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Jet3

Families of Mali's military hostages killed in French airstrike look for answers


RT
Tue, 23 Jan 2018 04:39 UTC
Mali troops
© Press TVMali Troops
The French government has never officially accepted responsibility for the deaths of 11 Malian soldiers in an October 2017 airstrike. Their distraught families, meanwhile, have yet to find closure or bury their dead.

Boubacar Kante was one of the soldiers kidnapped in northern Mali between July 2016 and March 2017. He was subsequently killed in an airstrike which targeted Islamist militants from Jamaah Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) on October 23 - less than a month after the terrorist group posted a video of the detainees. The French Foreign Ministry confirmed the airstrike, but denied any collateral damage, including civilians and hostages. It described such claims as "propaganda coming from an armed terrorist group."

Kante's family, who are yet to receive a conclusive answer about his fate, shared their anguish with the Ruptly news agency.
"On July 17, 2016, he was taken prisoner in the Nampala attack. There were people dead, people wounded and people missing. Boubacar is one of the missing. France says no, it's not true. So who is right? Is it France that is there? Mali is not there. What can we say? Nothing. France says that at the time of the operations there were no hostages there, that is what I heard from RFI [Radio France International]. But afterwards, Boubacar's supervisor phoned me to tell me that they have no information in relation to the situation. After checking, they found no clue as to whether Boubacar is dead or not. It was denied."

Comment: See also: President of Mali answers Macron's plea for 'applause' of French military: 'Your soldiers, not jihadis, killed my men in military raid'

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Attention

US citizen fatalities, injuries in Kabul hotel attack


RT
Tue, 23 Jan 2018 13:55 UTC
Afghan policeman
© Waklir Kohsar / AFPPoliceman on watch at Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan
American citizens were killed and injured in the attack on the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Saturday, according to a State Department official. "We can confirm that there were US citizen fatalities and injuries," a US official said, as quoted by AFP. He did not specify how many Americans were involved.

The State Department says the United States is sending "deepest condolences" to the families and friends of those killed, and wishing a speedy recovery to those wounded, Reuters reported.

The attack occurred when gunmen burst into the hotel on Saturday night, opening fire on guests and staff members and taking dozens of people hostage. The incident led to a 12-hour standoff with police, with all of the attackers ultimately being shot dead by authorities. Desperate hostages were seen using bedsheets to shimmy to the ground from their balconies during the standoff.

Afghanistan's Interior Ministry said on Sunday that 18 people had been killed in the incident, including 14 foreigners. Six of the foreigners were Ukrainian citizens, according to Kiev. Eleven of those killed reportedly worked for KamAir, a private Afghan airline.

Comment: See also:

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Mr. Potato

Schumer caves on shutdown, leftists lose their minds

Katie Pavlich
Townhall
Tue, 23 Jan 2018 07:00 UTC
Chuck Schumer
It's been nearly 24 hours since Minority Leader Chuck Schumer got Democrats in line to end the #SchumerShutdown. It was the right thing to do but leftists, who Schumer usually sides with, are absolutely enraged by the cave.

ACLU:
"Enough is enough. We cannot rely on empty promises from those who have already proven to play politics with the lives of Dreamers. Today, Republicans - and too many Democrats - in Congress betrayed our American values and allowed bigotry and fear to prevail. But too many lives are on the line and too much is at stake to give up on this fight. Let it be known - we will be watching, and will make sure voters this November know if their representatives stood for Dreamers or for their deportation."

Comment: See also:

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Gear

Man who committed attack against London Muslims obsessed with Islam, contacted far right leaders


RT
Tue, 23 Jan 2018 18:58 UTC
Stephen Yaxley-Lennon Tommy Robinson
© AFPStephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson, the co-founder, spokesman and leader of the English Defence League
A man accused of driving a van into a crowd of Muslims near a London mosque received direct Twitter messages from British far-right figures Tommy Robinson and Jayda Fransen in the weeks leading up to the attack, a court has heard.

Darren Osborne, 48, from Cardiff, denies deliberately mowing down 51-year-old Makram Ali, who died from his injuries, and nine other people shortly after 12.15am on June 19 last year. He is charged with terrorism-related murder and attempted murder. The case is being heard at Woolwich Crown Court this week.

The court heard that Osborne became "obsessed" with Islam and the Rochdale grooming scandal after watching a BBC TV drama. He is said to have believed that all Muslims were rapists and belonged to pedophile gangs.

Comment: The implication here is that these far right leaders were somehow influential or involved in the attack on Muslims at the London mosque. It's basic guilt by association, yet it's pretty obvious Osborne contacted them rather than the other way around. While these groups aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, there's no reason at this point to assume any direct connections with the attack.

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Laptop

Brits laugh off crazed General's anti-Russian hysteria, saying they wish Putin ran their country

Inessa Sinchougova (translator)
Fort Russ
Tue, 23 Jan 2018 18:23 UTC
General Nicholas Carter
The head of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Great Britain, General Nicholas Carter, suggested that Russia could begin "hostile actions" suddenly and in such a way that no one expects. According to Carter, Moscow's possible aggression may be directed against the security infrastructure in Europe, and its goal may also be to undermine the credibility of NATO.
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Heart - Black

Unarmed high school athlete killed by police as he backed out of his own driveway

Matt Agorist
The Free Thought Project
Tue, 23 Jan 2018 16:55 UTC
John Albers
A family grieving and a town left in shock after police responded to a welfare check of a beloved high school student Saturday afternoon-and killed him. Blue Valley Northwest High School junior John Albers was unarmed and backing out of his garage when an Overland Park Police Officer opened fire on him, killing him on the spot.

