"You're like, f**k this." The Obama/Clinton Policies in Syria Aren't a Failure, They're a Fraud

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Who are these guys, again?

I assume one of the reasons the Trump/Pence campaign isn't talking about this is because many Republicans themselves bought into the fraud and were even partly responsible for it, quickly identifying Assad as the primary villain in Syria and then continuing to double down on that beyond all reason.

From SOFREP News by way of Consortiumnews and Creeping Sharia:

US Special Forces sabotage White House policy gone disastrously wrong with covert ops in Syria (Jack Murphy, SOFREP News):

“Nobody believes in it. You’re like, 'Fuck this,’” a former Green Beret says of America’s covert and clandestine programs to train and arm Syrian militias. “Everyone on the ground knows they are jihadis. No one on the ground believes in this mission or this effort, and they know they are just training the next generation of jihadis, so they are sabotaging it by saying, ‘Fuck it, who cares?’” 

“I don’t want to be responsible for Nusra guys saying they were trained by Americans,” the Green Beret added. A second Special Forces soldier commented that one Syrian militia they had trained recently crossed the border from Jordan on what had been pitched as a large-scale shaping operation that would change the course of the war. Watching the battle on a monitor while a drone flew overhead, “We literally watched them, with 30 guys in their force, run away from three or four ISIS guys.” 

How the US Armed-up Syrian Jihadists ("Alistair Crooke", Consortiumnews): 

In a detailed report, US Special Forces Sabotage White House Policy gone Disastrously Wrong with Covert Ops in Syria, Jack Murphy, himself a former Green Beret (U.S. Special Forces), recounts a former CIA officer having told him how the “the Syria covert action program is [CIA Director John] Brennan’s baby …Brennan was the one who breathed life into the Syrian Task Force … John Brennan loved that regime-change bullshit.” 

Murphy states bluntly: 

“distinguishing between the FSA and al-Nusra is impossible, because they are virtually the same organization. As early as 2013, FSA commanders were defecting with their entire units to join al-Nusra. There, they still retain the FSA monicker, but it is merely for show, to give the appearance of secularism so they can maintain access to weaponry provided by the CIA and Saudi intelligence services. The reality is that the FSA is little more than a cover for the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra. … 

“The fact that the FSA simply passed American-made weaponry off to al-Nusra is also unsurprising considering that the CIA’s vetting process of militias in Syria is lacklustre, consisting of little more than running traces in old databases. These traces rely on knowing the individuals’ real names in the first place, and assume that they were even fighting-age males when the data was collected by CTC [Counterterrorism Centre] years prior.” 

Nor, confirms Murphy, was vetting any better with the 5th Special Forces operating out of Turkey: 

“[It consisted of] a database check and an interview. The rebels know how to sell themselves to the Americans during such interviews, but they still let things slip occasionally. ‘I don’t understand why people don’t like al-Nusra,’ one rebel told the American soldiers. Many had sympathies with the terrorist groups such as Nusra and ISIS.” 

Others simply were not fit to be soldiers. “They don’t want to be warriors. They are all cowards. That is the moderate rebel,” a Green Beret told Murphy, who adds: 

“Pallets of weapons and rows of trucks delivered to Turkey for American-sponsored rebel groups simply sit and collect dust because of disputes over title authorities [i.e. Presidential authorities] and funding sources, while authorization to conduct training for the militias is turned on and off at a whim. One day they will be told to train, the next day not to, and the day after only to train senior leaders. Some Green Berets believe that this hesitation comes from the White House getting wind that most of the militia members are affiliated with Nusra and other extremist groups.” 

Murphy writes: 

“While the games continue on, morale sinks for the Special Forces men in Turkey. Often disguised in Turkish military uniform, one of the Green Berets described his job as, ‘Sitting in the back room, drinking chai while watching the Turks train future terrorists’ … 

“Among the rebels that U.S. Special Forces and Turkish Special Forces were training, ‘A good 95 percent of them were either working in terrorist organizations or were sympathetic to them,’ a Green Beret associated with the program said, adding, ‘A good majority of them admitted that they had no issues with ISIS and that their issue was with the Kurds and the Syrian regime.’” 

Erdogan Gets His Reichstag Fire

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A man wearing a Turkish flag beats soldiers after they surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge

Do not misunderstand. I'm not claiming that yesterday's attempted coup in Turkey was faked or staged. The weight of evidence suggests that it was what it appeared to be -  a badly planned and executed effort by one faction within the military.

