Jews. When the Jews are wiped out, then the world would be purified," Mustafai says in the video, according to a translation by the Middle East Media Research Institute.

The Pakistan Association of Australia was alerted to the video – called 'Jews Are the Enemies of Islam and Peace' – which was passed onto the organizers of the speaking tour who called off the remaining dates. The head of the Pakistan Association of Australia, Abbas Rana, said he was shocked by the video.

Mustafai, who has a strong following online, is the founder of Idara-tul-Mustafa Pakistan, which calls itself a spiritual movement. He has been a cleric at the Markazi Jamia Masjid Gulzar-e-Madinah in Gujranwala, Pakistan.
Link


India-Pakistan
Qadri’s neighbour testifies in shooting case
2016-04-20
[DAWN] Dr Tahirul Qadri
...Pak politician, and would-be dictator, founder and head of Tehreek-e-Minhajul Quran and Pakistain Awami Tehrik. He usually resides in Canada, but returns to Pakistain periodically to foam at the mouth and lead demonstrations. Depending on which way the wind's blowing, Qadri claims to be the author of Pak's blasphemy law. Other times he says it wasn't him...
’s neighbour Mian Mumtaz testified on Monday before an anti-terrorism court judge during the hearing of Idara Minhajul Koran’s private complaint demanding trial of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif
... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
, Punjab
1.) Little Orphan Annie's bodyguard
2.) A province of Pakistain ruled by one of the Sharif brothers
3.) A province of India. It is majority (60 percent) Sikh and Hindoo (37 percent), which means it has relatively few Moslem riots....

Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif
...Pak dynastic politician, brother of PM Nawaz Sharif, chief minister of Punjab...
and others for killing its workers in Model Town.

Mr Mumtaz, of Model Town, said then deputy inspector general Rana Abdul Jabbar had ordered police personnel to open fire at women workers of the Minhaj organization who had made a human chain outside the residence of Dr Qadri.

The complaint is about the Model Town tragedy that ensued between the police and Pakistain Awami Tehrik activists on June 17, 2014 resulting in the killing of several protesters by the police gunfire.

Mr Mumtaz said a policeman, who was later identified as Abid Husain, resorted to firing at the women workers. He said worker Tanzeela Amjad died at the scene when she received a bullet on her face while several other women were maimed during the police firing.

He told the court he saw two police constables carrying out firing on the peaceful protesters. The court adjourned hearing till April 22 and sought arguments from the prosecution on the chalan submitted by the police in the case.
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Martyrs Wanted: ISIS' Devastating Defector Problem
2015-03-02
[The National Interest] As the pressure on the Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) mounts against the backdrop of coalition attacks and a Kurdish offensive in Syria's Raqqa region, militant recruitment has become a pressing matter for the radical organization, which has lost many fighters in clashes around Iraq and Syria.
Teeny-bopper girls from London and Amsterdam aren't good enough? Who knew?
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), out of 1,800 people killed during the Kobani battles, 70 percent belonged to ISIS.
That means too many Kurds died, but their sacrifice was clearly not in vain...
On February 14, 132 fighters died across Syria, including forty-four ISIS militants. Given mounting losses, ISIS expansion has relied on a two-pronged recruitment approach: targeting foreigners looking to join the new caliphate and enlisting members of the local population. While the foreign recruitment strategy appears successful, local recruitment faces growing obstacles in Syria and Iraq.
As is usually the case, the locals aren't as stupid as the elites think them to be...
ISIS has relied on a powerful branding strategy, diffusing violent images on social media, YouTube and Twitter. The organization has released several documentaries boasting its military exploits such as the Flames of War featuring heroic-looking militants and gruesome footage of bombings and executions. This systematic glamorization of violence has allowed the terror group to attract foreign recruits. In January, a new study by International Center for the Study of Radicalization and Political Violence estimated that the number of foreign fighters in Iraq and Syria had reached about 20,000.

