Wednesday, December 02, 2015
Gruesome details revealed about 1972 Munich massacre
The murders of 11 Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich has long been engraved in Israel's national memory. But new details revealed by The New York Times on Tuesday reveal a level of barbarity by the terrorists previously unknown by the public.Daily Mirror refers to #Israeli victims of Munich Massacre as “terrorists” (UPDATE)
The details come from interviews given by two of the athletes' widows, Ilana Romano and Ankie Spitzer, ahead of the release of the documentary film "Munich 1972 & Beyond" early next year.
The attack began early on Sept. 5, 1972, when eight Black September terrorists entered the Olympic Village and seized apartments where Israeli athletes were sleeping. Two Israelis were killed during the hostage-taking, while nine others were taken captive.
Weightlifter Yossef Romano was one of the athletes killed during the hostage-taking.
"What they did is that they cut off his genitals through his underwear and abused him," said his widow, Ilana Romano. "Can you imagine the nine others sitting around tied up? They watched this."
The nine other hostages were killed 20 hours later during a failed rescue attempt.
Is this merely an “editing error”, or does this British tabloid really think that the Israeli athletes brutally murdered by Palestinians during 1972 Olympics were “terrorists”? Here’s the strap line in an article published today.PMW: PA school honors two terrorist stabbers with tennis tournament in their names
They also used the term in the opening passage:
Note also, how the Israeli victims are somehow characterized as “terrorists”, but the Palestinians from Black September who murdered the athletes are merely ‘militants’
The article was written by Sam Webb, and we suggest you tweet him to point out his colossal error.
UPDATE: Moments after our post, and a tweet to the writer, the article was amended, and the term “terrorists” to describe the Israeli victims has been removed.
Another Palestinian sports tournament for children has been named after terrorists. In keeping with PA policy of honoring terrorists and promoting them as heroes and role models, official PA school the Al-Rashideen High School for Boys, held a tennis tournament named after terrorists Basel and Farouq Sidr who recently attempted to murder Israelis. Several teams in the tournament were also named after terrorists who either murdered or attempted to murder Israelis in the last two months.PA official on Palestinian terror attacks: They are “acts of bravery, I am proud of them”
Basel Sidr, 19, tried to stab Israeli border policemen near Damascus Gate in the Old City of Jerusalem on Oct. 14, 2015 and was shot and killed by police while trying to escape. Farouq Sidr planned to stab Israeli soldiers in Hebron on Oct. 29, 2015, and soldiers saw him approaching with a knife in hand and shot and killed him.
Palestinian Media Watch exposed last week that another Palestinian school honored another terrorist stabber, naming a football tournament after him.
Richard Millett: Israel accused of possible “genocide” by Arab Organisation for Human Rights.
Last night the Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK held a meeting called “Violence and Conflict in Jerusalem: Examining the recent spike in violence towards Palestinians and the plight of Jerusalem’s historic sites” at the Holiday Inn in London’s Bloomsbury.Young Palestinian Women Join the West Bank Turmoil
Despite the remarkably biased title the main reason to go was to hear Labour MP Gerald Kaufman who was due to speak. It would have been an opportunity to ask Kaufman about his recent comment that “Jewish money” is influencing British government policy and to see if he might consider making an apology at last.
Unfortunately, Kaufman couldn’t make it to the event due to ongoing parliamentary matters.
It was still an opportunity to catch up on the latest anti-Israel propaganda being disseminated by academics like Ilan Pappe, activists like Adeeb Ziadah and lawyers like Carl Buckley (who was chairing the event) and Toby Cadman who both regularly brief against Israel.
University of Exeter lecturer Ilan Pappe started proceedings off by claiming that Israel’s political party Jewish Home (Bayit Ha-Yehudi) is intent on destroying the Al Aqsa Mosque and replacing it with another Jewish temple.
Analysts say the young women are exposed to the same incendiary propaganda, videos and commentary as the young men who commit violent acts. Many of them — like Ashrakat, who scrawled revolutionary poetry over her bed and wanted her father to cry for her homeland — appear to be consumed with the ideal of dying for the cause of their generation, the contested Al Aqsa Mosque compound.28 Arab Terror Fugitives Captured by IDF, Police
“It’s very romantic,” said Eileen Kuttab, director of women’s studies at the Palestinian Birzeit University. The martyr, she said, “will never be forgotten.”
Some of the female attackers appeared to be troubled, but that is just one factor, said Ms. Kuttab, who noted that many other Palestinian women lead troubled lives without stabbing someone.
