Gangs of Darkness campaign to expose house raids
shiapost – 30 July, 2012

A new campaign, “Gangs of Darkness”, has been launched in Bahrain to highlight the daily house raids of regime forces against the people of Bahrain. Such attacks take place very late at night or early in the morning and include kidnappings, theft, confiscation and vandalism.

The opposition parties in Bahrain announced the launch of Gangs of Darkness in an attempt to reveal the inhumane and illegal acts by regime forces against the people, the breaking into homes, and theft of precious items without any legal consequences.

The opening of the campaign revealed that masked men, in the uniform of regime forces, are conducting these terrifying acts. The perpetrators come from different security and military units of the regime including national security, National Guard, army and Special Forces.

These attacks began 16 months ago as part of the early attacks on demonstrators in Lulu Roundabout and have continued since then. Despite various international condemnations and reports the violations have continued to take place. The BICI report mentioned how regime forces raided homes without allowing women the time to cover as well as pointing out the systematic attacks on the people and theft of household belongings in raids.

The estimation of the number of raids to have taken place since 14th February 2011 is well into the hundreds and there is not a day to go by without regime forces raiding people’s homes, attacking, detaining and citizens, showing no respect for people or the idea of safety in the home. …source

Bahrain : Public Prosecution Jail Two Children for 45 Days
30 July, 2012 – BCHR

Bahrain Center for Human Rights (BCHR) expresses its grave concern regarding the continuous arbitrary arrests and use of excessive force against civilians specially against children.

Ahmed Hilal, a 15 year old boy, according to his lawyer “Mohammed Al-Oraibi”, he was arrested from the village of Mussala during a disperse of a peaceful protest in Friday, 13th July 2012. Ahmed was walking home and saw a number of protestors being chased by riot police, unknowing the reason, he kept walking to be then arrested by the riot police. Ahmed have stated during the investigation at the Public Prosecution that he was beaten by the police while being arrested. Lawyer Al-Oraibi stated that in spite the lack of evidence against Ahmed, the public prosecution have order to jail him for 45 days for further investigation and he is being charged for “illegal gathering”.

Ali Al-Aradi, a 16 years old child, according to lawyer Al-Oraibi, he was arrested during a disperse of a peaceful protest called by the Political Societies in Friday, 13th July 2012. Ali have left his grandfather’s house heading to a car cleaning shop while police were chasing protesters. A police car was driving at him and he tried to avoid it and fell and then he got arrested. During the investigation at the Public Prosecution Ali have stated that he was beaten by the police during the arrest. Public prosecution charged him with “illegal gathering” and ordered to jail him for 45 days for further investigation. Both of the children Ahmed and Ali are put in adult jail facilities.[1]

It is not the first time the Bahraini government target children and arbitrary arrest them. on May 2012, child Ali Hassan, 11years old, was arrested and was put on trial.

Although the Bahraini government is a signatory of the convention on the rights of the chid, children are constantly being subjected to the police violence in their own neighbourhood’s by riot police.

On May 2012, the BCHR has reported another 2 cases of detention and ill-treatment of children below the age of 15 at police custody. Records show that the arrest and detention of children under the age of 18 for allegation of involvement in protest is a routine in Bahrain. At least three minors have received very harsh sentences of up to 15 years in prison by military court in 2011.

The BCHR demands the immediate release of 15-year-old Ahmed Hilal, 16-year-old Ali Al-Aradi and all other detained children who were arrested during the on-going protests in Bahrain, and to drop all falsified charges against them. We appeal to children’s rights organizations and the international community to call on the Bahraini authorities to stop violating children’s rights. …source

Saudi minister says Shia cleric ‘mentally ill’
30 July, 2012 – Al Akhbar

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Ahmed bin Abdul Aziz on Monday described prominent cleric Nimr al-Nimr, detained in the kingdom’s Eastern Province, as mentally ill, a statement likely to spark further protests in the country.

“Nimr Nimr is someone who stirs sedition…The way he speaks reflects a mental deficiency and imbalance,” Ahmed said at a press conference, according to a report by state news agency SPA.

Ahmed claimed that authorities do not discriminate against the family of Nimr, but warned that those affected by his “deviation” should be stopped.

“His wife works in immigration, and his sons and daughters have scholarships to study abroad. The government sent his wife to the United States for treatment when she suffered a malignant illness,” he said.

“Everything is available for him, just like others,” Prince Ahmed added.

Nimr remains in hospital after being seriously wounded during his violent arrest earlier this month in the restive district of Qatif in the Eastern Province.

His arrest sparked huge street protests, with at least three people killed as authorities sought to crush the unrest.

Saudi police on Friday again confronted demonstrators who marched in Qatif demanding the release of Nimr and other detainees, witnesses said, while the interior ministry announced arresting several people among “rioters.”

The district witnessed a spate of protests after an outbreak of violence between Shia pilgrims and religious police in the Muslim holy city of Medina in February last year.

The protests escalated when the kingdom led a force of Gulf troops into neighboring Bahrain the following month to help crush a pro-democracy uprising against the ruling monarchy.

