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PhOtOs-Terrorist Plants Another Huge Bomb Near Somali Airport
Woolwich Murder Suspect 'Held Two Months Ago'
Local shopkeepers say one of the suspects was part of a group of Muslim activists who had been reported to police several times. http://media.skynews.com/media/image...-1-522x293.jpg Murder suspect Michael Adebowale By Tom Parmenter, Sky News Correspondent UK, Sunday 26 May 2013 One of the men suspected of murdering Drummer Lee Rigby was detained by police two months ago, Sky News has been told. Shopkeepers in south London said Scotland’s Yard’s elite unit SO15 have been monitoring Michael Adebowale for over a year. The police inquiries have centred around the activities of a small group of Muslim men who based themselves in the shadow of the Cutty Sark ship in Greenwich. Adebowale was part of the group that regularly preached hate at a makeshift activist stall outside shops on the high street. Sky News can reveal that Adebowale’s group were investigated for publicly abusing soldiers who were guarding the Olympics at Royal Greenwich Park last summer. Two months ago shopkeepers say they saw the suspect being detained by police officers - but the Metropolitan Police could not confirm or deny whether it was him. Local traders also said Adebowale’s accomplices included a tall Asian looking man who wore glasses and a white Irish convert who had red hair and a goatee beard. All three men wore traditional Islamic dress. On one occasion a 25-year-old sweet shop worker complained that Adebowale launched into a horrific street rant about rape. Local police officers told Sky News that during the Olympics in August 2012 they received complaints that Adebowale’s group were allegedly targeting soldiers and sailors staying on HMS Ocean. The Navy’s biggest ship, housing 600 Royal Signal Corpsmen and 1200 crew, was berthed just 50 metres from Adebowale’s family home at Greenwich Quay. Adebowale lived with his mother at Macey House on Thames Street, Greenwich, just a short distance from where the carrier was anchored. One police officer said: "The group used to turn up every couple of months with a table and they would give out leaflets. "But during the Olympics they began shouting abuse at the soldiers and sailors who were guarding the park. One man was arrested. "During the briefings we were told that SO15 were interested in them. "It was taken seriously as the men were targeting soldiers who had to walk to and from the ship where they were staying.” Retail assistant Aneesh Edakkavil, 32, said the police came to his souvenir shop to look at the CCTV after the incident. The former Indian Army soldier said: "One of them was arrested outside the shop and the police came to see me after the Olympics to gather the evidence. "Unfortunately, the CCTV camera did not cover the area where they were shouting out so they couldn’t find anything. I do not know whether he was charged. "The African guy, who killed the soldier in Woolwich, was there and I think he was the one that was taken away. "They kept coming back right up until two months ago. Sometimes there was a tall guy with them." Sky News can also reveal Adebowale was reported to the police for grooming a 12-year-old schoolboy into Islamic extremism. A local trader, who did not wish to be named, said how he watched Adebowale brainwash the child with speeches against Britain. The shop keeper was later told by police that Adebowale was being monitored by security services and his movements were being monitored. A 25-year-old sweet shop worker called Claire who lives on the same Eastney Street estate where Adebowale stayed with his girlfriend said: "About one month ago I saw him trying to get everyone to take his leaflets. He was shouting about rape, saying, “Stop causing rape”, to everyone. "I was shaking my head saying: "What are you saying? "I know that one day he got arrested by the police for shouting abuse at people." A manager at Carphone Warehouse called Jamen confirmed that the Islamic stall popped up just before Christmas. Fran, 45, said: "One day I asked him to move from outside the front door and he went quietly. He was preaching loudly. He was very nice when I asked him." http://media.skynews.com/media/image...-1-522x293.jpg Drummer Lee Rigby died in a suspected terror attack in London http://media.skynews.com/media/image...-1-252x337.jpg Lee Rigby's wife visits the spot where he died . |
re: Photos/Videos-Terrorist Murderer Attacked in Prison
Woolwich Soldier Murder: Three More Arrests
12:34am Sky News UK, Sunday 26 May 2013 Three more men have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder the British soldier who was hacked to death in Woolwich. Two men aged 24 and 28 were arrested at a residential address in London while a 21-year-old man was arrested in the street, Scotland Yard said in a statement. Taser electric stun guns were used on the two older suspects. Police have also been searching four residential addresses in south-east London. The latest arrests came as Sky News was told Michael Adebowale - one of the men suspected of murdering Drummer Lee Rigby - was detained by police two months ago. http://media.skynews.com/media/image...-1-522x293.jpg Michael Adebolajo is one of two suspects under armed guard in hospital Local shopkeepers say he was part of a group of Muslim activists who had been reported to police several times. They were told the authorities were aware of him. A preliminary report into what the intelligence services knew about Adebowale and his fellow suspect Michael Adebolajo is set to be handed over to an inquiry next week. Sir Malcolm Rifkind, chairman of the parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee, said he had been briefed by the director general of MI5, Andrew Parker, a couple of days ago. http://media.skynews.com/media/image...-1-522x293.jpg Lee Rigby's current partner who is in the military He added: "What we will be wishing to know is to what extent the intelligence services had any awareness of the two individuals." Adebowale and Adebolajo are suspected of carrying out the killing in broad daylight last Wednesday. Drummer Rigby, 25, was hit by a car and then attacked with weapons including a knife and a meat cleaver but the cause of his death was not confirmed by a post-mortem examination. The two suspects are still under armed guard in hospital after being shot by police. Both are known activists in south-east London. http://media.skynews.com/media/image...-1-522x293.jpg Abu Nusaybah claimed he was a friend of Adebolajo Meanwhile, it was alleged MI5 attempted to recruit Adebolajo as an informer six months ago, according to a childhood friend who was arrested shortly after making the claim. Abu Nusaybah said Adebolajo had rejected approaches from MI5 operatives, but his friend had denied knowing certain individuals the security service was interested in. Nusaybah was arrested in a BBC studio shortly after making the claims in a Newsnight interview, the BBC reported. He said in his television interview that he thought Adebolajo had undergone a "change" following his detention by security forces on a 2012 trip to Kenya. He said Adebolajo suggested he had been physically and sexually abused while he was interrogated in the African country, and after this he became withdrawn and "less talkative - he wasn't his usual bubbly self". Nusaybah said Adebolajo told him that when he returned to the UK he was "followed by MI5" who were "knocking on his door" - a claim that has not been verified by Whitehall. Nusaybah said: "His wording was, 'They are bugging me - they won't leave me alone.' "He mentioned initially they wanted to ask him if he knew certain individuals. http://media.skynews.com/media/image...-1-522x293.jpg Drummer Rigby with his son, Jack "But after him saying that he didn't know these individuals, what he said was they asked him if he would be interested in working for them. "He was explicit in that he refused to work for them but he did confirm he didn't know the individuals." Scotland Yard refused to confirm the man arrested at the BBC was Nusaybah, although a spokesman said a 31-year-old man had ben detained at BBC premises in London on suspicion of terrorism offences. The arrest was made at 9.30pm on Friday by officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter-Terrorism Command on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. http://media.skynews.com/media/image...-1-522x293.jpg Hundreds of flowers have been left near where Drummer Rigby died The suspect was taken to a south London police station for questioning. A Scotland Yard spokesman said the case was not directly linked to the killing of Drummer Rigby. Meanwhile, pictures have been released of Drummer Rigby in 2009 firing a machine gun in Afghanistan, one of the countries where he served. http://media.skynews.com/media/image...-1-522x293.jpg Drummer Rigby pictured in Afghanistan in 2009 (Pic: Nato TV) The family of the serviceman paid a touching tribute when they spoke for the first time on Friday. The soldier's stepfather, Ian, read a statement from the family: "What can we say about Lee, our hero? We are so so proud of Lee. When Lee was born the family adored him, he was a precious gift given to us. "Lee's dream growing up was always to join the Army, which he succeeded in doing. He was dedicated and loved his job." Drummer Rigby's wife Rebecca, the mother of their two-year-old son Jack, said through tears that he was "a devoted father". A 29-year-old man arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder on Thursday has been bailed to return pending further inquiries. Two women aged 29 and 31 who were also arrested on Thursday on suspicion of conspiracy to murder have both been released without charge. |
re: Photos/Videos-Terrorist Murderer Attacked in Prison
Smile of a fanatic's sister: Bizarre grin of Blessing, 32, as she is led away by police after brother Michael 'hacked British soldier to death'
The sister of the terror suspect accused of hacking a soldier to death smiled yesterday as she was escorted from her home and got into a police car. Blessing Adebolajo, 32, was led from her property yesterday morning just hours after her brother Michael, 28, was filmed ranting with blood on his hands yards from the body of the murdered soldier in Woolwich. Blessing was carrying a bag full of clothes as she got into an unmarked police vehicle outside her flat in Romford, Essex, last Friday. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...44_634x546.jpg Suspect's sister: Blessing Adebolajo, 32, smiles as she gets into an unmarked police car outside her home in Romford, Essex It is understood she was not arrested, but police will undoubtedly want to question her about her brother who neighbours said was seen regularly at the house. A woman purporting to be Adebolajo's sister told the Romford Recorder newspaper yesterday: 'We didn't know he was going to do this. Adebolajo and Michael Adebowale, 22, have been identified as the men suspected of murdering Drummer Lee Rigby. Blessing - who has also gone by the surname Daniels - lives on the top floor of the property and used to share the home with her terror suspect brother, neighbours told The Times. Graham Wells, 30, claimed that Adebolajo smoked drugs when he was staying there. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...70_634x361.jpg Led away: Blessing Adebolajo gets into the vehicle yesterday and was taken away. 'He liked to smoke a bit of green (marijuana). We played football, a kick-about on the courts. He was a big lad, not the sort of guy you'd want to cross,' he told the newspaper. 'He used to be a normal bloke. he always had a big smile on his face. he'd say "All right Wellsy, all right boy, what's happening?".' Police also raided a home in Saxilby, Lincolnshire, yesterday which is believed to belong to the terror suspect's father Anthony, 56. In a chilling rant captured on camera the other side of the road from where drummer Lee Rigby, 25, lay dead, the suspect named as Adebolajo declared: 'The only reason we have killed this man today is because Muslims are dying daily by British soldiers.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...42_634x753.jpg Search: Police and forensic officers enter the top floor flat in Romford, Essex, where Adebolajo's sister Blessing lives. Neighbours said he used to live at the property Former schoolfriends of Adebolajo said yesterday he was a 'bright and witty' boy who came from a devoutly Christian family. However, he is understood to have converted to Islam in around 2003. His mother and father are hard-working Nigerian immigrants from an academic family in West Africa who settled in London in the early 1980s. Virtually all the friends on his Facebook page have traditional British names such as Louise, Kelly, Robert, Craig, Gemma, Lauren and Paul, to name a few. Among them is Matthew Selt, now a professional snooker player. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...05_634x386.jpg After the killing: Michael Adebolajo, 28, pictured on Wednesday, once served a jail sentence for violence http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...19_634x426.jpg Angels of Woolwich: Gemini Donnelly-Martin, 20, and her mother Amanda (right) talk to one of the alleged attackers with blood on his hands. Meanwhile, Ingrid Loyau-Kennett (left) talks to the other suspect, identified as Michael Adebowale. Lee Rigby lies dead in the road He was 'just a lovely, lovely guy', in the words of former classmate Stephen Cavalier – who, as a serving PC in the Metropolitan Police – could scarcely have followed a different path. Speaking at his home in Essex yesterday, Mr Cavalier said: 'It seems odd to say it now, after the events of yesterday, but I remember him as just a lovely, lovely guy. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...64_634x433.jpg Search: Police forensic teams check the gutters of the home where Blessing Daniels lives in Romford yesterday http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...27_634x455.jpg Search: Forensic officers were seen going in and out of the top floor flat in Romford, Essex, throughout the day yesterday 'I knew Michael at Marshalls Park School in Romford when we were teenagers. He was a good sportsman and just an all-round nice guy.' He said he was no longer close to Adebolajo, who had requested they become 'Facebook friends' a few years ago. 'As soon as I saw the news last night I immediately recognised it was Michael. I was in shock really when I saw him.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...25_634x422.jpg Previously: Michael Adebolajo was in a group of Muslim extremists who fought with police outside the Old Bailey in 2006. He had been arguing that he had the right to 'behead those who insult Islam' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...54_634x478.jpg Terror suspect: Anjem Choudary (right) claimed that this is him pictured with Michael Adebolajo, 28, (circled) at an Islamist demonstration in London in 2007 Throughout the frenzied attack the two killers shouted ‘Allah Akbar’ – Arabic for ‘God is great’ – then demanded horrified witnesses film them as they ranted over the crumpled body. The two black men in their 20s, waited calmly for armed police to arrive before charging at officers brandishing a rusty revolver, knives and meat cleavers. When the old pistol was shot towards police it backfired and blew the thumb off one of the men. Moments later they were cut down in a hail of bullets believed to be fired by a woman marksman. Last night both men were being treated in hospital for their wounds and will face questioning. IRONIC- Murderer Mourns Death of Soldier Killed in Iraq: Adebolajo was best friends at school with a war hero who died in Iraq. Friends said Michael Adebolajo, who was filmed holding a knife in blood-covered hands after Drummer Lee Rigby was brutally killed in Woolwich on Wednesday, had to be consoled at the funeral of Lance Corporal Kirk Redpath in 2007. L/Cpl Redpath's younger brother Grant, 26, told The Sun that Adebolajo went to their house in Romford, Essex, nearly every day after school during his teenage years. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...76_306x428.jpg L/Cpl Kirk Redpath http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...57_306x428.jpg Schoolfriends: Michael Adebolajo (bottom) was comforted at the funeral of L/Cpl Kirk Redpath (above) in 2007 http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...02_634x746.jpg Killed: L/Cpl Redpath died when an IED blew up his Land Rover near Basra continued...... . |
re: Photos/Videos-Terrorist Murderer Attacked in Prison
Man charged with making 'racist or anti-religious' Facebook comments about British soldier’s death
A 22-year-old man has been charged on suspicion of making malicious comments on Facebook following the murder of British soldier Lee Rigby. Benjamin Flatters, from Lincoln, was arrested last night after complaints were made to Lincolnshire Police about comments made on Facebook, which were allegedly of a racist or anti-religious nature. He was charged with an offence of malicious communications this afternoon in relation to the comments, a Lincolnshire Police spokesman said. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...23_634x804.jpg Fallen hero: Father Lee Rigby, 25, from Manchester, was killed in Woolwich last Wednesday A second man was visited by officers and warned about his activity on social media, the spokesman added. It comes after 25-year-old Drummer Rigby was brutally murdered on a street in Woolwich, south east London, on Wednesday. The father-of-one, from Manchester, had fought in Afghanistan with the 2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. Flatters has been remanded in police custody and will appear before magistrates in Lincoln tomorrow. The charge comes after two men were earlier released on bail following their arrest for making alleged offensive comments on Twitter about the murder. Complaints were made to Avon and Somerset Police about remarks that appeared on the social networking website, which were allegedly of a racist or anti-religious nature. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...76_306x423.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...29_306x423.jpg A great character: Father of one, soldier Lee Rigby, of Greater Manchester, pictured relaxing on Army leave Shocking: The Twitter comments come after the attack in London. Police say they do even more harm to the community A 23-year-old and a 22-year-old, both from Bristol, were held under the Public Order Act on suspicion of inciting racial or religious hatred. Detective Inspector Ed Yaxley, of Avon and Somerset Police, said: 'On Wednesday evening, we were contacted by people concerned about comments made on social media accounts. 'We began inquiries into the comments and at around 3.20am two men, aged 23 and 22, were detained at two addresses in Bristol. 'The men were arrested under the Public Order Act on suspicion of inciting racial or religious hatred. Our inquiries into these comments continue. 'These comments were directed against a section of our community. Comments such as these are completely unacceptable and only cause more harm to our community in Bristol. 'People should stop and think about what they say on social media before making statements as the consequences could be serious.' Police confirmed the two men were later released on bail pending further inquiries. continued...... |
re: Photos/Videos-Terrorist Murderer Attacked in Prison
Betrayal of a hero father: How MI5 spent EIGHT YEARS watching violent ex-prisoner who preached outside Poundland just yards from murder scene only days before soldier was hacked to death
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...-5_306x541.jpg Murdered: Drummer Lee Rigby with his wife Rebecca at their wedding in 2007. Their son Jack is just two MI5 had been monitoring the two fanatics responsible for the slaughter of a young soldier near Woolwich barracks for eight years. The Security Service is facing an inquiry by MPs amid a raft of devastating revelations about the killers’ known links to Islamist extremism. One of the pair – Michael Adebolajo – was so high profile he was photographed outside Paddington Green police station six years ago behind notorious hate preacher Anjem Choudary. He was even intercepted by officials as he attempted to travel to Somalia to fight alongside Islamist terrorists last year. It also emerged that Adebolajo was a violent ex-prisoner who was a member of a banned terrorist group. Incredibly, he was said to have been preaching jihad on the streets of Woolwich earlier this week, only a few hundred yards from where 25-year-old Army Drummer Lee Rigby – a married father – was beheaded. As MI5 faced accusations that they let the men slip through the net, David Cameron ordered a full intelligence review by a Westminster committee. On a dramatic day:
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...25_634x422.jpg Previously: Michael Adebolajo was in a group of Muslim extremists who fought with police outside the Old Bailey in 2006. He had been arguing that he had the right to 'behead those who insult Islam' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...54_634x478.jpg Terror suspect: Anjem Choudary (right) claimed that this is him pictured with Michael Adebolajo, 28, (circled) at an Islamist demonstration in London in 2007 Police chiefs described the counter terrorism investigation, one of the largest in recent history, as ‘complex and fast-moving’. Adeolajo, 28, and his friend remained under armed guard in separate hospitals being treated for gunshot wounds. They are expected to recover fully. The second suspect was reported last night by news outlets including Channel 4 News and The Times to be Michael Adebowale, 22, of Greenwich, south-east London. The list of questions faced by the authorities was growing fast as evidence of the danger the two men posed to Britain grew. Sources said both men featured in ‘a number’ of counter terrorism investigations in recent years but were not seen as a ‘threat to life’. Yet Adebolajo, who was born in South London but is of Nigerian descent, was linked to Choudary as long ago as 2003. The former fitness instructor is believed to have been a member of Al Muhajiroun, which was led by the hate preacher until it was banned by the Government. Aftermath: The men waited for 20 minutes saying they wanted to shoot the police, but were gunned down themselves and are shown here being detained http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...03_634x472.jpg Hovering: An air ambluance comes into land on Woolwich's Wellington Street as crowds gather at the scene of the murder He was jailed at least once for violence and friends said he was a member of a gang of knife-wielding street robbers in his hometown of Romford, Essex. 'This country will be absolutely resolute in its stand against violent extremism and terror. We will never give in to terror or terrorism in any of its forms' Prime Minister David Cameron Footage showed him standing directly behind Choudary during a protest outside Paddington Green police station in April 2007. It is believed he may have also been held by the Met in 2006 after protesting outside the Old Bailey during the trial of four Muslim men. The defendants were ultimately jailed for their part in protests at the Danish embassy in London against cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...77_634x418.jpg Tearful: A mourner is overcome as he surveys the field of flowers that has been laid in Woolwich in recent days http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...50_634x482.jpg Tributes: A group of mothers and their children head to the Bararcks to leave flowers and messages for the dead soldier, who also had a son, two http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...65_634x437.jpg Sad: Bouquets and wreaths are being left along the street and tied to teh railings close to where Lee Rigby died http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...63_634x545.jpg Personal: This anonymous message was to Lee and thanked him for what he did for Britain http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...71_634x495.jpg Moved: Three young women prepare to lay flowers where the unnamed soldier was murdered brutally in Woolwich on Wednesday http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...55_634x435.jpg Message: A handwritten note was also left by one member of the public left distraught by what happened to the murdered man Lee Rigby http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...70_634x416.jpg Attached to a bunch of white roses, the neatly written note is from a person who didn't know the victim but felt moved to visit where he died Men linked to Al Muhajiroun gathered outside the high security police station after Muslim convert Abu Izzadeen was arrested for inciting terrorism. Unbelievably, it is also claimed he was intercepted by police as he attempted to travel to Somalia last year to fight jihad. Sources said Adebolajo wanted to join Al-Shabaab, a notorious Al Qaeda affiliate responsible for terrorising the region. The 28-year-old was seen as recently as 2 weeks agp wearing white robes and a cap as he preached outside a branch of Poundland in Woolwich. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...71_634x517.jpg Delicate: A forensic officers examine a revolver at the scene and places it in a protective box pistol close to Woolwich Barracks http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...72_634x432.jpg Forensic approach: A team of police comb over grass and a brick wall for evidence to be used in this shocking murder case http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...65_634x450.jpg Police have guarded the area where Lee Rigby was killed for at least 48 hours as they investigate exactly what happened Regiment's tribute to hero father Drummer Lee Rigby http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...66_290x163.jpg Residents said the former University of Greenwich student was handing out leaflets encouraging locals to support rebels in Syria. The second attacker, named last night in reports as Michael Adebowale, 22, is believed to have been born in Nigeria before becoming a naturalised British citizen. 'This is going to be a big blow to the new director of MI5, who has only been in the job for a couple of weeks' Professor Anthony Glees, University of Buckingham A woman believed to be his girlfriend was arrested during a raid at his home in a block of council flats in Woolwich. Security officials are currently monitoring more than 2,000 suspects and sources point out they must target their resources on the fanatics considered to pose the greatest danger. They also say MI5’s resources have been dramatically increased since the July 7 bombings which has meant the number of suspects crossing the ‘radar’ of surveillance teams has itself soared. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...90_306x565.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...63_306x565.jpg Patrols: Two soldiers, one of them carrying a firearm, walk outside Woolwich Barracks http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...47_634x564.jpg Tribute: Prime Minister David Cameron, speaking outside Number 10. Condemnation: David Cameron, said the attack would bring the UK together and 'make us stronger' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...34_634x441.jpg Scene: London Mayor Boris Johnson speaks to police officers just yards from where the soldier was brutally murdered http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...15_634x456.jpg Police previously raided a house which is believed to be connected with Woolwich murder suspect Michael Adebolajo. His father Anthony is said to live at this Lincolnshire address http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...45_634x522.jpg Former home: Michael Adebolajo lived in this house in Romford with his parents while he converted to Islam as a teenager Professor Anthony Glees, director of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham, said; MI5 made the ‘wrong call’. He said: ‘This is going to be a big blow to the new director of MI5, who has only been in the job for a couple of weeks.’ But Patrick Mercer, a Tory MP and counter terrorism expert, said it is ‘impossible’ for police and security services to keep us ‘100 per cent secure’. continued..... |
re: Photos/Videos-Terrorist Murderer Attacked in Prison
'God destined for soldier to die': Radical cleric banned from UK applauds attack as police are urged to investigate inciting hatred
A radical Muslim cleric has claimed 'God destined' for British solider Lee Rigby to die in the barbaric terror attack on the streets of Woolwich. Omar Bakri Mohammed, who is banned from Britain, has given interviews in Lebanon applauding the 'heroes' who slaughtered the 25-year-old in an apparently unprovoked attack on Wednesday. It comes as the police are urged to monitor closely comments by leading radical clerics in the UK to see if they have broken the law in the days since the attack. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...11_306x423.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...08_306x423.jpg Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed has said he understands why the suspects would have carried out the attacks and even called suspect Michael Adebolajo (left) a ‘hero’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...53_634x400.jpg Islamist preacher Omar Bakri praised Michael Adebolajo for remaining at the murder scene The BBC, ITV and Channel 4 have been condemned for giving airtime to Anjem Choudary and other militant Islamists this week. Critics say the radical preachers in Britain are carefully 'flying close to the wind' by appearing to support the Woolwich killing without breaking laws on inciting religious hatred. But Bakri Mohammed, speaking from abroad, has gone much further. In an interview with The Independent, he said he understood why the suspects would have carried out the barbaric attack on Drummer Lee Rigby. He said: ‘I saw the film and we could see that he (the suspect) was being very courageous. ‘Under Islam this can be justified, he was not targeting civilians, he was taking on a military man in an operation. To people around here (in the Middle East) he is a hero.’ Bakri Mohammed, who developed the extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir in the UK before founding Al-Muhajiroun, has even said.... he knew Adebolajo personally and converted him to Islam. The cleric is said to have close links to al-Qaeda and once known as the Tottenham Ayatollah for his radical sermons before leaving London shortly after the 2005 bombings. He now lives in exile in Lebanon after being told by the Home Office that he would not be allowed to return to the UK. He claimed that he once owned a stall in London which Adebolajo would visit. The pair would talk about the ‘meaning of life’ and Adebolajo began attending open talks and meetings. In a separate interview with Reuters today, he added: I think Michael, or Mujahid, is going to stand for what God has destined for him. 'God destined for him to carry out the attack and God destined for the British soldier to die for the cause he believed in.' He added that while Muslims in Britain condemned the attack, Muslims in Lebanon are 'proud' of it. Meanwhile the decision to give Choudary airtime has attracted fierce criticism. On BBC Newsnight he was challenged over video footage showing Michael Adebolajo, one of Drummer Rigby's suspected killers, attempting to justify the slaughter with an attack on British foreign policy. Choudary claimed 'what he said in the clip, I think not many Muslims can disagree with'. Former army officer Tory MP Bob Stewart said he was confident the police were monitoring Choudary closely. 'He was sailing close to the wind but he knew exactly what was saying to make sure he didn't go too far. If he advocates racial killing we have a law against racially aggravated crime.' Yesterday Mr Stewart, a former Army colonel, said the time had come to tear up human rights laws and deport extremists deemed to be a threat to the public. He said Labour’s Human Rights Act, which enshrines the European Convention on Human Rights, should be scrapped immediately to allow the authorities to take tougher action against terror suspects and those who encourage them. Mr Stewart called on Home Secretary Theresa May to begin the process immediately by deporting hate preacher Abu Qatada to his native Jordan, where he faces terrorism charges. He said the security services should go through the estimated 3,000 terror suspects they are monitoring and take immediate action against any deemed to be a threat. Mr Stewart, a former commander of UN forces in Bosnia during the Balkans conflict, added: ‘It may not be as democratic as libertarians would like but, I am sorry, we are fighting a war.’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...78_634x400.jpg Hate preacher: The BBC released footage of Michael Adebolajo standing behind Anjem Choudary in 2007 http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...89_634x400.jpg :arrrrrgh:...On Newsnight: Kirsty Walk (c) interviewed Choudary (l) last night with the Ebrahim College Imam and director Shams Adduha Muhammad (r) and and the Islamic Society of Britain executive director Julie Siddiqui (cr)... :arrrrrgh: Senior Foreign Office minister Baroness Warsi spoke out last night against the decison to give Choudary airtime. She said: ‘We all have a responsibility, including the media, not to give airtime to extremist voices – idiots and nutters who speak for no one but themselves. ‘The heartening thing in the midst of all this tragedy is that the British Muslim community has, with a unified, unreserved voice, condemned the killing and pledged support for our armed forces. ‘This is a real maturing of the community which has taken years of painstaking work and frank discussions behind closed doors. 'This time everyone has stepped up to the mark. Yet here broadcasters are undoing all this by giving a platform to one appalling man who represents nobody. I am really angry.’ Choudary, former head of banned Islamist organisation Al Muhajiroun, was behind the planned protest march in 2010 through Royal Wootton Bassett, the town where dead British soldiers were repatriated. He has been accused of radicalising Adebolajo – the blood-soaked man who was filmed in the aftermath of the horrific attack berating the British government – in the mid-2000s. Defence Secretary Jim Murphy said on Twitter: ‘Banned from France but welcome on Newsnight. A mistake of the BBC to invite Anjem Choudary onto the telly tonight.’ Sadiq Khan, Labour’s Shadow Justice Secretary, also condemned the BBC’s decision, telling LBC radio that the radical was an ‘offensive and obnoxious media tart’ with no followers. |
re: VIDEOs-Syria Govt Goes"Too Far"-US Plan Military Action
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BBC 13 June 2013 Assad Forces used Chemical Weapons - White House Syrian forces under President Bashar al-Assad have used chemical weapons "on a small scale" against the opposition rebels, the White House has said. A senior aide to President Barack Obama said the US estimated 100-150 people had died in "multiple" attacks. Ben Rhodes said the president had decided to provide unspecified "military support" to the opposition. The White House had previously warned that the US considers the use of such weapons crossing a "red line". Mr Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser to Mr Obama, said the US previously had no "reliable" evidence the opposition had used chemical weapons. Earlier, the United Nations said the number of those killed in the Syrian conflict had risen to more than 93,000 people. Calculus 'changed' Mr Rhodes said the president had made the decision to increase assistance, including "military support", to the opposition's Supreme Military Council (SMC). He declined to provide further details, other than to say it would be "different in scope and scale to what we have provided before". "The president has been clear that the use of chemical weapons - or the transfer of chemical weapons to terrorist groups - is a red line for the US," Mr Rhodes said. "Our intelligence community now has a high confidence assessment that chemical weapons have been used on a small scale by the Assad regime in Syria. The president has said that the use of chemical weapons would change his calculus, and it has." Mr Rhodes said US intelligence agencies had concluded Mr Assad's forces had used chemical weapons, including the nerve agent sarin, based on battlefield reports, "descriptions of physiological symptoms" from alleged victims, and laboratory analysis of samples obtained from alleged victims. However, the full number killed by chemical weapons was "likely incomplete", Mr Rhodes said in a conference call with reporters. "Put simply, the Assad regime should know that its actions have led us to increase the scope and scale of assistance that we provide to the opposition," he said, including direct support to the SMC. "These efforts will increase going forward." Further actions will be taken "on our own timeline", Mr Rhodes said. VIDEO- WARNING - Disturbing Images of Syrians Injured by Chemical Weapons Click Here: Syria To be continued...... . |
Photos-US Secret Base=Training Syrian Rebels for War
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Assad-busters: At a Secret Base in Jordan, U.S Special Forces are Training Syrian Rebels for War...but loads fear sleeper cells in their nation will wreak a Terrible Revenge
