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US accuses six Bosnians of helping ISIL via Turkey

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St. Louis – Associated Press
Six Bosnian immigrants have been accused of sending money and equipment to terrorists oversees, including fighters with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group and al-Qaida in Iraq, the U.S. attorney’s office announced Feb. 6.

An indictment unsealed Feb. 6 in St. Louis said the defendants donated money themselves and in some cases collected funds from others in the U.S. and sent the donations oversees. It says two of the defendants used some of the money to buy U.S. military uniforms, firearms accessories, tactical gear and other equipment, which was shipped to people in Turkey and Saudi Arabia who forwarded the supplies to terrorists.

The supplies and money eventually made their way to fighters in Syria, Iraq and elsewhere, according to the indictment. Money also was sent to support family members of people fighting in Iraq and elsewhere, the indictment says. All of the defendants knew where the money and supplies were going, the indictment says.

The indictment alleges the conspiracy began no later than May 2013 and that the defendants used email, phones and social media websites including Facebook to communicate using coded words, such as “brothers,” ”lions” and “Bosnian brothers.”

All six people who are charged are natives of Bosnia who were living in the U.S. legally. Three are naturalized citizens; the other three had either refugee or legal resident status, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

The indictment names Ramiz Zijad Hodzic, 40, his wife, Sedina Unkic Hodzic, 35, and Armin Harcevic, 37, all of St. Louis; Nihad Rosic, 26 of Utica, New York; Mediha Medy Salkicevic, 34, of Schiller Park, Illinois; and Jasminka Ramic, 42 of Rockford, Illinois.

All face charges of conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists and with providing material support to terrorists. Rosic and Ramiz Hodzic are also charged with conspiring to kill and maim people in a foreign country.

The indictment says that last July, Rosic tried to board a flight from New York to Syria to join the fight.

The U.S. attorney’s office said five of the defendants have been arrested; the sixth is overseas, but the Justice Department would not say exactly where.

Online court records do not list defense attorneys for any of the defendants. According to court records, the Hodzics had a first appearance before a U.S. magistrate judge in St. Louis on Friday and the court said it would appoint attorneys for them.

In a news release announcing the charges, the U.S. attorney’s office said charges of conspiring to provide material support and providing material support carry penalties ranging up to 15 years in prison. Conspiring to kill and maim people in a foreign country carries a penalty of up to life in prison.

February/07/2015

US war against ISIL is ‘total fraud’ to create a CIA base: said Dean Henderson

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McCain-ISISA Pentagon plan to arm and train the so-called moderate militants in Syria to fight against the ISIL terrorist group is a “total fraud” and “bogus” claim to carve out a CIA base in the region, an American journalist in Missouri says.

The United States is fighting a “multi-front war” against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad because he operates independently from the West, said Dean Henderson, an author and columnist at Veterans Today.

“This whole ISIS thing is just an attempt to carve out this base where CIA, Mossad, British intelligence … can operate freely and attack Syria for now but maybe later Iran,” Henderson told Press TV on Sunday.

Henderson said Congress is wasting “precious US tax dollars” to fund the false fight against ISIL, which the CIA helped create in the beginning.

“We’re not against ISIS, we are ISIS, we created ISIS, we trained ISIS, we are ISIS,” he acknowledged.

On Saturday, a delegation of US senators led by John McCain, began a tour of the Middle East, which will take them to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, to discuss a Pentagon plan to arm and train “moderate” militants in Syria.

The US Defense Department has announced it is deploying about 1,000 troops to train the Syrian militants to fight against the ISIL terrorist group.

Some analysts reject the notion that “moderate” militants exist in Syria. “Nobody in any position of expertise here thinks that there really is any significant moderate Syrian rebel force. It does not exist,” Dr. Kevin Barrett, a professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies, said in an interview with Press TV on Saturday.

North Korea demands joint inquiry with US into Sony Pictures hack

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North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-unPyongyang denies responsibility for cyber-attack and threatens grave consequences if Washington continues to blame it

North Korea has proposed holding a joint inquiry with the US into the hacking of Sony Pictures, claiming it can prove it did not carry out the cyber-attack.

The foreign ministry in Pyongyang denied responsibility for the the highest-profile corporate hack in history, and said there would be grave consequences if Washington refused to collaborate on an investigation and continued to blame it.

The state KCNA news agency added that claims North Korea had conducted the attack on Sony in revenge for the controversial comedy The Interview, a multimillion-dollar comedy starring James Franco and Seth Rogen that depicts the assassination of Kim Jong-un, were “groundless slander”.

