Yesterday, October 8, Peter Higgs and his predecessor François Englert were named as the new laureates of the Nobel Prize in physics 2013. Their [ "God Particle" Theory ] has already inspired many scientists in their understanding of elementary processes related to the creation of the universe.
CNN evening news on October 8, 2013.
Peter Higgs - Finally Trapped By Cell Phone
Peter Higgs - Enfin Attrapé Par Le Cellulaire
The French magazine LEXPRESS describes Peter Higgs as a modest guy in his eighties and who hates modern accessories like cell phones. However, finally he has been trapped by global cell phone news.
Choice of localized visitors to "blueprint news", detected during the first week of October 2013:
Another choice of localized visitors and who came during the last 30 hours:
A Lecture on History:
The Khmer Rouge period (1975–1979) in Cambodia's history refers to the rule of Pol Pot ("Brother No.1") and the Khmer Rouge Communist party over Cambodia, which the Khmer Rouge renamed as Democratic Kampuchea.
The four-year period cost approximately 2 million lives through the combined result of political executions, disease, starvation, and forced labor. Due to the large number of deaths, the proceedings during the rule of the Khmer Rouge are commonly known as the Cambodian Holocaust or the Cambodian Genocide.
Democratic Kampuchea was a practically isolated state. Only the People's Republic of China had some diplomatic influence as can be seen from sporadic official visits by high-ranking Chinese delegations that, however, seemed to have no real impact on the proceedings in Cambodia. The Mao-Tse-Toung Boulevard in Cambodia's capital Phnom Penh might be a reminder of that time, marked as well by the end of the Mao era in China.
Mao meeting with Pol Pot (center) and Ieng Sary,
foreign minister of the Khmer Rouge government.
After a Vietnamese invasion overthrew the Khmer Rouge in 1979, Vietnamese occupation authorities established the People's Republic of Kampuchea, installing Heng Samrin and other pro-Vietnamese Communist politicians as leaders of the new government. That invasion came because the Vietnamese minority in Cambodia was subject to a massacre like many other groups of Cambodia's society.
It was at the very beginning of the invasion that I happened to participate at a New Year's festival of the Vietnamese Students' Association in West-Berlin. On that evening, a member of the North-Vietnamese embassy in East-Berlin appeared with a film documentary of recent developments on the Vietnamese - Cambodian front and which showed the first Cambodian mass graves discovered by Vietnamese troops. Such, I happened to be among the first westeners to see pictures related to the genocide under the rule of Pol Pot. As far as I remember, it took a week or so that single pictures from that documentary were finally shown on TV.
Pol Pot under house arrest.
A modern documentary, broadcast by a German TV station only some years ago, proved that Cambodia still had problems at that time to sue those responsible for the Cambodian genocide. In an interview while being under house arrest, Pol Pot (1925-1998) was even telling a journalist he was " too old now and unwilling to remember all those things that happened in the old times and had no importance for him any longer ".
On Saturday October 5, the U.S. Army's Delta Force, which has responsibility for counterterrorism operations in North Africa, carried out attacks in Somalia and the Libyan capital, Tripoli.
The attacks struck Islamic extremists who played a role in the bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, on August 7, 1998, that killed more than 220 people.
In Tripoli, U.S special forces captured Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, known by his alias Anas al-Libi, in a raid. Al-Libi (photo below) is on the FBI's most-wanted list with a $5 million US bounty on his head.
The Pentagon's chief spokesman George Little said Saturday al-Libi "is currently lawfully detained by the U.S. military in a secure location outside of Libya." He did not disclose further details.
Libya said Sunday it has asked the United States for "clarifications" regarding the abduction in Tripoli of al-Qaeda leader al-Libi adding that Libyan nationals should be tried in their own country.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday defended the capture of al-Libi, saying complaints about the operation from Libya and others are unfounded. Kerry said the suspect was a "legal and appropriate target" for the U.S. military and will face justice in a court of law. Kerry added it was important not to "sympathize" with wanted terrorists.
Earlier, Kerry said the raids would send the message that terrorists "can run but they can't hide."
On [October] 5, a U.S. special forces Navy Seals shock brigade carried out a surprise attack in the South-Somalian seaport of [Balawei => Barawe] and targeted some dwelling place on the sea in an airborne attack. It is said their target was a stronghold of the armed Somalian Youth Party which is opposing the government and was, as well, the hiding-place of an armed leader.
Relying on the description [given by] many leaders of the Somalian Youth Party, members of the shock brigade [moved] by helicopter to the seashore residence with the intention to murder a commander of the Youth Army. However, the operation failed.
[Sky News: Their target was Mukhtar Abu Zubeyr, also known as Ahmed Godane, who claimed responsibility for last month's Nairobi shopping mall massacre that killed at least 67 people, according to a Somali intelligence official.]
A spokesman for the Somalian Youth Party stated: "That disappointing operation was carried out by white people. They came over the sea on two ships ..... one guard of the Youth Party died. After reinforcement rushed in, the foreigners hurried to run away. We discovered much blood and wounded several among them."