But the weight of historical evidence is that the Reichstag fire also wasn't faked or staged. Most historians (though by no means all) believe the fire was what the German courts later ruled that it was - a one-man arson attack by a Dutch communist.

The parallel, of course, is that just as Hitler and the Nazis used the Reichstag fire to suspend most civil liberties, arrest opponents and consolidate power - quickly moving Germany from what was still a constitutional democracy to an authoritarian police state - Erdogan will use the failed coup for the same purpose.

Of course, in 1933 and 2016, both Hitler and Erdogan had already travelled partially down their respective authoritarian roads, although I would argue that Erdogan was farther along. Even before the coup, Turkey had one of the highest number of imprisoned journalists in the world, and Erdogan had already taken over the main opposition newspaper (and Turkey's largest) a fews months ago.

Erdogan and others in the government have claimed that the coup was a small-scale effort by a minority within the military. However, in response over 2,700 judges and prosecutors have been purged. Many of them and many others have been arrested. Crowds have appeared outside government buildings waving flags (including Ottoman Empire flags), demanding "death for the conspirators."

Evidence now suggests that many if not most soldiers involved in the coup had no idea what was going on. They had been told they were going on a training maneuver. A few hours later they found themselves surrounded and outnumbered by police and the mob. No wonder pictures and videos seemed to show them looking confused or passive.

And the mob acted like Muslim mobs act all over the world. It appears that at least one soldier was decapitated after surrendering. This happened on the Bosphorus Bridge connecting Asia to Europe.

Previous to this, Erdogan had far from universal support. Like Hitler, he needed the help of minority parties to win power. Even now a substantial minority, if not a plurality, probably oppose him - whether they supported the coup or not. But watching the Facebook Live videos last night from Istanbul and Ankara, 99% of those on the streets appeared to be male twenty-something Erdogan supporters, waving Turkish flags and shouting slogans including "Allahu Akbar!" as amplified calls to "resist" echoed from the minarets.

The secular opposition appears to be paralyzed with resignation and fear. And now the game is to show one's support for Erdogan and his "democracy."

Maybe things will go back to normal. Maybe thing won't be so bad. Best to keep one's head down and avoid trouble. After all, this is modern Turkey. It can't happen here.

This is how fascism operates, whether of the standard or Muslim variety.

Whatever one thinks of coups - and Turkish coups have never been especially benign - Erdogan's "victory" last night wasn't a victory for democracy, but rather another step in transforming Turkey into an Islamofascist state.

BREAKING: Chaos in Istanbul and Ankara, Mobs in the Streets, Confrontations Between Military and Police

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12:10 AM CST:

At least 60 people have died, but I'm certain the final numbers will be much higher. In addition to that obvious evil, the followup to this cannot be anything but very bad, as Erdogan uses the attempted coup to consolidate his authoritarian Islamist grip on the country. 

I'm ending the live updates for the night. Follow on Twitter at the various obvious hashtags.  

11:50 PM CST:

The coup appears to have failed, although there are at the least ongoing "mop up" operations and thus continuing violence. And it is unclear why Erdogan is not yet back in Ankara, among other things.

When and/or how does one side or another declare victory?

Already, many are suggesting that it was "false flag" operation or fake coup, somehow manufactured by Erdogan to consolidate power. There are many oddities. But how one fakes a military operation of this scale is unclear. 

11:30 PM CST:

Turkish soldiers surrender on Bosphorus bridge:

11:15 PM CST:

Gunfire amidst burnt out cars in Ankara. once again, everyone is smoking and taking pictures. People are staring at a dead body covered in a sheet.

10:45 PM CST:

Facebook Live from Istanbul now streaming an angry crowd standing amidst at least one body with blood on the sidewalk. It looks like it's on the Bosphorus bridge.

More dead bodies on bridge. This dead man appears to be that of a soldier.

10:00 PM CST:

Whoever may be in the ascendent, the coup is not "over" by any means. Facebook Live in Istanbul is now showing some sort of standoff outside of a building (it's the TRT TV station). Pro-Erdogan young-men are crouched behind a highway divider waiting for something to happen. There's a a voice booming over a loudspeaker. At least one soldier appears to be cowering inside. A military vehicle drives up and the crowd claps. A civilian or policeman appears to get out. Inside the gated area, a soldier is standing alone, seemingly unconcerned. But people are shouting at him and the shouts are getting more fierce. Now another soldier is coming out to warn or parlay with the crowd. Everyone is taking pictures with their phones. Surreal.   