Flying low over the Jordanian desert, F-16 fighter jets flatten targets in the sand while tanks unleash their deadly firepower and paratroopers dot the late afternoon sky. These were the scenes a fortnight ago in Operation Eager Lion, the United States-led exercise involving 8,000 service personnel that the military insists was only routine. In Jordan, though, the war games now feel like a precursor to the invasion of neighbouring Syria. And not just because live rounds were fired. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...64_634x465.jpg Special operations forces from Iraq, Jordan and the U.S. conduct an exercise as part of operation Eager Lion at the King Abdullah Special Operations Training Center in Amman, Jordan http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...28_634x399.jpg The coastal city of Aqaba was the site of military exercises are said to be designed to promote military relationships and face terrorism Concerns were raised further last week with news that the CIA and US Special Forces are training Syrian rebels at a secret base in the remote south-west of the country. The Free Syrian Army fighters are mainly from Daraa, where the uprising began in March 2011. It is not known how many of the rebels have passed through the US base, but it is understood 20 to 45 at a time have been attending two-week courses since December – and are being trained with Russian-designed 14.5mm anti-tank rifles and 23mm anti-aircraft weapons. Operation Eager Lion may have ended two weeks ago but 900 combat-ready American servicemen remain behind, with many now based close to the strategically important northern border. Disquiet over what may happen next is felt all over this desert kingdom – a key ally of Britain and America and one that has played a pivotal role in the power struggle in the Middle East. Few Jordanians doubt that the West is now more determined than ever to meet the rebels’ demand for heavy arms. But while they share the same desire to rid Syria of President Bashar Assad, the majority – motivated by a strong sense of self-preservation – view the unfolding scenario as potentially disastrous. And not just because of the fear that the weapons will find their way into the hands of extremist elements among the rebels, including Al Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra. Or that Assad’s friends in Russia and Iran will respond in kind. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...23_634x398.jpg The military training exercises are based close to the strategically important northern border with Syria http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...78_634x340.jpg A rocket is fired during the operation. Jordan's Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour insists that US forces are not preparing for a war in Syria It is because they believe the arms will inevitably have to pass through Jordan to reach Syria. This, they argue, will enrage Assad, who may well seek revenge. In the wood-panelled bars of Jabal Al-Weibdeh, the Christian quarter of the capital Amman, opinion-formers and decision-makers meet daily over tea and shisha to discuss the threat to their country. Here, whenever David Cameron and Barack Obama speak of civil war in Syria, which has already cost the lives of more than 100,000 men, women and children, their words are seized upon, scrutinised and debated. Coverage of the G8 summit in Northern Ireland was almost as keenly watched in Amman as the Arab Idol song contest. Should Jordan be seen to be too readily helping its Western allies, it is argued, Assad might activate Syrian ‘sleeper cells’ in the capital and elsewhere. ‘It is estimated that around 4,000 Assad loyalists and Hezbollah members have infiltrated our towns and cities and are ready and waiting to rise up,’ said Ahmad Hassan Alzoubi, one of Jordan’s foremost political commentators. Their numbers have been swollen by fighters who have entered the country among the waves of Syrian refugees. Mr Alzoubi added: ‘The fear is they will try to destabilise our country.’ Targets are thought to include strategic military facilities. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...86_634x341.jpg Operation Eager Lion may have ended two weeks ago but 900 combat-ready American servicemen remain http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...44_634x327.jpg If Jordan is seen to be too keen to help its Western allies, it is argued, Assad might activate Syrian 'sleeper cells' in the capital and elsewhere A senior government official said that the cells ‘may try to assassinate prominent Jordanians’. In the past, sleeper cells in Jordan have been activated by Hezbollah for attacks on Israel through the West Bank. Even so, Jordan remains, at least for now, one of the region’s safest countries, its significance arising partly from its strategic location at the crossroads of the Holy Land. It is also one of only two Arab nations to have made peace with Israel. ‘So far the spotlight has been on northern Syria, around Aleppo, where the rebels are strong,’ said Mr Alzoubi. ‘But the significance of what is happening in the south, near our border – which is near Damascus – cannot be overlooked. ‘This is the route the West will use to move arms for the rebels. And, ultimately, it is only in the capital of Syria that victory for the rebels can be achieved.’ For the time being at least Jordan’s Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour insists that US forces are not preparing for a war in Syria. He said they are in the Arab kingdom to bolster its defence and prevent the civil war from spreading across its border. Of the 900, he added, 200 are training Jordanians to handle a chemical attack. The remaining 700 are manning a Patriot missile-defence system and F-16 fighter jets. ‘If the war continues, it’s a problem, and if it ends with the collapse of the regime, we also have a problem,’ said Mr Ensour. He added that the fall of Assad’s regime would leave a ‘vacuum, whereby attacks and conflicts would persist’. That scenario appears to be a long way off. For now, few believe Assad will go anywhere soon, particularly as he appears to be in the ascendancy. After successfully recapturing the town of Qusair near the Lebanese border, regime forces have moved on rebel strongholds around Damascus and the Jordanian border. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...37_306x519.jpg Jordan's Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour insists that US forces are not preparing for a war in Syria ‘The regime is directing its forces to the border region,’ said Abu Mohammad al-Darawi, who heads a Free Syrian Army battalion outside the southern city of Daraa. ‘We can no longer guarantee the safety of refugees trying to enter Jordan.’ Yesterday, thousands of refugees were stranded across the border because pro-Assad forces, fighting alongside mercenaries from Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia party, had cut off access routes to Jordan, which has already taken in more than 550,000 people. More than 160,000 of them are in the Zaatari refugee camp, which has effectively become Jordan’s fifth largest city. While many are still desperate to reach it, others are already starting to leave. Already this month some 9,000 Syrians abandoned Zaatari to answer the rebels’ call to return to their homeland and ‘defend’ their towns. Many more have simply had enough of the camp, which has become increasingly lawless, and long to start a new life in Amman which is off-limits to them. Bearing the brunt of the Syrians’ frustrations have been humanitarian agency workers. ‘There have been around 70 cases where agency workers have been attacked with sticks and rocks,’ said Mohammed Ali, a clinic manager with Jordan Health Aid Society. ‘Last month a policeman was stabbed by a refugee. There have been demonstrations, with refugees burning down their tents. People are becoming frustrated because they have been here so long.’ On the surface, however, the camp appears well-equipped, with schools, sports facilities, shops and even a tailor. ‘I don’t want to go back to fight in Syria – I just want to go home and live peacefully,’ said Abu Jarah, a 30-year-old barber. He arrived at Zaatari in December with his wife after his two-year-old daughter, Shouq, was shot dead by regime forces as he carried her across a street in Daraa. ‘The bullet hit her in the head and she was blown out of my arms,’ he said. ‘It was the most terrible day of my life.’ On Wednesday Jordan’s King Abdullah said: ‘We will not allow anything to compromise our national security or harm our citizens.’ On Friday, at Jordan’s main border crossing with Syria, a burly guard’s discourse on Manchester United’s chances of success without Sir Alex Ferguson was brought to an abrupt halt by a burst of mortar fire. The loud boom broke the desert stillness and made the guard spring from his chair. Jabbing the air with a cigarette, he estimated that it came from at least two miles away, which seemed to calm his colleagues. Eventually their tension subsided, but didn’t disappear entirely. The men fell silent, their discussion about football and ‘Mr Alex’ forgotten. Despite the King’s assurance, his people remain edgy. They simply can’t escape the feeling that Jordan, a bit-part player, has been reluctantly shoved on to centre stage. |
re: Photos/Videos-Terrorist Murderer Attacked in Prison
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Woolwich Murder Suspect Michael Adebolajo 'Attacked in Prison' By Daily Mail UK, 18 July 2013 Terror suspect Michael Adebolajo, one of the men accused of murdering Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich, is believed to have been attacked in prison. Reports claim the 28-year-old, of Romford in Essex, was set upon at HMP Belmarsh in south east London yesterday. Reports say he has had two teeth knocked out in the attack. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...47_634x709.jpg Michael Adebolajo, one of the men accused of murdering Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich, is believed to have been attacked in prison The Ministry of Justice has confirmed an investigation is underway but has refused to comment further. A Prison Service spokesperson said: 'The police are investigating an incident that took place at HMP Belmarsh on July 17. 'It would be inappropriate to comment while the investigation was ongoing.' Adebolajo is accused of hacking Fusilier Rigby to death together with Michael Adebowale, 22, near Woolwich Barracks in south east London on May 22. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...21_306x423.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...52_306x423.jpg Adebolajo is accused of hacking Fusilier Rigby (left) to death together with Michael Adebowale, 22 (pictured in a court drawing). The two suspects are due to stand trial on November 18, 2013 http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...95_634x414.jpg Crowds of wellwishers line the street as the funeral cortege of Fusilier Lee Rigby drives away from Bury Parish church following a funeral service attended by 800 The pair are expected to stand trial on 18 November 2013 Following the attack, thousands of people paid their respects at the scene of Fusilier Rigby's death. But despite pleas from police and the soldier's family for his death not to be used for political gain, there have also been several clashes between rival protesters. Last week a full military funeral for Fusilier Rigby was attended by 800 mourners. David Cameron, who said the whole country would be mourning with Fusilier Rigby’s family, attended the funeral with London Mayor Boris Johnson. The 45-minute service began with a two-minute silence in honour of the soldier, who served in the 2nd Battalion Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. RELATED, Click: Activated Bomb Found in UK Mosque . |
re: WAR-Britain & US to Attack Syria-Russia Warns! -PhOtOs
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WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT! Britain and U.S. Prepare Missile Strikes Against Syria 'Within Days'
Britain and the US are set to launch missile strikes against the Syrian regime in retaliation for its barbaric chemical attack on civilians. David Cameron and Barack Obama discussed the plan in a 40-minute phone call at the weekend and will finalise the details within 48 hours. The two leaders want to send a clear warning to dictator Bashar Al-Assad over the deaths of as many as 1,300 people, many of them children. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...20_634x517.jpg Plans: David Cameron, right, discussed options with President Obama in a 40-minute phone call at the weekend http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...14_634x422.jpg Warning: Obama wants to send a clear message to dictator Bashar Assad William Hague said ‘all the evidence’ suggested Assad’s henchmen carried out last week’s horrific nerve gas atrocity. ‘We cannot, in the 21st century, allow the idea that chemical weapons can be used with impunity – that people can be killed in this way and that there are no consequences for it,’ insisted the Foreign Secretary. ‘We believe it is very important there is a very strong response so that dictators, whether Assad or others who might slaughter their own people, know that using chemical weapons is to cross a line, and that the world will respond.’ Royal Navy commanders in the region are preparing to take part in the assault, which is likely to be unleashed within ten days. Government sources indicated the cruise missile blitz is likely to be short and sharp and will not signal an intention to get involved in the bloody civil war in Syria. But it will inevitably lead to fears that Britain could get sucked into another Iraq-style nightmare. Military planners in Washington and London are addressing the ‘significant challenge’ of finalising a list of potential targets designed to cripple Assad’s chemical warfare capability. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...92_634x422.jpg Syria Graphic The intervention is likely to involve missile strikes rather than an airborne bombing campaign, in order to avoid the dangers posed by the sophisticated air defences supplied to Syria by Russia. A British source said ‘naval assets in the region’ were likely to be involved, suggesting the possible use of submarine-borne Tomahawk cruise missiles. In an ominous development Damascus last night warned US president Obama that any intervention would not be a ‘walk in the park’, adding: ‘It will bring chaos and the region will burn.’ Iran warned the West it would face ‘severe consequences’ if it intervened in Syria. And Russia, which has blocked UN action against Syria, said unilateral action by the West would undermine efforts for peace and have a ‘devastating impact’ on the security situation in the Middle East. The Syrian regime last night attempted to head off a military intervention by the West by announcing it would finally allow United Nations experts to visit the gas atrocity site in Damascus. Inspectors are expected to begin their work today. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...13_634x413.jpg Hundreds died in the alleged chemical attacks on Wednesday, including many women and children http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...47_634x389.jpg Activists say that somewhere between 200 and 1,300 were killed in the chemical weapons attack on Wednesday near Damascus. Syria has one of the largest stockpiles of chemical weapons of any country http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...38_634x475.jpg The two leaders want to send a clear warning to dictator Bashar Al-Assad over the deaths of as many as 1,300 people, many of them children But Washington and London dismissed the move, saying it was ‘too late to be credible’, and followed almost a week of shelling of the area during which much of the evidence may have been destroyed. Britain, the United States and France have all blamed the Assad regime for the attack because the rebel fighters are not thought to have the capability to carry out an atrocity on that scale. President Francois Hollande, who spoke to Mr Cameron yesterday, is also pushing for swift military retaliation and could authorise the use of French forces in the attack. In a statement following the talks, Downing Street said the two men ‘agreed that a chemical weapons attack against the Syrian people on the scale that was emerging demanded a firm response from the international community. This crime must not be swept under the carpet.’ Mr Hollande’s office said: ‘France is determined that this act does not go unpunished.’ A Government source said the Prime Minister had not abandoned hope of achieving tougher UN action against Syria in the future. But with Russia frustrating progress, the source said Mr Cameron believed any short-term military response would have to be taken outside the UN process. ‘This looks like one of the worst chemical weapons attacks of modern times,’ another Government source said. ‘If you are responding to an attack on this scale you have to do it quickly. If you let it go for two, three, four weeks there is a danger you send a message that it doesn’t matter.’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...29_634x438.jpg Just one section of the huge Quru Gusik refugee camp in Iraq which is now home to thousands of displaced Syrians http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...90_634x427.jpg Refugee siblings in the camp eat watermelons being distributed by the NGO http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...27_634x429.jpg UN aid agencies say the number of children fleeing Syria has now reached one million http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...25_634x432.jpg One of the Kurdish refugees protects himself from the sun with a shemagh while walking through the camp http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...92_634x428.jpg A grandmother and mother with a disabled child who fled from Syria to the camp in Iraq Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has discussed the crisis several times with Mr Cameron in recent days and a senior Lib Dem source said there would be an agreed Coalition response. ‘The Government is working as one on this,’ the source said. A government source said it was ‘possible’ that Parliament could be recalled early from its summer recess this week to discuss the crisis. But the source stressed that Mr Cameron had always reserved the ‘flexibility’ to order a military strike in response to fast-moving events without recourse to Parliament. Former Lib Dem leader Paddy Ashdown yesterday warned against rushing to military action on Syria. But Lord Ashdown, who remains close to Mr Clegg, acknowledged that the UN would be ‘greatly diminished’ if the world failed to respond to Assad’s ‘terrible breach’ of international law. Bob Corker, the ranking Republican on the US Senate foreign affairs committee, said he had spoken to the Obama administration about its plans for Syria and believed the president would seek authorisation from Congress. ‘I think we will respond in a surgical way and I hope the president as soon as we get back to Washington will ask for authorisation from Congress to do something in a very surgical and proportional way,’ he told Fox News. A Downing Street spokesman said: ‘No decisions have been taken on military action and the timetable for a serious response from the international community is not yet clear. ‘We are very conscious of when MPs are due to return and haven’t ruled out recalling them earlier.’ Cameron must go to the Commons to justify strike against Syria, say Labour and Tory backbenchers http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...82_306x690.jpg Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said it is right that the UK works with the international community to find a solution on Syria David Cameron was under pressure to recall Parliament last night to debate the Syrian crisis before Britain launches any missile strikes. Labour politicians, backed by Tory counterparts, said it was essential that MPs had their say on such a potentially momentous move. Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said: ‘In light of ongoing international developments, it is right that the UK works with the international community to try to find an agreed way forward in Syria. If, in reality, the Prime Minister is now considering military options involving UK personnel then of course I would expect him to seek a recall of Parliament and to come to the House of Commons and make his case in advance of a decision being made.’ Bob Stewart, a Tory MP and former military commander, said: ‘Parliament may well have to be recalled before we take any military action, because then that gives us justification. ‘We’re not going to get a Security Council resolution because the Russians aren’t up for it, and the Chinese certainly aren’t.’ He said that if it was confirmed that the Syrian regime was responsible for the chemical weapons attacks then Britain would have to act. ‘We shouldn’t just talk,’ he added. ‘We would have to actually act, and by acting we probably mean some kind of punitive warning action using missiles. That means military action – that means a recall of Parliament.’ Fellow Tory MP Sarah Wollaston indicated she would oppose any military intervention in Syria that did not have the full backing of the United Nations. Dr Wollaston, one of many in her party who is sceptical about the benefits of any intervention, said: ‘Parliament must be recalled before, not after, any decision on military involvement or action in Syria. ‘I don’t believe unilateral Western intervention in Syria can achieve anything other than escalation into a global conflict.’ MPs are away from Westminster for another week on Parliament’s long summer recess. David Cameron indicated before the recess that he would recall Parliament before taking any step toward war, such as arming the Syrian rebels. A Downing Street source said it was possible Parliament would be recalled this week to discuss the crisis. But the source said the Prime Minister had always stressed that the Government needed the ‘flexibility’ to respond to major events without recourse to Parliament. Speaking in the Commons before the summer, Mr Cameron said: ‘We make a big commitment to come to this House and explain, vote and all the rest of it but governments have to reserve the ability to take action swiftly on this or other issues.’ Technically the Prime Minister has the power to authorise military action without the approval of Parliament. But in practice, all major military interventions in recent times, including the wars in Iraq and Libya have gone ahead only after a Commons vote. However, government sources last night suggested the missile attacks being planned against Syria were simply a response to last week’s chemical weapons atrocity. A source said any strikes should not be seen as a sign that further action, such as bombing raids, no-fly zones or arming Syria’s rebels, will follow. The Prime Minister has the power to declare war as a result of the wide-ranging royal prerogative – powers held by the Queen and exercised by the government of the day. In 2006, Mr Cameron questioned whether a prime minister should continue to be able to use the royal prerogative to declare war or sign international treaties without first consulting MPs. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...58_308x500.jpg David Cameron and Barack Obama discussed the plan in a 40-minute phone call at the weekend and will finalise the details within 48 hours. The two leaders want to send a clear warning to dictator Bashar Al-Assad over the deaths of as many as 1,300 people, many of them children. END continued...... Russia Warns of 'The Consequences' . |
re: VIDEOS-ISIS -New Beheading >> US Aid Worker
Russia Warns US Against 'Extremely Dangerous' Syria Attack
RUSSIAN Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned US Secretary of State John Kerry over the "extremely dangerous consequences" of launching military action against the Syrian regime, the foreign ministry said today. Mr Lavrov told Mr Kerry in a telephone call yesterday that Moscow was "deeply alarmed" by comments from US officials indicating a readiness to intervene in Syria in the wake of accusations the regime had used chemical weapons, it said in a statement. "Sergei Lavrov drew attention to the extremely dangerous consequences of a possible new military intervention for the whole Middle East and North Africa region," it said. The statement came as Mr Assad said in an interview published today in a Russian newspaper that Western claims his regime used chemical weapons were an "insult to common sense" and warned the US it faced failure if it attacked Syria. France's foreign minister said today the West would decided in the coming days on a response to the crisis. Asked on French radio about a possible reaction with "force'', Laurent Fabius said a decision had not yet been taken, adding: "We have to assess the reactions ... and that will be decided upon in the coming days.'' Turkey's foreign minister today also warned that his country would join an international coalition against neighbouring Syria even if the UN Security Council fails to reach consensus on the issue. "If a coalition is formed against Syria in this process, Turkey will take part in it,'' Ahmet Davutoglu told the Milliyet newspaper. Mr Lavrov told Mr Kerry that it appeared certain elements inside the US wanted to launch military action in Syria outside of the UN to undermine joint US-Russia efforts to organise a peace conference. The Russian minister urged his US counterpart "to refrain from using military pressure against Damascus and not to give into provocations." The ministry said Mr Kerry promised to "attentively" study the arguments of the Russian side. Russia underlined the necessity of an objective UN investigation into the claimed chemical attack and repeated its doubts that the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad was to blame. "There is mounting evidence that the incident was a pretence set up by the rebel opposition with the aim of accusing the Damascus government of everything," the statement said. Mr Assad had told pro-Kremlin daily Izvestia in the extensive interview that Syria would never be a "puppet" of the West and said Washington had never succeeded in reaching its political aims through war. "The comments (accusing the regime of using chemical weapons) made by politicians in the West and other countries are an insult to common sense ... It is nonsense," Mr Assad said. Mr Assad accused the US of first making the accusations that his regime used chemical weapons in an attack outside Damascus that activists say killed hundreds, and only later starting to look for proof. He said the frontline in the area where the incident took place was not clear and the Syrian regime would have risked killing its own army forces if it used chemical weapons. "This contradicts elementary logic," Mr Assad said. "Such accusations are completely political and the reason for them is a number of victories by the government forces against the terrorists." With calls mounting for military action against Syria, Mr Assad warned Western states to stop interfering in the affairs of other countries and instead "listen to the opinion of the people". "If someone is dreaming of making Syria a puppet of the West, then this will not happen," he said. "We are an independent state, we will fight against terrorism and we will build relations with whom we want for the good of the Syrian people." Mr Assad warned the US against attacking Syria and argued Washington's previous military campaigns in recent years had always fallen short of their aims. "The United States faces failure just like in all the previous wars they waged, starting with Vietnam and up to our days," he said. "America has taken part in many wars but could not once achieve its political goals for which the wars were started. Yes, it is true, the great powers can wage wars but can they win them?" AFP |
re: VIDEOS-ISIS -New Beheading >> US Aid Worker
UPDATE:
The UK and the US have threatened a "serious response" if it emerges Syria used chemical weapons last week. Prime Minister David Cameron and President Barack Obama spoke on the telephone for 40 minutes on Saturday. Both were "gravely concerned" by the "increasing signs that this was an attack carried out by the Syrian regime", Mr Cameron's office said. But intervention would have serious consequences and the US case was weak, the Syrian information minister warned. In an interview with Lebanese TV, Omran Zoabi said: "If the US leads a military intervention, this will have dangerous consequences. It will bring chaos and the region will burn." The Syrian government has denied any use of chemical weapons, blaming rebel fighters instead. State television reported on Saturday that soldiers had found chemical agents in tunnels used by the rebels to the east of Damascus. It broadcast images of gas masks and plastic containers, but nothing to support official statements that soldiers had "suffered from cases of suffocation" when rebels used poison gas "as a last resort" after government forces made "big gains" in the suburb of Jobar. http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...bf1b77dfb8.jpg Syria's government said chemical materials used by rebels had been found Opposition activists accuse forces supporting President Bashar al-Assad of killing between 500 and more than 1,000 civilians in several suburbs east and west of capital in the early hours of Wednesday morning. They want the areas inspected by UN chemical weapons experts who are already in Damascus to investigate other suspected attacks. The UN's disarmament chief, Angela Kane, arrived in Damascus on Saturday to press the authorities for access. Iran's Irna state news agency reported that Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem had told his Iranian counterpart that Damascus was "co-operating" with the UN experts and "preparing the opportunity for them to visit areas which have been attacked chemically by terrorist groups". 'Gathering facts and evidence' "The UN Security Council has called for immediate access for UN investigators on the ground in Damascus," Downing Street said in a statement. "The fact that President Assad has failed to co-operate with the UN suggests that the regime has something to hide." It said Mr Cameron and Mr Obama had "reiterated that significant use of chemical weapons would merit a serious response from the international community and both have tasked officials to examine all the options". The statement said the two men had agreed it was "vital that the world upholds the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons and deters further outrages". They would keep in "close contact", it added. The US president earlier convened his National Security Council to discuss options on Syria. US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said the American military, which is repositioning naval forces in the Mediterranean, was ready to act. http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...7_69473976.jpg Chuck Hagel: "President Obama has asked the defence department to prepare options for all contingencies" "President Obama has asked the defence department to prepare options for all contingencies. We have done that and we are prepared to exercise whatever option - if he decides to employ one of those options," he told reporters in Kuala Lumpur. BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said he understood that the "serious response" mentioned in the UK statement would not include "boots on the ground". But a range of other options was not ruled out, he said, potentially including air strikes. Iran's WARNING On Sunday, Iran's deputy armed forces chief, Massoud Jazayeri, warned the US against crossing the "red line" on Syria, saying it would have "severe consequences", according to the Fars news agency. 'Neurotoxic symptoms' The medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has said three hospitals it supports in the Damascus area had treated about 3,600 patients with "neurotoxic symptoms" early on Wednesday morning, of whom 355 have died. While MSF said it could not "scientifically confirm" the use of chemical weapons, staff at the hospitals described a large number of patients arriving in the space of less than three hours with symptoms including convulsions, pinpoint pupils and breathing problems. MSF director of operations Bart Janssens said the symptoms - as well as the "massive influx of patients in a short period of time" - strongly suggested mass exposure to a neurotoxic agent. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group, meanwhile said it had documented the deaths of 322 people, including 82 women and 54 children. On Sunday morning, several suburbs of Damascus reportedly came under heavy shell and mortar fire, as government forces continued their offensive on rebel strongholds. At least 114 people were killed across the country on Saturday, including 33 people in the capital, according to the Local Co-ordination Committees, an opposition activist network. The UN says more than 100,000 people have been killed since the uprising against President Assad began more than two years ago. http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...3045_line2.gif 'Chemical Attack': What We Know http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...cks_624_v2.jpg
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Syria Allows UN to Inspect 'Chemical Weapons' Site - After the Threat of Military Action by Britain & the US
Reuters, 26 August, 2013 http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...8_69474075.jpg The UN's disarmament chief negotiated with the Syrian government, as the BBC's Yolande Knell in Beirut explains The Syrian government has agreed to allow UN inspectors to investigate allegations of a suspected chemical weapon attack near Damascus. The team is to begin work today. Activists say Syrian forces killed more than 300 people in several suburbs east and west of the capital on Wednesday. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague warned that evidence could have been tampered with, degraded or destroyed in the five days since the attack. Syria has Blamed "Terrorists". State media reported that chemical agents were found in tunnels used by rebel fighters, and also that soldiers suffered "suffocation" in fighting around the suburb of Jobar. State TV is meanwhile reporting that the governor of the central district of Hama, Anas Abdul-Razzaq Naem, has been killed in a car bomb attack. 'Degradation of Evidence' http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...4_69482303.jpg William Hague said it was 'clear' the Syrian regime was behind the attack The Syrian foreign ministry statement broadcast on state television said an agreement to allow UN chemical weapons experts to "investigate allegations of chemical weapons use in Damascus province" had been concluded on Sunday with the UN's disarmament chief, Angela Kane. The agreement was "effective immediately", the statement added. A spokesperson for UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon subsequently announced that the inspectors were "preparing to conduct on-site fact-finding activities", starting on Monday. A ceasefire will be observed at the affected locations, the statement said. Russia, a key ally of Syria, welcomed the decision to allow the inspectors in but warned the West against pre-empting the results. Mr Hague, though, said time was running out for the inspectors' work. "Much of the evidence could have been destroyed by... artillery bombardment; other evidence could have become degraded over the last few days, and other evidence could have been tampered with," he said. Analysis Quote:
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has discussed the situation in a telephone call with President Francois Hollande of France. "They agreed that a chemical weapons attack against the Syrian people on the scale that was emerging demanded a firm response from the international community," a Downing Street spokesman said. "This crime must not be swept under the carpet." Mr Cameron agreed a similar response in a telephone conversation with US President Barack Obama on Saturday evening. 'Red Line Warning from Syria' Later, Syria's Information Minister, Omran Zoabi, warned that US military action in Syria would not be a "walk in the park". "If the US leads a military intervention, this will have dangerous consequences. It will bring chaos and the region will burn," he said. A year ago, President Obama said that any attempt by Syria to use its chemical weapons would be a "red line" for the US, and change his administration's "calculus" in the region. END continued,,,,Snipers Fire on UN Weapons Inspectors . |
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Syria Crisis: Snipers Fire on UN Weapons Inspectors
