Puppet MastersS


Gear

Pentagon stops paying salaries to Kurdish Peshmerga

Jack Detsch
Al-Monitor
Fri, 06 Oct 2017 19:49 UTC
Peshmerga forces
© REUTERS/Azad LashkariPeshmerga forces stand in line to vote during the Kurds' independence referendum in Sheikh Amir village, Iraq, Sept. 25, 2017
The US government has stopped paying Kurdish peshmerga fighters' salaries after a yearlong agreement expired over the summer, and there are no current plans to renew it.

Under the deal negotiated by the Barack Obama administration in July 2016, the United States agreed to pay stipends to some 36,000 Kurdish fighters battling the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq. The agreement was expected to be renewed over the summer for another year, but US and Kurdish officials tell Al-Monitor that talks stalled as the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) pursued a divisive referendum on independence and the IS presence in the region began to collapse.

"The department does not currently fund stipend payments for the peshmerga," Defense Department spokesman Eric Pahon told Al-Monitor. "The memorandum of understanding between the Department of Defense and the KRG facilitating stipend support during the Mosul operation expired in July 2017, and the final stipend payment was transferred in early September."

Peshmerga sources flatly accuse the Donald Trump administration of withholding support because of opposition to last month's nonbinding referendum. The United States has taken Baghdad's side in the dispute and refused to recognize the results, which indicate overwhelming support for Kurdish independence.
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Gear

Chinese authorities stepping up their counter-terrorism efforts, reportedly ban copies of Quran - UPDATE

Samer Hussein
Fort Russ News / Agencies
Fri, 29 Sep 2017 19:58 UTC
Armed kids with ISIS flag
Chinese authorities are reportedly stepping up their counter-terrorism efforts.

According to the sources in the western Chinese province of Xinjiang, officials have begun collecting copies of the Islamic holy book Quran, as well as the related items, particularly the ones originating from Saudi Arabia, which are said to be inciting the people to commit acts of terrorism.

Copies of Quran and the related items are ordered to be handed over to authorities.

Comment: See also: Update: This story was pushed by CIA front RFE/RL. As Voltaire Network put it today, "Daesh propaganda has been making this charge for two years now." We're glad RFE/RL is keeping up! Here's the real story:
China has also just banned copies of the Koran which have been annotated and commented upon by Islamists which have been in circulation for several years now.

Since 1953 and the alliance between the Political brotherhood between the Muslim Brotherhood and the CIA, the US and the United Kingdom have created confusion between the political plan of the Brotherhood and the Muslim religion [4].


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Briefcase

Judicial Watch suing Justice Dept. for access to Mueller's Russian special counsel budget


Judicial Watch
Thu, 05 Oct 2017 17:44 UTC
Robert Mueller
© Liberty Blitzkrieg
Mueller's budget kept under wraps

Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) concerning the budget and administrative records of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. (Judicial Watch v. U.S. Department of Justice (No. 1:17-cv-02079)).

The lawsuit was filed after the Department of Justice failed to respond to an July 10, 2017 FOIA request seeking the following:
  1. A copy of the budget prepared and submitted by Robert S. Mueller III or his staff in his capacity as appointed "Special Counsel to oversee the previously-confirmed FBI investigation of Russian government efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election and related matters." Temporal scope of this request is from 17May2017 to 10July2017.
  2. A copy of all guidance memoranda and communications by which the Justice Management Division will review the Special Counsel's Office's "Statement of Expenditures" prior to or for the purpose of making each public. Temporal scope of this request is from 1June2017 to present.
  3. A copy of each document scoping, regulating, or governing the Special Counsel's Office appointed under the leadership of Mueller III. Temporal scope of this request is from 17May2017 to present.
On July 7, 2017, The Washington Post reported that Special counsel Mueller submitted a proposed budget to the Justice Department, "but officials declined to make the document public and committed only to releasing reports of the team's expenditures every six months."
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Eye 2

Another broken promise: US State Dept. withholds aid allocated by Congress to Iraq and Syria religious minorities targeted for genocide

Lauretta Brown
TownHall
Tue, 03 Oct 2017 17:30 UTC
Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.)
Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.)
Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) held a hearing Tuesday calling attention to the astonishing lack of any U.S. funding going directly to religious minorities in Iraq and Syria who were targeted for genocide by ISIS.

"In the final appropriations bill for fiscal year 2017, Congress required that the U.S. State department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) fund the assistance promised by the administration," Rep. Smith said.

Earlier this year, Congress allocated more than $1.4 billion in funds for refugee aid with specific language to ensure that part of the money would be used to assist religious minority groups, including Christians and Yazidis, who the State Department recognized as victims of genocide in 2016.

"Sadly career staff at the State Department and USAID have ignored the law and thwarted the will of the President, the Congress, and the people we represent," Rep Smith said. "These bureaucrats have refused to direct assistance to religious and ethnic minority communities, even to enable them to survive genocide. This obstruction is unacceptable and I urge Secretary Tillerson and the new USAID administrator, Mark Green, to put an end to it."
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Eye 2

Russian foreign minister says terrorist groups in Syria persist due to 'continued outside support'


Sputnik
Fri, 06 Oct 2017 17:16 UTC
Iraq soldiers Mosul
© Muhammad Hamed/ReutersIraqi Special Operations Forces (ISOF) gather during an operation to clear the al-Zirai district of Islamic State militants in Mosul, Iraq, January 18, 2017
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov, responsible for counter-terrorism coordination stated that despite steps taken by the UN, Daesh and other terror groups keep receiving weapons, ammunition, military equipment, political cover, 'using counter-terror issues to achieve cynical political and geopolitical objectives'.

