Suicide Bomb Attack Targeting Egypt's Luxor’s Karnak Temple Foiled, 2 terrorists killed, one injured.

Suicide Bomb Attack Targeting Egypt's Luxor’s Karnak Temple Foiled. (AA).

A suicide bomb attack which was targeting a tourist bus near Luxor’s Karnak Temple in Upper Egypt has been foiled on Wednesday, confirmed Egypt’s Ministry of Interior.

Security forces have foiled an attack on an important tourist site in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, killing two militants and injuring a third, the interior ministry has announced.

Police prevented three terrorists from entering the Karnak temple on Wednesday morning, the ministry said in a statement. Two of the militants were killed and another injured when a bomb one of them was carrying blew up.

The attack also left one of the temple staff injured, but caused no casualties among temple visitors or security forces, the ministry added.

However, health ministry spokesman Hossam Abdel-Ghaffar told Ahram Online that the assault left five injured, including civilians and members of security forces.

Eyewitnesses told Al-Ahram Arabic news website that at least three gunmen shot in the air in the vicinity of the Karnak temple, on the eastern bank of the Nile.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which carries the hallmark of Islamist militants based in the border Sinai region who have escalated deadly attacks since the 2013 overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

The violence had previously spared tourist sites, mostly targeting security checkpoints and government infrastructure with bombings and shootings.

Wednesday's attack is the first in the ancient city since November 1997 when Islamist militants shot their way into the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor's Valley of the Queens, killing 62 people.

Luxor is home to some of the world's greatest ancient temples and pharaonic tombs.

Last week, gunmen shot dead two members of Egypt's tourism and antiquities police forces on a road near the Giza pyramids.

In February 2014, a bombing of a tourist bus in the Sinai which killed two South Koreans and an Egyptian driver was reminiscent of an Islamist insurrection in the 1990s that often targeted tourists and took authorities years to put down.

Following the attack on Wednesday, Egypt's antiquities minister issued orders to beef up security at antiquities sites countrywide in coordination with the interior ministry, in remarks carried by state news agency MENA on Wednesday.

MENA added the minister was due to head to Luxor to inspect the scene of the assault and take necessary measures to "guarantee full protection of the archaeological site and its visitors."

"The Ministry of Tourism and the government of Egypt place the highest priority on the safety of tourists in our country," read an English-language statement from the tourism ministry on the attack.

It added that security measures in place at all tourist sites have been intensified as "we continue to take every possible measure to ensure that no harm comes to anyone visiting Egypt."

Netanyahu finally speaks his mind: “Nobody should mess with us.”

Netanyahu finally speaks his mind: "a two-state solution, it's impossible." (TOI).

At his Friday press conference, the prime minister ruled out full Palestinian sovereignty, derided the US approach to Israeli security, and set out his Middle East overview with unprecedented candor. His remarks were not widely reported; they should be.

Does Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu really support a two-state solution, or is his rhetoric to this effect disingenuous? Did he genuinely seek an accommodation with the Palestinians during the nine months of US-brokered negotiations that collapsed in April, or was he just stringing the Americans and the Palestinians along, while his heart is truly with the settlement enterprise?

These are fundamental questions — questions you’d think Israelis and the watching world would long since have been able to answer, especially given that Netanyahu is Israel’s second-longest serving prime minister ever. In fact, though, while many pundits claim to have definitive answers, most Israelis would acknowledge that they’ve never been entirely sure how Netanyahu sees a potential resolution of the Palestinian conflict, which concessions he’s truly ready to make, what his long-term vision looks like.

But now we know.

The uncertainties were swept aside on Friday afternoon, when the prime minister, for the first time in ages, gave a press conference on Day Four of Operation Protective Edge.

He spoke only in Hebrew, and we are in the middle of a mini-war, so his non-directly war-related remarks didn’t get widely reported. But those remarks should not be overlooked even in the midst of a bitter conflict with Gaza’s Islamist rulers; especially in the midst of a bitter conflict with Gaza’s Islamist rulers. The prime minister spoke his mind as rarely, if ever, before. He set out his worldview with the confidence of a leader who sees vindication in the chaos all around. He answered those fundamental questions.

