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Av loren adams - 6 november 2015 17:02

BEIRUT (AP) — At this stage, there is no hard evidence. But reports from the U.S and Britain suggesting an Islamic State group bomb may have caused the Russian plane crash in Egypt are raising the alarm among experts, who say such an act would be a frightening change in tactics by the extremist group.

          It would also underscore the failure so far of the U.S.-led coalition to deter the jihadis — despite the recent addition of Russia to the seemingly formidable forces arrayed against them.

Russian and Egyptian officials say any talk about a bomb is premature, and aviation authorities are working on all possible theories as to why the Airbus A321-200 crashed Saturday in Egypt's chaotic Sinai Peninsula, 23 minutes after takeoff.

Still, British Prime Minister David Cameron said Thursday it was "more likely than not" that an explosive device brought the jetliner down. If that proves to be true, and if the Islamic State group was responsible, it would be the Sunni extremists' largest act of transnational terrorism by far.

While the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for deadly attacks that struck tourists in Tunisia and Shiite mosques in oil-rich Sunni Gulf countries — claims that have not been proven — it has so far refrained from spectacular al-Qaida-style attacks on airliners. It has focused instead on seizing and expanding territory it already holds in Syria and Iraq, and establishing branches in other countries like Egypt and Libya.

And while some attacks in the West may have been inspired by the group, there has been no clear evidence that any of them was planned or directed by the group itself.

"The Sinai attack would be a first, and would signal that the Islamic State has become both capable of — and interested in — joining the dreadful ranks of global terrorism," concluded an analysis by the Soufan Group, a private geopolitical risk assessment company.

Given the Islamic State militants' success in creating mayhem in the region through its brutal tactics and ferocious fanaticism, such a metamorphosis would be a major challenge for security services around the world.

IS has claimed responsibility for bringing the Russian plane down in written statements, as well as video and audio messages posted on the Internet this week. It said the attack was retaliation for Russia's air campaign against IS — and other groups — in Syria, where Moscow wants to preserve the rule of President Bashar Assad. The group warned Putin that they would also target him "at home."

But IS has not offered any details to back its claim. While releasing specifics would add credibility, the group may be withholding either because its claim is false, or because doing so would undermine plans for similar attacks in the future — or because the aura of mystery might deepen its mystique among die-hard followers.

A U.S official briefed on the matter said that intercepted communications played a role in the tentative conclusion that the Islamic State group's Sinai affiliate planted an explosive device on the plane.

However, the official added that if it was a bomb, intelligence analysts don't believe IS leaders in Syria ordered the operation, but rather that it was planned and executed by the group's Sinai affiliate, which operates autonomously.

The Islamic State group's insistent series of responsibility claims suggests it is trying to boost its global credentials.

Until now, the main advantage it has claimed over al-Qaida is its hold over a significant chunk of territory in Iraq and Syria.

Aymenn al-Tamimi, an expert on rebel and Islamic extremist groups and a fellow at the Middle East Forum think tank, said bombing a jetliner becomes a significant "one-up" in the rivalry with al-Qaida.

"If the Islamic State is capable of conducting attacks like this — particularly against a target now widely reviled (Russia) — this could bolster their appeal in the jihadi world," he said.

It a bomb brought down the plane, it would not be the first time a Russian jetliner was targeted by Islamic militants. Two suicide attackers brought down two Russian planes over Russia in 2004, killing 89 people — attacks claimed by Chechen rebels. Chechens and other militants from the northern Caucasus still have lots of reason to strike at Russian targets.

IS regularly uses high-tech propaganda videos, including those showing the beheadings of foreign hostages, as a form of psychological warfare.

Those gruesome videos have sent shockwaves across the globe and appear to have succeeded in instilling terror outside their base territory without having to actually attack — although there have been some gruesome killings around the region, including beheading a group of Ethiopian laborers in Libya.

In recent days, IS for the first time explicitly threatened Israel, in videos featuring a militant speaking fluent Hebrew. If they make good on this threat, the potential for escalation is huge.

Such ambition underscores the extreme challenge facing the U.S.-led coalition. Part of the challenge is the group's geographic dispersal: It has branched out from its base in Syria and Iraq, adding affiliates in Egypt's Sinai, Afghanistan, Libya and Yemen.

The U.S and its allies have been bombing IS in Iraq since August 2014, extending the campaign to Syria a month later. Russia recently joined the fray, launching an aerial campaign against the group in Syria on Sept. 30. Iranian-backed militias in both countries are fighting the group on the ground. Yet IS has not been pushed back an inch in its strongholds of Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria.

In another incremental step, Obama announced last week the U.S would deploy up to 50 U.S special operations troops into northern Syria to assist in the fight against IS.

The question now becomes whether a bomb planted by IS on an airliner will spur more serious and decisive action to destroy the group.

An official with the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq said a bomb on an aircraft is a somewhat isolated incident and would be hard to replicate, adding that it wouldn't necessarily demand a change in coalition tactics.

The attack will play into Putin's narrative that IS needs to be fought in Syria now, before it poses an even bigger threat to Russia.

Putin has regarded Syria as an opportunity to promote Russia's world standing at relatively low cost and risk, but will now be keeping a close eye on public opinion at home.

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Av loren adams - 5 november 2015 10:28

 

Av loren adams - 4 november 2015 10:47

We are in Love
and the Love i have for you never change
do you know that Love?
i feel same here
ok..
You are my happiness
you always make me feel better
I love you more
ok? 
with all my Love to you from me
 
 

Av loren adams - 2 november 2015 15:47

 

A Green Beret war hero, whom the Army had banished from his Pentagon office for whistleblowing to Congress about what he considered a failed hostage rescue policy, has been cleared of wrongdoing and allowed to retire.