Saudi Arabia is one of the most repressive dictatorships in the world, and the Shia minority often complain of discrimination in the mainly Sunni conservative kingdom. …source

U.S. Nonprofit Wins License to Supply Free Syrian Army
By davidswanson – – 28 July 2012 -by Barb Weir, Deliberation.info

“Subject to the terms and conditions set forth in the License, the Syrian Support Group, Inc. (the “Licensee”) may export, sell, or supply to the Free Syrian Army (“FSA”) financial, communications, logistical, and other services otherwise prohibited by Executive Order 13582 in order to support the FSA…”

According to Treasury License No. SY-2012-294747-1, dated 23 July 2012, the Syrian Support Group, Inc. (SSG) will be providing “otherwise prohibited” services to the Free Syrian Army (FSA) under the supervision of the Office of Terrorism Finance and Economic Sanctions Policy at the U.S. Department of State. The license was announced on the SSG website syriansupportgroup.org after a copy was leaked to the public. According to the website, the SSG “was formed to promote the establishment of a free, independent and democratic Syria” and “we advocate military intervention by any willing country to ensure saving lives…”

These developments are astounding. It is extraordinary that the U.S. State Department would even have an Office of Terrorism Finance and Economic Sanctions Policy. Usually, such places are called the Office of Humanitarian Liberation and Promotion of Prosperity Policy. We haven’t had that kind of honesty in government office titles since the Department of War was renamed, and our government should be commended for not hiding the financing of terrorism behind a cloak of euphemisms.

It is also an entirely new role for the military. Usually we think of doctors, fire departments and humanitarian agencies as saving lives, often in situations of military conflict. For military intervention to be tasked with saving lives rather than taking them is therefore also revolutionary, and we may hope that this daring experiment will succeed.

Finally, we are entitled to be astonished that the SSG would invite “any willing country” to join the military intervention in Syria. That could be quite an array. To date, Russia, the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Iran, Bahrain, Qatar, Jordan, China, Cuba, Venezuela, Libya and probably many more might qualify. If an invitation were extended to North Korea, I’m sure it would receive favorable consideration.

Indeed, the Syrian Support Group is blazing a new trail in uniting the militaries of all these countries in peaceful humanitarian efforts. The photos on their website of soldiers with weapons that they obviously have taken out of combat and intend to destroy are an inspiration to us all. …source

Bahrain sees fresh anti-govt. rallies
29 July, 2012 – PressTV

Bahraini protesters have taken to the streets again across the sheikdom, calling for an end to the reign of the ruling monarchy.

The anti-regime protesters rallied in several villages on Saturday, chanting slogans against the Al Khalifa regime.

The demonstrators also expressed solidarity with anti-regime protesters in neighboring Saudi Arabia and called for the immediate release of jailed Saudi cleric Sheikh Nemr al-Nemr.

Anti-government demonstrations continue across the country, despite crackdown by the Manama regime.

Bahrainis have been staging demonstrations since mid-February 2011, demanding political reform and the establishment of a constitutional monarchy, a plea that later changed to an outright call for the ouster of the ruling Al Khalifa family following its brutal crackdown on popular protests.

Bahraini demonstrators hold King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa responsible for the death of protesters during the uprising.

Meanwhile, Saudi anti-regime protesters held fresh demonstrations across Riyadh as well as the holy city of Mecca to protest against the arrest of political prisoners, including Sheikh al-Nemr. …source

Saudi anti-regime protesters stage rallies in Riyadh, Mecca
shiapost – 29 July, 2012

Saudi anti-regime protesters have held fresh demonstrations across Riyadh as well as the holy city of Mecca to protest against the arrest of political prisoners.

Chanting anti-regime slogans on Saturday, the angry protesters demanded the release of political prisoners and the downfall of the US-backed monarchy.

On Friday, Saudi security forces opened fire and injured several demonstrators in the eastern city of Qatif.

Similar demonstrations were also held against the regime in the village of Awamiyah and the city of Buraydah.

Tensions have been running high in Saudi Arabia’s oil-rich Eastern Province over the past weeks following the detention of Saudi Shia cleric Sheikh Nemr al-Nemr.

Sheikh Nemr was attacked, injured, and arrested by Saudi security forces, while driving from a farm to his house in the province’s Qatif region on July 8.

Since February 2011, protesters have held demonstrations on an almost regular basis in Saudi Arabia, mainly in the Qatif region and Awamiyah, also in the Eastern Province, primarily calling for the release of all political prisoners, freedom of expression and assembly, and an end to widespread discrimination.

However, the demonstrations have turned into protests against the Al Saud regime, especially since November 2011, when Saudi security forces killed five protesters and injured many others in the province.

According to Human Rights Watch, the Saudi regime “routinely represses expression critical of the government.” …source

Bahrain opens probes into police abuse allegations
29 July, 2012 – US News

MANAMA, Bahrain (AP) — Bahrain’s Interior Ministry says it is opening investigations into possible rights violations by police during crackdowns on opposition protesters.

The probes into possible police abuses are in line with recommendations last year by an independent commission that studied the Gulf nation’s Shiite majority’s uprising against the Sunni monarchy.