The participation of such young women has prompted accusations of manipulation, particularly through nonstop, blaring broadcasts by the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad that urge people to take action.
“They inflame the emotions of children, they play on their most sensitive spots, with footage of clashes and death,” said Manal Awwad, 42, the aunt of Hadeel, the 14-year-old attacker.
IDF soldiers captured 28 terrorist fugitives in operations with Border Guard and Israel Police officers late Tuesday night and into the wee hours of Wednesday morning.Attorney: Stabber 'just didn't feel well' on day of attack
The security forces took suspects into custody in various locations throughout Judea and Samaria.
Some of the detainees were transferred to Shin Bet personnel for questioning in connection with terrorist activities. Others were arrested for involvement in violence against civilians and security forces.
The Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court extended the remand of Raid Khalil, the 36-year-old resident of Dura near Hevron who stabbed two Israelis to death in Tel Aviv in November, by one week on Wednesday.13-year-old terrorist's lawyer arrested for incitement
The head of the Special Investigations department of the Yiftach division of the Israel Police, Superintendent Asaf Bernes, noted during the hearing that Khalil admitted to "wanting to kill Jews, wanting to be a martyr."
Khalil also "expressed regret, apologized, and cried" during the investigation, he added.
Khalil's attorney, Halal Abu Atzaam, insisted that the attack was not premeditated.
"He told me, 'I just woke up one morning and didn't feel well," Atzaam claimed to the court, adding that Khalil's motivations included the relationship between Palestinian Arabs in Hevron and "settlers," in his words.
The defense attorney for a 13-year-old Arab terrorist who stabbed two people in north Jerusalem has reportedly been arrested for incitement.Report: PA busts Islamic Jihad terrorist cell
According to Channel 2, the suspect - who has not yet been named - is being questioned by Jerusalem District police.
The charges center around numerous Facebook posts in which the lawyer praised "martyrs" - i.e. terrorists who died carrying out attacks against Israelis - and called on Druze Israelis to refuse to serve in the IDF.
Police will need to decide whether to extend his arrest only once the initial interrogation is completed.
13-year-old Ahmed Mansara took part in the attack in Pisgat Ze'ev along with his 15-year-old cousin Mohammed, who was shot dead when he charged at police with a large knife.
The Palestinian Authority’s security services in recent days busted an Islamic Jihad terrorist cell that had planned to attack IDF soldiers in Judea and Samaria, Kol Yisrael radio reported on Tuesday.Police demolish terrorist’s East Jerusalem home
According to the radio station, the terrorists were apprehended in the village of Tubas, located 21 kilometers (13 miles) northeast of Shechem (Nablus).
A Palestinian source cited in the report said the terror squad consisted of six people and was in possession of a gas cylinder containing explosives, intended to serve as a roadside bomb.
As well, members of the cell were in possession of weapons, hand grenades and other makeshift explosives, according to Kol Yisrael radio.
Police were out in force in the Shuafat refugee camp in East Jerusalem Wednesday morning as IDF engineers demolished the family home of Hamas terrorist Ibrahim al-Akari, who killed two Israelis in a vehicular terror attack in the city last November.Media Hall of Shame: Reuters' Repeated Anti-Israel Bias
“The forces are prepared to ensure order and security, and to prevent violence in order to allow IDF forces to carry out the order of the commander of the Homefront Command and destroy the home of the terrorist in the Shuafat refugee camp,” police said in a statement Wednesday.
Police would act “with determination and aggressively toward anyone, minor or adult, who violates the peace or tries to attack the forces operating [in the area], and will prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law,” the statement said.
Akari was a Hamas operative whose brother was once sentenced to life in prison for murdering an Israeli police officer, but was released in the prisoner exchange for IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. On November 5, 2014, Akari rammed his vehicle into a group of Border Police officers at the Shimon Hatzadik light rail station in northern Jerusalem, then went on to ram nearby pedestrians before exiting the vehicle and attempting to attack Israelis on foot. He was shot and killed by police at the scene.
Reuters has had a spate of recent headlines that emphasize the outlet's extreme bias against Israel by placing the focus on Palestinian attackers as victims of Israeli violence, thus earning them a spot in TruthRevolt's Media Hall of Shame.Bennett on "Morning Joe": "How the West can learn from Israel's war on terror"
Since October, Palestinian violence against Israeli citizens has been a constant occurrence that has included multiple stabbings, shootings, and using vehicles as weapons. And in many, if not most, cases, the Palestinian threat is neutralized by an Israeli defense officer. But Reuters is having a very difficult time reporting on who the aggressor actually is. Here are just two of their most egregious headlines:
A YouTube video from October 12 declares, "Israelis Kill Jerusalem Knife Man."