Netanyahu began his appearance, typically, by reading some prepared remarks. But then, most atypically, he took a series of questions. And while he initially stuck to responses tied to the war against Hamas, its goals, and the terms under which it might be halted, he then moved — unasked — into territory he does not usually chart in public, and certainly not with such candor.

For some, his overall outlook will seem bleak and depressing; for others, savvy and pragmatic. One thing’s for sure: Nobody will ever be able to claim in the future that he didn’t tell us what he really thinks.

He made explicitly clear that he could never, ever, countenance a fully sovereign Palestinian state in the West Bank. He indicated that he sees Israel standing almost alone on the frontlines against vicious Islamic radicalism, while the rest of the as-yet free world does its best not to notice the march of extremism. And he more than intimated that he considers the current American, John Kerry-led diplomatic team to be, let’s be polite, naive.

Perhaps most reporters switched off after he’d delivered his headlines, making plain that “no international pressure will prevent us from acting with all force against a terrorist organization (Hamas) that seeks to destroy us,” and that Operation Protective Edge would go on until guaranteed calm was restored to Israel. If they did, they shouldn’t have.

Netanyahu has stressed often in the past that he doesn’t want Israel to become a binational state — implying that he favors some kind of accommodation with and separation from the Palestinians. 

But on Friday he made explicit that this could not extend to full Palestinian sovereignty. Why? Because, given the march of Islamic extremism across the Middle East, he said, Israel simply cannot afford to give up control over the territory immediately to its east, including the eastern border — that is, the border between Israel and Jordan, and the West Bank and Jordan.

The priority right now, Netanyahu stressed, was to “take care of Hamas.” But the wider lesson of the current escalation was that Israel had to ensure that “we don’t get another Gaza in Judea and Samaria.” Amid the current conflict, he elaborated, “I think the Israeli people understand now what I always say: that there cannot be a situation, under any agreement, in which we relinquish security control of the territory west of the River Jordan.”

Not relinquishing security control west of the Jordan, it should be emphasized, means not giving a Palestinian entity full sovereignty there. It means not acceding to Mahmoud Abbas’s demands, to Barack Obama’s demands, to the international community’s demands.

This is not merely demanding a demilitarized Palestine; it is insisting upon ongoing Israeli security oversight inside and at the borders of the West Bank. That sentence, quite simply, spells the end to the notion of Netanyahu consenting to the establishment of a Palestinian state. A less-than-sovereign entity? Maybe, though this will never satisfy the Palestinians or the international community. A fully sovereign Palestine? Out of the question.

He wasn’t saying that he doesn’t support a two-state solution. He was saying that it’s impossible. This was not a new, dramatic change of stance by the prime minister. It was a new, dramatic exposition of his long-held stance.

Naming both US Secretary of State John Kerry and his security adviser Gen. John Allen — who was charged by the secretary to draw up security proposals that the US argued could enable Israel to withdraw from most of the West Bank, including the Jordan Valley — Netanyahu hammered home the point: Never mind what the naive outsiders recommend, “I told John Kerry and General Allen, the Americans’ expert, ‘We live here, I live here, I know what we need to ensure the security of Israel’s people.’”

But while other states were collapsing, said Netanyahu, Israel was not — because of the strength of its leadership, its army and its people. “We will defend ourselves on every front, defensively and offensively,” he vowed.

And in a passage that was primarily directed at Israel’s Islamist enemies, but might equally be internalized by those he plainly regards as Israel’s muddle-headed self-styled friends, he added: “Nobody should mess with us.” Read the full story here.

Mashaal arrives in Turkey to crystallize the agreement to cease-fire. - report.

Tell 'daddy' all about these evil juice.

Mashaal arrives in Turkey to crystallize the agreement a "triple" to cease-fire - report.(Amad).[Google Translate]

Ankara - special: According to informed diplomatic sources, said the head of the political bureau of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, arrived last night on un announced visit to Ankara, as part of the formulation of the position of Turkish push to stop the war.

The sources for the (long), that this step comes in the context of an attempt led by Qatar and plead by the Muslim Brotherhood to bypass the Egyptian role.