If the basic facts are real, this should be the first combat mission of a Navy Seals shock brigade in Somalia during the last four years. In 2009, a Navy Seals shock brigade launched an operation in the same region [where they] shot dead a leader of Al-Qaeda organization.
索马里政府高级官员说，行动前，索马里政府得到美方通知。 综合新华社电/专稿
A high-ranking official in the Somalian government said the Somalian government received notice from the U.S. side before the operation [took place].
- Summary of a telegram from Xin Hua agency / special manuscript -
[Source: mil.sohu 搜狐军事 quoting Xin Hua news agency 新华社 on October 7, 2013]
Al-Shabaab released photos of U.S. gear it says was left behind in the aborted raid.
Editor's Note:
The Chinese expression meaning "Youth Party 青年党" is used to indicate the Arabic name "Harakat Ash-Shabaab Al-Mujahidin حركة الشباب المجاهدين " or "Movement of the Mujahideen Youth". From there, the abbreviation Al-Shabaab is usually taken to name the militant Islamist party in Somalia's civil war which is considered as the Somalian faction of Al-Qaeda.
Defiant Somalian rebels and African Union troops in 2012.
Until August 2011, Al-Shabaab, the Islamist party of Somalia, reached its maximum influence when it controlled half of the country's territory including parts of Somalia's capital Mogadishu. During 2012 that influence decreased, due to military intervention by the African Union. In September 2012, finally, Al-Shabaab was forced out of its most important strongholds and decided to wage a guerilla war that soon swapped into neighbouring Kenya where the bloody attack on a Nairobi shopping mall has just ended. The so-called White Widow, Samantha Lewthwaite, the widow of an Al-Shabaab terrorist of Irish origin, is now suspected of having participated in the Nairobi attack. As her whereabouts could not be detected up to now, she has landed on the wanted list of Interpol:
To complete my recent blogspot on Al-Qaeda activities, I decided to add another blogspot on this subject and which is based on an article published by the Spanish magazine CAMBIO 16. In their August 2013 edition, CAMBIO 16 published a feature on Ceuta, the tiny Spanish enclave in Morocco, now seen as a hotbed of jihadism. Here are some excerpts from that feature giving an idea how an isolated Muslimic community can serve as a point of formation for single acting jihadist warriors who are then named lonely wolves. From there, the Spanish article received its title ¡ Menos Lobos ! which can be translated in a rather free style as Need for Less Wolves.
Ceuta - A Factory for Jihadists ?
Hace unos días se llevó a cabo en Ceuta una nueva redada antiyihadista que se suma a la que en 2006 se hizo en el mismo barrio del Príncipe Alfonso y que terminó con la absolución en el Supremo de todos los detenidos.
Some days ago, Ceuta experienced a new anti-jihadist raid that added to another in 2006 and which took place in the same quarter of Prince Alfonso and ended with a "not guilty" verdict before the Supreme Court for all those arrested.
Un lobo solitario es un yihadista que ha combatido en Afganistán, Irak o más recientemente en Siria junto a sus hermanos musulmanes, siguiendo el plan de una organización que le ha llevado desde un punto distante en Europa o África hasta el lugar señalado para participar en los combates. Es un lobo solitario porque a su regreso al país de origen se ha convertido, segun señalan los expertos policiales, en un 'animal herido', sicológicamente hablando, capaz de qualqier acción terrorista individual, sin ningún protocolo organizativo.
A lonely wolf is a jihadist who has fought in Afghanistan, Iraq or more recently in Syria close to his Muslim brethren, such following the plan of an organization that brought him from a distant point in Europe or Africa to a definite place in order to participate in fightings. He is a lonely wolf because, at his return to his homeland, he has transformed into a 'wounded animal', from a psychological point of view, and who is capable of any individual terrorist action whatsoever without any organized guidance.
Para llegar a ser lobo solitario hay que haber combatido, sobrevivido y regresado. Para que haya lobos solitarios es preciso que existan yihadistas reclutados entre los musulmanes en puntos 'calientes' de la geografía política islámica, como por ejemplo los barrios Príncipe Alfonso o Príncipe Felipe, de Ceuta. Las mezquitas, los cafetines, los mercadillos, las calles de los barrios marginales son el lugar propicio para desarrollar estructuras de logística, adoctrinamiento y reclutamiento entre jóvenes dispuestos a dar su vida por el Corán. Y esa es, ahora, la gran preocupación del gobierno.
To become a lonely wolf it needs to have fought, survived and returned. For having lonely wolves is precisely why there exist recruited jihadists among Muslims in "hotspots" of the political geography of Islamic Ceuta, for instance in the quarters of Prince Alfonso and Prince Felipe. The mosques, the small cafés, the small markets, the streets of suburban quarters are perfect places for the development of structures for logistics, instruction and recruitment of youths decided to give their lives for the Coran. And that is now the government's great worry.
Al menos eso es lo que sostiene la política oficial de este gobierno y de las fuerzas de seguridad del Estado, Cuerpo Nacional de Policía y Guardia Civil, que en los últimos nueve años han desarrollado más de quince grandes operaciones contra el terrorismo islámico, con cobertura judicial. De esas operaciones - Nova, Saeta, Sello, Tigris, etc. - se deduce que España es un hervidero de criminalidad terrorista en sus distintas versiones: las que tienen a nuestro país como blanco, las que forman parte de una red internacional de organización de atentados y la que sirve como base para el ejercicio de acciones violentas en otras partes del mundo, como las zonas de conflicto antes señaladas.
