Trump Says North Korea Diplomacy Has Failed, ‘Only One Thing Will Work’

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US President Donald Trump said Saturday that diplomatic efforts with North Korea have consistently failed, adding that “only one thing will work.”

Trump has engaged in an escalating war of words with North Korean strongman Kim Jong-Un, trading insults amid rising tensions between the two nuclear-armed rivals.

“Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive amounts of money paid,” Trump tweeted.

It “hasn’t worked, agreements violated before the ink was dry, makings fools of U.S. negotiators. Sorry, but only one thing will work!”

Trump returned to the theme when he appeared on former governor Mike Huckabee’s show on Trinity Broadcasting Network television on Saturday, blaming previous administrations for not having adequately addressed the issue before. (Read more from “Trump Says North Korea Diplomacy Has Failed, ‘Only One Thing Will Work'” HERE)

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What Is the American Interest in Niger?

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Three American Green Berets were tragically killed and two more wounded when a joint U.S.-Nigerien patrol was ambushed near the Mali-Niger border Wednesday. As details continue to emerge, we take a look at what brings U.S. forces into the West African landlocked country.

What happened?

The patrol was reportedly ambushed by militants operating in the region. The Pentagon has disclosed few details about the operation in southwest Niger.

However, according to local media reports, the attackers (which media reports speculate may be members of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM) may have come into the country from neighboring Mali. A U.S. official told Reuters that the joint patrol had no specific objective that day. Five Nigerien soldiers were reportedly killed in the attack.

What are we doing there?

The U.S. role in Niger and the surrounding region is often described as a support role, helping local governments with the resources and training to combat global jihadist groups.

According to U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), the military is in Niger “to provide training and security assistance to the Nigerien Armed Forces, in their efforts to counter violent extremist organizations in the region.”

In January 2013, the Obama administration struck a deal with Niger to allow unarmed U.S. surveillance drones to be based in the country to monitor Islamic terrorists in the region. At the time, Islamic militants were battling against a French-led coalition in neighboring Mali.

How many troops do we have there?

In February 2013, the U.S. deployed around 100 soldiers to Niger to provide intelligence support.

A June letter to Congress by President Trump indicated there were 645 U.S. military personnel deployed to Niger, and hundreds more in the surrounding countries.

What is the threat to American interests in Niger?

The chief threat to U.S. interests in Niger and the surrounding region is al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Like most terrorists organizations, AQIM seeks to install an Islamic caliphate and institute sharia law.

Given that its leadership is mainly Algerian nationals and north African Arabs, AQIM has taken a particular interest in overthrowing the government of Algeria, along with all other non-Islamist governments .Since its 2007 rebranding, the group has successfully carried out many mass casualty terror attacks.

According to the State Department, AQIM raises a great deal of its funds through kidnapping for ransom payments and other criminal activity such as arms trafficking, money laundering, and drug trafficking. Additionally, the Algerian government alleges that AQIM receives financial and logistical support from the Iranian regime and the Sudanese government.

Niger and the surrounding region also face threats from the Boko Haram terrorist group, which has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. Forces from Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Nigeria are training alongside the U.S. military in response to the terrorist threat.

Another new jihadist group, which calls itself the Islamic State in Greater Sahara (ISGS), has claimed many attacks in the region in recent years. The outfit has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terror group.

Is the U.S. military presence in Africa legally justified?

That’s up for debate. Since 2001, Presidents Bush, Obama, and now Trump have justified overseas military action under the post-9/11 Authorization for Use of Military Force, which Congress initially approved for operations in Afghanistan.

What’s Next?

French troops are reportedly readying a counterattack as part of a response to Wednesday’s ambush. The Pentagon has not released details about whether American forces will be involved in the reported ongoing operation. (For more from the author of “What Is the American Interest in Niger?” please click HERE)

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Ex-Hamas Member Stands up for the Truth About the Palestinian Leadership, Leaves UNHRC Flabbergasted

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I met Musab Hassan Yousef in 2012 when he was in Jerusalem to promote a new movie he wanted to make with American-Israeli film director Sam Feuer.

The movie, he explained, would be about his undercover work for Israeli intelligence from 1997 until 2007, when his situation became untenable.

He was smaller than I previously thought, and looked fragile next to his bodyguard. But his big dark eyes, his charisma and his determination to tell the truth about Israel and Palestinian society under the Palestinian Authority and Hamas rule impressed me .

Five years had passed since the “Green Prince,” the son of Hamas, had moved to the U.S., where he received political asylum after he stopped his work as mole in Hamas for the Israeli security service Shin Beth, and seven years after he converted to Christianity and was baptized in the Mediterranean Sea near Tel Aviv.

After his escape to the U.S., he publicly revealed his conversion to Christianity and renounced the Palestinian leadership, particularly Hamas.

Yousef, the son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, the spiritual leader of Hamas, published his autobiographical book, Son of Hamas, in 2010 and went on to give interviews and lectures about his life in Ramallah and other Palestinian cities. He also discussed his conversion to Christianity.