The Sources in the movement "Hamas" to the "life" of London, that "Qatar and Turkey are engaged in contacts with Israel for the purpose of reaching an agreement a cease-fire in Gaza, and that the group refused an Israeli offer is based on the calm versus calm. "

noted sources that the "movement" Hamas "and agreed to a cease-fire on condition that Israel halts fire as well, and apply the truce agreement, which was reached in November 2012, and the release of prisoners who were detained in the West Bank last month following the abduction of the settlers of the three, and the roughly 600 prisoners, including 52 of the liberated captives in a prisoner exchange deal, "adding that" Israel has rejected the terms of "Hamas", but the movement has maintained its demands.Hmmmm....At least he's safe from IDF bombs......he hopes.

Video - Ben Shapiro: "It's borderline a Jew-hating administration"

Surrender without honor - Pres Obama betrayed the highest obligation of his office — safeguarding national security.

Surrender without honor - Pres Obama betrayed the highest obligation of his office — safeguarding national security. HT: NYDaily.

President Obama betrayed the highest obligation of his office — safeguarding national security — in trading five hard-core Taliban for the American serviceman who appears to have deserted in Afghanistan.

The five sworn enemies of the United States are now in the Gulf state of Qatar, where they are free to come and go as they like, beyond the watch of American agents. In just one year, they will be free to return to Afghanistan to fight there and stage terror attacks far beyond that country’s borders.

These facts were known to Obama when he made the deal, and yet he went ahead in irresponsible disregard for lives he has endangered.

As the facts have emerged — and more surely will — it has become ever clearer that he lost his presidential compass in the Taliban swap.

In retrospect, his Rose Garden announcement that he was bringing home an American POW appears to have been a cynical act of theater.Read the full story here.

Video - Taliban Video Shows Bergdahl’s Transfer

According to the Wall Street Journal:

An Afghan insurgent, his face hidden by a scarf, tells Sgt. Bergdahl menacingly in Pashto moments before the release: “Don’t come back to Afghanistan. Next time we catch you, you won’t leave here alive.” Armed insurgents surrounding the pickup truck laugh as Sgt. Bergdahl bows his head, looking confused and scared.

“Long live the holy warriors of Afghanistan! Long live the great holy warrior and the leader of the believers, Mullah Mohammad Omar!” the insurgents chant, referring to the Taliban leader who has eluded U.S. capture since 2001.

White House steamrollered Taliban prisoners' release in exchange for 'Deserted' soldier and ignored top secret intell showing they were too dangerous to be set free.

White House steamrollered Taliban prisoners' release in exchange for kidnapped soldier and ignored top secret intelligence showing they were too dangerous to be set free. DailyMail.

Obama administration viewed release of five militants as first step toward peace deal with Taliban

Justice Department review from 2009 found the Taliban leaders were too high-risk to be released Fate of five enemy combatants has been subject of disputes within intelligence community over the years

Gulf official said Taliban fighters won't be treated as prisoners while living in Qatar, and no U.S. officials will be tracking them

It's 'absolutely' possible the prisoners the U.S. released form Guantanamo Bay could rejoin terrorist cells, President Barack Obama said today

Obama suggested that he did not violate federal law by making the trade without congressional approval.Read the full story here.

Related:

Marco Rubio blasts Obama for not telling Congress of Bowe Bergdahl terror trade

Five Taliban militants traded for captive soldier are free to roam Qatar and will be allowed to return to Afghanistan after a year - despite Obama's promise to monitor their movements 

'Bowe Bergdahl deserted and these Americans lost their lives searching for him'

'Bowe Bergdahl deserted and these Americans lost their lives searching for him'. HT: DailyMail.

• The Facebook group 'Bowe Bergdahl is NOT hero!' has 5,400 members
• Men who served in his unit in Afghanistan are now emerging to say they believe Bergdahl deserted before he was captured
• Bergdahl e-mailed his parents saying he 'was ashamed to be an American'
• Military seems to acknowledge Bergdahl, 28, could have committed some kind of violation
• However, officials say he likely won't be punished: 'five years is enough'
• Former squad leader said Bergdahl always talked about seeing what was on the other side of the mountains

Not everyone is welcoming Bowe Bergdahl home with open arms. Some of the men who served with the Taliban POW believe that he deserted his post. And they say six American soldiers died because of his actions.