This is, at least, what is being supported by official policy of that government and of state security forces, [both] national body of police and Guardia Civil, and who have carried out more than 15 great operations against Islamic terrorism with juridical cover during the last nine years. From these operations - [named] Nova, Saeta, Sello, Tigris etc. - can be derived that Spain is a whirlpool of terrorist crime in its different forms: Those [taking our country for an empty space (?)], those making part of an international network for the organization of assassinations and which is serving as a base for carrying out violent operations in other parts of the world, like the regions of conflict mentioned above.
Terrorist action is something else than the
expression of radical ideas as democracy
is safeguarding the freedom of expression.
[explanation given for a "not guilty" verdict]
In the past, Spanish judiciary seemed to have problems with sentencing terrorist suspects as the CAMBIO 16 article is telling us. One of those suspects who, for the time being, received a "not guilty" verdict and returned to his quarter of Prince Felipe in Ceuta city is now being described by Spanish police as follows:
Karim Abdeselam, alias Marquitos, ha sido acusado por la Policía como responsable máximo de la red que, según ellos, enviaba yihadistas a Siria para cometer atentados terroristas. Según fuentes policiales, Marquitos cumplía órdenes directas del actual número uno de Al-Qaeda, Ayman Al-Zawahiri.
Karim Abdeselam, alias Marquitos, had been accused by the police as the main responsible of that network which, they said, invited jihadists to Syria in order to commit terrorist assassinations. According to sources within the police, Marquitos acted under direct orders from the actual No. 1 of Al-Qaeda, Ayman Al-Zawahiri.
El ministro del Interior, Jorge Fernández, en una nueva y urgente rueda de prensa declaró que había "varias remesas" de yihadistas esperando a ser enviadas a Siria desde Marruecos y Ceuta y que la operación realizada había servido para "neutralizar" la amenaza de quienes regresan a sus países de origen para continuar con la 'yihad individual', es decir, convertirse en lobos solitarios.
The minister of the interior, Jorge Fernandéz, declared in another urgent press conference there were "different deliveries" of jihadists awaiting to be sent to Syria from Morocco and Ceuta, and the operation carried out [by security forces] served to "neutralize" the threat from those who returned to their countries of origin in order to continue with an 'individual jihad', which means to transform themselves into lonely wolves.
Today's Google Logo: Reminding the German Reunification (National Holiday October 3).
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Deutschland - Sibirisches Erdgas und ölige Nebenprodukte
Ein Besucher vom russischen Erdgasfeld bei Urengoy an der Grenze zum Polarkreis.
Für die Zusammenhänge zwischen einer Versorgung der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
mit sibirischem Erdgas und deutscher Politik lesen Sie das historische Kalenderblatt:
Thema:
Die neue Ostsee-Pipeline für Erdgas aus Sibirien unter der Aufsicht von Gazprom-Manager Gerhard Schröder.
Eine deutsche Episode:
Die Kontroverse um eine Bürgschaft der Bundesregierung für diese Pipeline unter Bundeskanzler Gerhard Schröder.
Im Juni 2005 trafen sich Deutsche-Bank-Vorstand Tessen von Heydebreck und der Vorstandschef von Gazprom Alexej Miller in der litauischen Hauptstadt Vilnius. Hier berieten sie über einen Kredit der Deutschen Bank und der Staatlichen KfW Bankengruppe in Höhe von einer Milliarde Euro – getragen zu gleichen Teilen von 500 Millionen Euro je Bank – für den Bau des Zubringer zwischen dem Gasfeld Juschno-Russkoje (Mehrheitsaktionär BASF-Tochter Wintershall) und der Hafenstadt Wyborg. Abgesichert werden sollte der Kredit durch eine Bürgschaft.
Anschließend beauftragten die beiden Banken die PricewaterhouseCoopers AG, die sich im Auftrag des Bundes um Bürgschaften für ausländische Unternehmen kümmert.
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Anmerkung:
Seit 2012 ist das deutsche Unternehmen BASF-Wintershall auch an der Erschließung des Gasfeldes im sibirischen Urengoy beteiligt, das als weltweit zweitgrößtes Erdgasvorkommen gewertet wird.
Vertragsabschluss zwischen dem BASF-Vertreter Bock und Gazprom-Chef
Miller über die Erschließung des Urengoy-Feldes am 14. November 2012.
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Fortsetzung des Bürgschafts-Krimis:
Vier Tage nach der Bundestagswahl 2005, die für die SPD und ihren "Hartz IV-Kanzler" Gerhard Schröder verloren ging, stellten am 22. September desselben Jahres die Banken ihr Vorhaben dem interministeriellen Ausschuss zur Vergabe von Garantien vor. Das Gremium setzte sich unter der Leitung des Wirtschaftsministeriums aus den Finanz-, Außen- und Entwicklungshilfeministerien zusammen. Das Kanzleramt war dort nicht vertreten.
