Dreams Into Lightning 2

Morning Report: 2012-08-05

Israel: No recognition, no entry. Arutz Sheva: 'Israel is getting tough with Arab [sic] countries that do not recognize Israel and bars them from crossing Jordan to Ramallah. The Foreign Minister explained that diplomats from Cuba, Indonesia, Malaysia and Bangladesh are not being allowed to attend a mini-Non-Aligned Movement conference in the Palestinian Authority headquarters because their governments do not have diplomatic ties with Israel.' (The A7 article is incorrectly worded, as the countries named are not Arab nations.) Full article at the link.

Nigeria: Bombing in northeast kills soldiers. BBC: 'A suicide bombing in the north-eastern Nigerian city of Damaturu has killed several soldiers, reports say. According to an eyewitness, the suicide bomber rammed a car into a military vehicle that was part of a convoy. ...' Reuters: 'A suicide car bomber on Sunday attacked a military checkpoint in Nigeria's northeastern city of Damaturu, killing six soldiers and two civilians, police said. Suspicion will fall on Islamist sect Boko Haram, which is waging an insurgency against President Goodluck Jonathan's government across the north with the aim of carving out an Islamic state in a country split evenly between Christians and Muslims. ...'

Morning Report: 2012-08-01

India: Muslim journalist charged in attack on Israeli. 'Nearly five months after an Israeli diplomat's car was bombed in New Delhi, the Delhi Police on Tuesday indicted Indian journalist Syed Mohammad Kazmi of conspiring with foreign elements and others for the terror strike.' Tal Yehoshua-Koren and her Indian driver were wounded in the February 13 attack.

Somalia: Suicide bombers strike as constitution finalized. 'Two suicide bombers attacked a conference in Somalia on Wednesday but failed to stop delegates agreeing a new draft constitution that is meant to help the violence-torn East African country return to stability. One bomber killed six security officers, while the other was shot and killed before he could detonate his bomb, police said. Al Shabaab, Somalia's al Qaeda-linked group, said it was behind the attack and that it had succeeded in killing Somali and African Union troops. ...'

Syria: Agreement on post-regime future to be signed. Stratfor: 'Kurdistan Regional Government President Massoud Barzani, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, the Syrian Kurdish National Council and the Syrian National Council will sign an agreement on the future of Syria after President Bashar al Assad's regime.'

Turkey: Army holds exercise near Syrian border. NOW Lebanon: 'Turkey's military on Wednesday tested its tanks' speed and maneuverability during an exercise in Turkey's southeastern border near Syria, reported the Anatolia news agency. The exercise comes after Turkey sent a convoy of tanks, weapons and ground-to-air missile batteries to the border with Syria, strengthening its defenses there as intensified on the other side of the border. ...'

Morning Report: 2012-07-17

Conflicts in Damascus and around Africa.

Syria: Damascus showdown looms. Al-Arabiya: '“Machinegun fire was heard in the Sabah Bahrat square, and members of the security forces, armed with Kalashnikovs, ran across the square,” site of the country’s Central Bank, witnesses told AFP. ... Syria’s military deployed armored vehicles near central Damascus on Monday as troops battled rebels around the capital in what activists said could be a turning point in the 16-month uprising. Rebels late Monday announced the launch of a full-scale attack operation.' NOW Lebanon:

The rebel Free Syrian Army said on Tuesday that the "battle for the liberation of Damascus has begun," as fighting raged in the capital.

"Victory is nigh," said the central Homs-based spokesperson for the FSA's Joint Command, Colonel Kassem Saadeddine, adding that the fighting will not stop until the whole of the capital has been conquered.

"We have transferred the battle from Damascus province to the capital," said Saadeddine. "We have a clear plan to control the whole of Damascus. We only have light weapons, but it's enough." ...

Nigeria: Rocket fired at Muslim school kills boy. 'A rocket fired at a Muslim school in the central Nigerian city Jos on Tuesday killed a boy aged about 10, a military spokesman said. ...'