The incident happened on Saturday but the dispatch recordings were released Monday night which paint a picture of what happened. The most crucial part of the picture, however, is missing, and that is why the officer felt the need to kill the 17-year-old wrestling and track star.

Naturally, the officer is claiming that he feared for his life as the teen backed out of the garage, so he had no other choice but to kill him. Apparently, stepping sideways was not an option.

Police said that "as the responding officers approached the residence to make contact, the garage door opened and a vehicle exited the garage, moving rapidly toward one of the responding officers. The officer discharged his service weapon striking the male driver," the statement said. "The driver died at the scene."
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Evil Rays

Los Angeles teacher stripped naked on elementary school playground and chased nearby students


CBS Los Angeles
Tue, 23 Jan 2018 18:56 UTC
Los Angeles teacher naked
A physical education teacher at Carthay Center Elementary School outraged parents and upset students when he stripped naked on campus Friday and proceeded to chase nearby second-graders and fifth-graders.

"He was supposed to be helping them learn P.E., run around and have fun," one parent told CBS2's Adrianna Weingold. "But he undressed and started chasing the kids while he was naked, and then the kids ducked and dodged, ran into some of the classrooms and got safe haven that way."

A video taken by a construction worker passing by captured the unidentified teacher putting his pants back on in the middle of the playground.

Parents were notified of the incident via robocall as well as a letter that was sent home with students.
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2 + 2 = 4

Military intelligence unit to enter Israeli high school curriculums in search of recruits

Jonathan Ofir
Mondoweiss
Tue, 23 Jan 2018 18:27 UTC
Israeli soldiers Unit 8200
© Moti Milrod/HaaretzSoldiers of Unit 8200.
Israeli military intelligence unit 8200 plans to enter Israeli high school curriculums, as announced by the Israeli outlet 'Calcalist'.

"The elite unit that is losing manpower which goes to industry and high-tech, wants to attract and train students in order to incorporate them in the intelligence and security bodies. The students would be able to obtain credit points during the project, valid towards a university degree", the article (Hebrew) by Yoav Stoler tells us.

Unit 8200 is not just any unit. It spies within Israel, outside it, and on occupied territories. In September 2014, 43 reserve soldiers of the unit signed a protest letter, saying they "refused to take part in actions against Palestinians and refuse to be a tool for the deepening of the military regime in the occupied territories".

"During our military service we learned that intelligence is an inseparable part of military rule in the Territories. The Palestinian population, living under a military regime, is completely exposed to spying and surveillance of Israeli intelligence. As opposed to Israeli citizens and citizens of other nations, there is no supervision of methods of gathering, tracking or using intelligence information related to the Palestinians, whether they are involved in violence or not. Information gathered damages the innocent and is used for political persecution and creating divisions within Palestinian society through recruitment of collaborators and turning of Palestinian society against itself", they wrote in their letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, Head of Military intelligence and Commander of Unit 8200.
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Attention

Paris prosecutor: France faces 'very high' terrorism risk


RT
Tue, 23 Jan 2018 19:18 UTC
French policemen
© Christian Hartmann / ReutersFrench police secure the site near the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, France
The terrorist threat in France remains "very high," according to the Paris public prosecutor. He said the threat used to come from the outside, but is currently rooted "within" the country, making the fight against it even harder.

This change is driven by "the disintegration of the caliphate, due to the military situation in Iraq and Syria," Prosecutor Francois Molins told European broadcaster RTL. "This is why Daesh (an alternative name for Islamic State) tells its fighters: 'Do not join us, stay at home, and commit terrorist acts on your national territories.'"

Fewer and fewer French jihadists want to visit Iraq and Syria, Molins said. And yet, it's hard for law enforcement officials to track down "people not previously known to the intelligence services."
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Megaphone

Nassar victim Aly Raisman slams US Olympic Committee not acknowledging role in sex assault scandal


RT
Tue, 23 Jan 2018 17:02 UTC
Aly Raisman
© Brendan McDermid / ReutersAly Raisman
US gymnast Aly Raisman, one of the alleged sexual abuse victims of team doctor Larry Nassar, slammed the US Olympic Committee (USOC) for not acknowledging their role in the scandal.

Raisman, who represented the US squad in two Olympic tournaments - in 2012 and 2016 - in which she earned three gold medals, has posted a lengthy statement on Twitter, condemning the USOC for not addressing the issue, which affected hundreds of gymnasts treated by Nassar.

"For the past week, survivors came forward to courageously face a perpetrator of evil and to share their painful stories," Raisman wrote, regarding the victims' statements at Nassar's sentencing hearing, in which the gymnasts detailed the abuse they suffered at the hands of the former team doctor - a position he held for more than 20 years.

"Many of them, myself included, claim the USOC is also at fault. Was the USOC there to 'focus on supporting the brave survivors'? No. Did they issue any statement then? Crickets," she said.
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