KCNA quoted the foreign ministry as saying: “As the United States is spreading groundless allegations and slandering us, we propose a joint investigation with it into this incident.

“Without resorting to such tortures as were used by the CIA, we have means to prove that this incident has nothing to do with us.”

North Korea’s comments came after Barack Obama said Sony had made a mistake in axing the comedy, which had been due for release on Christmas Day.

Speaking on Friday after the FBI pinned the blame for the cyber-attack on North Korea, Obama said: “We cannot have a society in which some dictator some place can start imposing censorship here in the United States, because if somebody is able to intimidate folks out of releasing a satirical movie, imagine what they start doing when they see a documentary that they don’t like, or news reports that they don’t like.

“Or even worse imagine if producers and distributors and others start engaging in self-censorship because they don’t want to offend the sensibilities of somebody whose sensibilities probably need to be offended.

“That’s not who we are. That’s not what America is about.”

Obama said he was sympathetic to Sony’s plight but added: “I wish they had spoken to me first.”

Sony Entertainment’s CEO, Michael Lynton, hit back, saying the company had been in touch with White House officials over the hacking before the film was pulled.

Lynton argued the comedy had been pulled because it would have been impossible to screen after major cinema groups backed out for fear of terrorist attacks.

Lynton told CNN he hoped the film would still be shown, but added no video on demand services had supported a release.

“We have not backed out. We have always had every desire to let the American public see it,” Lynton said.

BREAKING NEWS U.S. to Restore Full Diplomatic Relations With Cuba, Officials Say

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The United States will restore full diplomatic relations with Cuba and open an embassy in Havana for the first time in more than a half century after the release of an American contractor held in prison for five years, American officials said Wednesday.
In a deal negotiated during 18 months of secret talks hosted largely by Canada and encouraged by Pope Francis, who hosted a final culminating meeting at the Vatican, President Obama and President Raul Castro of Cuba agreed in a telephone call to put aside decades of hostility to find a new relationship between the island nation just 90 minutes off the American coast.
The contractor, Alan Gross, boarded an American government plane bound for the United States on Wednesday morning and the United States sent back three Cuban spies who have been in an American prison since 1981. American officials said the Cuban spies were swapped for a United States intelligence agent who has been in a Cuban prison for nearly 20 years and said Mr. Gross was not technically part of the swap but released separately on “humanitarian grounds.”
In addition, the United States will ease restrictions on remittances, travel and banking relations and Cuba will release 53 Cuban prisoners identified as political prisoners by the United States government. Although the decades-old American embargo on Cuba will remain in place for now, the administration signaled that it would welcome a move by Congress to ease or lift it should lawmakers choose to.
“Today, the United States is taking historic steps to chart a new course in our relations with Cuba and to further engage and empower the Cuban people,” the White House said in a written statement.
READ MORE »
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/18/world/americas/us-cuba-relations.html?emc=edit_na_20141217

Richard Mills confirmed as next US Ambassador to Armenia

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new-us-ambassador-armeniaThe U.S. Senate confirmed Richard Mills as a next Ambassador to Armenia, Ambassador John Heffern tweeted.

The Senate also confirmed Robert Cekuta as a next ambassador to Azerbaijan.

Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick also congratulated the confirmation of new ambassadors.

“Both are career diplomats and our very best. #Nkpeace,” he tweeted.

Mills worked in Beirut, Malta, Paris, Dublin, Islamabad, Riyadh and London. In early 90s he also worked as a desk officer for the newly independent Armenia and Azerbaijan, followed by a tour as a political officer at the U.S. Consulate in St. Petersburg, Russia.

His foreign languages are French and Russian.

US Congress removes Iraqi Kurdish parties from terrorist list: Official

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n_75584_1The two leading Iraqi Kurdish parties have been removed from the United States terrorist list, a senior U.S. official has announced.

The Kurdistan Democratic Union (KDP) and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) have been recognized as Tier III terrorist group under the Patriot Act of the U.S. since 2001, although both organizations are long-time U.S. allies.

“Congress has passed the NDAA [The National Defense Authorization Act] w/a provision removing PUK & KDP from the list of designated organizations under U.S. immigration laws,” Ambassador Brett McGurk, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, tweeted on Dec. 13.

“This unfair designation complicated visa processing for many Kurds wishing to visit the US. We are pleased to see it fixed,” McGurk, who is also the deputy special presidential envoy for the global coalition to counter the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), added in another tweet that also carried the hashtag #TwitterKurds.