Am 24. Oktober, zwei Wochen nach der Ankündigung Schröders, sich aus der Politik zurückzuziehen, tagte das Gremium erneut und bewilligte die Bürgschaft unter den Konditionen, dass der Bund 900 Millionen Euro plus Zinsen im Falle eines Scheiterns übernehmen würde. Anders als sonst üblich gilt die Bürgschaft aber auch für „die Deckungszusage sowohl für das politische als auch das wirtschaftliche Risiko“.
Bei den Feierlichkeiten zum Baustart der Pipeline am 9. Dezember 2005 teilte Gazprom-Chef Alexej Miller mit, dass Gerhard Schröder Aufsichtsratsvorsitzender der Betreibergesellschaft Nord Stream werden soll. Dies führte zu Kritik von verschiedenen Seiten, insbesondere von Politikern der Oppositionsparteien, da Schröder das Projekt als Bundeskanzler selbst aktiv mitgestaltet und zusammen mit Russlands Präsident Wladimir Putin forciert hatte.
Bekannt wurde diese Bürgschaft erst am 31. März 2006 in einer Gerichtsverhandlung zwischen Gerhard Schröder und dem FDP-Politiker Guido Westerwelle. Westerwelle behauptete, dass Schröder den „Auftrag“ zum Bau der Pipeline gegeben hätte, doch dieser wollte wegen Rufschädigung gegen Westerwelle vorgehen. In der Verhandlung legte Westerwelles Verteidiger einen Vermerk des Finanzministeriums vor, der an den Haushaltsausschuss des Bundestags adressiert war. Aus dem Papier geht hervor, dass Putin und Schröder den Bau der Pipeline „vereinbart“ hätten, woraus die Verteidigung den „Auftrag“ ableitete. In diesem Papier war aber auch von der Bürgschaft und den Konditionen die Rede.
Schröder entgegnete den Vorwürfen der Verbindung zwischen der Bürgschaft des Bundes und seinem Sitz im Aufsichtsrat, dass das Bundeskanzleramt nicht im Gremium zum Beschluss der Bürgschaft beteiligt gewesen war. Auch unterstrichen er und Gazprom, dass es nie zu der Bürgschaft gekommen sei, weil Gazprom den Kredit zum Bau des Abschnittes letztendlich nicht nutzte.
Nach Angaben aus Regierungskreisen haben zwar der damalige Wirtschaftsminister Wolfgang Clement (SPD), Schröders Wirtschaftsberater im Kanzleramt Bernd Pfaffenbach und Staatssekretär im Finanzministerium Caio Koch-Weser von den Verhandlungen gewusst und die Bürgschaft genehmigt, der Kanzler selbst wurde aber „bewusst“ nicht informiert. Allerdings haben sogar Schröders Koalitionspartner – Bündnis 90/Die Grünen – erklärt, dass Schröder davon gewusst haben muss.
Im Juni 2007 kritisierte der Leiter des Auswärtigen Ausschusses des US-Kongresses, Tom Lantos, Schröder wegen dieser Angelegenheit scharf; die Bundesregierung wies die Äußerungen Lantos’ mit „Deutlichkeit und Entschiedenheit“ zurück.
Kommentar:
Von Gerhard Schröder haben wir zum letzten Mal gehört, als es um die Unterstützung für den regionalen Wahlkampf seiner Frau Doris ging. Er begnügt sich jetzt damit, Kaffee zu kochen und Brote zu streichen. Darüber hinaus weicht er bohrenden Fragen nach den Umweltschäden aus, die eine von ihm geleitete Gazprom-Tochter in Russland zu verantworten haben soll.
Wie dem auch sei, die Flurschäden, die Schröder in der SPD hinterlassen hat, sind unübersehbar. Immerhin steht der Partei selbst nach zwei Legislaturperioden noch immer keine qualifizierte Führungsmannschaft zur Verfügung, der man die Lösung komplizierter Probleme zutraut. Nach dem nüchtern-blassen und völlig uneinsichtigen Müntefering, den Schröder uns hinterließ, hat der (nach eigenen Angaben) doppelte Sitzenbleiber Steinbrück auch keine bessere Figur gemacht. Schön, wenn jemand so offen mit seiner Dummheit umgeh'n kann. Wir sind ja schon froh, wenn uns kein Kandidat mit einem getürkten Titel hinters Licht führt.
So ist es vielleicht kein Wunder, dass Gerhard Schröder zum ersten ehemaligen Spitzenpolitiker der Bundesrepublik wurde, von dem man hört, dass er Leibwächter beschäftigt, damit ihn niemand verhauen kann. In Russland oder, sagen wir, Kolumbien wäre so etwas normal.
Yesterday, September 17, the English language service of Al-Jazeera TV came with an article on new guidelines for jihad given by Ayman al-Zawahiri, the actual leader of Al-Qaeda organization. That article can be downloaded from the above link as a PDF file (about 200 kB). It reveals the new strategy of al-Zawahiri's organization and is dedicated to his followers on the anniversary of September 11.