Africa / Israel: Study says millions of Africans identify as Jews. Dr. Shalva Weil of Hebrew University says there has been a sharp rise in the number of Africans identifying as Jews in the past 15 years. 'Weil, from the Research Institute for Innovation in Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is an anthropologist and expert on Ethiopian Jewry who has spent years studying the Ethiopian community and its acclimation into Israeli society. Weil recently gave a series of talks throughout South Africa and took part in a conference on African Jews hosted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban, where she spoke about racism toward Ethiopian Jews in Israel. ...' She cites communities among the Lemba of southern Africa and the Igbo of Nigeria. 'Weil says that from an academic perspective, Black Judaism is a varied and exciting field. But she feels that the Israeli establishment is not aware of the phenomenon or its ramifications.'

Niger: EU to train security forces to fight al-Qaeda. The European Union will send experts to Niger to train security forces to fight al Qaeda, beginning in August at Niamey.

State Department Names Boko Haram Men Terrorists

BBC: 'Three leaders of Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist group have been designated as terrorists by the US state department. Abubakar Shekau leads the militant group, while Abubakar Adam Kambar and Khalid el Barnawi are thought to have ties with a branch of al-Qaeda. ...'

Morning Report: 2012-06-19

Nigeria: Multiple blasts hit Damaturu. Stratfor: 'At least two explosions and multiple gunshots hit parts of the Sabon Pegi area of the northeastern Nigerian city of Damaturu in Yobe state June 18, in renewed attacks carried out by Boko Haram ...'

Lebanese authorities begin releasing islamist detainees. NOW Lebanon: 'Lebanese authorities released on Tuesday seven of the over 100 Islamist detainees held in Roumieh Prison, the National News Agency reported. ...'

Happy Juneteenth. 'Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a holiday in the United States honoring African American heritage by commemorating the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. State of Texas in 1865. Celebrated on June 19, the term is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth,[1] and is recognized as a state holiday or state holiday observance in 41 states of the United States.'

Morning Report: 2012-06-17

Obama backs Iraq ambassador nominee Brett McGurk. Reuters: 'President Barack Obama has no plans to withdraw Brett McGurk's nomination to be U.S. ambassador to Iraq, despite Republican demands after revelations that the nominee had engaged in an extra-marital affair with a journalist whom he later married, the White House said on Sunday. ...' I wouldn't care about the affair if it weren't an ambassador post; he's got to represent the United States and he's got to look good.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Nayef to be laid to rest. BBC: 'Saudi Arabia is preparing to bury Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud, who died in Geneva on Saturday. Prince Nayef, who was also deputy prime minister and interior minister, will be buried after sunset prayers in the holy city of Mecca. ...' He'll likely be succeeded by his brother, Prince Salman, who's 76.

Grenade thrown at Greek TV station. Via YNet: 'A hand grenade was thrown outside Greek TV station Skai but did not explode, police said on Sunday, as people voted in the parliamentary election. ...'

Nigeria: Another explosion in Kaduna. Stratfor: 'A third explosion occurred at a church in northern Nigeria's Kaduna state, AFP reported June 17. The number of casualties is unknown.' BBC:

At least three blasts have hit churches in the northern Nigerian state of Kaduna.

A local Red Cross worker told Associated Press that at least two people had been killed and 48 injured in two of the attacks.

Two blasts hit Sunday church services close to the city of Zaria.

No one has yet claimed responsibility, but Kaduna state has previously seen attacks by the radical Islamist group Boko Haram. ...

Morning Report: 2012-06-06

US to help Nigeria fight Boko Haram.

(AFP) - The United States plans to work with the Nigerian army to help it combat the threat of the Islamist group Boko Haram which is spreading violence in the west African nation, officials said Tuesday.

But Washington has still not decided whether to put the group on a blacklist of terrorist organizations -- even as gunfire and explosions erupted in the Nigerian city of Maiduguri on Tuesday.

"This is an issue of ongoing internal deliberations within the United States government," Assistant Secretary of African Affairs Johnnie Carson said after two days of high-level talks with Nigerian officials in the US capital. ...

Meanwhile, Nigerian forces shot dead 16 suspected militants in a fire fight with Islamist sect Boko Haram on Tuesday, the military said. BBC: 'Nigerian security forces have shot dead 16 suspected militants from the Islamic sect Boko Haram in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri, officials say. They were killed in a fierce gunfight overnight, witnesses say. They say civilians were hit by stray bullets in the fighting, which lasted for hours. The army says none of soldiers died. ...' See also Morning Report from June 4.