On November 27, when a Palestinian rammed his vehicle into two Israeli Defense Force soldiers injuring them and was subsequently shot and killed, Reuters ran this headline: "Palestinian Dies in Ramming Attack."
And if it's not headlines transferring the offense from Palestinians to Israelis, it's a photo showing knife-wielding jihadists holding the Koran with captions that say they are taking part in a "rally." The terrorist attacks against Jews is belittled by Reuters preference of calling the violence, "Palestinians confronting Israelis."
An October 27 report included a map of all of the stabbings, shootings, and rammings that whitewashed them as simply "street violence."
Former Intel Director: WH Ignored Warnings About Islamic State to Protect Reelection ‘Narrative’
President Obama’s former top military intelligence official said Tuesday that the White House ignored warnings about the rise of terrorist groups like the Islamic State (IS) in 2012 because it would harm the president’s reelection “narrative.”Former Obama DIA Chief: WH Dismissed ISIS Warnings Over Re-Election “Narrative”
Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn served as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency from 2012 to 2014. He claims that a 2012 report warning about the establishment of “an undeclared Salafist principality,” or Islamist state, was ignored because it contradicted the White House’s claim that terrorist groups were on the run.
“I think they did not meet a particular narrative that the White House needed, I’ll be candid with you,” Flynn said to CNN host Jake Tapper.
Flynn said that the inner circle advising Obama “advised him incorrectly” about the strength of terrorist groups like IS. He added that it is ultimately the president’s responsibility to ensure he receives “the unvarnished truth” from the intelligence community.
Flynn’s charge is the latest evidence that top administration officials downplayed the threat of terrorism.
Defense Sec. Contradicts Obama: Islamic Terror Greater Threat than Climate Change
The Pentagon chief broke with Obama, who, during his 2015 State of the Union address, said, “No challenge poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change.”Joint Chiefs Chairman Contradicts Obama: Islamic State ‘Not Contained’
During a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, retired Navy SEAL Commander Zinke, pressed Carter on whether radical Islamic terrorist groups or global warming is a larger threat.
Zinke initially asked Carter, “We have ISIS, Hezbollah, and Al Qaida, North Korea, an emerging China and Russia. Mr. Secretary, where would you rack and stack global warming with that list?”
When the defense secretary failed to specifically answer the question, Zinke pressed again and asked, “Would you agree the imminent threat, the five-yard, five-meter threat – the most damaging threat facing us today – would be ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, and the non-nation state terrorist activities?”
“Yeah, that certainly is the one that is the most imminent,” responded Carter. “They’re trying to attack us right now – there is nothing distant in time or probability about it.”
These remarks directly contradict a statement made by President Obama prior to the Paris terrorist attacks, when he asserted, “we have contained them [Islamic State].”UK PM Cameron brands Labour leader a 'terrorist sympathizer'
“We have not contained ISIL,” Dunford said in response to a question from Rep. Randy Forbes (R-VA). The Islamic State has been “tactically” contained in some areas, but “strategically they have spread since 2010,” Dunford remarked in his testimony before the House committee.
When asked by Rep. Forbes whether the United States currently has a strategy to defeat the terror group, Dunford said that “the right components for a strategy” against the Islamic State “are in place.”
The remarks contrast starkly from comments made by President Obama on the morning of the same day that radical jihadists committed several attacks through Paris, killing 130 people and wounding hundreds more.
“I don’t think they’re gaining strength. What is true is that from the start, our goal has been first to contain, and we have contained them,” President Obama told ABC News at the time.
Dunford added that the Islamic State not only threatens Iraq and Syria, but has shown a willingness to wage jihad in other countries, such as Yemen, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Lebanon.
Dunford also seemed to disagree with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, who said in his opening statement that America is “at war” with IS. The Marine Corps General replied to a question by Rep. Forbes whether the U.S. was indeed at war with the terror group: “We are technically not at war.”
Cameron insists military action is needed to prevent attacks like the ones that killed 130 people in Paris last month, while insisting it will be accompanied by a diplomatic push to resolve the crisis in Syria. His Conservative Party's majority plus support from various other MPs makes a parliamentary victory likely.PreOccupiedTerritory: Archaeologists Unearth Evidence US Presidents Once Had Balls (satire)
"I will be making the arguments and I hope as many members of parliament across all parties will support me as possible," he said on the eve of the vote.