Youssef no doubt prevented countless murderous terror attacks and exposed numerous Hamas terror cells who where in the midst of preparations for suicide attacks and assassinations of Israelis.

He was regarded as the Shin Beth’s most valuable source of intelligence, and didn’t even hesitate to give information on the movements and deliberations of his own father.

Yousef was even incarcerated in Israel in order not to arouse suspicion regarding his work as a spy for the Israelis.

Last week, Yousef again did something extraordinary when he unexpectedly addressed the U.N. Human Rights Council, which gathered in Geneva for yet another Israel-bashing session.

The meeting took place after Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., had warned that the Trump administration could sanction the U.N. over its continuing obsession with Israel and the bashing of the Jewish state by the UNHRC.

The Sept. 25 meeting about the supposed human rights situation in Palestine featured representatives of human rights offenders such as Venezuela, Syria, Iran and North Korea, who accused Israel of massive human rights violations, abuse, stealing of land, mass colonization and war crimes.

But then came Yousef, who was invited by Hillel Neuer of U.N. Watch, a monitor organization which exposes U.N. bias against Israel. His words shocked the delegates.

“My name is Musab Hassan Yousef and I grew up in Ramallah as a member of Hamas,” he said.

He then first addressed the issue of the legitimacy of the PA which claims to be the “sole legitimate representative” of the Palestinian Arabs.

“I ask: Where does your legitimacy come from? The Palestinian people did not elect you, and they did not appoint you to represent them. You are self-appointed. Your accountability is not to your own people. This is evidenced by your total violation of their human rights,” Yousef said.

“You kidnap Palestinian students from campus and torture them in your jails. You torture your political rivals. The suffering of the Palestinian people is the outcome of your selfish political interests,” Yousef said, while some of the delegates turned their heads in disbelief.

“You are the greatest enemy of the Palestinian people,” Yousef told the representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organization while she rolled her eyes.

“If Israel did not exist, you would have no one to blame. Take responsibility for the outcome of your own actions,” Yousef thundered, while claiming the Palestinian leaders were fanning the flames of the conflict by maintaining their abusive power.

He then said the Palestinian representative was using the UNHRC to mislead the international community and Palestinian society to believe that Israel is the cause for the problems the Palestinian leadership has created.

Musab has said he wants to bring peace to the Middle East and hopes to return to his homeland one day. He has called Islam “the biggest lie in history” and Allah the “biggest terrorist” while saying “only Jesus could save mankind” and that “Jesus is the only way to God.” (For more from the author of “Ex-Hamas Member Stands up for the Truth About the Palestinian Leadership, Leaves UNHRC Flabbergasted” please click HERE)

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LGBT Wants to Ban Sex-Change Reversal Research

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A British university’s decision to abruptly cancel research into trans people who decide to revert to the sex they were born with has ignited a controversy over academic freedom and political correctness in the U.K.

Psychotherapist James Caspian found out about leftist intolerance the hard way when he proposed a research project on the topic of “detransitioning” to Bath Spa University, in southwest England.

Caspian wanted to study the growing number of people who regret their “gender reassignment” procedures. (“Gender reassignment” is the politically correct term for altering the body through surgery and hormones to appear like the opposite sex.) . . .

The British Guardian newspaper reports: “When he went back with his preliminary findings that suggested growing numbers of young people, particularly [transgender] women, were regretting gender reassignment, Bath Spa said his proposal would have to be resubmitted to the ethics committee, which rejected it.” [In this context, trans “women” are biological males who “transitioned” to look like and live as “women.” (Read more from “LGBT Wants to Ban Sex-Change Reversal Research” HERE)

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Woman ‘Dies From Overtime’ at Work

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Japan has again been forced to confront its work culture after labour inspectors ruled that the death of a 31-year-old journalist at the country’s public broadcaster, NHK, had been caused by overwork.

Miwa Sado, who worked at the broadcaster’s headquarters in Tokyo, logged 159 hours of overtime and took only two days off in the month leading up to her death from heart failure in July 2013.

A labour standards office in Tokyo later attributed her death to karoshi (death from overwork) but her case was only made public by her former employer this week.

Sado’s death is expected to increase pressure on Japanese authorities to address the large number of deaths attributed to the punishingly long hours expected of many employees.

The announcement comes a year after a similar ruling over the death of a young employee at Dentsu advertising agency prompted a national debate over Japan’s attitude to work-life balance and calls to limit overtime. (Read more from “Woman ‘Dies From Overtime’ at Work” HERE)

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U.S. Special Forces Killed in African Ambush

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Three U.S. Green Berets were killed during an ambush in Niger, a West African nation, on Wednesday.

Two more members of Army special forces were wounded in the ambush, that took place while U.S. troops conducted a joint patrol with Nigerien forces about 120 miles north of the country’s capital, The New York Times reports.

“We can confirm reports that a joint U.S. and Nigerien patrol came under hostile fire in southwest Niger,” said Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Falvo, a spokesman for the United States Africa Command. (Read more from “U.S. Special Forces Killed in African Ambush” HERE)

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Why Did Stephen Paddock Make a Massive Money Transfer to the Philippines Just One Week Ago?