8:30 PM CST:

Erdogan is currently speaking (from the Airport?). Says coup plotters committed treason and will "pay a heavy price," etc.

8:15 PM CST:

First picture of Erdogan at Ataturk Airport in Istanbul.

Video of bomb going off in Parliament as people are speaking.

8:10 PM CST:

CNN Turk livestream shows a lone man in a pink shirt standing behind the anchor desk looking confused, as chanting or shouting is heard off camera. 

8:00 PM CST:

Some reports say Erdogan has landed at Istanbul Airport. There is another report that his plane took off again after an explosion.

7:45 PM CST:

Facebook livestream videos from Istanbul and Ankara show large pro-Erdogan crowds in the streets.

I just saw a mob "liberate" a tank, prying open the hatch and pulling out automatic weapons to distribute. I hope the crew got out earlier.

The crowds seem to be 95% young men.

Gunshots are audible in many of the live videos.

I saw a women limp to an ambulance (was she shot in the leg?) but most people seem to be walking around taking pictures with their phones looking unworried.

One TV station now appears to have been "liberated" with staff saying on live TV they were held hostage by coup supporters.

However, soldiers are about to shut down Turkish CNN.

There has been an apparent bomb attack on the Turkish Parliament, perhaps from a helicopter.    

Standoff at Taksim Square, Istanbul between soldiers and police/pro-Erdogan crowds. At one point the police seemed to be disarming the soldiers.

However, when a crowd tried to swarm a group of soldiers in their vehicle, the soldiers opened fire.

Military jets now buzzing the square in an attempt to disperse the crowds. The crowd thought they were bombing them. That's what it sounded like to me.

Unconfirmed reports that Erdogan's plane is about to land in Istanbul.

BREAKING: Apparent Coup in Turkey

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Tanks in Ankara

5:00 PM CST: I'm going to stop quoting the Telegraph Live Feed and let readers fend for themselves from it or other sources. See the #Turkey or #TurkeyCoup hashtags on Twitter. Milo Y. just retweeted a report, allegedly from MSNBC that Erdogan tried to flee to Germany but was denied permission to land. Was it a joke? I have no idea.  

This is from a Daily Telegraph Live Feed. The time is London time. Ankara is two hours later.

10:34 PM: 

Turkey's Erdogan urges people to take to streets. 

The president says he does not believe the coup will be successful and has urged people to take to the streets. 

10:33 PM: 

Foreign Office advice: avoid public places and remain vigilant. 

We are aware of the current developments in Turkey. We are urgently seeking more information. Until the situation becomes clearer, we advise you to avoid public places and remain vigilant.

10:30 PM: 

Erdogan is giving his first statement. 

The president says this is an act encouraged by 'parallel structure' in interview with CNN. 

He states it is an uprising attempt by a minority within the military.

. . . 

10:12 PM: 

Turkey now under control of a 'peace council' 

State TV channel says the country is now under the control of a "peace council" that will ensure the safety of the population. 

It states that democratic and secular rule of law has been eroded by the Erdogan government.

. . . 

9:44 PM: 

Turkey's top general 'held hostage' 

Reports on Turkish state news agency that the country's top general 'held hostage' at military HQ.

9:42 PM: 

Reports of clashes between police and army. 

Dorian Jones a British journalist based in Istanbul said: 

“Tanks are seen in the streets. There are reports of clashes between the police and the army,” he told Sky News, adding there were also reports that police guarding the presidential palace had been disarmed. 

“I have been speaking to various friends across the city, some are reporting that they are hearing gunfire in the streets.”

9:34 PM: 

Turkish military claims to have overthrown Erdogan and taken control of country. 

In a statement, the Turkish military says the rule of law must remain the priority. 

State TV TRT reportedly off the air.

9:16 PM:  

Twitter, Facebook and YouTube reportedly blocked in Turkey.

9:07 PM: 

(Turkish Prime Minister) Yildirim says "it would be wrong to call it a coup" but that there has been an attempt by "part of the military". 

He describes it as an "illegal attempt" to seize power. 

9:05 PM: 

Turkey's PM Yildirim: Nothing will harm Turkish democracy. 