He has also turned up the rhetoric considerably against Labor chief and Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn, urging his own MPs not to "sit on their hands" or "walk through the lobbies" with Corbyn and his allies, who he branded "a bunch of terrorist sympathizers," in comments carried by the BBC.
Jeremy Corbyn has come under close scrutiny and criticism since being elected as Labour leader in September over his extensive connections to Islamists and other extremists, as well as his openly-expressed sympathy for terrorist groups. He infamously called Hamas and Hezbollah his "friends," described the assassination of Osama Bin Laden as a "tragedy," and both he and his Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell were once closely associated with the IRA.
Another close ally of Corbyn - former London Mayor Ken Livingstone - came under fire recently after he appeared to justify the 7/7 terrorist attacks in London. Sitting on a BBC panel, Livingstone said former Prime Minister Tony Blair was to blame for the attacks, and described the suicide bombings as "an act of protest"," insisting the terrorists who carried it out "gave their lives" in response to Britain's foreign policy.
Researchers excavating in the US capital have discovered what they say are indications that there was a period in the distant past during which the chief executive of the American government had balls, the group announced today.Paris Attackers — What We Know So Far
A team of archaeologists with the University of Maryland is conducting a comprehensive dig to help complete the picture of US presidential administrations in days of yore. During the course of the excavations, the group encountered tantalizing anatomical signs that years ago, at least two American presidents had grown a pair, team leader Cass Trayshin told reporters.
“We still have much evidence to examine, but preliminary indications are that once upon a time, the highest office in the country was occupied at various points by individuals – it could be more than the two we have evidence for right now – who were in full possession of what we archaeologists, in our technical jargon, call cojones,” she explained. “What we’ve see anatomically is really only one part of the picture, which is rounded out by behavioral evidence in keeping with presidents who actually have balls.”
French police made another arrest Tuesday in connection with the Paris attacks, which left 130 people dead, as the international manhunt for two suspects went on.Woman Arrested In Connection With The Paris Attacks
Here is a summary of the latest developments in the investigation.
- Two key suspects on the run -
Mystery surrounds the fate of key suspect Salah Abdeslam, the 26-year-old brother of one of the suicide bombers in the Paris attacks, who investigators think played a vital logistical role and may have been supposed to blow himself up as well.
CNN on Monday said Abdeslam, who is Belgian, had managed to slip out of Europe and into Syria since the November 13 atrocity, though investigators believe he may still be in Europe.
“At this stage, no one knows where he is. His departure to Syria is just one of the hypotheses that investigators are working with,” a French police source told AFP.
A woman was arrested Tuesday in a Paris suburb for suspected links to an intermediary to the only man charged in connection the Paris attacks, according to two officials close to the investigation.Authorities Smash ISIS Cell Planning To Take Out Pope Francis
The officials, who requested anonymity to talk about the ongoing investigation, told The Associated Press that the woman, whose name wasn’t revealed, is the partner of the intermediary.
The intermediary, 25, whose name hasn’t been made public, had been arrested earlier on Tuesday in his home in Malakoff, south of Paris, by counterterrorism police. A few hours later, police went with the suspect to search another apartment in Saint-Denis and arrested his partner who was there. The man and his partner have been taken into custody west of Paris.
The intermediary was in contact with Jawad Bendaoud, who was handed preliminary charges for providing housing to Abdelhamid Abaaoud, the suspected planner of the Nov. 13 Paris attacks that killed 130 people. The intermediary, who has been known by the police only for drug trafficking so far, was also in contact with Abaaoud’s cousin, Hasna Aitboulahcen.
Italian and Kosovan authorities just busted an Islamic State terror cell which was planning a brutal attack on Pope Francis.Bataclan co-owners say terror-hit venue could reopen in 2016
Authorities in a joint operation arrested four people in Kosovo Tuesday, The Local reports. Police suspect the head of the group, who had weapons in his possession, originated from Italy.
Security near the Vatican is already at a high point following the terrorist attacks in Paris which left 130 dead and 300 injured. ISIS released a video Nov. 16 claiming Rome and the pope are next on the hit list.
“By Allah, if we brought down France in its homeland, in Paris, then we swear, by the command of Allah, we will attack America in its heartland, in Washington, Allah permitting, and we will invade Rome, Allah permitting.”