UN Inspectors' Convoy 'Hit by Sniper Fire' BBC World News, 26 August 2013 http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...9_69485338.jpg The BBC's Yolande Knell: "The UN has always said the safety of its team is paramount" Unidentified snipers have opened fire on a convoy of UN experts investigating suspected chemical weapons attacks in Syria's capital, the UN has said. One car was shot at "multiple times", forcing the convoy to turn back. The UN promised to continue with the inquiry as soon as it could replace the car. Syrian state media blamed opposition "terrorists" for the attack, though the claim could not be verified. Hundreds died in suspected chemical attacks on Wednesday near Damascus. The US said there was little doubt Syrian forces used chemical weapons in the attacks, which reportedly killed more than 300 people in rebel-held areas. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad dismissed the accusation as "an insult to common sense" and warned the US against military intervention. "If someone is dreaming of making Syria a puppet of the West, then this will not happen," he told the Russian newspaper Izvestiya. 'Intimidation' The 20-member UN inspection team has been in Syria since 18 August to look into three earlier suspected chemical attacks. The experts intend to take soil, blood, urine and tissue samples for laboratory testing from five locations on Monday and Tuesday. They were unlikely to play any role in apportioning blame for the attack. But shortly after setting out from the hotel, the cars came under fire "multiple times by unidentified snipers", according to a statement from the UN. "The team returned safely back to the government checkpoint. The team will return to the area after replacing the vehicle," said the UN. The UN Secretary General's spokesman, Farhan Haq, told the BBC the convoy was "deliberately targeted" and it seemed someone was trying to intimidate the team. Military Action A year ago, US President Barack Obama said the use of chemical weapons by the Syrian government would be "a red line" that could trigger US military action. Washington has recently bolstered its naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean, and military leaders from the US, UK and their allies are meeting in Jordan. But the UN Security Council remains divided, with China and Russia appearing unlikely to drop their objection to stricter sanctions on Mr Assad's government. China & Russia have blocked previous attempts by the UN to take action in Syria Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Monday that diplomats should be cautious in dealing with the chemical weapons issue, and Moscow warned Western nations not to prejudge the outcome of the inspections. Western politicians have begun to suggest taking action outside of the UN system. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague told the BBC that action could be taken without UN approval if there was "great humanitarian need" in Syria. http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...3_69484060.jpg Hans Blix: "It's important that [the inspectors] can go to any place they want to see" His French counterpart Laurent Fabius suggested the UN Security Council could be bypassed "in certain circumstances". But in his latest comments on the crisis, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said any intervention in Syria without a UN mandate would be a "grave violation of international law". The West, he told a news conference in Moscow, had not been able to come up with any proof of chemical weapons use while "saying at the same time that the red line has been crossed and there can be no delay". 'Neurotoxic Symptoms' Western officials were unimpressed with Syria's decision to allow in the UN experts. Mr Hague said evidence could have been tampered with, degraded or destroyed in the five days since the attack. A senior White House official, quoted by AP news agency, dismissed the visit as "too late to be credible". Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) said on Saturday that three hospitals it supports in the Damascus area had treated about 3,600 patients with "neurotoxic symptoms" on Wednesday morning, of whom 355 died. While MSF said it could not "scientifically confirm" the use of chemical weapons, staff at the hospitals described a large number of patients arriving in the space of less than three hours with symptoms including convulsions, pinpoint pupils and breathing problems. Syria's security forces are widely believed to possess large undeclared stockpiles of mustard gas and sarin nerve agent. It is one of seven countries that have not joined the 1997 convention banning chemical weapons. Syria has the largest stock of chemical weapons, more than any other country in the world http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...3045_line2.gif http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/image...cks_624_v2.jpg
More on This Story Will be Posted as Updates come in . |
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The Tiny Tragic Victims of Syria's Gas Horror: East Damascus Hospital says it has The Bodies of 20 Children who can't be Identified... Because They Have No Family Left
By Daily Mail UK, 27 August 2013 An east Damascus field hospital says they dealt with bodies of 20 children they can't identify because their entire families were wiped out by poison gas. Unable to identify the dead youngsters, medical staff have taken to referring to them simply by number, with a one-month old girl known simply as 'number 14'. They are just some of 600 patients treated at the hospital following the dawn gas attacks last Wednesday, in which an estimated 1,200 Syrian civilians were killed - many of them women and children. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...42_634x597.jpg Horror: Volunteer paramedic Abu Akram holds up the body of a one-month-old baby girl, dubbed 'number 14', who he and colleagues have been unable to identify http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...12_634x478.jpg Killed: Photographs of unidentified child victims documented at the east Damascus field hospital Nearby, a clothing factory has responded to the fear that chemical attacks could continue by beginning the production of makeshift gas masks to supply to residents. The disturbing situation is documented in footage captured by a Syrian filmmaker and passed to ITV News, which has provided MailOnline with stills taken from the film and details of his findings. It has emerged as Western nations announced they are drawing up plans to launch an attack on Syria that could start within days, in retaliation for atrocity which they blame on the country's government. ITV News says Humam Husari, which it describes as an 'independent filmmaker' interviewed Abu Akram, a volunteer paramedic working in the town of Arbin in the Ghota area of Damascus. Mr Akram said: 'Here at the field hospital in Arbin we took in approximately 600 patients who suffered in the chemical attack. We had registered 110 deaths and approximately 35 unregistered deaths. Quote:
Parents weep as they look for their children among the dead: Syria's government denies launching the attack last Wednesday. This image was released in the immediate aftermath http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...32_634x377.jpg Grim toll: The latest images emerged as Western nations prepared to attack Syria Mr Husari also visited a nearby textiles factory which is said to have repurposed its equipment to make gas masks in anticipation of more chemical attacks. A man at the scene, Abu Ibrahim, whose precise role, whether manager or worker, is not explained, told the filmmaker: ''We consulted doctors on this project. They told us that coal and sodium absorbs smells and diffuses harmful chemicals... so on took their advice on this... and it should help save lives... God willing. 'We thought of the design... we saw lots of people using cloths or towels to protect themselves... so we thought there must be a better solution. 'So we started to think of design... we saw that coal is used in water filters... so we can use the same filters here... and cotton also purifies air... so all of the textiles used in it are made of cotton.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...58_634x356.jpg A still from footage of a Damascus textile factory which has switched to producing makeshift gas masks in anticipation of more chemical gas attacks He added: 'It wont be 100 per cent protective but it can be 70 per cent or 60 per cent which can help people get away from danger.' Downing Street said today that David Cameron is considering a 'proportionate response' to the 'absolutely abhorrent' chemical weapons attack that is believed to have killed hundreds. Meanwhile U.S. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said today its armed forces are in place in the region and 'ready to go' should President Barack Obama order military action in Syria. Reports in America suggest they could lead the strikes from as early as Thursday. A decision on whether to fire missiles into Syria could be taken before the results of a report by UN weapons inspectors into the attack is produced. Russia, a close ally of Syria, today warned a military intervention in the country could have 'catastrophic consequences' for the region and called on the international community to show 'prudence' over the crisis. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin tweeted: Quote:
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'We're Ready to Go': Britain and US could launch missile strikes on Syria as Early as FRIDAY as Assad's Foreign Minister Warns it will Defend Itself using 'All Means Available'
By Daily Mail UK, 27 August 2013 David Cameron today insisted any military action in Syria would be to prevent the future use of chemical weapons as he warned Britain was not looking to get involved in 'a Middle Eastern war'. The Prime Minister said the Syrian regime had used chemical weapons on 10 other occasions before the attack that killed up to 1,200 in Damascus last week and warned the world 'should not stand idly by'. But the tyrannical al-Assad regime has warned it will fight back with 'all means available' and its foreign secretary said attacking the country to help rebels in their war with the state was 'delusional'. Earlier today, Mr Cameron announced Parliament would be recalled four days early, on Thursday, to debate the crisis, followed by a vote by MPs on what action to take against president al-Assad. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...64_306x448.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...23_306x448.jpg Threat: David Cameron, pictured arriving at No 10 this morning, is considering whether to take 'proportionate' military action against Syria in response to the chemical weapons attack last week http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...700_634x99.jpg Message: David Cameron has revealed this lunchtime that Parliament would be called back four days early and a vote on what action Britain will take http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...75_634x907.jpg Summit: Foreign Secretary William Hague arrives at 10 Downing Street for a meeting with Prime Minister David Cameron this morning Speaking this afternoon, he said no decision had been made about British involvement but the world had agreed almost a century ago chemical weapons should not be used. He said action must be 'proportionate', 'legal', and 'would have to specifically be about deterring the use of chemical weapons'. He said: 'Let me stress to people, this is not about getting involved in a Middle Eastern war or changing our stance in Syria, or going further into that conflict. 'It's about chemical weapons. Their use is wrong and the world should not stand idly by.' Mr Cameron said the question for Britain is whether failing to act this time would lead to more use of chemical weapons in Syria and elsewhere in future. 'It must be right to have some rules in our world and try to enforce those rules,' he said. 'Of course as Prime Minister I take my responsibilities about the safety of our Armed Services incredibly carefully, seriously but the question we need to ask is whether acting or not acting will make the use of chemical weapons more prevalent.' Mr Cameron said Thursday's debate would ensure 'proper' scrutiny and allow the Government to listen to MPs. Cameron slams 'abhorrent' Syria chemical weapons attack http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...64_290x163.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...86_306x512.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...56_306x512.jpg Business: Chancellor George Osborne and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg arrive to speak to the PM today http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...59_634x468.jpg Crisis talks: Foreign Secretary William Hague is also at No 10 as the Armed Forces began to draw up plans to attack Syria if needed 'Obviously this is a developing situation, as I say, decisions have not been taken, but we shouldn't stand by when we see this massive use of chemical weapons and appalling levels of suffering,' he said. 'I think in Parliament is the right place to set out all of the arguments, all of the questions. 'But I would say this to people - there is never 100 per cent certainty, there is never one piece or several pieces of intelligence that give you absolute certainty. 'But what we know is this regime has huge stocks of chemical weapons. We know they have used them on at least 10 occasions prior to this last widescale use. 'We know they have both the motive and the opportunity whereas the opposition does not have those things and the opposition's chance of having used chemical weapons in our view is vanishingly small.' Mr Cameron said: 'Let's be clear what is at stake here. 'Almost 100 years ago the whole world came together and said the use of chemical weapons was morally indefensible and completely wrong. 'What we have seen in Syria are appalling scenes of death and suffering because of the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime. 'I don't believe we can let that stand.' He concluded: 'I understand people's concerns about war in the Middle East, about getting sucked into the situation in Syria. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...60_634x417.jpg 'This is not about wars in the Middle East, this is not even about Syria. 'It's about the use of chemical weapons and making sure as a world we deter their use and deter the appalling scenes we have all seen on our TV screens.' Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said this afternoon failing to act against the use of chemical weapons would set a 'very dangerous precedent'. Labour leader Ed Miliband said: 'When I saw the Prime Minister this afternoon, I said to him that we the Labour Party would consider supporting international action, but only on the basis that it was legal, that it was specifically limited to deterring the future use of chemical weapons, and that any actions contemplated had clear and achievable goals. And we'll be scrutinising any action that is contemplated on that basis.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...41_306x423.jpg Call to arms: Tony Blair today urged David Cameron to back military intervention in Syria to avoid a 'nightmare scenario' for the West in the Middle East Mr Miliband added: 'The use of chemical weapons on innocent civilians is abhorrent and cannot be ignored.' Environment Secretary Owen Paterson indicated he would be voting with the Prime Minister, saying he was 'a loyal member of the Government'. He added: 'And the United Nations Security Council will be looking at the difficult options facing this country. 'But what we've seen in the past week is horrific and we will wait to see what those proposals are on Thursday, and I think it's absolutely right that the Prime Minister has recalled Parliament.' Politicians have speculated that if an attack is agreed it could be launched within days of the vote because Britain has a RAF base in Cyprus, less than 100 miles from Syria, while the Royal Navy has several warships and a submarine with missiles on board already in the Mediterranean. A decision on whether to fire missiles into Syria could be taken before the results of a report by UN weapons inspectors into the attack is produced. Russia on Tuesday warned a military intervention in Syria could have 'catastrophic consequences' for the region and called on the international community to show 'prudence' over the crisis. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin tweeted: 'the West behaves towards the Islamic world like a monkey with a grenade.' Downing Street said all options were still on the table adding they wanted to 'deter' al-Assad from using more chemical weapons. 'Let me stress to people, this is not about getting involved in a Middle Eastern war or changing our stance in Syria, or going further into that conflict' - David Cameron 'Any decision taken will be taken under a strict international framework. Any use of chemical weapons is completely and utterly abhorrent and unacceptable and the international community needs to respond to that,' Mr Cameron's official spokesman said. 'No decision has yet been taken. We are continuing to discuss with our international partners what the right response should be, but, as part of this, we are making contingency plans for the armed forces'. US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said this afternoon it was 'clearer and clearer the Syrian government was responsible' for chemical attacks in the suburbs of Damascus last week. 'I think it is pretty clear chemical weapons were used against people in Syria. I think the intelligence will conclude it was not the rebels who used it,' he told the BBC. 'We have moved assets in place to be able to fulfill and comply with whatever option the president wishes to take. We are ready to go.' French president Francois Hollande added his voice to the growing clamour for action, saying France is 'ready to stand with Britain and punish those who took the heinous decision to gas innocents'. The Arab League also threw its weight behind calls for punitive action, blaming the Syrian government for the toxic attack that activists say killed hundreds of people and calling for the perpetrators to be brought to justice. The announcement by the 22-member body, which is dominated by Gulf powerhouses Saudi Arabia and Qatar, provides indirect Arab cover for any potential military attack by Western powers. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...85_634x423.jpg Free Syrian Army fighters hold up their weapons as they cheer after seizing Aleppo's town of Khanasir on Monday http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...30_634x359.jpg An opposition fighter fires a rocket propelled grenade during clashes with regime forces over the strategic area of Khanasser, situated on the only road linking Aleppo to central Syria http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...73_634x422.jpg A heavily damaged street in Syria's eastern town of Deir Ezzor British warplanes have apparently been arriving at RAF Akrotiri, the UK's airbase in Cyprus which sits just 100 miles from Syrian targets. The Guardian said today that commercial pilots in the area have seen military aircraft from their windows and also 'formations of British fighter jets on their radar screens'. RAF Akrotiri was built in the mid 1950s and first used in the Suez crisis. More recently the base was used as a supply post during the Iraq wars and also used to support the attacks on Libya in 2011. 'What we have seen in Syria are appalling scenes of death and suffering because of the use of chemical weapons by the Assad regime. I don't believe we can let that stand' - David Cameron It came as former Prime Minister Tony Blair compared the violent Bashar al-Assad regime to the 'dark days of Saddam'. Mr Blair, who took Britain to war in Afghanistan and Iraq, said this morning that it is 'time we took sides'. 'People wince at the thought of intervention. But contemplate the future consequence of inaction and shudder,' he wrote in The Times. This morning David Cameron returned early from his Cornish holiday to consider whether to recall Parliament. MPs are demanding a binding vote over plans to launch missile strikes on Syria without the backing of the United Nations. But Mr Blair, whose views appear to be out of step with current Labour MPs, urged the Government to ignore 'the impulse to stay clear of turmoil'. 'I understand every impulse to stay clear of the turmoil, to watch but not to intervene, to ratchet up language but not to engage in the hard, even harsh business of changing reality on the ground. 'But we have collectively to understand the consequences of wringing our hands instead of putting them to work. 'I hear people talking as if there was nothing we could do: the Syrian defence systems are too powerful, the issues too complex, and in any event, why take sides since they're all as bad as each other? http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...91_634x440.jpg Tyrant: President Bashar al-Assad speaking with journalists from a Russian newspaper in Damascus, Syria http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...75_634x494.jpg Talks: Prime Minister David Cameron (right) is expected to hold a second telephone call with US President Barack Obama (left) within the next 48 hours to finalise plans for military action (file picture) http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...45_634x413.jpg Threat: An attack by Britain and France on Syria would involve long-range Tomahawk missiles 'But others are taking sides. They're not terrified of the prospect of intervention. They're intervening. To support an assault on civilians not seen since the dark days of Saddam. 'It is time we took a side: the side of the people who want what we want; who see our societies for all their faults as something to admire; who know that they should not be faced with a choice between tyranny and theocracy.' Mr Blair is now the Middle East peace envoy for the US, Russia, the EU and the United Nations, and said allowing the enduring controversy over the decision to invade Iraq in 2003 to hold back military intervention in Syria could help produce a 'nightmare scenario' for the West in the Middle East. Syrian foreign minister Walid Muallem denied 'utterly and completely' that state forces had been behind the attack. At a press conference in Damascus, he said: 'They said that the Syrian forces, the Syrian army are the ones who did this attack. 'I deny it utterly and completely. 'There is no country in the world who would use an ultimate destruction weapon against his own people'. Speaking about the threat of attack by Britain or America he added: 'If the purpose of a possible (foreign) military strike is to achieve a balance of power ... it's delusional and not at all possible,' Mr Muallem claimed that the regime had not attempted to obstruct weapons inspectors from visiting the site while evidence was still fresh. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...27_634x426.jpg The Russian Air Force acrobatics demonstration teams 'Russian Knights' and 'Swifts' perform during the opening of the International Aviation and Space salon MAKS 2013 http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...19_634x452.jpg Russia has delivered aid to the region and began evacuating some of its citizens. Picture shows the Russian Air Force acrobatics demonstration teams 'We didn't argue about the site they wanted to go to. We agreed immediately. There's no delay.' The Prime Minister announced that Parliament will be recalled this week to debate plans by Britain, France and the United States to launch strikes against Syria in retaliation for last week’s barbaric chemical weapons attack. But despite a growing domestic backlash over the prospect of intervention, it was unclear whether MPs will be given a binding vote. Russia and Syria both raised the prospect of dire consequences if the West launches attacks without a UN mandate. US Secretary of State John Kerry called last week’s attack a ‘moral obscenity’, but Syrian tyrant Bashar al-Assad warned: ‘Failure awaits the United States as in all previous wars it has unleashed, starting with Vietnam and up to the present day.’ And experts insisted that any attack could be illegal without UN authorisation – leaving British ministers and military commanders open to war crimes charges. MPs last night said it was vital that any military action had their backing in a binding Commons vote. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...28_634x406.jpg Response: United Nations chemical weapons experts meet residents at one of the sites of an alleged poison gas attack in the south-western Damascus suburb of Mouadamiya Former Lib Dem leader Sir Menzies Campbell said it was ‘inconceivable’ that any attack would be launched before UN weapons inspectors have reported back and ‘Parliament has met, discussed and voted on the issue’. In Geneva, U.N. spokeswoman Alessandra Vellucci said the inspection team might need longer than the planned 14 days to complete its work and its priority now is to determine what chemical weapons - reports range from Sarin to industrial gas - might have been used in the August 21 attack. 'This is the first priority,' she said. Nick Clegg is also believed to back a Commons vote, as does Labour. But some ministers are wary of setting a precedent and insist the Government must have the ‘flexibility’ to respond swiftly to events without recourse to Parliament. WE HAVE THE LEGAL RIGHT TO ATTACK SYRIA, CLAIMS HAGUE http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...95_110x133.jpg Britain and the United States could attack Syria without the backing of the United Nations, William Hague claimed yesterday – despite warnings it would breach international law. The Foreign Secretary said the impasse on the UN Security Council caused by Russia’s support for Syria would not prevent the West retaliating against the use of chemical weapons. A similar argument was used when Britain and the United States invaded Iraq in 2003. Attorney-General Dominic Grieve has been asked to draw up a legal case for military strikes, which will be presented at a meeting of the National Security Council tomorrow. Russia said bypassing the UN to attack Syria would be a ‘grave violation of international law’. And legal experts warned that intervening without a UN mandate would be ‘very difficult’. But Mr Hague insisted any action would be legal. He said: ‘Whatever we do will be in accordance with international law and will be based on legal advice to the National Security Council and to the Cabinet. 'So, is it possible to act on chemical weapons, is it possible to respond to chemical weapons without complete unity on the UN Security Council? I would argue, yes, it is. 'It is possible to take action based on great humanitarian need and humanitarian distress – it’s possible to do that under many different scenarios.’ But others disagreed. Former ambassador Oliver Miles said he ‘did not understand’ Mr Hague’s argument, adding: ‘There is not any legal basis that I am aware of, apart from self-defence – and this clearly is not that.’ Michael Caplan, a solicitor QC specialising in international law, said it was ‘very difficult’ to make a legal case for intervention without a UN mandate. ‘There is no threat to the security of this country or the United States so on what basis could we intervene?’ With polls showing the public is wary of any intervention in Syria’s bloody civil war, many Tory MPs also demanded a vote. Tory Andrew Bridgen, who co-ordinated a letter to Mr Cameron signed by 81 Conservative MPs demanding a say on Syria, said MPs had previously been assured they would get ‘a debate and a substantive vote’ before action is taken. He said ministers should now honour their promise, adding: ‘We live in a parliamentary democracy, not a brutal dictatorship. The letter was specifically about arming the rebels but also about any further escalation of the crisis.’ Tory MP Sarah Wollaston said a debate and vote were essential to air widespread public concerns about intervention in Syria. She added: ‘I sense that we are on a headlong rush into escalating this conflict and I think Parliament can act as a natural brake to that.’ Fellow Tory Douglas Carswell also said it would be ‘unacceptable’ for Mr Cameron to launch military action without the approval of Parliament. Mr Carswell pointed out that in opposition Mr Cameron had called for curbs on the power of the prime minister to prevent military action without Parliamentary approval. He added: ‘If the case for military involvement in Syria is as strong as those at the top of this Government seem to believe, they will have no difficulty in coming to the House of Commons and making their case.’ Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander said: ‘Both the Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister have made commitments to the House of Commons that Parliament would be recalled before a decision about further UK involvement in Syria was taken. ‘While of course I understand the Foreign Secretary’s reluctance to discuss specific military deployments, he and the Prime Minister do need to be open about the objectives, the legal basis, and the anticipated effect of any possible UK military action in Syria. ‘I would fully expect the Prime Minister to make his case to Parliament.’ The calls came as the Prime Minister cut short his holiday to return to London to take charge of the crisis. Mr Clegg has also cancelled a planned visit to Afghanistan to take part in a crunch meeting of the National Security Council in London tomorrow, at which plans for missile strikes against Syria could be finalised. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...07_634x362.jpg Bullet damage: Snipers opened fire at a United Nations vehicle traveling in a convoy carrying a team investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons in Damascus http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...10_634x436.jpg Guns: Free Syrian Army fighters hold up their weapons as they cheer in Aleppo's Saif al-Dawla district Quote:
He added: ‘We, the United States, many other countries, including France, are very clear that we can’t allow the idea in the 21st century that chemical weapons can be used with impunity.’ Government sources confirmed that military planners were finalising potential targets for a missile attack that is likely to take place within the next ten days. A source said any attack would be designed to ‘deter further outrages’ by Assad and send a message to other tyrants that the use of chemical weapons remained taboo. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...04_634x440.jpg Arsenal: A member of the 'Free Men of Syria' (Ahrar Suriya) brigade, operating under the Free Syrian Army, works to make improvised weapons as homemade rockets are seen in the foreground at a factory in Aleppo http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...16_634x436.jpg Wreckage: Black columns of smoke rise from heavy shelling in the Jobar neighborhood, east of Damascus, Syria But the source stressed that any military strike would not signal wider involvement in Syria’s civil war, which has already left more than 100,000 dead. Quote:
The Prime Minister told him that the UK believed there was ‘little doubt’ that the atrocity was carried out by the Syrian regime. He is expected to hold a second telephone call with President Obama within the next 48 hours to finalise plans for military action As Britain, America and France threaten to launch missile strikes against Syria, IAN DRURY asks some of Britain’s leading military experts what the West should do... Don't Start What You Can't Finish, Warn the top Brass- Britain's Leading Military Experts Explain How the West Should React to Syria: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...72_110x133.jpg LORD WEST OF SPITHEAD Former First Sea Lord and security adviser in Gordon Brown’s Labour government: ‘We have to be absolutely crystal clear in our own minds that the use of chemical weapons was by the regime. If it was, then I think we can persuade Russia to sign a UN resolution that condemns a head of state for using them against their own people. That seems to be the first move. ‘I’m very wary of military action, even if it is a limited missile strike. What do we hope to achieve? Where will it lead? ‘What if Assad says, “get lost”, and uses chemical weapons again? Are we going to escalate military action? I have a horrible feeling that one strike would quickly become more. ‘The region is a powder keg. We simply can’t predict which way military action will go and whether it would draw us, unwillingly, further into a conflict.’ LORD KING OF BRIDGWATER Defence Secretary during the First Gulf War: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...95_110x133.jpg ‘There are no good options, only the least worst ones. I’m very wary of getting involved militarily in the teeth of a major sectarian Sunni-Shia bust-up that could affect the whole region. That’s why it’s so urgent that we get around the table to find a diplomatic and political solution. ‘I’m all in favour of getting Iran [the world’s largest Shia nation] involved because it is vital not to rub them up the wrong way. It’s also important that the Russians are involved: they must not feel as though they’ve been pushed back into a corner. ‘It is imperative to find a solution, and it mustn’t be military. This is turning into such a conflagration that it’s becoming extremely dangerous. I am appalled by the idea that the regime, if that is the case as it appears, would use chemicals against its own people. But the difficulties in how we respond do not become any easier. ‘The idea of a military strike to express disapproval is fraught with problems. We would have to avoid hitting civilians, and if we attacked the chemical plants there is the danger of dispersal of those chemicals into the air. It is hugely important that the UN does show some leadership here.’ MAJOR GENERAL JULIAN THOMPSON Ex-Royal Marines officer who led 3 Commando Brigade during Falklands War: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...68_110x133.jpg ‘The attack in Damascus last week has altered the conflict dramatically because it has aroused a considerable amount of odium around the world. It was a stupid thing to do because Assad has fired up people who, on the whole, were not inclined to do anything about him. ‘If we are going to retaliate – which I don’t think we should – then an attack by a submarine using cruise missiles is the favoured solution because you don’t have to put troops on the ground and you don’t fly aeroplanes against Syria’s well-armed air defences. ‘It is risk-free, but we have to get our targeting right because we don’t want to kill civilians. The problem is we don’t know what the consequences will be. Russia is certainly against it, as is China. ‘There is a perception that Assad is poking us in the eye; if we let him get away with this chemical attack, what will he try next? But I’m wary of acting if we don’t know what the consequences will be.’ VICE-ADMIRAL SIR JEREMY BLACKHAM Former Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff in 1999: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...17_110x133.jpg ‘I strongly condemn the use of chemical weapons, which is illegal, and the idea of a punishment strike is not at all unreasonable: how else is international law to be upheld? ‘Ideally this should have support, or a mandate, from the UN or the International Court of Justice. ‘However, it would be most imprudent to do it without careful consideration of, and proper preparation for, the range of consequences which might follow. This is not a very nice dilemma and the answer is not at all obvious.’ COLONEL RICHARD KEMP Former Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...58_110x133.jpg ‘If the Syrian regime carried out a nerve agent attack, then a limited but devastating surgical air strike is not only justified but necessary in order to send a clear message to Assad. ‘It is essential that the US and UK base their decision on the best possible chemical analysis, backed up by firm intelligence to confirm who was responsible. ‘Of course our governments will need to be prepared to follow up with a second, more severe, wave of attacks if Assad responds with another chemical strike or some other outrage. But we must not be drawn into a protracted campaign, either in the air or on the ground. It would not be long before all sides turned against us. ‘And while it will be possible – under the table – to square a swift and limited intervention with Russia, a wider operation would be much more likely to develop into a proxy war or worse. ‘Nor should we supply rebel fighters dominated by Islamist extremists with anti-aircraft or anti-armour missiles: they are sworn enemies of the West.’ GENERAL SIR MICHAEL ROSE Former SAS commander and leader of United Nations Protection Force in Bosnia in 1994-95: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...59_110x133.jpg ‘The credibility of America hinges on Obama doing something after he said use of chemical weapons was a “red line” that couldn’t be crossed. ‘I am not against a military strike, but the intelligence has got to be good and the target has got to be very specific; so specific that it identifies the unit that carried out the attacks. ‘If not, we will be seen to be siding with the rebels – and that should not be the business of the Western powers. We don’t know what the outcome is going to be, and we could end up with people in power who are worse even than Assad. ‘We need to be imposing an arms embargo and a no-fly zone, which would reduce the level of the violence. This is a total lose-lose situation for the people of Syria. But however terrible their suffering is with Assad and his brutal ways, the end result of an escalating arms race will be to make things worse. The suffering will only be greater.’ |
re: VIDEOS-ISIS -New Beheading >> US Aid Worker
UK Parliament Votes= 285-NO! 272-YES
The Humbling of UK's Tory Prime Minister David Cameron: On a Momentous Night, Tory Rebellion Forces Prime Minister to Rule Out Military Strike against Syria... and Plunges Him into a Deep Political Crisis
David Cameron’s authority in Parliament and on the world stage was dealt an unprecedented blow last night as he faced a breathtaking Commons defeat over plans for missile strikes on Syria. In an extraordinary assault on the Prime Minister’s authority, 50 coalition MPs joined Labour in voting against a watered-down Government motion supporting the ‘principle’ of military action. There were shouts of ‘resign’ from the Labour benches as the result – 285 votes to 272 – was announced to a shocked House of Commons. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...33_634x400.jpg Chastened: British MPs voted by 272 votes to 285 to reject Prime Minister David Cameron's motion backing British intervention in principle The last time a Prime Minister was defeated over an issue of war and peace was in 1782. A Downing Street source said Mr Cameron had no intention of resigning, adding: ‘His colleagues support him on most things, but on this issue they disagreed.’ Education Secretary Michael Gove was said to have shouted at Tory rebels outside the chamber: ‘You’re a disgrace, you’re a disgrace.’