A statement Sunday says the Interior Ministry seeks to uphold “international standards” among its security forces in efforts to build trust after more than 17 months of protests and clashes.

Bahrain has said before that it will look into abuses but this is one of the most forcefully worded pledges.

More than 50 people have died in unrest since February 2011 in the strategic kingdom, which is home to the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet.
…source

Bahraini Delegation Attends Workshop in London
30 July, 2012 – Bahrian News

London-July29(BNA)A Bahraini Parliamentary delegation outlined the Kingdom’s landmark development, democratic and constitutional strides.

Led by Mp Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Mulla, the delegation projected the true image of Bahrain’s reform momentum.

The legislative delegation took part in the second day of the 10th workshop which brings together parliamentarians and academic figures.

Hull University Centre for Legislatives Studies is organizing the event at Wroxton College, Oxfordshire, under the auspices of the International Parliament Union (IPU).

The delegation outlined Bahrain’s landmark achievements in the sectors of health, education and housing – being constitutionally-guaranteed basic rights.

Mp. Ahmed Ibrahim Al-Mulla pointed out the recently endorsed constitutional amendments to meet people’s aspirations.

He paid tribute to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa for initiating a reform project which promoting the Kingdom’s fledgling democracy and projecting its status.

The delegation also included Mps Sawsan Taqawi and Mohammed Al-Emadi and Shura Council members Dr. Nasser Hameed Al-Mubarak, Dr Jehad Abdulla Al-Fadhel and Dr. Said Ahmed Abdulla. …source

Analyst: Bahrainis will continue revolution despite crackdown
30 July, 2012 – ABNA.co

Bahrainis will continue their revolution against the repressive regime of Al Khalifa despite the incessant crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.

Analyst: Bahrainis will continue revolution despite crackdownInterview with Ibrahim Mousawi, political analyst, Beirut about the cover up or lack of international concern on the human rights abuses toward the peoples’ revolution in Bahrain.

The other guest to this news analysis includes Bahraini political activist in London, Jaffar al-Hesabi. The following is an approximate transcription of the interview.

Q: Mainstream media are not pointing their camera lens in the direction of Bahrain, but on the other hand we see that they’re in full zoom focus when it comes to Syria. What is the difference – why do we see a vast difference in the way that various countries are being covered?

Mousawi: It’s very evident for everyone who watches what is really going on in the region that there is evident and clear double standards led by the Western governments and the so-called international community.

I would urge everybody to make reservation while using this abbreviation or this terminology ‘the international community’ because it does not represent those who we consider the international community, they do not represent the international community.

Now what is happening is that they are focusing or zooming in on Syria and not on Bahrain simply because the western governments i.e. the USA, Britain, the powerful capitals in the West they support the Bahraini regime and the Bahraini regime is their ally. That’s why they are turning a blind eye.

It’s not that they are turning a blind eye; I would say that the Western government along with the USA are responsible; they are equally responsible and they share the responsibility for all the suffering, the brutality and the torturing that is happening to the Bahrainis.

This is a very vivid and clear historical example about the inconsistency, the double standards and the hypocrisy of the Western governments.

Just to notify about what my colleague said from London, Mr. Jaffar Hesabi… It’s not true that the Bahraini government is misleading the international community. This so-called international community – and we mean by it the USA, Britain and France and other western governments, all those who follow the same axis – they know in detail what is happening there.

They have their embassies there; they can send any envoy or delegation to see what is really happening there; they know for sure what is really going on, but it is very evident that petroleum and oil is more important to them than the blood of the Bahraini people.

Q: When we look at what is referred to as the so-called international community and the inundation by the Western media on the airwaves and how lots of times even the images are created in dealing with certain countries and then images are never shown on others… and so many people seem to be influenced by what you called the so-called international community…

What is the answer then? What is the answer in order to get the truth to be shown that people all over the world realize the suffering that is taking place on the ground in Bahrain?

Mousawi: I would urge that we have to find a way in order to inform the public opinion, the international community, when we mean the government, the governments have their tools, their embassies, consulates and delegations and they know very well what is happening.

May be the public, the people – the ordinary people don’t know much about what is happening, they are being spoon fed by the bombardment of the media misleading them on Syria, Bahrain, on Palestine and different other place, we know about that very well.

We have to be creative as to form our own alternative media. Our people who are outside, the ambassadors who have sympathy towards the cause i.e. the cause of the Bahrainis, the journalists the students, we have to go to the internet and to the alternative media in order to make this word spread all over. …more

Bahraini police attack demonstrators, injure several
shiapost – 30 July, 2012

Bahraini security forces have attacked protesters who were holding demonstrations in the northeastern island of Sitra and several other villages to demand the downfall of the Al Khalifa regime.

The demonstrators took to the streets in Sitra on Sunday, chanting slogans against the ruling family.

They also called for a democratically-elected government.

Several protesters were injured when the security forces used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the demonstrations.

Last week, similar demonstrations were held in the village of Dair, located on the northern coast of the Muharraq Island, and the northwestern village of Diraz.