In February, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) President Massoud Barzani refused to travel to the U.S. and meet President Barack Obama until Washington removed the region’s two main parties from its designated terrorist list.

In April, two prominent U.S. Senators, Robert Menendez and John McCain, introduced a bill to remove the Kurdish political parties from the U.S. terror list.

Fuad Hussein, Chief of Staff to the Presidency of the KRG, said that U.S. officials have informed their Kurdish counterparts about the Congress decision. “The bill is now sent to President Barack Obama. We hope that he will sign it,” Turkey’s semi-official Anadolu Agency quoted Hussein as saying.

US diplomats and analysts are calling for sanctions against the government of Azerbaijan

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aliyev-sanctionUS analysts and activists who are watching the situation in Azerbaijan, urged the administration of the US President to impose sanctions against the government of Azerbaijan on the background of flagrant violations of human rights in the country.

According to the Azerbaijani news agency “Turan”, these calls were made on Friday at the debate in Washington organized by the community of “American Azerbaijanis” (“AZAD”).

As noted in the article, the debates have been timed with the death of Heydar Aliyev, on December 12. Richard Kozlarich, former US ambassador to Baku, said that nothing has changed to better in the relations between the US and Azerbaijan after the power passed to his son, Ilham Aliyev. On the contrary, after many years of support for civil society in the country, the US NGOs are regarded in Baku as a threat.

As evidence, he cited the article of the head of the presidential administration of Azerbaijan Ramiz Mehdiyev. ” Mehdiyev accuses us of creating a “fifth column” in Azerbaijan, which wants to overthrow the power, he calls the NGOs that work with the United States,” traitors of Azerbaijan”, Kozlarich noted.

He further drew the attention to the direct attacks of the government officials of Azerbaijan towards the President Obama. In response, he suggested the official Washington to warn the US citizens that, visiting Azerbaijan, they may be subject to surveillance, covert shooting and all sorts of troubles can happen to them.

“If the diplomatic pressure on Aliyev’s government does not work, then it’s time to consider the sanctions, which will show the government that the continuing human rights violations will have consequences,” stated Kozlarich.

According to “Turan”, in his speech, David Kramer, the former president of the “Freedom House”, and at present the director of the McCain Institute, noted that Azerbaijan violates not only the principles of West but the universal principles as a hole, adding that it is difficult to be in good relations with a regime that is becoming increasingly corrupt and increasingly authoritarian.

“Currently there are more than 100 political prisoners in the country of, twice more than in Russia and Belarus, against which we have imposed sanctions. Therefore, the pressure for their release, is necessary,” he said.

As stated in the article, Kramer also called on all the European political leaders to boycott the first European Games in Baku, in 2015. “Deprivation of Aliyev from standing next to the central stadium of the political leaders of the West will be a serious blow to his image,” said Kramer.

The agency writes that according to the speakers, the head of “AZAD” Elmar Shakhtakhtinski and his deputy Gorkhmaz Askerov, the time for sanctions had come long before.

Source: Panorama.am

US Congress members stress need for Karabakh recognition (Photos)

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Karabakh-recognation-1Nagorno-Karabakh Republic—or Artsakh—National Assembly (NKR NA) Speaker Ashot Ghulyan, who is in Washington, DC. on a working visit, on Tuesday met separately at the US Congress with congress members Linda Sanchez, Adam Schiff, David Cicilline, and US House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce.

Ghulyan highly praised the American Congress members’ impartial and courageous stand with respect to the settlement of the Karabakh-Azerbaijani conflict.

The interlocutors reflected on the prospects for expanding Artsakh-US relations, underscored the development of political and economic ties, and discussed the avenues for implementing social programs.

Separately, an event devoted to the 23rd anniversary of the NKR’s independence was held on the same day at the US Congress.

The Congress members who delivered remarks at the event primarily stressed the need for the NKR’s international recognition.

Ambassador of Armenia to the US Tigran Sargsyan, and NKR Permanent Representative to the US and Canada Robert Avetisyan also addressed the event.

Ashot Ghulyan was the keynote speaker. He highlighted that the only way to establish lasting peace and stability in the South Caucasus is through the international recognition of the de facto independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, and its endowment with international security guarantees.

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Russia, US React to Helicopter Downing

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osce-hq-viennaMOSCOW, WASHINGTON—Russia, together with other co-chairing countries of the mediating OSCE Minsk Group, will continue targeted efforts in resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokesman said Thursday, a day after Azerbaijani forces shot down an unarmed Artsakh military helicopter, killing three people.“Russia calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to refrain from moves which could lead to the escalation of tensions,” the Russian Foreign Ministry’s spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said on Thursday, TASS reports.