Binali Yildirim has called for calm. 

9:03 PM: 

Update from Istanbul. 

The Bosphorus and Fatih bridges were closed by the gendarmerie - a branch of the Turkish military dedicated to internal security - for traffic travelling from Asia to Europe, NTV television said. Traffic was still moving in the other direction. 

Meanwhile, Turkish military aircraft were heard flying low over Ankara, AFP correspondents in the capital also reported. There was no immediate explanation for the cause of the incidents. 

9:02 PM: 

Rumours that Turkey has declared martial law on Twitter. 

All unconfirmed at this stage.

BREAKING: Up to 50 Dead in Istanbul Airport Terror Attack

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A Turkish official just told the AP that there are "nearly 50" dead.  

The attack occurred at 10:25 PM Istanbul time (2:25 PM CST).

Ataturk Airport is the third busiest airport on the European continent.

It appears that there were at least three attackers. At least one opened fire after being confronted by security at the x-ray machines. A witness claims he saw a police officer wrestle one to the ground before all three set off suicide bombs.

See the Daily Mirror live stream here.

This video appears to record one of the gunmen pursuing fleeing civilians, and then being shot by police. He writhes on the ground. Someone (a policeman?) runs up to him and then appears to decide that he should get as far away as possible. The terrorist sets off his bomb and we see his Kalashnikov spin across the floor.

  

This security camera footage also appears to capture one of the explosions.

Text of Anti-Erdogan Poem BANNED in Germany

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Jan Böhmermann

I don't want to spend time explaining the whole Böhmermann affair. But, as many of you know, German comedian Jan Böhmermann got into legal trouble by reading on television an expletive laced satirical poem about Turkish President Recep Erdoğan. Many believe Angela Merkel authorized the pending possible prosecution of Boehmermann as a sort of additional payment to Erdoğan for pretending to regulate the entrance of thousands of Muslim soldiers into Europe or whatever--a payment in addition to the billions of Euros he's already receiving.

Today, a German court in Hamburg banned the public recitation of the poem. Or rather, it declared that only six lines of the twenty-four line poem could be recited. 

I'm going to reproduce the poem below. But if it's okay, I'm going to take out the really dirty  words and in the style of Lenny Bruce, replace them with "blah" or some variation thereof. Purists can find the actual text here. And you can see the television clip where the poem was recited here.

Vituperative Criticism (Smear Poem)

Dumb as a bag, cowardly and uptight

that’s what Erdoğan the President is.
His blahs reek awfully of döner kebab,
even a pig blah smells nicer.
He’s the man who beats up girls
while he’s wearing rubber masks.
Most of all he likes blahing goats
and oppressing minorities,
kicking Kurds, whacking Christians
while watching child porn.
And even in the evenings, instead of sleep,
it’s all about blah with a hundred sheep.
Yes, Erdoğan is totally
a President with a small blah.
Every Turk is heard to warble,
that stupid blah has got wrinkled blahs.
From Ankara to Istanbul
everyone knows, that man is gay,
perverted, lice-ridden and a zoophile,
Recep Fritzl Přiklopil.
His head as empty as his blah,
the star at every gangbang party
until his blah burns while blahing.
That’s Recep Erdoğan, the Turkish President.

I assume the permissible abridged version reads as follows: 

that’s what Erdoğan the President is.

And even in the evenings, instead of sleep,
Yes, Erdoğan is totally
Every Turk is heard to warble,
From Ankara to Istanbul
That’s Recep Erdoğan, the Turkish President.

The really silly part about the whole affair is that while the poem is certainly disgusting and offensive, the most disgusting and offensive parts are obviously false. Only a portion of one sentence--"oppressing minorities, kicking Kurds, whacking Christians"--could possibly have any connection to reality, and even the effect of that is largely muted by the "while watching child porn" at the end.

So part of the point was not to offend Erdoğan per se, but to do something for the sake of doing it merely because one wasn't supposed to. That is a standard part of the comedian's repertoire. In this case at least, the audience seemed to think it was funny.

Böhmermann would later confirm that he might also have had a political motive--to test the limits of freedom of expression in Europe amidst (as I would put it) the current climate of fear, intimidation and censorship inspired by a rising Islam.

The results of the test are in. Not only can you not criticize Muslim despots, you cannot even joke about not criticizing Muslim despots.