Anti-regime protests in Bahrain continue despite the heavy-handed crackdown by the regime.

Bahraini demonstrators hold King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa responsible for the killing of the protesters during the uprising that began in February 2011. …source

Turkish military convoy heads for Syrian border:reports
30 July, 2012 – Reuters – The DailyStar

ANTAKYA: Turkey sent a convoy of about 20 vehicles carrying troops, missile batteries and armoured vehicles to the border with Syria on Monday amid growing concern in Turkey about security on its southern frontier, news reports and witnesses said.

It was the latest in a series of deployments in the region in recent weeks. There has been no indication that Turkish forces will cross the border, and the troop movements may be strictly precautionary in the face of spiralling violence in Syria.

The convoy left a base in Gaziantep province to head south to Kilis province, where the troops will stay, the state-run Anatolian news agency said.

Witnesses said the troops and vehicles had left a major highway and were now stationed along a fenced-off section on the frontier with Syria.

Television footage from Dogan News Agency showed at least six armoured vehicles atop trucks traveling along an asphalt road. Buses and covered trucks that appeared to be personnel carriers were also in the convoy.

Turkey, a member of NATO, in recent months has conducted a number of troop deployments along its 911-km (566 mile) border with Syria, which is in the throes of an insurgency seeking to topple President Bashar al-Assad.

Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, a former Assad ally, is now among his most vocal critics, calling for him to step down from power amid the 16-month uprising that has killed thousands of Syrian civilians.

Tensions between the neighbours hit a peak on June 22, when Syrian forces shot down a Turkish military reconnaissance aircraft, killing two pilots.
…more

Syrian rebels seek power in transition
30 July, 2012 – AL Akhbar

Syrian rebels on Monday distributed a “national salvation draft” proposal for a political transition in the country that would controversially include military figures in any transition should President Bashar al-Assad fall.

The joint command of the Free Syrian army (FSA) said in a statement the draft “meets all the requirements of the revolution.”

The document demands “the establishment of a supreme higher defense council whose first mission will be creating a presidential council of six military and civil leaders to run the state in the next transitional stage,” the statement said.

The council would include all leaders of military councils in Syrian cities and provinces as well as defected military officers who contributed to the revolution, it said.

The call has raised concerns that Syria’s armed rebels will seek to consolidate power in the event of Assad’s fall, and undermine any attempt to a transition to civilian rule, akin to Egypt’s ruling military.

Among the proposed presidential council’s responsibilities would be “to put forward draft laws for referendum and (…) to restructure the security and military apparatus,” the statement said.

The draft, which was the result of extensive deliberations, also proposed “the establishment of the Supreme National Council for the Protection of the Syrian Revolution…as a parliamentary institution to monitor the work of executive agencies.”

The statement called on the Syrian National Council council as well as all other political forces to participate in the “making of the new institutions” after Assad’s fall.

The statement declared that “any government that emerges from unreliable sources will not see the light of day and will not have any national or revolutionary legitimacy, if it does not adopt the revolution’s full demands untouched.”

Human Rights Watch has previously said that Syrian rebels, many of whom operate outside of a central command, have been carrying out human rights abuses in the armed uprising against President Assad. …more

American Author: US Is Rotting From the Inside
Local Editor – 27 July, 2012 – moqowama.org

An American analyst says while Washington readily “squanders blood and treasure” in its so-called war on terror overseas, gun crime and poor healthcare threaten the United States within its own borders.

“The shooting in Aurora is indicative of a particular national sickness – a fetishization of guns and propensity for spectacular violence. But the response (or lack thereof) to this latest American tragedy speaks to something else: a national denial about that which really threatens us,” Michael Cohen wrote in an article posted on The Guardian website.
“This is a depressingly familiar tale of modern American life – the massacre of innocent people with guns and ammunition legally acquired with relative ease. Unfortunately, while such mass killings are all too prevalent, so too is the muted response of policymakers,” Cohen said.

He said as the US liberals and conservatives continue to wrangle over policies, some of “the weakest gun control laws in the developed world” remain in place.
“Now imagine this scenario with a different protagonist. Imagine if the killer was … trained in the wilds of Pakistan’s FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) region, or Yemen. … How would the reaction to this crime differ? It’s not hard to imagine at all.”
“For example, after the so-called underwear bomber failed to blow up an American plane in December 2009, the US ramped up its drone operations against al-Qaeda in Yemen.”

“Or go further back to September 11: 3,000 Americans were killed in the worst terrorist attack in American history. In response, the US spent more than USD three trillion in direct and indirect costs. In addition, subsequent invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq led to more Americans being killed or maimed than died on 11 September itself,” Cohen added.

He said the larger point here is that the US political leaders activated resources to deal with the “perceived threat that came from terrorism” – military and intelligence budgets were significantly increased; foreign wars were started; homeland security was tightened up.
“In short, even as the obvious threat from terrorism has decreased, the US continues to squander blood and treasure in fighting it,” Cohen said.
“From 2000 to 2006 – a time when the war on terrorism was operating at full speed – 137,000 Americans died prematurely because they didn’t have health insurance,” Cohen said.