"Who is Boko Haram?" Africa In Transition:

Ostensibly a radical Islamic movement, what are its goals? Who are its leaders? Is it a part of the international jihad dominated by Al Qaeda?

Some within the U.S. federal government see Boko Haram as a direct threat to the United States and are urging that it be designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO.) Others see its focus as primarily within Nigeria with little international dimension. ...

The AIT article recommends this article by the US Institute of Peace.

Wisconsin's Governor Scott Walker keeps his job. MSNBC tries to make sense of it all. Via Meadia has more on public-sector unions.

Abu Yahya al-Libi Gets His Virgins

Long War Journal:

US intelligence officials said they believe that Abu Yahya al Libi, al Qaeda's second in command and a top religious figure and ideologue, was killed in yesterday's drone strike in Pakistan.

Two US intelligence officials involved in the targeting of al Qaeda operatives and other terrorists in Pakistan told The Long War Journal that al Libi is thought to be among 15 people killed in yesterday's strike in Mir Ali in North Waziristan. The officials would not say how they confirmed that al Libi had been killed.

A Pakistani intelligence official told Reuters that his unit "intercepted some conversations between militants" and that "[t]hey were talking about the death of a 'sheikh,'" who is assumed to be al Libi. ...

This Ain't Hell: 'Personally, I wish we’d have executed a “snatch and grab” and asked him a few questions before giving him the opportunity to explain his sins to Allah instead of sending him by Hellfire express. But I guess we can’t have everything.'

MSNBC has more.

Jay Nordlinger: '... But even though al-Qaeda No. 2s have become increasingly easy targets after the death of Osama bin Laden, Libi’s death is a useful victory, as the Times notes, and thus, an important one for the program.'

Morning Report: 2012-06-02

Al-Monitor on Egyptian elections. Al-Monitor:

Barbara Slavin moderated a panel of leading experts on Egypt, co-sponsored by Al-Monitor, at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace on Thursday to debate these questions and what they mean for Egypt.

Despite their varying views, all three panelists seemed to agree that the choice Egyptians are left with is, for the most part, one between the lesser of two evils. On the one hand, there is the Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammad Morsi. On the other, former Mubarak player, Ahmad Shafiq. Samer Shehata, an Egypt scholar at Georgetown University, put his money on a win for Morsi, saying he could not imagine a Mubarak remnant taking power after the revolution. Michael Wahid Hanna, an analyst with the Century Foundation, appeared to lean toward Shafiq, after initially ducking the question. And Marina Ottaway, a senior associate at Carnegie, put the question to rest when she said, “It doesn’t matter who wins.”

Even if Morsi wins, she said, the bureaucracy that was in place under Mubarak is still intact. ...

Video at the link.

US drones kill 'good' Taliban commander. Long War Journal:

The US killed a commander loyal to 'good' Taliban leader Mullah Nazir in a drone strike in South Waziristan. Today's strike is the first in South Waziristan since mid-March.

The remotely piloted Predators or the more deadly Reapers fired missiles at a vehicle and a motorcycle in a village near Wana. Dawn reported that the strike took place in the village of Doog and killed two Taliban fighters, while Geo News said the strike occurred in Khawashi Khel and killed four fighters.

According to Dawn, Rahmanullah, "a key commander of the Mullah Nazir group and a brother of commander Malang of the same group," was killed in the strike. Nazir administers the Wana area and supports and shelters al Qaeda leaders and operatives. ...

What's so "good" about Mullah Nazir? Good question. 'Mullah Nazir has openly supported Taliban emir Mullah Omar and al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, and wages jihad in Afghanistan. In an interview with the Asia Times, Nazir rejected claims that he opposed al Qaeda, and affirmed that he considered himself to be a member of the global terror organization. ... Pakistan's military and intelligence services consider Nazir and his followers "good Taliban" as they do not openly seek the overthrow of the Pakistani state.' Go to the link for the full article.

