LCCC ENGLISH DAILY NEWS
BULLETIN
March 08/17
Compiled & Prepared by: Elias Bejjani
The
Bulletin's Link on the lccc Site
http://data.eliasbejjaninews.com/newselias/english.march08.17.htm
News
Bulletin Achieves Since 2006
Click Here to go to the LCCC Daily
English/Arabic News Buletins Archieves Since 2016
Bible Quotations For Today
An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no
sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah
Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew 12/38-45/:"Some of the
scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, ‘Teacher, we wish to see a sign from
you.’But he answered them, ‘An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign,
but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For just
as Jonah was for three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so
for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the
earth. The people of Nineveh will rise up at the judgement with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the proclamation of Jonah, and see,
something greater than Jonah is here! The queen of the South will rise up at the
judgement with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of
the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon, and see, something greater than
Solomon is here! ‘When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it wanders
through waterless regions looking for a resting-place, but it finds Then it
says, "I will return to my house from which I came." When it comes, it finds it
empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along seven other
spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and live there; and the last state
of that person is worse than the first. So will it be also with this evil
generation"
All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; they
are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in
Christ Jesus
Letter to the Romans 03/19-27/:"Now we know that whatever the law says, it
speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced, and
the whole world may be held accountable to God. For ‘no human being will be
justified in his sight’ by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law
comes the knowledge of sin. But now, irrespective of law, the righteousness of
God has been disclosed, and is attested by the law and the prophets, the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For
there is no distinction, since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of
God; they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that
is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a sacrifice of atonement by his
blood, effective through faith. He did this to show his righteousness, because
in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; it
was to prove at the present time that he himself is righteous and that he
justifies the one who has faith in Jesus. Then what becomes of boasting? It is
excluded. By what law? By that of works? No, but by the law of faith.".
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from miscellaneous sources
published On March 07-08/17
Hezbollah’s Highly Versatile And Embedded Role In Syria/Mona Alamii/Syria
Deeply/March 06/17
Analysis: ‘Safe Zone’ on Lebanon Border Would Benefit Hezbollah, Iran/Abdulrahman
al-Masri/Syria Deeply/March 07/17
Qassem Soleimani: Iran’s Osama Bin Laden?/Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March
07/17
The Internal Collapse Facing Lebanon's Shiites/Hala Nasrallah/Washington
Institute for Near East Policy./March 07/17
To Save the State Department, Rex Tillerson May Have to Break It/James F.
Jeffrey/The Washington Institute/March 07/17
Report: Homegrown Terrorism is Top Threat to UK/Soeren Kern/Gatestone
Institute/March 07/17
European elections and the Middle East/Hussein Shobokshi/Al Arabiya/March 07/17
Is Trump a victim of McCarthyism/Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/March 07/17
They’re either an artist or ISIS member/Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya/March 07/17
No woman should die in the process of giving birth/Claire Fotheringham/Al
Arabiya/March 07/17
Titles For Latest Lebanese Related News published
On March 07-08/17
Report: UAE Summons Lebanese Ambassador after Aoun Defends Hizbullah
Lebanese Minister of Defense visits UNIFIL headquarters
Hariri discusses infrastructure investments with World Bank Vice President
General Security Raids Money Transfer Firms Accused of Sending Funds to IS
Change and Reform: Extension and 1960 Law are Worse than Vacuum
Mashnouk after talks with Geagea: Any parliamentary postponement will be
technical
Riachy, Shalabi take up 'Phoenician Road' project
Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections stage sit in protesting Parliament
mandate extension
Abi Khalil at Oil and Gas Conference: Government unwaveringly seeks to preserve
petroleum resources
Mustaqbal Urges Electoral Law that 'Ensures Representation of All Parties'
Shorter Welcomes Strong Ties between UK and Lebanon
Sarraf Inspects Southern Border, Army and UNIFIL Posts
President Aoun Says Proportional Representation 'Achieves Justice' among
Citizens
Tueni Says Wage Scale Can be Funded By Ending Corruption
Adwan: Insignificant Results One Year After Uncovering Illegal Internet
Mashnouq Sees 'No Possibility' to Agree on Electoral Law, Expects 'Brief'
Extension
Hariri at Oil and Gas Forum: Government Plans to Transform Natural Resources
into Sustainable Economic Growth
MP Alain Aoun: PM has allowed prosecution of Abdul Menhem Youssef
Fadllalah: We'll continue to follow up on illegal internet issue
Hezbollah’s Highly Versatile And Embedded Role In Syria
Analysis: ‘Safe Zone’ on Lebanon Border Would Benefit Hezbollah, Iran
Titles For Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published On March 07-08/17
US Navy ship changes course after Iran
vessels come close
Official admits 2,100 Iran fighters killed in Iraq, Syria
Trump and Netanyahu talk Iran ‘dangers’ over nuclear deal
Turkey, Russia, U.S. Military Chiefs Seek Better Coordination against IS
Iraqi Forces Retake Government HQ, Museum in Mosul
Syria forces quietly take up buffer between Kurds, Turks
Syrian children turn to suicide, self-harm amid horrors of war
Iraqi forces battling ISIS gain control of key Mosul sites
Houthis prevent international delegation from entering Sanaa
Yesterday's Osama Bin Laden, Today's Ghasem Soleimani
End Iran Regime's Ability to Use Proxy Militias to Wreak Havoc Across the Middle
East
Iran: 18 Executions Including 2 Women and One in Public and Mass Arrests
IRAN: 7 March 2017 Press Conference to Expose IRGC's Illicit Piers
ISJ & EIFA Report: "Destructive Role of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
(IRGC) in the Middle East"
N. Korea, Malaysia in Tit-for-Tat Exit Bans over Kim Killing
Links From Jihad Watch Site for March 07-08/17
Canada: CTV, CBC display Muhammad cartoons protest placards online
A call to “stop celebrating Muslim decency”
CNN cuts feed on guest after he cites jihad terror cases involving “refugees”
Hungary detaining migrants and sending them back
300 refugees are subjects of FBI jihad terror investigations involving the
Islamic State
AFDI: Appeal filed challenging federal statute authorizing censorship by
Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube
Trump opens “all available” Gulf of Mexico waters to oil drilling
Hugh Fitzgerald: Dr. Khaled Abou El Fadl And His Orwellian Experience (Part I)
Sweden: Muslim migrant teens rape 14-year-old girl at school, they stay at
school, she is transferred
Glazov Gang Standoff: Saba Ahmed vs. Shireen Qudosi on “Does Islam Need Reform?”
Links From Christian Today Site On March 07-08/17
Christians No Longer Prioritised In Trump's Travel Ban As Evangelical Charity
Dismisses It As 'More Of The Same'
Salvation Army Condemns Defeat Of Latest Move To Help Child Refugees
Second Brexit Referendum Would Be Dangerous, Warns Archbishop Of Canterbury
Notion Of Pope Fighting Conservative Vatican Opposition Is A 'Cliché', Top
Cardinal Says
Mother of ISIS-Executed Journalist Says She Was Moved By 'Loving' Support Of
Pope Francis
Is There A 'Spiritual Battle' Over Donald Trump's Presidency?
Going To Church And Wearing A Cross Around Your Neck Make You Seem More
Trustworthy
Furious Backlash As Trump's New Housing Secretary Refers To Black Slaves As
'Immigrants'
Viral Video Footage Shows Moment Of Missing Malaysian Pastor's Abduction
Evangelicals Must Stick With Church Despite 'False Teaching' On Gay Marriage,
Says Bishop
Latest Lebanese Related News published
On March 07-08/17
Report: UAE Summons
Lebanese Ambassador after Aoun Defends Hizbullah
Naharnet/March 07/17/The United Arab
Emirates' Foreign Ministry has reportedly summoned Lebanon's Ambassador to Abu
Dhabi to protest statements made by President Michel Aoun about the need for
Hizbullah's arms to back the Lebanese army, al-Akhbar daily reported on Tuesday.
UAE's foreign ministry “expressed utmost protest against the statement which
Aoun has made during a visit to Egypt on February 13. He emphasized that
Hizbullah's arms do not contradict with the State and are an essential component
of the means to defend Lebanon,” added the daily. Unnamed diplomatic sources
told the daily that “official authorities in Abu Dhabi have stopped discussions
with the Lebanese side that had been planning a visit for Aoun to the UAE.”The
report comes one day after a similar report alleged that Saudi King Salman bin
Abdul Aziz has canceled a planned trip to Lebanon over the same reasons.
After his election as president in November, ending more that two years of
presidential vacuum, Aoun started a Gulf tour that began in Saudi Arabia on a
mission to patch up ties after a tense year which saw Saudi Arabia freeze the
aid deal over what it said was the dominance of Hizbullah. Analysts say Saudi
Arabia was hoping for a more stable Lebanon, after concerns over the role played
by Hizbullah in the Lebanese government and the threat posed by jihadists and
the war in neighboring Syria. But later and during an official trip to Egypt,
Aoun said in an interview on the Egyptian TV channel CBC, that "Hizbullah's arms
do not contradict with the State and are an essential component of the means to
defend Lebanon.”Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah escalated rhetoric in
recent statements against the Gulf states blasting Saudi Arabia and the UAE over
their military campaign in Yemen against Iran-backed rebels. The statement
raised a flurry of reactions mainly concerns that mended relations with Saudi
Arabia could again witness a twist, reports said.
Lebanese Minister of Defense visits UNIFIL headquarters
Tue 07 Mar 2017/NNA - The Minister of Defense of Lebanon, Yaacoub Sarraf, today
visited the headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)
in Naqoura, south Lebanon, and met with the UNIFIL Head of Mission of Force
Commander, Major General Michael Beary. This is the first visit of Minister
Sarraf to the UNIFIL headquarters since his appointment to the post in December
2016. During their meeting, the Minister and the UNIFIL head discussed enhanced
cooperation between the UN Mission and the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) in south
Lebanon. Major General Beary said that the cooperation between UNIFIL and LAF
has been crucial for preserving stability along the Blue Line for more than 10
years. "In the tense regional situation, it is all the more important for LAF
and UNIFIL to continue working closely together to address developing issues and
prevent any escalation along the Blue Line," the UNIFIL head told the Minister.
Later in the day, together with the UNIFIL Head of Mission, he also visited
UNIFIL Force Commander’s Reserve base (FCR), where he held bilateral meeting
with visiting Defense Minister of France, Jean-Yves Le Drian. During the visit,
he was briefed by UNIFIL Chief of Staff, Brigadier-General Pierre Liot de
Nortbecourt on the activities of UNIFIL and the French Battalion. After meeting
with the French Minister of Defence, Minister Sarraf accompanied by UNIFIL Head
of Mission visited a UN position along the Blue Line and received briefing on
UNIFIL’s work there. At the end of the visit, Major General Beary assured the
Lebanese Minister of UNIFIL’s continued determination, in close coordination
with the LAF, to preserve stability in the south, while calling on all concerned
to exercise calm and restraint at all times. While underscoring multiple
challenges facing the LAF, the UNIFIL head and the Lebanese Defense Minister
also discussed the importance of strengthening LAF presence in UNIFIL’s area of
operation in south Lebanon. In his briefing on the situation in the UNIFIL AO,
Major General Beary said that despite some heightened rhetoric, the situation
along the Blue Line is calm with the parties fully committed to maintaining the
cessation of hostilities. "The need of the time is to prevent any escalation and
I highly appreciate the unremitting efforts exercised by the LAF in calming the
situation and their active engagement with international interlocutors," he said
after the meeting. Before departing from Naqoura, Minister Sarraf said: "I
highly appreciate the work carried out by UNIFIL and we are here to fully
cooperate with the Mission in implementing its mandate and to have the Lebanese
army close by your side."
Hariri discusses infrastructure investments with World Bank
Vice President
Tue 07 Mar 2017/NNA - Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, received on Tuesday night at
the Grand Serail the World Bank's Vice President for the Middle East and North
Africa, Hafez Ghanem, heading a delegation. At the end of the meeting, Ghanem
said: "We held an important meeting with Prime Minister Hariri during which we
discussed the projects carried out by the World Bank in Lebanon and the projects
it can offer to strengthen our partnership." He added that discussions focused
on ways to improve infrastructure investments in energy, telecommunications and
transport. "We are pleased that constitutional institutions are now functioning.
This makes us optimistic because it reflects positively on the economy and
boosts growth," Ghanem noted. He concluded that his goal with the PM would be to
increase investments in Lebanon.
General Security Raids Money Transfer Firms Accused of
Sending Funds to IS
Naharnet/March 07/17/General Security agents on Tuesday raided money transfer
firms and offices accused of sending funds to the extremist Islamic State group,
media reports said. LBCI television said the firms, located in several areas of
Beirut, are suspected of involvement in sending around $20 million to Syria's
Qalamoun region and subsequently to IS militants in other parts of Syria.
“General Security had been monitoring the owners and employees of these firms
prior to today's crackdown,” LBCI said. The doors of several firms were sealed
with red wax at the request of the relevant judicial authorities, the TV network
added.
Change and Reform: Extension and 1960 Law are Worse than
Vacuum
Naharnet/March 07/17/The Change and Reform parliamentary bloc stressed Tuesday
that the 1960 electoral law or another extension of the parliament's term are
both “worse than vacuum.”“The head of the Free Patriotic Movement has presented
several proposals regarding the electoral law and we are keen on understanding
and accord during this new (presidential) tenure,” Change and Reform secretary
MP Ibrahim Kanaan said after the bloc's weekly meeting in Rabieh. “All
initiative and draft laws have been rejected so what do they want? Are they
seeking procrastination? Do they want to return to the 1960 law?” Kanaan added.
“To us, extension and the 1960 law are both worse than vacuum,” the lawmaker
stressed. President Michel Aoun, the founder of the FPM, had recently announced
that he prefers parliamentary vacuum over the 1960 law or another extension of
the parliament's term. He later refrained from signing a decree that calls on
electoral bodies to prepare for parliamentary elections in May. Speaker Nabih
Berri has announced in recent days that elections under the 1960 law would be
better than parliamentary vacuum. The political parties are meanwhile discussing
a so-called hybrid electoral law that mixes proportional representation with the
winner-takes-all system.
Mashnouk after talks with Geagea: Any parliamentary
postponement will be technical
Tue 07 Mar 2017/NNA - "Lebanese Forces' leader, Samir Geagea, met on Tuesday
night at Mehrab with Interior and Municipalities Minister, Nuhad Mashnouk. "Any
postponement of the parliamentary elections will be technical and for short
period of time as the country can't tolerate this delay," the minister said
following the meeting. Mashnouk said that talks with Geagea touched on the
electoral law, threats and appointments. Responding to a question on the
electoral law, the minister said that "As to me, no new givings regarding the
new law. I think it's impossible to agree on a new electoral law."
Riachy, Shalabi take up 'Phoenician Road' project
Tue 07 Mar 2017/NNA - Information Minister Melhem Riachy met on Tuesday at his
ministerial office with President of the International Association to Save Tyre,
UNESCO Ambassador of Goodwill Maha Khalil Shalabi, whereby they discussed the
"Phoenician Road" Project, notably the "Phoenician Expedition across the
Atlantic" aboard a replica of the ancient Phoenician-design sailing boat crafted
by the British Adventurer Captain Philip Beale.In this framework, a press
conference will be taking place at the Information Ministry upcoming Thursday,
March 16, at 10.30 a.m., under the patronage of Ministries of Information and
Tourism, in the presence of Minister Riachy.
Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections stage sit in
protesting Parliament mandate extension
Tue 07 Mar 2017/NNA - The Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections held on
Tuesday a symbolic sit-in at Spears Street under the headline of "We Want our
Voice Back", protesting the consecutive extension of the Parliament's mandate
and any likely extension, NNA field reporter said.The sit in coincided with
other similar moves by the Association branches in Shouf, Baalbek, Zahle and
Burj Hammoud.