ISIS's local recruitment approach has been described in Idarat al Tawahosh (The Management of Savagery), a book written by Abu Bakr Naji in 2004, which ISIS has adopted. Naji argues that the first step for recruitment is "the creation of organizations to improve the management of the areas under our control." ISIS applied this technique initially following its surge in June. The groups managed everything from bakeries and banks to schools, courts and mosques in Raqqa. One activist admitted at that the time that the organization had been doing "massive institutional work."
ISIS 'nation building.' I hope it works out as well for them as it has for us.
So "nation-building" didn't work. Perhaps the next American administration will remember that when the UN, the Euros and the nomenklatura start bleating...
Link


India-Pakistan
Hizb supremo condemns terror attacks in Pakistan
2015-02-08
[DAWN] Condemning terror attacks on schools, mosques, Imambargah
...since Pakistain is very religiously correct, Shia Moslems can't call their houses of worship 'mosques,' which are reserved for Sunnis. It's not clear if imambargahs are used for explosives storage like mosques are...
s, Hizbul Mujahideen's supreme commander Syed Salahuddin has said that those carrying out such attacks are the open enemy of Pakistain and Islam.

Speaking at a presser at the Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
's Idara Noor-e-Haq headquarters on Friday, he said that jihad did not teach targeting innocent children and women.

He said that the Modi-led Indian government wanted to eliminate the Islamic identity of Kashmiris.

He blamed former military ruler retired Gen Pervez Perv Musharraf
... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ...
for taking a U-turn on the Kashmire policy that, according to him, damaged the struggle of the people of Kashmire badly.

He demanded that the army leadership and the government raise their voice for the right of self-determination for Kashmiri people at international forums.

"If the Kashmire issue was not resolved under the resolutions of the United Nations
...a formerly good idea gone bad...
and according to the desires of Kashmiris, then the entire continent would face dire consequences," he warned.

He said that India was not ready to consider Kashmire a "disputed territory" and instead claimed the valley as its so-called integral part, which was in negation of the UN resolutions.

"The struggle of Kashmiris will continue till the withdrawal of the Indian army from India-held Kashmire, as the people of Kashmire are struggling for the right of self-determination," he said, adding: "We are not against dialogue, but the epicentre of talks should be the Kashmire issue, otherwise the discussion would prove worthless."
Link


India-Pakistan
Gullu Butt granted bail
2014-08-13
[DAWN] LAHORE: A Lahore High Court division bench on Tuesday granted bail to Shahid Aziz alias Gullu Butt, an infamous character of Model Town incident wherein at least 11 people were killed.

Gullu Butt was caught red-handed by cameramen of news channels while smashing vehicles parked outside Minhajul Koran Secretariat.

However,
some men learn by reading. A few learn by observation. The rest have to pee on the electric fence for themselves...
counsel for the suspect argued before the court that the vehicles did not belong to workers of the Pakistain Awami Tehrik or Idara Minhajul Koran. He said the suspect had no past criminal record.

The counsel said the offense allegedly committed by the suspect was bailable and police with a mala fide intension added provisions of anti-terrorism law in the FIR.

When asked by the court, Faisal Town police investigating officer said the owners of smashed cars did not attend the investigation.

The counsel said his client was innocent and had no such bad intention but the police jugged
Yez got nuttin' on me, coppers! Nuttin'!
him and started the paperwork but haven't done much else against him. He asked the court to release his client on bail. The bench heard the arguments and released Butt on bail against furnishing of surety bonds of Rs200,000.
Link


Terror Networks
From Theory to Action: The Rationale behind the Re-establishment of the Caliphate
2014-07-31
Publication: Terrorism Monitor Volume: 12 Issue: 15

We should expect IS to continue to foil predictions. However, if they are following Abu Bakr Naji's strategy for establishing an emirate, we should be able to see the broad strokes of the Islamic State's strategic thinking. [9] Naji's strategy has been adopted by AQAP's leader, Nasir Abd al-Karim al-Wuhayshi, and extolled by another influential ISIS supporter, Abu Sa'ad al-Amili. To paraphrase the AQAP leader's advice to other Muslims about judging al-Qaeda, we should look at Naji's book, Idarah al-Tawahhush (Administration of Savagery), and look at what ISIS is doing before deciding whether this jihadist group is following a rational plan or simply running boldly on a tightrope over a deep canyon.

Naji's plan would have ISIS conquering areas after the mujahideen have driven out central government forces by using terrorist tactics and mobilizing the population to their side by polarizing society using money and sectarian politics. They would place these areas under the control of a primitive government one step above a state of nature, which would be accepted by people desperate for security. The mujahideen would introduce more government services over time and expand these areas while defending them from government counterattacks by arming the local population where possible and continuing mujahideen guerrilla operations to compel government forces to defend fixed locations, such as the capital, major religious shrines and economic targets. They would expand each area they control and merge them with others under their control or controlled by ex-military or tribal groups. They would offer the tribes booty taken during their insurgency to gain their allegiance.

