West Asia News and Discussions (YEMEN, gulf)

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 21 Apr 2015 17:19

habal wrote: So it also makes sense why they were so desperate to scuttle IPI as well.
If India consumed bulk of Iranian gas, there would be none left for such EU contingencies.

IPI was a non-starter from day one -- it was more useful as a talking point and an idea than as a viable project, AFAICT. Its premature death was a certainty from day one, not least because (a) the paki beggars cannot pay for that oil (b) the pakis will blow up that pipeline on a whim everytime some general in pindi has an urge to scratch his groin. It was a good idea to keep up paki hopes with the pretense of talking to them, nothing more.

habal · Post by **habal** » 21 Apr 2015 17:39

actually it was a good idea of direct transfer of energy from mid-east supplier to a consumer in the region without western intermediaries. Even payment could be eventually been in rupees. It would have been a good south-south coop circumventing olaf caroe's map making.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 21 Apr 2015 17:53

Olaf Caroe may be less of an issue than pakis willing to shoot themselves in the foot by holding the pipeline hostage -- they have exhibited similar behavior before like with the NATO supply chain. The problem with pakis is that no one is actually in control of that territory, so there are actually no sovereign guarantees one can expect from building anything on paki territory. Ok, so the army runs a horde of terrorist groups to keep the local political establishment under check, but that does not translate to having the werewithal to stop these terrorist groups from blowing up the pipeline on a whim.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 21 Apr 2015 20:04

ISIS leader Baghdadi seriously wounded in air strike.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... -Iraq.html
Isil leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi 'wounded in air strike in Iraq'

Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Islamic State leader, said to be no longer in 'day-to-day' control after injuries sustained in western Iraq

By Colin Freeman, Chief foreign correspondent
21 Apr 2015
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the leader of Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil), is no longer in operational control of the organisation after being wounded in an airstrike, it was reported today.

Baghdadi, who is the self-described 'caliph' or spiritual leader of Isil, was seriously hurt in a strike in a village in western Iraq on March 18, according to The Guardian.

The newspaper said that his wounds were at first thought to be so serious that he might die, and that while he had since staged a gradual recovery, he was not at present involved in the direct day-to-day control of the terror group.

When they first heard of his wounds, Isil deputies convened meetings to discuss who might take over as leader.

Iraq's Defense and Interior Ministries issued statements saying Baghdadi had been wounded (Photo: AP)

Previous reports of Baghdadi's demise have proved premature.

The Guardian cited three separate sources for its story, including a source with connections to Isil, a Western diplomat, and Hisham al-Hashimi, an Iraqi official.

He told the paper: "“Yes, he was wounded in al-Baaj near the village of Umm al-Rous on 18 March with a group that was with him.”

• How would Baghdadi's death affect Islamic State?
• How a talented footballer became world’s most wanted man, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi
• Revealed: the Islamic State 'cabinet', from finance minister to suicide bomb deployer

Al-Baaj lies in Nineveh district, close to the Syrian border, and is believed to have been chosen as a hiding place by Baghdadi because of its remote desert location. Its mainly tribal residents lay beyond the writ of government even during Saddam Hussein's time, and the area was also only scantly visited during by US troops during the occupation.

It is said that the airstrike that wounded al-Baghdadi was aimed at a convoy of local Isil leaders, and killed three men.

Western officials are said not to have realised that Baghdadi was in the convoy at the time.

Al-Baghdadi, who has had a $10m price put on his head by the US government, was twice reported to have been wounded in November and December of last year, although neither claim turned out to be accurate. Prior to Isil's take-over of northern Iraq, the government in Baghdad also claimed to have killed or captured a man of that name several times.

Believed to be a former Islamic scholar, he spent four years in US custody at Camp Bucca in Iraq, where many other al-Qaeda commanders were held. Following his release he rejoined al-Qaeda in Iraq and took over as its leader in 2010, following the killing of two other top commanders.