Abi Khalil at Oil and Gas Conference: Government
unwaveringly seeks to preserve petroleum resources
Tue 07 Mar 2017/NNA - Water and Energy Minister Cesar Abi Khalil said that they
are currently working on finalizing the draft taxation law related to petroleum
activates, indicating that all the measures adopted so far by the government in
the oil and gas sector reflect a national consensus on the investment of
Lebanon's natural wealth and protecting it. "The Lebanese government
unwaveringly seeks to preserve the petroleum resources within Lebanon's maritime
Exclusive Economic Zone and calls on companies to participate in the offshore
licensing round and submit biddings on offered blocks," Minsiter Abi Khalil said
on Tuesday at the inaugural ceremony of Oil and Gas Forum, entitled "Oil and Gas
Forum-Lebanon National Wealth: Roadmap" at the Higher Business Institute. Abi
Khalil noted that the Lebanese naval seabed stores promising prospects and
potentials of abundant hydrocarbon resources. At the level of oil wealth
investment, the Ministry of Energy and Water has chosen to deal with highly
reputable oil international companies and set the bar high for their
prequalification in the first licensing round, out of the Ministry's keenness on
securing success of this sector and realize commercial discoveries which would
put Lebanon in a convenient status amongst the oil-producing countries.
Mustaqbal Urges Electoral Law that 'Ensures Representation of All Parties'
Naharnet/March 07/17/Al-Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc on Tuesday reiterated its
keenness on “holding the parliamentary elections on time according to a new law
based on the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems.”The new
law should “ensure the representation of all parties,” the bloc stressed in a
statement issued after its weekly meeting. Mustaqbal also emphasized the need to
“respect the constitutional deadlines for holding the elections” in order to
“prevent any parliamentary vacuum.”Hizbullah has repeatedly called for an
electoral law fully based on proportional representation but al-Mustaqbal
Movement and Druze leader MP Walid Jumblat have both rejected the proposal.
Mustaqbal argues that Hizbullah's arms would prevent serious competition in the
party's strongholds while Jumblat has warned that such an electoral system would
“marginalize” the minority Druze community whose presence is concentrated in the
Chouf and Aley areas. The political parties are meanwhile discussing a so-called
hybrid electoral law that mixes proportional representation with the
winner-takes-all system.
Shorter Welcomes Strong Ties between UK and Lebanon
Naharnet/March 07/17/British Ambassador Hugo Shorter welcomed after meeting
President Michel Aoun at the Baabda Palace on Tuesday, the strong relations
between the UK and Lebanon, and affirmed that the UK is a strong believer in
Lebanese institutions. “In my meeting with President Aoun I welcomed the strong
and dynamic bilateral ties between the UK and Lebanon, most recently marked by
the visit of the Royal Navy’s flagship HMS Ocean this weekend,” the British
Embassy said in a statement from the Ambassador. “The UK is a strong believer in
Lebanese institutions, supporting the LAF with $77m since 2011 to train 11,000
soldiers by 2019; supporting the ISF with $25m over three years to build its
effectiveness and its public support; working with the Ministry of Social
Affairs to bring tangible benefits to communities affected by the refugee
crisis; with the Ministry of Education to provide free schoolbooks and a free,
quality education to every child; and with the Central Bank to create jobs in
the high-potential tech sector,” said the statement. “We discussed the framework
of international agreements and Security Council resolutions, aimed at
protecting Lebanon’s stability and security which have set out shared
commitments to ensuring the full exercise by the Lebanese state of its
sovereignty across its territory,” it added. The statement said: “We also
discussed the upcoming elections, and I reiterated my hope that these will take
place in a timely manner, under an electoral law agreed by the Lebanese. I
believe that is what the Lebanese people expect, and that they deserve to make
their voice heard. “The UK stands shoulder to shoulder with Lebanon for
security, stability and prosperity.”
Sarraf Inspects Southern Border, Army and UNIFIL Posts
Naharnet/March 07/17/Defense Minister Yaaqoub Sarraf on Tuesday inspected the
southern border and several Lebanese army and UNIFIL posts in the South. Sarraf
first visited the headquarters of the Lebanese army units deployed south of the
Litani River where he was briefed on the army's deployment and missions in the
South, state-run National News Agency said. He then moved to the Naqoura
headquarters of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) where he
met with UNIFIL Head of Mission and Force Commander Major General Michael Beary.
Sarraf lauded “the efforts exerted to protect the border,” stressing that
“cooperation with UNIFIL will continue at all levels.” He then headed to the
town of Deir Kifa for a visit to the headquarters of the French UNIFIL
contingent where he was welcomed by visiting French Defense Minister Jean-Yves
Le Drian and a high-ranking French delegation in the presence of the commander
of the French contingent. And after a tour along the border's U.N.-demarcated
Blue Line, which was drawn up following Israel’s withdrawal from south Lebanon
in 2000 after a 22-year occupation, Sarraf visited the Italian UNIFIL contingent
in al-Labbouneh. While there he stressed the importance of “boosting cooperation
with UNIFIL and holding onto Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity,”
stressing that “the army will spare no effort to achieve security and stability
in the region.”
President Aoun Says Proportional Representation 'Achieves
Justice' among Citizens
Naharnet/March 07/17/President Michel Aoun on Tuesday noted that an electoral
law based on proportional representation would “achieve justice” among the
country's citizens. During a meeting in Baabda with a Druze delegation led by
ex-MP Faisal al-Daoud, Aoun said “his insistence on approving a new electoral
law based on proportional representation that allows minorities to be
represented -- whether they are religious or political minorities – is not aimed
at allowing a group to defeat another but rather to allow all Lebanese to take
part in governance and the national decision,” state-run National News Agency
said. “We are people of various religions, sects and parties, but we are keen on
national unity, coexistence and eliminating rights discrimination among
citizens, that' why justice must be achieved between the sects,” Aoun added.
“Today I'm encouraging the approval of an electoral law that allows everyone to
be represented, especially minorities,” the president went on to say. Hizbullah
has repeatedly called for an electoral law fully based on proportional
representation but al-Mustaqbal Movement and Druze leader MP Walid Jumblat have
both rejected the proposal. Mustaqbal argues that Hizbullah's arms would prevent
serious competition in the party's strongholds while Jumblat has warned that
such an electoral system would “marginalize” the minority Druze community whose
presence is concentrated in the Chouf and Aley areas. The political parties are
meanwhile discussing a so-called hybrid electoral law that mixes proportional
representation with the winner-takes-all system.
Tueni Says Wage Scale Can be Funded By Ending Corruption
Naharnet/March 07/17/State Minster for Combating Corruption Nicolas Tueni,
stressed on Tuesday that funding the wage scale can easily be done by preventing
corruption and ending squandering of public funds. “Ending the squander (of
public funds), corruption and administrative malpractices can easily provide the
needed funds for the wage scale,” said Tueni in an interview to VDL (93.3). The
Minister said that discussions to find the proper funding for the scale have
suggested “addressing the maritime property violations, and collections of due
and unpaid taxes.”Tueni stressed that President Michel Aoun has given special
attention to the corruption file, he said: “All the files of corruption are
being examined in accordance with the instructions of the President. But we need
time for the results to show. We can't eradicate age-long corruption within a
matter of days.”
Adwan: Insignificant Results One Year After Uncovering
Illegal Internet
Naharnet/March 07/17/Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan stressed on Tuesday that
the results reached so far over the illegal internet scandal were not up to the
dauntless efforts exerted so far by the telecommunications parliamentary
committee tasked with studying the file. “We have been talking about the illegal
internet file for a year now. There is determination to end the work we began
with,” said Adwan. Referring to former OGERO Telecom chief Abdul Menhem Youssef
who was charged in the file, the MP Asked: “Abdul Menhem Youssef is one of the
accused and he is abroad. Why has not a restraining order been issued to ban his
travel ?” he wondered. Speaking after a meeting for the Telecom committee at the
Parliament, Adwan lamented stalling regarding trials in the illegal internet
case. A year ago, it was revealed that around four illegal internet stations
have been proven to exist in the mountainous terrains of al-Dinnieh, Ayoun al-Siman,
Faqra and Zaarour. Suspects involved in the case and believed to be associated
with the state-owned telecommunications company OGERO were arrested over
possible links to the networks. Later the parliamentary media committee unveiled
what it described as a “mafia” taking advantage of internet services by
installing internet stations that are not subject to the state control. The
owners of these stations were buying international internet bandwidth with
nominal cost from Turkey and Cyprus which they were selling back to Lebanese
subscribers at reduced prices. It has been reported that government departments
were using the services of illegal internet providers including the Lebanese
army. Reports said that wireless internet towers and technical equipment were
placed illegally in some mountainous terrains including Tannourine, al-Dinnieh,
Sannine and al-Zaarour. Smuggled internet services initiate risks namely the
possibility of security breach as it lacks the basic control standards exposing
Lebanon's security to third parties including Israel.
Mashnouq Sees 'No Possibility' to Agree on Electoral Law,
Expects 'Brief' Extension
Naharnet/March 07/17/Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq announced Tuesday that
he sees “no possibility” to agree on a new electoral law before the expiry of
the deadlines, noting that any extension of the parliament's term will be
“brief” and for technical reasons. “The meeting is part of the consultations
with the leader of the Lebanese Forces amid the current circumstances in the
country, whether regarding the elections, the threats or the appointments,” said
Mashnouq after talks with LF leader Samir Geagea in Maarab. “I like to hear his
opinion seeing as he has balanced stances and I hope these standards will be
endorsed in all the coming junctures,” the minister added. As for the electoral
law, Mashnouq said: “There is nothing new in this regard and I hold onto my
opinion that I see no possibility for an agreement on a new electoral law.”Asked
whether his remarks indicate that the elections will be held under the
controversial 1960 electoral law, the minister said the decision belongs to the
parliament and government. “Any postponement of the elections will be for
technical reasons and for a brief period, seeing as the country cannot withstand
a long postponement and no one can take the blame for undermining Lebanon's
reputation and the State's credibility abroad,” Mashnouq added. The country has
not organized parliamentary elections since 2009 and the parliament has since
extended its own mandate Hizbullah has repeatedly called for an electoral law
fully based on proportional representation but al-Mustaqbal Movement and Druze
leader MP Walid Jumblat have both rejected the proposal. Mustaqbal argues that
Hizbullah's arms would prevent serious competition in the party's strongholds
while Jumblat has warned that such an electoral system would “marginalize” the
minority Druze community whose presence is concentrated in the Chouf and Aley
areas. The political parties are meanwhile discussing a so-called hybrid
electoral law that mixes proportional representation with the winner-takes-all
system.
Hariri at Oil and Gas Forum: Government Plans to Transform
Natural Resources into Sustainable Economic Growth
Naharnet/March 07/17/Prime Minister Saad Hariri stressed on Tuesday at the Oil
and Gas Forum that the government plans to successfully transform Lebanon's
natural resources wealth into sustained economic growth. “The oil and gas sector
is one of the most important files on Lebanon’s economic agenda. My government
gives priority to the good governance and proper management of this sector and
we believe it is in such discussions that we move it forward,” said Hariri at
the ESA Business School during his patronage of the “Oil and Gas Forum:
Roadmap".“We want all stakeholders, indeed, all of society to participate and
invest in it. The potential discovery of resources in our seas is the reason we
are here today,” he added. “As an oil importing country, we have been dependent
on fuel imports to fulfill our domestic consumption. This has rendered our
balance of trade highly sensitive to fluctuations in international oil prices
and the size of local demand.”“In the years 2000 to 2002, geophysical service
companies performed two-dimensional multi-client surveys within Lebanon’s
maritime Exclusive Economic Zone. Following this, a geological and geophysical
study was performed in 2004 to determine the hydrocarbon potential in the area.
The results revealed high prospects for the presence of hydrocarbon reserves
under our seabed. “In 2010, Lebanon ratified the offshore Petroleum Resource
Law. This law sets the foundations for ensuring prudent production of
hydrocarbons, while providing long term investment incentives, and a sustainable
revenue management mechanism through the establishment of a Sovereign Wealth
Fund.
This was followed, in 2012, by the appointment of the Lebanese Petroleum
Administration, to act as a regulator for the sector,” stated the PM. “Since
2012, the work undertaken by the Lebanese Petroleum Administration, including
the Strategic Environment Assessment, as well as the extensive work undertaken
by the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Environment, the ministerial committees,
and Parliament, prepared the grounds for the Oil & Gas sector to emerge.”“To
signal the importance we give to this sector, our new Council of Ministers
passed in its first meeting two pending decrees related to the Tender Protocol,
the Model contract and block delineation. I am happy to announce that the
Council of Ministers will soon be adopting the draft taxation law for petroleum
activities and sending it to Parliament. Following this, the regulatory
framework will be complete,” he said.
“In addition, the first offshore licensing round was firmly re-launched in
January to attract the best reputable International Oil Companies. “We are
determined on setting a national energy roadmap; one that merges with Lebanon’s
economic, social, geopolitical and developmental policies,” added Hariri.
“Today, the Lebanese Government is determined to go through with the first round
of oil and gas tenders in a transparent fashion. This has been highlighted by
the Cabinet’s decision to join the Extractive Industries Transparency
Initiative, (E.I.T.I) which is a multi-stakeholder initiative that offers civil
society a seat at the table and empowers them to actively contribute to
governing their national wealth by having general oversight over the oil and gas
sector. We are set on integrating the exploitation of Lebanon’s Oil & Gas wealth
in the real economy,” he said.“Our aim is to increase employment, strengthen our
social safety nets and raise living standards. We are hopeful that this will
bring about a new economic reality, that will raise demand for employment enough
to curb migration of our youth out of the country. Notwithstanding the expected
positive effects, we will take appropriate precautions to minimize any negative
consequence from the production of oil and gas,” stressed the MP. “We are well
aware of the risks attached to sudden resource discoveries and we fully intend
to minimize any potential negative impact. Indeed, we plan to successfully
transform our natural resource wealth into sustained economic growth and poverty
reduction through the appropriate fiscal and structural policies,” concluded
Hariri.
MP Alain Aoun: PM has allowed prosecution of Abdul Menhem
Youssef
Tue 07 Mar 2017/NNA - MP Alain Aoun revealed on Tuesday that
Prime Minister Saad Hariri has given permission to prosecute OGERO's former
director, Abdul Menhem Youssef, and has allowed State Prosecutor Samir Hammoud
to do so. Aoun was speaking following a session for the Telecom and Information
House committee.
Fadllalah: We'll continue to follow up on illegal internet
issue
Tue 07 Mar 2017/NNA - Telecommunication Parliamentary Committee Head, MP Hassan
Fadllalah confirmed on Tuesday, "we would not stop following up on the illegal
internet issue."The MP words came after the meeting of the Information and
Telecommunication Committee in the Parliament, adding "We are communicating with
the judiciary authorities without any interference." Fadllalah described
corruption and squandering as a major problem that exists in the state's
apparatuses, stressing the need to hold persons behind that accountable.
Fadllalah said "Part of the illegal internet scandal is connected to the
squandering of about $200 million US Dollars in addition to $60 million US
Dollars as a result of illegal telecommunication." Talking about the salary
scale issue, Fadllalah confirmed that they are responsible to secure the rights
of the Lebanese citizens and state employees.
Analysis: Hezbollah’s Highly Versatile And Embedded Role In
Syria
Mona Alamii/Syria Deeply/March 06/17
https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/03/06/analysis-hezbollahs-highly-versatile-and-embedded-role-in-syria
Lebanese militia Hezbollah has vowed not to leave Syria until they have
guarantees that the country will remain a key player in the Iran-led “resistance
axis,” writes Levant researcher Mona Alami.
BEIRUT – In a recent interview with Al-Mayadeen television, Hezbollah’s number
two Sheikh Naim Qassem insisted that Hezbollah would be the one deciding when to
leave Syria, “which will take place when the party is guaranteed that ‘Syria as
a resistance’ will remain.”
Qassem refers to the prominent role played by Syria in the “resistance axis”
that opposes Western interests, specifically the United States and Israel, and
is headed by Iran with Hezbollah as the leading militant group based in Lebanon.
The survival of this axis and pro-Iranian Syria is critical for Hezbollah and
Iran. First, Syria provides Arab legitimacy to this anti-Western coalition.
Second, Syria is an essential military supply line linking Iran to Hezbollah in
Lebanon, which provides Iran with access to the ongoing Arab-Israeli military
conflict and the Mediterranean region.
From the beginning of the Syrian civil war, the Alawite regime of President
Bashar al-Assad faced off against a largely Sunni opposition. The regime relies
heavily on Hezbollah as a militant Shia organization to defend its position.
Hezbollah was one of the first groups to spearhead pro-regime foreign legions of
between 15,000 and 25,000 fighters and comprised of Shiite factions from Iraq,
Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan.
Hezbollah plays a highly versatile role in Syria. The Lebanese organization
initially provided expert support to Assad in his crackdown on protesters. In
2011, Lebanese media started publicizing the death of Hezbollah fighters in
Syria. The role of Hezbollah evolved to encompass offensive strategy during
battles and much-needed training to militias shoring up the Syrian regime.