Chancellor George Osborne today raised concern that the UK's place in the world would be undermined by the vote. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'I think there will be a national soul-searching about our role in the world and whether Britain wants to play a big part in upholding the international system, be that big open and trading nation that I'd like us to be or whether we turn our back on that. 'I understand the deep scepticism that my colleagues in Parliament many members of the public have about British involvement in Syria. 'I hope this doesn’t become the moment where we turn our back on the world’s problems.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...03_634x423.jpg Blast: People inspect the damage at a site hit by what activists say was a car bomb in Raqqa province, Syria http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...64_306x398.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...06_310x400.jpg Mr Cameron, who had made a passionate plea for support over proposals for targeted strikes on Damascus after a chemical weapons attack last week, was forced to issue a humiliating climbdown. Quote:
Mr Cameron had been counting on Labour’s support to ensure he could win a Commons vote authorising strikes, despite the doubts of scores of Tory MPs. Labour, however, refused to back the Government, prompting the angriest foreign policy row between the main parties since Suez in 1956. The Tories accused Ed Miliband of giving ‘succour’ to President Bashar Assad’s regime. Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said: ‘I’m disappointed with Ed Miliband’s behaviour, frankly. Anything that stops this from giving a clear, united view of the British Parliament will give some succour to the regime.’ After the vote, Mr Hammond said: ‘I hope Britain isn’t going to retreat into being the sort of nation that isn’t going to act to uphold international norms.’ Sir Gerald Howarth, a former defence minister who voted ‘reluctantly’ with the Government, accused Mr Cameron of rushing into the vote. Reza Afshar, head of the Syria team at the Foreign Office, tweeted simply: ‘Disaster.’ Senior US officials said President Obama was prepared to move ahead with a limited military strike despite last night’s vote. Two Tory ministers, International Development Secretary Justine Greening and Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds, apparently missed the vote after not hearing a division bell. Humbling of Cameron: Vote on military strike against Syria http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...05_290x163.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...35_634x366.jpg Debate: A chastened Mr Cameron was forced by Labour leader Ed Miliband to pledge not to deploy any UK military forces without first staging another Commons vote http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...29_634x413.jpg Dusty landscape: Free Syrian Army fighters drive a military tank that belonged to forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad after they seized it, in Aleppo's town of Khanasir An earlier Labour motion, demanding further conditions before Britain could be involved in any military action, was defeated by 332 votes to 220. In other developments:
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...65_634x356.jpg Moment: MPs last night dramatically voted against David Cameron's plea to take military action against Syria http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...22_634x400.jpg Recall: Mr Cameron told a packed House of Commons that Britain had to decide how to respond to 'one of the most abhorrent uses of chemical weapons in a century' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...12_634x427.jpg Demonstrate: Protesters speaking out against military action in Syria stand outside the Houses of Parliament Last night’s vote is a grave humiliation for Mr Cameron and will also raise doubts about the future of the ‘Special Relationship’ between Britain and the US. One Whitehall source said Britain was ‘handing back its deputy sheriff’s badge’ to Washington. The shadow of Tony Blair loomed large over yesterday’s proceedings, with speaker after speaker referring to the mistakes and misinformation of the Iraq War. The Prime Minister acknowledged that Iraq had ‘truly poisoned the well of public opinion’ on military intervention. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...85_634x400.jpg Prudent: An RAF Typhoon jet comes in to land at Akrotiri in Cyprus yesterday as a 'prudent and precautionary measure', the Ministry of Defence said http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...63_634x350.jpg Target: Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (centre left) pictured yesterday during a meeting with a Yemeni delegation in Damascus He admitted there was not ‘one smoking piece of intelligence’ but insisted it was ‘beyond doubt’ that Assad’s regime was responsible for a chemical attack that killed at least 350 civilians. Mr Miliband insisted he was not ruling out backing military strikes at some point, but presented his own ‘sequential roadmap’ before he thought Britain should take such a step. Asked if Mr Miliband was giving comfort to Assad, a Downing Street spokesman said: ‘Yes. The fact is that a lot of the arguments over this could give succour to the regime.’ No 10 also accused Mr Miliband of ‘flipping and flopping’ and having privately indicated his party would back military intervention before moving the goalposts at the last minute. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...69_634x411.jpg Making their point: Protesters demonstrating against military action in Syria stand outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, central London http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...88_634x408.jpg Placards: A protester demonstrating against military action in Syria outside the Houses of Parliament in London http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...87_634x430.jpg Opposition: As MPs debated the UK response to the Syria crisis, protestors gathered outside the Commons http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...91_634x400.jpg Anger: Anti-war protesters have staged a number of demonstrations in Westminster this week Labour said the suggestion it was giving succour to Assad was ‘frankly insulting’. Mr Cameron acknowledged voters were sceptical about getting into ‘another war in the Middle East’ but insisted he was not proposing a long-running campaign to dislodge Assad – rather a strike on ‘command and control’ assets to try to reduce the chances of another chemical weapons attack. A string of senior Conservatives, however, expressed doubts about the wisdom of intervention and Mr Cameron’s rush to join the US. Former Tory leadership contender David Davis said: ‘It’s very simple – when you are going to do things which will lead to the death of people, civilians in particular, you should get your facts right first.’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...11_634x400.jpg Campaign: UKIP leader Nigel Farage (left) and his deputy Paul Nuttall launched this poster opposing Britain intervention in Syria http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...31_634x498.jpg Lord Dannatt, former head of the British Army, said he did not support military intervention in Syria in any shape. He said: ‘The drums of war were banging very loudly two or three days ago. The people didn’t like it.’ But Dr Liam Fox, former Conservative defence secretary, said: ‘Appeasement has never worked to further the cause of peace. It will not now and it will not in the future.’ Lord Howard, the former Conservative leader, said: ‘We are in danger of allowing the United States and France to act as the conscience of the world while the United Kingdom stands on the sidelines wringing its hands.’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...59_634x521.jpg THE 39 REBELS IN THE COALITION Quote:
NB: The US Media are not reporting, that both the US and Israel, have used the same chemical weapon in the past, that the Syrian Govt has/is using against its' people ( it was the same white phosporous chemical Syria used) UPDATE: The debate on this is now being discussed in the UK's House of Lords, so there may be further developments The UK's Foreign Office is now advising against all but essential travel to Lebanon and NONE to areas bordering Syria, due to "Heightened Risk of Anti Western Sentiment" over possible Military Action VIDEOs: Chemical Attack near Damascus Kills 213. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...08_290x163.jpg Those MPs that voted NO, should have watched this video before they voted. Non-action against tyrants that do this to children, gives the green light to others that it's ok to do the same thing. Take note, those chemicals will take many years to clear out of the soil and just 1 drop on the skin can be fatal! The death toll because of Syria's chemical use, has now risen to over 1,300 We all may travel down different paths to God, but we are all human beings - Ladybbird |
re: VIDEOS-ISIS -New Beheading >> US Aid Worker
France's President Francois Hollande Announced today it can go Ahead with any Military Action Without Britain France Says U.K. Vote Does Not Change its Will to Act on Syria PARIS — Reuters Published Friday, 30 Aug 2013, 5:32 AM EDT French President Francois Hollande said a British parliamentary vote against taking military action in Syria would not affect France’s will to act to punish Bashar al-Assad’s government for an apparent chemical weapons attack on civilians. Hollande told the daily Le Monde in an interview that he still supported taking “firm” punitive action over an attack he said had caused “irreparable” harm to the Syrian people and said he would work closely with France’s allies. . |
re: VIDEOS-ISIS -New Beheading >> US Aid Worker
I'll Help Syria if the U.S. Attacks, says Putin in Chilling Threat to Obama as G20 Summit Breaks up in Acrimony
Russia last night issued a chilling threat to assist Syria if the US leads military strikes against its hated regime. As a summit of world leaders broke up in acrimony, Vladimir Putin declared openly that he is already supplying arms to Syrian tyrant Bashar Assad and vowed to step up support if a planned missile attack goes ahead. There were gasps as the Russian President made his remarks after being asked how he would react if Barack Obama proceeds with an attack in response to Syria’s used of chemical weapons. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...31_634x366.jpg Jovial: There may have been a cull in smiles after Putin admitted to helping arm Syria http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...21_634x432.jpg Host: Russia's President Vladimir Putin has hinted that he would be prepared to help Syria should Obama push U.S. military intervention http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...80_634x444.jpg Stance: Russia's President Vladimir Putin (2L) has said military intervention would be 'counter productive' and 'disrupt the world economy' Putin: 'We will deliver weapons to Syria.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...84_636x358.jpg ‘Will we help Syria? We will. And we are already helping, we send arms, we cooperate in the economics sphere,’ Mr Putin declared. Amid signs any US-led action could be delayed for as long as a fortnight, with President Barack Obama battling to win the approval of Congress, Russia last night sent a fourth warship with ‘unspecified cargo’ to the eastern Mediterranean. While few observers expect Mr Putin to deploy his forces in the event of a US-led missile strike on Damascus, Mr Putin’s remarks suggest he is determined to prop up Assad’s rule. He has already suggested he could renew a suspended contract to supply Syria with a sophisticated missile shield. Despite what the US, the UK and EU countries again said was conclusive evidence Assad was behind a sarin attack that killed almost 1,500 civilians, including 500 children, last month, the Russian leader insisted rebel forces trying to overthrow the Syrian leader had staged the incident. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...62_634x354.jpg In Syria, conflict raged today as people were pictured fleeing flames and caused by a bomb hit Binnish town, Idlib province, Syria http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...91_634x327.jpg Devastation: A video, obtained from the Shaam News Network, showed the devastation and destruction in the immediate aftermath of the bomb He said it was a ‘provocation by militants expecting aid’ and insisted that military action without the approval of the United Nations Security Council would ‘violate international law’. He insisted most people in the US, UK and other countries calling for military intervention did not support it - and also pointed out the Pope had made clear the ‘inadmissability’ of such a move. Last night, Russia issued a 27-page document on the conclusions of the G20 that made no mention of Syria, though the crisis had dominated discussions at St Petersburg. In an unprecedented act of defiance for any recent international summit, eleven countries, including the US and the UK, issued their own statement demanding a ‘strong international response to the grave violation of the world’s rules and conscience’ by Assad’s regime. The countries, which also included Australia, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Spain and Turkey, said they would ‘support efforts undertaken by the United States and other countries to reinforce the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons’. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...80_306x423.jpg Eagle eye: David Cameron watches on as Obama and Putin embrace Mr Cameron, whose failure to win the support of Parliament for British participation on military action was ridiculed by Mr Putin, attacked the ‘dangerous doctrine’ that military action is only legal with United Nations backing. He said Britain and other Western nations could not ‘contract out our foreign policy, our morality, to the potential of a Russian veto’. Insisting Mr Obama is no ‘warmonger’, the Prime Minister said world leaders would set an appalling precedent if they failed to respond to the use of chemical weapons. ‘Everyone will pay a price,’ he said. After more than hours of fruitless talks that went on into the early hours of the morning, Mr Cameron insisted Russia’s claim the Syrian rebels - not Assad’s hated regime -- were responsible for a gas attack killing nearly 1,500 people was ‘miles from the truth’. The Prime Minister attacked the argument made by countries opposing US-led missile strikes on Damascus that any intervention made without the approval of the UN Security Council would be illegal, even on humanitarian grounds. ‘The argument that did flare up at the dinner last night is a disagreement about whether it’s possible to have legal military engagement outside the UN Security Council,’ he said. ‘Our strong legal advice is that there is a case for humanitarian intervention. There was a strong argument from some that unless there is a Security Council resolution there is no legal basis for action. ‘I think it’s a very dangerous doctrine. If you accept that, you could have a country massacring half its people, a blockage at the UN Security Council, and no-one could act. ‘It was brought home to me last night that quite aside from the Syrian problem we need to make that argument very vigorously with countries like South Africa, Brazil, India and others. ‘One of the frustrations of last night is you have countries - including Security Council permanent members - saying all this must be decided by the UN Security Council, and yet they are the very countries that are blocking any action and have been blocking resolutions for the last two and a half years.’ Mr Cameron said it had been clear that the G20 was ‘never going to reach conclusions about Syria’, adding: ‘The divisions are too great.’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...99_634x547.jpg No joke: Actors in costumes arrive at the Peterhof Palace where heads of state met Russia's Putin says leaders split on Syria http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...52_637x359.jpg Attacking Russian intransigence, he said: ‘The Russian position that, as Putin has said, if it is proved it is Assad he will take a different view but he is fairly clear that it is the opposition, is miles away from what I think the truth is and miles away from what lots of us believe. ‘He says to me that he would like to see further evidence of regime culpability and we will go on providing evidence of regime culpability, as will the Americans and others, but I think it will take a lot to change his mind.’ Mr Cameron, whose plan to join US-led military action was scuppered last week when MPs voted against, yesterday offered another £52 million in aid to help the millions who have fled the Assad regime. He asked President Putin to put pressure on the Syrian regime to agree safe corridors along which aid convoys could pass without coming under attack from either side in its civil war. Mr Cameron suggested the UN Security Council could be asked to endorse such a plan. ‘I have never heard the Russians argue against humanitarian access. It may well be necessary at some stage to go back to the UN and that will test whether the Russians will support it,’ he said. ‘There’s a case at some stage for writing down all the things that need to happen in terms of access and getting UN support for it. It might be necessary to get a UN resolution.’ Amid growing signs in the US that Mr Obama could struggle to get approval from Congress for his plans, Mr Cameron said he was making a ‘powerful argument... as someone who is trying to extract himself from Middle East entanglements and he is no way seen as a warmonger’. Last night the US ordered its diplomats to leave neighbouring Lebanon as Congress debates Syria military strikes. President Obama insisted military action was right even if the public was largely against it, saying US intervention in the Second World War had also been opposed by a majority. As he left the summit, the US leader said: ‘I’m not drawing an analogy to World War II other than to say that when London was getting bombed, it was profoundly unpopular, both in Congress and around the country to help the British. Doesn’t mean it wasn’t the right thing to do.’ END 'Small Island? Britain has Given the World The Beatles, Elgar and, er.... One Direction': Outraged Cameron hits back at Putin Taunt with TWO Bizarre Outbursts Defending 'This Sceptered Isle'
David Cameron today turned to boyband One Direction to prove Britain can still 'conquer the world'. The Prime Minister hit back at reports that Russia had dismissed the UK as a 'small island that no one pays any attention to' with not one, but two passionate displays of patriotism. Quoting Shakespeare to hail the achievements of 'this sceptered isle', Mr Cameron added television, the internet and 'the world's language' to his list of the UK's inventions and triumphs. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...26_634x550.jpg Passion: Mr Cameron became animated during the press conference rounding off the G20 summit in St Petersburg, quoting Shakespeare and saying his speech could be set to music http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...68_634x500.jpg Down the hatch: With relations frosty, President Putin and Mr Cameron warm themselves as they arrived for the Water and Music Show Early this morning the PM told journalists that Britain had saved Europe from fascism, abolished slavery and 'invented most of the things worth inventing'. But at a press conference rounding off the G20 summit in St Petersburg, he warmed to his theme to boast how British music has dominated the globe. Mr Cameron said: 'We’re a country that invented many of the things that are most worthwhile, everything from the industrial revolution and television to the world wide web. 'Our music delights and amuses millions. The Beatles, Elgar and slightly less er... congruously, One Direction have conquered the world.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...11_634x400.jpg Global domination: David Cameron claimed One Direction proved Britain could conquer the world. The Prime Minister appeared in the video for their Comic Relief single One Way Or Another The Beatles, One Direction - PM outlines why Britain is Great http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...61_636x358.jpg He went on: 'We have invented most of the sports that the world most likes playing. 'If I go on too long about our literature, our art, our philosophy, our contribution, including of course the world’s language...' He then quoted from Shakespeare's Richard II, saying: 'If I start talking about this blessed plot, this sceptered isle, this England I may have to put it to music so I might have to leave it there.' 'Our music delights and amuses millions, The Beatles, Elgar and slightly less er... congruously, One Direction have conquered the world. 'Prime Minister David Cameron The extraordinary diplomatic row erupted last night when Russia dismissed Britain as ‘just a small island no one pays any attention to'. In an astonishing attack, Vladimir Putin's administration mocked the UK’s size and influence, and boasted that Soviet oligarchs had ‘bought Chelsea’. Speaking to reporters earlier, Mr Cameron even ridiculed the idea that the UK was just one island, declaring he did not want the people of Northern Island, Orkney or Shetland to 'feel left out' from his tribute to the nation's great history. But to the dismay of Downing Street, Tory MP Henry Smith wrote on Twitter: 'Putin really is a tosser.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...37_634x435.jpg Out of the picture: As well as falling out with Russia, Mr Cameron's relations with US President Barack Obama have also been strained after British MPs voted against military action http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...01_634x455.jpg Excuse me! David Cameron finds German Chancellor Angela Merkel has stolen his seat DAS IST MEIN STUHL: CAMERON FORCED TO OUST ANGELA All politicians fear losing their seat. But David Cameron was forced to wrestle his back from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. As the British PM returned to his place at the huge table used for talks at the G20, he found Ms Merkel deep in conversation with Saudi Arabia's Finance Minister Ibrahim Al-Assaf. Mr Cameron had to interrupt, and ask Chancellor Merkel for his seat back. As the controversy rumbled on, Russian officials flatly denied the remarks – attributed to President Putin’s official spokesman Dmitry Peskov – had ever been made. But the denial did nothing to contain Mr Cameron's fury. In his first outburst he declared: 'Britain may be a small island, but I would challenge anyone to find a country with a prouder history, a bigger heart or greater resilience.' He argued that Britain had 'helped to clear the European continent of fascism' and had remained 'resolute' throughout the Second World War. 'Britain is an island that helped to abolish slavery, that has invented most of the things worth inventing, including every sport currently played around the world, that still today is responsible for art, literature and music that delights the entire world. 'We are very proud of everything we do as a small island - a small island that has the sixth-largest economy, the fourth best-funded military, some of the most effective diplomats, the proudest history, one of the best records for art and literature and contribution to philosophy and world civilisation.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...20_634x350.jpg Defiant: Mr Cameron today chaired a meeting on the humanitarian situation in Syria on the sidelines of the G20 summit http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...83_634x172.jpg Smile! With deep divisions over Syria dominating, the 20 world leaders put on a brave face to pose for the traditional 'family photo' at the end of the summit http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...33_634x600.jpg Disunited nations: President Putin cracks a joke, but Mr Cameron remains stony faced on the back row of the picture NO. 10 TELLS MPS: DON'T CALL WORLD LEADERS TOSSERS http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...119_296x75.jpg David Cameron today slapped down a Tory MP who called the Russian President a 'tosser'. Tory MP Henry Smith took to Twitter to declare: 'Putin really is a tosser.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...24_110x110.jpg The comment raised questions about whether the MP for Crawley, a former county councillor, had overstepped the mark. The Prime Minister's official spokesman said Mr Smith should avoid similar outbursts in future. 'It is important to have a good and constructive discussion and that should be reflected in the language that people use,' the spokesman added. But Mr Smith was unrepentant. He said: 'On Twitter in a slight fit of pique I might refer to him as a tosser. But in other forums, such as the House of Commons, I would accuse him of being an absurd character. 'There is his abuse of human rights against the gay community in his own country, there is the abuse of human rights in Syria where the way he is helping and prolonging that civil war there is appalling.' He added: 'I may not use that colloquial language in other forums, but frankly it is still how I feel.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...47_634x114.jpg Outspoken: Henry Smith, Tory MP for Crawley, posted this pith summation of his views on the Russian president However, Mr Cameron said made clear he did not approve. The PM said: 'Insulting people should never have a part in foreign policy. 'We should try to maintain good manners and politeness even when under intolerable pressure.' The row represents an extraordinary breach of protocol, particularly as Russia is hosting the G20 meeting. President Putin, a belligerent ally of Syrian tyrant Bashar Assad, has been revelling in British MPs' rejection last week of UK participation in US-led military action. But the Kremlin’s decision to rub Mr Cameron’s nose in it – with the Prime Minister on Russian soil – has plunged Anglo-Russian relations to a new low. The episode at the G20 summit hosted by Russia underlined the Cold War style tensions that have been created by the row over Syria. The seating plan at the talks had to be changed so that Barack Obama and President Putin are kept as far apart as possible. Last night, arriving at the summit venue in St Petersburg, President Obama strode in alone rather than walking in with President Putin. The war of words with Britain came as Mr Cameron continued to make the case for intervention in Syria despite his defeat in Parliament last week. Mr Cameron today ruled out any prospect of agreement over Syria at the G20 summit. He said President Putin remains 'miles away' from the truth of Bashar Assad's use of chemical weapons on his own people. 'This G20 was never going to reach conclusions on Syria,' said the Prime Minister. 'The divisions are too great. 'The Russian position that, as Putin has said, if it is proved it is Assad he will take a different view but he is fairly clear that it is the opposition, is miles away from what I think the truth is and miles away from what lots of us believe.' Mr Cameron and Mr Putin held one-on-one talks in the early hours of this morning lasting 35 minutes. The PM added: 'He says to me that he would like to see further evidence of regime culpability and we will go on providing evidence of regime culpability, as will the Americans and others, but I think it will take a lot to change his mind.' The premiers of Turkey, Canada, Germany and Italy all joined Mr Obama and Mr Cameron in making the case at last night's dinner for a robust international response to Assad's alleged breach of treaties banning the use of chemical weapons. The Russian dismissal of Britain as a 'small island' emerged last night, and was attributed to a spokesman for President Putin. At first a Downing Street source said: ‘As host of guests from the world’s leading countries, I’m sure the Russians will want to clarify these reported remarks, particularly at a G20 where it’s a very British agenda on trade and tax. ‘It highlights how a small island with great people can achieve a big footprint in the world.’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...97_634x400.jpg One man is an island: Russian President Vladimir Putin, sitting in Peterhof garden during the G20 show last night, is at odds with many western countries calling for action in Syria I LOVE BRITAIN, ACTUALLY: WAS CAMERON INSPIRED BY HUGH GRANT FILM? Was David Cameron's G20 speech inspired by a Love Actually... ? http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...32_636x358.jpg David Cameron's spirited defence of Britain in the face of a global superpower led to the Prime Minister being compared to Hollywood actor Hugh Grant. In the 2003 film Love Actually, Grant played the British Prime Minister who loses his temper with a bullying President. When he catches his counterpart flirting with his secretary, he uses a press conference to challenged the idea that Britain can be pushed around. Grant's Prime Minister declares: 'We may be a small country, but we are a great one too. 'A country of Shakespeare, Churchill, the Beatles, Sean Connery, Harry Potter. David Beckham’s right foot. 'David Beckham’s left foot, come to that. 'A friend who bullies us is no longer a friend. And since bullies only respond to strength, from now on I am prepared to be much stronger.' The only difference between the words of screenwriter Richard Curtis and Mr Cameron is who they were aimed at. While Mr Cameron is furious with Russia, Grant was hitting back at the President of the United States, played by Billy Bob Thornton, over amid doubts about the state of the UK-US 'special relationship'. Chancellor George Osborne also insisted Britain is 'setting the agenda' at the summit, on the humanitarian response to what’s happening in Syria, the economic agenda and the tax agenda. He told BBC Radio 4: 'Britain is today leading efforts to step up the humanitarian response to what is happening in Syria, the tragedy of 2m people leaving that country, fleeing for their lives, the imperative that we have as an international community to help people in Syria protect themselves from the use of chemical weapons. 'So Britain is involved in that, Britain is very much involved in the Geneva II peace talks. 'And I would say this is ultimately an economic summit as well, and on the economic agenda, a lot of what Britain’s been talking about is now absolute mainstream to the conference.' A British diplomat also pointed out that the UK economy was significantly larger than Russia’s. There was no sign at the summit that the latest evidence produced by the US and the UK to back calls for action against Syria was winning over doubters, with everyone from Iran’s supreme leader to the Pope opposing intervention. President Putin accused the US of ‘lying’ to justify missile strikes and attacked Secretary of State John Kerry for denying that Al Qaeda was fighting with the Syrian opposition. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...69_634x454.jpg President Putin, a belligerent ally of Syrian tyrant Bashar Assad, is well aware of the rejection of British participation in US-led military action as voted against by MPs last week http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...58_634x384.jpg All smiles: But the Kremlin's decision to rub Mr Cameron's nose in it, with the Prime Minister on Russian soil, will plunge Anglo-Russian relations to a new low THIS SCEPTERED ISLE: DAVID CAMERON'S PATRIOTIC TRIBUTES This is the full text of David Cameron's first remarks about what makes Britain great: 'Britain may be a small island, but I would challenge anyone to find a country with a prouder history, a bigger heart or greater resilience. 'Britain is an island that has helped to clear the European continent of fascism - and was resolute in doing that throughout World War Two. 'Britain is an island that helped to abolish slavery, that has invented most of the things worth inventing, including every sport currently played around the world, that still today is responsible for art, literature and music that delights the entire world. 'We are very proud of everything we do as a small island - a small island that has the sixth-largest economy, the fourth best-funded military, some of the most effective diplomats, the proudest history, one of the best records for art and literature and contribution to philosophy and world civilisation. 'For the people who live in Northern Ireland, I should say we are not just an island, we are a collection of islands. I don't want anyone in Shetland or Orkney to feel left out by this. 'I'm thinking of setting this to music.' Then at the press conference in the afternoon he said: 'Something I believe very deeply is that yes, we are a small island. In fact a small group of islands. 'But I would challenge anyone to come up with a country with a prouder history, with a bigger heart, a greater resilience. 'This is a country cleared a European continent of fascism, that took slavery off the high seas. We’re a country that invented many of the things that are most worthwhile, everything from the industrial revolution and television, the world wide web. 'Our music delights and amuses millions, The Beatles, Elgar and slightly less er... congruously, One Direction have conquered the world. 'We have invested most of the sports that the one world most likes playing. 'If I go on too long about our literature, our art, our philosophy, our contribution including of course the world’s language.' Mr Cameron attempted to win over opponents of military strikes on Damascus by unveiling new new evidence of the regime's use of chemical weapons. He also launched a provocative attack on those who had blocked British involvement in the planned operation. Arriving in St Petersburg, the Prime Minister announced that scientists at Britain's Porton Down had identified deadly sarin gas on victims' clothing and in soil samples from Damascus. It also emerged that a report prepared by US spy chiefs concluded that Syria possesses a 'longstanding biological weapons program', on top of chemical weapons, and may have access to anthrax, camelpox and cowpox. Taking 'full and personal responsibility' for the Government's shock defeat over British participation in military action last week, Mr Cameron insisted he had taken a 'principled stand against the gassing of children'. Labour MPs - and those Tories and Liberal Democrats who joined with them to oppose military action - would have to 'live with the way that they voted', the Prime Minister said. Mr Cameron said he had agreed to all the caveats Labour had asked for but 'even in spite of that, in my view, they chose the easy and political path not the right and the difficult path'. However, there was no sign that the latest evidence produced by the US and the UK was winning over doubters - with everyone from Iran's supreme leader to the Pope opposing the idea of intervention. Asked in TV interviews whether he was ‘sidelined’ at the summit as a result of the Commons vote, Mr Cameron said repeatedly: ‘I don’t accept that for a moment. Mr Cameron said he had not seen ‘any evidence’ that Russia was prepared to shift position and endorse action through the UN. ‘Let’s be clear: almost 100 years ago the world came together, Russia included, to say after the First World War, the use of chemical weapons wasn’t acceptable,’ he said. 'All the testing that's been done, including the testing we are doing at our Porton Down laboratories, all adds to the picture. 'But I don't think anyone is seriously denying that a chemical weapons attack took place. I think the Russians accept that. Even the Iranians accept that. 'The question is obviously convincing more people that the regime was responsible.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...03_634x400.jpg Talks: Mr Cameron was seated next to German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the working session of the G20, with US President Barack Obama (centre) and President Putin further round the table (right) http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...75_306x423.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...82_306x423.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...62_634x464.jpg US President Barack Obama listens as Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during the start of the G20 Working Session Unable to take part in military operations, Britain is instead offering an extra £52million in aid for the millions of Syrians who have fled President Assad’s forces, taking its total commitment to £400million. The Prime Minister said he had not seen 'any evidence', however, that Russia was prepared to shift and endorse action through the United Nations. But he added: 'I don't resile from the arguments I made last week - when America and many others in the world draw a red line over chemical weapons use, if nothing follows from that, that would be very bad for our world.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...78_634x408.jpg Opening speech: Russian President Vladimir Putin (in the centre of the picture) delivers his opening speech during the first working session of the G20 Summit in Constantine Palace in Strelna near St. Petersburg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...32_634x411.jpg Also at the summit: New Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, right, is also Chairman of the G20's Financial Stability Board. He is greeted by Vladimir Putin during an official welcome of G20 heads of state and government Mr Cameron said President Obama had been 'very understanding' over his defeat in Parliament. 'Like me he is a democrat who believes you have to listen to people, you have to listen to Parliament and you have to respect the outcome of a vote. 'Britain isn't going to be involved in this specific military action, but the special relationship between Britain and America is as strong today as it was a week ago,' the Prime Minister said. Mr Cameron is also urging President Putin to use his influence with the Syrian regime to strike an agreement that neither side in the civil war should fire on humanitarian convoys. 'Every 15 seconds there is another Syrian refugee. While we are sitting here in the comfort of St Petersburg, thousands of people will be made homeless. 'They need tents, they need shelter, they need food, they need protection from chemical weapons attacks,' the Prime Minister said. END Pope Francis also opposed action as world leaders gathered in Russia, urging them to 'lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution' : Pope Writes to Putin Urging him to tell Obama and other G20 Leaders to Oppose Syria Strike and Pray for a Peaceful Solution
The Pope has written to the Russian President urging him to tell President Obama and other world leaders at the G20 summit to oppose a strike in Syria. The letter was the latest in a series of moves by Pope Francis to prevent involvement in Syria's bloody civil war. He has sent tweets condemning a potential war and declared today a day of fasting and prayer for peace in the war-torn country http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...33_634x426.jpg Peace: Pope Francis has written to G20 leaders and taken to Twitter as he calls for a peaceful resolution in Syria In his letter to Putin and other G20 leaders he wrote: 'I make a heartfelt appeal for them to help find ways to overcome the conflicting positions and to lay aside the futile pursuit of a military solution.' 'Let there be a renewed commitment to seek, with courage and determination, a peaceful solution through dialogue and negotiation of the parties, unanimously supported by the international community.' The Pope's push for a peaceful resolution was echoed by the Catholic Church in the U.S. as Cardinal Dolan and American bishops wrote to Congressmen calling on them to vote against military intervention. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops also wrote to President Obama, saying the Pope had 'made it clear that a military attack will be counterproductive, will exacerbate an already deadly situation, and will have unintended negative consequences'. The Pope wrote onTwitter: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...10_634x182.jpg Defense: The Pope has used Twitter to call for world leaders to find an alternative to war http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...54_634x218.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...77_634x205.jpg END Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, claimed the US was using a chemical attack in Syria’s civil war as a pretext to interfere in his country. The head of Iran's elite Quds force, Qassem Soleimani, went further, declaring that the Islamic Republic would 'support Syria to the end'. continued...... Iran Threatens that Obama's Daughter will be Kidnapped and Raped if America Attacks Syria |
re: VIDEOS-ISIS -New Beheading >> US Aid Worker
Iranian Diplomat Warns that Obama's Daughter will be Kidnapped and Raped if America Attacks Syria
An Iranian strategic expert has warned that one of President Obama's daughters will be kidnapped and raped if America attacks Syria. Alireza Forghani, also the former governor of southern Iran’s Kish Province, warned of mass abductions and killings of American citizens worldwide in the event the Obama administration launches a military strike in Syria. 'Hopefully Obama will be pigheaded enough to attack Syria, and then we will see the … loss of U.S. interests [through terrorist attacks],' he threatened. 'In just 21 hours [after the attack on Syria], a family member of every U.S. minister [department secretary], U.S. ambassadors, U.S. military commanders around the world will be abducted. And then 18 hours later, videos of their amputation will be spread around the world' he said The threat comes amid reports today that the U.S has intercepted an order from an Iranian official instructing militants in Iraq to attack U.S. interests in Baghdad if the attack goes ahead. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...74_634x427.jpg Claims: The U.S has intercepted an order from an Iranian official instructing militants in Iraq to attack U.S. interests in Baghdad in the event the Obama administration launches a military strike in Syria, it was reported today The American embassy in Baghdad was a likely target, according to unnamed U.S. officials quoted by the Wall Street Journal. The Journal said the officials did not describe the range of potential targets indicated by the intelligence. In addition, the State Department issued a warning on Thursday telling U.S. citizens to avoid all but 'essential' travel to Iraq. President Barack Obama has asked the U.S. Congress to back his plan for limited strikes in response to a chemical weapons attack on civilians that the United States blames on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces. The Journal reported that the Iranian message was intercepted in recent days and came from the head of the Revolutionary Guards' Qods Force. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...50_634x412.jpg Target: The American embassy in Baghdad was a likely target, according to unnamed U.S. officials quoted http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...32_634x412.jpg Scrutiny: Iraqi security forces stand guard in Baghdad today. In addition, the State Department issued a warning on Thursday telling U.S. citizens to avoid all but 'essential' travel to Iraq The newspaper said the message went to Iranian-supported Shi'ite militia groups in Iraq. The Journal reported that the message informed Shi'ite groups to be prepared to respond with force after any U.S. military strike on Syria. 'Travel within Iraq remains dangerous given the security situation,' according to the State Department's warning, which replaced an earlier one 'to update information on security incidents and to remind U.S. citizens of ongoing security concerns in Iraq, including kidnapping and terrorist violence.' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...64_634x502.jpg Sunshine smiles : President Putin, left, President Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and PM David Cameron as they pose for the family photo The department said that numerous insurgent groups, including al Qaeda's Iraq affiliate, remain active and 'terrorist activity and sectarian violence persist in many areas of the country at levels unseen since 2008.' It added: 'The ability of the embassy to respond to situations in which U.S. citizens face difficulty, including arrests, is extremely limited.' The State Department declined immediate comment. The CIA declined comment. The US and France are so far the only nations attending the G20 to have backed the use of military force against the Assad regime, with Russia and China insisting that any action in the absence of UN Security Council approval would be illegal. Italian Prime Minister Enrico Letta - who also attended this morning's aid meeting - said in a tweet last night that 'the G20 has just now finished the dinner session, at which the divisions about Syria were confirmed'. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...10_634x409.jpg Man on a mission: Obama has expanded a list of targets in Syria as he struggles to gather international support for military action http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...23_634x327.jpg President Barack Obama, left, listens as Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, speaks during the start of the G-20 Working Session US frustrations over Russia's stance were reflected in comments by the American envoy to the UN, Samantha Power, who told a New York news conference: 'Even in the wake of the flagrant shattering of the international norm against chemical weapons use, Russia continues to hold the (Security) Council hostage and shirk its international responsibilities. 'What we have learned, what the Syrian people have learned, is that the Security Council the world needs to deal with this crisis is not the Security Council we have.' The US Government accuses Assad's forces of killing 1,429 people in a poison-gas attack in a suburb of the Syrian capital, Damascus, on August 21. Britain announced yesterday that scientists at the Porton Down research laboratories have found traces of the nerve gas sarin on cloth and soil samples retrieved from the site of the attack. Meanwhile, there were signs that Mr Obama may struggle to secure support in Congress for his proposal of 'limited and proportionate' military action against Assad. A poll commissioned by the BBC and ABC News suggested more than one-third of Congress members were undecided whether or not to back military action, while a majority of those who had made a decision said they would vote against the President. The survey found that 226 members of the House of Representatives said they would oppose or were likely to oppose military action, against 45 who were certain or likely to support it and 189 who were undecided or did not respond. Some 17 members of the Senate were certain or likely to oppose Mr Obama's plans, against 23 certain or likely to back him and 60 whose position was undecided or unknown. |
'Multiple' Deaths in Navy Yard Shooting Rampage
Updated 1:01 PM EDT, Mon September 16, 2013
http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...-story-top.jpg Witness: He aimed his gun at us http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/ass...al-gallery.jpg Washington (CNN) -- One suspect is dead after a shooting at the Washington Navy Yard, but two others may be on the loose, the D.C. police chief said Monday. "The big concern for us right now is that we potentially have two other shooters that we have not located at this point," Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier told reporters. Multiple people were killed in the shooting rampage, Lanier said, which sent police in SWAT team gear swarming to the scene Monday morning. Hours later, Lanier said authorities were stilllooking for a white man and a black man in military-style clothing who could be connected to the shooting. "We have no information to believe that either of those folks are military personnel, but we do have information that those individuals are wearing military-style uniforms," she said. Earlier Monday, Ed Zeigler, director of public affairs for Naval District Washington, told CNN that two suspected shooters were "down," but a senior Navy official could not confirm whether there was more than one gunman. "We will do everything in our power to make sure whoever carried out this cowardly act is held responsible," President Barack Obama said, adding the shooting "targeted military and civilian personnel." "We still don't know all the facts. But we do know that several people have been shot and some have been killed," he said. "So we are confronting yet another mass shooting. And today it happened on a military installation in our nation's capital." Earlier, authorities said a gunman dressed in all black fired shots inside the Navy Yard, injuring at least 10 people. The injured included a Washington police officer who has been hospitalized, and a base security guard officer, said Metropolitan Police Department spokeswoman Saray Leon. Three people, including the D.C. police officer, were admitted to MedStar Washington Hospital Center with multiple gunshot wounds. They are expected to survive, chief medical officer Janis Orlowski told reporters. One person was pronounced dead at George Washington University Hospital, according to Dr. Babak Sarani, chief of trauma and acute care there. Meanwhile, at the Navy Yard, helicopters hovered overhead. In one chopper, there appeared to be a police sniper peering out, with a scope at the ready. The incident started unfolding at 8:20 a.m. when several shots were fired inside the headquarters for Naval Sea Systems Command in southeast Washington. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent a team of about 20 special agents to the scene, a law enforcement official said. The team was the same group that helped apprehend Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the official said. Police spokesman ChrisKelly earlier described a suspect as an adult male, about 6 feet tall with a bald head and medium complexion, dressed in a black top and black jeans. Two witnesses told CNN affiliate WJLA that they heard a fire alarm go off in the building where they worked, then saw a man with a rifle down the hallway as they exited the building. "He aimed the gun and fired our way," a man who identified himself as Todd Brundidge told WJLA, adding, "I couldn't believe it." People frantically tried to run out of the building, Brundidge said. "Everyone was going down the stairs. They were pushing. They were shoving. People were falling down,"he told WJLA. "As we came outside, people were climbing the wall trying to get over the wall to get out of the spaces. It was just crazy." Emergency personnel, the FBI, U.S. Capitol Police and local D.C. police responded to the shooting, shutting down traffic in the area on the District's south side along the Anacostia River. Some people are being evacuated, and others are sheltering in place. Security was stepped up at the Pentagon. At least eight schools were on lockdown as a precaution, the Washington public schools said. Air traffic to Reagan National Airport in northern Virginia, the closest airport to downtown Washington, was suspended but later resumed, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The headquarters -- the workplace for about 3,000 people -- is the largest of the Navy's five system commands. It has a fiscal year budget of nearly $30 billion. "With a force of 60,000 civilian, military and contract support personnel, NAVSEA engineers, builds, buys and maintains the Navy's ships and submarines and their combat systems," the Navy said. The Washington Navy Yard -- the Navy's oldest land establishment -- was created in 1799 following an act of Congress, according to the Naval History and Heritage Command. Originally envisioned as a shipbuilding and fitting facility on the Anacostia River, it serviced some of the Navy's most famous early vessels, including the USS Constitution. Burned during the War of 1812, the Navy Yard was transformed into a center for ordnance and technological development. The facility was the world's largest ordnance plant during World War II, but its military role steadily diminished during the Cold War era. Today, the Navy Yard includes the headquarters of Naval District Washington and is home to a naval museum. The area around the facility has been marked in recent years by significant commercial and residential revitalization. |
ISIS Fighter Killed in Syrian Prison & Drugs-Worth Billions Seized in ITALY
Has British White Widow been Killed in Final Assault on Kenyan Shopping Mall? -Body of White Woman Terrorist is Found at Scene
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...87_154x115.jpg As attempts to flush the remaining militants out of a shopping centre continued, officials said three Islamist extremists had died during attempts to free hostages.