He is said to be extremely careful about his security, and in the company of all but the closest devotees, wears a mask to prevent any potential informants getting a close look at him. Last July, however, a video surfaced of him making a rare public appearance at Mosul's Great Mosque, telling fellow Muslims to "make jihad" for the sake of Allah.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 21 Apr 2015 22:14

Why Pakistan said no to King Salman

QUOTE:
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif visited Pakistan during the debate. He met with both Prime Minister Sharif and Chief of Army Staff Raheel Sharif. The army has argued that it is stretched too thin with a counterterrorism campaign against the Pakistani Taliban and tensions with India to send troops to Yemen. Sharif said April 13 that he urged Zarif to rein in the Houthis and support a political solution.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 21 Apr 2015 22:19

Saudi anguish over Iranian gains

QUOTE:
The withdrawal of the remaining US military personnel from Yemen only adds to Riyadh's desperation, with Riyadh worried that Washington's priority is a nuclear deal with Tehran, not stopping Iranian subversion in the Arab world.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 21 Apr 2015 22:44

Yemeni president escaped from Aden in Burqa’

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 21 Apr 2015 23:08

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-32402688
Saudi Arabia ends Yemen air campaign

A Saudi Arabia-led coalition has ended its bombing campaign against rebels in Yemen, Saudi state television has said.

The coalition's Storm of Resolve campaign had achieved its military goals, the report said.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 21 Apr 2015 23:13

Early declaration of victory?

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 22 Apr 2015 00:15

Saudi-led coalition ends military operation in Yemen

COMMENT: Most of the pictures are horrific; I don't think the Saudis achieved anything by their actions!!

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 22 Apr 2015 00:19

Iran sees Yemen ceasefire in coming hours

Comment: Someone arm twisted the Saudis ? Lack of Paki ground troops?

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 22 Apr 2015 00:20

RamaY · Post by **RamaY** » 22 Apr 2015 02:50

ramana wrote:PRC.

Hmm... So the transfer of baton complete? Then the trade corridor must be the payment?

And the khanate in the works?

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Apr 2015 11:18

KSA will now shift to keeping pressure on the houthis via covertly funding and arming the AQ which is swarming over the eastern half of the country incl the coast ... it is an area larger than houthistan. AQ will be asked to do whatever they want in yemen so long as they do not burn KSA.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 22 Apr 2015 12:09

I wonder what KSA means by this curious statement and more statements like this:

A Saudi Defense Ministry statement quoted by the country’s news agencies said that the campaign, called Operation Decisive Storm, had achieved its objectives. But it was unclear exactly how much the airstrikes had advanced Saudi Arabia’s stated goal of helping restore a Yemeni government that collapsed many weeks ago as Houthi rebels took over the country’s capital, Sana. Analysts said the announcement could possibly clear the way for a different type of military intervention.

What objectives have they achieved? What lessons have their learnt?

I think they have got one thing done: Ensured that Aden hasn't fallen to Houthis. [But counter qn: But what is the guarantee that Houthis will not retry their chance again?]

I think Saudi has learnt a couple of important lessons:

a. Don't trust Pakisatan. Now with a tighter wembrace of Cheenis, even Americans will be extremely embarrassed I presume. The way China swooped in and gave 46bn of bribe money to become their client state will have shocked almost everyone who is viewing. Whats more interesting: they have kept the details about IP pipeline away from public but I do believe that they will work on it too - so some secret deal there? [I tried checking if the Gwadar - China LNG / oil pipeline is a diff name for it but the routes seem different beyond a point. Plan to check this later again]

b. GCC is pretty much on its own unless its a serious case of territorial integrity etc etc - KSA will have been shocked and trying to pull an either or trick with Pakistan has boomeranged this time around even with their own man in the helm. [Its also assumed that Nawaz (and the entire parliament) had the blessings of Raheel Sharif too when they made an unanimous decision]. This will cause lots of jolts to the Sunni regime.

c. KSA has understood that all their freshly painted toys wont do much in terms of FP, gaining territory enforcing control etc etc unless they actually have smart "idiots" who could use them. They needlessly wasted some 2 f-16's in the oceans and the pilots ejected out to be saved by the US... and if its to be believed, they have got pvt "learning" / debriefing / speaking out the mind sessions from the US / Egyptians. They just don't look like a good military and they have unfortunately exposed themselves to be even bigger idiots that what the world thought of them. And the world didn't have a good impression of them in the first place

d. KSA will know the limits of money in guiding of their FP. With a pet poodle like Pak moving out and trying to make out on his own with the enemy German Shepherd, the owner predictably is angry. If the poodle can, who cant / wont?