The Bataclan concert hall in Paris, where 90 people were killed by jihadists on November 13, could re-open by the end of next year, two of its owners told a French newspaper on Wednesday.LA Times Feature: 'Allahu Akbar Co-Opted by Terrorists'
Olivier Poubelle and Jules Frutos, who book the acts and own a third of the theater as well as several other music venues around the French capital, told Le Monde of their devastation over the attacks.
“Two of our colleagues are dead. As are music professionals that we knew well. Others are seriously injured. I was not in the theater and I think about that all the time,” said Poubelle.
“An emergency worker told me ‘You’re not responsible’, but still…”
Poubelle rushed to the venue on the fateful night while the three-hour siege was still underway and people trapped inside were being gunned down.
A reporter for The Los Angeles Times, Lisa Biagiotti, has produced a new video featuring Muslims explaining the phrase "Allahu akbar" and trying to be convincing that it doesn't mean what the Islamic terrorists say it means.Context-free Tweet from BBC Gaza correspondent compromises impartiality
Biagiotti acknowledges that the before the recent attacks in Paris and Mali, the terrorists shouted the phrase -- that is, before they unleashed hell and killed over a hundred innocent people. But she believes that the phrase has been "co-opted by terrorists" and hopes her video gets that message across.
"Muslims explain how misuse of the phrase has affected their lives in the U.S.," Biagiotti wirtes. "They discuss the media sensationalism, religious extremism, Donald Trump and fascism, and their cultural adjustments because of the backlash."
Participants in the short film try and define "Allahu akbar" as being "the most defining term in Islam" and serves to "remind those who use this term that they would give up their egos, that they would not use their political, cultural, social, ethnic and geographic interests to promote their own ideas."
The BBC News website did not report either of those attacks.Jordanian Journalist: France's Republican Values Do Not Apply To The Muslim World
However, BBC Gaza bureau correspondent Rushdi Abualouf – who likewise ignored the two terror attacks in Jerusalem – did find it appropriate to send the Tweet below to his followers later on the evening of the same day.
#Palestinian M of Health: #Israeli army killed a 17 y boy in Jerusalem, bringing the death toll to 106, inc 23 children & 4 womenThe incident apparently referred to in that Tweet took place in Ras al Amud. According to AFP:
“Israeli border police killed a Palestinian on Sunday during clashes in occupied east Jerusalem, an official at the Palestinian health ministry told AFP, identifying him as Ayman Samih Abassi, 17.
An Israeli police statement said that officers fired at a Palestinian holding a petrol bomb in the Ras al-Amud neighbourhood after they came under attack from a volley of the missiles, but they could not confirm hitting him.
“About 10 petrol bombs were thrown at border police officers in Ras al-Amud,” the statement said.
“The force, whose lives were in immediate danger, fired at the lower body of a suspect who was seen with a petrol bomb in his hand,” it added. “A hit could not be definitely identified.””
'Abd Al-Hadi Raji Al-Majali, a regular columnist for the Jordanian daily Al-Rai, responded in a recent column to French President Francois Hollande's speech at the November 27, 2015 memorial for the victims of the Paris attacks. Al-Majali wrote that France and the West apply a double standard, since the values of the French Republic, which Hollande constantly extolls in his speeches, do not apply in their dealings with the Muslim world.Survey: 90% of IDF lone soldiers see their future in Israel
Ninety percent of lone soldiers who have completed their military service see their futures in Israel, while 62% report that family members have followed them and moved to Israel, according to a survey released this week.Report: Israel detonated spy device in southern Lebanon
The survey was conducted by the Jewish Agency in conjunction with the Merage Foundation by the Ergo Consulting Group to mark the 10th anniversary of the Wings Program, established to help lone soldiers build a home in Israel.
It questioned former lone soldiers who live in Israel and were accompanied by the Wings Program. The survey set out to examine the challenges faced by lone soldiers as they approach the end of their military service, with the aim of developing additional tools to ease their integration into civilian life.
Some 84% of those questioned said their families supported their decision to immigrate to Israel.
The survey results also show that the vast majority of lone soldiers feel well integrated into Israeli society after their discharge from the IDF: 58% consider themselves first and foremost "Israelis," while only 29% consider themselves "immigrants."
Israel remotely detonated a surveillance device planted in southern Lebanon, Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese media outlets reported Tuesday.Excessive Hamas Taxes Cause Gaza Farmers to Boycott Goods
According to the Al-Manar network, the device was discovered during construction work near the town of Marjayoun, 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the Israel-Lebanon border.