Bergdahl's release, brokered with the Taliban in exchange for five Guantanamo detainees, has ignited fury in some corners of the U.S. military community and re-opened old wounds. 'Bowe Bergdahl deserted during a time of war and his fellow Americans lost their lives searching for him,' former Sergeant Matt Vierkant told CNN.

A former superior of the 28-year-old soldier, Greg Leatherman, said he hopes the military investigates Bergdahl and questions whether he did, indeed, desert his post in Afghanistan on June 30, 2009.Read the full story here.

Related: 

EXCLUSIVE: Pentagon knew Bergdahl’s whereabouts but didn’t risk rescue for ‘deserter’

“They’re really underestimating the fury over this,” Wellman said. “It’s a tidal wave of anger.”  

More here 

McKeon: Congress Will Hold Hearings on Bergdahl-for-Gitmo Terrorists Swap.

McKeon: Congress Will Hold Hearings on Bergdahl-for-Gitmo Terrorists Swap.

McKeon spoke today on Fox News:

We will be holding hearings. We will look into this. You know, this president has a reputation, I think well deserved, of deciding which laws he’s going to enforce and which laws he’s not going to enforce . . . 

Our joy at Sergeant Bergdahl’s release is tempered by the fact that President Obama chose to ignore the law, not to mention sound policy, to achieve it,” they wrote. “Trading five senior Taliban leaders from detention in Guantanamo Bay for Bergdahl’s release may have consequences for the rest of our forces and all Americans. 

Our terrorist adversaries now have a strong incentive to capture Americans. That incentive will put our forces in Afghanistan and around the world at even greater risk . . . 

More than Seventy-two hours after this deal has been done, we have still have not been told what they’re going to do to ensure that these top five Taliban leaders do not re-enter the fight. 

“I mean, they have blood of thousands of Afghans and Americans on their hands, and we’re releasing them to Qatar. That’s all we know. Our information is coming from the media. We’re not hearing from the administration.'Read the full story here.

Related Flashback 2012 -

Obama Admin still following Muslim Brotherhood Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi plan to release Taliban prisoners from Gitmo.

1. Jan 11 -2012: Report: U.S. to Release Three Taliban Leaders from Guantanamo Bay, as in Muslim Brotherhood Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi plan.



2. 
   
3. March 11 -2012: "Commander in chief' Obama agrees to transfer the Taliban Guantanamo detainees to Qatar.



4. June 30 - 2012: Obama administration still considering turning Taliban detainees over to Afghanistan and Qatar 




5. U.S. Set to Release Key Taliban Figure in 9/11 Attacks

Carney in 2013: WH Will Consult with Congress on Gitmo Transfer.

Carney in 2013: WH Will Consult with Congress on Gitmo Transfer.HT: WhitehouseDossier.

Just under a year ago, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney promised that any decision with respect to the release of Guantanamo Bay detainees in exchange for kidnapped Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl would be made in consultation with Congress.

CARNEY: With regard to the transfer of Taliban detainees from Guantanamo Bay, we have made — the United States has not made the decision to do that, though we do expect the Taliban to raise this issue in our discussion, if and when those discussions happen.
As we have long said, however, we would not make any decisions about transfer of any detainees without consulting with Congress and without doing so in accordance with U.S. law.

Q    So you haven’t ruled it out? 

CARNEY:  I’m simply saying that — first of all, you have to separate the two issues.  We are focused on the return  — the safe and immediate return of Sergeant Bergdahl, and we continue to use the tools at our disposal to help bring that about.
We also expect the Taliban to raise the issue of their detainees in discussions that we have with them if those discussions take place.  And at this time we’ve made no decisions about the transfer of detainees.
And in accordance with law, we would be consulting with Congress should we make any decisions about that.  So we remain committed to the closure of Guantanamo Bay, as you know.  But separate from that on these specific issues about individual detainees, that would be a process that is done in accordance with law.