Wikipedia reports the comedian's reaction even before yesterday's ruling: 

In an interview with Die Zeit on 3 May, Böhmermann sharply criticized Angela Merkel. "The chancellor must not waver when it comes to freedom and human rights", he said. "But instead she filleted me, served me a neurotic despot for tea and made me become a German Ai Weiwei. (the Chinese dissident) " His "belief" was shaken, "that every person in Germany has a non-negotiable, inalienable right to exercise certain basic rights: the freedom of art and the freedom of expression." Merkel did "obviously not think for a moment" about the poem, which he said was only an illustration of an insult: "It was much too dumb for me to insult Erdogan. I think, anyone can see this from the stupid smear poem."

Four weeks ago, Böhmermann was put under police protection and he temporarily suspended all of his radio and television activities. I am unclear as to whether they have resumed.

Turkey Violated Greek Airspace 2,244 Times in 2014

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Maybe they thought it was an Armenian

We should add, where was Marco Rubio then?

From Jacob Bojesson at The Daily Caller:

Turkey shot down a Russian warplane for violating its airspace Tuesday, but the Turkish air force does the exact same thing several times a day in Greece. 

Turkey was quick to defend its action by stating it issued 10 warnings over the course of five minutes before firing on the plane. 

“The data we have is very clear. There were two planes approaching our border, we warned them as they were getting too close,” a senior Turkish official told Reuters. “Our findings show clearly that Turkish air space was violated multiple times. And they violated it knowingly.” 

But the Turkish air force doesn’t seem to be too careful about entering Greek airspace, according to numbers from the University of Thessaly. A tally shows the Turks committed a total of 2,244 violations in 2014, up from 636 in 2013.

The Russians did not take the matter lightly and President Vladimir Putin called the action from Turkey “a stab in the back.” He further warned of serious consequences for the action that he believes was made by “the accomplices of terrorists.” 

President Barack Obama said Russia and Turkey need to investigate what happened before taking any further actions against one another. 

“I think it is very important for us to right now make sure that both the Russians and the Turks are talking to each other and find out exactly what happened, and take measures to discourage any kind of escalation,” Obama said at a joint press conference with French President Francois Hollande at The White House.

Hollande and Other Western Leaders Prepare to Hobnob With Muslim Fascist, One Day After France Attacked by Muslim Fascists

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Remind you of anyone?

The G20 is about to convene a meeting in Turkey, which currently has the presidency of the organization. It is set to begin Sunday.

In just a few years, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has taken Turkey from being the most secular and liberal majority Muslim country in the world to an authoritarian state with the highest number of imprisoned journalists.

Mosques are our barracks, minarets our bayonets, domes our helmets, the believers our soldiers,

declared Erdoğan, famously in 1998, a statement that got him banned from participating in Turkish politics. His prime minister has called Islam the indigenous religion of Europe and Erdoğan himself refers to a hopeful Muslim recapture of Al Andalus (Spain).

He also believes that many of the bad things that happen to Turkey are caused by a "Mastermind" who is part of a 3,500 year old Jewish conspiracy to control the world. Once a close ally of Israel, Turkey is now a virulently anti-semitic enemy, and in a recent campaign speech Erdoğan vowed to lead Muslims to retake Jerusalem.

Turkey has had a complex relationship with ISIS, which at times has seemed to be almost an alliance.

And most of the million mostly Muslim refugees that have streamed into Europe in the last few months have gone through Turkey, largely due to border and travel policy changes and the facilitation of the Turkish authorities. It is likely that at least two of the terrorist commandos killed in Paris yesterday made their way to the Greek island of Leros, and then on to continental Europe by way of Turkey.

In an interesting bout of candor, Erdoğan is on record as agreeing with Islamophobes that talk of "moderate" vs. "extremist" Muslims is not useful:

These descriptions are very ugly, it is offensive and an insult to our religion. There is no moderate or immoderate Islam. Islam is Islam and that’s it.

So, why, especially so soon after the horrific attacks in Paris, do Western leaders, including the President of France, go off to knock water glasses with this wannabe Caliph of a wannabe Caliphate?

I think the answer is unclear, but the question itself shows that despite the rhetoric of the last twenty-four hours, there is still not only no stomach to fight, but not even any stomach to identify who and what we are fighting.

Naked Under My Burka III: Tented Turkish Tryster Taken for Terrorist

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File photo of men in burkas

For other posts on sex-related stories involving Islam, see I and II.