'White widow' Samantha Lewthwaite may have been killed during the Nairobi siege. As attempts to flush the remaining militants out of a Kenyan shopping centre continued, officials said three Islamist extremists had died during attempts to free their hostages. Insiders said one was a white woman – adding weight to the theory that Lewthwaite, the fugitive widow of 7/7 bomber Jermaine Lindsay, was behind the attack that has left 62 dead and 170 injured. Part of the group that carried out the attack on the mall was formed by US citizens, according to Kenya's foreign minister Amina Mohamed. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...52_964x653.jpg 'White widow': Weight has been added to the theory that Samantha Lewthwaite, the fugitive widow of 7/7 bomber Jermaine Lindsay, was behind the attack http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...93_470x674.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...93_470x674.jpg A dead white woman has been found among Islamic terrorists killed by soldiers as they stormed the mall where 62 shoppers were slaughtered this weekend, Kenyan officials said. It will fuel speculation the dead woman is Samantha Lewthwaite (left and right), widow of 7/7 bomber Jermaine Lindsay, wanted on terror charges http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...02_964x707.jpg Police will also investigate the possibility that she is a hostage dressed in one of the terrorist's clothes. Asked if it was Lewthwaite, dubbed the 'White Widow', an intelligence officer said: 'We don't know' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...10_964x731.jpg Lewthwaite, 29, was married to Jermaine Lindsay, the suicide bomber who blew up a Tube train at King?s Cross in 2005 http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...37_964x638.jpg Operation: Kenyan soldiers take cover after heavy gunfire near the Westgate mall in Nairobi. Defence troops remain inside the mall, in a standoff with Somali militants U.S. officials said they were looking into whether any Americans were involved. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday the department had 'no definitive evidence of the nationalities or the identities' of the attackers. Downing Street said at least six of the dead are British and warned there was ‘potential for further bad news’. THE 'WHITE WIDOW' OF A COLD BLOODED KILLER Samantha Lewthwaite converted to Islam as a young woman and married a man who went on to be a 7/7 London suicide bomber. She has become a key figure in the terror group behind this weekend’s attack. Lewthwaite has even been involved in training a group of all-female suicide attackers at camps in lawless neighbouring the 29-year-old, who grew up as a normal teenager in Aylesbury before meeting Jermaine Lindsay, a British Muslim, in an online chat room when she was 17. The pair married three years later. When her husband was named as one of four suicide bombers who blew up Tube trains and a bus in 2005, killing 52 people, Lewthwaite initially condemned her late husband’s attack and denied any knowledge of his plan. This was a lie. More than eight years later, Lewthwaite is one of Al Qaeda’s main recruiters in East Africa and is an official spokesman for Al Shabaab (The People), the terrorist group behind the horror in Nairobi. The so-called ‘White Widow’, who is the world’s most wanted woman, has been on the run in East Africa after police foiled a Christmas bomb plot against Western tourists in the coastal resort of Mombasa in 2011. A report from the Reuters news agency said three sources – one intelligence officer and two soldiers – had confirmed that a white woman was among the fallen terrorists. Police are exploring whether she could be a hostage dressed in one of the terrorist’s clothes, but the Foreign Office is also examining Muslim convert Lewthwaite’s links to the massacre. The 29-year-old mother of four, from the Home Counties, is now a leading figure in Al Shabaab – the terror group that has claimed responsibility for the killings in the Israeli-owned Westgate shopping centre. Police believe she is the one of the group’s main financiers and bomb-making tutors. However, sources admit they still do not know the full extent of her involvement in the attack in Nairobi. Nevertheless, a senior Kenyan anti-terror officer yesterday claimed: ‘We believe she was commanding the operation but her fate is not yet known. It is understood she was a sniper also.’ The Mail revealed yesterday that soldiers say they saw a white woman in a veil shouting orders to gunmen in Arabic, while a Twitter account purporting to represent Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the atrocity and praised Lewthwaite, from Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, as ‘a brave lady’. Despite this, Kenya’s interior minister Joseph Ole Lenku said that all of the terrorists were men, with some dressed as women. Lewthwaite has been on the run in East Africa since police foiled her plot to blow up a shopping centre in another Kenyan city, Mombasa, two years go. Her London-born accomplice, Jermaine Grant, was due to stand trial yesterday, but his hearing was delayed so that terror officers preparing to give evidence could instead be diverted to Nairobi, to assist officials there. Lewthwaite, whose family say they have not spoken to her in years, was seven months pregnant when Lindsay blew himself up on a Tube train in 2005, killing 26. She is known to her followers as ‘Dada Mzungu’ – Swahilli for white sister – and has occasionally taken to Twitter to rail against the ‘infidels of the West’. She is understood to have avoided arrest so far by wearing a full-face veil while flitting between Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania. . http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...-4_964x580.jpg Paramedics run beside parked ambulances outside the Westgate Mall in Nairobi after heavy shooting started for the third time since this morning http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...92_964x622.jpg A police helicopter hovers next to a plume of rising black smoke from the shopping mall as an assault team was continuing with a rescue operation at the Westgate shopping mall, where the hostage situation continues http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...30_470x450.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...31_470x450.jpg Distressing: A woman holds a baby sitting with other injured people who are crying for help http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...15_964x584.jpg People take cover after hearing gun shots near the centre. The start of the final assault was heralded by a series of loud blasts and a barrage of gunfire as a pall of thick black smoke began to rise over the mall http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...11_964x641.jpg Help: Relatives and friends of victims line up to donate blood in Nairobi, following the overwhelming numbers of casualties from the Westgate mall shooting http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...23_964x699.jpg The Westgate Shopping Centre is on fire and a fierce gun battle is underway as Kenyan special forces try to end the three day siege that has killed at least 62 people http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...24_964x579.jpg Witnesses have reported hearing rapid gun fire at the shopping mall and Kenyan soldiers have been seen moving towards Westgate They joined two British Special Forces advisers and several MI6 agents based in East Africa, who are assisting local authorities in the huge security operation. Kenyan troops and police have, however, entered the shopping centre without help from outside forces. The monitoring of communications by members of the Somali-based Al Shabaab in and around the shopping centre are said to ‘indicate’ two of the killers spoke with ‘UK accents’. This would support information posted on Twitter, which suggested the terror cell was 15-strong, containing two Londoners. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...67_964x642.jpg A paramedic runs for cover outside the mall in Nairobi after a large explosion was followed by sustained shooting http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...17_964x708.jpg Security forces say they have evacuated almost all the hostages from the shopping centre, which was on fire earlier on Monday Explosions and then black smoke rises from besieged mall http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...12_636x358.jpg ........ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...92_470x558.jpg ...... http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...73_472x558.jpg A Kenyan minister claimed the heavy black smoke billowing from the shopping mall on Monday was caused by burned mattresses http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...26_964x736.jpg The area around the mall was teeming with Kenyan soldiers and armoured personnel carriers, as emergency workers and reporters were told to take cover http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...10_964x641.jpg Kenyan police said they have rescued some hostages after storming the mall and said they are 'increasingly gaining advantage [over] the attackers' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...46_964x598.jpg Police officers take cover following a string of explosions and fierce gun fire on Monday - the third day of the siege http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...89_964x656.jpg Militants inside Westgate Shopping Centre have threatened to kill the remaining hostages as Kenyan security personnel try to end the siege (pictured) http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...98_964x642.jpg Kenya Security personnel take cover outside the Westgate Mall. Islamist terror group Al Shabaab claimed it carried out the atrocity in which four Britons were killed and 175 people were left injured http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...74_964x629.jpg Kenyan military said last night that 'most' of the hostages have been freed, but a spokesman admitted today that the situation is still not clear http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...69_964x643.jpg Militants inside the shopping centre said hostages would 'bear the brunt' of any action by the Kenyan military http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...50_964x642.jpg Tense: Kenyan paramilitary officers walk towards a small shopping arcade adjacent to the Westgate shopping mall where the fate of the hostages remained unclear on Monday morning http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...87_964x610.jpg Hunting down the terrorists: Soldiers from the Kenya Defence Forces arrive at the Westgate Shopping Centre in the capital Nairobi http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/...41_470x711.jpg . |
VIDEOs/PhOtOs-Australian Cops Stop ISIS BEHEADING Attacks
'Bucket full of heads any1 in aus want some organs please dont be shy to ask':
-Smirking Australian Terrorist Poses With Decapitated Heads in Sickening Pictures Posted Online
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...psb00a5a38.gif With sunglasses tucked into his shirt, an Australian terrorist smiles as he holds up two decapitated heads for the camera in Syria. Sydney born boxer Mohamed Elomar casually poses with the severed heads in photos posted on Twitter by his friend, convicted terrorist Khaled Sharrouf. Another image, uploaded on Friday, shows the heads of alleged Syrian solders being impaled on metal railings. Scroll down for videos http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...53_634x351.jpg Disgusting: Mohamed Elomar, who is believed to have left Australia last year to fight in Syria, is shown holding up the decapitated heads of two men Like something out of the 18th century, the heads were left on show in a sickening display that aims to cause terror and fear. The photos were uploaded by terrorist Khaled Sharrouf, alongside disgusting tweets such as 'bucket full of heads any1 in aus want some organs please dont be shy to ask I would love to assist u with body parts [sic]'. His disturbing rant continued 'few more heads how lovely bludy amazing stuff abuhafs u keep cutting those infidel throats but the last 1 is mine! [sic]' Elomar and Sharrouf, who spent time in jail for his part in a foiled plot to blow up targets in Sydney and Melbourne, are believed to be fighting with terror group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...88_634x665.jpg Disturbing: Sharrouf also posted a photo of two men placing severed heads on a metal railing Australian jihadist in Syria 'From the Front Line': http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...38_636x358.jpg They are thought to have flown to Syria together late last year after Sharrouf fled the country on his brother Mustafa's passport. Meanwhile, Elomar's wife Fatima, 29, appeared in court in Sydney on July 8 charged with 'preparing for incursions into a foreign state with the intention of engaging in hostile activities'. On Thursday night Attorney General George Brandis's spokesman told The Australian that 'if real, these photos are evidence of serious crimes against Australian law and possible war crimes.' Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Attorney General's office for further comment. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...16_634x148.jpg Khaled Sharrouf posted the photos on Twitter alongside captions such as 'this guy lost his head!!! Lol' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...28_634x187.jpg The convicted terrorist said he wanted to cut 'infidel throats' http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...05_634x182.jpg He directed his tweets to people in Australia and joked about organ donation http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...65_634x370.jpg Convicted terrorist Khaled Sharrouf has threatened the Australian Federal Police and his countrymen on his Twitter account Sharrouf, also a former Sydney resident, last week taunted Australian police via his social media account, boasting that he would 'slaughter' Australians. The jihadist is currently in the Middle East fighting with the extremist group after he evaded authorities in December. The tweets came as the nation's Director General of Security David Irvine revealed 'tens of people' had already returned to Australian shores from fighting alongside suspected terrorist organisations. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...98_634x395.jpg Fatima Elomar hides under a burqa as she emerges from the Downing Centre court complex with her lawyer Zali Burrows (right) and four children after appearing on terrorism related charges On July 14, Sharrouf fired off a tweet to the AFP and Australians, saying: 'you cowards I am running to my death I want martyrdom thats [sic] why I am blessed u rock spiders'. Just half an hour earlier, he claimed 'Australia belongs to the muslims not infidels like you' as well as boasting of his evasion of police. 'u can't stop and trust me if I wanted to attack aus I could have easily,' Sharrouf said. He also added: 'I love to slaughter [Australians] & ALLAH LOVEs when u dogs r slaughtered'. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...07_634x286.jpg On July 14, Sharrouf tweeted he loved to slaughter Australians to the AFP http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...61_634x286.jpg He said it would have been easy for him to attack Australia if he wanted Quote:
Some of the content is so graphic that Daily Mail Australia has chosen not to publish the posts. Speaking to media on Thursday, Attorney-General George Brandis said engagement with the Islamic community was an important strategy 'to keep Australia free from terrorism'. 'The imams who are faith leaders, who are influential and respected opinion members in their communities, are integral to our goal to saving young men - it is almost always young men - in their communities from being radicalised,' he said. Director General of Security and ASIO chief David Irvine added a majority of the 60 Australians they were aware of fighting with Islamic radicals were siding against the government with Al-Qaeda off-shoots. 'We have some tens of people that have already returned [from the Middle East], we have probably another 150 we're looking at here in Australia who have inclinations to support those two extremist movements,' he said. When asked if the ones who had returned to Australia were being actively monitored, Mr Irvine said 'I'm not saying anything further'. Two Australian militants call for others to join the fight ... http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...24_636x358.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...41_634x668.jpg Sharrouf's account is littered with photos of him posing with weapons and military trucks as well as a young child brandishing a rifle Two Australian militants call for others to join the fight in... |
Re: PhOtOs-Terrorist Ads for Decapitated Heads/Organs
These are sick NON Australians who cause troble and unfairness From our Liberial Barstud Government to get a bill past last week to invade our private lives by keeping our Freekin phone calls and internet stuff for two years, which the already corrupt police will love to death to convict us Normal REAL fair Drinkun Aussies on mindless ****e charges, while these sicko's get away with total bluddy murder!!!!!!!!!
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Re: PhOtOs-Terrorist Ads for Decapitated Heads/Organs
These are immigrants to Australia, who do not value their freedom here.They wish to follow radical coward clerics promoting fighting in far off lands to kill their own kind.? Incredible that muslm would promote killing fellow islamists!
Amazing how priests can influence the gullible, to kill and ignore even sex abuse against their own children, guess catholics priest have led the charge., Now its the muslim clerics turn? |
VIDEO-Secret UK Team in IRAQ Investigates ISIS
http://i271.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps208db98b.gif
US Considers Air Strikes and Air Drops to Help Iraqis Trapped on Mountain by Isis- Move Comes as Iraq's Largest Christian City was Abandoned as Jihadist Militants Advance Through Country's North-West Iraq's largest Christian town abandoned as Isis advance Spencer Ackerman in New York, Martin Chulov and Julian Borger, theguardian.com, Thursday 7 August 2014 http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/...om-Sin-010.jpg Displaced Iraqis from Sinjar flee from Isis troops towards the autonomous Kurdistan region. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images The Obama administration is considering aerial strikes and humanitarian air drops to help besieged religious minorities chased up a mountain by militants in Iraq. The move comes as Iraq's largest Christian city was all but abandoned as the jihadist group Islamic State advances through minority communities in the country's north-west and towards the Kurdish stronghold of Irbil. The US military is already helping the Iraqi government coordinate air drops of vital supplies to at least 40,000 Iraqis, mostly from the Yazidi minority, trapped on top of Mount Sinjar in the north after death threats from the Islamists who have overrun much of Sunni and northern Iraq. Internally, the Obama administration was said to be studying what additional steps it could take directly, to include direct US air drops to those Iraqis stranded on the mountain. "We have been working urgently and directly with officials in Baghdad and Irbil to coordinate Iraqi airdrops to people in need," a US defense official said on condition of anonymity. The official said the US was in constant coordination with the Iraqi government on "how we can help coordinate additional relief, enhance their efforts, and provide direct assistance wherever possible." If the US opts to intervene directly, it would represent the first aerial mission over Iraq since 2011 for a purpose beyond conducting surveillance on Isis, providing long-scheduled military sales, or transporting the extra hundreds of US special-operations "advisers" that Barack Obama ordered into Iraq to help Baghdad confront the threat from Isis. One option for US air missions is to launch from Incirlik air base, which the Americans share with the Turks and Britain's RAF, just outside the city of Adana on Turkey's southern Mediterranean coastline. It was a vital hub in both Afghan and Iraq wars, particularly for military air cargo. Its 10,000 ft main runway can accommodate giant C17 air transport planes, which can easily cover the 435 miles to the stranded Yazidi population on Mount Sinjar. Ankara announced earlier in the day that Turkish food parcels had been air-dropped for the Yazidis by Iraqi helicopters. The base was important strategically during the Cold War because of its close proximity to the Soviet Union. As a hangover from those days it still houses some of the few US nuclear weapons left in Europe, B61 gravity bombs, in hardened shelters on the base. UN officials say an estimated 200,000 new refugees are seeking sanctuary in the Kurdish north from Islamic extremists who have pursued them since the weekend. The city of Qaraqosh, south-east of Mosul, home to around 50,000 Christians was the latest to fall, with most residents fleeing before dawn on Thursday as convoys of extremists drew near. Other Christian towns near Mosul, including Tel Askof, Tel Keif and Qaramless have also largely been emptied. Those who remained behind have reportedly been given the same stark choice given to other minorities, including Yazidis: flee, convert to Islam, or be killed. Christians, Yazidis and Turkmen have been at the frontlines of Iraq's war with Isis ever since the jihadist group stormed into Mosul and Tikrit and mid-June. The Iraqi army capitulated within hours, with at least 60,000 officers and soldiers fleeing on the first day of the assault alone. Ever since, the jihadists have continued to make advances, while Iraqi troops have concentrated on defending Baghdad and the Shia south, leaving the defence of minorities in the north to the Kurdish peshmurga. However, even the much vaunted Kurdish forces were no match for the heavy weapons wielded by the jihadists as they advanced in recent days. Peshmurga officers ordered troops to withdraw to areas administered by the Kurdish regional government – a clear sign of priorities and of where the battle lines are being drawn. Without any protection, Yazidis, Christians and Turkmen are being uprooted from communities they have lived in for millennia and the geo-social fabric of Iraq is being rapidly shredded. While those who have managed to flee the Christian areas have so far had a relatively safe passage to Irbil, the tens of thousands of Yazidis remain besieged near Sinjar, with little food or water. The UN said it was able to get some supplies overland to the stranded hordes – avoiding Isis fighters who have surrounded most of Mount Sinjar. Turkish foreign minister Ahmet Davutoglu announced that Turkish helicopters had dropped food and water on the mountain top. Iraqi helicopters have also made food drops, but stranded Yazidis say they do not have enough to survive. The Chaldean archbishop of Kirkuk, Joseph Thomas, described the situation in northern Iraq as "catastrophic, a crisis beyond imagination". He demanded urgent intervention to save what remained of the area's Christian heritage. Kurdish officials on Thursday demanded more help in catering for refugees. The Kurdish administered areas have seen staggering numbers cross their notional border since the original Isis onslaught two months ago. In the first week alone, some 500,000 people are thought to have fled towards Irbil. The capital of the Kurdish north is already home to a new Chaldean Christian community, which fled Baghdad in the wake of an Isis-led massacre inside a cathedral in October 2010. Many fleeing Christians have headed for the Ainkawa neighbourhood, which is home to Baghdad's Christian exiles. The past 11 years of war and insurrection since the US invasion have led to most of Iraq's Christians fleeing. Numbers have plummeted starkly from an estimated one million before 2003 to around 150,000 now. A large number of those who remain are now displaced. Miriam Dagher, 53, from Qaraqosh, said churches in the city had already been torched and religious insignia smashed. "We stayed as long as we could," she said. "But nothing could save us. This is the end of our community." Isis has threatened to redraw the unitary borders that were carved out of the ruins of the Ottoman empire. The group's rampant insurgency and the inability of state actors to stop it has rendered the frontier between Iraq and Syria evermore irrelevant. In the absence of central government authority, Shia militias are taking dominant roles, amplifying sectarian enmity between Islam's two most dominant sects. Iraq's beleaguered prime minister, Nour al-Maliki, no longer has the authority to unite the country's disparate sects. Maliki, a Shia Muslim, had disenfranchised much of the country's Sunni community over the past three years, some of whom have turned to Isis as a means of reasserting themselves. After digging in for the past two months, Maliki now faces a desperate battle to form a government, with his key backer Iran understood to have told him that it no longer supports his bid to lead the country for a third term. Kurdish leader, Massoud Barazani, has said he is moving towards holding a referendum that could pave the way for an independence bid, a move that could spell the end of Iraq, and unsettle surrounding countries, including Syria, Turkey and Iran. |
re: PhOtOs- Iraq WAR -UK's MI5 &vSAS Go After ISIS
'America IS Coming to Help': Obama to Bomb Iraq to Save Thousands of Non-Muslim Refugees
-Trapped on Mountains and Facing Starvation or Slaughter by ISIS Fanatics
Daily Mail UK, 8 August 2014 http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...88_964x413.jpg GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING: ISIS has been ruthlessly hunting down and slaughtering religious minorities, including Christians and members of the Yazidi sect, who they have denounced as devil-worshipers on account of their ancient set of beliefs. U.S. president Barack Obama said warplanes airdropped food and water supplies to the tens of thousands of Yazidis trapped on Sinjar mountain, which has been surrounded by ISIS fighters. But already hundreds of Yazidis, including women and children, have been murdered as the ISIS hoards close in. Photographs have emerged of Yazidi men carrying the bodies of dozens of young children killed by the Islamic extremists, who in turn have posted pictures online of themselves posing next to dead Yazidis. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...99_306x423.jpg 'We're coming to help': Mr Obama said American military planes had already airdropped aid to tens of thousands of Iraqi religious minorities surrounded and cut off by ISIS militants Barack Obama today authorised US airstrikes in northern Iraq to defend hundreds of thousands of non-Muslims being hunted down and slaughtered by ISIS hoards as he declared: 'America is coming to help.' His dramatic call to arms came as the chaos engulfing Iraq escalated rapidly last night with a re-energised Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant storming towns in the north, executing villagers and chasing thousands from their homes into the desert. Already dozens of Yazidis - who ISIS have denounced as devil-worshippers because of their ancient set of beliefs which predate Christianity and Islam - have been murdered as the extremist fighters overran the town of Sinjar. Tens of thousands of terrified Yazidis have sought refuge from the bloodshed in the surrounding mountains. But there they face another killer: searing desert heat and the constant threat of starvation. Many have already died of hunger and thirst as they struggle to survive on just the food they could carry in temperatures exceeding 42C. Photographs have emerged of Yazidi men carrying the bodies of dozens of young children apparently killed by ISIS militants, who in turn have posted pictures online of themselves posing next to dead Yazidi men. The dead men's wives were reportedly kept as trophies to be gifted to unmarried jihadist fighters. In a televised late-night statement from the White House, Mr Obama said American warplanes had already carried out airdrops of food and water to the Iraqi Yazidis hiding in the mountains. 'Today America is coming to help,' he declared, adding: 'The United States cannot and should not intervene every time there’s a crisis in the world. 'So let me be clear about why we must act, and act now: when we face a situation like we do on that mountain -- with innocent people facing the prospect of violence on a horrific scale, when we have a mandate to help . . . and when we have the unique capabilities to help avert a massacre, then I believe the United States of America cannot turn a blind eye.' ISIS fighters beat back the Kurdish peshmerga fighters, Iraq's most formidable fighting force who have thus far fought tirelessly to defend their northern heartland, but are becoming stretched thin across several fronts. In what will be seen as a major coup for the extremist force, they seized the Mosul Dam - Iraq's largest - which gives them control over Baghdad's water supply. Panic even began to tear through the Kurdish capital of Erbil, long considered a safe haven, where civilians flooded the airport in a futile attempt to buy tickets to Baghdad. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...41_634x429.jpg Innocent: Yazidi Iraqis on Mount Sinjar carry the bodies of children killed by ISIS. ISIS has been ruthlessly hunting down and slaughtering members of the ancient Yazidi religion, a faith derived from Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islam http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...37_634x548.jpg Ruthless: An ISIS fighter poses next to a dead Yazidi. ISIS have denounced the Yazidis as devil-worshipers on account of their ancient set of beliefs and have issued them with an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a religious fine, flee their homes or face death http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...68_634x531.jpg Split: There are three main religious groups in Iraq: Shia Arabs, the country's majority, Sunni Arabs and Kurds, who are religiously Sunni but divided by their ethnicity. The is also a minority of Christians scattered across northern Iraq, who comprise just over 1 per cent of the population (450,000). ISIS, who are Sunni Arab, have forced tens of thousands of Yazidis - an ancient religion that predates Islam - from their heartland in the town Sinjar into surrounding mountains where they face extreme heat and starvation Displaced civilians flee as Obama promises to send help: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...27_636x358.jpg Meanwhile, Pope Francis begged world leaders to help end the crisis, after Iraq's largest Christian town was sacked sending tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians fleeing into the desert. Yesterday ISIS captured Qaraqush and several others near Mosul following the withdrawal of Kurdish peshmerga fighters. '(The Christians) have fled with nothing but their clothes, some of them on foot, to reach the Kurdistan region,' Patriarch Sako told AFP. 'This is a humanitarian disaster; the churches are occupied, their crosses were taken down.' He added that up to 1,500 manuscripts were burnt. The Vatican said in a statement: 'His Holiness addresses an urgent appeal to the international community to take action to end the humanitarian tragedy now underway, to act to protect those affected or threatened by violence and to provide aid, especially for the most urgent needs of the many who have been forced to flee and who depend on the solidarity of others.' Quote:
Today's announcements reflected the deepest American engagement in Iraq since US troops withdrew in late 2011 after nearly a decade of war. Mr Obama, who made his remarks in a steady and sombre tone, has staked much of his legacy as president on ending what he has called the 'dumb war' in Iraq. The president said the humanitarian airdrops were made at the request of the Iraqi government. The food and water supplies were delivered to the tens of thousands of Yazidis trapped on Sinjar mountain without food and water. The Yazidis fled their homes after the Islamic State group overran the city of Sinjar, issuing an ultimatum to convert to Islam, pay a religious fine, flee their homes or face death. Tens of thousands have scattered into the surrounding mountains where they face a daily battle for survival in extreme heat. Many have already died of starvation and thirst. ISIS has been ruthlessly hunting and slaughtering members of the ancient Yazidi religion, a faith derived from Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islam, who ISIS have denounced as devil-worshipers on account of their ancient set of beliefs. Mindful of the public's aversion to another lengthy war, Mr Obama acknowledged that the prospect of a new round of US military action would be a cause for concern among many Americans. He vowed anew not to put American combat troops back on the ground in Iraq and said there was no US military solution to the crisis. 'As commander in chief, I will not allow the United States to be dragged into fighting another war in Iraq,' Mr Obama said. Even so, he outlined a rationale for airstrikes if the Islamic State militants advance on American troops in the northern city of Irbil and the US consulate there in the Kurdish region of Iraq. The troops were sent to Iraq earlier this year as part of the White House response to the extremist group's swift movement across the border with Syria and into Iraq. 'When the lives of American citizens are at risk, we will take action,' Mr Obama said. 'That's my responsibility as commander in chief.' He said he had also authorised the use of targeted military strikes if necessary to help the Iraqi security forces protect civilians. The president spoke following a day of urgent discussions with his national security team. He addressed the nation only after the American military aircraft delivering food and water to the Iraqis had safely left the drop site in northern Iraq. The Pentagon said the airdrops were performed by one C-17 and two C-130 cargo aircraft that together delivered a total of 72 bundles of food and water. They were escorted by two F/A-18 fighters from an undisclosed air base in the region. The planes delivered 5,300 gallons of fresh drinking water and 8,000 pre-packaged meals and were over the drop area for less than 15 minutes at a low altitude. The president cast the mission to assist the Yazidis as part of the American mandate to assist around the world when the US has the unique capabilities to help avert a massacre. In those cases, Mr Obama said, 'we can act carefully and responsibly to prevent a potential act of genocide'. Officials said the US was prepared to undertake additional humanitarian airdrops if necessary, though they did not say how quickly those missions could occur. And today, David Cameron welcomed US President Obama's decision to authorise airstrikes, saying the world must help religious minorities in Iraq who are under threat from the militants 'in their hour of desperate need' - but ruled out any British military intervention. President Barack Obama discusses the situation in Iraq... http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...72_636x358.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...96_634x355.jpg Dying: It is reported that dozens of people, mostly children, have died of hunger and thirst since ISIS fighters surrounded Mount Sinjar http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...43_634x408.jpg Hunted down: A Yazidi girl rests on the ground as she flees with her family from the encroaching ISIS hoards http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...10_634x386.jpg Not enough: Villagers say food delivered by the Iraqi army by helicopters is insufficient and people are beginning to die of starvation and thirst in the extreme heat http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...17_634x413.jpg Fleeing: Officials said, tens of thousands of Iraqis, mainly Yazidi and Christian families, living in Iraq's Sinjar district bordering Syria were desperately trying to escape the country for fear of massacres by the militants http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...17_634x433.jpg Safe for now: Iraqi Christians who fled the violence in the village of Qaraqush, about 30 kilometres east of the northern province of Nineveh, rest upon their arrival at the Saint-Joseph church in the Kurdish city of Arbil, in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...58_634x414.jpg Scared: ISIS hoards have been particularly ruthless in their treatment of Iraqi Christians. Thousands have fled since ISIS seized Qaraqush, Iraq's largest Christian town, and several others near Mosul following the withdrawal of Kurdish peshmerga fighters, inhabitants said A Downing Street spokeswoman said the UK was 'not planning a military intervention'. But Prime Minister Cameron said: 'I have tasked officials to urgently establish what more we can do to provide help to those affected, including those in grave need of food, water and shelter in the Sinjar area. He said he had asked officials to look into what assistance the UK can provide. In a statement on Friday morning, Mr Cameron said: 'I welcome president Obama's decision to accept the Iraqi government's request for help and to conduct targeted US air strikes, if necessary, to help Iraqi forces as they fight back against Isil terrorists to free the civilians trapped on Mount Sinjar. 'And I fully agree with the President that we should stand up for the values we believe in - the right to freedom and dignity, whatever your religious beliefs.' U.S. administration officials said they believe unilateral US strikes would be consistent with international law in part because the Iraqi government has asked for Washington to take military action. They also said Mr Obama had the constitutional authority to act on his own in order to protect American citizens. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...37_634x423.jpg Isis fighters reportedly gained control of this dam in Mosul, giving them power over the main water supply to Baghdad http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...50_634x465.jpg Fight back: Soldiers of the Kurdish Peshmerga forces and Shiite volunteers take position during fighting with ISIS fighters, in Amerly town, northeastern Baghdad. The Kurds, who suffered horrifically under Saddam Hussein, have exploited the recent crisis to grant themselves greater autonomy http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...59_634x429.jpg Brave: But the Kurds have nonetheless fought tirelessly against the ISIS hoards in a desperate bid to protect their heartland and other religious denominations under threat http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...92_634x356.jpg Fighting on: Thousands of ethnic minorities, including Christians and Yazidi Kurds, have fled their homes after the ISIS hoard seized Qaraqush, Iraq's largest Christian town, and several others near Mosul following the withdrawal of Kurdish peshmerga fighters (pictured) Still, there was no guarantee that the president's threat of military strikes would actually be followed by action. He similarly authorised strikes in Syria last summer after chemical weapons were deployed, but those attacks were never carried out, in part because of domestic political concerns and also because an international agreement to strip Syria of its stockpiles of the deadly gases. The president has also faced persistent calls to take military action in Syria on humanitarian grounds, given that more than 170,000 people have been killed there. Critics, including some Republicans in Congress, have argued that Mr Obama's cautious approach to Syria has allowed the Islamic State group to flourish there, growing strong enough to move across the border with Iraq and make swift gains. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...58_634x440.jpg Back to Iraq? The announcements reflected the deepest American engagement in Iraq since US troops withdrew in late 2011 after nearly a decade of war In light of the militants' advances, Mr Obama sent about 800 US forces to Iraq earlier this year, with those troops largely split between joint operation centres in Baghdad and Irbil. More than half are providing security for the embassy and US personnel. American service members also are involved in improving US intelligence, providing security cooperation and conducting assessments of Iraqi capabilities. Officials said there were no plans to evacuate those Americans from Iraq but that the US was conducting enhanced intelligence flights over Irbil with both manned and unmanned aircrafts in order to monitor the deteriorating conditions. If the president were to order actual airstrikes in Iraq, it is all but certain he would proceed without formal congressional approval. Politicians left town last week for a five-week recess, and there was no sign that Congress was being called back. President Barack Obama Discusses the Situation in Iraq: Watch the ISIS Fanatics: The Fall of Iraq & Syria- What You Aren't Being Told: |