Instead, the White House this week sent five dangerous former Taliban packing to Qatar without a word to lawmakers.

Carney today said Congress should have figured it out and, anyway, the White House had to move fast:

This should not have come as a surprise to members of Congress that this was possible because we had been working to secure Sgt. Bergdahl’s release for a long time . . .
It was the judgement of the team and the president that there was enough urgency here to assure that Sgt. Bergdahl was recovered . . .

Today we are being asked to believe the White House when it says the threat posed to the United States by the former detainees has been “sufficiently mitigated” by the terms of the release.

Father Of Soldier Who Obama Released, Declares Muslim Victory Call, And Obama Smiles As Soon As He Hears The Victory Cry.

Father Of Soldier Who Obama Released, Declares Muslim Victory Call, And Obama Smiles As Soon As He Hears The Victory Cry.HT: WalidShoebat.Infidel Bloggers.

JUST WAIT TILL YOU READ ALL THE EVIDENCE WE ACCUMULATED ON THIS SUPPOSED RESCUE OPERATION. 

FIRST THINGS FIRST 

While the Obama administration is proudly touting how it was able to free an American soldier who was captured by the Taliban, what no one picked is the fact that Obama SMILED as soon as he heard the most famous war cry of Islam, “bismillah al-rahman al-rahim,” Arabic for “in the name of Allah the most gracious, the most merciful.” 

Watch Obama smile as soon as Bergdahl gives the most famous Muslim expression, the “Bismillah” or the “Basmallah”:

The “basmallah” is the Islamic expression for victory and only indicates that Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl’s father is a Muslim. 

Think that the man is acting as “Muslim” for a stealth operation to rescue his son who is already in good hands in Germany? And what is with the long beard and trimmed mustache?

No this is not a bum, biker, or a Santa Clause fan. When one gives the basmallah, trims his mustache and elongates his beard, its the first sign of a convert to Islam, just as that an ex-Muslim putting on a cross and saying, “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit,” is evidence enough of conversion to Christianity. But there is much more we obtained on this stealth jihadist.
But first, Obama’s smile says much. Obama has never declared the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and has no real testimony of converting to Christianity, as his pastor Jeremiah Wright stated:

I made it easy for him to come to an understanding of who Jesus Christ is and not feel that he was turning his back on his Islamic friends and his Islamic traditions and his understanding of Islam.

But is it the speech with the Basmallah, the beard and the trimmed mustache, the testimonies from his colleagues on his desertion, that confirm our suspicion that these men are Jihadi converts?
Hardly.

What no one in the media captured was Robert Bowe Bergdahl’s favorites on his Youtube account.
It reveals a dark mind, a collector of a litany of ‘terrorist favorites’, videos from training on how to become Muslim Jihadist to urging American troops to desert and even favorite speeches by confirmed terrorists like Shaykh Anwar al-Awlaki, condemning America as a terrorist state. Go read the full story Here

Mullah Omar hails release of 5 top Taliban commanders as 'proposed' by Muslim Brotherhood 'Godfather' Qaradawi

Mullah Omar hails release of 5 top Taliban commanders from Gitmo as 'proposed' by Muslim Brotherhood 'Godfather' Qaradawi.HT: Tundratabloids.

By THOMAS JOSCELYN.

Mullah Omar, the reclusive head of the Taliban, has purportedly released a statement hailing the transfer of the top five Taliban commanders from Guantanamo to Qatar. Omar says their freedom is a “great victory.”

The five Taliban leaders were exchanged for Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, who has been held by the Taliban since 2009.

A copy of the statement attributed to Omar has been posted on the Taliban’s Urdu-language web site.

Omar thanks the government of Qatar, as well as its emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, for his help in brokering the deal and for hosting the Taliban leaders. In earlier statements, both President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry similarly thanked Qatar for its assistance.

Omar offers his “heartfelt congratulations to the entire Afghan Muslim nation,” including “all the mujahideen and to the families and relatives of the prisoners for this great victory.”