Russian defense spending. Stratfor (requires login for non-subscribers) notes that Russia's finance ministry has proposed a federal budget cut of $125 billion, mainly in defense, while Vladimir Putin wanted to increase the defense budget by almost as much. The finance ministry is concerned about the price of oil (Russia depends on oil revenues), the financial crisis in Europe (including the possibility of a Greek withdrawal from the Eurozone), and keeping a balanced budget.

India's economy stumbles. The Economist: 'But India's GDP figures, the worst for at least nine years, will have a deep impact on the sub-continent. The country was meant to grow in its sleep—regardless of what happens in the rest of the world. A quick bounce back looks unlikely. The central bank has cut interest rates a little this year, but will struggle to loosen policy further given high inflation. The ruling coalition keeps on promising a bout of reforms to boost confidence, but it is so divided, its behaviour so erratic and its record of delivery so poor that few believe this will actually happen. Expectations for growth over the next couple of years will probably slip further, to 6%. ...' This may suggest that India's rapid growth spurt of 2004 - 2007 was a blip, not a trend.

Death threats for Robert Spencer. 'Robert Spencer, director of the website “Jihad Watch,” questioned the source of Islam in a new book, “Did Muhammad Exist? An Inquiry into the Obscure Origins of Islam,” published by ISI Books. Spencer is also the author of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam (and the Crusades), The Truth about Muhammad (both New York Times best-sellers) and is a columnist for FrontPage Magazine. But upon publication of his latest book, which theorized that the founder and prophet of Islam, Muhammad, did not really exist, Spencer was threatened with a violent death. ...'

BBC on 'New York's Republican enclave', Brighton Beach. A refreshingly sympathetic piece on Republicans from the BBC: 'These are people who remember the Soviet Union all too well and resist what they see as big government and anti-business programmes. They may be liberal on social issues, like abortion, but anything that feels like socialism - even if it is not - makes them queasy. In Brooklyn, Republicans have found a home by the sea. ...'

Easter Bombing in Kaduna, Nigeria by Boko Haram Terrorists

At least 38 people were killed on Easter Sunday by a car bomb blast in Kaduna, about 100 miles north of Abuja, Nigeria.

The blast struck Kaduna, the capital of Kaduna state, leaving charred motorcycles and debris strewn across a major road in the city where many gather to eat at informal restaurants and buy black market gasoline. Nearby hotels had their windows blown out of by the force of the powerful explosion, which engulfed a group of motorcycle taximen. ...

CNN: 'The blast occurred in Kaduna, a city located about 230 kilometers (140 miles) southwest of Kano, around 8:40 a.m.'

Long War Journal has more.

Who are Boko Haram?

People Committed to the Propagation of the Prophet's Teachings and Jihad[5] (Arabic: جماعة اهل السنة للدعوة والجهاد, Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati Wal-Jihad), better known by its Hausa name Boko Haram, is a jihadist terrorist organization based in the northeast of Nigeria.[6] It is an Islamist movement which strongly opposes man-made laws. Founded by Mohammed Yusuf in 2001[7] or 2002,[8] the organisation is a Muslim sect that seeks to abolish the secular system of government and establish sharia law in the country.[9][10]

The movement, whose name in the Hausa language, Boko Haram, translates as "Western education is sacrilege"[9] or "a sin",[11] is divided into three factions, and in 2011, was responsible for more than 450 killings in Nigeria.[9]

Though the group first became known internationally following sectarian violence in Nigeria in 2009, it does not have a clear structure or evident chain of command.[12] Moreover, it is still a matter of debate whether Boko Haram has links to terror outfits outside Nigeria and its fighters have frequently clashed with Nigeria's central government.[9]

Boko Haram is an islamist, jihadi group with links to Al-Qaeda:

The Daily Telegraph understands this transformation has come about partly because of the help Boko Haram has received from al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), a branch of the international terrorist network based in the Saharan states of Mali, Niger and Algeria.

Boko Haram demonstrated its new potency on Jan 20, when at least 100 of the movement's fighters executed eight assaults in Nigeria's northern city of Kano, overwhelming the security forces and killing 185 people. ...

In this latest attack, casualties may have been lower because of security measures around the church area, or because the bomber detonated prematurely.

Nigeria is about evenly divided between Muslims and Christians, with the prosperous, coastal south being mainly Christian and the poorer inland north predominantly Muslim.