Lt. Col. Jason Amerine, no longer shunned and his security clearance restored, was honored Friday with a Legion of Merit at a Pentagon retirement ceremony.


Av loren adams - 1 november 2015 14:20

  WASHINGTON (AP) — Even when President Barack Obama sent U.S troops back to Iraq and ordered the military to stay in Afghanistan, he insisted Syria would remain off limits for American ground forces. Now he's crossed his own red line. Related Stories Obama Seeks Admission for 10,000 More Syrian Refugees The Wall Street Journal Obama still has confidence in U.S General Austin: White House Reuters White House: Obama wants to admit more Syrian refugees Associated Press Syrian monitor: 75 U.S.-trained Syrian rebels enter Syria from Turkey Reuters Obama warns Russia against helping arm Syrian government Associated Press Explosive Cryptocurrency Overtaking the Dollar? Wall Street Daily Sponsored  Obama's announcement Friday that he was deploying up to 50 U.S special operations troops into northern Syria to assist in the fight against the Islamic State group is the kind of incremental move that has defined his second-term Mideast strategy. The U.S military footprint in the region is growing. But each step is on a small scale, so as to reassure Americans that Obama isn't plunging their country into another large, open-ended conflict. While the strategy may help ease them back into the realities of war, experts and some of Obama's political allies say his slow ramp-up may not be enough to defeat the fast-moving militants. "Deploying a handful of U.S special operations forces to Syria will not change this situation significantly," said Frederic Hof, Obama's former Syria special adviser. "It is a Band-Aid of sorts." Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, said the latest escalation "is unlikely to succeed in achieving our objective of defeating IS and instead threatens to embroil the United States in Syria's civil war."

The military campaign against IS is nowhere near the size and scope of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama repeatedly has used the costly and unpopular Iraq War as an example of what he's tried to avoid. But it was the location, not the number, that elevated the significance of his Syrian decision. It was the first time the U.S has openly sent forces into Syria, expanding the geographic reach of Obama's military efforts in the Middle East. For years, the president has said Syria was precisely the kind of situation he was elected to keep the U.S military from. Washington has no partners in the Syrian government and few good options among opposition leaders. There is no ground force that the U.S can quickly train. But the crisis has become unavoidable for Obama, particularly since IS crossed the border into Iraq. A civil war that Obama once could pin on Syrians to settle has now threatened to upend the entire region. Obama's first move was to send a few hundred U.S troops to Iraq to train and assist local forces fighting IS. That was a return to Iraq for the U.S military after the 2011 withdrawal, which was a fulfillment of Obama's campaign promise to end the war he inherited from President George W. Bush. View gallery White House press secretary Josh Earnest speaks to the media during the daily briefing in the Brady … But over the past year, the number of U.S troops in Iraq has expanded to about 3,300. Also, the U.S began airstrikes against IS in Iraq and Syria. Despite killing as many as 12,000 militants, the bombing has not significantly weakened the IS' capacity to hold territory, and foreign fighters and others have replenished the group's ranks. Obama had hoped a ground force trained by Americans elsewhere in the region would have complemented the strikes in Syria. But the train-and-equip program failed; Obama abandoned it this fall. The new U.S deployment into Syria essentially replaces that effort. The decision allows Obama, under pressure by the Pentagon and international partners to make progress against IS, to make the case that he's trying new ways to address the crisis. The White House contends Obama isn't backtracking on his commitment to keep U.S troops out of Syria because the new military presence is narrow. But to some, the White House appears to be more concerned about being able to keep that political promise than in taking more substantial action to resolve the situation. "War has a harsh reality in that in order to have an effect you have to be present," said Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy flight officer and the director of the Defense Strategies and Assessments Program at the Center for a New American Security. The White House put no timetable on how long the American forces will stay. Obama has said he expects the fight against IS in Iraq and Syria to last beyond his presidency. Secretary of State John Kerry said Saturday he wasn't ruling out a further U.S escalation of the fight and that he couldn't predict the future. Only two weeks ago, Obama said he was reversing course and keeping American troops in Afghanistan beyond next year. That means the president who inherited two military conflicts will likely hand his successor three.

Av loren adams - 31 oktober 2015 07:40

     
I've made a vow, to no one but you
I pledge my love to forever be true
I'll take care of you and treat you right
I'll lay beside you all through the night
I'll feed you and clothe you and keep you warm
I'll hug you and kiss you and give shelter in the storm
I'll help you and guide you and clear a path
I'll protect you and shield you from an angry man's wrath
I'll listen to your problems help you solve them too
I'll make you a rainbow and let the sun shine through
I'll take your side even if you're wrong
Just to prove our love is strong
I'll plant you flowers and make them grow
They'll be a symbol of love that only we'll know
I'll whisper your name when no one is near
So low that only you can hear
You'll feel my love even if we're apart
You'll know that we are one in 
heart
   

Av loren adams - 29 oktober 2015 07:20

 

I thought love was just a mirage of the mind,
it's an illusion, it's fake, impossible to find.
But the day I met you, I began to see,
that love is real, and exists in me.

 
Av loren adams - 28 oktober 2015 07:24

I've lived too long, I'm in the ruck, I've drunk too deeply of the cup, I cannot spend, I cannot f***, I'm down and out! I'm buggered up!


 

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