“We are very concerned about the incident which has led to the deaths of people. We offer our deepest condolences to the families of the victims,” Lukashevich said, adding that Russia’s stance was reflected in the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group on November 12.

The spokesman said that Russia reminds the leadership of Azerbaijan and Armenia of their “responsibility towards complying with their commitments on searching for a peaceful resolution of the conflict which they took at the meeting in Sochi, Newport and Paris.”

The United States and the European Union similarly echoed international mediators’ concerns of an escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resulting from Wednesday’s incident.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, also called for an inquiry into the incident which could lead to another upsurge in fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces, RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) reports.

“It is essential that all sides show restraint and avoid any actions or statements which could escalate the situation. Furthermore, we call for an investigation into this incident,” read a statement issued by Mogherini’s office late on Wednesday.

“Both sides have to strictly respect the ceasefire, to refrain from the use of force or any threat thereof, and to resume efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” added the statement.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki similarly said that the incident is “yet another reminder” of the need to reduce tensions in the conflict zone. There can be “no military solution to the conflict,” Psaki told reporters in Washington.

“We urge all sides to respect the ceasefire and not to take any actions to escalate the situation,” Kate Byrnes, the acting head of the U.S. mission to the OSCE, said on Thursday.

Byrnes spoke at a meeting of the OSCE’s governing Permanent Council in Vienna, which discussed the Karabakh conflict and the downing of the Armenian helicopter in particular. The U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-chairing the OSCE Minsk Group briefed the council on their ongoing efforts to revive the Karabakh peace process.

“A wider conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh is in no one’s interest,” James Warlick, the U.S. co-chair tweeted ahead of the Vienna meeting.

NATO also warned against an escalation in violence. The incident “is absolutely not conducive to the peaceful resolution of this conflict,” NATO’s Liason Officer in the South Caucasus William Lahue told reporters on the sidelines of a workshop for reporters organized within the framework of NATO Week in Armenia.

“Military actions serve to inhibit the ability of the parties to resolve such a conflict,” he said, adding that “NATO would like to see the parties engaged in peaceful negotiations and discussions to resolve this conflict within the OSCE Minsk Group format.”

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) also urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to honor their 20-year-old truce on Thursday, Reuters reports.
The OSCE, which has led talks between Azerbaijan and Armenia since the war, said it should not lead to new violence.

“The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Swiss Foreign Minister, Didier Burkhalter … appeals to the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia to do their utmost to prevent such incidents and to honor the ceasefire regime,” the OSCE said in a statement.

Footage from the Azeri side showed the helicopter explode in the air over the neutral zone between the two sides and officials said the three crew members were killed.

Armenia promised “painful” consequences for Azerbaijan after it downed the helicopter, which had been carrying out training exercises.

The Azeri defense ministry said an army officer had been honored for shooting down the aircraft.

US Recognition of Genocide ‘Would Be Nightmare for Turkey’

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Altay-CengizerANKARA (ArmRadio)—Turkey needs to develop a strategy to counter pressure to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide as the 100th anniversary of the atrocities looms, a top Turkish diplomat said Monday, Agence France-Presse reports.

Altay Cengizer, director general for policy planning at the Turkish Foreign Ministry, told the Hurriyet daily that U.S.-based Armenian diaspora groups saw the centenary as an opportunity to prove that genocide was carried out and planned by the Ottoman authorities.

He likened the anniversary to a “penalty kick” that some saw as a chance to settle the issue, adding that the biggest nightmare for Turkey would be for the United States to recognize the mass killings and deportations as genocide.

“We are challenging the fact that it was a penalty. But they will take their chance,” he said.

He made it clear that Turkey – which has always categorically rejected the term genocide – had no intention of shifting its position.

“Genocide is a political concept. Turkey does not deserve to appear before the world as a nation that committed genocide,” he said.

Cengizer said he had just returned from Washington and saw that “a great campaign of accusations” was being prepared by Armenian diaspora groups.

“Their aim is to leave Turkey with a past that it won’t be able to overcome. And 2015 is their target,” he said.

“Turkey will make every effort to say what we believe is right against these claims, which target our very identity,” said Cengizer.

“But time will tell how successful this is. If we are not successful we are going to have to determine a strategy for post-2015. There is no other way,” he said.