re: PhOtOs- Iraq WAR -UK's MI5 &vSAS Go After ISIS
The Moment Obama Began Bombing Iraq: First Picture Emerges of US Air Strike on ISIS artillery
-as President Carries out His Threat to use Force to Save Thousands of Non-Muslims Trapped by Fanatics
America waded into the unfolding crisis in Iraq today as it dispatched two warplanes to bombard an ISIS artillery battery in a bid to halt the extremist horde that is sweeping the country and save hundreds of thousands of innocent lives. The F/A-18C Hornets took off from the USS George H. W. Bush in the Persian Gulf this morning before unleashing 500lb laser-guided bombs on a unit of Islamic State fighters marching on Kurdish capital Erbil, where U.S. troops are stationed as well as the American consulate. In an unusual move, news of America's first military offensive in Iraq since it pulled out of the country in 2011 after eight years at war was announced by Rear Admiral John Kirby through his Twitter account. 'US military aircraft conduct strike on ISIL artillery. Artillery was used against Kurdish forces defending Erbil, near US personnel,' he tweeted. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...62_964x610.jpg Gone in a cloud of smoke: A dust cloud rises where the first US bomb struck ISIS artillery being towed by a truck outside Irbil http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...42_964x560.jpg The airstrike marked the first time US forces have taken direct action against ISIS since it began taking control of huge swathes of the Middle East http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...69_964x497.jpg It begins: One of the two F/A-18C Hornet fighter jets that bombed the ISIS artillery position prepares for takeoff from the USS George H. W. Bush in the Persian Gulf before the dawn mission this morning The assault follows Barack Obama's dramatic call to arms last night in which he authorised airstrikes to defend hundreds of thousands of non-Muslims being hunted down and slaughtered by Islamic State jihadists, declaring: 'America is coming to help.' And as the crisis in Iraq entered a new phase of international involvement, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel warned the U.S. has enough intelligence to clearly single out and hit Islamic militants if they threaten U.S. interests or the thousands of refugees who fled to a mountaintop. Asked if the Islamic State group could successfully hide among civilians to evade strikes, Hagel said: 'It's pretty clear who they are, and they would be pretty identifiable where our airstrikes could be effective.' It is understood that ISIS was using stolen artillery, abandoned by retreating Iraqi soldiers, to shell Kurdish forces defending the regional capital of Kurdistan. Peshmerga Kurdistan forces are now waiting for more strikes by the US fighter jets before launching a full-scale counter attack against the ISIS assault. The chaos engulfing Iraq has escalated rapidly in the past 24 hours, with a re-energised Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant storming towns in the north, executing villagers and chasing thousands from their homes into the mountains. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...59_964x624.jpg 'We're coming to help': President Obama meets with the National Security Council yesterday in the Situation Room of the White House, hours before his addressto the nation in which he vowed to help the thousands of Iraqi civilians being driven from their homes and slaughtered by the Islamic State extremists running rampant through the country. That help came in the form of targeted airstrikes on key ISIS positions today: http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...07_964x528.jpg Ready for action: And as soon as the first two jets returned from their successful bombing run on ISIS fighters marching on Erbil this morning, the flight deck of the George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier came alive as more warplanes readied for action Already dozens of Yazidis - who ISIS have denounced as devil-worshippers because of their ancient beliefs which predate both Christianity and Islam - have been murdered since the extremist fighters overran the town of Sinjar yesterday. Up to 50,000 terrified Yazidis - half of them children - have sought refuge from the bloodshed in the barren mountain range to the north of their hometown as their hunters close in. But there they face an impossible dilemma - try to make it to the Turkish border and risk being captured and killed by insurgents, or remain on Mount Sinjar without food or water in the searing heat in the hope that aid will somehow get through. Many have already died of hunger and thirst as they struggle to survive on just the food they could carry in temperatures exceeding 42C. Photographs have emerged of Yazidi men carrying the limp bodies of dozens of young children either too exhausted to continue or killed by ISIS militants, who in turn have posted pictures online of themselves posing next to dead Yazidi men. The dead men's wives were reportedly kept as trophies to be gifted to unmarried jihadist fighters. Last night, in a televised late-night statement from the White House, Mr Obama said American warplanes had already carried out airdrops of food and water to the Iraqi Yazidis hiding in the mountains. |
re: PhOtOs- Iraq WAR -UK's MI5 &vSAS Go After ISIS
RAF Joins US & Explores More Ways & to Help Yazidis'
Daily Mail UK, 9 August 2014 Britain is looking at how to get a religious minority group off an Iraqi mountain it has been trapped on by extremist Islamic State (IS) fighters, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said. He said the first British humanitarian relief including drinking water and tents would be dropped "imminently" by RAF aircraft to members of the Yazidi in the Sinjar mountains in Iraq's north-west. Thousands of Yazidis have been driven into the barren mountains near the Syrian border and hundreds of women from the minority seized by the hardline Sunni IS militants. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...83_634x356.jpg Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond has chaired a meeting of the Cobra committee to assess the crisis in northern Iraq Speaking after chairing a meeting of the Government's Cobra committee, Mr Hammond said such airdrops were only a short-term solution. He said: "We can expect a continuing drumbeat of airdrop operations working in co-ordination with the US and potentially with others as well. "But more widely we are looking at how to support this group of people and get them off that mountain, how we are going to facilitate their exit from what is a completely unacceptable situation." The US has begun airstrikes against IS targets engaging Kurdish forces near the key city of Irbil, but Britain has ruled out military action at this stage. But the Government has committed £8 million towards humanitarian aid for the troubled country. Mr Hammond said the Government was deeply concerned by the humanitarian crisis and the "extraordinary cruelty" shown by ISIS in areas it has taken control of in the north of Iraq. The first consignment of UK emergency aid has left RAF Brize Norton for Iraq as the West tries to counter the threat from extremists. But Mr Hammond said it was for a new Iraqi government to lead the fight against ISIS, formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), which has declared a new caliphate in the area of Iraq it controls. "We are waiting, all of us are waiting, for a new Iraqi government to be formed which will then have to take the lead in responding to the challenge that ISIS is posing to the integrity of the Iraqi state," Mr Hammond said. He added: "At the moment our focus is on supporting the humanitarian effort, trying to deal with the growing humanitarian crisis in Iraq and waiting to see as the new government is formed, whether it will be an inclusive government we can get behind and support in its efforts." He also called on other countries to send aid, which would also send a political message that "the world is horrified" at what is happening. The UK's £8 million emergency package includes reusable filtration containers, tents, and solar lights which can also recharge mobile phones. Some £3 million will go to charities and NGOs already on the ground and helping displaced people in northern Iraq, and £2.5 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross. A further £500,000 ($750,000) will be used to ensure Kurdish and UN systems can co-ordinate properly. 'I Don't Think We are Going to Solve This Problem in Weeks': Obama Says it Will Take 'Some Time' to End the Conflict in Iraq President Barack Obama refused to put forward a timetable for a resolution to the conflict in Iraq on Saturday, saying that it was going to 'take some time.' 'I don't think we are going to solve this problem in weeks,' Obama said, noting that it 'is going to be a long-term project.' The president said among his 'immediate concerns' was making 'sure ISIL is not engaging in the actions that could cripple a country permanently.' Despite his open ended timetable for untangling the U.S. from Iraq, the president stood by his previous promises that he would not put boots on the ground in the country for any reason other than to protect American personnel stationed there. 'I've been very clear that we're not gonna have us combat troops in Iraq again, and we are going to maintain that because we should have learned a lesson from our long and very costly incursion in Iraq,' he said. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...68_638x415.jpg President Barack Obama said today that it would take 'some time' to resolve the conflict in Iraq and admitted that it will be longer than 'weeks' Obama also said that 'right now' he did not need any additional funding from Congress to carry out military missions in Iraq. Asked if the U.S.underestimated Islamic militants in Iraq, Obama said: 'There is no doubt that their advance, their movement over the last several months has been more rapid than intelligence estimates.' The president admitted that policy makers inside and outside of Iraq did not have a 'full appreciation' for the fact that Iraqi forces would not stand their ground in the face of the enemy. However, Obama expressed irritation with the perception that it was his 'decision' to pull out of Iraq in 2011. 'That entire analysis is bogus and wrong and oftentimes gets peddled around here by folks who are trying to protect' their own policy decisions,' Obama said. The previous administration, he said, turned over control of the country to the Iraqi people. And the Iraqi government, 'based on its political considerations' and the fact that the Iraqi people were tired of their country being occupied, opted not to pass laws that would protect American troops. 'That presupposes that I would have overwritten this sovereign government,' if I had told them, ''You don't have a choice," ' he said. 'Which would have kind of run contrary to the argument we were kind of making,' he added. That said, history had not happened the way it did, and the US still had troops in Iraq, they wouldn't have been able to prevent the current crisis, he said, because the Iraq has not done the things it needed to do to have a cohesive government. If the the U.S still had combat troops in Iraq, Obama said, the only difference is that 'we'd have a much bigger job, and we'd probably have to go up again in the number of ground troops to make sure those troops weren't vulnerable.' Immediately after the president spoke he hopped aboard his Marine One helicopter with his family to speed off to their annual summer vacation in Martha's Vineyard. The first family will remain in the elite Massachusetts town for the next two weeks. President Obama will return to Washington next weekend for several days of meetings and then rejoin his family there for the five final days of their vacation. The president did not cancel or postpone his vacation even after the Islamic militants overrunning the country took control of one of Iraq's largest dams and ran religious minorities out of the city of Mosul under threat of death. With no where else to go, an estimated 40,000 followers of the Yadizi religion have been stranded on Mount Sinjar in northern Iraq for several days. Over the last two days the U.S. military has made air drops of food, water and basic medical supplies to the Iraqi refugees hiding away in the mountains and has launched airstrikes on extremists camped outside the nearby city of Erbil. 'We feel confident that we can prevent ISIL form going up a mountain and slaughtering the people there,' Obama said today. The issue is providing 'safe passage' down the mountain and figuring out where the refugees will live after that, Obama said. FIRST STRIKE: Smoke rises over the desert near Arbil, northern Iraq, after US air strike on Islamic State artillery. |
re: PhOtOs- Iraq WAR -UK's MI5 &vSAS Go After ISIS
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Ready to Strike: How the US is Armed to the Teeth in the Middle East after Moving Ships, Jets and Troops Within Striking Distance... -Britain's RAF Planes & Troops Already in the Area, in its Large Military Base in the Med, - to Help with Back-Up, Arms & Supplies
Daily Mail UK, 9 August 2014 The strike on ISIS today came after U.S. forces spent the last two months moving ships, jets and troops within striking distance. After President Obama gave the go ahead last night, two F/A18 fighters flew off from an American 'supercarrier' in the Persian Gulf to fire 500lb laser-guided bombs on a group of Islamic militants outside Kurdish capital Erbil. The jets were on the USS George H.W. Bush, which was ordered to travel 1,000 miles from the Arabian Sea to the Persian Gulf seven weeks ago. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...67_964x823.jpg Surrounded: The U.S. & UK have spent recent months moving ships, jets and troops within striking distance with today's US attack on ISIS coming from the Persian Gulf http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...69_964x497.jpg It begins: One of the two F/A-18C Hornet fighter jets that bombed the ISIS artillery position prepares for takeoff from the USS George H. W. Bush in the Persian Gulf before the dawn mission this morning http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...07_964x528.jpg Ready for action: And as soon as the first two jets returned from their successful bombing run on ISIS fighters marching on Erbil this morning, the flight deck of the George H. W. Bush aircraft carrier came alive as more warplanes readied for action It joined the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet - two aircraft carriers - the USS Carl Vinson and USS Abraham Lincoln - and several nuclear submarines armed with Tomahawk missiles. Each carrier typically carries 64 aircraft, including the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets, EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft, E-2 Hawkeye surveillance planes and SH-60/MH-60 Seahawk helicopters. There are also five other U.S. ships believed to be in the Arabian Sea of needed. Obama's operational choices are limited to launches from bases outside Iraq's borders. The UK has a large military base in Cyprus Among them are Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar, which already houses command and logistics hubs for U.S. Central Command and was ground zero for air sorties over Afghanistan and Iraq since the early days of the George W. Bush administration. Al-Udeid is still used for some air missions over Afghanistan and houses long-range B1-bombers. Closer to Iraq's northern provinces is an American air base in Incirlik, Turkey. After 2011, that facility inherited much of the airborne surveillance hardware – including drones – that the U.S. once launched from bases inside Iraq. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...07_964x613.jpg Unmanned attacker: The United States has its MQ-9 'Reaper' drones that can deliver Hellfire missiles more than 1,100 miles away http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...62_964x610.jpg Gone in a cloud of smoke: A dust cloud rises where the first US bomb struck ISIS artillery being towed by a truck outside Irbil http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...42_964x560.jpg The airstrike marked the first time US forces have taken direct action against ISIS since it began taking control of huge swathes of the Middle East In addition, the U.S. commands a detachment of F-16 fighters in Jordan, where it has 2,000 troops based, according to a Pentagon official. The superpower also has a massive arsenal of MQ-18 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones, capable of delivering Hellfire missiles more than 1,100 miles away. The Reaper drones can also deliver 500-pound bombs. The United States has around 800 personnel on the ground in Iraq - but not enough to launch an attack. In late June it was announced that the U.S. was sending another 300 troops to Iraq to beef up security at its embassy and around Baghdad. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...57_964x662.jpg Response: On the ground, a Kurdish armoured vehicle rushes towards the site of the U.S. air strike to meet ISIS http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...78_964x615.jpg Rolling tanks: Peshmerga fighters are pictured yesterday patrolling their territory in an operation against the ISIS fighters It does have 10,000 troops in Kuwait and stores millions of rounds of small arms fire, thousands of rounds of tank ammunition, helicopter-fired rockets, machine guns, grenades, flares, sniper rifles, M16s and M4 rifles. Britain has a large RAF base in Cyprus, less than 100 miles from from Syria and 650 miles from Baghdad. RAF Akrotiri was built in the mid 1950s and first used in the Suez crisis. More recently the base was used as a supply post during the Iraq wars and also used to support the attacks on Libya in 2011. Before intervention in Syria was voted down by the Commons, this is where the strikes would have come from. Now it could be used for air drops to the Yazidi tribe who are trapped in the mountains of Iraq or the British could share their bases with America. White House: We'll Give Iraq More Military Support if Needed |
re: PhOtOs- Iraq WAR -UK's MI5 &vSAS Go After ISIS
They Have Vicious Plans for Them': Fears for Hundreds of Yazidi 'Enslaved' Women Captured by ISIS Fanatics in Iraq as America Wipes out Terrorist Convoy after Launching SECOND Round of Bombing
ISIS militants have made hostages of hundreds of Yazidi women after America waded into the unfolding crisis in Iraq by dropping bombs on the extremists' artillery. Earlier President Obama authorised two bombers to sweep up form the Persian Gulf and drop their payloads on jihadist emplacements, in response to their actions against the Yazidi religious minority in the north of the country. Later the U.S. military conducted two additional air strikes against the extremists near the city of Arbil in northern Iraq, the Pentagon said. The second wave of air strikes, included a drone strike on a mortar position and an attack by four F/A-18 jets on an Islamic State convoy and mortar position. They made two passes, released eight bombs and "neutralized" the fighters But now ISIS - which calls itself the Islamic State - has struck the group again by capturing hundreds of women from Mosul, Iraq's second city. Earlier reports indicated that capture Yazidi women were intended to be given to young jihadists as wives. American aircraft continued attacking targets in Iraq on Friday, the Pentagon said, killing terrorists who were launching attacks from mortars and underway in a convoy. ‘Please save us! SOS! save us!’ a man pleaded, ‘Our people are in the desert. They are exposed to a genocide.’ The savage group - which boasts of crucifying, mutilating and executing those it conquers - is now advancing into the Kurdish northern area of Iraq, which was formerly thought to be safe. Fighters were today just 25 miles from Erbil, the Kurdish capital, which has been a safe haven in the country throughout the rise of ISIS, and also during the Iraq war to topple Saddam Hussein.An Iraqi government official confirmed the hostage-taking, and said the women are all younger than 35. Kamil Amin, the spokesman for Iraq's Human Rights Ministry, said: 'We think that the terrorists by now consider them slaves and they have vicious plans for them. We think that these women are going to be used in demeaning ways by those terrorists to satisfy their animalistic urges in a way that contradicts all the human and Islamic values.'There are claims that many have been raped and there are fears that they will be sold into slavery by the fanatics. Those trapped on the mountain say they fear they face ‘slaughter’ . They spoke of appalling conditions with no water, food or medicine, and little shelter apart from lone trees, under which groups huddle together, or caves dotted in the barren, bleak mountainside. ‘We are being slaughtered,’ Yazidi MP, Vian Dakhil, said: ‘Our entire religion is being wiped off the face of the earth.’ Another said: ‘We have nothing here except ground to sleep on, there is no food or water, people are hungry, people are crying for help.’ One Yazidi official, Mahma Khalil, put the number sheltering on the mountain, which the community considers the holy site where Noah’s ark settled after the biblical flood, as high as 250,000. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...55_964x830.jpg Drama: The two American warplanes dropped 500lb laser-guided bombs on an Islamic State artillery position Near Irbil in a bid to halt the ISIS horde sweeping the country and save thousands of innocent lives http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...12_964x806.jpg Split: There are three main religious groups in Iraq: Shia Arabs, the country's majority, Sunni Arabs and Kurds, who are religiously Sunni but divided by their ethnicity. The is also a minority of Christians scattered across northern Iraq, who comprise just over 1 per cent of the population (roughly 450,000 people). ISIS, who are Sunni Arab, have forced tens of thousands of Yazidis - an ancient religion that predates Islam - from their heartland in Sinjar US Government Releases Video of Air Operation in the Gulf |
re: PhOtOs- Iraq WAR -UK's MI5 &vSAS Go After ISIS
THE EVIL CRUELTY OF ISIS:
Lined up and Executed, Their Severed Heads Put on Display as a Warning to Others: Horrific New Photographs of ISIS Atrocities
Up to 500 prisoners from the minority Yazidi faith are said to have been killed by ‘death squads’ of jihadi gunmen in recent days. Some 40 Yazidi children are reported to be among the dead, after being driven from their homes by the brutal Islamist militant offensive in northern Iraq. Chilling images of the victims have now emerged, some released by the group’s expertly managed propaganda machine. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...97_634x403.jpg Prisoners: Members of the Sunni Shaitat tribe are rounded up and marched to their deaths in Syria by fighters from ISIS in a series of horrific images posted online by the jihadist group http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...60_634x403.jpg Ruthless: Bent double and barefooted, with their hands are bound behind their backs with rope, -the prisoners are marched to the execution site in the desert near Deir ez Zor in Syra Advancing Islamic State fighters have filmed themselves massacring prisoners, some of whom have been crucified or beheaded. Pictures show armed fighters, appearing to laugh over slumped bodies of dead civilians, who had been lined up and shot in the head and back. Some images, posted online, show militants posing next to dead Yazidi men. One horrific set of photographs, which emerged yesterday, shows the militants rounding up and executing tribesmen. The prisoners were marched into the desert and made to kneel on the dusty ground, before being systematically shot in the head. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...13_634x403.jpg Crimes against humanity: The captives are then lined up and ordered to kneel down on the dusty ground http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...14_634x403.jpg Barbaric: Around 20 ISIS fighters stand behind the line of men and the squad of jihadists begin to murder the prisoners http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...58_634x403.jpg A couple of jihadists approach the dead prisoners and finish off any survivors from point-blank range http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...46_634x403.jpg Sick: A jihadist appears to be smiling as he holds a terrified man by his hair and begins to slice through his neck with a hunting knife ‘The punishment of those who fight Allah and his Messenger and spread mischief on earth is to kill or crucify or cut off their hands and feet,’ the militant group declared. There were also reports of children being beheaded, crucifixions and amputations. One said trapped Yazidi women were being raped while their husbands were slaughtered. As each town is taken, anyone opposing the Islamic State is either killed or given the option to convert to Islam and pay a fine. Others try to abandon their homes and flee. Six weeks ago, the Islamic State executed at least 160 prisoners in just four days in the northern city of Tikrit, publishing pictures of men forced to lie with their hands tied behind their backs while they were shot. A final set of images showed the victims’ bodies piled up. The brutal tactics of the group, which broke from Al Qaeda, are the work of leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who joined the insurgency that erupted in Iraq soon after the 2003 US-led invasion. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...-6_634x438.jpg Brutal: Other captives are tied to makeshift crucifixes, before being shot http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...91_634x403.jpg A crowd of local men watch from behind a low fence, some of them are taking photos or filming the executions with their mobile phones http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...23_636x358.jpg DISTURBING CONTENT: ISIS terrorists execute soldiers in Syria: |
re: PhOtOs- Iraq WAR -UK's MI5 &vSAS Go After ISIS
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Germany Prepared to Send Arms to Kurds in Iraq AP/Daily Mail UK, 20 August 2014 BERLIN (AP) — Germany says it is prepared to arm the Kurdish fighters battling Sunni insurgents in northern Iraq. Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier says Germany would closely coordinate its efforts with France, Britain and other European countries who are already delivering weapons to the Kurds. Wednesday's announcement follows intense domestic and international pressure for the German government to provide more than humanitarian assistance to those fighting the Islamic State group, which has taken control of large parts of Iraq in recent weeks. The offensive by ISIS radicals has left thousands dead and forced 1.5 million people from their homes. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...59_634x435.jpg An internally displaced Iraqi woman holds her sister during a sandstorm -at a new camp outside the Bajid Kandala camp in Feeshkhabour town, Iraq, Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014. Some 1.5 million people have been displaced by fighting in Iraq since the Islamic State's rapid advance began in June, and thousands more have died. The scale of the humanitarian crisis prompted the U.N. to declare its highest level of emergency last week. (AP Photo/ Khalid Mohammed) Sending weapons would be a significant step for Germany, which traditionally has shied away from such moves. Steinmeier said the decision was made to do so because a collapse of Kurdish defenses could precipitate a wider catastrophe in Iraq that would directly affect Europe. France began shipping arms to Kurdish forces last week and has also supplied similar weapons to Western-backed Syrian opposition forces. The French government, meanwhile, announced Wednesday it was getting a new shipment of humanitarian aid ready for Iraq as minorities under attack by Sunni militants issued a new appeal for help. France has already sent dozens of tons of aid to minorities in Iraq in several deliveries since Aug. 10. |
re: VIDEOS-ISIS -New Beheading >> US Aid Worker
Video Showing American Journalist Beheaded Believed Real, -Officials and Family Say
AP, 20 August 2014 http://wpmedia.news.nationalpost.com...list.jpg?w=620 AP Photo/Steven Senne, FileIn this May 27, 2011 file photo American Journalist James Foley, of Rochester, N.H., poses for a photo in Boston. WASHINGTON — Two U.S. officials say they believe American journalist James Foley was the victim executed by ISIS militants as shown in a grisly video released Tuesday. Separately, Foley’s family confirmed his death in a statement posted on a webpage that was created to rally support for his release. In the statement, Foley’s mother, Diane Foley, said the journalist, quote, “gave his life trying to expose the world to the suffering of the Syrian people.” One of the U.S. officials said President Barack Obama was expected to make a statement about the killing on Wednesday. The U.S. officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the video by name. Foley, a 40-year-old freelance journalist from Rochester, New Hampshire, went missing nearly two years ago in northern Syria while on assignment for Agence France-Press and the Boston-based media company GlobalPost. The car he was riding in was stopped by four militants in a contested battle zone that both Sunni rebel fighters and government forces were trying to control. He had not been heard from since. Several senior U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the situation said the Islamic State very recently threatened to kill Foley to avenge the crushing airstrikes over the last two weeks against militants advancing on Mount Sinjar, the Mosul dam and the Kurdish capital of Irbil. Both areas are in northern Iraq, which has become a key front for the Islamic State as its fighters travel to and from Syria. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the hostage situation by name. Since Aug. 8, the U.S. military has struck more than 70 Islamic State targets – including security checkpoints, vehicles and weapons caches. It’s not clear how many militants have been killed in the strikes, although it’s likely that some were. The Internet video begins with scenes of President Barack Obama explaining his decision to order airstrikes in Iraq. Then it switches to a balding man in an orange jumpsuit kneeling in the desert, a black-clad Islamic State fighter by his side. Foley’s name appears in both English and Arabic graphics on screen. The video appears to have been shot in an arid area; there is no vegetation in sight and the horizon is in the distance where the sand meets the gray-blue sky. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists estimated Tuesday that about 20 journalists are missing in Syria, and has not released their nationalities. In its annual report last November, CPJ concluded that the missing journalists are either being held and threatened with death by extremists, or taken captive by gangs seeking ransom. The group’s report described the widespread seizure of journalists as unprecedented and largely unreported by news organizations in the hope that keeping the kidnappings out of public view may help in the captives’ release. The Islamic State militant group is so ruthless in its attacks against all people they consider heretics or infidels that it has been disowned by al-Qaida’s leaders. In seeking to impose its harsh interpretation of Islamic law in the lands it is trying to control, the extremists have killed soldiers and civilians alike in horrifying executions – including mounting the decapitated heads of some of its victims on spikes. The group is the heir apparent of the militancy known as al-Qaida in Iraq, which beheaded many of its victims, including Americans businessman Nicholas Berg in 2004. US Journalist Beheaded on Video Related: |
re: VIDEOS-ISIS -New Beheading >> US Aid Worker
Vile Boast of Jihadi John... I've made My Fortune:
Bragging British Executioners are Sadists, say Ex Hostages... They Tortured us with Tasers - Britains MI5 & SAS Go After Terrorists