As a real state begins to appear viable, the mujahideen leaders would send out a worldwide call for administrative experts, managers, judges and others who might help govern a complex state. We know from abundant reporting and IS's first magazine Dabiq that ISIS and now IS have already engaged in all these practices and more in Naji's playbook. This does not mean ISIS is following Naji as a recipe, but it does mean that more attention needs to be paid to Naji's work as experts devise a strategy to defeat ISIS without the use of U.S. military ground forces. More importantly, if the Islamic State is following Naji we should expect them to focus on undermining Saudi Arabia's ruling family and developing a plan to disrupt the flow of energy to the world's economies from the Arabian Peninsula. We should also expect the Islamic State to eventually inspire attacks inside Europe and the United States, with AQAP apparently ready to help in both endeavors if the opportunity arises.

Link


India-Pakistan
Political, economic terrorism hold 180m population hostage: Siraj
2014-07-19
[The Nation (Pak)] Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
Pakistain Chief Siraj-ul-Haq has said that the political and economic terrorism hold 180million population of the country hostage.

He expressed these views while addressing an Iftar-dinner ceremony, organized by Jamaat-e-Islami, Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
in honour of the journalists at Idara-e-Noor Haq on Friday.

Speaking at the occasion, Siraj-ul-Haq said that the few selected families are in power from last 66 years in the country and holds the entire nation hostage.

"Change can be brought into the life of feudals, landlord and political barhamins through elections, while the downtrodden people get nothing from elections", he added.

On the occasion, Siraj-ul-Haq stressed upon that the VIP culture should be abolished from the country and JI is being struggled for the eradication of this culture.

He said that the terrorism, inflation and lawlessness prevail in the country for the last 15 years from the tenure of Pervez Perv Musharraf
... former dictator of Pakistain, who was less dictatorial and corrupt than any Pak civilian government to date ...
, Zardari and Nawaz Sharif
... served two non-consecutive terms as prime minister, heads the Pakistain Moslem League (Nawaz). Noted for his spectacular corruption, the 1998 Pak nuclear test, border war with India, and for being tossed by General Musharraf...
.

Commenting on Pervez Musharraf issue, JI Pakistain Chief said that the issue of Musharraf has become complicated for the present government, army and judiciary.

He further informed that the influential people and rulers are involved in corruption, adding that 80 percent parliamentarians are not paying tax.

On the occasion, Siraj-ul-Haq made it clear that JI has rejected the Protection of Pakistain Ordinance (PPO) and challenged it to the court.

He hoped that the Supreme Court will defunct the said Ordinance in its verdict.

Siraj-ul-Haq appealed to the lawyers' community, youth and people from different walks of life to come forward and stand with JI on the said issue.

On the occasion, Siraj-ul-Haq thanked JI Karachi for arranging such a decent gathering with the prominent journalists, columnists and analysts.

JI Karachi Chief Hafiz Naeem-ur-Rehman, Central Information Secretary Ameer-ul-Azeem and others also spoke on the occasion.

The others JI leaders including Muhammad Asghar, Zahid Askari and others were also present on the occasion.

Link


India-Pakistan
MQM delegation visits JI Karachi office
2014-07-06
[DAWN] KARACHI: A delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement
...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead...
(MQM) visited the Jamaat-e-Islami
...The Islamic Society, founded in 1941 in Lahore by Maulana Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, aka The Great Apostosizer. The Jamaat opposed the independence of Bangladesh but has operated an independent branch there since 1975. It maintains close ties with international Mohammedan groups such as the Moslem Brotherhood. the Taliban, and al-Qaeda. The Jamaat's objectives are the establishment of a pure Islamic state, governed by Sharia law. It is distinguished by its xenophobia, and its opposition to Westernization, capitalism, socialism, secularism, and liberalist social mores...
(JI) Bloody Karachi
...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous...
office, Idara Noor-e-Haq, on Saturday.

The MQM delegation, comprising Ameenul Haq, Abdul Haseeb and Rehan Hashmi extended their invitation to JI Karachi Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman, to join MQM's rally in solidarity with the armed forces, which is scheduled to be staged at the Bagh-e-Jinnah tomorrow (Sunday).

JI warmly welcomed the MQM delegation but showed reservations in joining the rally.