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Las Vegas shooter Stephen Paddock wired $100,000 to an account in the Philippines the week before he opened fire on a concert, multiple senior law enforcement officials told NBC News.

Paddock’s girlfriend, 62-year-old Marilou Danley, was in the Philippines, her native country, Sunday when Paddock began firing from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. It remains unclear whether the money was intended for Danley, her family members, or for some unknown purpose . . .

Authorities maintain that Danley, who is scheduled to return to the U.S. for questioning Wednesday, did not participate in planning the attack. (Read more from “Why Did Stephen Paddock Make a Massive Money Transfer to the Philippines Just One Week Ago?” HERE)

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Here’s How Mattis Plans to Win the War in Afghanistan

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Secretary of Defense James Mattis offered the most detailed view of President Donald Trump’s strategy to turn the tide of war in Afghanistan Tuesday before the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Mattis’s prepared testimony laid out an “R4+S” strategy, which stands for “regionalize, realign, reinforce, reconcile, and sustain.” The strategy hits upon larger themes of Trump’s Aug. 21 address to the American people, when he pledged to adopt a conditions-based approach for withdrawal from Afghanistan that focuses on pressuring Pakistan to crack down on terror safe havens.

The first three R’s emphasize the regional approach the administration intends to take, providing additional U.S. military advisers at lower levels of the Afghan National Security Forces, and pledging to stay in Afghanistan for the foreseeable future. Mattis deployed an additional 3,000 U.S. troops to Afghanistan shortly after Trump’s address to carry out this mission.

The ultimate goal of the strategy is “reconciliation,” which entails “convincing our foes that the coalition is committed to a conditions-based outcome, we intend to drive fence-sitters and those who will see that we’re not quitting this fight to reconcile with the Afghan National Government.” (Read more from “Here’s How Mattis Plans to Win the War in Afghanistan” HERE)

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ISIS Defiant: Las Vegas Gunman Dubbed ‘Abu Abdul Bar Al-Amriki’

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The shooter in Sunday night’s mass slaughter of 59 concert goers in Las Vegas, identified as 64-year-old Stephen Craig Paddock, a man with no criminal history, is now being investigated for possible ties to Islamic terrorists . . .

ISIS claimed credit in an Arabic-language website, but authorities immediately tried to debunk the claim, saying they had no evidence to support it.

“We will investigate that down to the end,” but thus far nothing has been found to connect Paddock to international terrorism, Lombardo said at one of four news conferences held Monday on the shooting . . .

After media continued to discredit the ISIS claims, the terrorist organization doubled down by sending out an official communique identifying Paddock as “Abu Abdul Bar al-Amriki” . . .

Steven Stalinsky, executive director of Middle East Media Research Institute, noted the language posted on the group’s Amaq news agency site matched the language of previous claims that turned out to be true. (Read more from “ISIS Defiant: Las Vegas Gunman Dubbed ‘Abu Abdul Bar Al-Amriki'” HERE)

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Customs Agents Make ‘Largest of Its Kind’ Discovery After Seizing North Korean Ship, Sparking International Investigation

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In August, a cargo ship flying Cambodian colors sailed from North Korea with unknown cargo until it was intercepted in Egyptian waters and its contents sparked an international investigation.

Upon entering Egyptian waters, the “Jie Shun” was seized by customs agents who discovered a cache of nearly 24,000 rocket launchers and components for 6,000 more weapons hidden beneath bins of iron ore.

A United Nations report later called the interception the “largest seizure of ammunition in the history of sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.”

According to a report in The Washington Post, Egyptian customs agents were informed about the suspicious bulk freighter by the United States.

An investigation by the U.N. revealed that the Egyptians were actually the buyers of the weapons, an arrangement in which Egyptian business executives ordered millions of dollars of North Korean rockets for Egypt’s military while keeping the transaction secret.

Washington has accused Egypt of attempting to conceal the transaction, contending that the Egyptians failed to act until U.S. intelligence officials alerted Egyptian authorities to the Jie Shun.

Despite Egypt’s attempt to conceal the deal, a spokesman for the Egyptian Embassy in Washington, D.C., focused on Cairo’s “transparency” and cooperation with U.N. officials in finding and destroying the weaponry.

According to the spokesman, “Egypt will continue to abide by all Security Council resolutions and will always be in conformity with these resolutions as they restrain military purchases from North Korea.”

David Thompson, a senior analyst and investigator for the Center for Advanced Defense Studies in Washington, D.C., reported that North Korea has been utilizing similar undercover weapon shipments to finance Kim Jong Un’s attempts to build a nuclear missile.

“These cover materials not only act to obfuscate shipments, but really highlights the way that licit North Korean businesses are being used to facilitate North Korean illicit activity,” Thompson said.

U.S. officials confirmed that the discovery of the weapons shipment was among the factors leading to the Trump administration’s decision in July to freeze or delay $290 million in military aid to Egypt. (Read more from “Customs Agents Make ‘Largest of Its Kind’ Discovery After Seizing North Korean Ship” HERE)

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