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...95_964x365.jpg British jihadis involved in the brutal beheading of American reporter James Foley -callously boasted of making personal fortunes from ransoms paid for other released hostages. British jihadis involved in the brutal beheading of American reporter James Foley callously boasted of making personal fortunes from ransoms paid for other released hostages. The gang openly talked of making so much money they could ‘retire to Kuwait or Qatar’, according to testimonies by former hostages obtained by The Mail on Sunday. The revelation comes as CCTV footage emerged reportedly showing the moment five separate British jihadis strolled through the departure lounge of Gatwick Airport on their way to Syria. One of the extremists pictured at Gatwick is now in jail, while at least one more has been killed while fighting. All the men were among more than 500 Britons who have enlisted with jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq, prompting warnings from the Home Secretary that new powers will be introduced to bring British extremists under control. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...zzed_ringe.JPG Chilling: CCTV footage has emerged which reportedly shows five British jihadis walking through Gatwick Airport -on their way to Syria. Second left is Mashadur Choudhury, far right is Muhammad Hamidur Rahman http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/..._British_e.JPG Is this Jihadi John? UK police have photographs of several suspects they believe are now working for ISIS. Pictured is rapper Abdel Majed Abdel Bary, 23, from London http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/..._British_e.JPG Junaid Hussain, who has a Birmingham accent, is another UK suspect featured on a Jihadi website, -believed to be linked to the ISIS terrorist organisation. He posts on Twitter under the name Abu Hussain al-Britani The four Islamic State militants – nicknamed The Beatles by their Western captives – were reported to be ‘interested in money’ from the start of the kidnap ordeal, even bragging to prisoners about how much they were making. A security source revealed last night that £24 (US$36) million was paid by at least four European countries for the release of 11 hostages last year. British and US hostages were seen as being in a ‘different category,’ he said – so demands for an £80 ($55) million ransom on Foley were set deliberately high as a provocation. It has also emerged that: • Security services believe they are close to identifying the British militants who executed Foley. • The East Londoners formed a specialist kidnap gang, operating in Syria for up to two years. • They are thought to have possibly been involved in the seizure of several Westerners, including Foley. • Their leader was not ‘John’, the left-handed man wielding the knife in the horrific video of Foley’s death, but ‘George’, who goes under the nom-de-guerre of Abu Muhareb (‘Fighter’). • One former hostage described them as ‘sadistic psychopaths’, regularly handing out brutal ‘punishments’ that included the use of Tasers on hands and bodies. • They were so vicious that at one stage they were stopped from guarding hostages by IS. • IS claims it has ‘sleepers’ already in position in the UK and US, ready to strike at any time. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...64_636x358.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/..._British_e.JPG This man is believed to have travelled to Syria from Portsmouth and has similar eyes to Jihadi John The sickening beheading of Foley, shown off in a slick and distressing propaganda video, highlighted the shameful role being played by British members of Islamic State. Security services in Britain and the US have drawn up a shortlist of suspects. They believe there may have been more than one killer, since two different knives feature in the footage, but have not yet definitively identified those behind the murder. The Mail on Sunday has pieced together an unprecedented picture of the British gang’s brutal operation and its savage treatment of seized captives through extensive interviews with hostages, family and security sources. The detailed investigation also uncovered disturbing details of how the world’s wealthiest terror group is being funded by ransom payments, with £8 million paid for the release of four French hostages alone. Two years ago, the United States said such payments had become ‘the most significant source of terrorist funding’. Britain and the US refuse to pay ransoms. The disclosure that British militants talked among themselves and with their captives about ‘retiring’ with the money they were making demolishes any idea they are motivated purely by religious fervour. Our investigation revealed the existence of four Beatles – not three as has been widely reported – nicknamed John, Paul, George and Ringo by their Western captives. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...Abdel_Bary.jpg Hunted: Rapper Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, from west London, is one of those who is being investigated by Britain's MI5 The gang’s ringleader was ‘George’, who spent much of his time regurgitating chunks from the Koran and promoting IS’s extremist brand of Islam at public events. The hostages concluded he was not very smart – unlike ‘John’, who used the nom-de-guerre ‘Abu Saleh’ (‘Pious’) and was seen wielding the knife in the video of Foley’s murder. ‘Ringo’ was also frequently seen, unlike ‘Paul’ who appeared in their cells the least. ‘He seems to have been just a guard, not there all the time,’ said one key figure. They were also guarded by French-speaking jihadis – at least one of whom was Belgian. According to these accounts, the British gang spoke among themselves in English, struggling with Arabic when asked to translate statements for victims to read on video. This led captives to conclude their tormentors were second-generations Britons; they debated whether the extremists were from Pakistani or Somali backgrounds. One of the jihadis, who posts on Twitter under the name Abu Hussain al-Britani, has been widely reported for several months as being 20-year-old computer hacker Junaid Hussain. He was just 18 when he was jailed for six months in 2012 for posting sensitive details online about former Prime Minister Tony Blair. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...e_graph_1_.jpg Targets: Some of the militants believed to be with IS who are being hunted by British security services, MI5 Some, but not all, of the Westerners were tortured – with the thuggish British fanatics feared more than other militants for their viciousness. ‘They did the worst stuff in the world,’ said one family source. This violence included beatings and the use of Tasers to give electric shocks. Hostages said the British militants were removed at one stage for excessive brutality against them. They said the gang seemed to flit between carrying out kidnap operations on Westerners, fighting on the front line and guarding hostages. One well-placed source revealed their cars were identified from number plates as being used in ‘multiple’ kidnaps. ‘This appears to be a professional kidnap team,’ he said. ‘There is a good likelihood that some were involved in the kidnapping of many of the Westerners, including Foley.’ The American freelance journalist was seized in November 2012, when kidnappings were starting to take off in Syria. In the early days of the uprising, journalists were valued for giving voice to rebels seeking democracy. Reporters and aid workers began being grabbed from the streets by criminal gangs. Most ended in the hands of rebel militia, especially the increasingly-influential jihadist groups who saw them as valuable financial and propaganda tools. There are at least seven Western hostages – three of them American – currently controlled by IS in North-Eastern Syria. Others are being held by a motley variety of rebel militia and criminal gangs, sometimes claiming to be IS to ramp up ransom payments. Seized Westerners said they were frequently moved, often every few weeks, and held together in gloomy basements and cellars. The French hostages confirmed to security sources after their release that they had shared cells. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ed_file_st.jpg Respected: Foley (pictured) was a freelance contributor to GlobalPost and was kidnapped while in Syria The hostages were divided over whether The Beatles themselves carried out ransom negotiations, fixed the prices on their heads or wrote chilling emails sent to their families. Foley, however, was treated differently from the start. He was barred from contact with his family and there was no ransom demand for the first year of his captivity – then when one was sent, it was set preposterously high at £80 million. American hostages – especially Foley, whose brother was discovered to be serving in the US Air Force – were picked out for the most brutal beatings. ‘From the beginning, they were interested in hitting America,’ one hostage told a friend. ‘The more they can do to point the arrow into America, they more they will do. They think America is evil.’ Nicholas Henin, a French journalist, has described how his fellow captive Foley ‘became the jailers’ punch bag’ yet remained impassive, despite terrible abuse. Western hostages endure mock executions, are routinely accused of being spies, and are forced to suffer terrifying interrogations. One European photographer was told he must be a spy since his country had friendly relations with the US government. The hostages, who could hear air strikes nearby and in at least one prison, were ordered to pray five times a day and were blindfolded even when moved between cells by the British gang. ‘Those guards really want everything to stay secret,’ one hostage told a friend. ‘They used lots of tricks to make sure we didn’t know who they were or where we were. ‘For example, when they entered the room, you faced the wall even if they were masked.’ Western captives were seen as valuable commodities, sometimes being fed better than local inmates. ‘They might keep Americans for special occasions,’ said a Syrian bounty hunter hired to track down hostages. One local journalist kidnapped by IS and held in their stronghold of Raqqa said they were crammed 20 to 40 in a stinking cell under a municipal building. He described watching the torture of a fellow prisoner by guards using electric shocks and sticks, while two fellow inmates were publicly executed in a nearby square. Syrians have been executed by IS for ‘crimes’ such as homosexuality and witchcraft. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/..._from_ISIS.jpg The British security services, MI5. have drawn up a shortlist of suspects behind the murder of James Foley IS kidnaps and buys hostages from other groups, while also raking off a fortune from oil sales. It has become extremely wealthy and well equipped; even captured soldiers in Iraq are held to ransom, with $1 million raised from just 20 troops in one recent case. A security source with intimate knowledge of Syrian kidnap cases said hostage families were contacted by email with threatening demands for money. ‘In some cases, the negotiators added on fees when families stalled or weren’t able to produce the money,’ he said. It is understood £8 million was paid to secure the freedom of four French hostages, including war reporter Didier Francois, with another £16 million handed over for the lives of seven other European journalists and aid workers. ‘They usually demand insane ransoms for people, then it gets lowered to a few million,’ said a Syrian source. All governments deny making payments, but an official Italian source privately admitted paying ransoms last week. Most of the cash comes from governments, although families and employers have also contributed. One hostage said £3 million was paid to free an Italian journalist held with him. Italian diplomats are currently in the region trying to negotiate freedom for two female aid workers. ISIS is copying tactics honed by rival terror groups. The New York Times last month revealed Al Qaeda and its affiliates took £75 million from kidnappings over the past six years, with £40 million handed over last year alone. Yesterday, the United Nations called for concerted action to save thousands of people trapped by the fanatics in the town of Amerli, about 100 miles north of Baghdad. Most of the town’s 18,000 residents are Turkman Shia, descendants of Ottoman Turks seen as apostates by IS forces that have besieged them for two months. They are in a desperate state, with no electricity or drinking water and are running out of food and medicines. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ahe_294193.jpg ISIS has specialised in kidnapping journalists and aid workers to ransom, torture and even murder Yet IS remains defiant, despite global outrage. A spokesman told The Mail on Sunday that the message from the Foley murder was that they would fight the US ‘by all means necessary – and not just by killing a journalist’ – following US air strikes. Abu Obiada, a religious official with IS currently fighting on the frontline against Kurds in Iraq, said Foley was killed despite his innocence for the crimes of his country. Alarmingly, he claimed the bloodstained group already had ‘sleepers’ ready to strike in this country. ‘Our message is to know that we have some people already in the UK and US who are ready to fight them there.’ ‘We will attack anyone who stands in the way of an expansion of the Islamic State,’ he said. ‘There is no border we will stop at.’ Last night it was revealed that a British militant fighting for IS has been killed during a daring raid at a military air base in Syria. Abu Saif Al Britani was among 70 Islamic State terrorists killed as the group attacked the Al-Tabqa airbase in Eastern Syria on Wednesday. The IS attack on Al-Tabqa was expected for months, as it is the last Syrian army base left in the province of Raqqa. On Friday, a photograph of Abu Saif’s dead body appeared on the micro-blogging site Twitter, posted by fellow IS terrorists. A tweet in Arabic described Abu Saif as a British Bangladeshi who was in Saudi Arabia teaching English. Asbos for Terrorists? No, Let's Tell Them Never to Come Back By DAVID DAVIS British governments have historically taken an approach to the so-called ‘war on terror’ that has been distinctly un-British – crude, heavy-handed, careless of innocent people’s liberties, and as a result often counterproductive. Yet our response to the flood of British Muslims that has left these shores to fight in Syria and subsequently Iraq for an Islamic caliphate has been tentative, uncertain, almost limp. The brutal, ritualised public murder of James Foley has crystallised the psychopathic nature of what these young Britons have signed up to and in some cases actively promoted. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...Westminste.JPG Conservative MP David Davis, pictured, believes that Jihad John and his friends should never return to the UK The British intelligence agencies presumably knew what was going on. Yet the Home Secretary’s response as recently as yesterday seemed lacking in both focus and urgency. Asbos for terrorists? It is hard to imagine IS killers quaking in their boots over that. So why have we done so little so far? We should target the young men who have rushed to take up arms on behalf of IS, an organisation that purports to be a state – and a hostile one at that. It is astonishing to me that this action alone is viewed as legal, let alone what they do once there. Imagine that in my youth during the Cold War, I had gone off to join the Soviet Army with the intent of taking action against NATO, or that my father had gone to join the Nazis in the Second World War. Those actions would quite properly have been viewed as treason. What these young men have done is worse. Remember that in this day and age even conventional ‘legal’ wars are essentially industrialised murder. Civil wars, and the sort of sectarian conflict we are seeing in Iraq and Syria, are even worse, littered with the self-righteous sadism that we saw in the death of James Foley. They are wars without rules. And be clear. The barbarism we saw in the murder of Foley has been replicated time and again against thousands of innocent Iraqis and Syrians. Beheadings, crucifixions, burials alive have all been carried out against people guilty of no crime, largely for the purpose of feeding the IS propaganda machine. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...to_the_Isl.jpg David Davis said the young men are going to Iraq and Syria to participate in widespread murder and blackmail These young men are going to Syria to take part in large-scale murder for an organisation with a $2 billion income from extortion, blackmail and theft. So if it is not illegal already – hard to believe – let us make it so. Going abroad to fight and kill for a cause hostile to Britain and its NATO allies should be against British law and should carry a very heavy sentence. But I would go further than that. Since these young men are in effect swearing allegiance to a hostile state, they should all forfeit their British citizenship – not just those who are dual nationals. Since this is an incredibly serious penalty, it should be done only after a proper public trial carrying all the public seriousness and opprobrium of a murder trial, because in many cases that is what it would be. As the Home Secretary reiterated yesterday, lawyers would say you cannot render someone stateless. Perhaps not. Whitehall lawyers have been wrong before. Democracies have a right to defend themselves. IS is claiming to be a state. They can issue these young men with Islamic State passports if they so wish. It is not our problem that they would have trouble getting into any civilised country with them. Neither will it be our problem any more if ISIL ceases to exist. We must face head-on the paradox that these men can burn their British passports on TV and deny their legal allegiance to Britain, yet our nation cannot say to them, in effect: ‘OK, never come back.’ The result would be that these young men would suddenly find their trip to Syria is no longer a short violent holiday but a life sentence to the lifestyle they claim to espouse, complete with Sharia law and a desert climate. We are at a moment of decision. We can change or clarify British law to make the evil actions of these young men illegal and to make the penalty fit the crime: expulsion from the society they claim to reject. We can do this in British courts and in doing so proclaim to the world that we are a tolerant society, but that we will not tolerate sadism and murder in the name of religion. Or we can fail to grasp the nettle, let some of these murderers back and try to deal with the subsequent problems. This will allow some of these men to put their new ‘skills’ to further ill use, with potentially terrible consequences for our countrymen, resulting in ethnic suspicion and the social poison that will flow from that. Continued... SAS High-Tech Hunt for the ISIS Killers: 'Significant Force' of UK Elite Troops on Ground in Syria and Iraq . |
re: VIDEOS-ISIS -New Beheading >> US Aid Worker
Vile Boast of Jihadi John... I've made My Fortune:
Bragging British Executioners are Sadists, say Ex Hostages... They Tortured us with Tasers - Britains MI5 & SAS Go After Terrorists
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...95_964x365.jpg British jihadis involved in the brutal beheading of American reporter James Foley -callously boasted of making personal fortunes from ransoms paid for other released hostages. British jihadis involved in the brutal beheading of American reporter James Foley callously boasted of making personal fortunes from ransoms paid for other released hostages. The gang openly talked of making so much money they could ‘retire to Kuwait or Qatar’, according to testimonies by former hostages obtained by The Mail on Sunday. The revelation comes as CCTV footage emerged reportedly showing the moment five separate British jihadis strolled through the departure lounge of Gatwick Airport on their way to Syria. One of the extremists pictured at Gatwick is now in jail, while at least one more has been killed while fighting. All the men were among more than 500 Britons who have enlisted with jihadist groups in Syria and Iraq, prompting warnings from the Home Secretary that new powers will be introduced to bring British extremists under control. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...zzed_ringe.JPG Chilling: CCTV footage has emerged which reportedly shows five British jihadis walking through Gatwick Airport -on their way to Syria. Second left is Mashadur Choudhury, far right is Muhammad Hamidur Rahman http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/..._British_e.JPG Is this Jihadi John? UK police have photographs of several suspects they believe are now working for ISIS. Pictured is rapper Abdel Majed Abdel Bary, 23, from London http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/..._British_e.JPG Junaid Hussain, who has a Birmingham accent, is another UK suspect featured on a Jihadi website, -believed to be linked to the ISIS terrorist organisation. He posts on Twitter under the name Abu Hussain al-Britani The four Islamic State militants – nicknamed The Beatles by their Western captives – were reported to be ‘interested in money’ from the start of the kidnap ordeal, even bragging to prisoners about how much they were making. A security source revealed last night that £24 (US$36) million was paid by at least four European countries for the release of 11 hostages last year. British and US hostages were seen as being in a ‘different category,’ he said – so demands for an £80 ($55) million ransom on Foley were set deliberately high as a provocation. It has also emerged that: • Security services believe they are close to identifying the British militants who executed Foley. • The East Londoners formed a specialist kidnap gang, operating in Syria for up to two years. • They are thought to have possibly been involved in the seizure of several Westerners, including Foley. • Their leader was not ‘John’, the left-handed man wielding the knife in the horrific video of Foley’s death, but ‘George’, who goes under the nom-de-guerre of Abu Muhareb (‘Fighter’). • One former hostage described them as ‘sadistic psychopaths’, regularly handing out brutal ‘punishments’ that included the use of Tasers on hands and bodies. • They were so vicious that at one stage they were stopped from guarding hostages by IS. • IS claims it has ‘sleepers’ already in position in the UK and US, ready to strike at any time. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...64_636x358.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/..._British_e.JPG This man is believed to have travelled to Syria from Portsmouth and has similar eyes to Jihadi John The sickening beheading of Foley, shown off in a slick and distressing propaganda video, highlighted the shameful role being played by British members of Islamic State. Security services in Britain and the US have drawn up a shortlist of suspects. They believe there may have been more than one killer, since two different knives feature in the footage, but have not yet definitively identified those behind the murder. The Mail on Sunday has pieced together an unprecedented picture of the British gang’s brutal operation and its savage treatment of seized captives through extensive interviews with hostages, family and security sources. The detailed investigation also uncovered disturbing details of how the world’s wealthiest terror group is being funded by ransom payments, with £8 million paid for the release of four French hostages alone. Two years ago, the United States said such payments had become ‘the most significant source of terrorist funding’. Britain and the US refuse to pay ransoms. The disclosure that British militants talked among themselves and with their captives about ‘retiring’ with the money they were making demolishes any idea they are motivated purely by religious fervour. Our investigation revealed the existence of four Beatles – not three as has been widely reported – nicknamed John, Paul, George and Ringo by their Western captives. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...Abdel_Bary.jpg Hunted: Rapper Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, from west London, is one of those who is being investigated by Britain's MI5 The gang’s ringleader was ‘George’, who spent much of his time regurgitating chunks from the Koran and promoting IS’s extremist brand of Islam at public events. The hostages concluded he was not very smart – unlike ‘John’, who used the nom-de-guerre ‘Abu Saleh’ (‘Pious’) and was seen wielding the knife in the video of Foley’s murder. ‘Ringo’ was also frequently seen, unlike ‘Paul’ who appeared in their cells the least. ‘He seems to have been just a guard, not there all the time,’ said one key figure. They were also guarded by French-speaking jihadis – at least one of whom was Belgian. According to these accounts, the British gang spoke among themselves in English, struggling with Arabic when asked to translate statements for victims to read on video. This led captives to conclude their tormentors were second-generations Britons; they debated whether the extremists were from Pakistani or Somali backgrounds. One of the jihadis, who posts on Twitter under the name Abu Hussain al-Britani, has been widely reported for several months as being 20-year-old computer hacker Junaid Hussain. He was just 18 when he was jailed for six months in 2012 for posting sensitive details online about former Prime Minister Tony Blair. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...e_graph_1_.jpg Targets: Some of the militants believed to be with IS who are being hunted by British security services, MI5 Some, but not all, of the Westerners were tortured – with the thuggish British fanatics feared more than other militants for their viciousness. ‘They did the worst stuff in the world,’ said one family source. This violence included beatings and the use of Tasers to give electric shocks. Hostages said the British militants were removed at one stage for excessive brutality against them. They said the gang seemed to flit between carrying out kidnap operations on Westerners, fighting on the front line and guarding hostages. One well-placed source revealed their cars were identified from number plates as being used in ‘multiple’ kidnaps. ‘This appears to be a professional kidnap team,’ he said. ‘There is a good likelihood that some were involved in the kidnapping of many of the Westerners, including Foley.’ The American freelance journalist was seized in November 2012, when kidnappings were starting to take off in Syria. In the early days of the uprising, journalists were valued for giving voice to rebels seeking democracy. Reporters and aid workers began being grabbed from the streets by criminal gangs. Most ended in the hands of rebel militia, especially the increasingly-influential jihadist groups who saw them as valuable financial and propaganda tools. There are at least seven Western hostages – three of them American – currently controlled by IS in North-Eastern Syria. Others are being held by a motley variety of rebel militia and criminal gangs, sometimes claiming to be IS to ramp up ransom payments. Seized Westerners said they were frequently moved, often every few weeks, and held together in gloomy basements and cellars. The French hostages confirmed to security sources after their release that they had shared cells. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ed_file_st.jpg Respected: Foley (pictured) was a freelance contributor to GlobalPost and was kidnapped while in Syria The hostages were divided over whether The Beatles themselves carried out ransom negotiations, fixed the prices on their heads or wrote chilling emails sent to their families. Foley, however, was treated differently from the start. He was barred from contact with his family and there was no ransom demand for the first year of his captivity – then when one was sent, it was set preposterously high at £80 million. American hostages – especially Foley, whose brother was discovered to be serving in the US Air Force – were picked out for the most brutal beatings. ‘From the beginning, they were interested in hitting America,’ one hostage told a friend. ‘The more they can do to point the arrow into America, they more they will do. They think America is evil.’ Nicholas Henin, a French journalist, has described how his fellow captive Foley ‘became the jailers’ punch bag’ yet remained impassive, despite terrible abuse. Western hostages endure mock executions, are routinely accused of being spies, and are forced to suffer terrifying interrogations. One European photographer was told he must be a spy since his country had friendly relations with the US government. The hostages, who could hear air strikes nearby and in at least one prison, were ordered to pray five times a day and were blindfolded even when moved between cells by the British gang. ‘Those guards really want everything to stay secret,’ one hostage told a friend. ‘They used lots of tricks to make sure we didn’t know who they were or where we were. ‘For example, when they entered the room, you faced the wall even if they were masked.’ Western captives were seen as valuable commodities, sometimes being fed better than local inmates. ‘They might keep Americans for special occasions,’ said a Syrian bounty hunter hired to track down hostages. One local journalist kidnapped by IS and held in their stronghold of Raqqa said they were crammed 20 to 40 in a stinking cell under a municipal building. He described watching the torture of a fellow prisoner by guards using electric shocks and sticks, while two fellow inmates were publicly executed in a nearby square. Syrians have been executed by IS for ‘crimes’ such as homosexuality and witchcraft. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/..._from_ISIS.jpg The British security services, MI5. have drawn up a shortlist of suspects behind the murder of James Foley IS kidnaps and buys hostages from other groups, while also raking off a fortune from oil sales. It has become extremely wealthy and well equipped; even captured soldiers in Iraq are held to ransom, with $1 million raised from just 20 troops in one recent case. A security source with intimate knowledge of Syrian kidnap cases said hostage families were contacted by email with threatening demands for money. ‘In some cases, the negotiators added on fees when families stalled or weren’t able to produce the money,’ he said. It is understood £8 million was paid to secure the freedom of four French hostages, including war reporter Didier Francois, with another £16 million handed over for the lives of seven other European journalists and aid workers. ‘They usually demand insane ransoms for people, then it gets lowered to a few million,’ said a Syrian source. All governments deny making payments, but an official Italian source privately admitted paying ransoms last week. Most of the cash comes from governments, although families and employers have also contributed. One hostage said £3 million was paid to free an Italian journalist held with him. Italian diplomats are currently in the region trying to negotiate freedom for two female aid workers. ISIS is copying tactics honed by rival terror groups. The New York Times last month revealed Al Qaeda and its affiliates took £75 million from kidnappings over the past six years, with £40 million handed over last year alone. Yesterday, the United Nations called for concerted action to save thousands of people trapped by the fanatics in the town of Amerli, about 100 miles north of Baghdad. Most of the town’s 18,000 residents are Turkman Shia, descendants of Ottoman Turks seen as apostates by IS forces that have besieged them for two months. They are in a desperate state, with no electricity or drinking water and are running out of food and medicines. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ahe_294193.jpg ISIS has specialised in kidnapping journalists and aid workers to ransom, torture and even murder Yet IS remains defiant, despite global outrage. A spokesman told The Mail on Sunday that the message from the Foley murder was that they would fight the US ‘by all means necessary – and not just by killing a journalist’ – following US air strikes. Abu Obiada, a religious official with IS currently fighting on the frontline against Kurds in Iraq, said Foley was killed despite his innocence for the crimes of his country. Alarmingly, he claimed the bloodstained group already had ‘sleepers’ ready to strike in this country. ‘Our message is to know that we have some people already in the UK and US who are ready to fight them there.’ ‘We will attack anyone who stands in the way of an expansion of the Islamic State,’ he said. ‘There is no border we will stop at.’ Last night it was revealed that a British militant fighting for IS has been killed during a daring raid at a military air base in Syria. Abu Saif Al Britani was among 70 Islamic State terrorists killed as the group attacked the Al-Tabqa airbase in Eastern Syria on Wednesday. The IS attack on Al-Tabqa was expected for months, as it is the last Syrian army base left in the province of Raqqa. On Friday, a photograph of Abu Saif’s dead body appeared on the micro-blogging site Twitter, posted by fellow IS terrorists. A tweet in Arabic described Abu Saif as a British Bangladeshi who was in Saudi Arabia teaching English. Asbos for Terrorists? No, Let's Tell Them Never to Come Back By DAVID DAVIS British governments have historically taken an approach to the so-called ‘war on terror’ that has been distinctly un-British – crude, heavy-handed, careless of innocent people’s liberties, and as a result often counterproductive. Yet our response to the flood of British Muslims that has left these shores to fight in Syria and subsequently Iraq for an Islamic caliphate has been tentative, uncertain, almost limp. The brutal, ritualised public murder of James Foley has crystallised the psychopathic nature of what these young Britons have signed up to and in some cases actively promoted. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...Westminste.JPG Conservative MP David Davis, pictured, believes that Jihad John and his friends should never return to the UK The British intelligence agencies presumably knew what was going on. Yet the Home Secretary’s response as recently as yesterday seemed lacking in both focus and urgency. Asbos for terrorists? It is hard to imagine IS killers quaking in their boots over that. So why have we done so little so far? We should target the young men who have rushed to take up arms on behalf of IS, an organisation that purports to be a state – and a hostile one at that. It is astonishing to me that this action alone is viewed as legal, let alone what they do once there. Imagine that in my youth during the Cold War, I had gone off to join the Soviet Army with the intent of taking action against NATO, or that my father had gone to join the Nazis in the Second World War. Those actions would quite properly have been viewed as treason. What these young men have done is worse. Remember that in this day and age even conventional ‘legal’ wars are essentially industrialised murder. Civil wars, and the sort of sectarian conflict we are seeing in Iraq and Syria, are even worse, littered with the self-righteous sadism that we saw in the death of James Foley. They are wars without rules. And be clear. The barbarism we saw in the murder of Foley has been replicated time and again against thousands of innocent Iraqis and Syrians. Beheadings, crucifixions, burials alive have all been carried out against people guilty of no crime, largely for the purpose of feeding the IS propaganda machine. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...to_the_Isl.jpg David Davis said the young men are going to Iraq and Syria to participate in widespread murder and blackmail These young men are going to Syria to take part in large-scale murder for an organisation with a $2 billion income from extortion, blackmail and theft. So if it is not illegal already – hard to believe – let us make it so. Going abroad to fight and kill for a cause hostile to Britain and its NATO allies should be against British law and should carry a very heavy sentence. But I would go further than that. Since these young men are in effect swearing allegiance to a hostile state, they should all forfeit their British citizenship – not just those who are dual nationals. Since this is an incredibly serious penalty, it should be done only after a proper public trial carrying all the public seriousness and opprobrium of a murder trial, because in many cases that is what it would be. As the Home Secretary reiterated yesterday, lawyers would say you cannot render someone stateless. Perhaps not. Whitehall lawyers have been wrong before. Democracies have a right to defend themselves. IS is claiming to be a state. They can issue these young men with Islamic State passports if they so wish. It is not our problem that they would have trouble getting into any civilised country with them. Neither will it be our problem any more if ISIL ceases to exist. We must face head-on the paradox that these men can burn their British passports on TV and deny their legal allegiance to Britain, yet our nation cannot say to them, in effect: ‘OK, never come back.’ The result would be that these young men would suddenly find their trip to Syria is no longer a short violent holiday but a life sentence to the lifestyle they claim to espouse, complete with Sharia law and a desert climate. We are at a moment of decision. We can change or clarify British law to make the evil actions of these young men illegal and to make the penalty fit the crime: expulsion from the society they claim to reject. We can do this in British courts and in doing so proclaim to the world that we are a tolerant society, but that we will not tolerate sadism and murder in the name of religion. Or we can fail to grasp the nettle, let some of these murderers back and try to deal with the subsequent problems. This will allow some of these men to put their new ‘skills’ to further ill use, with potentially terrible consequences for our countrymen, resulting in ethnic suspicion and the social poison that will flow from that. Continued... SAS High-Tech Hunt for the ISIS Killers: 'Significant Force' of UK Elite Troops on Ground in Syria and Iraq . |
re: VIDEOS-ISIS -New Beheading >> US Aid Worker
SAS in High-Tech Hunt for Jihadi John:
-'Significant Force' of Elite UK Troops on the Ground as MI5 Identify James Foley's Sickening Killer