I personally think the KSA idiots have come off significantly worse than where whey were about 4 weeks back. And mercifully, the US / China or whoever have put them away from the battle field. I seriously see nothing that they have gained in this incredibly stupid battle.

And all said, they have destroyed more homes and stuff in the process. Yemen's battle was predom about scarce resources, sharing of them equitably, issues around corruption, and about Saleh vs Hadi and how people feel cheated etc etc. With more destruction of even basic supplies, the KSA has added a big oil well full of oil into the burning fire and have prolonged the battle and made it look even messier and got the whole world to get upset and even lose the moral aspect of this war.

I don't think Salman has learnt the lessons yet and his son might not get it in this lifebirth, if the current situation is anything to go by.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 22 Apr 2015 12:10

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/22/world ... c=rss&_r=0

Link from where I took the comment above

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Apr 2015 12:37

they have lost face bigtime and ultimately exposed as a rich wastrel who can throw stones but has no stomach or manpower for a man-to-man boots on ground fight to victory. with the "coolies" sudan, egypt and TSP all refusing to contribute blood and treasure to the cause, there was never going to be a ground invasion, nobody has the stomach for another afghanistan type contest in the hills, not even massa, whose marines could land and take the plains and sanaa but no further without heavy casualties and a daily $500 mil bill for resupply.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... agram.html

Yemen is gonna split into west (houthistan) and east (Al Qaedastan). the US could presumably worm back into the west and resume dronacharya attacks on the AQ in east. the KSA will fund the east to keep pressure on the west, but remain the US 'key' ally in the region

east being in AQ hands cuts off the west from omani and saudi shia contiguous region so serves the regimes purpose.

US would just like to see this headache go away and wont rock the boat. last thing they need is another neo-somalia to the east of bab el mandab, a haven for racketeers and pirates.

Iran will be given some bones, like allowing them to stabilize and aid the houthistan.

pankajs · Post by **pankajs** » 22 Apr 2015 14:12

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/new ... 010603.cms
Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif urges immediate humanitarian help in Yemen

"Positive developments in Yemen should be followed by urgent humanitarian assistance, intra-Yemeni dialogue and broad-based govt (government). Ready to help," Zarif said in a message on his Twitter account.

The United States and Iran's regional rival Saudi Arabia have accused Shi'ite-dominated Iran of supporting the Houthis. Iran denies the claim.

Saudi Arabia said a new phase called "Operation Restoring Hope" was beginning, which would combine political, diplomatic and military action but would focus on "the political process that will lead to a stable and secure future for Yemen".

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 22 Apr 2015 14:26

(CNN)Saudi Arabia resumed airstrikes in Yemen on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after announcing the end of its "Operation Decisive Storm," a nearly month-long campaign against Houthi positions.

The strikes returned after rebel forces launched an attack on a government military brigade not under Houthi control, security sources in Taiz said. The brigade quickly fell to the rebels, they said.

It was unclear if the fighting represented a resumption of the operation or was a short-term resumption of hostilities.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 22 Apr 2015 15:21

From NW: Adding it because it reported pertinent stuff that I had a look at *just now*:

Saudi Arabia-Yemen: In the daily situation update briefing, Brigadier General Asiri said that the coalition has "ended Operation Decisive Storm based on a request by the Yemeni government and President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi."

In closing out Decisive Storm, Asiri said several times in several ways that the air campaign achieved its objectives, including restoring legitimacy, protecting the population and preventing the Houthis from taking Aden. Coalition aircraft flew 2,415 sorties.