Daesh (banned in numerous countries, including Russia) and other terrorist groups appear to continue receiving funding, equipment and other kinds of support from outside sources, despite all measures taken by the United Nations, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov said.

"Undoubtedly, the crucial challenge that the international community is currently facing is to put an end to ISIL and other terrorist organizations, recognized by the UN, including Nusra Front [banned in Russia, rebranded and eventually merged with other groups]... Unfortunately, in spite of the steps taken by the UN, we can still see that ISIL [Daesh] and, perhaps ever more so, other terrorist groups mentioned, receive funding, equipment and other kinds of material support from outside," the deputy foreign minister said in an interview with RIA Novosti.
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Info

Russian MoD: Russian military helicopter makes emergency landing in Syria, not downed by militants


Sputnik
Fri, 06 Oct 2017 19:16 UTC
Mi-28
© Sputnik/ Michael AlaeddinAn Mi-28 helicopter flies over the environs of Ancient Palmyra in Homs Governorate, Syria
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, a Mi-28 Russian combat chopper made an emergency landing in the Syrian province of Hama due to malfunction on Friday.

It was not shelled from the ground, the ministry emphasized, when commenting on speculations that the Russian aircraft was allegedly downed by militants.
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Bad Guys

Russian MoD: ISIS carries out attacks from US-controlled 'black-hole' area near Al-Tanf base


RT
Fri, 06 Oct 2017 18:48 UTC
Islamic State fighter
© Global Look PressIslamic State fighter fires a shoulder mounted RPG
The 100km area around the US Al-Tanf base near the Syrian-Jordanian border has become a "black hole" which ISIS terrorists use to carry out attacks against Syrian troops and civilians, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The base, set up by the US in April 2017 near the border town of Al-Tanf, is becoming a problem for Syrian troops combating Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) terrorists in Deir ez-Zor province, the statement says.

"Unlawful establishment by the US of this military base on Syria-Jordan border in April this year has been publicly justified by 'the need to conduct operations against IS,'" the statement reads.

However, "there were no reports of a single American operation against Islamic State during the six months of its existence," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
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Question

More Pelosi brain freezes? Staring at audience, waving hands and struggling to speak

Kyle Olson
The American Mirror
Fri, 06 Oct 2017 16:28 UTC
Pelosi
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
What is wrong with Nancy Pelosi?

While the House Minority Leader was participating in the town hall meeting televised on CNN Wednesday night, she suffered awkward brain freezes, stared at the audience, and waved her hands while she appeared to be struggling to speak.

While urging new gun laws in response to a madman's massacre of country music fans in Las Vegas, Pelosi said, "Responsible gun owners from the hills of Arizona to the duck blinds of Minnesota, all over, say, 'We're all law-abiding, we have many guns, we have as many guns as he had, but we have,' uh, we have, um, uh," she said, turning to moderator Chris Cuomo, before repeatedly waving her hands, as if emphasizing words that refused to exit her mouth.

"Background checks," she finally blurted out.

Comment: Is Pelosi health beginning to fail like Killary's?

Pelosi health questions? Appears dazed at NYC event - stops speaking, stares at audience

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Bad Guys

Three American special forces soldiers killed, two wounded in terrorist ambush in Niger


RT
Fri, 06 Oct 2017 12:59 UTC
Mauritian soldiers Gofat, Niger
© US ArmyMauritian soldiers take part in a casualty evacuation training exercise in Gofat, Niger
Three US Special Forces troops were killed and two wounded in an ambush while on a joint patrol with Nigerien forces in southwest Niger, US Africa Command confirmed in a statement.

"On Oct. 4, three (3) US service members and one partner nation member were killed while the US was providing advice and assistance to Nigerien security force counter-terror operations, approximately 200 km north of Niamey, in southwest Niger. Additionally, two US service members were injured and evacuated in stable condition to Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany," the statement reads.

The names of the deceased soldiers have not yet been made public, as the families are being notified.
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Brick Wall

US House panel approves $10bn in construction funds for Mexico border wall, more funding for entry points


RT
Fri, 06 Oct 2017 16:10 UTC
Mexico border wall
© Jorge Duenes / Reuters
A House panel has approved legislation to provide a total of $15 billion for construction of President Donald Trump's wall along the US-Mexico border and improve ports of entry into the US.

The Border Security for America Act, proposed by Chairman of the the House Homeland Security Committee Michael McCaul (R-Texas), was approved by the committee in an 18-12 vote along party lines Wednesday.

The bill would authorize $10 billion for construction of the border wall, and another $5 billion to improve ports of entry. The bill would also add 5,000 Border Patrol agents and 5,000 Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers.

"We have been talking about border security for many years. Now that we finally have a partner in the White House who has prioritized this issue, it's time for Congress to do its part and get the job done," McCaul said in a statement.

In addition, the bill would authorize the federal government to reimburse states up to $35 million to use the National Guard in support of border security. Federal agents also would be prohibited from restricting CBP activities on federal land within 100 miles of the border. The bill would also create a Biometric Entry-Exit System at all air, land, and sea ports of entry to identify immigrants who overstay their visas.

Comment: There was so much ink spilled for and against Trump's campaign for a border wall. It's not a new idea.

Newsflash: Bill Clinton built a 325-mile border fence in 1993, Hillary fully supported it

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