Interviews with Hezbollah and members of the opposition attest that in many
cases, Hezbollah was leading ground assault forces in battles, and this began
during the 2013 battle of Qusayr. In an interview that same year, a Hezbollah
fighter admitted: “Hezbollah is leading operations in Qusayr; the Syrian army is
only playing a secondary role, deploying after an area is completely ‘cleaned’
and secured.” According to a report by the Institute for the Study of War, the
Syrian government used Hezbollah fighters as a reliable infantry force alongside
its own heavy weapons and airpower. In the battle of Qusayr, and on other war
fronts in 2015 and 2016, military operations typically started with shelling
followed by the infiltration of irregular units and infantry attacks. Similar
techniques were used as well in Zabadani and Aleppo. In Aleppo, Hezbollah played
a threefold role according to interviews by the author with a Hezbollah
commander who explained that the militant group headed the offense teams, which
were followed by a demining team and a stabilization team.
In addition to its offensive strategy, Hezbollah has helped the regime in
developing its irregular forces as well as financing and providing training to
local militia groups as needed. According to researcher Aymenn Jawad al-Tamimi,
these local militias include Quwat al-Rhidha, the National Ideological
Resistance (NIR), Liwaa al-Imam al-Mahdi, Junud Mahdi and the Mahdi scouts among
many others. Al-Tamimi believes that Quwat al-Ridha is the core nucleus for
Hezbollah in Syria and seems to be operating under the leadership and
supervision of Hezbollah in Lebanon. Quwat al-Ridha includes Shia and Sunni
hailing from countryside areas around cities such as Homs, Aleppo, Daraa and
Damascus.
In an interview with Maan Talaa, researcher on pro-regime militias from the
Turkey based think-tank Omran Dirastat, Talaa adds that Quwat al-Ridha is
estimated at 3,500 fighters and its military leadership is headed by Syrians,
but the organization is financed and trained by Hezbollah. According to Talaa,
two other groups can be directly linked to Hezbollah, the Liwaa al-Imam al-Mehdi
and Assad Allah Ghaleb. Talaa underlines that Liwaa al-Imam al-Mehdi is also
estimated at 2,000 fighters and mostly Alawites. “Assad Allah Ghaleb played a
role in Ghouta, but they appear to have been decimated in battles,” explains
Talaa. The Omran Dirasat researcher emphasizes that many other groups partner
with Hezbollah and Iran. “In such cases, Iran generally bankrolls the groups
while Hezbollah provides training,” he points out.
A Hezbollah trainer admitted in an interview that while thousands have been
trained across Syria, some 10,000 were trained in Qusayr alone, the largest
training facility for Hezbollah on the border with Lebanon.
Hezbollah appears well positioned in Syria for the next few years. The author
interviewed Hezbollah fighters who were divided as to their long-term role in
Syria, but most agreed that they would not be leaving strategic regions anytime
soon. “We will retain control of areas with a military importance such as Qusayr.
Other spots around Homs which were given up to the Syrian army and were later
lost will also stay in our hands,” says one fighter in a recent interview.
Hezbollah’s involvement in Syria has resulted in a high human cost, with 2,000
to 2,500 killed and some 7,000 injured over the last six years, according to an
interview with anti-Hezbollah activist and researcher Lokman Slim. Numbers are
difficult to verify with areas besieged by Hezbollah across Damascus, Homs,
Aleppo and Daraa. Yet, such human losses do not appear to have reached a tipping
point for Hezbollah. The party has successfully convinced its popular base that
its involvement in Syria and its fight on “terror” has shielded Lebanon from
radical groups. The efficient crackdown post-2015 on terror networks by Lebanese
security services has quieted criticism by Hezbollah constituents, after terror
attacks dropped from a monthly occurrence to a near-zero incidence rate.
Recent gains have also played in favor of the organization. The fall of Aleppo,
dovetailed with internal clashes within the Syrian opposition, have improved the
credibility of Hezbollah with its constituents in Lebanon.
Through battle and local diplomacy, Hezbollah appears to have consolidated its
position as long as there is no grand bargain in Syria.
*This article was originally published by the Atlantic Council and is reprinted
here with permission.
About the Author
*Mona Alami is a researcher and journalist covering Levant politics. She is a
non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council. Her primary focus is radical
organizations. She holds a BA and an MBA in management
Analysis: ‘Safe Zone’ on Lebanon Border Would Benefit
Hezbollah, Iran
Abdulrahman al-Masri/Syria Deeply/March 07/17
https://www.newsdeeply.com/syria/articles/2017/03/07/analysis-safe-zone-on-lebanon-border-would-benefit-hezbollah-iran
Following Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s call for a safe zone in Syria
along the Lebanese border, Syrian journalist Abdulrahman al-Masri explores what
the Shiite militia stands to gain from such an area and the potential impact on
regional powers.
OTTAWA, Canada – On February 3, Lebanese president Michel Aoun called on the
international community to establish a safe zone on the Syria-Lebanon border. A
political ally of Hezbollah, Aoun said world powers must work with President
Bashar al-Assad’s regime to set up the proposed zone and facilitate the return
of more than 1 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Just over a week later, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah urged the Lebanese
government to coordinate refugee returns now that recent advances of pro-regime
forces had made “large areas” in Syria “safe.” Like Aoun, Nasrallah is
pressuring the government in Beirut, headed by rival prime minister Saad
al-Hariri, to work with Damascus on this matter.
Safe zones provide combat-free areas during an active conflict, where the ground
and sometimes the airspace are off limits to armed forces, and act as safe
havens for civilians. Talks of establishing safe zones on Syria’s multiple
borders, to return refugees, are not new – Jordan and Turkey have proposed
similar ideas – but the preliminary reports of Lebanon’s proposed zone suggest
it is far different from the others.
Concurrently with Nasrallah’s statement, Arabic media – initially Al-Araby Al-Jadeed
and Al Modon – cited Syrian and Lebanese sources as confirming that the Syrian
government and Hezbollah were intent on securing the border region, with the
Iran-funded Lebanese militia taking the lead. The sources added that purported
discussions between the pro-regime alliance and opposition groups in the
Qalamoun region, notably the Saraya Ahl al-Sham rebel coalition, had already
begun. Negotiations for a deal include immunity for rebel fighters, rebel
surrender of heavy weapons, a mutually agreed-upon civil governance body, the
provision of services to the area and the return of refugees in Lebanon
originally from the area.
The most telling aspect of the purported deal is the suggested area for the safe
zone. Expected to be included are towns east of the Lebanese border and west of
the north-south M5 highway, where Hezbollah now has a limited presence. The
suggested terms specifically note that refugees from excluded towns, all near
the strategically significant M5 highway, would not be able to return.
If established, this zone would not provide for the sustainable return of
refugees. It is unlikely that many refugees would willingly return to a safe
zone controlled by Assad or his allies, given that far more of the nearly 5
million outside the country and the 6.3 million internally displaced persons (IDPs)
fled from the regime than from the armed opposition or extremists. However, it
would benefit Hezbollah and its Iranian backers. Such a zone by the Lebanese
border would shield Hezbollah’s arms supply line, cement the militia’s position
in the contentious Lebanese political landscape and secure Iran’s geostrategic
interests and foothold in the Qalamoun region – the territory that connects the
Hezbollah-dominated Lebanese east with Syria’s core.
Hezbollah’s Gains
Hezbollah deviated from its historical focus, limited to fighting Israel and
Lebanese politics, when it joined the war in Syria in 2012 in support of the
Syrian regime. It has since evolved into a key military force for Assad and an
influential regional player. By leading major operations across the Middle East
at Iran’s behest, Hezbollah seems to have confidently navigated the region’s
geostrategic struggle as Tehran seeks to reach not only Syria but also Iraq and
Yemen.
As the armed opposition expanded in 2012, rebels began to use the western
Qalamoun region as their base for operations around Damascus. Observers and
experts have argued that Hezbollah’s initial impetus to join the war, aside from
its sectarian-based support for the regime, was to push back the rebel forces
surrounding the Damascus-Homs highway, which connects the capital with both the
central and western governorates and east Lebanon. Over the past few years and
with support from Syrian sectarian paramilitary forces, Hezbollah militants were
able to drive rebels out of most of west Qalamoun, a move that coincided with
large waves of Syrians fleeing the area to neighboring Lebanon.
Hezbollah also incurred high costs in both blood and cash in the years of
fighting to capture the area, which makes the purported discussions for a safe
zone that much more surprising. However, even though the deal would see
Hezbollah cede control of certain areas, it would also allow the militia to
prioritize several pressing issues and, ultimately, protect the mountainous
Qalamoun.
Creating this safe zone would allow Hezbollah to maintain the security of, and
supervision over, the north-south highway, a key supply line between northern
Damascus and Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley, where Hezbollah’s weapons warehouses are
reportedly located.
It would also better place Hezbollah to secure areas on both sides of the
border, particularly in Lebanon, where border security has been troubling over
the last two years. Extremists have carried out multiple attacks in the area,
threatening Hezbollah’s Shiite and sometimes Christian support base in the
border towns by amplifying rhetoric that the group cannot protect its own
constituents while fighting in another country. In addition, it would eliminate
the risk of having its military camps and weapons warehouses possibly exposed to
extremists.
On the Syrian side, Hezbollah would effectively be able to divide the rebels in
Qalamoun between the west and east. While it will likely continue to fight the
rebels east of the highway – notably Jaish al-Islam in Al-Ruhaybah and the Ahmad
Al-Abdo Forces in Jayroud – Hezbollah will have stabilized the strategic region
of western Qalamoun via tactical “reconciliation.” Stabilizing the border area
and potentially reducing its involvement in Syria could also reduce the high
death toll of its fighters in Syria and allow Hezbollah to regain its luster
among potential supporters in Lebanon.
The safe zone could also create a second opportunity for a P.R. win in Lebanon,
where, despite its being an inherently polarized country with countless social
and sectarian tensions, the refugee influx has become a point of contention for
the Lebanese people regardless of political affiliation. Hezbollah could use the
return of refugees – the number of which is equivalent to one-third of Lebanon’s
already struggling population – to further foster popularity outside its support
base, especially with Aoun in the presidency, dividing the public’s support for
Hezbollah’s opponents.
Geostrategic Implications
It remains unclear how the deal might unfold, but stark geostrategic
consequences could follow in the wake of the potential implementation. For
instance, one of Israel’s main security concerns is the arms shipments Hezbollah
receives from Tehran via Damascus. Israeli army activity in Syria has been
primarily focusing on targeting such shipments and other weapons warehouses
around Damascus. It is very unlikely that Israel would allow Hezbollah to
establish a stable foothold in this particular part of Syria without taking
action. In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, Russia’s deputy minister of
foreign affairs asserted that Hezbollah and Iran’s Revolutionary Guards are
expected to leave Syria once the conflict is over.
While cooperation between Russia and Iran – and its proxies – has not been very
harmonious, both share the goal of pushing the U.S. out of the Middle East.
This, however, may change with the new anti-Iran, Russia-friendly U.S.
administration. President Donald Trump’s administration is strongly against any
Iranian influence in the region and shares Israel’s concerns. At this point,
it’s up to Trump to leverage Russian connections to escalate convergence with
the Iranians. This could, to some extent, explain Hezbollah’s tactical
compromise in the Qalamoun deal, with the group focusing on long-term priorities
in Syria’s border region, while also being able to project Iranian influence
into central and western Syria – the area considered “useful” by Iran.
The war in Syria has never been as complex as it is today, with so many
microscopic geostrategic interests reflecting the multifaceted nature of this
conflict. With the region’s actors anticipating Trump’s Middle East policy, the
coming months will be vital for the myriad of factions in Syria. This
accumulating regional and international competition, however, can only bring
more suffering for the Syrian people in the process.
Latest LCCC Bulletin For
Miscellaneous Reports And News published On March 07-08/17
US Navy ship changes course after Iran vessels come close
Idrees Ali, Reuters Washington Tuesday, 7 March 2017/Navy ship in the Strait of
Hormuz on Saturday, forcing it to change direction, a US official told Reuters
on Monday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the boats came
within 600 yards of the USNS Invincible, a tracking ship, and stopped. The
Invincible and three ships from the British Royal Navy accompanying it had to
change course. The official said attempts were made to communicate over radio,
but there was no response and the interaction was "unsafe and unprofessional."
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps could not immediately be reached for a
comment. Years of mutual animosity eased when Washington lifted sanctions on
Tehran last year after a deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions. But serious
differences remain over Iran's ballistic missile program and conflicts in Syria
and Iraq. While still a presidential candidate in September, Donald Trump vowed
that any Iranian vessels that harassed the US Navy in the Gulf would be "shot
out of the water."Similar incidents happen occasionally, but the last serious
one was in January when a US Navy destroyer fired three warning shots at four
Iranian fast-attack vessels near the Strait of Hormuz after they closed in at
high speed and disregarded repeated requests to slow down. "Well I don't know
how much of a pattern it is, we actually had seen quite an improvement in Iran's
behavior until recently," Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters.
Davis said that dangerous interactions were a matter of concern because they
could lead to a "miscalculation or an accidental provocation."
Official admits 2,100 Iran fighters killed in Iraq, Syria
AFP, Tehran Tuesday, 7 March 2017/More than 2,000 fighters sent from Iran have
been killed in Iraq and Syria, the head of Iran’s veterans’ affairs office said
Tuesday. “Some 2,100 martyrs have been martyred so far in Iraq or other places
defending the holy mausoleums,” Mohammad Ali Shahidi told the state-run IRNA
news agency. Shahidi, who is head of Iran’s Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans
Affairs, was speaking at a conference on martyrdom culture in Tehran. The figure
was more than double the number he gave in November, which referred only to
Syria. Iran is, with Russia, the main military backer of Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad, and also organizes militias fighting ISIS. Shahidi did not provide
details on the nationalities of those killed. Iran oversees “volunteer” fighters
recruited from among its own nationals as well as Shiite communities in
neighboring Afghanistan and Pakistan. The families of those killed in battle are
given Iranian citizenship under a law passed last May.
Trump and Netanyahu talk Iran ‘dangers’ over nuclear deal
AFP, Jerusalem Tuesday, 7 March 2017/US President Donald Trump and Israel’s
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Monday had a long phone conversation about
strategic threats posed by Iran, the premier’s office said. “The two leaders
spoke at length about the dangers arising from the nuclear deal with Iran and
Iranian aggression in the (Middle East) region and the need to work together to
deal with those dangers,” it said in a statement. The landmark nuclear deal
between Iran and world powers was reached in July 2015 and went into effect in
January last year. It saw Iran agree to dismantle part of its nuclear program,
surrender enriched fuel and submit to international inspections in exchange for
the partial lifting of sanctions. But critics of the agreement, particularly
Netanyahu, argue that when some of the clauses of the deal expire in 10 and 15
years, it will leave Tehran on the threshold of building a bomb. Trump too is a
vociferous opponent of the treaty. The US president told Netanyahu the nuclear
agreement was “one of the worst deals” he had ever seen when the two met at the
White House last month. Trump said his administration had already imposed new
sanctions on Iran, and he would do more to prevent Iran from ever developing a
nuclear weapon. Washington last month imposed new sanctions on individuals and
companies supporting Iran’s ballistic missile program and on its elite
Revolutionary Guards. During Monday’s call, Netanyahu also thanked Trump for
taking a strong stand in his speech to Congress last week against a string of
anti-Semitic incidents in the United States, the statement said.
Turkey, Russia, U.S.
Military Chiefs Seek Better Coordination against IS
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 07/17/The top generals of the Turkish,
Russian and U.S. military met Tuesday in a bid to step up coordination in Syria
and avoid clashes between rival forces in the fight against IS. The meeting
between Turkish Chief of Staff Hulusi Akar, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff Joseph Dunford and Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov appears
to be the first of its kind. Their discussions in the southern Turkish city of
Antalya come as a U.S.-led coalition is making progress to push the Islamic
State group (IS) out of Syria, where Ankara has been increasing its efforts
against the jihadists. Turkey, Russia and the United States are all fighting
against IS, though they support different camps and military tension remains
because of Turkish opposition to the involvement of Syrian Kurdish militia.