“The vast majority of Americans die from one of four ailments: cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease. Each of these is primarily caused by risk factors that are quite preventable: smoking, diet, lack of physical activity and alcohol.”

He said the situation is the result of “the failures of not just the country’s political leaders, but also its political system,” or perhaps it is simply a refusal by Americans to realize their own limitations and faults as a nation.
Cohen concluded that the US is rotting from the inside because it has yet to come to grips with its own domestic maladies.” …source

Gamma Says No Spyware Sold to Bahrain; May Be Stolen Copy
By Vernon Silver – 27 July, 2012 – Bloomberg

Gamma International GmbH’s managing director said his company didn’t sell its FinFisher spyware to Bahrain, responding to research that showed activists from the Persian Gulf kingdom were targeted by what looked like the software, which can secretly monitor computers.

The Munich-based executive, Martin J. Muench, said he’s investigating whether the malicious software sent to activists was a demonstration copy of the product stolen from Gamma and used without permission.
Enlarge image Morgan Marquis-Boire

University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs’ Citizen Lab security researcher Morgan Marquis-Boire. Photographer: Jacob Kepler/Bloomberg

“As you know we don’t normally discuss our clients but given this unique situation it’s only fair to say that Gamma has never sold their products to Bahrain,” Muench said in an e-mail today.

He was responding for the first time to a July 25 report by Bloomberg News that said researchers believe they’ve identified copies of FinFisher, based on an examination of the malware e- mailed to Bahraini activists. Their research, published the same day by the University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs’ Citizen Lab, was based on e-mails obtained by Bloomberg News.

Muench said his company can’t yet confirm whether the software analyzed by Citizen Lab is Gamma’s product.
FinFisher Portfolio

Gamma International GmbH in Germany is part of U.K.-based Gamma Group. The group also markets FinFisher through Andover, England-based Gamma International UK Ltd. Muench, 30, leads the FinFisher product portfolio.

The Citizen Lab research linked the malware sent to pro- democracy activists to FinSpy, part of the FinFisher spyware tool kit. It can secretly take remote control of a computer, copying files, intercepting Skype calls and logging every keystroke.

Based on details published by Citizen Lab, “it is unlikely that it was an installed system used by one of our clients but rather that a copy of an old FinSpy demo version was made during a presentation and that this copy was modified and then used elsewhere,” Muench wrote in his e-mail.

“The modification meant that there was no message sent to our server when the demo product was used against a real target,” he said. An unaltered demo would have sent a message to Gamma, and the company would have been able to deactivate that copy of the software, he said.

“I can speculate that probably the demonstration version may have been stolen using a flash drive but I have no evidence to support this,” Muench said. He added that Gamma will tighten its security during presentations.

The Citizen Lab research showed the malware took screen shots, intercepted voice-over-Internet calls and transmitted a record of every keystroke to a computer in Manama, the capital of Bahrain, which has been gripped by tension since a government crackdown on protests last year.

Muench said the transmissions to Bahrain don’t mean the computer ultimately receiving the data is in that country.

“It could simply be a proxy server, which most of our clients setup around the world to anonymize the created network traffic,” he said.

He said in the e-mail that Gamma complies with the export regulations of the U.K., U.S. and Germany. …source

The US has more guns per person than any other country in the world. The Small Arms Survey estimated that in 2007, there were 88 guns owned for every 100 Americans.

All mentioned figures come from a Small Arms Survey report published in 2007.

Scientists: More Guns Don’t Enhance Penis Size or Usefulness
William K. Wolfrum blog

This man has a very sad penisSWEDEN – After a full decade of research, a team of Swedish scientists has confirmed that no matter how many guns a man owns, his penis will remain small and insignificant.

“Ve look at ze mens wit ze guns and ve look at ze penis of zeese mens,” said Dr. Sven Svenenberg of the Svenlandia Institute. “Itz veery zad. Ze penis is so wee.”

The research looked at 300 average American men who owned multiple guns. Those 300 were then weighed, measure, and found wanting. Following that, the men were then encouraged to buy even more guns over the next year. They were then were then weighed and measured again, and found wanting even more.

“Ze penis iz so wee, still,” said Dr. Svenenberg in an accent that no one could really identify. “Iz almozt of no uze. Like a wee pinkie toe.”

American scientist Tim Johnson said the research proved what has long been suspected – that owning guns for hunting and self-protection is generally a lie and that most men buy guns because they feel it will be an extension of their manhood.

“We’ve known this all along. We call it the ‘Glenn Beck Effect,'” said Johnson from his home office in Tupelo, Miss. “Not long ago, a Wikileaks document emerged showing a naked picture of Beck. Dude’s hung like a pimple on a pimple. Then all of a sudden you start seeing the guy show up holding guns.”

Still, some have called the research misleading. Ron Schmeits, President of the NRA said that the problem was that the men in the research sample were not encouraged to buy enough guns.

“These small men will get larger if they own more guns,” said Schmeits, handing out checks to Republican congressmen on the steps of the nation’s capital. “They need pistols and shotguns and guns that have guns attached to them and guns that shoot guns. That will fix them right up.”