British Special Forces hunting the killer of James Foley are using an array of sophisticated equipment to track him down – and possibly free other hostages being held. The Mail on Sunday has been given a detailed account of how elite troops from the SAS and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) are conducting high-tech operations inside Syria and Iraq, which could lead to the capture of the extremists within days. It emerged as reports suggested that British intelligence services had identified the true identity of the terrorist who beheaded Mr Foley – as seen in a video which shocked the world - known as 'Jihadi John'. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...avo_Compan.jpg The SAS team tasked with hunting down the ISIS terrorists will use hand-launched surveillance drones http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ERN_SOLDIE.jpg Elite force: The SAS are experts in desert warfare having conducted operations in the Middle East for decades. Pictured are a heavily armed British Special Forces patrol in Afghanistan in 2001 The Mail on Sunday has been told that in the past 48 hours a ‘significant force’ of SAS soldiers and signallers have deployed to Syria and northern Iraq, joining Iraqi and Kurdish units fighting IS. They have separated into four-man teams and are accompanying local troops in an attempt to capture British jihadis, identify them and establish links to Jihadi John. A key suspect is 23-year-old Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, who until a year ago lived with his family in their £1m home in the affluent London area of Maida Vale, but recently appeared on social media grasping a severed head, an anonymous government source told The Sunday Times. Once a British jihadi is in custody, samples will be taken of the suspect’s blood and DNA – vital in the case of UK extremists because the information can be matched to medical records. For identification purposes, a photograph is also taken of the iris – the visible coloured ring around the pupil – which is unique. One SAS source said: ‘It is possible to identify British jihadis on the battlefield by intercepting their radio messages. When they’re captured by the Iraqis or Kurds we’ll take a close interest in their questioning. ‘Gathering information such as their blood group and DNA, as well as voice recordings in either Arabic or English, will help us zero in on Jihadi John because it can be compared with existing data.’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...video_of_J.JPG Public Enemy Number 1: The SAS have been ordered to find out the British born terrorist 'Jihad John' From the battleground this information is sent via a portable satellite manned by a soldier from 264 (SAS) Signal Squadron, who beams it to a spy plane, such as the ‘Rivet Joint’ aircraft, circling overhead. Inside Rivet Joint, a 17-man team processes the information and sends it back to GCHQ, the Government’s secret communications headquarters at Cheltenham. Here it is analysed and matched against records of British jihadis believed to be fighting in Syria and Iraq, before ‘feedback information’ is sent to SAS teams. GCHQ’s library is believed to include recordings of thousands of voices taken from phone and radio intercepts. Meanwhile, on the Turkish-Syrian border, SRR soldiers fly drones into IS strongholds and give live details of their movements. Such a detailed study of their bases is intended to prevent a repeat of the US Special Forces mission last month which failed to find any hostages. American Delta Force troops raided an IS base at Uqayrishah in northern Syria, but were forced to retreat after a gun battle with terrorists. The SRR’s drones can fly for up to 24 hours, climbing to an altitude of more than 18,000ft. From here they are able to survey hundreds of miles of territory occupied by IS fighters, including the city of Raqqa, where it is believed several Western hostages have been held. Intelligence gathered will be used in the planning stages ahead of any incursion by SRR troops into Syria. A source added: ‘The SRR is using strategic drones, which provide an overview of the ground, and tactical drones which can look over the walls of buildings and provide sharp pictures of suspects’ faces. ‘The ground inside Syria and Iraq is well known to British Special Forces after the previous Gulf wars. In 2008, the SAS destroyed the Al Qaeda-Iraq leadership and we’re confident we can do the same to IS.’ A UK Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘We do not comment on Special Forces operations.’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...SI_GRAPHIC.jpg The SAS are using a range of high tech surveillance techniques on the hunt for 'Jihad John' and his friends James's last letter... I'll be home for sister's wedding By Caroline Graham James Foley’s last loving message to his family was memorised by a fellow hostage, The Mail on Sunday has learned. Danish photojournalist Daniel Rye Ottosen, 25, spent 13 months imprisoned alongside Foley and painstakingly committed to memory a lengthy final letter in which the American spoke hopefully about being freed in time to celebrate his sister’s wedding next year. When Ottosen was released in June, his first call was to Foley’s mum Diane, when he dictated the lengthy letter to her. His act of love and courage was revealed by the Foley family’s priest of 30 years, Father Marc Montminy, who said: ‘Jim was never allowed to send a letter like the other hostages because he was an American. Jim related the letter to the Danish hostage and he memorised it. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...s_of_execu.jpg James Foley, pictured, vowed to a fellow hostage that he would make it home to his sister's wedding ‘Jim mentioned every family member and how much he loved them. He mentioned his mother, his father and his grandmother, who he was very close to. ‘He mentioned his brothers and his sisters and his nieces and nephews. ‘He said he loved them all and he knew they loved him and were praying for him and fighting for his release. He ended on a hopeful note by saying he’d be there for [Foley’s sister] Katie’s wedding. ‘She had just got engaged when he left for Syria so he must always have had hope he would come home.’ James’s mother Diane flew to Copenhagen the week before her son was executed to meet with Ottosen, according to the boss of the Boston-based online news organisation Foley was working for when he was snatched in November 2012. Phil Balboni, CEO of GlobalPost, told how Diane developed a ‘close bond’ with the families of other hostages still in captivity and met up with released hostages from France and Spain who had been held by the same group of British jihadis dubbed The Beatles. ‘She went to Copenhagen to meet with the Danish journalist who memorised the letter. He provided new details of his time with Jim. All of the released hostages spoke of Jim’s courage. He was subjected to the most abuse and torture because he was American but they never broke his spirit. ‘Diane has become extremely close to the families of other Western hostages who are still in captivity. They share a special and very close bond.’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...video_of_J.jpg James Foley, pictured, was murdered by a masked ISIS terrorist with a British accent called 'Jihad John' Balboni described Diane as ‘a woman on a mission’ to save her son from the moment the first email arrived from his captors on November 26, 2013. ‘The email was sent to me and to Jim’s brother Michael. It was brief. It said “We’re holding James. We’re prepared to negotiate for his release. We need money – FAST.” ‘They had all of Jim’s cellphone contacts which is how they got our email addresses. ‘There were more emails, five or six in all. They gave us the opportunity to ask proof-of-life questions, obscure family references impossible for anyone but Jim to answer. That was in early December, 2013. We felt great hope.’ In one email, the terrorists made their sole demand – for £80 million and the release of Muslim prisoners held by the US. Balboni said the family had raised almost £3 million in ransom money. But then the terrorists stopped communicating. After months of silence, the Foleys received a final email, dated August 12 – a hate-filled rant full of rudimentary spelling errors in which the jihadis vowed to execute Foley saying ‘You (America) and your citizens will pay the price of your bombings! ‘The first of which being the blood of the American citizen James Foley! He will be executed as a DIRECT result of your transgressions towards us!’ The email may have been written by ‘John’, the British jihadi who beheaded Foley, reports claim. A memorial service for James Foley will take place today at the family’s church, Holy Rosary, near their home in Rochester, New Hampshire. Continued - INFORMANTS REPORTS ON JAMES FOLEY'S KILLERS: . |
re: VIDEOS-ISIS -New Beheading >> US Aid Worker
SAS in High-Tech Hunt for Jihadi John:
-'Significant Force' of Elite UK Troops on the Ground as MI5 Identify James Foley's Sickening Killer
British Special Forces hunting the killer of James Foley are using an array of sophisticated equipment to track him down – and possibly free other hostages being held. The Mail on Sunday has been given a detailed account of how elite troops from the SAS and the Special Reconnaissance Regiment (SRR) are conducting high-tech operations inside Syria and Iraq, which could lead to the capture of the extremists within days. It emerged as reports suggested that British intelligence services had identified the true identity of the terrorist who beheaded Mr Foley – as seen in a video which shocked the world - known as 'Jihadi John'. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...avo_Compan.jpg The SAS team tasked with hunting down the ISIS terrorists will use hand-launched surveillance drones http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ERN_SOLDIE.jpg Elite force: The SAS are experts in desert warfare having conducted operations in the Middle East for decades. Pictured are a heavily armed British Special Forces patrol in Afghanistan in 2001 The Mail on Sunday has been told that in the past 48 hours a ‘significant force’ of SAS soldiers and signallers have deployed to Syria and northern Iraq, joining Iraqi and Kurdish units fighting IS. They have separated into four-man teams and are accompanying local troops in an attempt to capture British jihadis, identify them and establish links to Jihadi John. A key suspect is 23-year-old Abdel-Majed Abdel Bary, who until a year ago lived with his family in their £1m home in the affluent London area of Maida Vale, but recently appeared on social media grasping a severed head, an anonymous government source told The Sunday Times. Once a British jihadi is in custody, samples will be taken of the suspect’s blood and DNA – vital in the case of UK extremists because the information can be matched to medical records. For identification purposes, a photograph is also taken of the iris – the visible coloured ring around the pupil – which is unique. One SAS source said: ‘It is possible to identify British jihadis on the battlefield by intercepting their radio messages. When they’re captured by the Iraqis or Kurds we’ll take a close interest in their questioning. ‘Gathering information such as their blood group and DNA, as well as voice recordings in either Arabic or English, will help us zero in on Jihadi John because it can be compared with existing data.’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...video_of_J.JPG Public Enemy Number 1: The SAS have been ordered to find out the British born terrorist 'Jihad John' From the battleground this information is sent via a portable satellite manned by a soldier from 264 (SAS) Signal Squadron, who beams it to a spy plane, such as the ‘Rivet Joint’ aircraft, circling overhead. Inside Rivet Joint, a 17-man team processes the information and sends it back to GCHQ, the Government’s secret communications headquarters at Cheltenham. Here it is analysed and matched against records of British jihadis believed to be fighting in Syria and Iraq, before ‘feedback information’ is sent to SAS teams. GCHQ’s library is believed to include recordings of thousands of voices taken from phone and radio intercepts. Meanwhile, on the Turkish-Syrian border, SRR soldiers fly drones into IS strongholds and give live details of their movements. Such a detailed study of their bases is intended to prevent a repeat of the US Special Forces mission last month which failed to find any hostages. American Delta Force troops raided an IS base at Uqayrishah in northern Syria, but were forced to retreat after a gun battle with terrorists. The SRR’s drones can fly for up to 24 hours, climbing to an altitude of more than 18,000ft. From here they are able to survey hundreds of miles of territory occupied by IS fighters, including the city of Raqqa, where it is believed several Western hostages have been held. Intelligence gathered will be used in the planning stages ahead of any incursion by SRR troops into Syria. A source added: ‘The SRR is using strategic drones, which provide an overview of the ground, and tactical drones which can look over the walls of buildings and provide sharp pictures of suspects’ faces. ‘The ground inside Syria and Iraq is well known to British Special Forces after the previous Gulf wars. In 2008, the SAS destroyed the Al Qaeda-Iraq leadership and we’re confident we can do the same to IS.’ A UK Ministry of Defence spokesman said: ‘We do not comment on Special Forces operations.’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...SI_GRAPHIC.jpg The SAS are using a range of high tech surveillance techniques on the hunt for 'Jihad John' and his friends James's last letter... I'll be home for sister's wedding By Caroline Graham James Foley’s last loving message to his family was memorised by a fellow hostage, The Mail on Sunday has learned. Danish photojournalist Daniel Rye Ottosen, 25, spent 13 months imprisoned alongside Foley and painstakingly committed to memory a lengthy final letter in which the American spoke hopefully about being freed in time to celebrate his sister’s wedding next year. When Ottosen was released in June, his first call was to Foley’s mum Diane, when he dictated the lengthy letter to her. His act of love and courage was revealed by the Foley family’s priest of 30 years, Father Marc Montminy, who said: ‘Jim was never allowed to send a letter like the other hostages because he was an American. Jim related the letter to the Danish hostage and he memorised it. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...s_of_execu.jpg James Foley, pictured, vowed to a fellow hostage that he would make it home to his sister's wedding ‘Jim mentioned every family member and how much he loved them. He mentioned his mother, his father and his grandmother, who he was very close to. ‘He mentioned his brothers and his sisters and his nieces and nephews. ‘He said he loved them all and he knew they loved him and were praying for him and fighting for his release. He ended on a hopeful note by saying he’d be there for [Foley’s sister] Katie’s wedding. ‘She had just got engaged when he left for Syria so he must always have had hope he would come home.’ James’s mother Diane flew to Copenhagen the week before her son was executed to meet with Ottosen, according to the boss of the Boston-based online news organisation Foley was working for when he was snatched in November 2012. Phil Balboni, CEO of GlobalPost, told how Diane developed a ‘close bond’ with the families of other hostages still in captivity and met up with released hostages from France and Spain who had been held by the same group of British jihadis dubbed The Beatles. ‘She went to Copenhagen to meet with the Danish journalist who memorised the letter. He provided new details of his time with Jim. All of the released hostages spoke of Jim’s courage. He was subjected to the most abuse and torture because he was American but they never broke his spirit. ‘Diane has become extremely close to the families of other Western hostages who are still in captivity. They share a special and very close bond.’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...video_of_J.jpg James Foley, pictured, was murdered by a masked ISIS terrorist with a British accent called 'Jihad John' Balboni described Diane as ‘a woman on a mission’ to save her son from the moment the first email arrived from his captors on November 26, 2013. ‘The email was sent to me and to Jim’s brother Michael. It was brief. It said “We’re holding James. We’re prepared to negotiate for his release. We need money – FAST.” ‘They had all of Jim’s cellphone contacts which is how they got our email addresses. ‘There were more emails, five or six in all. They gave us the opportunity to ask proof-of-life questions, obscure family references impossible for anyone but Jim to answer. That was in early December, 2013. We felt great hope.’ In one email, the terrorists made their sole demand – for £80 million and the release of Muslim prisoners held by the US. Balboni said the family had raised almost £3 million in ransom money. But then the terrorists stopped communicating. After months of silence, the Foleys received a final email, dated August 12 – a hate-filled rant full of rudimentary spelling errors in which the jihadis vowed to execute Foley saying ‘You (America) and your citizens will pay the price of your bombings! ‘The first of which being the blood of the American citizen James Foley! He will be executed as a DIRECT result of your transgressions towards us!’ The email may have been written by ‘John’, the British jihadi who beheaded Foley, reports claim. A memorial service for James Foley will take place today at the family’s church, Holy Rosary, near their home in Rochester, New Hampshire. Continued - INFORMANTS REPORTS ON JAMES FOLEY'S KILLERS: . |
re: VIDEOS-ISIS -New Beheading >> US Aid Worker
INFORMANTS REPORTS ON JAMES FOLEY'S KILLERS:
'I Know ISIS Butcher known as John the Jailer': French Former Hostage says he has a 'Rough' Idea Who Masked British Jihadi is
A Frenchman who was held captive with murdered American journalist James Foley for months said today he has a ‘rough’ idea who his executioner is. Didier Francois said a video of the suspected British jihadist stirred painful memories of being chained up in the dark with Mr Foley and other ISIS hostages in Syria. It came as a former MI6 chief said the British jihadist will be identified and the SAS has been sent to Syria to 'bring him to justice'. The suspect accused of murdering the reporter has been named as 'John' - one of a gang of British jihadis known as ‘The Beatles’ who are guarding western hostages for ISIS. Mr Francois, a 53-year-old reporter with radio station Europe 1, said: ‘Recognised is a very big word, but I see roughly who it is.’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...video_of_J.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/..._former_Fr.jpg Manhunt: The face of the masked British killer from the IS video, who Didier Francois, -a Frenchman held captive by him and pictured on his release in April, says has a 'rough' idea of who he is For two-and-a-half months, Mr Francois was chained to fellow French hostages, Nicolas Henin, Edouard Elias, and Pierre Torres. They were released in April after France paid a ransom. Mr Henin said today that Mr Foley was beaten more than any other hostage because he was an American and ISIS knew his brother was in the U.S. Air Force, and in one incident he was 'crucified against a wall', it has emerged. The killer spoke in a distinctive English accent and his eyes and build are clearly visible in a propaganda video in which he cuts Mr Foley’s head off. Mr Francois spent eight months with Mr Foley as a captive in Syria, enduring most of that time in underground cells with no natural light. Mr Francois said he had never spoken publicly about James Foley or the remaining American hostage, Steven Sotloff, before because of threats of reprisals. Mr Francois said he was told by his captors: ‘If you make public the fact they are being held or that you were together, reprisals will follow against them. Their exact words were: “They’ll be punished”’. Mr Foley had been singled out for beatings, said Mr Francois, after his captors found pictures on his computer of his brother, who works for the US Air Force. He said that Mr Foley was subjected to mock executions, including one in which he was ‘crucified against a wall’. Paying tribute to the American, Mr Francois said: ‘He was an extraordinary guy – a companion in imprisonment who was very agreeable, very solid.’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...te_IS_has_.jpg The man identified as James Foley speaks, giving a message to his family -and linking his imminent death to the US government's bombing campaign of IS targets in Iraq http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...te_IS_has_.jpg Obscene: A video uploaded on Tuesday showed the IS fighter - called 'John' - murdering Mr Foley with a knife http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...12_636x358.jpg Mr Henin became tearful said the murdered journalist shared his food and blanket. 'JAMES WAS BEATEN MORE BECAUSE HE WAS AMERICAN', SAYS PRISONER CHAINED TO JOURNALIST http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/..._former_Fr.jpg Nicolas Henin spent seven months in captivity and was released in April James Foley was beaten more than any other hostage because he was an American and ISIS knew his brother was in the U.S. Air Force, a fellow prisoner said today. French journalist Nicolas Henin spent seven months in captivity with the murdered journalist in Syria, including a week handcuffed together. Mr Henin, who was released in April this year, believes Foley was always seen as 'some kind of scapegoat' by his captors, who were led by his British killer ‘John’ – ringleader of a gang of British jihadis known as ‘The Beatles’ guarding western hostages for ISIS. 'Being an American he was probably more targeted by the kidnappers. Well, he would be beaten a bit more probably, he was some kind of scapegoat. And The kidnappers knew that his brother was in the U.S. Air Force’. He added: ‘He became the whipping-boy of the jailers but remained unperturbed’. Speaking about the conditions they were kept in together he said: ‘'The conditions were often quite basic and were sometimes quite difficult. ‘We were in extremely narrow rooms and were taken to the bathroom two to three times a day. For emergencies were had a few bottles and a bucket in the corner’. Mr Henin paid tribute to his former colleague and friend, saying he had been generous with other captives if they were cold or hungry. He said he was horrified by Mr Foley's killing, but added that he will focus on positive memories from their time together. 'I will try to just remember few, very few opportunities we had to laugh loud together - and it did happen actually a couple of times,' he said. When asked why he was released but Mr Foley was not he said: ‘Some countries like America but also like the UK do not negotiate and, well, they put their people at risk.’ He said: 'We spent seven months in a very extreme situation together, including for one week we were handcuffed one to the other day and night. 'In circumstances where you are held captive you develop some kind of survival instincts, meaning that, for instance, you try to grab everything that you can find. 'James was the total opposite. He was so truly generous. Basically everything he could share, he would share it. If we were cold, and we were missing blankets, he would share his blanket. 'If we were starving and missing food, he would share his ration.' Richard Barrett, who was head of counter-terrorism for the security services at the time of 9/11, said he is convinced the murderer - now considered the world's most wanted man - will be arrested and taken back to Britain for trial 'sooner or later'. Mr Barratt told the Today Programme: 'They will be able to identify him, although there are four or five hundred people who have gone from all over the United Kingdom many of them have made their presence there known. 'I think the community will be able recognise this person and I am sure many in the community will be keen to do so. 'I mean the intelligence community certainly but also the community from which this man comes, he will have had many acquaintances and friends in the United Kingdom and those people will wish to see him brought to justice.' He agreed that once he is identified the course of action would likely be to send special forces to grab him. He added: 'This is probably a relatively young man and he has a relatively long life ahead of him, perhaps, if he doesn’t get killed quickly in Iraq or Syria and therefore sooner or later he is going to be vulnerable to arrest or some sort interdiction and brought before the courts' 'I don’t think anyone is prepared to forget this sort of crime and therefore the long arm of justice will eventually catch him.' A massive manhunt has been launched after a former hostage said he believed the masked Islamic State maniac was a Londoner he had known as ‘John’. The security services are also close to establishing the identity of the killer who cut James Foley’s throat in a horrific propaganda video. Said to be a senior Islamic State operative, he was trusted earlier this year to negotiate a hostage exchange. Yesterday, further evidence emerged of the prominent role British jihadis are playing in Iraq. Some celebrated and joked about Mr Foley’s murder, with one woman fighter volunteering to be the next to kill a UK or US captive. Experts warned Britons are among the most vicious of the Islamic State’s fanatics and one may have been chosen to carry out the killing because of the global impact it would have. In other developments:
The Briton, who uses his left hand and wears Timberland boots, speaks with what appears to be an East London accent as he makes a series of threats to President Obama and the West. Yesterday, a man who was held in the Syrian city of Raqqa claimed the fanatic is intelligent, educated and a follower of radical Islamic teachings. He said international hostages called ‘John’ and his fellow Britons The Beatles because they were from the UK. Anti-terror investigators are now seeking to establish that the voice in the video is that of the man brandishing the knife before Mr Foley, rather than a voiceover. US says we do not pay ransoms Quote:
French journalists Didier Francois (2nd left), Edouard Elias (left), Nicolas Henin (2nd right), and Pierre Torres (right ) -who were freed after their government agreed to a ransom http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...E_An_undat.jpg James Foley: Tributes were paid yesterday to the 'courageous, fearless' warzone journalist http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...36_636x358.jpg http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/..._former_MI.jpg Security boss: Former MI6 chief Richard Barrett says the 'Black Beatle' will be identified and caught if he is not killed in battle It will also raise questions as to whether enough is being done to stem the flow of UK fighters to Syria and Iraq. The Government puts the figure at around 500 while a further 250 are thought to have already returned to the UK where the police and security services are attempting to watch them. David Cameron this morning returned to his family holiday in Cornwall – less than 24 hours after flying back to London for emergency talks over the brutal killing. The Prime Minister insisted he would continue to monitor the developing crisis in Iraq, but his decision to leave Downing Street will spark controversy. Mr Cameron’s Cornish break is his third holiday this year – and his fifteenth since moving into Downing Street in May 2010. Mr Cameron is already under mounting pressure to recall Parliament over Britain’s growing involvement in the Iraqi government’s fight against Islamic State terrorists bringing mayhem to the region. It came as President Obama's conduct attracted growing criticism after he played golf immediately after he gave a speech condemning the murder of Mr Foley. Four minutes after leaving the podium Obama teed-off and was seen laughing with friends and fist-bumping them during a five-hour round at Farm Neck Golf Course on Martha's Vineyard - his seventh 18-holes in ten days. Shiraz Maher, of King’s College London’s international centre for the study of radicalisation, told the BBC that British recruits were ‘among some of the most vicious and vociferous fighters who are out there’ and ‘that is unfortunately just a part of their radicalisation’. Messages written on Twitter by British jihadis before the release of the video appeared to suggest some had prior knowledge of the killing. Reyaad Khan, 20, a former college student from Cardiff who has been in Syria for several months, tweeted in advance a picture of Mr Foley’s severed head. Nasser Muthana, 20, who travelled to Syria with Khan and his younger brother Aseel, 17, also revelled in the murder, mocking Americans for failing to protect their own. Quote:
‘The video should be taken down from the internet where it will drive other Muslims to think of this like some sort of game.’ Academics yesterday voiced major concerns over the continuing circulation of the slickly edited video. They said the footage could help radicalise British Muslims and ‘motivate’ them to support the terrorists’ cause. And they warned the video and the use of social media to spread news of the beheading had succeeded in promoting IS’s cause to a global audience. Rafaello Pantucci, director of international security studies at defence think-tank RUSI, said: ‘When we watch these videos, we are horrified by these sorts of acts and wonder how anyone can look at this with anything other than sheer disgust. But actually it has a motivating effect for others. ‘Some will look at this video and see the heinous act and see that they are a really serious group carrying out acts which are having a huge impact and causing world superpowers to look at them and their cause. ‘It could motivate people because they see they are a strong group making a powerful statement.’ http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...GUST_20_AF.jpg 'Entire world was appalled': Barack Obama said that 'no just God' would stand for Mr Foley's murder Mr Pantucci said IS was ‘very good at harnessing social media to get their message out there and attract more attention. ‘They have demonstrated their ability to manipulate social media to its maximum effect,’ he added. ‘Unfortunately the British participation in the conflicts now raging in both Syria and Iraq has been one of full participation, one that has seen them at the front lines, taking part in the conflict in every way. 'So we have seen British fighters out there operating as suicide bombers, we have seen them operating as executioners.’ President Obama said the US would not back down: ‘Today, the entire world is appalled by the brutal murder of Jim Foley. ‘No just God would stand for what they did yesterday, and for what they do every single day. ISIL speaks for no religion. 'Their victims are overwhelmingly Muslim, and no faith teaches people to massacre innocents.’ Since the video U.S. forces have carried out 14 new strikes on IS targets near the Mosul dam despite the threat that another American hostage would be murdered. US Special forces attempted to rescue Americans - including James Foley - held hostage by ISIS in Syria earlier this summer but failed, it was revealed today. The mission to save the journalist and others was carried out in early July but was unsuccessful because the hostages - being held by a group of British jihadists known as 'The Beatles' - could not be found. 'This operation involved air and ground components and was focused on a particular captor network within ISIL [also known as ISIS and IS],' the White House said in a statement last night. 'Unfortunately, the mission was not successful because the hostages were not present at the targeted location.' Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said: ‘We have been saying for a very long time there are significant numbers of British nationals in Syria, increasingly in Iraq. ‘One of the reasons why what is going on in Syria and Iraq is a direct threat to our own national security is the presence of a significant number of our nationals who may, at some stage, seek to come back to the UK with the skills the trade craft that they have learned working with these terrorist organisations and potentially posing a threat to our domestic security here in the UK. 'If the Islamic State, so called, becomes established in an area of Syria and Iraq, it will undoubtedly use it as a base for launching attacks on the West, it will undoubtedly send its fighters out to attack western targets. ‘Equally, if it gets pushed back, some of these people will return to their countries of origin not just the UK. We will see these people going back and carrying on their fight in our own homelands.’ Khalid Mahmood, Labour MP for Birmingham Perry Bar, told Channel 4 News the lack of border controls meant the Government’s estimates of jihadi numbers were too low. ‘I think it’s about 2,000 people,’ he added. ‘I said a couple of months ago about 1,500. I know there are people still going across. There are no effective controls by the UK Border Agency both on exit and return. ‘No one knows what is going on. There is a real threat to the UK. The Border Agency is not fit for purpose.’ Mr Mahmood said two jihadis had travelled to Syria from his own constituency last year but returned and were detained by the authorities. Among those who appeared to have been inspired by the appalling murder committed by IS was London-born recruit Khadijah Dare, who vowed to become the first woman to kill a UK or US prisoner. Miss Dare, from Lewisham, was recently pictured with her toddler son holding an AK47 in northern Syria and is married to a Swedish Islamist fighter called Abu Bakr. She tweeted yesterday: ‘I wna b da 1st UK woman 2 kill a UK or US terorrist!’. Quote:
-Once Accused of Kidnapping Journalists in Syria Probed with his Brother as Hunt for World's Most Wanted Man Intensifies
An NHS doctor previously accused of kidnapping journalists in Syria could help identify the British jihadi who murdered James Foley, MI5 and MI6 sources revealed today. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...ul_Islam_l.JPG NHS doctor Shajul Islam, pictured leaving Belmarsh prison after his trial collapsed in 2013, -could, along with his brother, Razul, know who 'Jihadi John' is Shajul Islam was alleged to have been a ‘key figure’ in a militant group that abducted foreign nationals, but the case collapsed. The pair were held at gunpoint, shackled and blindfolded, and told to prepare to ‘meet their maker’ after straying into a terror camp while covering the civil war in Syria in 2012. But a year later Islam and his alleged accomplice, fellow British resident Jubayer Chowdhury, walked free after prosecutors said the victims were unable to give evidence. Shajul Islam's younger brother Razul, 21, is also believed to have gone to Syria last year, and may be fighting for the Islamic State, known as IS, ISIL or ISIS. The authorities are keen to speak to the brothers in case they know Londoner 'John' - who decapitated journalist James Foley. They may also be able to identify his fellow British jihadi ‘Beatles’, Paul and Ringo, who are all believed to based in Syria close to the IS stronghold of Raqqa. Rajul Islam's voice and physical features will also be compared with the film showing Mr Foley's killer, according to the Daily Telegraph. 'John' is considered the world's most wanted man and a former MI6 chief said the British jihadist will be identified and the SAS are in Syria to 'bring him to justice'. It has also emerged that a dozen counter-terrorism experts from the United States will be flown to Britain 'within days' to help UK's Scotland Yard specifically trace 'John'. Shajul Islam has always denied involvement in the kidnapping of journalists and said he travelled to Syria on a humanitarian mission soon after completing his training at St Bartholomew’s Hospital in London. He was given an interim suspension by the General Medical Council after being charged in 2012 and this remains in place. MailOnline has approached him for comment. Yesterday it was revealed that at least one in four of the estimated 2,000 foreigners fighting for ISIS in Syria and Iraq is British - and half of those are already back in the UK. Serious questions have been raised as to whether enough is being done to stem the flow of fighters after the Government revealed it has only seized 23 passports this year to prevent them travelling to the war zone. The Government says there are around 500 British among the fighters while a further 250 are thought to have already returned to the UK where the police and security services are attempting to watch them. That means there are now almost three times as many British Muslims fighting for Islamic State than there are serving in the UK military, an MP has claimed. According to the Ministry of Defence, there are around 600 British Muslims currently serving in the Armed Forces - just 0.4 per cent of total personnel. This is far below the 4.3 per cent of the British population as a whole who are Muslim. The Muslim Council of Britain said Britons from across the country's communities had to stop young men being seduced by radical ideologies and must identify 'John' and ithers if they know who they are. Police have also run a high-profile campaign to encourages wives and parents of extremists to tell them if their loved-ones go to Syria or Iraq. |
ISIS Target Britain-Threat Level Raised/More Armed Police
Terror Target Britain: More Armed Police to Patrol Streets
-Threat Level is Raised to its Highest for Years and Prime Minister Warns That We are in the Fanatics' Sights
Daily Mail UK, 29 August 2014 More armed police will patrol Britain’s streets to counter the threat posed by fanatics returning from Iraq and Syria, David Cameron announced yesterday. He warned that the return of hundreds of murderous extremists posed a greater threat to our security than Al Qaeda or the IRA ever did. His comments came as Theresa May announced the official terror threat level had been raised to ‘severe’ – the second-highest state – for the first time in three years. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...INGDOM_AUG.JPG David Cameron today warned that Islamist terrorists cannot be 'appeased' and need to be faced down Mr Cameron said ISIS was more dangerous than the Taliban and al Qaeda because it was trying to set up its own 'terrorist state' Cameron warns tighter security as terror threat level rises http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...50_636x358.jpg Mr Cameron said the public could expect to see an increase in high-profile police patrols, including the greater use of armed officers, particularly at airports and major railway stations. He called for the public to be vigilant but added they should not panic, saying Britain had shown ‘resolve’ in the face of terror before. He also pledged to introduce ‘uncompromising’ new laws to plug ‘gaps in our armoury’ in dealing with the threat posed by Islamic State extremists, including enhanced powers to remove the passports of radicalised Muslims seeking to join the fighting in the Middle East. Proposals to remove the passports of extremists who have already gone abroad are also being examined. The Home Secretary said the intelligence services now believe a terror attack in Britain is ‘highly likely’, although she stressed there was no information about any specific plot. ‘The increase in the threat level is related to developments in Syria and Iraq where terrorist groups are planning attacks against the West,’ Mrs May said. ‘Some of those plots are likely to involve foreign fighters who have travelled there from the UK and Europe to take part in those conflicts.’ British intelligence officers believe at least 500 British citizens have travelled to Syria and Iraq to wage jihad, of which about half have returned to this country. Some experts believe the true figure may be far higher. Mr Cameron gave few details of the planned crackdown to combat this threat, which will be revealed to MPs on Monday. Quote:
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...tain_s_Pri.JPG Mr Cameron's statement today came after the Home Secretary Theresa May said an attack on the UK was 'highly likely' Home Secretary Theresa May confirms UK threat level raised http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...12_636x358.jpg Quote:
He insisted he would not introduce ‘knee-jerk’ measures in response to the threat. But he said existing powers to strip radicalised Muslims of their passports will be beefed up, to prevent more travelling to the region to fight. Rules introduced last year have so far resulted in the removal of just 23 passports. The Prime Minister said he also wanted to see more action to prevent extremists returning from the region. However, he gave few details, saying only that police needed powers to deal ‘decisively’ with those who have returned. Experts speculated that this will mean strengthening Terrorism Prevention and Investigation Measures (Tpims), designed to make it easier for police to keep tabs on terror suspects. Critics say the measures, introduced after draconian control orders were thrown out by the courts, are too weak to be effective. Mr Cameron is considering whether to add a requirement for suspects to remain at a known address. Tpim subjects could even be ordered to attend de-radicalisation sessions. Ministers are also examining whether to revive plans for the so-called Snoopers’ Charter, which would allow the intelligence services to log details of every phone call and email, despite opposition from civil liberties campaigners and Nick Clegg. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/...lice_Commi.jpg Scotland Yard chief Bernard Hogan Howe earlier this week claimed the 'drum beat' of terror had increased In addition, Mr Cameron is pushing for new EU laws to require countries to share air passenger data, to make it easier to track and intercept suspected extremists heading for Syria. The Prime Minister told a press conference in Downing Street that Britain is facing a ‘generational battle’ against ‘poisonous’ Islamist extremists which is likely to last for decades. He said IS was unlike any previous terrorist threat because it had effectively established a state from which it could eventually mount attacks on the West. ‘In Afghanistan the Taliban were prepared to play host to Al Qaeda, the terrorist organisation. With [IS] we are facing a terrorist organisation not being hosted in a country but seeking to establish and then violently expand its own terrorist state. ‘With designs on expanding up to the Turkish border, we could be facing a terrorist state on the shores of the Mediterranean and bordering a Nato member.’ Despite this warning, he played down the prospect of joining the US in direct military action. Quote:
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