He repeated what he said on the 20th that the allies are launching a new phase of operations. The new operation is called Operation Restoring Hope. In this operation, Asiri said, the Coalition command will prevent the Houthi militias from moving and carrying out any operations inside Yemen. The new phase of operations is intended to support relief, evacuation, and humanitarian operations in Yemen and to facilitate operations of the aid organizations through continued humanitarian and relief work and evacuations, according to Asiri.

“The operations will continue when the leadership of the Coalition feels that there is a need for military action to achieve the humanitarian and relief work and evacuation." He remarked that King Salman had ordered the allocation of $247 million for relief and recovery work, the amount estimated by the UN.

Comment: The Coalition more or less declared victory and stopped. The Saudis professed to be satisfied that they prevented the Houthis from capturing Aden and that the air attacks destroyed Yemen’s ballistic missiles and most of its heavy military equipment.

The real story, however, is that some form of political settlement has been arranged and will become more apparent this week. A key indicator is that the Saudi general began his briefing by saying that the operation ended at Yemen. Primacy and prominence of place in the announcement afforded him stature and authority that he did not have when he escaped Yemen and flew to Riyadh. In addition, President Saleh denied that he was an ally of the Houthis, though tribal fighters and Yemen army units loyal to him were repeatedly identified as fighting on the side of the Houthi militias.

News services and General Asiri suggested that backchannel negotiations contributed to the end of the air campaign. For example, Iran’s deputy foreign minister apparently knew a ceasefire would be declared long before it was announced today. He told the press early on 21 April that a ceasefire would be declared by nightfall.

The Iranian official also hinted that the key condition for the ceasefire and talks was that the Houthis and/or Saleh commit to implementing the UN Security Council Resolution. That stipulated that the Houthis stop attacking Aden and withdraw from it and Sana’a. The Resolution also imposed an arms embargo and required the Houthis and Saleh to acknowledge the legitimacy of President Hadi’s government.

On 20 April, Houthi leader Abdul-Malek al-Houthi rejected the Security Council Resolution, while Saleh’s representatives said they accepted it. That would explain General Asiri’s statement that Decisive Storm achieved its goal of restoring legitimacy to Yemen’s government.

More military operations. At least three times in his briefing General Asiri mentioned that a primary purpose of the new operation is to prevent the Houthis from conducting military operations. That implies that the Houthis or forces loyal to Saleh agreed to a ceasefire in place. The only ways the Coalition can achieve this goal is to introduce Coalition soldiers or to reconstitute the Yemen Army, which fractured, or both, and to disarm the Houthis.

The Houthis appear to be in reasonably strong positions in that, except in the south, they face little local opposition. Their leader, al-Houthi, denounced the UN Security Council Resolution. Open sources contain no indication that he has ordered his militias to withdraw to the north.

Asiri was vague about whether Coalition ground forces will move into Yemen, but he was clear that he expected more military operations. He said that the Saudi National Guard had been committed to defend the southern border of the Kingdom. But that is not how Al Arabiya reported it.

Saudi Arabian National Guard. Al Arabiya reported that on 21 April King Salman Abdulaziz ordered the National Guard to take part in the military campaign against Houthi militias in Yemen.

Minister of the Saudi National Guard Prince Mutaib bin Abdullah said his forces are on high alert and are ready to take part in the operation. The National Guard is “honored to answer the call to join their brothers and colleagues in other military bodies,” Prince Mutaib said. “The command of the coalition is concerned with military action, which is to prevent the Houthi militias from carrying out any military operations.”

The National Guard is participating with the Armed Forces and is playing the required roles to defend the southern border of the kingdom.

Comment: Open sources report that the Guard is trained and equipped as a regular fighting force of 100,000 men organized into infantry and mechanized brigades, special units and military police. It is not a reserve organization.

Prince Mutaib’s statements suggest the Guard will provide the manpower for enforcing Operation Rebuilding Hope.