Turkey has said that the next target of its cross-border Syria campaign would be
Manbij, which is now controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),
a group dominated by Kurdish fighters. The SDF has controlled Manbij since last
year when it pushed out IS, but recently it has clashed with Turkish-backed
forces. "Common issues relating to regional security, in particular Syria and
Iraq, are being discussed at the meeting," the Turkish army said in a statement,
without giving further detail. Antalya has previously hosted several NATO
meetings, as well as the G20 summit in 2015. Moscow confirmed the meeting, with
the defense ministry saying in a statement to Russian news agencies: "A joint
discussion on security issues in Syria and Iraq is planned."The Antalya talks
are aimed at ensuring better coordination to avoid "the risk of unwanted
clashes" as many countries are involved in Syria, the Turkish premier said.
'Common threat: terror'
Speaking in Ankara, Yildirim said Syria needed to be rid of "all terrorist
groups" including al-Nusra, Syrian Kurdish militia as well as IS jihadists. "The
objective of the meetings today and tomorrow (Wednesday) is how to provide
coordination in the best way possible and prevent parties from interfering with
each other's operations and cause unpleasant developments while fighting against
terror," Yildirim said. "Naturally terror elements are a common threat and spoil
peace and (the possibility of) political solution in Syria."The trilateral
meeting in Antalya comes a day after Turkey stepped back from threats to
unilaterally strike Kurdish militia deployed in Manbij. "It makes no sense to
launch an operation in Manbij without the cooperation of Russia and the United
States," Yildirim said in a televised interview late on Monday. His announcement
stood in stark contrast to previous threats from Ankara that it would hit Syrian
Kurdish militia -- considered "terrorists" by Turkey -- unless they withdrew
from Manbij. However on Tuesday Yildirim criticized some allies' "unfortunate"
choice of Kurdish militia linked to separatist rebels in Turkey as partners
against terror groups. The Pentagon said it has sent extra troops into northern
Syria to make sure competing forces in and around Manbij remain focused on
fighting IS rather than each other.
Erdogan to meet Putin
Ankara has conducted a military campaign inside Syria since late August, backing
Syrian opposition fighters and recapturing from IS several towns near its border
including Jarabulus, al-Rai, Dabiq and al-Bab. But the Turkish campaign is also
aimed at stopping the advance of the Kurdish militia, which Ankara accuses of
being the Syrian branch of an outlawed militant group. Turkey has also said it
wants to work with its allies to capture the IS stronghold of Raqa, but has
ruled out any operation alongside the Kurdish militia. Turkey is also
cooperating with Russia in Syria, despite them being at odds politically over
the future of Syrian President Bashar Assad, whom Moscow backs militarily.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan plans to visit Russia on March 10, to
co-chair with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin a meeting of ministers from
both countries, a statement from Erdogan's office said. Bilateral ties as well
as regional and international issues particularly Syria will be discussed, it
added.
Iraqi Forces Retake Government HQ, Museum in Mosul
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 07/17/Iraqi forces said Tuesday they had
seized the main government offices in Mosul and its famed museum as they made
steady progress in their battle to retake the city's west from jihadists. The
advances, which also included the recapture of three neighborhoods, were
announced on the third day of a renewed offensive against the Islamic State
group in west Mosul -- the largest remaining urban stronghold in the "caliphate"
IS declared in 2014. Supported by the U.S.-led coalition bombing IS in Iraq and
Syria, Iraqi forces began their push against west Mosul on February 19. The
advance slowed during several days of bad weather but was renewed on Sunday. The
latest gains have brought government forces closer to Mosul's densely populated
Old City, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are believed to still be
trapped under jihadist rule. Iraq's Joint Operations Command (JOC) said federal
police and the elite Rapid Response Division had been able to "liberate" the
Nineveh provincial government headquarters. They also seized control of the al-Hurriyah
bridgehead, it said, in a step towards potentially relinking west Mosul with the
city's east, which government forces seized earlier in the offensive. All the
bridges crossing the Tigris in Mosul have been damaged or destroyed, and Iraqi
forces would either have to repair them or instal floating bridges to reconnect
the two banks of the river dividing the city.
Officers said Tuesday security forces had also managed to recapture the Mosul
museum, where the jihadists destroyed priceless artifacts, releasing a video of
their rampage in February 2015.
Site of artifact destruction
The video showed militants at the museum knocking statues off their plinths and
smashing them to pieces. A jackhammer was also used to deface a large Assyrian
winged bull at an archaeological site in the city. "Rapid Response entered the
museum... there is nothing there," Lieutenant Colonel Abdulamir al-Mohammedawi
said. The jihadists' attacks on ancient heritage in Iraq and Syria have sparked
widespread international outrage and fears for some of the world's most precious
archaeological sites. The museum was on a police list released Tuesday of sites
recaptured from IS, which also included Mosul's central bank building, which the
jihadists looted along with other banks in 2014, seizing tens of millions of
dollars. The JOC also announced Tuesday that Iraqi forces had regained complete
control of the west Mosul neighborhoods of al-Dawasa, al-Danadan and Tal al-Ruman,
and were advancing against the jihadists in other areas. In al-Danadan, streets
were left strewn with rubble and windows were blown out of many houses. "There
were mortar rounds falling on us, they fell on the roof and in the courtyard,"
said Manhal, a 28-year-old resident. The fighting in west Mosul has forced more
than 51,000 people to flee their homes, according to the International
Organization for Migration. But the number who have fled is still just a
fraction of the 750,000 people believed to have stayed on in west Mosul under IS
rule. Emerging from the chaos of the civil war in neighboring Syria, IS seized
control of large parts of Syria and Iraq in mid-2014, declaring its Islamic
"caliphate" and committing widespread atrocities.
Anti-IS advances in Syria
The U.S.-led coalition launched air strikes against the jihadists in both
countries several months later, and has backed both Iraqi forces and fighters in
Syria battling IS. The jihadists have been pushed from most of the territory
they once seized but still control key bastions including west Mosul and the
caliphate's de facto Syrian capital Raqa. In Syria, they have faced offensives
by three rival forces. Turkish troops and their Syrian rebel allies have pushed
south from the Turkish border and driven IS out of the northern town of al-Bab.
Syrian government troops have driven east from second city Aleppo with Russian
support and seized a swathe of countryside from the jihadists. The Syrian
Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the conflict, said
Tuesday regime forces had recaptured a key water pumping station that supplies
water to second city Aleppo. "Regime forces took over the area of al-Khafsa and
seized the water-pumping station after the withdrawal of the IS jihadists," it
said. Thousands of civilians have fled al-Khafsa for Manbij since Monday, said a
source in the Manbij Military Council. A Syrian military source quoted by state
media said the army continued its advance to "restore security and stability to
al-Khafsa" and surrounding towns. A U.S.-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab
fighters has been advancing on Raqa, and on Monday reached the Euphrates River
cutting the main road to the partly IS-held city of Deir Ezzor downstream. World
powers have vowed increased cooperation in tackling the global threat from IS,
which from its base in Syria and Iraq has organized or inspired a series of
deadly attacks in foreign cities. Turkish, Russian and U.S. military chiefs held
talks on Tuesday in the southern Turkish city of Antalya on issues including
cooperation in Iraq and Syria. Meanwhile, the White House said it will host
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Washington later this month.
Syria forces quietly take up buffer between Kurds, Turks
AFP, Manbij, Syria Tuesday, 7 March 2017/US-backed Syrian fighters have turned
over several villages in the country’s north to government forces under a deal
to avoid conflict with Turkey, a spokesman told AFP on Tuesday. The Manbij
Military Council, part of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, announced the
planned handover last week. “Some villages and points on the western side of the
town of Al-Areima have been handed over to the border guards of the Syrian
regime,” Manbij Military Council spokesman Sherfan Darwish told AFP. He said the
handover was carried out “with the goal of curbing Turkey’s expansion and its
occupation of Syrian territory, and to... prevent the shedding of civilian
blood.”He declined to give further details but the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the war, said the handover had happened on
Monday and involved fewer than 10 villages. Observatory director Rami Abdel
Rahman described the handover as “for show.” “Members of the Manbij Military
Council simply put on army clothes and raised the Syrian flag to avoid friction
with the Turks,” he told AFP. There was no mention in Syrian state media of the
handover to government forces. The Manbij Military Council, part of the
Kurdish-Arab SDF, first announced the handover last week, marking the first time
that US-supported fighters had proposed ceding territory to regime forces. The
Council said the deal had been agreed with Russia to “protect the line dividing
the Manbij Military Council and the areas under the control of the Turkish army
and Euphrates Shield.”Euphrates Shield is the name of the operation Turkey
launched inside Syria last August targeting the Islamic State group and the SDF,
which is dominated by Kurdish fighters that Ankara sees as “terrorists”.
The handover plan was announced after Euphrates Shield forces attacked several
villages under SDF control east of the town of Al-Bab last week. Turkish
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said last week that the operation’s next target
would be Manbij -- a former ISIS bastion that is now under SDF control.
On Monday, Ankara stepped back from that threat, saying it would not act without
cooperation from Russia and the United States. The profusion of forces operating
in Syria has led to a deeply complex battlefield and tensions between different
parties. Washington said on Monday it had sent additional troops into Manbij to
deter rival powers from targeting each other rather than ISIS. “This is
obviously a really complicated situation,” said Pentagon spokesman Navy Captain
Jeff Davis. “We have made visible actions in deploying US forces as part of the
coalition in and around Manbij to reassure and deter -- that’s to deter parties
from attacking any other parties other than ISIS itself,” he said, using another
acronym for ISIS. More than 310,000 people have been killed in Syria since the
war began with anti-government protests in March 2011.
Syrian children turn to suicide, self-harm amid horrors of war
Lin Taylor, Thomson Reuters Foundation Tuesday, 7 March 2017/Children living in
war-torn Syria, some as young as 12, are self-harming, taking drugs, and
attempting suicide to escape the horrors they have endured after six years of
conflict, an international aid group said on Monday. One in four children,
around 2.5 million, are on the brink of developing a mental health disorder,
said Save the Children in the most comprehensive report of its kind to document
the mental health of children in Syria. Nearly five million Syrians have fled
the country since the war began in 2011, but 13.5 million people remain in need
of aid in Syria and almost half are children, according to the United Nations'
humanitarian agency, UNOCHA. Nightmares, bedwetting, anger, suicidal thoughts
and depression are a few of the symptoms plaguing Syrian children, who suffer
from an endless barrage of trauma from bombings, death and destruction, it said.
Most of the children interviewed for the report were too fearful to play
outside, have dropped out of school, or have witnessed the death of a friend or
relative. "About five to six months ago, a child who was 12 years old committed
suicide. We never had something like this before, even for older people," Syrian
mental health worker Sharif was quoted as saying in the report. "His dad was
killed in a car bomb. They tried to explain to the child that now your dad is a
martyr and he is going to paradise, so the child thought that if he died he
would see his dad. He hung himself with a scarf."
Toxic stress
Psychologist Marcia Brophy, who spoke to 458 Syrian adults and children for the
report, said living in a constant state of fear and anxiety, known as "toxic
stress", could lead to serious long-term health issues. "These children, their
bodies are in constant 'fight or flight' - and that accumulative level of toxic
stress will undoubtedly have huge long-term consequences ... and it could lead
to lifelong medical issues as well," said Brophy. More and more children were
self-harming, taking drugs and attempting suicide, Brophy told the Thomson
Reuters Foundation, and they were doing so at an increasingly younger age.
"It's incredibly troubling. But it's not really surprising given that these
children are living in a highly stressful environment," Brophy said. "It's a way
of coping and dealing with a really abnormal, stressful situation." She said
communities should talk more openly about mental health, and aid agencies must
make mental health support a priority across all humanitarian situations. "It's
a taboo issue, it's very hard to talk about. Given that this is a protracted
conflict situation ... we need to have mental health and psychosocial support
integrated into any emergency response," Brophy said.
Iraqi forces battling ISIS gain control of key Mosul sites
Reuters and AFP, Baghdad Tuesday, 7 March 2017/Elite Iraqi
security forces dislodged ISIS militants from the main government building in
Mosul on Tuesday, their last major city stronghold in Iraq, an Iraqi spokesman
said. A special Rapid Response team stormed the Nineveh governorate building and
the surrounding government complex in an overnight operation, Lieutenant Colonel
Abdel Amir al-Mohammadawi, a spokesman for the elite interior ministry unit,
told Reuters. "They killed tens from Daesh," he said, referring to ISIS by one
of its Arabic acronyms. Recapturing the site would help Iraqi forces attack the
militants in the nearby old city center and mark a symbolic step toward
restoring state authority over Mosul, even though the buildings are destroyed
and not being used by ISIS. Also on Tuesday, Iraqi security forces recaptured
the Mosul museum, where ISIS militants infamously filmed themselves smashing
priceless artefacts. Iraqi forces "recaptured the archaeological museum,"
Lieutenant General Raed Shakir Jawdat said in a statement, without specifying
when this occurred. The museum was on a police list of sites recaptured from
ISIS during an ongoing offensive to reclaim Mosul, along with the central bank
building, which was looted by the militants. A man cries while he carries his
daughter as he walks from ISIS-controlled part of Mosul towards Iraqi special
forces soldiers during a battle in Mosul, Iraq, March 4, 2017. (Reuters)
Houthis prevent international delegation from entering
Sanaa
By Staff writer, Al Arabiya English Tuesday, 7 March 2017/In what appears to be
a new violation of laws and international treaties, Houthi militias refused to
allow the UN sanctions team from entering the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and all
areas under its control. During a meeting with Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed bin
Daghr in Aden, UN sanctions team coordinator Ahmed Himmich said in a statement
that the delegation seeks to take a stand on the violations that directly affect
civilians and brief the UN. Meanwhile, 14 civilians were killed and injured in a
raid carried out by Houthi militias and militias allied to ousted President Ali
Abdullah Saleh, which targeted civilian neighborhoods in the center of Taiz
City. Violent clashes took place between government forces and the rebels in the
north-east fronts of Taiz, as a result of a violent attack that rebels launched
against army and resistant sites east of the city.
Yesterday's Osama Bin Laden, Today's Ghasem Soleimani
NCRI/Tuesday, 07 March 2017/In an article titled ‘Yesterday’s Osama Bin Laden,
Today’s Ghasem Soleimani’, the London-based Al-Arab newspaper writes on March 2
“Ghasem Soleimani, Commander of Iranian (regime’s) Quds Force, is managing a
hundred thousand militants spread throughout the Middle East.”Official American
delegations and organizations are increasingly asking for Iran to be held
accountable and its military arm be listed as a terrorist group. They’ve also
demanded that Ghasem Soleimani, Commander of Quds Force, be put to trial due to
war crimes and terrorist acts, which are no less than what Osama Bin Laden did.
Many political and information figures believe that Soleimani has committed a
lot of crimes, not just in the Middle East but even in western countries.
Kenneth Timmerman, author of ‘countdown to crisis’, believes that Soleimani not
only follows Bin Laden in terms of the degree of crimes committed, but he’s now
absolutely more dangerous than Bin Laden, with more bloody hands than any other
terrorist in the world. So, now it’s the time to put an end to his crimes.
American analysts say that the failure to investigate Soleimani has made him
less well-known among western circles and people than Bin Laden. Soleimani is
regarded as a symbol by the Iranian regime and its extremist supporters around
the world. Timmerman believes that Soleimani is a symbol who intends to
establish a caliphate or an Islamic state, the one the Iranian regime is
promoting. The Iranian regime is trying to symbolize Soleimani as a strong man
who is going to realize the ‘goal of the nation’, that’s why he attends the wars
in Syria and Iraq to encourage Shiite militias to fight to death. The number of
forces under Soleimani’s command are estimated by Americans to be a hundred
thousands, spread throughout the Middle East.
Soleimani’s role is not merely limited to undermining the foundations of
security in the region, but he also interferes with political issues,
distributing ministerial positions in countries under his thumb, and sometimes
even appointing their Prime Minister. With Trump in power, there’s been an
increasing amount of requests for putting an end to Iran’s destructive
intervention in the region and listing Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism,
with Soleimani being marked as the leader of terrorists. Terrorist experts
believe that Quds Force is the Revolutionary Guards’ foreign arm, emphasizing
that it has done things that could internationally be regarded as terrorist
acts. Quds Force was involved in founding Lebanese Hezbollah, providing them
with military, financial, and training support so as to enable them carry out
terrorist acts and dominate Lebanon after getting rid of Rafiq Hariri, former
Lebanese PM. Experts say that Iran has a long history of sponsoring terrorism,
giving shelter to members of Al-Qaeda in an agreement with Osama Bin Laden
during the ‘90s, with some of Bin Laden’s family members still living in Iran.