[Source: Al-Jazeera TV الجزيرة on September 17, 2013]
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Inserted Update for September 20 / 21:
Today we learn about Al-Qaeda acting on the Syrian battlefield:
سوريا.. تواصل التناحر ببلدة اعزاز والمعارضة تدين القاعدة
Headline:
Syria ... Mutual killing continues in the community of Al-Azaaz, and Al-Qaeda is to blame for the confrontation.
وكان مسلحون متطرفون قد اقتحموا أعزاز على بعد 5 كيلومترات من الحدود السورية التركية وقتلوا 5 على الأقل من أفراد "الجيش الحر"، واحتجزوا نحو 100 شخص.ـ
Armed extremists attacked [the town of] Al-Azaaz from a distance of five kilometer from the Syrian-Turkish border, killed at least five [members] of the "Free Army" and took about 100 persons hostage.
[Source: Al-Alam TV قناة العالم on September 20, 2013. Al-Alam is an Iranian TV station broadcasting in Arabic.]
معارك عنيفة بين الجماعات المسلحة في اعزاز السزرية
Fierce battles between armed groups in the Syrian [town of] Al-Azaz.
[The above photo is showing Al-Qaeda warriors presenting their flag.]
الحرب في سوريا: "القاعدة" تسيطر على بلدة أعزاز الأستراتيجية بعد قتال شرس ضد الجيش الحر
The War in Syria:
Al-Qaeda tracing [a demarcation line] in the strategic [important] community of Al-Azaaz after cruel [behaviour] against the Free Army.
[Source: BBC Arabic بي بي سي العربية, London, on September 18, 2013]
According to CNN (September 20) the attacking force of Al-Azaaz should belong to an Al-Qaeda related organization named the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS). On September 23 / 24, CNN published the following justification given by ISS for their driving out of moderate rebel fighters from the border town of Al-Azaaz. First time, by the way, I encountered the expression "pro-democracy traitors".
The border checkpoint near Al-Azaaz which is being used for
sending international and U.S. help to Syrian victims of war.
While one Al-Qaeda group is fiercely fighting in the Aleppo region against their former allies from the "Free Syrian Army" (FSA), a quite different development can be observed in neighboring Ar-Raqqah province.
In Ar-Raqqah another Al-Qaeda related organization, the "Al-Nusra Front", has come into the focus of news media. As the English language channel of Al-Jazeera reported on September 21, a "Free Syrian Army" (FSA) brigade with hundreds of fighters had joined the Al-Nusra Front in a move considered as a huge blow to moderate rebel forces.
ـ"الشين بيت" يحذر من انضمام فلسطينيين الى القاعدة
Headline: "Shin Bet" [predicts] an integration of Palestinians into Al-Qaeda.
خاصة- حذر تقرير استخباري اسرائيلي لـ "الشين بيت" من انضمام فلسطينيين من داخل مناطق 48 إلى القاعدة في سوريا، حيث من الممكن أن يستخدموا المعرفة التي حصلوا عليها ضد اسرائيل، حسب وصف التقرير.ـ
Ghaza - An intelligence report from Israel's [home security agency] Shin Bet is warning of the recruitment of 48 Palestinians from the [region] for Al-Qaeda in Syria. It is therefore possible that they might use the knowlege they had obtained opposing Israel, according to what the report is indicating.
وذكرت صحيفة يديعوت احرونوت أن الخطر الثاني الذي تفرضه مشاركتهم يتمثل في نقل المعلومات الاستخبارية عن اسرائيل الى عناصر الجهاد العالمي.ـ
The [Israeli] journal Yedioth Ahronoth reminded of another danger which is being imposed by their cooperation and which appears in secret intelligence reports [on the Israeli side] about elements of global jihad.
[Source: Al-Quds / Jerusalem القدس, Palestinian daily (old title: The Arabic Jerusalem), on September 21, 2013]
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September 18: A Jordanian specialist for Islamic communities presents his personal evaluation of Al-Qaeda's military and moral strength:
الباحث يطلق دراسة تشخص اتجاهات المجموعات و الفصائل المسلحة في سورية
Headline:
The investigator launches a study on the [identification] of tendencies [within] groups and armed units in Syria.
أبو رمان: "القاعدة" الفصيل الأقوى في سورية
Headline:
Abu Ramaan: "Al-Qaeda" is the strongest unit in Syria.
اعتبر الباحث المتخصص في شؤون الجماعات الإسلامية الدكتور محمد أبو رمان أن "تنظيم القاعدة" بات هو الفصيل المسلح الأقوى على الساحة السورية في الوقت الراهن
Dr. Mohammad Abu Ramaan, special investigator for matters [concerning] Islamic communities, considered "Al-Qaeda organization" as the strongest armed unit on the Syrian [battle]field for the moment.
[Source: Al-Ghad / Tomorrow الغد, Amman / Jordan, on September 18, 2013]
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Alleged plannings of Al-Qaeda operations in Syria were revealed by Lebanese media on September 13:
معارض سوري: مسلحو «القاعدة» قد يفجرون سدي الفرات والبعث
Syrian Opposition:
Armed [elements of] Al-Qaeda could blow up [an artificial] barrier of [river] Euphrat and [Sid] Al-Baeth (*).