But Dr. Svenenberg stood by his research.

“Zey are so wee, it’z almozt to make me to laugh,” said Dr. Svenenberg. “But no. I don’t to laugh. Iz zad. Zo veery zad.” …source

Russia slammed the US for ‘justifying terrorism’ in Syria while according to one US intelligence estimate, as many as a quarter of the 300 rebel groups in Syria may be fighting under the banner of al-Qaeda, says Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Al-Qaeda Infiltrating Syrian Opposition, With US Support
by John Glaser, 25 July, 2012 – Antiwar.com

Al-Qaeda militants and other Sunni extremists are becoming a greater and greater part of the conflict in Syria, just as the US officially announced it was abandoning any pretense of a diplomatic approach in favor of toppling the regime through proxy rebel groups.

“The evidence is mounting that Syria has become a magnet for Sunni extremists, including those operating under the banner of Al Qaeda,” reports the New York Times. “The presence of jihadists in Syria has accelerated in recent days in part because of a convergence with the sectarian tensions across the country’s long border in Iraq.”

According to one US intelligence estimate, as many as a quarter of the 300 rebel groups in Syria may be fighting under the banner of al-Qaeda, says Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.

Strangely, the fact that Washington, in cooperation with its allies, is now sending communication gear, military intelligence, and weapons to militias in Syria with considerable – and growing – ties to al-Qaeda has not made the Obama administration blink.

Russia on Wednesday criticized the US for not condemning the July 18 bombing in Damascus, which they called an act of terrorism. ”This is directly justifying terrorism. How can this be understood?” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

“In other words, to say it in plain Russian, this means ‘we (the United States) will continue to support such terrorist acts for as long as the UN Security Council has not done what we want’,” Lavrov added.

The CIA is supposedly employing a “vetting process” to avoid having the aid get into the hands of Islamic extremists, but the process is made up of untrustworthy, third-party sources and intelligence officials have recently told the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times that the truth is that the US doesn’t know who is getting the money and weapons.

Apparently, even arming and strengthening al-Qaeda isn’t enough to disrupt Washington’s plan to change the regime in Syria, in order to eliminate Iran’s main ally in the Middle East and to gain an even stronger foothold in the region.

But extremist infiltration of the Syrian opposition carries other problems. The Obama administration runs the risk of helping to bring these extremists to power if and when the Assad regime finally does collapse. Moreover, as happened in Afghanistan after the US proxy war there with the mujihadeens, the potential for deadly blowback is very real. …more

Following the systematic elimination of the Al-Qadea leadership that wrestled control of Al-Qadea away from the US Intelligence Agencies, the US has embarked in a intense redeployment of Al-Qaeda through-out MENA as an key component in fighting its “democracy wars”. All the while the US conveniently uses Al-Qaeda’s “anti-western terrorist reputation” to provoke fear in the Western Public in help facilitate public support of its strategic aims of expanded hegemonic domination of MENA. – Phlipn

US Openly helping Al-Qaeda Terrorists infiltrate Syrian rebels
27 July, 2012 – JNN

JNN 27 July 2012 Damascus : The United States Helping Al-Qaeda militants and other Wahabi terrorists in Syria to help the country’s armed rebels overthrow the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

“The evidence is mounting that Syria has become a magnet for Wahabi extremists, including those operating under the banner of al-Qaeda,” the website Antiwar Website cited a New York Times report as saying.

The article attributed the escalating presence of militants in Syria over the past days to “a convergence with the sectarian tensions across the country’s long border with Iraq.”

According to chairman of the US House Intelligence Committee Rep. Mike Rogers, as many as a quarter of the many rebel groups in Syria see themselves as al-Qaeda offshoots.

The growing al-Qaeda presence seems to disturb neither Washington, nor its allies in their decision to send communication gear, military intelligence, and arms to militias in Syria.

Washington’s silence on the July 18 bombing in Damascus drew sharp criticism from Moscow, where Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov blamed the US for “directly justifying terrorism.”

“In other words, to say it in plain Russian, this means ‘we (the United States) will continue to support such terrorist acts for as long as the UN Security Council has not done what we want’,” Lavrov said on Wednesday.

US intelligence officials have revealed CIA’s chicanery in its so-called “vetting process,” which is to safeguard the aid for Syrian rebels fall into the hands of extremists.

The process involved unreliable, third-party sources and that the truth is that the US is least informed on the identity and motivations of the people receiving the money and weapons, the officials admitted.

The support for al-Qaeda and other terror cells in Syria is feared to throw the militants into power and give them a staunch stronghold if the US-led campaign managed to finally topple the Assad government.

The German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) has revealed that al-Qaeda is responsible for numerous terrorist attacks in Syria, including the Houla massacre.

The BND estimates that al-Qaeda has carried out “about 90 terrorist attacks” in Syria between late last December and early July, German daily Die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitungwrote in an article on July 16.

The revelation was made public by the German government in response to a parliamentary question.