Quds Force is also accused of carrying out terrorist acts inside the United
States, including the assassination attempt of Adel al-Jubeir, former Saudi
Ambassador to the US. And according to Pentagon itself, Soleimani and his men
have been involved in training terrorists to make explosive devices and use them
in Iraq and Afghanistan against American troops. That’s why the Americans have a
great desire for investigating the Quds Force and its commander.
End Iran Regime's Ability to Use Proxy Militias to Wreak
Havoc Across the Middle East
NCRI/Tuesday, 07 March 2017 09:20
Iran: The story of proxy militias
Iran’s destructive role across the Middle East has become common knowledge and
crystal clear for all. During the past two decades, especially, the presence of
this regime’s proxy militias and affiliated Shiite groups has been considered an
overt secret. Yet the question is how has Iran been able to dispatch so many
fighters, and on a constant basis, to various flashpoint scenes in Syria, Iraq
and Yemen. Wrote Shahriar Kia in ‘The Hill’ on March 6, 2017, the article
continues as follows:
Iran has trained, equipped, financed and dispatched thousands of fighters to
various battlegrounds across the region. However, with its own economy literally
in peril, how has Tehran afforded such an expensive campaign?
Iran allocates a large portion of its annual budget to finance a massive
domestic crackdown machine, parallel to exporting terrorism and Islamic
fundamentalism. This goes part in parcel to Tehran’s continuous effort to obtain
weapons of mass destruction, including its clandestine nuclear drive and
ballistic missiles program. A percentage of the capital necessary for such
endeavors, and the repressive forces inside the country, have ironically been
provided by the highly boasted Iran nuclear deal. The mullahs’ regime is also
known to plunder billions from the Iranian people’s pockets, leaving millions
across the country living in poverty. Whereas it is worth noting Iran is one of
the richest countries in the world in natural resources, registered as enjoying
the second largest gas reserves and fourth largest crude oil reserves.
Not long ago Iranian and western media showed how many Tehran locals were
resorting to sleeping in graves in the winter cold. The number of homeless
people in Iran is skyrocketing at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, many Iranians
have been forced to sell body parts, such as kidneys, to help make ends meet,
making this a huge market in Iran. Rallies and demonstrations are also on the
rise in Iran as more and more people are protesting very poor living conditions
rendered through the disastrous policies implemented by the mullahs’ regime.
Just recently residents of Ahwaz in the oil-rich province of Khuzestan in
southwest Iran staged a week-long rally demanding Tehran bring an end to its
disastrous desertification campaign that has devastated the local economy.
Thousands of people also took to the streets in Tehran in late February
demanding secure employment and delayed paychecks.
As the Iranian people suffer, the money needed to provide for their needs is
used by the mullahs’ regime to pursue their own domestic and foreign agendas. As
a voice focusing on unveiling such efforts, the Iranian opposition National
Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) relies on a vast social base inside the
country to gather such intelligence to unveil some of the regime’s most
sensitive projects.
Senior U.S. officials have in the past acknowledged how the Iranian opposition,
People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), has warned the globe over
the most important aspects of Iran’s nuclear program, such as the Natanz uranium
enrichment plant and the Arak heavy water plant back in 2002 that sent
shockwaves across the globe. The Iranian opposition has through the years
delivered significant blows to the mullahs through over 100 different
revelations shedding light on most specifically Tehran’s nuclear weapons
program. Without such an important campaign the mullahs’ will most definitely
have obtained nuclear weapons by now, placing them in a dangerously powerful
position in a tumultuous Middle East. The MEK has also provided valuable
information on Iran’s terrorism and Islamic extremism, such as unveiling the
names of 32,000 hired agents in Iraq back in 2007; training and financing
Iranian and non-Iranian forces in Syria in the summer of 2016 along with details
and maps; and the Revolutionary Guards’ role in massacring Aleppo residents in
December 2016.
To train its foreign fighters Iran has launched a network of bases across the
country, 14 of which were identified and made public by the NCRI in a February
press conference held in Washington. Other such militias are being trained in
Syria and Iraq near the very warfronts they are then sent off to.
Iran trains Iraqi Shiite militias in bases across Iraq, dispatching such
individuals to pursue Iran’s objectives in Iraq. Iran also used this asset to
target Iranian opposition members formerly in Iraq in 8 different attacks that
targeted their camps, Ashraf and Liberty, leaving over 175 MEK members killed
and more than 1,000 injured. These attacks were mainly carried out by Iraqi
militias under IRGC orders.
To end Iran’s ability to use proxy militias to wreak havoc across the Middle
East the new U.S. administration should target the main entity behind this
campaign, being none other than the mullahs’ cherished IRGC. The designation of
this lethal entity as a foreign terrorist organization is long overdue, and such
a measure will most definitely send a signal to Iran that both America, and the
international community, mean business. Tehran has to understand that such
undertakings will no longer be tolerated, and continuing with such actions and
further missile tests will bear a heavy price tag. This approach will place
America as a shoulder to shoulder with the Iranian people’s plight to establish
freedom and democracy.
Iran: 18 Executions Including 2 Women and One in Public and
Mass Arrests
NCRI Statements/Tuesday, 07 March 2017/The Iranian regime hanged 18 prisoners
over the past three days in various cities. On March 6, two young prisoners in
the prison of Sari, two other prisoners, including a 70 year old man in Orumiyeh
Central Prison and two others in the prison of Garmsar were hanged.
The day before, a prisoner was hanged in public in Buin Zahra (Qazvin province)
and three in Ghezel Hessar Prison in Karaj. On March 4, eight prisoners were
hanged in Rasht, Orumiyeh, Shahroud and Hamedan prisons. Two of the four
prisoners executed in Rasht were women.
At the same time arbitrary arrests under false pretexts have broadened across
the country. An all-women's party was raided and its organizers arrested, 34
young men and women were arrested in Ahwaz, 14 people were arrested in Sepidan
(Fars Province), and 13 people were arrested in Bandar Anzali (northern Iran)
were among the arrests made in recent days. The goal of the wave of executions
and arbitrary arrests is to intensify the atmosphere of fear and to prevent the
spread of social protests, whose increasing trend has frightened the mullahs'
regime.
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran/March 6, 2017
IRAN: 7 March 2017 Press Conference to Expose IRGC's Illicit Piers
NCRI Iran News/Monday, 06 March 2017 14:23
Press Conference
Exposing network of illicit piers run by Revolutionary Guards in southern Iran
Revealing front companies engaged in exporting weapons for IRGC proxies in the
region
The office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran in UK will hold a press
conference in Attlee Suite, Portcullis House, Westminster on Tuesday, March 7 to
expose the network of illicit piers in southern Iran used by the Revolutionary
Guards (IRGC). The IRGC uses the revenue generated by those piers to finance its
activities including sponsorship of terrorist groups.
The press conference will include detailed and previously unseen intelligence on
a number of IRGC companies involved in exporting weapons to the regional groups
affiliated to the Iranian regime, particularly those operating in Yemen.
Detailed information on the methods of operations of these companies will also
be presented in the conference.
At the press conference, Struan Stevenson, President of European Iraqi Freedom
Association (EIFA) and former President of the European Parliament's Delegation
for Relations with Iraq will also present a thorough joint study by EIFA and
International Committee in Search of Justice (ISJ) titled “Destructive role of
Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in the Middle East.” EIFA and ISJ are
Brussels based international NGOs.
Dr Matthew Offord, Conservative MP will also attend to address Iran’s malign
influence in the Middle East.
Date and Time: Tuesday, 7March 2017, 2:30pm
Venue: Attlee Suite, Portcullis House, Westminster
ISJ & EIFA Report: "Destructive Role of Iran's Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in the Middle East"
NCRI Iran News/Tuesday, 07 March 2017
The International Committee In Search of Justice (ISJ), has Monday (March 6,
2017) published its new report jointly prepared with European Iraqi Freedom
Association (EIFA) titled “Destructive role of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary
Guards Corps (IRGC) in the Middle East,” In the "executive summary," it reads as
follows:
An extensive study on conduct of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)
over the past three decades has established that the IRGC has been meddling in
the affairs of all 14 Muslim countries in the region. These activities
demonstrate different forms and degrees of intervention.
The joint study by the European Iraqi Freedom Association (EIFA) and
International Committee In Search of Justice (ISJ), two Brussels-based NGOs,
established that meddling in the affairs of other regional countries is
institutionalized and the IRGC top brass has been directly involved.
The uniquely broad overview of the extent of the IRGC's meddling in the region
has showed that these activities have been stepped up since 2013 and have found
a new impetus following the nuclear agreement between Iran and P5+1.
The study established that the IRGC is directly involved in the hidden
occupation of four particular countries: Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon. In all
four, the IRGC has a direct, considerable military presence. In the summer of
2016, there were close to 70,000 Iranian regime proxy forces present in Syria.
The IRGC is directly meddling in the internal affairs of at least 8 countries,
or it is plotting against their governments. These countries include Iraq,
Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, Palestine, Bahrain, Egypt, and Jordan.
The study established that on the basis of available information, the IRGC has
set up terrorist affiliates or networks in at least 12 regional countries.
One of the most striking findings of the report was the fact that terrorist
activities related to the IRGC have been carried out in 13 out of the 14
countries, with the sole exception being Oman, a nation that has helped the
Iranian regime to evade sanctions.
The IRGC has also conducted spying and intelligence activities in 12 countries.
Most of these countries have arrested or prosecuted the regime's spies. The IRGC
has sent weapons and explosives on a wide scale to all 14 counties.
In a press conference in Washington, DC on February 14, the National Council of
Resistance of Iran exposed the headquarters and 14 IRGC centres where the IRGC
trains its foreign mercenaries. The information was obtained by the sources of
the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) inside the Iranian
regime, including within the IRGC. According to those sources, the camps have
been divided based on the nationality of the trainees and the type of training.
Both terrorist training and military training for militias are provided,
enabling them to better infiltrate and advance the regime’s regional objectives.
Every month, hundreds of forces from Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan and Lebanon
-- countries where the regime is involved in frontline combat -- receive
military training and are subsequently dispatched to wage terrorism and war.
Smaller groups are also trained in other countries in order to conduct terrorist
acts. In January 2007, the MEK exposed the details of some 32,000 Iraqi agents
of the Iranian regime who were operating within Iraq.
The study established that the IRGC’s meddling is not limited to the military
sphere and it has a defining role in Tehran’s foreign policy.
In the ruling theocracy’s power structure, foreign policy is shaped by the
Supreme Leader, currently Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. As such, the development and
implementation of policies toward some countries have officially been relegated
to the IRGC. In this regard, the IRGC has effectively taken control of the
regime's foreign policy through many of its embassies. The embassies in Iraq,
Syria, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Yemen, Bahrain and Azerbaijan can be counted in
this category.
In addition to the aforementioned countries, the IRGC has dominance in foreign
policy when it comes to Armenia, Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait,
the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Oman.
In countries like Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, the regime's ambassadors hail
from the ranks of the IRGC or are chosen from individuals who are close to the
IRGC. This is done in order to enable the IRGC to carry out its activities and
to advance its agenda by exploiting opportunities awarded by the diplomatic
immunity of the embassy and the ambassador.
For example, IRGC Brigadier General Iraj Masjedi, the head of the Iraq affairs
desk at IRGC, was appointed as the Iranian regime ambassador to Iraq in January
2017. He is a senior advisor to the Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani, who
was in charge of Iraqi paramilitary groups affiliated to the Iranian regime, and
who oversaw the operations against Coalition Forces in Iraq, resulting in death
of hundreds of them.
The report established that while the IRGC is the most significant economic
powerhouse in Iran and has dedicated its financial and economic prowess to
meddling in other countries, the extensive scope of the meddling has been a very
heavy burden on the Iranian economy.
Over the past five years, Tehran has spent over $100B for IRGC operations in
Syria alone, a large portion of which was provided through the Khamenei office's
secret budget allocations. The money is spent on procuring weapons and paying
for the Syrian army's expenses. The regime pays about $1B a year for salaries of
forces tied to the IRGC, including armed forces, militias and Shiites protected
by the regime. IRGC Brigadier General Rostam Ghasemi directs the logistics
command centre for the war in Syria and is the representative of Khatam-Al-Anbia
conglomerate, which is owned by the IRGC. Previously, he was the commander of
Khatam al-Anbia as well as the oil minister under Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The IRGC has an intelligence unit that functions in parallel to the Ministry of
Intelligence (MOIS). More importantly, the IRGC has expanded its own
intelligence activities throughout the region and it has set up various
intelligence posts in a number of countries in recent months.
According to the study, IRGC surrogates are in no way limited to Shiite groups,
even though Tehran has thus focused its attention on Shiites in various
countries of the region, aggravating sectarian tensions while recruiting forces
to set up groups and militias tied to the IRGC.
The common theme among militias formed by the IRGC is that they consider
themselves to obey and to follow the command of Khamenei.
At the same time, the regime's violence and crimes in other countries in the
region under the banner of Shiite Islam and the suppression of Sunnis has
provoked a backlash, spawning the rise of groups like ISIS (Daesh) that seek to
establish an “Islamic Caliphate” while spreading their wrath and brutality to
the four corners of the globe.
N. Korea, Malaysia in Tit-for-Tat Exit Bans over Kim
Killing
Agence France Presse/Naharnet/March 07/17/North Korea and Malaysia Tuesday
banned each other's citizens from leaving their countries, with Kuala Lumpur
saying its nationals were effectively being held "hostage" in a row over the
assassination of Kim Jong-Nam. The extraordinary tit-for-tat moves came as the
reclusive North faced growing international condemnation for a volley of
missiles it fired into the Sea of Japan, defying stringent global sanctions
aimed at halting its weapons programme. Tuesday's developments marked a dramatic
heightening of tensions with Malaysia three weeks after the half-brother of
North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un was murdered at Malaysia's main airport with the
banned VX nerve agent. The North decided to "temporarily ban the exit of
Malaysian citizens in the DPRK", the official news agency KCNA said, citing the
foreign ministry and using the country's official name, the Democratic People's
Republic of Korea. The prohibition would remain in place "until the safety of
the diplomats and citizens of the DPRK in Malaysia is fully guaranteed through
the fair settlement of the case that occurred in Malaysia". The Malaysian
foreign ministry said 11 of its citizens were currently in North Korea -- three
embassy staff, six family members and two who work for the UN's World Food
Programme. Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak condemned the ban and said he
was ordering a similar ban on the movement of "all North Korean citizens in
Malaysia". Analysts said they could number around 1,000.
"This abhorrent act, effectively holding our citizens hostage, is in total
disregard of all international law and diplomatic norms," Najib said. Later,
after the prime minister chaired an emergency national security council meeting,
his spokesman told reporters: "One of the issues concerns the fate of the 11
Malaysians in Pyongyang." "We want to resolve the issue amicably and in the best
possible way," he added. A top foreign ministry official met the number two at
Pyongyang's embassy on Tuesday, a senior government official told AFP on
condition of anonymity. "We have to negotiate with them. We have 11 people in
North Korea. The situation is tense," he said. "Certainly our ties with China
are very special and China has good relations with Pyongyang and so this is one
of the avenues we can explore to resolve the issue amicably," senior cabinet
minister and veteran politician Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar told AFP. - Weapon of
mass destruction -Pyongyang and Kuala Lumpur had unusually strong links for
years, but ties have rapidly degenerated in the weeks since two women wiped a
deadly chemical on Kim Jong-Nam's face. An autopsy revealed that to be VX nerve
agent, a substance so dangerous it is classed as a weapon of mass destruction by
the UN. Seoul has blamed Pyongyang for the assassination, and Kuala Lumpur wants
to question several North Koreans, although the only one it arrested was
released last week for lack of evidence. The North has never confirmed the dead
man's identity, but has denounced the Malaysian investigation as an attempt to
smear it. North Korean ambassador Kang Chol slammed what he called a
"pre-targeted investigation by the Malaysian police" on Monday, just before
leaving the country after being expelled. Pyongyang retaliated by formally
ordering out his counterpart -- who had already been recalled for consultations.
According to KCNA, the foreign ministry expressed hopes that the Malaysian
government would solve the issue "as early as possible" from a position of
"goodwill". Chang Yong-Seok, senior researcher at Seoul National University's
Institute for Peace and Unification Studies, said Pyongyang was using the exit
ban as leverage to try to prevent the arrest of key suspects holed up in its
embassy. "I think North Korea is worried that once the two suspects are handed
over to Malaysian police, they will serve as clear evidence of the North Korean
government's involvement."The escalating row comes as the United Nations
Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting to coordinate the global
response to the North's latest missile launches, which KCNA said Tuesday were
trial runs at hitting "the bases of the US imperialist aggressor forces in
Japan".