The Taliban had demanded the release of the five commanders from Guantanamo for years. In early 2012, the Taliban announced that it had established a “political office” in Doha for the expressed purpose of securing their freedom.Hmmmm......Now Guess where Muslim brotherhood 'Godfather' Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi lives?If you said Qatar you are right.

Read more:  Via TROP

Update From Infidel Bloggers:

Did Obama Use His Memorial Day Visit To Afghanistan To Personally Negotiate With The Taliban?

Related Flashback 2012 -

Obama Admin still following Muslim Brotherhood Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi plan to release Taliban prisoners from Gitmo.

1. Jan 11 -2012: Report: U.S. to Release Three Taliban Leaders from Guantanamo Bay, as in Muslim Brotherhood Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi plan.



2. 
   
3. March 11 -2012: "Commander in chief' Obama agrees to transfer the Taliban Guantanamo detainees to Qatar.



4. June 30 - 2012: Obama administration still considering turning Taliban detainees over to Afghanistan and Qatar 




5. U.S. Set to Release Key Taliban Figure in 9/11 Attacks

The Muslim Brotherhood in North America (Canada/USA)”

The Muslim Brotherhood in North America (Canada/USA)” HT: GMBR.

By gmbwatch

Terrorism analyst Tom Quiggin has published a new and comprehensive report on the Muslim Brotherhood in North America with an emphasis on Canada. The report concludes:

• Canada has a significant presence of Muslim Brotherhood adherent individuals and organizations. Their values and actions are frequently the antithesis of the Canadian Constitution, values and law.  Despite statements to the contrary, the Muslim Brotherhood considers itself above local laws and national constitutions.

• The Muslim Brotherhood’s use of settlement and the ‘process of civilization jihad’ has proven effective.  The long term aim is to globally impose a virulent form of political Islam to the exclusion of other faiths or systems.

• Internationally, the Muslim Brotherhood is realigning under pressure as old alliances crumble and opportunities arise. An aggressive posture is re-emerging which has used extensive political violence in the past. 

• The policy and process of denial is deeply rooted in the Muslim Brotherhood.

• Muslim Brotherhood adherent groups should not be given governmental accreditation, access to public grants nor should they have charity status.

• Canada’s stance against Muslim Brotherhood adherent organizations in recent years has been more aggressive than the USA, especially in financial areas.”

The GMBDW welcomes this highly useful report which, among other things, draws from the Hudson report on the US Muslim Brotherhood written by the GMBDW editor.

Video - Suicide explosive belt goes off among Syrian terrorists.

Video - Suicide explosive belt goes off among Syrian terrorists.(AlAlam).

An online video footage showing an explosive belt of a Syria-based terrorist going off prematurely in a gathering of a group of terrorist has been published by social networking activist. 

According to al-Alam network, the accidental blast occurs when the terrorists are performing some sort of chorus as part of a ritual before taking off for a suicide operation.

The foreign-sponsored Terrorist elements have claimed responsibility for numerous terrorist bombings not only in Syria, but also in Lebanon and Iraq. They are widely believed to be supplied and financed chiefly by Saudi Arabia and other US-backed Arab dictatorships in the region.Hmmm....due to high demand they run out of virgins.Video here at source.

Contact lost with abducted Syrian nuns......Nobody mentions 'abducted' Bishops.

Contact lost with abducted Syrian nuns.....Nobody mentions 'abducted' Bishops.(alalam).

Syrian nuns who were abducted by radical militants in Syria have been relocated, as negotiators have lost contact with them, sources have said.

The 13 nuns and three maids were kidnapped from the famed Christian hamlet of Maaloula last year and transported to the nearby town of Yabroud, a militant stronghold the army is fighting to recapture.

"I was in regular contact with them, but since yesterday we've lost contact," a source involved in negotiations said.

"It is very likely that they have been transferred to the region between Yabroud and the Lebanese border" nearby, the source said."Contacts are underway to try to ensure their safety."

The source said the kidnappers were from a group belonging to the Al-Qaeda representative Al-Nusra Front, led by a man called Abu Malek al-Kuwaiti.

Syria sank into war in March 2011 when pro-reform protests turned into a massive insurgency following the intervention of Western and regional states.