The German government also confirmed that it had received numerous reports from the BND on al-Qaeda’s involvement in the May 25 massacre in the Syrian town of Houla in the central province of Homs, in which 108 people, including dozens of children and women, were killed execution-style.

However, the German government stated that the reports were supposed to remain classified “by reason of national interest.”

The West and the Syrian opposition blamed the Syrian government for the carnage, but a Syrian government-appointed fact-finding mission had said that armed groups had carried out the massacre to frame the government and foment sectarian strife.

The intelligence reports raise several questions about the terrorist nature of the self-proclaimed Free Syrian Army, and even more so about the fact that many of the armed terrorists, killed in clashes with Syrian security forces, carried foreign passports.

On Thursday, The New York Times published an article, stating that “the evidence is mounting that Syria has become a magnet for Wahabi extremists, including those operating under the banner of al-Qaeda.”

Syria has been the scene of violence by armed groups since March 2011. The violence has claimed the lives of hundreds of people, including many security forces.

Damascus blames “outlaws, saboteurs, and armed terrorist groups” for the unrest, asserting that it is being orchestrated from abroad. The West and the Syrian opposition accuse the government of killing the protesters. …more

STRATFOR: An Iranian Opportunity in Bahraini and Saudi Protests
26 July, 2012 – Friction Facts

Low-level anti-government protests in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province have continued sporadically since February 2011. But the July 8 arrest of a prominent Shiite cleric has led to an increase in demonstrations and a return to the promotion of aggressive protest tactics. There appear to be similarities between those tactics and tactics used by the more violent Shiite opposition factions nearby in the Sunni-dominated island nation of Bahrain, possibly indicating that protest groups in the two countries have increased coordination.

Such cooperation would be notable for both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. But the possibility that Iran is playing a role in the intensifying protests is more important. Threatened by the teetering regime in Syria, Tehran is looking for ways to demonstrate that it still is capable of sparking instability in strategic places. Saudi Arabia and Bahrain would be ideal locations for such a display.

Analysis

Improvised incendiary devices such as Molotov cocktails were first used against Saudi security forces in demonstrations in Eastern Province in October 2011, during which unknown gunmen reportedly shot at security forces. However, since March 2012, protests have been infrequent (there have been only a few reported demonstrations each month), and the use of violence against authorities has declined.
Increasing Violence

This dynamic changed July 8 with the arrest of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a prominent Shiite cleric. Three days later, 37 Shiite clerics in Eastern Province signed a joint statement calling for the government to end sectarian discrimination and to implement significant reforms. In light of the spiraling events in Syria, the timing of al-Nimr’s arrest suggests that it was likely an attempt by Riyadh to pre-empt any possible Iranian move to exploit Shiite unrest in Saudi Arabia. But the move backfired, resulting in near-daily protests, fires set in the streets, and renewed use of improvised incendiary devices against security forces.

More concerning for the Saudi government, the Shiite opposition in Eastern Province have used social media to spread digital flyers promoting violence, mimicking a campaign by one of Bahrain’s most violent opposition groups. The flyers promote the use of Molotov cocktails against security patrols and the setting of large fires in the streets to block the movements of soldiers and armored vehicles. Bahrain’s February 14 Movement distributed flyers with a similar graphic design and message in January 2012. The February 14 Movement later began constructing pipe bombs and conducting widespread arson attacks.

The Saudi opposition could be merely observing and copying its counterparts in Bahrain, but it is more likely that the groups are cooperating. Saudi opposition groups have advertised planned demonstrations and activities organized by the February 14 Movement and have even held sit-ins in solidarity with Bahraini protesters. Similarly, the February 14 Movement staged daily rallies in Bahrain during the week of July 15 in support of the Eastern Province protesters. The exchange of support and expertise about protest tactics between the groups could lead each to stage more aggressive, more organized demonstrations.
An Iranian Role?

The bigger question is whether Tehran is helping facilitate the protests in these strategically significant countries. Since the beginning of the unrest in Saudi Arabia, Riyadh has accused Iran of interfering and encouraging Shiite opposition groups in both Bahrain and Eastern Province. The extent of Iran’s leverage among Shia in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia is still unclear, but at least in Bahrain, many prominent Shiite clerics have long-time connections to Iranian clerics.

In June, the Bahraini government disbanded the opposition group Amal for allegedly inciting violence. A month later, a Bahraini National Security Agency officer said in court that Iraqi Shiite cleric Sayed Hadi Ahmed al-Madrasi had instructed Bahrainis to take up arms against the al-Khalifa government. Al-Madrasi is the leader of the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain, which gave birth to Amal, and he led an Iranian-backed coup attempt against the Bahraini leadership in 1981. In 1985, al-Madrasi allegedly helped establish Bahrain’s most prominent underground militant organization, Bahraini Hezbollah, which is believed to coordinate with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force. Given al-Madrasi’s ties to Iran and Amal, as well as Amal’s alleged role in the violent demonstrations, Bahrain is particularly important to watch to gauge Iranian influence on the protests.