Three of the four projectiles fired Monday came down provocatively close to
Japan, in what observers said was a test of US President Donald Trump's inchoate
North Korea policy. Under UN resolutions, Pyongyang is barred from any use of
ballistic missile technology, but six sets of sanctions since its first nuclear
test in 2006 have failed to halt its drive for what it insists are defensive
weapons.
Latest LCCC Bulletin analysis & editorials from
miscellaneous sources published
On March 07-08/17
Qassem Soleimani: Iran’s Osama Bin Laden?قاسم سليماني هو بن لادن إيران
Dr. Majid Rafizadeh/Arab News/March 07/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=53063
He is well-known as the Middle East’s deadliest and Iran’s most
dangerous man. He prioritizes offensive tactics and operations over defensive
ones, and rejoices in taking overconfident selfies with his troops and proxies
in battlefields in many countries, including Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon.
When it comes to authority, he is Iran’s second man after Supreme Leader Ali
Khamenei. Being a staunchly loyal confidante to Khamenei, Qassem Soleimani has
great influence over foreign policy.
By exploiting Iran’s 1979 revolution, and by proving his loyalty and
determination to advance its revolutionary principles by any means — including
brute force or war — Soleimani rose from being a construction worker in Kerman
to his current position in a short period of time. For nearly two decades, he
has been the head of Iran’s Quds Force.
He was previously sanctioned by the US, Switzerland and the UN Security Council
via Resolution 1747. The US formerly designated the Quds Force a supporter of
terrorism. He was also on America’s Specially Designated Global Terrorists list.
Despite all this, and although his actions qualify him to be among the world’s
top global terrorists, Soleimani is operating freely, violating sanctions and
traveling. More importantly, he is more powerful than ever.
Soleimani was not boasting when he wrote in a message to US Gen. David Petraeus:
“You should know that I… control policy for Iran with respect to Iraq, Lebanon,
Gaza and Afghanistan. The ambassador in Baghdad is a Quds Force member. The
individual who’s going to replace him is a Quds Force member.”
The Quds Force is a branch of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). It is the
most important military and revolutionary organization, and is officially tasked
with exporting Iran’s ideological, religious and revolutionary principles beyond
the country’s borders.
Soleimani is in charge of extraterritorial operations, including organizing,
supporting, training, arming and financing predominantly Shiite militia groups;
launching wars directly or indirectly via these proxies; fomenting unrest in
other nations to advance Iran’s ideological and hegemonic interests; attacking
and invading cities and countries; and assassinating foreign political figures
and powerful Iranian dissidents worldwide.
Under his leadership, the Quds Force has been accused of failed plans to bomb
the Saudi and Israeli embassies in the US, and to assassinate then-Saudi
Ambassador to the US Adel Al-Jubeir. An investigation revealed that the Quds
Force was also behind the assassination of Lebanon’s Sunni Prime Minister Rafiq
Hariri.
It was also implicated in the 9/11 attacks. US Federal Judge George Daniels
issued an order stating that Iran, its Lebanese Shiite proxy Hezbollah, and
Al-Qaeda were jointly responsible for the terrorist attacks.
The Quds Force fomented unrest in Iraq, providing deadly, sophisticated bombs
such as improvised explosive devices (IEDs) that killed many civilians and
non-civilians, including Iraqis and Americans.
Soleimani rules over roughly 20,000 Quds Force members. However, it can also use
forces from the IRGC and Basij in case of emergencies. In addition, Soleimani
technically commands fighters from militias that Iran supports and helped
create. He also hires fighters from many countries, including Afghanistan, to
fight as proxies.
The difference between Soleimani and Bin Laden is that Soleimani operates under
the ‘legitimacy’ of a state and government institution. As a result, no matter
how much his actions might be more widespread and harmful, he gets away with it.
So in actuality, Soleimani commands at least 150,000 militants, many designated
as terrorists and belonging to designated terrorist groups. This is why Iran has
been repeatedly ranked as the top state sponsor of terrorism by the US State
Department.
Based on my research, there are more than 250 terrorist groups worldwide, with
different religious and sociopolitical backgrounds. Roughly 25 percent of them
are funded, trained or supported by only one entity, the Quds Force.
Strategic alliances
The Quds Force has made alliances with non-Shiite terrorist groups such as
Al-Qaeda. Its links to Al-Qaeda in the 9/11 attacks are overwhelming. Iran
provided “safe harbor for some Al-Qaeda leaders,” said a European intelligence
analyst. “The (Quds) Force’s senior leaders have longstanding ties to Al-Qaeda,
and since the fall of Afghanistan, have provided some Al-Qaeda leaders with
travel documents and safe haven.”
This explains why terrorist groups such as Al-Qaeda have never attacked Iran.
Christopher Harmer, a former aviator in the US Navy in the Gulf, told the New
York Times that Soleimani is “a more stately version of Osama Bin Laden.”
The difference between Soleimani and people such as Bin Laden or Daesh’s Abu
Bakr Al-Baghdadi is that Soleimani operates under the “legitimacy” of a state
and government institution. As a result, no matter how much his actions might be
more widespread and harmful, he gets away with it.
In almost every country and conflict in the region, Soleimani appears to play a
destabilizing role in order to advance Tehran’s hegemonic and ideological
interests, and to tip the regional balance of power in its favor.
He and the Quds Force have infiltrated top security, political, intelligence and
military infrastructures in several nations, including Syria and Iraq. He
chooses which foreign leaders and politicians to rule, and he has operatives and
agents worldwide.
The Quds Force has also given birth to many designated terrorist groups,
including Asaib Al-Haq and Kataib Al-Imam Ali (KIA), which use horrific tactics
similar to Daesh. KIA is known for showing videos of beheadings and burning
bodies, and Asaib Al-Haq reportedly receives some $2 million a month from Iran.
Many people see the blood of innocents — including Syrian, Yemeni, Lebanese,
Bahraini and Iraqi children and women — on Soleimani’s hands. He is responsible
for deaths in many countries in the region and beyond.
He has declared that the unrest and uprisings in the Middle East and North
Africa “provide our (Iran’s) revolution with the greatest opportunities… Today,
Iran’s victory or defeat no longer takes place in Mehran and Khorramshahr. Our
boundaries have expanded, and we must witness victory in Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon
and Syria. This is the fruit of the Islamic revolution.”
Meticulous, nuanced examination of Soleimani’s background and activities reveal
that he is an overconfident, brazen, brutal general who prioritizes offensive
military operations and deployment of hard power over defensives tactics.
He is not a common general who solely focuses on military strategies. He is also
an ideologue and revolutionary general who frequently expresses support for, and
loyalty to, Iran’s revolutionary Shiite values and the supreme leader.
Spreading ideology via hard power
While some Iranian politicians believe their country should wield power via its
ideology, Soleimani thinks it should spread its ideology via hard power. His
strategies and military tactics include influencing the sociopolitical and
socioeconomic processes of Arab countries via the Quds Force by supporting and
assisting in establishing militias in several countries.
Soleimani does not just seek to take military control or increase Tehran’s
influence in Arab countries. His other fundamental objective is to spread the
revolutionary ideologies of Iran and the supreme leader via military
interventions, scuttling US and Israeli policies in the region, and damaging the
national security of other regional powers. From his perspective, this
ideological objective can be best achieved by making alliances and strengthening
militia or terrorist groups across the region.
The international community should hold Soleimani and the Quds Force
accountable. Countries, including the US, should take unilateral action against
both. Charges of crimes against humanity should be brought to the International
Criminal Court (ICC). UN Security Council sanctions should be pursued.
The nuclear deal has provided financial, strategic and geopolitical
opportunities for Soleimani. Attempts should be made to block those
opportunities. Countering Soleimani and the Quds Force via robust methods, such
as political pressure and financial sanctions, can be a very powerful tool to
curtail Iran’s regional meddling.
• Dr. Majid Rafizadeh is a Harvard-educated, Iranian-American political
scientist. He is a leading expert on Iran and US foreign policy, a businessman
and president of the International American Council. He serves on the boards of
the Harvard International Review, the Harvard International Relations Council
and the US-Middle East Chamber for Commerce and Business. He can be reached on
Twitter @Dr_Rafizadeh.
The Internal Collapse Facing Lebanon's Shiites/حلا نصر الله:
المجتمع الشيعي اللبناني ومظاهر الانهيار الداخلي
Hala Nasrallah/Washington Institute for Near East Policy./March 07/17
http://eliasbejjaninews.com/?p=53067
There is no hiding the religious zeal that gripped Lebanon’s Shiites when, in
2013, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah launched the group’s campaign to defend
the Syrian regime of Bashar Al-Assad. Thousands of fighters, imbued with the
illusion of rapid victories, crossed the Lebanese border into Syria believing
that they would deliver the enemy a resounding defeat. But as the years passed,
their ambitions have turned into bitter experiences with violence. Many have
died in the war, and years of fighting have smashed tangled illusions of life,
death, and self-sacrifice.
The Shiite media apparatus has pushed thousands of people to see the Syrian
conflict as a holy war, stirring up conspiracy theories and fear of the Other.
Since the start of the conflict, there have been hysterical references to the
massacre of Hussein and the oppression of Shiites throughout history, creating a
religious fervor and a desire for revenge. But that idea quickly turned to
shock. Amid the hysteria of war, Shiites’ feeling of power and an ability to do
as they pleased swept away any sense of danger. That rapidly led to
intercommunity conflict, guaranteeing the familiar way of life in Shiite areas
would be destroyed.
Propaganda outlets have typically portrayed Shiites as a group in harmony with
itself, but such media reports of a coherent community are now false. Now many
Lebanese Shiites are living through one of the toughest periods in their
history. Their social fabric has fallen apart and the class gap between them has
widened massively. The country’s impoverished Shiite districts have closed in on
themselves, and youth unemployment has skyrocketed.
Not all Shiites in Lebanon belong to the two main parties, Hezbollah or Amal.
While there are few statistics or opinion polls on Lebanese party affiliations,
the latest municipal elections in April and May 2016 exposed the massive rift
between Shiite communities and their political representatives.
For example, in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa valley and Beirut’s southern Dahiyeh
district ran their own electoral lists, which rivaled those of the two major
Shiite parties.
Hezbollah and Amal felt the strength of the negative signals coming from these
rivals, prompting them to join forces in many local elections. Setting up joint
lists, they tried to hide their mutual dislike as much as possible -- an awkward
feat for both.
In Baalbek, near the Syrian border, which Hezbollah describes as the land of the
martyrs, the party took a painful hit as some 40 percent of the vote went to the
“Baalbek is my City” list headed by political activist and Hezbollah critic
Ghaleb Yaghi.
The city’s residents have long complained of security concerns, which have grown
in recent years. Many have condemned the poor security situation, the absence of
the state, the lack of development projects and the pervasive militia mentality.
Today, Hezbollah is working with the official Lebanese security apparatus to
attempt a resolution to problems posed by thousands of these lawbreakers.For
example, local media reported that a Hezbollah delegation met with Lebanon’s
Justice Minister Salim Jreissati to examine the crisis around those accused of
various crimes. Sources in Beirut said that most of the criminals who may be
granted amnesty were Shiites. On February 2, Hezbollah MP Ali Al-Miqdad told the
Al-Modon website that coordination was underway with the security services to
find a legal solution for 37,000 arrests.
The poor, the unemployed, drug addicts, gangs, criminals, and those harmed by
the shrinking of the middle class and the concentration of wealth in the hands
of two parties form a constituency fraught with violence. The Shiite leadership
is unable to work out how it will reform itself and avoid the risk of implosion.
In August 2016, Nasrallah tried to blame the chaos in Lebanon’s Shiite
communities on the extension of the Lebanese map by local actors, evading his
responsibilities towards the tough, complex situation in which his community
found itself.Instead, in a meeting with locals in Baalbek, he urged them to give
up those on the wanted list to the authorities. The Bekaa Shiites are not alone
in taking the path of unpredictable chaos. The residents of Beirut’s southern
Dahiyeh district are also bracing for the future after hundreds of gangs
infiltrated the area.
Gangs have taken root in various parts of Lebanon, working to provide the basic
needs of the population. But in Shiite areas, gangs pose a major threat to local
peace and security.
Gangs with black market experience are working to impose their authority in
parallel to that of the state and the parties. The lack of development and the
state’s inability to provide essential services such as water and electricity
have allowed for the rise of gangs that can provide such services, albeit at
great expense.
Dahiyeh is the biggest district of Beirut and the vast majority of its residents
are Shiites. In 2016, the area witnessed 11 murders, most of them linked to
revenge and drug trafficking. In recent years, the district has seen repeated
attempts at bank robberies, gunfire and even the firing of mortar rounds during
party celebrations and events such as the funerals of Hezbollah fighters.
On February 8, Al-Jadid channel reported that a gang was running a protection
racket in the district. It showed them setting fire to electricity generators,
causing a fire in a residential building, and described the gang’s actions as
“terrorism”. The report included an appeal by locals for “security forces to
take a decisive decision and end the state of lawlessness and destroy the
gangs.”
Just days later, unknown arsonists set fire to electricity generators in another
part of Dahiyeh. Officials were quick to cover up the event.
On February 14, a video by a group of young Shiites in the southern city of Tyre
was leaked showing dozens of people beating up the police commissioner at the
municipality of the city, Shadi Najdi. The crowd was reportedly resentful at
Najdi for ordering raids in several parts of the city.
Such events are unfamiliar and hard to accept, but they take root in the
structure of society wherever they find an opportunity. Hezbollah has reined in
the gangs to a certain degree by forcing them to sign agreements not to enter
into battles with other gangs.
But it is difficult to separate the gangs from the ruling authorities because
they have entered into so many secret agreements and set up a single body to
protect their shared interests. Furthermore, the string of crimes by gangs and
the growing frustration of the public, who call on the parties to live up to
their responsibilities to hand in criminals and the people undermining security,
shows that there has been a dangerous flip in the equation. The dominant forces,
whether parties or mafias, are edging ever closer to battle with each other.
On top of harsh political and religious discourse full of militarism and
populism accompanying the Syrian conflict, there are parts of society that have
already been marginalized for many years. This has played a major role in
nurturing and directing community violence. Shiite authorities have made use of
it, through studied and precisely targeted methods, to dominate how people think
and behave.
As Shiites have been marginalized within their communities, their concerns and
run-down districts forgotten, some of them have become de facto authorities,
practicing their domination over the weak.
Since Hezbollah was founded, it has kept its political and ideological discourse
within clear boundaries, linked to regional and local conflicts. The Amal
movement has stuck to playing the game of official politics with other parties
in Lebanon’s quota system. Thus, the daily concerns of a huge number of Shiites
are largely ignored. Tens of thousands of people have not found a platform for
their situation, because they have been reduced to tools for disguising twisted
political conduct.
The relationship between the leadership and their constituency has been cracking
of late, slowly pulling Shiites into a conflict between themselves. As the years
go on, the split between the top and bottom of the pyramid is likely to grow.
It is hard for certain individuals to understand the broader effects of their
actions and the way the Shiite community is being thrust towards instability.
They represent the first ground for objections, quarrels, and the growing tide
of chaos that challenges any authority.
The Lebanese government must pay attention, although they will not be able to
fix the situation. Nor will they be able to escape, because when the pyramid
collapses, every part of it will fall to the ground. Lebanon’s Shiites are not
expecting a happy conclusion -- only a stage of even greater chaos.
Fikra Forum is an initiative of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
The views expressed by Fikra Forum contributors are the personal views of the
individual authors, and are not necessarily endorsed by the Institute, its
staff, Board of Directors, or Board of Advisors.
To Save the State Department, Rex Tillerson
May Have to Break It
James F. Jeffrey/The Washington Institute/March 07/17
A former U.S. ambassador describes how to fix the bad habits and stale thinking
that have subordinated Foggy Bottom to the Pentagon and NSC.
In his first message to the Pentagon, Defense Secretary James Mattis stressed
readiness to cooperate with the State Department. But how will State respond? If
one foreign-policy belief is commonly held, it is that the State Department
underperforms. While its problems have long hampered policy formulation, the
classic hard-power interests that the Trump administration emphasizes will
collide with State's soft-power culture, as Politico recently reported. Judging
by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's comments to his new employees on Feb. 2,
in which he referenced "making some changes to how things are traditionally
done," he understands that reform is central to both effective foreign policy
and State's relevance. And with painful budget cuts now looming, he'll have to
determine and prioritize State's core competencies.