The unrest, which took in terrorist groups from across Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, has transpired as one of the bloodiest conflicts in recent history.Hmmmm.....Soon it will be a year since the two Bishops were abducted......'We are no longer a Christian nation......indeed'.

Turkish opposition party leader: "Syria-bound trucks filled with US dollars"

Turkish opposition party leader: "Syria-bound trucks filled with US dollars" (TZ).

Trucks en route to Syria that were stopped last month in the southern province of Adana were carrying US dollars, Democratic Left Party (DSP) Chairman Masum Türker claimed on Sunday at a press conference for a municipal candidate.

The trucks, which were stopped by the Turkish gendarmerie, were reportedly filled with weapons and ammunition.

The Turkish government claimed that the Syria-bound vehicles contained humanitarian aid supplies for Syrian Turkmens caught in the middle of skirmishes between radical segments of the opposition and Kurdish forces.

“Within those aid supplies there were dollars; those dollars were being transported to Syria, to al-Qaeda. However, a portion those dollars was not intended for al-Qaeda, but was to be transported to another [internationally sanctioned] country by al-Qaeda,” Türker said, ostensibly referring to Iran. 

“Since when did the National Intelligence Organization (MİT) become the Red Crescent? The Red Crescent is the one supposed to be moving those aid materials, but in this case the National Intelligence Organization is doing so,” Türker continued.

Turkish news sources had previously reported that the trucks in question belonged to MİT. The Red Crescent (Kızılay) is Turkey's largest humanitarian organization.

In related news, the daily Taraf reported yesterday that previous weapons shipments had fallen into the hands of pro-Assad forces. Taraf, citing unnamed intelligence sources, said that some of these weapons -- intended for Syrian Turkmens -- had either been purchased or stolen by pro-Assad groups. The Taraf daily report added that the weapons were being closely monitored by the US and several European countries, which had warned Turkey several times against proceeding with the shipments.

Former US diplomat and Senate policy adviser: US ‘adopts violent forces as allies’ in Syria.

Former US diplomat and Senate policy adviser: US ‘adopts violent forces as allies’ in Syria.(PressTv).

The United States has adopted “very violent and dangerous forces” in Syria as allies, says a foreign policy analyst in Washington, adding that that is the result of an “incoherent policy” and a “complete lack of understanding.”

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State John Kerry admitted that the Syrian government is making gains on the ground in its fight against foreign-backed insurgents.

Senior US intelligence officials also warned on Tuesday that a number of Americans have joined al-Qaeda-affiliated groups in Syria and they may try to stage terrorist attacks inside the United States.

“We have a very incoherent policy” in Syria, said James Jatras, a former US diplomat and Senate policy adviser. “I’m afraid that the consequence of Kerry’s admission of failure will be from the Republican opposition just to demand more aid to the terrorists.”

“If we had been supporting the Syrian people, we would not be in this predicament,” Jatras said on Wednesday.

“It shows a complete lack of understanding of the kind of very violent, very dangerous forces we have adopted as our allies in Syria,” he added.

Congress recently approved funding for US weapons deliveries to the Syrian militants fighting against the Syrian government.

In September 2013, a British defense study conducted by IHS Jane’s showed that about 100,000 militants, fragmented into 1,000 groups, are operating against the Syrian government.The country has been gripped by crisis since March 2011.

OIC to meet on April 14 to Halt Deadly Violence Against Myanmar Muslims, "ready to take all necessary measures and actions to deal with it".

OIC to meet on April 14 to Halt Deadly Violence Against Myanmar Muslims, "ready to take all necessary measures and actions to deal with it".(IW).

The head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation said on Saturday that ministers from OIC states will meet on April 14 in Saudi Arabia to discuss deadly violence against Muslims in Myanmar.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu said in a statement that a contact committee of OIC foreign ministers would gather in the Red Sea port of Jeddah.

State media in Myanmar reported on Saturday that the death toll from communal violence in the center of the country over the past 10 days has risen to 43 with more than 1,300 homes and other buildings destroyed.

An OIC statement said Ihsanoglu addressed a contact group meeting on violence against Myanmar Muslims known as Rohingya on Saturday and said the organization was "ready to take all necessary measures and actions to deal with it".