"Jamaat-e-Islami does not support North Wazoo operation," the JI Karachi Emir said, adding, "We are with the Pakistain Army, but the operation would result in creating differences and rift between our armed forces and the people of tribal areas."

The JI Karachi Emir also asked for an immediate stop to the operation.

Talking to mediapersons, Ameenul Haq said, "We have old relations with Jamaat-e-Islami, and we are here to invite them to our rally."

"We hope for Jamaat-e-Islami to also visit our headquarters, it will improve relations," Haq said.
Link


Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Behind The Lines: Assad’s North Korean connection
2013-11-09
We missed this last week but One Free Korea didn't.
Reports have emerged this week indicating the presence of North Korean military personnel in Syria. They note that 15 North Korean helicopter pilots are operating there on behalf of President Bashar Assad’s regime. The reports have been validated by the pro-rebel but usually reliable Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Earlier this year, the Saudi-based regional newspaper Asharq al-Awsat carried eyewitness reports revealing the presence of North Korean officers among the Syrian regime’s ground forces in the city of Aleppo. On this occasion, the Syrian Observatory was itself the source of the report.

Asharq Al-Awsat detailed the presence of between 11 and 15 North Korean officers in the city. Rami Abdul Rahman of the organization said the men were artillery officers.

They were not, he said, taking part directly in the fighting. Rather, the men were engaged in providing “logistical support in addition to the development plans of military operations.”

These sightings are the latest confirmation of the long, close and cooperative relationship maintained between Pyongyang and the regime of the Assads.
Birds of a feather...
The connection precedes the current Syrian war. It forms part of North Korea’s broader network of relationships in the Middle East.

Most famously, of course, the plutonium reactor under construction at the al-Kibar facility near Deir ez-Zor, destroyed by Israel in September 2007, was built under North Korean supervision. North Korean participation in the reactor’s construction was confirmed by a high-level Iranian defector, Ali Reza Asghari. According to Der Spiegel, North Korean scientists were present at the site at the time of the bombing.
Let's hope they got flattened along with the reactor building...
But Assad’s fledgling nuclear program was not the only project in which Damascus was aided by Pyongyang. Cooperation also took place both in the field of conventional weapons and in that of nonnuclear weapons of mass destruction.

In an October 3 interview with Radio Free Asia, former Defense Intelligence Agency analyst Bruce Bechtol noted that North Korea has been supplying weaponry, including chemical weapons, to Syria since the early 1990s. According to Bechtol, North Korea provides the Syrians with the ability to “marry up” chemical weapons with missile systems. He noted that the North Koreans constructed two chemical weapons facilities for the Syrians, which remain in operation today.

In terms of conventional weapons, North Korea has played a vital part in Syria’s missile program.

The North Koreans are acknowledged experts in weapons smuggling process. They have continued to transport spare parts for Assad’s missiles into the country throughout the war, by air and by sea, coolly dismissive of the supposed international arms embargo.
Just who isn't dismissive of UN embargoes and sanctions these days?
According to a 2012 report prepared for the UN Security Council, South Korea intercepted one shipment in May 2012, which was carrying graphite cylinders en route to Syria for Assad’s missiles.

The Iraqi authorities also claim to have diverted a plane carrying North Korean material to Syria, last September.

Bechtol, the former DIA man, noted that “in the past few months, there’s been an uptick in the number of North Korean advisers and logistics personnel on the ground that are helping Syrians resupply themselves,” and in the maintenance of weapons systems earlier supplied by Pyongyang. Such maintenance and resupply, of course, is vital for a country engaged in a long war, in which systems are in daily use.

Why are the North Koreans doing this? The answer does not lie in the realm of ideology. Rather, the North Koreans are isolated and subject to sanctions. They need money, and will sell to whoever pays them.

So who is paying them? In the case of Syria, the answer is – almost certainly – the Iranians.

As with Russia, Syria does not get free arms handouts from its sponsors outside of the region. It instead gets free cash handouts from its regional patron, Iran, for which the survival of the Assad regime is most vital. This money is then used to pay for Pyongyang’s and Moscow’s hardware and expertise.

Of course, Iran is North Korea’s main customer in the Middle East.

So Pyongyang’s evident involvement in the Syrian war is also a matter of longstanding alliances, as well as monetary gain.

Most intriguing in the latest development is the involvement of North Korean pilots. It is not clear if these men are actually engaged in combat on behalf of Assad, or in other tasks. But their presence appears to suggest that the dictator’s problems with manpower also extend to his air force. The lack of trustworthy fighters has been the main problem facing the regime since the outbreak of the war.