But such reform won't be easy. Analyses of the problems at Foggy Bottom begin
with the usurpation of responsibilities by the Pentagon and the National
Security Council staff, the latter especially for micromanaging relations with
foreign actors. But the bigger challenge is the Defense Department. The heads of
its regional combatant commands serve as viceroys -- often better connected to
foreign governments than ambassadors. Even worse, the Defense Department has won
budgets for supporting foreign forces, counterterrorism, and other military
partner activities traditionally largely under State. The Pentagon also is
active in State and USAID areas such as counternarcotics, foreign police
training, and at times even local economic and capacity building.
Some of this is understandable. The U.S. military has been constantly involved
in internal conflicts, counterinsurgencies, and counterterrorism since Somalia
in 1992. Such hybrid conflicts marry the military with local security services
and force it to deal with civilian populations. This is reinforced by the
Pentagon's generous and supportive congressional overseers -- and all recently
documented in Rosa Brooks's book How Everything Became War and the Military
Became Everything.
Tasking the military to solve broad internal security problems, however, is
problematic. Near-peer competitors have emerged on whom our military must focus,
but giving priority to internal state conflicts guts capabilities needed for
these efforts. In addition, our military's effectiveness in such
quasi-diplomatic business is limited. It best deals with other military and
paramilitary forces, smashing those that threaten and working with friendly ones
to do smashing themselves. But foreign military forces, friend or foe, are only
the tip of security dilemmas. The underlying threats come from political systems
-- leaders, states, ideological movements -- that field kinetic enemies, while
sustained support for U.S. interests flows from allied governments, not
someone's counterterrorism force. The military cannot easily deal at those
levels; that, rather, is the job of the State Department-led interagency team.
State's tools range from economic (sanctions, energy, trade) to diplomatic and
psychological (having friends in Washington). Not all these tools are owned by
State, but it's the only logical integrator of whole-of-government approaches,
including military, and its core function is formal communication with political
entities. One brilliant example of success here was State's leadership following
the seizure of Kuwait, working with the UN, allies, fund contributors, energy
markets, nervous regional countries, and even Saddam Hussein's diplomats -- all
of which complemented our military moves. One State institution still does this
well: ambassadors with their interagency country teams. Tradition, necessity,
and presidential authorities keep that State element effective. Why then can't
the larger State Department follow suit?
Complications inherent in State's mission abound: It must coordinate with other
agencies, the National Security Council staff can always challenge it, and it is
often subject to the secretary's proximity and access to the president. But the
core problem is State's culture toward its business -- diplomacy. Operationally,
the State Department is seen as an alternative to -- rather than partner or
exploiter of -- military and other hard power. Strategically, it sees itself as
a "deep transformer" of foreign states to curb aggressiveness and create
"shareholder values." Michael Mandelbaum sarcastically described this as "making
states look like Denmark."
This culture flourished after the Cold War. Assuming existential security
threats were passe, it tried to exploit the alleged "end of history," reaching
its apogee in Barack Obama's administration. "Diplomacy not military force" was
its motto, with one salient example being Secretary of State John Kerry's
farewell New York Times op-ed: "President Obama has restored assertive diplomacy
as our foreign policy tool of first resort." (As if prior presidents were
pursuing only military conquest.) He goes on: "Vietnam, where smart and
sustained diplomacy has accomplished what a decade of war never could:
developing a dynamic capitalist society." (Actually, our Vietnam War goal was
containing communism, not promoting capitalism, and Vietnam cozied up to Kerry
not for Western values but to balance China. Classic security thinking.)
Despite this twisting of history, the reality is that, even with the Obama
administration, diplomacy and military force often complemented one another:
Take, for example, the Iran nuclear deal, which was possible only with the hard
power of oil sanctions and threat of force supporting diplomatic overtures.
But Kerry's phantasmagorical claim of producing a "dynamic, capitalist" Vietnam
illustrates the greater problem, which sees State and its limited assistance
funds somehow reshaping the world in America's image, thus promoting peace
without the use of force. This mindset, which drives organizational, public
relations, and budget decisions, is most prominent in State's formal mission
statement, the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR).
Neither the 2010 nor 2015 QDDR focuses on traditional diplomacy. While issues
like Ukraine and the South China Sea are buried, the documents stress engagement
with populations, i.e., local mayors as Washington change partners (2015) or
jungle jeep journeys to transform villages (2010). The 2015 version lists just
four core department priorities, the first three a hodgepodge of social
engineering and the fourth, climate. Preventing conflict and violent extremism
are included, but the focus is on "tackling the drivers" and "fragility." Other
goals include investing in democracy, governance, capacity building, helping
"communities that share our goals," and "ending extreme poverty."
Of course State should tackle violent ideologies, poverty, bad governance, and
environment, however uncertain the results. This is hard-wired into our values,
complements hard power, and occasionally succeeds (for example, Plan Colombia
and tackling diseases in Africa). But since World War II, nowhere but Japan,
Germany, and in Western Europe (via the Marshall Plan) have soft-power tools
transformed strategic terrain to our advantage. Thus, this mindset should not be
the primary orientation of the State Department at the expense of traditional
national security.
To be sure, QDDR priorities are not what leaders in Foggy Bottom or embassies
across the world actually do -- much of their work is predominantly traditional
diplomacy and security-related. Which is why giving such efforts short shrift in
the QDDR has consequences. State seeks mightily to embed the QDDR mindset into
budgets, individual bureaus' mission statements, and even individuals'
evaluations. It thus drives the department's organization, thereby inadvertently
inviting the Pentagon to play the strategic adult role.
Fixing this requires wrenching change, something possible only with new
administrations. What would it look like?
First, emphasize throughout the department, in a new QDDR, in budgets, and
public outreach, that State's No. 1 job is diplomacy -- advancing U.S. interests
and keeping America and partners safe.
Second, shift much of the Pentagon's funding of foreign militaries -- a
relatively small figure -- to State; monies not transferred from the Defense
Department should be closely coordinated with State at every stage.
Third, put State -- at least foreign service personnel -- under a system similar
to the CIA's to ensure that recruitment, assignments, and promotion are
responsive to policy needs.
Fourth, align the boundaries of State's operating organs, the geographic
bureaus, and the Defense Department's combatant commands. Minor differences in
geography force leaders in both departments to coordinate with two or three
counterparts, which is a recipe for dismal coordination.
Fifth, better integrate State's hard-power functional bureaus (counterterrorism,
narcotics/law enforcement, political-military, and energy) with the geographic
bureaus, all reporting to one senior official.
Sixth, reduce the numbers -- but increase the quality and formalize the missions
-- of State political advisors to the military.
Seventh, rework State training to emphasize diplomatic tradecraft and national
security.
Rex Tillerson has the outside experience and budget cut-driven motivation to
effect such reform. But various other interests at State will balk at this. If
they prevail, State's national security failings will accelerate, to the
detriment of our nation.
*James Jeffrey is the Philip Solondz Distinguished Fellow at The Washington
Institute and former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Turkey, and Albania.
Report: Homegrown Terrorism is Top Threat to UK
Soeren Kern/Gatestone Institute/March 07/17
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/10016/britain-terrorism
"The threat to the UK remains from homegrown terrorism, and is heavily youth-
and male-oriented with British nationals prevalent among offenders." — Islamist
Terrorism: Analysis of Offenses and Attacks in the UK (1998–2015).
"The increased prevalence of smaller cells and individualistic offending,
suggests a rise in terrorism cases that feature shorter lead times to offending
and fewer opportunities for identification." — Islamist Terrorism: Analysis of
Offenses and Attacks in the UK (1998–2015).
"While analysis of pre-offense behaviors shows that there is no one profile for
engagement with Islamism-inspired terrorism, some trends can be identified.
Offenders commonly consumed extremist and/or instructional material prior to, or
as part of, their offending. Much of the pro-jihadist material accessed promotes
'them and us' thinking, dehumanization of the enemy, and attitudes that justify
offending." — Islamist Terrorism: Analysis of Offenses and Attacks in the UK
(1998–2015).
"Analysis of common sites of inspiration and facilitation appears to corroborate
current counter-radicalization policy priorities such as restricting terrorist
and violent extremist material on the internet, supporting at-risk sectors and
empowering families to safeguard against extremism." — Islamist Terrorism:
Analysis of Offenses and Attacks in the UK (1998–2015).
Homegrown terrorism inspired by the Islamic State poses the dominant threat to
the national security of the United Kingdom, according to a comprehensive new
report on violent Islamism in Britain.
The 1,000-page report — "Islamist Terrorism: Analysis of Offenses and Attacks in
the UK (1998–2015)" — was published on March 5 by the Henry Jackson Society, a
foreign policy think tank based in London.
The report, authored by terrorism researcher Hanna Stuart, identifies, profiles
and analyzes all 269 Islamism-inspired terrorism convictions and suicide attacks
in the United Kingdom between 1998 and 2015.
The report also compares data between 1998 and 2010, a period when al-Qaeda
reached its zenith, and 2011 and 2015, the period following the death of Osama
bin Laden in May 2011, the uprisings known as the Arab Spring, and the rise of
the Islamic State in 2014.
The report shows that young British males were the most prevalent offenders, but
that involvement by British females nearly tripled in recent years.
The report found little to no correlation between involvement in Islamic
terrorism and educational achievement and employment status. In addition, most
of the offenders were based in London and Birmingham, and a majority were living
at their family homes with parents, siblings, spouses and/or children. "These
findings challenge common stereotypes of terrorists as well-educated and
middle-class or as isolated loners," according to the report.
While most offenders were raised as Muslim, one in six was a convert.
Three-quarters of offenders were previously known to the authorities;
one-quarter had a previous criminal conviction. One in five offenders received
terrorist training abroad or engaged in combat prior to arrest.
The report cites the internet as a major source for the inspiration of
offenders. At the same time, most offenders belonged to wider networks, formed
in person and online, with friends and families. Only one in ten offenses was
carried out by someone who acted entirely alone and had no extremist
connections.
"The increased prevalence of smaller cells and individualistic offending,
suggests a rise in terrorism cases that feature shorter lead times to offending
and fewer opportunities for identification," the report warns.
The report's main findings include:
The overwhelming majority (93%) of Islamism-related offenses (IROs) were
committed by males. Females accounted for 4% of IROs between 1998 and 2010 and
11% of IROs between 2011 and 2015 — an increase of 175%.
IROs were carried out by individuals between the ages of 14 and 52 years.
Forty-six percent of 2011–2015 offenses were committed by individuals aged under
25, a small increase from 42% for 1998–2010 offenses. The most common age ranges
overall, and across both time periods, were 21–24 and 25–29.
Seventy-two percent of IROs were committed by British nationals or individuals
holding dual British nationality. There was almost no difference between the
earlier and later time periods (72% and 71% respectively).
More than half (52%) of IROs were committed by individuals of South Asian
ancestry, i.e., British-Pakistanis (25%) and British-Bangladeshis (8%). Other
offenders had family ties to countries in Africa, the Middle East and the
Caribbean.
Forty-seven percent of IROs were committed by individuals who were born in the
UK. More than a third (38%) of those born outside of the UK or of unspecified
birthplace were raised (at some point before the age of 18) in the UK. As a
result, 67% of IROs were committed by individuals who were either born or raised
in the UK.
London was the place of residence of 43% of IROs, followed by West Midlands,
with 18%. Of the latter, 80% (14% overall) were in Birmingham. The third most
common region was North West England, with 10% of IROs. Together these three
regions contained the residences in almost three-quarters (72%) of cases. No
other region contained 10% of residences.
Across both time periods, East London was home to half (50%) of London-based
offenders, while the three most common boroughs — Tower Hamlets, Newham and
Waltham Forest — contained the offenders' residence in 38% of all Londoner IROs
(and 16% overall).
Just over a quarter (26%) of individuals who committed IROs had some form of
higher education. More than a third (36%) had studied for or achieved secondary
level, further education or vocational qualifications, while in 38% of cases,
attainment is unspecified.
Thirty-five percent of IROs were committed by individuals in employment; a
further 12% were full-time students. Therefore, almost half (47%) of IROs were
committed by those in either employment or education.
Thirty-eight percent of IROs were committed by individuals who were unemployed.
Of these, almost one-quarter (24%, 9% overall) were in or had recently been
released from detention or had recently left full-time education or returned
from months-long foreign travel.
Sixteen percent of IROs were committed by individuals known to have converted to
Islam. This is more than four times higher than the estimated proportion of
converts among the Muslim population at the national level.
More than half (55%) of IROs were committed by individuals either living with
family, such as with a partner and/or children (28%), or living at their family
home, such as with parents and siblings (27%).
One in five IROs (21%) was committed by an individual whose living arrangements
and family circumstances were additionally linked to terrorism or a terrorism
investigation. In 55% of these cases, individuals were convicted alongside
relatives and/or a partner or they were part of the same cell.
Female offenders were more than twice as likely as male offenders to be living
with a partner, relative or individual who is also involved in terrorism (50%
and 19% respectively).
Seventy-six percent of IROs were committed by individuals who were previously
known to the authorities; 38% were committed by individuals with previous
criminal convictions. More than a third (36%, 9% overall) of previous
convictions were for extremism- or terrorism-related activities; almost half
(46%, 12% overall) of individuals with prior convictions had previously received
a prison sentence.
A total of 386 charges were successfully prosecuted in 264 convictions between
1998 and 2015. The most common offenses were preparation for acts of terrorism
(27%) and possession/collection of information useful for terrorism (14%),
followed by fundraising offenses (8%), dissemination of terrorist publications
and conspiracy to murder (both 6%) as well as conspiracy to cause explosions and
assisting offenders (both 5%).
More than two-thirds (69%) of IROs were secured under terrorism legislation;
just over half (54%) of defendants pled guilty. 2011–2015 defendants pled guilty
(64%) more often than 1998–2010 defendants (47%).
The most common sentence was between one year and four years (35%), followed by
sentences of between four years and ten years (27%), between ten years and 20
years (15%), and life sentences (13%).
Of the 33 individuals with a life sentence, 30 attempted or planned to kill
others, either in indiscriminate bomb attacks or targeted knife attacks, and
received minimum terms ranging from 14 years to life.
Individuals who committed, attempted or were planning attacks were responsible
for 37% of IROs. Among these offenses, bombing was the most commonly featured
type of attack (74%). Proportionally, offenses involving beheadings or stabbings
increased eleven-fold across the two time periods, from 4% between 1998 and
2010, to 44% between 2011 and 2015.
Individuals involved in facilitating acts of terrorism, either by fundraising or
recruiting or by providing material goods or documentation, or ideologues who
encouraged terrorist acts through incitement or by disseminating terrorist
publications, were responsible for one-third (33%) of IROs.
Individuals who demonstrated an interest in terrorism, but whose plans were not
advanced enough to pose an imminent threat were responsible for 18% of IROs.
Individuals whose offenses related to travel (attempted or planned) for
terrorist purposes, namely to receive terrorist training or to engage in
fighting overseas, were responsible for 12% of IROs. Travel-related IROs
increased four-fold across the two time periods (from 5% to 21%).
Civilian targets were a feature in one-third (33%) of offenses. Infrastructure
sectors and institutions, mostly transportation, were a feature in just under
one-third (32%) of offenses.
Urban soft targets (areas into which large numbers of citizens regularly gather
for usual activities or special events) were among the intended targets for
attack in 31% of offenses. Military targets both overseas (including British or
coalition forces) and at home (military bases and processions as well as
soldiers) were a feature in almost a quarter (24%) of offenses.
A total of 117 IROs were committed by individuals directly linked to one or more
proscribed terrorist organizations. Of these, 56% were directly linked to the
UK-based group al-Muhajiroun (25% overall), 24% were linked to al-Qaeda (10%
overall) and 11% were linked to Islamic State (5% overall).
One fifth (22%) of IROs were committed by individuals who were known or
suspected to have attended training camps for terrorist purposes; the majority
(78%) were not. Of those with training, most (78%) had trained at camps abroad,
19% had trained at UK-based camps, and in two cases (3%) the location was
unspecified.
The report concludes:
"The threat to the UK remains from homegrown terrorism, and is heavily youth-
and male-oriented with British nationals prevalent among offenders....
"While analysis of pre-offense behaviors shows that there is no one profile for
engagement with Islamism-inspired terrorism, some trends can be identified.