I don't know what percentage of women in Turkey wear the burka. I assume it's still a relatively small minority. But I suspect it's growing fast.

But in, say, a country like Saudi Arabia where virtually all adult women wear a burka in public, it would be surprising if the burka as disguise wasn't employed fairly often, for all sorts of reasons, including the one below. Or so it would seem to this cynic.

From France24 (8 November, 2015) via Religion of Peace:

Burqa-clad Turkish 'suicide bomber' turns out to be lover in disguise

ISTANBUL (AFP) - A Turkish man detained as a suspected would-be suicide bomber in northern Turkey was actually wearing a burqa to disguise himself to meet a secret lover from a dating site, local media reported Sunday. 

Locals in the Black Sea province of Ordu alerted police of a "would-be suicide bomber" on Saturday after noticing that a burqa-clad "woman" talking on the phone at a bus stop was wearing men's shoes, Dogan news agency said. 

A police team arrived at the scene and "unmasked" the man, who was dressed in a full-length, Islamic-style black robe with a niqab -- the head covering worn by many Muslim women -- covering his face. Authorities detained him for "inflicting fear and panic in the public," Dogan reported. 

The 33-year-old man, who is married with two children, told police that he had resorted to the burqa disguise in order to secretly meet a woman he had met on an online dating site for the first time. 

Turkey is on high alert after a series of deadly attacks blamed on the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group, including a massive twin suicide bombing at a peace rally in Ankara on October 10 that killed 102 people in the worst-ever terror attack in Turkey's history.

Who Killed Jacky Sutton?

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She was no Islamophobe. Just a person. 

Jacky Sutton was the 50-year old Country Director for Iraq of the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), a liberal NGO that provides support to independent journalists in crisis-torn countries. She was an ex-BBC journalist and long-time veteran of dangerous environments. Her predecessor was recently killed in a car bomb.

She died in a toilet in the Istanbul airport. Turkish media reported that she had just missed a connecting flight to Iraq. The well-travelled executive was depressed because she didn't have an extra $100 to cover a replacement flight (again according to Turkish media). So she walked into the women's restroom and hung herself by her bootlaces.

Air travel can be frustrating. Don't you just feel like hanging yourself sometimes?

Welcome to the new Islamic Turkey.

Where sudden suicide can happen to anyone.

Of course, it's possible that Jacky Sutton killed Jacky Sutton. It's also possible that the combined heads of the Turkish military were hoarding guns and ammunition in their bedroom closets in order to stage a coup, the Kurds bombed themselves to gain sympathy and Mossad regularly kidnaps healthy Turks to harvest their kidneys.

What did Jackie Sutton know?

From David Connett at the UK Independent (October 19):

Jacky Sutton: 'Suicide' of ex-BBC journalist called into question 

Sutton's body was found at Istanbul's Ataturk airport 

Friends and colleagues of a former BBC journalist found dead in a toilet at a Turkish Airport have said they have serious doubts that, as initial reports suggested, she committed suicide. 

Jacky Sutton’s employer called on 19 October for an “open and transparent” investigation into her death, while another friend urged an international rather than a local inquiry. 

The body of Ms Sutton, 50, a former BBC journalist, was found at Istanbul’s international airport. It was claimed she was hanging from boot laces and Turkish media reported the death as a suicide. 

She arrived at Ataturk Airport from London and had a two-hour wait for a connecting flight to Erbil in northern Iraq, which she apparently missed. It was reported that she became distressed at missing the flight because she did not have funds to pay for a new one. 

She was the Iraq country director for the Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), an organisation which supports journalism in crisis-hit countries. Anthony Borden of the IWPR questioned the circumstances of her death and called for an “open and transparent” investigation. 

“She was extremely bright, highly competent, and well able to handle herself in difficult environments, and she was universally loved. We are in total shock. I find this quick judgment being published almost the minute we learn of her death very impossible to understand... I’m not even sure the boots she was wearing even had laces,” Mr Borden said. 

“One can never know what is in someone’s heart and soul. But everything that everyone knew about Jacky was that she a very experienced professional. She had a very positive nature and outlook, and very significant work to get on with,” he added. “She had toys in her bag for the children of staff. The profile doesn’t strike me as right. I can’t get my head around it.” 