The ending of the air campaign should enable relief supplies to arrive and work to restore utilities and to start to rebuild. On the other hand, the situation on the ground is confused and suggests clashes involving Houthi militia groups are likely. The fighting is in recess rather than in resolution. The conflict does not look like it is over. The Houthis are not defeated.

vijaykarthik · Post by **vijaykarthik** » 22 Apr 2015 15:23

Some operation resumption of soap this is.

schinnas · Post by **schinnas** » 22 Apr 2015 16:41

Coalition aircraft flew 2,415 sorties.

Even if they had a 70% hit rate and assuming a hit involves 2 causalities minimum we are looking at over 3000 Houthi casualities (men and/or material) with good chunk of them being critical targets. Not something to be rubbished aside.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 22 Apr 2015 21:18

Where is India?
Granted things have moved fast in Riyadh, Baghdad,Sannabad but is it not time for Indians to adjust and make few moves on UAE if not directly get involved in Yahud, Saud ,Nassara targeting Iran.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 22 Apr 2015 21:19

Afghanistan and Iran Get Cozier — Which Is Good News for the US

Good news for US; bad news for Pak !

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 22 Apr 2015 21:29

Good news for us in the short term. Impressed with the way Iran is cultivating relationships in our neighborhood. We should keep a close eye on our Shia population.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 22 Apr 2015 22:44

Jhujar wrote:Where is India?
Granted things have moved fast in Riyadh, Baghdad,Sannabad but is it not time for Indians to adjust and make few moves on UAE if not directly get involved in Yahud, Saud ,Nassara targeting Iran.

Very much so! A very very lucrative strategic position job has become vacant in the Middle East! A very weak but fat pig with substantial control over the wild pig population of the world is looking for a savior!

Now is the time to form an Indian-Saudi-Afghani-Israeli Axis and finish off all the Ghajua-e-behind forces to our West for once and for all!

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 22 Apr 2015 22:53

Yemen conflict: Saudi-led coalition resumes air strikes

Comment: Report from BBC fifty minutes ago!

QUOTE:But it warned that it would continue to take action against the Houthis as needed.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 22 Apr 2015 23:02

Yemen: Saudi prince promises free Bentleys to bomber pilots who killed 1,000

COMMENT: Petro - diplomacy at work!!!

QUOTE:A billionaire Saudi Arabian prince promised to give each of the 100 fighter pilots that took part in Riyadh's latest air strikes in Yemen a brand new Bentley.

QUOTE:But his pledge has been met with anger by Twitter users, and not just by Yemenis that have seen their homes destroyed and family members killed during three weeks of bombing during the Saudi-led Operation Decisive Storm - which officially ended last night.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 22 Apr 2015 23:09

Saudi Arabia: Man detained after video of him slapping woman in Jeddah goes viral

QUOTE:Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, emir of Makkah, ordered an investigation and asked police to keep him updated with developments.

QUOTE:There are conflicting reports on the nationality of the aggressor with some news outlets reporting he is Saudi and others saying he is an expat, and differing opinions on whether the pair were known to each other.

putnanja · Post by **putnanja** » 22 Apr 2015 23:30

Falijee wrote:Yemen: Saudi prince promises free Bentleys to bomber pilots who killed 1,000

COMMENT: Petro - diplomacy at work!!!

QUOTE:A billionaire Saudi Arabian prince promised to give each of the 100 fighter pilots that took part in Riyadh's latest air strikes in Yemen a brand new Bentley.

QUOTE:But his pledge has been met with anger by Twitter users, and not just by Yemenis that have seen their homes destroyed and family members killed during three weeks of bombing during the Saudi-led Operation Decisive Storm - which officially ended last night.

Falijee, can you please enclose the quotes using the quote button? I see that others have suggested it before too. Is it so difficult? Just click on "post reply", and then click on "Quote" button and add the comments between them.

You can add URL using the "Url" button. I am giving you example below. please follow that. It becomes easier to follow your posts.