Offenders commonly consumed extremist and/or instructional material prior to, or
as part of, their offending. Much of the pro-jihadist material accessed promotes
'them and us' thinking, dehumanization of the enemy, and attitudes that justify
offending....
"Analysis of common sites of inspiration and facilitation appears to corroborate
current counter-radicalization policy priorities such as restricting terrorist
and violent extremist material on the internet, supporting at-risk sectors and
empowering families to safeguard against extremism."
On May 22, 2013, British soldier Lee Rigby (right, holding his son) was murdered
outside London's Woolwich Barracks by Islamists Michael Adebolajo (left) and
Michael Adebowale, who are converts to Islam. Speaking into a camera just after
the murder, Adebolajo said: "we swear by the almighty Allah, that we will never
stop fighting you until you leave us alone... You people will never be safe."
**Soeren Kern is a Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute.
Follow him on Facebook and on Twitter.
© 2017 Gatestone Institute. All rights reserved. The articles printed here do
not necessarily reflect the views of the Editors or of Gatestone Institute. No
part of the Gatestone website or any of its contents may be reproduced, copied
or modified, without the prior written consent of Gatestone Institute.
European elections and the Middle East
Hussein Shobokshi/Al Arabiya/March 07/17
The world’s focus is now on the European continent and the consequences of what
will happen in the upcoming elections. So all wonder which is the next country
that is going to be the “political victim” of populist votes following the
outcome of Brexit and the US presidential elections?
In the recently concluded Austrian polls, the far-right party lost the elections
for the post of presidency in a very close-to-call result. It’s now time to
concentrate on the France’s presidential elections in which the focus in on the
far-right candidate, Marie Le Pen, who is targeting Muslim migrants, calling for
their expulsion and harassment. She is also airing her anti-European Union (EU)
views, seeking France’s withdrawal from the EU. But there is another state where
elections are usually neither of much significance nor are closely followed is
the Netherlands. Initial polls clearly indicate the opposition, Party for
Freedom, led by far-right leader Geert Wilders — who is currently on a trial for
hate speech and discrimination against Muslims — is expected to achieve a major
victory with the most number of seats in the polls. But the winner of these
elections, according Dutch electoral law, does not necessarily have the right to
form a government. Consequently, he will be forced to form a coalition
government, an issue shunned by many of the traditional political parties who do
not want to work with him because of his racist, fascist and extremist policies.
With the ongoing economic recession in the Europe, reflected in the meager
growth rate and alarmingly high rate of unemployment, increase of refugees to
the continent is a hot issue, which the far-right parties believe to be a threat
to social, security and peace
Geert Wilder
Most importantly, the victory of Geert Wilder, which is anyway expected, will be
influential and will echo in other European countries encouraging others who are
following the trend of anti-Muslims and anti-EU stance, especially in a country
like France, followed by Belgium, for example, which is always affected by the
political movement in the Netherlands and has significant challenges in dealing
with the Muslim minority. Dominoes continue to fall in Europe. Separatists in
Greece are opting for separation from the European Union, while Italy and
Eastern Europe have not been silent until now and they are awaiting new
developments which will rouse their enthusiasm and give them hope again. With
the great ongoing economic recession in the European continent, which is
reflected in the meager growth rate and alarmingly high rate of unemployment,
increase of refugees and immigrants in staggering numbers to the continent is a
hot issue which the far-right parties believe to be a threat to social, security
and peace in the region. At the same time, immigrants are competing with the
nationals for employment opportunities as the latter consider the immigrants to
have “different” habits and they believe that they cannot be integrated into
their society to become “like them” and therefore their motive is to support the
parties that “defend them.” The ground is ready and fertilized for extremist
voices, so the parties are politically and socially preparing to exploit this
historic moment which is favoring them in the present climate as this moment
might not be repeated again soon. What are the implications of these elections
on the Middle East? Europe will continue to view that the Middle East
environment as “repulsive” for peace, coexistence, moderation and economic
prosperity. Why not, as these countries are suffering from it and the results
are direct consequences?
Thus, European countries may impose sanctions on some of the states in the
region, which form part of the immigrant groups (as done by the administration
of American President Donald Trump) amidst increasing rate of human rights
reports of these countries, including the pros and cons.
It is true that the next European elections is a purely a European affair, but
for sure the results will have repercussions on us here in the Middle East!
Is Trump a victim of McCarthyism?
Mashari Althaydi/Al Arabiya/March 07/17
According to the US President Donald Trump, his waning, weird predecessor, the
confused and confusing Barack Obama, saint of the left-wing global liberal
lobby, has committed a political crime by wiretapping his phones during the
presidential campaign. Trump accused Obama of tapping his phones at the Trump
Tower during October 2016. In addition to Trump’s Twitter messages, the White
House on Sunday ordered the Congress to figure out whether the former
administration of Obama violated its “executive jurisdictions” during the 2016
presidential campaign while investigating Russian meddling in the electoral
process. Obama has not commented on these claims yet but his team did in a cold,
indecisive manner that is neither cynical nor aggressive – just like the habit
of Obama, the orator, and his supporters from among journalists and artists. Has
Obama really done that? If the wiretapping did in fact happen, did Obama know or
was it something that some of employees were behind? We do not know the details
so far but it is difficult for President Trump to take a risk and make these
accusations and come up with these details especially that his team is now
talking about assigning lawyers to follow up on the case. Trump said this
wiretapping is similar to the famous Watergate Scandal when Republican President
Richard Nixon, or his team, spied on the Democratic Party Headquarters. This led
to Nixon leaving power or was “ousted” if one goes by the Arabic political
discourse. The point is not to engage in battles that are not ours. These are
domestic American disputes and all we should care about is our interests in
Washington
Exaggerating the battle?
Is Trump exaggerating in his battle against Obama and against Obama’s
supporters, particularly against the liberal and leftist American media such as
the New York Times and CNN, and, of course, Hollywood and its outspoken
celebrities? Facts on the ground suggest that left-wing media outlets have
attacked Trump with all their power and targeted his administration even before
it was formed. In brief, they declared war against him, and in war, everything
is fair. Trump said what’s happening to him resembles Mccarthyism, but this time
it’s not happening at the hands of the Republicans like what happened in the
1940s and 1950s but at the hands of liberal Democrats. Yesterday’s victim is
thus today’s tyrant.Trump is surprised that criticism against him and his men
over accusations of contacts with the Russians has intensified but he bitterly
and confidently responded via this Twitter message: “I don’t know Putin, have no
deals in Russia, and the haters are going crazy – yet Obama can make a deal with
Iran, #1 in terror, no problem!”The point of my article is not to commend or
attack Trump or his stance toward the Russians – a stance which is not clear so
far. The point is not to engage in battles that are not ours. These are domestic
American disputes and all we should care about is our interests in Washington.
They’re either an artist or ISIS member!
Mamdouh AlMuhaini/Al Arabiya/March 07/17
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has attracted hundreds of blue-eyed
men to its ranks and they now hold several positions of commanders, executioners
or filmmakers producing Hollywood style movies. There is nothing strange here as
the ISIS members hailing from the West are no different, for example, from an
Arab ISIS member. They have the same mentality, which accuses others of
apostasy, kills and seeks reward for such crimes. Communication among members of
the terror outfit is not a problem as their project, in both theory and
practice, is clear. Their goals are declared and the means to achieve them are
well known. Any act of barbarism is accepted as long as their entity stays and
expands. Everything they announce, do and document has only one interpretation.
The problem is not with them but with those who try to justify terrorism. These
are dangerous justifications because they legitimize terrorism and extend its
legitimacy. The latest of these justifications was made by British actor Riz
Ahmed, who said excluding young Muslim men from acting in a television series
will push them to join ISIS. So a young man obsessed with acting and seeking to
play a small role alongside Kevin Spacey, for instance, will immediately shift
him to joining ISIS if he is not allowed to participate in a television series
because he is not talented enough. In brief, he’s saying: Accept me as an actor
or I will become a terrorist to punish you! Ahmed’s point of view is not worthy
of being taken seriously. However, this actor is not naïve like one might think.
It seems, he is playing into the hands of those intimidating people from
Muslims. Others have successfully adopted this approach to attain personal or
ideological gains. ISIS became established and more active during the era of a
soft president like Barack Obama. Nothing has changed during the era of a frank
president like Trump and nothing will change after his term ends
Exploiting situations
Some people exploit this to make money while others, like extremists, do it to
spread terror. They propagated fear in a well-thought out way. They would start
with something like this: “don’t write this book, Muslims will get angry”, and
the writer would stop working on it or wouldn’t produce the movie.
On other occasions, it would be about paintings. So don’t paint this picture, or
Muslims will take to the streets in anger, and the painter would dump his brush
in fear. This approach has worked and the actor was swayed by it. However, this
is not a secret method. It has been exposed and responding to is not difficult.
Anyone who chooses terrorism as a doctrine is an extremist and he will not wait
until his feelings are harmed because a production company did not appreciate
his artistic talent and shattered his hopes. The other logic, which is less
dangerous, is choosing deceitful stories to justify terrorism. For instance, one
of these stories relates to the recent attack on Michael Flynn, US President
Donald Trump’s national security advisor, who resigned from his post. It was
alleged that he hated Muslims and his appointment would increase the number of
ISIS recruits. This justification is false, shameful and dangerous. It is false
because Flynn addressed Sunni and Shiite extremists and not Muslims in general.
I recently finished reading his book The Field of Fight and it did not include a
single word that implies hate speech or blind intolerance. On the contrary,
three quarters of the book is an attack against the mullahs’ regime and the
other quarter is on terrorist organizations. It is a common position that most
of us agree with. Why is the justification also shameful? Because they
intentionally exploit Muslim emotions - they are also well-aware that most
people do not double check information - manipulate them by providing misleading
information, mobilize them and direct them to achieve aims that have nothing to
do with us. This is dangerous because this shadows the real reasons of extremism
and terrorism, which have nothing to do with art or with Flynn.
‘Extremist anger’
Most recently, the Washington Post published a report suggesting that Trump’s
top advisor, Steve Bannon, increased extremists’ anger and could speed up the
recruitment process. Can a single man energize the terrorist machine? Of course
not! But do terrorist organizations need anything to provoke them to incite
people and attract supporters? No. This is evident in the fact that ISIS became
established and more active during the era of a soft president like Barack
Obama. Nothing has changed during the era of a frank president like Trump and
nothing will change after his term ends.
Isn’t the presence of “infidels” and “heretics” outside these organizations -
according to their doctrine, that would be most of us - provocative enough to
them? I doubt that many of them know who Bannon is or even care about him. They
are terrorists with or without the presence of Bannon.
The Washington Post report said that Bannon once stirred anger when he described
the wave of extremism as Islamic fascism. This is a correct interpretation used
to describe extremists who resort to fascist means, from propaganda to
executions, in order to empower their extremist doctrine.
The deliberate approach of not provoking terrorists is used to serve political,
partisan, ideological or personal interests. However, we are the ones who are
harmed first and the foremost. Most terrorists and victims are from among us. It
is important to be clear and frank in order to put an end to this perpetual
tragedy. Have we forgotten about the twins who murdered their own mother in the
kitchen using the same knife she had been using to prepare lunch and dinner for
them!
No woman should die in the process of giving birth
Claire Fotheringham/Al Arabiya/March 07/17
Afghanistan is one of the most dangerous places in the world to give birth. For
International Women’s Day 2017, Médecins Sans Frontières is putting the
spotlight on pregnancy and childbirth in Afghanistan. March 8 has always been a
special day for me and my family – not only is it International Women’s Day,
it’s also my birthday. My parents were activists and my mother always tells a
story that one of the women who came to visit her the day after I was born had
just been bailed out of the watch house for participating in an International
Women’s Day march (at the time it was illegal to protest in Queensland). And
throughout my childhood we often celebrated my birthday by attending
International Women’s Day events. Perhaps that spirit of advocating on behalf of
women influenced my career choice as an obstetrician, ensuring that women are
able to give birth safely. One of the countries where it is most dangerous to
give birth is Afghanistan. There are an estimated 396 maternal deaths for every
100,000 live births in Afghanistan. By comparison, the figure in Australia is 6
maternal deaths for every 100,000 births. Why are Afghani women so much more
likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth? During my field placement at
Médecins Sans Frontières’ maternity hospital in Khost, Afghanistan, I met many
women who shed some light on the complex answers to this question. In
Afghanistan, two out of every three deliveries occur at home, without any
skilled birth attendant. In Khost we frequently saw women who had attempted to
deliver at home before coming into the hospital with a complication, such as
post-partum haemorrhage. I remember one woman who had delivered at home and then
started bleeding profusely. She had been able to access a small amount of care
at home, but because it was night time she was unable to travel safely to the
hospital. By the time she arrived the next morning she was moribund, completely
unresponsive, with a very weak pulse. And despite immediate medical attention
she unfortunately passed away.
Many women now prefer to come to the hospital to deliver, but it can still be
very difficult to access. They often have to travel long distances, and road
travel can be extremely dangerous. There was a case not long before I arrived
where a woman had delivered a baby and was travelling home when a roadside bomb
went off, not targeting her, but she and her newborn baby were killed. One of
the countries where it is most dangerous to give birth is Afghanistan. There are
an estimated 396 maternal deaths for every 100,000 live births in Afghanistan.
By comparison, the figure in Australia is 6 maternal deaths for every 100,000
births
Preventive healthcare
In many parts of Afghanistan there’s very little availability of preventive
healthcare and antenatal healthcare, so women and their carers don’t always
appreciate the danger signs of pregnancy and when they should seek assistance.
Another issue is that the women themselves are not usually the decision makers.
So even if they think they need medical care, in the end that decision is
usually made by their husband and mother-in-law. Plus, women may need a male
caretaker to accompany them to hospital and to consent to any surgery or family
planning method. In obstetrics, we have a mantra for the risk factors for
maternal deaths: ‘too early, too late, too many and too close together’. Sadly
all these elements apply in Afghanistan. Afghani women tend to get married and
have children early in life, and because they are expected to have a lot of
children, they often continue having babies into their 40s. Complications often
occur at these two extremes of the age spectrum so our facilities see a lot of
women having their first child, and a lot of women who are older, having their
ninth or tenth child. On top of that, women often don’t have the capacity to
space out their births because they can’t access family planning, and because
they are not in control of decisions around their fertility. Pregnancies that
are too close together are risky for mother and baby because the woman’s body
may not have time to recover – for instance to replace nutrients such as iron,
calcium and folate – that are depleted during pregnancy.
Although the risks are unacceptably high for women giving birth in Afghanistan,
Médecins Sans Frontières’ work is making an impact. In places like Khost where
there is such a huge need for maternal services, our facility is well respected
for the quality of care it provides. Our presence is changing attitudes around
where women give birth, and the importance of having a skilled birth attendant.
During my placement we held a jirga, a meeting with community leaders, where we
discussed the idea that to be an honourable man it’s important to bring your
wife to hospital to ensure she has a safe delivery. We focus on caring for women
with complicated deliveries, who require the high-level care that Médecins Sans
Frontières can provide. In 2016 we strengthened our health promotion activities
to improve recognition of complications throughout the community, including
through radio messaging. We’ve also worked with private clinics to ensure that
women with complications are swiftly referred to our hospital.
Training locals
In all our projects we emphasize teaching and training local doctors and
midwives, which is incredibly important because international staff come and go
but the local staff stay on. Historically, lack of education of women meant
there were few female doctors and midwives to look after women in labour,
however culturally many families only seek care from a female. Training local
female staff means that we’re leaving something positive behind. And as well as
training within our facilities, we’ve also trained midwives in local health
centres to improve care of normal deliveries. Just the sheer numbers of babies
Médecins Sans Frontières delivers in its four maternity services across
Afghanistan makes a huge impact. In 2016, more than 66,000 babies were delivered
by our teams in Afghanistan, which equates to more than 180 babies every day. In
Khost, approximately one out of every three babies born in the province is
delivered in our maternity hospital. There are so many women and babies
surviving as a result of Médecins Sans Frontières being in Afghanistan. I
remember one woman we assisted who was in her 40s, having her tenth child and
had placenta previa – where the placenta blocks the cervix. This is quite a
typical sort of patient. She came in and had a caesarean section that not only
saved her life and her baby’s life, but also impacted on all of her other
children as well. ecause without their mother, they’re less likely to be
educated and less likely to survive as well. And that caesarean would have been
incredibly difficult to access if Médecins Sans Frontières was not there.