Ihsanoglu also pressed the government of Myanmar to "put an end to the Buddhist extremists and hate campaigns, as well as ethnic cleansing that they had launched against Muslims in the country".

On Friday, Myanmar strongly rejected comments by the UN's special rapporteur on Myanmar human rights, Tomas Ojea Quintana, the previous day that he had "received reports of state involvement in some of the acts of violence".

Buddhist mobs have marauded through several towns in central Myanmar since religious violence erupted on March 20, prompting the government to impose emergency rule and curfews in some areas.

It is the worst sectarian strife since violence between Buddhists and Muslims in the western state of Rakhine last year left at least 180 people dead and more than 110,000 displaced.

Myanmar's Muslims -- largely of Indian, Chinese and Bangladeshi descent -- account for an estimated four percent of the population of roughly 60 million.Hmmmm......a pity they're silent when Christians are being murdered all over the middle East.

Video - Jon Stewart Destroys Pres. Morsi For Going After 'Egypt's Jon Stewart'

News of an arrest warrant issued against Egyptian comedian Bassem Youssef has dominated the headlines and sparked debates in the world of social media. However, not many people know the man behind the funny mask.
From the seriousness of the dim operation room, to the spotlights of the comedy world of Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart, Youssef – a heart surgeon – fascinated millions and redefined the duties of a comedian in the Middle East.
Following a string of lawsuits and threats, an Egyptian court issued an arrest warrant against Youssef on March 29 this year for allegedly insulting religion and the president.
Youssef appeared in court, and was questioned for more than five hours before being released on a $2,200 bail.
After his release, Youssef said there were four accusations against him, but only three were revealed to him: undermining security, contempt of religion, and insulting the country’s president. With more than 1 million Twitter followers, Youssef notified his audience after his release that he will continue to host his show.

Muslim Brotherhood and Hardline Jihadists now Allowed To Join Egyptian Military Academy.

Muslim Brotherhood and Hardline Jihadists now Allowed To Join Egyptian Military Academy.(WP).

According to a Washington Post report, the U.S. intelligence reports indicate that the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood government has recently permitted Muslim Brotherhood members and “hardline jihadists” to join Egypt’s military academy for the first time. U.S. intelligence agencies are also investigating reports that Egyptian President Morsi has concluded a secret agreement with Hamas:

Friday, March 29, 2013 Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated government recently allowed members of the Brotherhood and hardline jihadists to join Egypt’s military academy for the first time as part of what U.S. officials say is a covert effort to impose Islamist rule in the key Middle East state.

According to U.S. officials with access to intelligence reports, the government of President Mohamed Morsi is covertly taking steps to take control over the pro-Western military and the police forces as part of a campaign to solidify Islamist control.

Egypt for decades had banned the Muslim Brotherhood and radical Islamist groups from both the military and police academies after Islamic terrorists in the military assassinated Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat in 1981. The Egyptian military also for decades has maintained close ties to the U.S. military.

Analysts in the U.S. intelligence community and the military are viewing the introduction of Islamists into the national military academy, disclosed last week, with concern. Muslim Brotherhood members and hardline Salafi groups are regarded as dedicated first to jihad, or holy war, and other Islamist principles rather than to the country. ’Any opening of the Egyptian military to Islamist elements would be a big and complicated change,’ said one U.S. official.

‘It’s not clear how it would be managed or how well the rank and file would absorb it.’ Disclosure that the Muslim Brotherhood and other radical Islamists are now being admitted to the military academy was made public March 19 in Egyptian news reports.

The head of the military academy, Ismat Murad, told reporters the new batch of Islamist students included the nephew of Morsi, a Muslim Brotherhood leader.

Meanwhile, U.S. officials said intelligence agencies are investigating reports that Morsi recently concluded a secret agreement with the Palestinian terror group Hamas, another disturbing sign the Egyptian government is shifting away from its former pro-Western stance and toward radical Islam. There are concerns the agreement involves collusion between the Muslim Brotherhood and a plan to settle Palestinians in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.Read the full story here.