Iran has sought to solve it through the insertion of large numbers of Hezbollah fighters, Iraqi Shi’ite volunteers and Iranian Revolutionary Guards into the fighting lines. If Pyongyang is now supplying pilots to the regime, then appears it can no longer rely even on its own airmen.

This is quite plausible.

On the one hand, the Assad regime is, among other things, an “air force” regime. Hafez Assad was himself a pilot and a commander of the Syrian Air Force. But as with other parts of the armed forces, the most loyal men in the air force are to be found in the most politically sensitive positions, not the most dangerous ones.

So while the very powerful Syrian Air Force Intelligence (Idarat al- Mukhabarat al-Quwwa al-Jawiya) is largely officered by Syrian Alawites, the majority of the pilots are Sunnis. As such, it is perfectly possible that the same problems of trust apply to Assad’s aircrews as those which afflict his ground forces.

The evidence suggesting the presence of North Korean soldiers and aviators in Syria ultimately furthers testimony to the determined, effective and continuing effort by Assad’s allies, from the very start of the war, to keep him in place.

It may also be assumed that the North Koreans have noted and enjoyed the rudderless, wavering US policy toward the same issue over the same period.
Link


India-Pakistan
Two seminary teachers, MQM man shot dead
2012-06-24
[Dawn] Three people, including two seminary teachers, on Friday fell victim to the ongoing wave of assassinations on sectarian and political grounds in the city, police said.

The officials added that both seminary teachers were rubbed out on Abul Hasan Ispahani Road as they were returning to the seminary, Idara Maroof-ul-Koran, on a cycle of violence after attending a Nikah in the early hours.

"Maulana Jamil Qasim, 38, and Anwar Anjum, 30, were intercepted and targeted near Paradise Bakery by gunnies riding a motorbike," said Sachal SHO Inspector Azhar Iqbal.

"The victims sustained gunshot wounds and died on their way to hospital," he said.

Police Sherlocks later collected nearly a dozen spent bullet casings of a 9mm pistol from the scene of the crime.

The intense firing sowed fear in the locality, where several roadside outlets and teashops usually remain open round the clock, compelling traders to pull down shutters.

A heavy contingent of Rangers and police later cordoned off the area.

The police Sherlocks found no reason other than sectarian for the assassination. "So far that's [sectarian] the only reason we have determined. Colleagues and friends of the victims also suspect the same motive and the investigations are expected to move forward along the same lines," said Inspector Iqbal.

He added that the bodies had been sent to their hometown in Azad Kashmire.

Later during the day, the killing of a Muttahida Qaumi Movement
...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead...
worker near Jodia Bazaar led to the closure of the city's one of the busiest commercial areas.

Police said Gulraiz Jamal, in his late 20s, was sprayed with bullets in Chaba Gali of Jodia Bazaar.

"The victim was a resident of the same area," said an official at the Kharadar cop shoppe. "He was returning home when two men riding a motorbike targeted him. He was hit by six bullets and was struck down in his prime."

The police said the victim before joining the MQM was associated with the Sunni Tehrik
...formed in Karachi in 1992 under by Muhammad Saleem Qadri. It quickly fell to trading fisticuffs and liquidations with the MQM and the Sipah-e-Sahaba, with at least a half dozen of its major leaders rubbed out. Sunni Tehreek arose to become the primary opposition to the Deobandi Binori Mosque, headed by Nizamuddin Shamzai, who was eventually bumped off by person or persons unknown. ST's current leadership has heavily criticized the Deobandi Jihadi leaders, accusing them of being sponsored by Indian Intelligence agencies as well as involvement in terrorist activities...
SSP South Asif Ajaz Sheikh confirmed to Dawn that it was an act of assassination.

Tension gripped the old city area soon after the killing, causing closure of shops and turning traffic on roads thin. The situation started returning to normality after the sunset.

Body found

The tortured body of a young man was found by a side of Qayyumabad road close to the Korangi Industrial Area in the early hours of Friday, said police.

The victim, in his mid-20s, had been trussed up before being strangled to death, they added.

"The victim was wearing shalwar kameez," said Korangi Industrial Area SHO Inspector Malik Ayub. "The body has been shifted to the Edhi morgue after medico-legal formalities at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for want of identification."
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