Code: Select all

[url=http://www.foo.com]The title of the article[/url]

Code: Select all

[quote]Your comments go here[/quote]

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 23 Apr 2015 06:39

Looking at the skillful slap looks like a rich Saudi brat with lot of practice...try slapping a mock target...chances are you will not hit a bulls eye...same as attemping to drive a golf ball on a range...most people miss it clean the first couple times....this guy has lot of practice.

Justice will be served only if the woman's family outweighs his.
Or if she has brothers to take him on.

Prem · Post by **Prem** » 23 Apr 2015 07:13

Paki President going to Turkey while Ganja She-rif and Sheriff Shariif will be brown nosing Abdlullah Of Saudia. Tribune claim Paki are gonna say No to Saudi. Its time IM / Deoband card be played to spit in the split and widen it to the extent it split from the hip Jarasandh style. In a way it may turn out to be Asli Mauka than Dhoka of Iraq.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 23 Apr 2015 12:07

"All-that-Jazz" has news of the latest fighting.The Houthis took advantage of the lull in air strikes to storm a bde. HQ.

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2015/04/f ... 09834.html
Fighting and new air strikes mark next phase in Yemen
Houthis protest in Sanaa after Saudi-led coalition targeted their positions despite announcing end to air campaign.
23 Apr 2015

Protests, continued fighting and fresh air strikes have marked the start of the Saudi-led coalition's new phase of operations in Yemen.

Thousands of Houthis fighters and their supporters took to the streets of the capital, Sanaa, on Wednesday to protest against the nearly month-long military offensive.

"We took to the street to condemn shelling [of] the civilians, bombarding [of] the residential areas," said Jamal al-Heefi, a Yemeni army solder loyal to the rebels and former president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

"We are telling them, 'shame on you'. Why don’t you face us on the ground? Why don’t you fight like men? We will always face you as the Yemenis are solid like rocks."

Fresh air strikes were conducted on Wednesday, hours after Saudi Arabia said it had ended the air campaign against Houthis who forced out Yemeni President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi in February.

The deputy governor of Aden, Nayef al-Bakri, told Al Jazeera that an air raid targeted tanks used by the Houthis and their allied forces in the southern port city.

Inside Story: Restoring hope in Yemen?

Air strikes were also reported in the central city of Taiz, where Houthis seized the headquarters of a brigade loyal to the government.

The headquarters of the 35th Armoured Brigade on the city's northern outskirts fell after heavy fighting on Wednesday which left "dozens dead and wounded", an army officer told the AFP news agency from inside the base.

Continued ground fighting

Also on Wednesday, witnesses reported ground fighting between rebels and pro-government forces in Aden and the city of Lahj, the capital of Huta, and the southern town of Daleh.

The ongoing fighting came after the Saudi-led coalition said its military operation "Decisive Storm" had ended by midnight on Tuesday and that a new campaign aimed at protecting civilians and preventing Houthi fighters from operating had begun.

Brigadier-General Ahmed al-Asiri, the coalition's spokesperson, said the coalition had achieved its military goals in Yemen and a new operation, called "Renewal of Hope", would aim to protect civilians and combat "terrorism".

Timeline: The rise of Yemen's Houthi rebels
The Saudi ambassador to the United States, however, warned that his country will continue to respond to "aggressive" moves made by the Houthis.

Hussain al-Bukhaiti, a Houthi supporter, says the Saudi-led coalition has failed in its mission

Specifically, Adel al-Jubeir warned that the Houthis were moving into Aden from three fronts and that Riyadh would respond to a request from "the legitimate government of Yemen to prevent this happening".

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on Tuesday that violence between March 19 and April 17 had killed 944 people and wounded 3,487, and warned that the impoverished nation's health services were on the brink of collapse.

The WHO said the number of patients able to access health facilities had plummeted since the escalation of hostilities, with a 40 percent drop in the number of daily consultations.

Prices of essential medicines have increased by more than 300 percent, and the shortage of water has increased the risk of diarrhoea and other diseases and is affecting basic hygiene in hospitals and clinics.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 23 Apr 2015 12:48

The influx of lakhs of African refugees into the EU,Italy inn particular with hundreds dying in mid-sea tragedies,is directly the outcome of the West's asinine expeditionary warfare and regime change games in the Middle East. It began with the illegal invasion of Iraq,tx to Bush and B Liar. Then came the Libyan catastrophe,where the Libyan supremo Ghadaffi was ousted in a US engineered regime change and the assault on Syria by proxies,the so-called "Arab Spring".But that Spring in Libya is now the "springing ground" for the thousands of refugees fleeing evefryday from the battlefields of the Meast for a better future in Europe.There are also millions of refuges from Syria who have fled into Lebanon,Jordan,etc.

Who in truth is truly responsible? Europe has its share of the blame by taking part in these asinine wars instead of letting the people of those nations decide for themselves.They now are at the receiving end with the invasion of refugees.But it is the US which is primarily responsible and which is doing b*gger all in taking its share of refugees! Therefore,the EU nations should pacjk the refugees into large ships,transport them just off US territorial waters and let the millions of refugees find a new home in the US!

http://rt.com/op-edge/251673-refugees-m ... nsibility/
West turning Mediterranean into mass grave

John Wight is a writer and commentator specializing in geopolitics, UK domestic politics, culture and sport.

Published time: April 21, 2015 15:35

The Italian coastguard ship 'Bruno Gregoretti', carrying dead immigrants on board, arrives in Senglea, in Valletta's Grand, Harbour, April 20, 2015. (Reuters / Darrin Zammit Lupi)

The drowning of hundreds of refugees in the Mediterranean is a crime against humanity, the ultimate responsibility lies with Western governments that have proved themselves the enemy of everything good in the world and a friend to everything bad.

Not only does the West destroy countries, such as Libya, it allows those trying to flee the destruction it has wrought to perish in the most cruel and unforgivable manner, turning the Med into a mass grave to rank with those that have stained human history throughout the 20th century.

This tragedy comes as the culmination of the campaign of demonization that has been conducted against migrants across Western Europe over the past few years. It is a campaign driven by a resurgent right and ultra nationalist political parties and forces, and has achieved mainstream acceptance, serving to dehumanize the victims of the West’s foreign policy.

Migrants are human beings. They are not the ‘untermenschen’ commonly depicted, and their plight shames every citizen ruled by governments who speak of democracy while practicing ‘democratization’, the new imperialism that differs from the old only in the way it is sold and packaged.

Consider Libya. NATO’s air war against the country in 2011 was unleashed on the back of a UN Security Council Resolution pledging to ‘protect civilians’ with a no-fly zone. It was then used to effect regime change with the consequence, four years on, that Libya has descended into an abyss of extremism, chaos, and terrorism. It has become, in effect, the shop window of Western foreign policy, sitting alongside Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria in this regard.

Italian coastguard personnel in protective clothing carry the body of a dead immigrant on their ship Bruno Gregoretti in Senglea, in Valletta's Grand Harbour, April 20, 2015. (Reuters / Darrin Zammit Lupi)

Last year's scaling down of the number of rescue ship operating in the Med, voted on by countries across the EU, was based on the ludicrous assertion that rescuing migrants when they ended up in the water was a ‘pull’ factor responsible for encouraging them to make the attempt to reach European soil.

It was a decision tantamount to murder, and those responsible should be held to account.

In 2014 the total number of deaths of migrants in the Mediterranean was 3,600. So far, this year, the death toll is 1,600, with the near certainty that it will climb exponentially in the coming months unless a drastic and comprehensive humanitarian response is put in place to prevent it.

Based on the European Commission’s ten-point action plan on migrants, announced after a hastily organized joint meeting of foreign and interior EU ministers in Luxembourg to discuss the crisis, such a humanitarian response will not be forthcoming anytime soon. What is being proposed instead is a military and police response – in other words the criminalization of migrants whose only crime is attempting to flee the catastrophic consequences of Western military and political intervention in their countries.

On one level it is so utterly absurd it is Kafkaesque. On another it reeks of barbarism.

The West has perfected the art of presenting itself as the champion of human rights around the world, while in truth working to subvert them. The fact it can and continues to do so without betraying even the slightest evidence of embarrassment is a phenomenon to behold. When Orwell wrote, “War is peace, Freedom is Slavery, and Ignorance is Strength,” in his iconic novel 1984, he could have been describing the mantra of the EU and NATO.

Those drowning migrants reflect the drowning moral authority of those who claim the mantle of progress while standing on the bones of the countless millions who’ve perished and/or seen their lives reduced to unremitting despair over the past decade, victims of those in the West who regard the world as a chessboard in which entire peoples and societies are pushed around and destroyed as they see fit.

Compounding the horror of this mass tragedy in the Med has been the public description in the UK of fleeing refugees and migrants as “cockroaches” by a woman – Katie Hopkins - whose celebrity over the past few years has been based on nothing more than the airing of views and opinions that have no place in a civilized society.

The word “cockroaches” employed to describe human beings calls to mind Hitler’s dehumanization of Jews and Slavs prior to their mass extermination in the Holocaust. It also calls to mind the dehumanization of the Tutsis by their Hutu murderers during the Rwandan genocide. It is not free speech, it is hate speech, and the fact that this woman is able to enjoy a mainstream platform as a newspaper columnist and radio presenter is an indictment of British society and immorality of a reactionary media that is swimming in sewage.

But before lapsing into the mistake of treating Katie Hopkins as a lone voice, she is a product of a worldview that is more common than many would like to think among opinion formers in the UK. Consider the emergence of Nigel Farage and his anti-immigration party UKIP. The influence which he and his party has had in shaping the political discourse when it comes to immigration has combined with the British Tory government’s policy of austerity to create ideal conditions for the politics of fear, division, and xenophobia to gain traction.

The whipping up of a moral panic over immigration – not only in the UK but also throughout Europe – has resulted in the most reactionary and regressive period the continent has experienced since the 1930s, with the emergence of fascism.

Here the words of the German playwright Bertolt Brecht, writing at the end of the Second World War, spring to mind: “The womb from which this monster emerged remains fertile.”

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 23 Apr 2015 15:06

PUTNANJA-JI, will do as suggested; still trying to learn

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 23 Apr 2015 19:58

High Drama from the Turkish Islamists who are funding the Islamic State.

http://thejakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/i ... lim-world/

The turkish president and his islamist thugs must think their IS funding and their "deriding" soothiyapa is going unnoticed by the rest of the planet.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 23 Apr 2015 22:36

"We are telling them, 'shame on you'. Why don’t you face us on the ground? Why don’t you fight like men? We will always face you as the Yemenis are solid like rocks."

Ouch! This taunt is going to sting the musharrafs very badly in Riyadh. It is going to be picked up throughout the ME. When it was the Pakis on the Shomali Plain, it was different - here the Saudis are bombing residential areas. The hatred and contempt are likely to be pan-Arabic, and all that pent-up hate against the Eagle and the Star are now going to be focused on the much-more accessible fat musharrafs in the white sheets. Bentley-driving bomber pilots are not going to convey a great message either. Remember what the ISIS did to the Jordanian F-16 pilot..
KSA cannot survive without imported labor. What are they going to do when every pakistan-cleaner and every camel-driver is a potential assassin with no regard for their own life because of what happened to their loved ones and their home village?

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 23 Apr 2015 23:01

EIA: Yemen presents unique energy risk

Comment: Impact on oil as a result of the Yemen Civil War.

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 23 Apr 2015 23:52

Philip Ji - Fully endorse your views; US should "welcome" some refugees at their shores!

Falijee · Post by **Falijee** » 24 Apr 2015 00:00

Iran Warned Houthis Against Yemen Takeover

Iranian representatives discouraged Houthi rebels from taking the Yemeni capital of Sanaa last year, according to American officials familiar with intelligence around the insurgent takeover.