(*) Sid Al-Baeth is an artificial barrier of river Euphrat at Ar-Raqqah township in the Syrian district of Ar-Raqqah سد البعث في محافظة الرقة which is bordering Turkey. Damage to the barrier itself or the river control system of a neighboring tributary could result in extensive flooding of the area.
The director of the bureau of information at "the organization for the national coordination of powers for a democratic change in Syria" disclosed that the opposition warned [residential employees] to receive instructions [about notifying on existing elements from] the "Islamic Nation of Iraq and Syria" (Daaesch) and the "Al-Nusra front", [all those] related to "Al-Qaeda" and preparing the detonation of an [artificial] Euphrat barrier and [that of] Al-Baeth on river Euphrat near the town of Ar-Raqqah in Northern Syria.
كشف رئيس المكتب الإعلامي لـ«هيئة التنسيق الوطنية لقوى التغيير الديموقراطي السورية» المعارضة منذر خدام عن تلقيه معلومات تفيد بقيام تنظيمي «الدولة الإسلامية في العراق والشام» (داعش) و«جبهة النصرة»، المرتبطين بتنظيم «القاعدة»، بالتحضير لتفجير سدّي الفرات والبعث على نهر الفرات قرب مدينة الرقة شمال سوريا، محذراً من وقوع «كارثة إنسانية لم يشهدها العالم من قبل» في حال تنفيذ التفجير.وقال خدام، في اتصال هاتفي مع «السفير»، «وردتني معلومات من صحافي في منطقة خاضعة لسيطرة هذين التنظيمين (داعش والنصرة) أخبرني أنه يملك معلومات عن تحضيرات لتفجير السدين (الفرات والبعث)، فقمت بإرسال هذه المعلومات الى هيئة التنسيق لدراستها، كما قمت بنشر خبر تحذيري عبر صفحتي الشخصية على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي (فايسبوك)».وأوضح رئيس المكتب الإعلامي لهيئة التنسيق أن كل ما يملكه هو مجرد معلومات «تحتاج لدراسة، إذ لا يمكن لجماعات إرهابية أن تفجر السدين ببساطة، إلا أن ذلك لا يعني إهمال هذه المعلومات وعدم متابعتها»، مشيراً في الوقت ذاته إلى أنه إذا تم تنفيذ هذا التفجير فإن «الآثار ستكون كارثية على سوريا، وحتى على العراق».وتأتي تصريحات خدام، بعد أيام من تناقل ناشطين معارضين خبراً حول إقدام طوافات عسكرية سورية بقصف محيط سد الفرات بالبراميل المتفجرة، وهو ما نفته وكالة الأنباء السورية (سانا)، والتي اعتبرت أن نشر الخبر جاء «لتغطية أي عمل إرهابي للمجموعات المسلحة هناك».وسيطرت جماعات مسلحة، أبرزها «النصرة» و«الدولة الإسلامية»، في شباط الماضي، على منشأة سد الفرات، التي تبعد 55 كيلومترا عن مدينة الرقة، الخاضعة أيضاً لسيطرة المسلحين. ويعد سد الفرات الأكبر في سوريا، وهو بطول 4.5 كيلومترات، وارتفاع 60 مترا، ويحجز خلفه بحيرة الأسد التي تصل مساحتها إلى نحو 640 كيلومترا مربعا، تسهم في ري مشاريع زراعية كبيرة في المنطقة الشرقية. كما يولد السد نحو 880 ميغاواط من الكهرباء يومياً. أما سد البعث فهو سد تنظيمي، ويبعد نحو 30 كيلومترا عن سد الفرات.ـ
[Source: Al-Manar المنار on September 13, 2013. This is Hezbollah TV in Lebanon quoting an article from As-Safir Newspaper جريدة السفير, Beirut. The article seems to be based on information received from employees of the public services in Syria.]
Inserted Update for September 29:
Further plannings of Al-Qaeda organization were quoted by a nationwide Chinese news service on September 26. Here are some excerpts from the original text:
U.S. drone at daybreak.
机密情报曝光：基地组织欲反制无人机
Classified intelligence exposed:
Al-Qaeda going to [or: willing to] reverse control of unmanned aircraft.
During a period of ten years, air raids using unmanned aircraft had been planned by U.S. military and the intelligence apparatus, resulting in a death toll of about 3.000 people. .....
In Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen and Somalia [these] operations have extensively gone to their limit. In the same time, unmanned aircraft attacks caused a great toll of dead and wounded among the common people. .....
As intelligence grasped by the U.S. government is showing, the command of Al-Qaeda organization then needed to look for technical measures that could be applied, and everything possible was tried to shoot down [such U.S. drones] .....
Since 2010, there is indeed some swift and violent development of anti-drone war technique [applied] by anti-American forces.
In the same year [2010], Turkish authorities arrested a member of Al-Qaeda organization. That 23 year old high-school student, specialized in mathematics, was assigned to some kind of mission [which consisted in] finding out a way to analyze the pattern of attack of unmanned aircraft.
In January 2011 and in the Northern Waziristan region of Pakistan which is a "focal point" for observation by unmanned aircraft, the U.S. national defence intelligence office detected an unusual electronic signal. They considered this [signal] to be related to a " discovery of terrorists by head measuring [using] a GPS interference capacity measuring test ". This [signal], however, could not arise from some military used GPS frequency or some [linked pathway] for secret communications that would impose any threat. [According to] all sorts of indications observed, a transmission of unclear signals can seemingly be taken into consideration. It only needs interference with some [surface] GPS receiver to be able to influence the ability of an unmanned aircraft [that is] aiming at a fixed target.
The U.S. army intelligence department discovered as well that terrorists are exploiting laser detectors whenever unmanned aircraft intend to launch laser guided missiles.
The national defence intelligence office immediately came to the following conclusion: " The group for technical [studies and development] subordinate to Al-Qaeda organization still lacks success in conformity and deployment when it comes to the technical know-how of hitting the unmanned aircraft system. " However, [if] engineers devoted to [the matter of] the terrorists once " overcame the significant challenges of planning, that [weapon] system could probably create huge damage to U.S. activities in Afghanistan and Pakistan. "
[Source: He Xun / Harmonious Message 和讯 on September 26, 2013. With its main office in Beijing, He Xun News Network is present as well in other regions of PR China.]
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Inserted Update for September 27 / 28:
As to the internal communications of Al-Qaeda, the U.S. daily Washington Times published an article on September 27 that reported al-Qaeda's recent use of social media:
Al Qaeda opens first official Twitter account
An official al-Qaeda website that is restricted to members of the terrorist group opened its first Twitter account this week in what U.S. officials say is an effort to resolve a major split over Syria’s Islamist rebels.
The Shamukh al-Islam website, used as an official clearing house for al-Qaeda members to communicate and issue propaganda statements, started its first Twitter account on Tuesday.
The first posts on the account focused on divisions between two al-Qaeda rebel groups in Syria, al-Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
[Source: Washington Times on September 27, 2013]
On September 28, the Egyptian daily Al-Mogaz الموجز quoted the Washington Times article as follows:
واشنطن تايمز: القاعدة تنشئ أول حساب على تويتر
Washington Times: Al-Qaeda creates its first Twitter account.
وأصدر الحساب 29 تويتة جذبت 1532 تابعا بحلول ظهر الجمعة.ـ
On the account there have been published 29 tweets attracting 1532 followers as of Friday noon.
Logo of Shamukh al-Islam
[Source: Al-Mogaz الموجز, Cairo, on September 28, 2013]
Please Note:
The above visitor from Pakistan seems to have used an unspecific national internet access point and can therefore be regarded as "not fully localized". His/her IP No. could then be of only limited use when it comes to undertake an identification of his/her position. In fact, the above used IP address has a report of being inactive during the last nine weeks and is marked as "toxic". A rather cryptic ISP is obviously referring to some Pakistani internet provider and who is operating similar IPs.
Furthermore, the Nokia handy used doesn't belong to the latest generation. There's only one other visitor to "blueprint news" who is using such kind of device for sporadic visits from Nigeria.
However, the Pakistani visitor has offered us an interesting view on his country and neighbouring Afghanistan. It is showing all those places that are related to the Taliban and Al-Qaeda: Kabul, Kandahar in Afghanistan, the tribal area of Quetta, as well as Jalalabad and even Abottabad.
Five days later, another visitor interested in Al-Qaeda came from an administrative district of Islamabad and only a few steps away from Pakistan's Nuclear Regulatory Authority:
Choice of visitors to "blueprint news" on September 15/16, 2013, and who could be located by a country tag in their web address:
The Arabic language source is quoting comments on the agreement by Western politicians like British foreign minister Haig, French foreign minister Fabius and NATO secretary general Rasmussen.
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叙反对派不承认俄美有关叙利亚化武问题的协议
Headline:
Syria's opposition doesn't recognize the Russian - U.S. agreement on the item of Syria's chemical weapons.
News from Russia's news agency [i.e. Novosti] are saying the chairman of the supreme military council of the Free Syrian Army, Idriss, issued [the following] statement the day before: "We (the Syrian opposition) don't recognize the Russian proposal (the proposal regarding the item of chemical weapons)".
[Source: People's Network 人民网 , Beijing, on September 15, 2013]
العراق يرحب بمبادرة روسية لنزع الأسلحة الكيمياوية السورية لتجنب ضربها
Headline:
Iraq welcomes the Russian initiative to [take over] Syria's chemical weapons [in order to safeguard them] from being hitten.
رحبت الحكومة العراقية الأربعاء بمبادرة روسية تضمن نزع الأسلحة الكيمياوية من سوريا و وضعها تحت إشراف جها دولية لتجنب الضربة العسكرية الأمريكية
On Wednesday [i.e. September 11], the government of Iraq welcomed the Russian initiative to ensure the disarmament of Syria [as far as it concerns its] chemical weapons and to put [these weapons] under [international] control to avoid a military strike [from] America.
[Source: Shafaaq News شفق نيوز on September 11, 2013. Shafaaq News belongs to a Kurdish news group in Iraq that is associated with Shafaaq Foundation.]
Further news coming from the same source are here:
A number of elements of the Free Syrian Army were arrested on Thursday while trying to enter Iraqi territory, according to a police source in Anbar police. [Shafaaq News on September 12, 2013]
Some days earlier on September 8, Shafaaq News quoted an interview with Iraq's minister of foreign affairs Hoshyar Zebari (photo above).
The Iraqi minister of foreign affairs Hoshyar Zebari denied that any Arab country or even the Arab League have supported the US strike on Syria during the Arab Ministerial meeting which was held in the head quarters of the League a few days ago in Cairo.
Here an excerpt from the interview Zebari granted to the paper Asharq Al-Awsat / The Middle East:
*It seems to many that the US is seriously preparing for a military strike designed to cripple the Assad regime’s military capabilities. Do you agree?
-True, American preparations are serious, and the strike seems certain. In my estimation the American administration will not stay silent.
*Do you think it possible that the US will not do anything, even after moving warships into the Mediterranean?
Of course no. This is a very difficult matter. As I mentioned, an American military strike is a near certainty. This issue is connected to politics, domestic concerns, the position of President Obama, the American leadership, and their pride. The American administration has reached a point where it cannot back down and the consequences of the strike will be extremely dangerous for the entire region.
*What are the possible repercussions of a strike on Syria in Iraq?
-Iraq will be directly affected by the continuation of the Syrian crisis and its extension into Iraq. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant has become a single front containing terrorist organizations including Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra Front, and others. Their only goal is to cause as much destruction as possible.
From a humanitarian perspective, there is also the issue of the influx of Syrian refugees. For instance, over a short period of time Iraq has taken in nearly 43,000 Syrian refugees. Naturally there are concerns, especially since we do not know what the grand strategy is to ensure stability in Syria. No one in the Arab foreign ministers’ meeting had any better alternative for dealing with the crisis except enacting the Geneva II conference and securing peace through the participation of both parties.
*Hasn’t the Syrian regime refused to participate in Geneva II?
-They did not really refuse it. The Syrian regime expressed their consent during a visit to Iraq by Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid Al-Muallem.
* But Muallem came out later to announce that Syria’s participation was contingent about certain conditions, including Assad remaining in power until the end of his term in office in 2014.
-No. The Syrian regime agreed without preconditions. The two parties must participate in the conference without preconditions in order to ensure credibility.
*How do you interpret the Russian and American positions? The former thinks it has proof that the opposition used chemical weapons and America says that it has proof that the regime used them.
-These positions are the result of politicizing intelligence information.
*What do you mean by “politicizing intelligence information?”
-Every country is using the information it has to support its own position. Many international parties have had reservations and even questioned the credibility of this information. This debate is ongoing and the UN inspectors will present their report to the UN Secretary General. However the team will not name which side used chemical weapons, only whether or not chemical weapons were used. This means that we will continue to hear debates around who was responsible for the attack. Therefore, it is up the different nations’ intelligence services to assess who used chemical weapons. It is for this reason that I believe that a military strike is coming.
*After the military strike, will it be possible for both sides to go to the Geneva II conference and reach a political solution?
-Every party should be pressured to arrive at a political solution, but will that actually happen? We don’t know. Will there be greater repercussions or other parties that will widen the scope of the conflict beyond Syria? That is certainly a possibility.
*Do you think it is possible that the Syria conflict will spillover into Lebanon, for instance?
-With the confrontation with Israel, Hezbollah entering the fray, and terrorist activities here and there, there is serious anxiety over this issue. We, as neighbors of Syria, certainly need to take precautions and work hard with others to settle the differences that could disrupt a political settlement.
*Do you mean that if a strike occurred in Syria, however limited, it must come with a guarantee to preserve the state of Syrian through Geneva II?
-Of course our goal is protecting the Syrian people and their nation.
*What about the current security situation in Iraq?
-The security situation is not stable because of continued terrorist attacks. A big part of that can be traced to the performance of security and governmental agencies in addressing the issue. It is also partially a reflection of the Syrian crisis. We have an interest in ending this crisis and finding a secure and safe way out of it, particularly as we are among the nations that are most affected by what happens in Syria. Regarding the current political situation, all matters are on hold and political issues have not been settled. We are awaiting next year’s general elections.
*What can you tell us about the preparations for the UN meetings with the Arab Group in New York this month?
-As for Iraq, we will go to New York. We have gotten rid of all of the UN restrictions and sanctions that have shackled Iraq, particularly Chapter VII. Having returned to the Arab, Islamic, and international stage, we will go this time free from all the sanctions that we once faced. In my opinion, the most important issue on the table is definitely the Syrian crisis, also the Iranian nuclear issue and the participation of the new Iranian president who will be a star of the meeting in New York.
*Has Iranian policy changed following Hassan Rouhani’s election?
-There are strong indicators that there is an inclination towards change and dealing with the realities of the situation with little concern for ideology.
*Will the Iranian grip on Iraq loosen as well?
-They do not have a grip on us, but there are relations and communication. Next week, the Iranian foreign minister will undertake his first visit to Baghdad.
*What will be discussed during the Iranian foreign minister’s visit to Baghdad?
-A number of issues will be discussed: bilateral relations, the Syrian crisis, and the nuclear issue.
*In the case of an American military strike on Syria, do you expect Iran to become a party in the equation?