The weakening of the regime of Syrian President Bashar al Assad is a setback for Iran’s regional ambitions. The Saudis and Qataris have been at the forefront of the overt foreign campaign to undermine al Assad’s regime. Riyadh and Doha hoped to minimize Iran’s role in the region. In response, Tehran can be expected to utilize whatever levers of influence it has in Eastern Province and Bahrain. Thus, the levels of unrest and the adoption of violent tactics — or lack thereof — in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain could demonstrate the magnitude of Iran’s influence in these areas.

ref: STRATFOR …source

Russia: Assad resignation calls blocking peace
26 July, 2012 -Al Akhbar

Demands that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad quit power are blocking efforts to end the 16-month-old conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on Thursday.

Lavrov said such calls – made by the United States, several European and Arab governments and Turkey – were fanning the flames of violence and reiterated Moscow’s claim that support for Syrian rebel groups was tantamount to backing terrorism.

“We propose things that would allow for an immediate ceasefire, but the other side says, ‘No, either the regime capitulates or we will continue to back…the opposition’s armed fight’, justifying terrorist acts,” Lavrov said.

“As long as such support continues, what kind of humanitarian action can we talk about? – including the initiatives of those who will not allow this fire to die down, but instead are fanning it,” he told a joint briefing with Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic in Moscow.

Russia and China have been engaged in a war of words with Western states after they vetoed a fresh UN Security Council resolution earlier this month.

Western states said the resolution was intended to increase pressure on Assad to end the violence sparked by a government crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, but Russia said it could be used as an excuse for foreign intervention.

Moscow retaliated this week, accusing the United States on Wednesday of trying to justify terrorism against the Syrian government.

The claim raised tensions surrounding a diplomatic spat in the UN Security Council, pitting Russia and China against their permanent veto-wielding counterparts the United States, Britain and France. Washington has said it will seek ways to tackle the crisis in Syria outside the world body.

Moscow has repeatedly criticized Western nations for encouraging Assad’s foes and said they must put more pressure on rebels to stop the violence in Syria, warning that some of those fighting government forces are extremist militants.

Russia says its rejection of sanctions is not driven by support for Assad but by a conviction that Syrians must decide their own fate. …source

A divide regarding Syria is gradually emerging between the German government on one side, its army and press on the other. While the Chancellor has been actively lining up her country behind Western schemes, German intelligence agencies and the press have slammed the anti-Assad propaganda and the impunity of the crimes committed by the opposition.

German Intelligence: “al-Qaeda” All Over Syria
by John Rosenthal – Voltaire Network -26 July, 2012

German intelligence estimates that “around 90” terror attacks that “can be attributed to organizations that are close to al-Qaeda or jihadist groups” were carried out in Syria between the end of December and the beginning of July, as reported by the German daily Die Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ). This was revealed by the German government in a response to a parliamentary question.

In response to the same question, the German government admitted that it had received several reports from the German foreign intelligence service, the BND, on the May 25 massacre in the Syrian town of Houla. But it noted that the content of these reports was to remain classified “by reason of national interest.” Like many other Western governments, Germany expelled Syria’s ambassador in the immediate aftermath of the massacre, holding the Syrian government responsible for the violence.

Meanwhile, at least three major German newspapers – Die Welt, the FAZ, and the mass-market tabloid Bild – have published reports attributing responsibility for the massacre to anti-government rebel forces or treating this as the most probable scenario. …more

The appointment of Prince Bandar bin Sultan as head of Saudi Arabia’s principal intelligence service is seen as a shift toward a more aggressive foreign policy.

New Saudi spymaster marks shift in policy
26 July, 2012 – UPI

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, July 26 (UPI) — The appointment of Prince Bandar bin Sultan as the head of Saudi Arabia’s principal intelligence service is widely seen as a shift toward a more aggressive foreign policy as the kingdom struggles with challenges from Iran and Syria.

King Abdallah named Bandar, a veteran of the Middle East’s intrigues and Saudi Arabia’s ambassador in Washington in 1983-2005, in a surprise July 19 command change at the General Intelligence Presidency, the kingdom’s foreign intelligence agency.

Bandar, Abdallah’s nephew, replaces Prince Muqrin bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, the king’s half-brother and Bandar’s half-uncle who was widely seen as one of the monarch’s closest advisers.

Abdullah appointed Muqrin in 2005 to replace Prince Nawaf bin Abdulaziz. Muqrin, who had lived in relative obscurity until he took over the GIP, had come under considerable domestic criticism of late because of what is seen as a poor performance in handling the complexities of the surge of pro-democracy uprisings across the Arab world that the House of Saud has sought to keep at arm’s length.

The civil war in Syria, whose Alawite regime Saudi Arabia’s Sunny monarchy has long plotted against, and the prospect of a war with Shiite Iran over its reported drive to acquire nuclear weapons, preoccupy Riyadh while, Abdallah, Canute-like, strives to keep the democratic wave from breaking on its shores.

Saudi Arabia now “has the opportunity to regain its leading role” in the region after it “subsided in favor of Iran and Turkey following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the U.S. invasion of Iraq,” in 2003, observed political analyst Abdullah al-Shummari. …more