The Al-Mayadeen news outlet said two people were wounded in the explosion. The report did not detail the severity of their injuries.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said Lebanese intelligence officers were called to the scene, which was declared a restricted military zone, and launched an investigation.
If true, this would not be the first time apparent Israeli surveillance devices have been found near the border. Some devices uncovered in the past have carried Hebrew writing, including their make and model.
Okay, how do we wrap our minds around this one?Report: Tunisia Prepping For War Against Islamic State
The Palestinian Arab Ma’an news outlet reported on Tuesday, Dec. 1, that several Gazan wholesalers refused to import fruits and livestock coming from Israel.
Why? Is it because of the so-called Israeli “Occupation?” No. Is it because Israel cranks up the charges so that the Gazans cannot afford to purchase the goods coming from Israel? No.
The Gazans are refusing to make the purchases because of new and excessive taxes imposed by Hamas. That’s right. The murderous terrorist group Gazans voted into office are starving their own people by pricing goods beyond the financial ability of their people.
Hamas is imposing a hunger strike on their own citizens in Gaza.
In addition to the already existing 100 shekel import tax already imposed by Hamas’s Ministry of Finance, there was a new extra importation tax of 200 shekels to import calves, and 100 shekels to import sheep, according to a Gazan wholesaler interviewed by Ma’an.
The wholesaler, Abu Samra, said Gazan wholesalers would refuse to import the goods until the newly-levied taxes are rescinded.
Following a deadly attack on Tunisia’s presidential guard last week, the country’s president, Beji Caid Essebsi, plans to create a small coalition government with the goal of leading the fight against terrorism, reported the London-based international Arab newspaper Al Arab.UAE Sends over 400 Colombian Mercenaries to Fight Houthis in Yemen
The government will be composed of 10 members as opposed to 27 in the current governing coalition, according to sources speaking to the newspaper.
The Islamic State terrorist group claimed responsibility Wednesday for the attack in Tunisia that left 13 people dead. The explosion reportedly hit a bus carrying members of Tunisia’s presidential guard through the country’s capital.
The reports of a governmental change come amid widespread information Libya, Tunisia’s neighbor, is quickly becoming a sanctuary for many of the Islamic State’s leaders, who are choosing to flee into a crumbling country in the face of the international effort against the terrorist group in Syria and in Iraq.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE), a member of a U.S.-backed coalition led by Saudi Arabia, has deployed to Yemen more than 400 Colombian mercenaries who had been training in the Emirati desert to combat Iran-linked Shiite rebels known as Houthis, reports the New York Times (NYT).Turkish court to decide if comparing Erdogan to 'Rings' character Gollum a crime
The NYT reports, “The United Arab Emirates has secretly dispatched hundreds of Colombian mercenaries to Yemen to fight in that country’s raging conflict, adding a volatile new element in a complex proxy war that has drawn in the United States and Iran.”
The Colombian troops sent to Yemen were reportedly “handpicked” from a brigade of some 1,800 former Latin American soldiers who were being trained somewhere in the Emirati desert.
They were deployed to Yemen in the middle of the night last month, notes the Times, adding that they “were later issued dog tags and ranks in the Emirati military. Those left behind are now being trained to use grenade launchers and armored vehicles that Emirati troops are currently using in Yemen.”
“Emirati officials have made a point of recruiting Colombian troops over other Latin American soldiers because they consider the Colombians more battle tested in guerrilla warfare, having spent decades battling gunmen of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, in the jungles of Colombia,” adds the report.
It can't be flattering to be compared to "Lord of the Rings" character Gollum, but a Turkish court is trying to determine if it is a crime.
A doctor who likened President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the pasty, cave-dwelling creature is facing up to two years in prison in Turkey, where insulting the president is a crime, reports said Wednesday. Bilgin Ciftci is accused of sharing images of the two, but it is up to a court to determine whether a comparison to the muttering, gangrel creature from J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novels and the hugely successful films is a punishable offense.
Unable to determine a physical resemblance, the court in the western province of Aydin asked a group of experts -- two academics, two psychologists and one movie expert -- to testify as to whether the comparison was an insult, Milliyet newspaper reported.
The judge presiding over the case admitted he has not seen the fantasy blockbusters directed by Peter Jackson. The court adjourned the case until February, while the experts analyze Gollum, Milliyet reported.
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