Ms Sutton was appointed to her role at the end of June following the death of her predecessor Ammar al-Shahbander, who was killed in a car bomb attack in Baghdad in May. She had been in London for a memorial service for Mr al-Shahbander last week and was returning to Erbil in Iraq via Istanbul. 

Mr Borden said Ms Sutton’s sister, a psychologist, would be travelling to Istanbul with an IWPR employee to meet with British and Turkish officials. The Foreign Office said it was “providing consular assistance” to her family. 

A number of colleagues expressed doubt about the inquiry. Jane Pearce, the World Food Programme representative for Iraq, tweeted: “Mourning my friend & colleague Jacky Sutton. Simply don’t believe the news reports.” 

Journalist and international development worker Rebecca Cooke tweeted: “An international not just local investigation is needed.” 

Sudipto Mukerjee, a country director with the UN Development Programme, wrote: “Very difficult to believe that my colleague in Iraq, staffer and seasoned traveller Jacky Sutton committed suicide.” 

Ms Sutton, who spoke five languages including basic Arabic, was divorced with no children. She worked for the BBC World Service between 1998 and 2000, reporting from Africa, the Middle East and London.

Maher Zain, Top Muslim Singer in West, Models ISIS Swag

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"Buy my albums or I'll burn you in a cage."

From Maher Zain's official website (via The Muslim Issue):

Maher Zain is a Swedish R&B singer, songwriter & music producer of Lebanese origin. He released 2 albums with Awakening Records, Thank You Allah (2009) & Forgive Me (2012). Maher worked in New York with internationally renowned producer RedOne (Akon, Lady Gaga, etc) but he chose instead to make music that reflects his roots.

Zain has over a million followers and twenty-five million "likes" on Facebook.

The party line is that Muslims, especially Western Muslims hate ISIS because 99.99% of Western Muslims are "moderate" and ISIS is, as we all know, a perverted perversion of Islam with no more connection to that exalted monotheistic faith than, say, the Westboro Baptist Church has to Episcopalians.

That is, of course, a lie.

Ask yourself why ISIS has attracted the largest proportion of foreign volunteers from all over the world of any military movement in modern history, by now far surpassing the numbers for The Spanish Civil War, for example.

For a great many Muslims, even "Westernized" Muslims like the popular Swedish singer Maher Zain, ISIS is, well . . . 

ISIS is their bitch.

These pictures are from the website of the Turkish Boutique Ottoman Jewelry Co., and according to The Muslim Issue it is one of many Turkish sites that sells ISIS swag. After lifting the authoritarian nationalist lid on Islam a few years ago, half of Turkey is giddy about ISIS.

For interested readers, The Muslim Issue has much more on this particular site and the phenomenon of ISIS swag in general.

The ring is 925 grade sterling silver, by the way, and is part of the "Luxury Ottoman Collection" for men.

It's for the Westernized Muslim who may not want to pick up a gun and get dirty but who wants to, as they say, bear witness.  

"Mystery Pugilist" Says He Wasn't Scared, Expresses Annoyance at Turks For Fighting With Sticks and Chairs

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Kuwaiti-born Irish national Mohammed Fadel Dobbous--who singlehandedly fought off a mob of more than a dozen Turkish shopkeeper jackals (see the previous post)--just gave a brief interview to Turkey's Show TV.

I confess that I had started to wonder whether the "mystery pugilist" was indeed real, or whether there was some deep twist in the story that wasn't being reported--like the rumor that a drunken Mr. Dobbous had started the whole thing. It seemed odd to me that after more than 24 hours nothing else about the man had turned up.

But the interview appears to confirm the basic story, as well as adding some interesting details. In it we learn:

• The brawl actually took place on August 1.
• Mr. Dobbous is still in Istanbul where he has been in contact with the Irish consulate.
• He appears to have more than a casual link with Turkey as he speaks Turkish--albeit with a "thick Irish-Kuwaiti accent"
• He broke his hand, injured his shoulder and received a knife wound in the back during the fight. His left arm is still in a sling.
• He also lost his phone, a watch and a gold chain.
• He claims not to have been scared but expressed annoyance that his attackers wouldn't "fight like men...with their bare hands."
• Mr. Dobbous says that he doesn't drink and after accidentally spilling the water bottles, he tried to apologize to the shipowners before he was set upon by the mob.

Here's the original Show TV report, featuring the now famous fight video.

For the fun of it, here's another video of the brawl, this time with a play-by-play by Irish sportscaster Pat Spillane: