JEWISH KING JESUS IS COMING AT THE RAPTURE FOR US IN THE CLOUDS-DON'T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD.THE BIBLE TAKEN LITERALLY- WHEN THE PLAIN SENSE MAKES GOOD SENSE-SEEK NO OTHER SENSE-LEST YOU END UP IN NONSENSE.GET SAVED NOW- CALL ON JESUS TODAY.THE ONLY SAVIOR OF THE WHOLE EARTH - NO OTHER. 1 COR 15:23-JESUS THE FIRST FRUITS-CHRISTIANS RAPTURED TO JESUS-FIRST FRUITS OF THE SPIRIT-23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.ROMANS 8:23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.(THE PRE-TRIB RAPTURE)
'Hollow candidate with hollow goal': Jason Kenney's leadership bid draws mixed reaction-[CBC]-July 6, 2016-yahoonews
Conservative MP Jason Kenney says he wants to lead the Alberta Progressive Conservatives and unite voters on the right to stop the "accidental NDP government" in the next election.The former federal cabinet minister says it's imperative that the Alberta Tories and Opposition Wildrose put past differences aside if they are to take back power from Rachel Notley's New Democrats.The PCs have said they aren't keen to merge, while the Wildrose has said it would be happy to link up, but only under its banner and with leader Brian Jean calling the shots. Here is a roundup of the reaction to Kenney's announcement so far:Notley wouldn't be drawn into a direct comment on Kenney."However many conservative leaders and conservative parties may be involved in that (2019) election ... is less my concern than having a record that I am proud of, and proud to present to Albertans," she said."Certainly a lot of political watchers will find themselves some extra stuff to watch this summer, people even in my party, but for me personally as the premier, my focus is going to be solely on continuing the work that I've been elected to do."-Brian Jean, Wildrose leader-"As we have always said, we welcome all conservatives devoted to building unity. However, over the next year, the PC party will be involved in a divisive battle as they debate their stated pledge at their recent AGM to go it alone. It would be wrong to speculate further on the leadership race for the third party until this is resolved."Wildrose stands firm in its conservative identity, principles and membership based decision making. We will continue to build our party in every corner of Alberta, provide stability, give a forward looking vision for the province and strongly oppose the NDP government's risky agenda that is harming working families."-Katherine O'Neill, Alberta PC Party president-O'Neill said she expects other candidates will join the race."I can't talk about his candidacy, but what I can say is it will definitely bring a lot of interest back to the party and what the party's been up to since the election."-Troy Wason, Alberta PC Party executive director-Wason says Kenney throwing his hat in the ring will spark a debate about what it means to be conservative in Alberta."It will be up to the membership to decide what does that look like. So when other candidates come out they will have their vision. So this is just one vision. So that's what it means today is that it starts the talk."Wason points out Kenney isn't an official contender for the leadership until the race begins in October — and Elections Alberta signs off on his candidacy.-Sandra Jansen, MLA for Calgary-North West-"If you look at the comments he has made [on abortion, LGBTQ and education issues] are concerning for a lot of folks who are socially progressive like myself," said Jansen, who famously threatened to quit if Kenney becomes PC leader."He's running to be the leader of a party he's trying to dismantle. It's an interesting strategy — one that I will fight with a lot of people to make sure he's not successful at…"He's not reaching out to any folks I know to have a talk about shared values, and when the only thing you stand for is an attempt to regain government, then you are a pretty hollow candidate with a pretty hollow goal."Jansen said she doesn't think she's going to have to quit the party because she doesn't think "he's going to be successful in dismantling the PC Party."As for a decision to run against him, she says she's "still thinking about it" and will decide only after consulting with her family, her constituents and the PC membership.-Rona Ambrose, Leader of the Official Opposition-"As Jason embarks on this new challenge, I know he has the best interests of Albertans in his heart. Jason is a steadfast defender of conservative principles, a proud Albertan, a tireless campaigner and a fighter for ordinary Canadians from all walks of life. More than that, he is a trusted friend and a valued member of the federal Conservative caucus and team."On behalf of all federal Conservatives, I wish him and all Alberta conservatives nothing but the best in the days ahead. I encourage all conservatives to work together to forge a united path to victory."-Danielle Smith, former Wildrose leader-"It's going to be an uphill battle for him ... because of some of the positions that he has taken on conservative social issues in the past," said Smith, who is now a radio host."There has to be a fundamental recognition that Calgary and Edmonton are far more progressive on social issues than the rural areas.""The question will be: did he say enough in his speech to satisfy the traditional Progressive Conservative members? Those are the ones he's got to win over if he's going to win this leadership contest."Smith says while he gave a barnbuster of a speech today, it appeared that his audience was the Wildrose."All of the hot button issues that he hit, whether it was fiscal issues, whether it was the carbon tax, whether it was changes to the education curriculum, whether it was legislation that's impacting our farmers ... those are the issues that the Wildrose has taken a very strong lead on."Smith puts Kenney's chances at winning the leadership at 50-50. She says the PCs new delegate system for the vote will be a challenge for him.-Michelle Rempel, Conservative MP-Rempel questioned whether uniting the right will be easy in Alberta."It's not going to be a walk in the park all the time," she said. "There are concerns, there are personalities, but my hope is Albertans put that aside and unite.-"I think this was a spark today."-Rob Anderson-A former Wildrose MLA who followed Danielle Smith to the PCs, Rob Anderson is keen to see Alberta's right unite and believe Kenney is the right person to do it.Anderson, who crossed from the Tories to the Wildrose and back again, said the ground is more fertile for a merger now than it was in 2014."When you stare socialism in the face for a year, it kind of wakes you up," he said.- ANALYSIS | Jason Kenney's post-Harper quest to restore conservatism in Alberta.
Trump: Saddam killed terrorists 'so good'-[The Canadian Press]-The Associated Press-July 6, 2016-yahoonews
RALEIGH, N.C. - Donald Trump, who frequently criticizes U.S. foreign policy under President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is praising Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's ruthlessness."Saddam Hussein was a bad guy, right? ... But you know what he did well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good," Trump told supporters at a campaign rally Tuesday night in Raleigh, North Carolina. "They didn't read 'em the rights, they didn't talk. They were a terrorist, it was over."Trump has previously said the world would be "100 per cent better" if dictators like Saddam and Libya's Moammar Gadhafi were still in power.Saddam in fact has no record of killing terrorists and was not a force against al-Qaida. Then-Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in 2003 that Saddam was offering financial rewards of up to $25,000 to families of suicide bombers. Although the U.S. supported Saddam against Iran in the Iran-Iraq war, Iraq was listed by the U.S. as a state sponsor of terrorism. Saddam suppressed dissent in his country and used poison gas against 5,000 Iraqi Kurdish men, women and children.Jake Sullivan, a Clinton senior policy adviser, said Trump's "praise for brutal strongmen seemingly knows no bounds."Sullivan said such comments "demonstrate how dangerous he would be as commander-in-chief and how unworthy he is of the office he seeks."Trump's foreign policy pronouncements have proved controversial, even within the Republican Party that is poised to nominate him for president in a few weeks. He has said the United States is too fully engaged around the world and has questioned the role of NATO and said the United States has been taken advantage of by nations benefiting from its security co-operation and troop presence. Some critics within the GOP have said his policies suggest an isolationist stance in an increasingly dangerous world.Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, partners among Republican congressional critics of Obama administration foreign policy, carried out a fact-check on Trump's national security statements earlier this year at a Capitol Hill hearing.On April 19, when the Army general selected to lead U.S. forces in South Korea testified before the committee, McCain seized the opportunity to undermine Trump's suggestion that the U.S. withdraw its forces from the South because Seoul isn't paying enough to cover the cost of the American military presence."Isn't it the fact that it costs us less to have troops stationed in Korea than in the United States, given the contribution the Republic of Korea makes?" McCain asked Gen. Vincent Brooks.Yes, Brooks said, telling McCain the South Koreans pay half, or $808 million annually, of the U.S. presence there.Two days later, Trump's claim that NATO is irrelevant and ill-suited to fight terrorism came under the microscope. As president, Trump has said he would force member nations to increase their contributions, even if that risked breaking up the 28-country alliance.In early March, more than 70 conservative national experts, including former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, wrote in an open letter that they have disagreed with one another on a variety of issues but are united in their opposition to a Trump presidency. Chertoff served in President George W. Bush's administration.Associated Press National Security Writer Robert Burns contributed to this report.
Islamic State tightens grip on captives held as sex slaves-[The Canadian Press]-Lori Hinnant, Maya Alleruzzo And Balint Szlanko, The Associated Press-July 6, 2016-yahoonews
KHANKE, Iraq - The advertisement on the Telegram app is as chilling as it is incongruous: A girl for sale is "Virgin. Beautiful. 12 years old.... Her price has reached $12,500 and she will be sold soon."The posting in Arabic appeared on an encrypted conversation along with ads for kittens, weapons and tactical gear. It was shared with The Associated Press by an activist with the minority Yazidi community, whose women and children are being held as sex slaves by the extremists.While the Islamic State group is losing territory in its self-styled caliphate, it is tightening its grip on the estimated 3,000 women and girls held as sex slaves. In a fusion of ancient barbaric practices and modern technology, IS sells the women like chattel on smart phone apps and shares databases that contain their photographs and the names of their "owners" to prevent their escape through IS checkpoints. The fighters are assassinating smugglers who rescue the captives, just as funds to buy the women out of slavery are drying up.The thousands of Yazidi women and children were taken prisoner in August 2014, when IS fighters overran their villages in northern Iraq with the aim to eliminate the Kurdish-speaking minority because of its ancient faith. Since then, Arab and Kurdish smugglers managed to free an average of 134 people a month. But by May, an IS crackdown reduced those numbers to just 39 in the last six weeks, according to figures provided by the Kurdistan regional government.Mirza Danai, founder of the German-Iraqi aid organization Luftbrucke Irak, said in the last two or three months, escape has become more difficult and dangerous."They register every slave, every person under their owner, and therefore if she escapes, every Daesh control or checkpoint, or security force - they know that this girl ... has escaped from this owner," he said, using the Arabic acronym for the group.U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby told the AP that the U.S. continues "to be appalled by credible reports that Daesh is trafficking in human beings, and sex slavery in particular.""This depravity not only speaks to the degree to which Daesh cheapens life and repudiates the Islamic faith, it also strengthens our resolve to defeat them," he said.The AP has obtained a batch of 48 head shots of the captives, smuggled out of the IS-controlled region by an escapee, which people familiar with them say are similar to those in the extremists' slave database and the smartphone apps.Lamiya Aji Bashar tried to flee four times before finally escaping in March, racing to government-controlled territory with Islamic State group fighters in pursuit. A land mine exploded, killing her companions, 8-year-old Almas and Katherine, 20. She never learned their last names.The explosion left Lamiya blind in her right eye, her face scarred by melted skin. Saved by the man who smuggled her out, she counts herself among the lucky."I managed in the end, thanks to God, I managed to get away from those infidels," the 18-year-told the AP from a bed at her uncle's home in the northern Iraqi town of Baadre. "Even if I had lost both eyes, it would have been worth it, because I have survived them."___The Sunni extremists view the Yazidis as barely human. The Yazidi faith combines elements of Islam, Christianity and Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian religion. Their pre-war population in Iraq was estimated around 500,000. Their number today is unknown.Nadia Mourad, an escapee, has appeared before the U.S. Congress and the European Parliament to appeal for international help."Daesh is proud of what it's done to the Yazidis," she said to Parliament. "They are being used has human shields. They are not allowed to escape or flee. Probably they will be assassinated. Where is the world in all this? Where is humanity?"IS relies on encrypted apps to sell the women and girls, according to an activist who is documenting the transactions and asked not to be named for fear of his safety.The activist showed AP the negotiations for the captives in encrypted conversations as they were occurring in real time.The postings appear primarily on Telegram and on Facebook and WhatsApp to a lesser degree, he said.Both Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Telegram use end-to-end encryption to protect users' privacy. Both have said they consider protecting private conversations and data paramount, and that they themselves cannot access users' content."Telegram is extremely popular in the Middle East, among other regions," said Telegram spokesman Markus Ra. "This, unfortunately, includes the more marginal elements and the broadest law-abiding masses alike." He added the company is committed to prevent abuse of the service and that it routinely removes public channels used by IS.In addition to the posting for the 12-year-old in a group with hundreds of members, the AP viewed an ad on WhatsApp for a mother with a 3-year-old and a 7-month old baby, with a price of $3,700. "She wants her owner to sell her," read the posting, followed by a photo."We have zero tolerance for this type of behaviour and disable accounts when provided with evidence of activity that violates our terms. We encourage people to use our reporting tools if they encounter this type of behaviour," said Matt Steinfeld, a spokesman for WhatsApp.Some passages of the Qur’an have been interpreted to condone slavery, which was widespread when the Prophet Muhammed lived. The Qur’an allows men to have sex with both their wives and "those they possess with their right hands," taken by interpreters to refer to female slaves.By the 19th and early 20th centuries, most Muslim scholars backed the banning of slavery, citing Quranic verses that say freeing them is a blessing. Some hard-liners, however, continued to insist that under Shariah sex slavery must be permitted, though the Islamic State group is the first in the modern era to bring it into organized practice.In the images obtained by AP, many of the women and girls are dressed in finery, some in heavy makeup. All look directly at the camera, standing in front of overstuffed chairs or brocade curtains in what resembles a shabby hotel ballroom. Some are barely out of elementary school. Not one looks older than 30.One of them is Nazdar Murat, who was about 16 when she was abducted two years ago — one of more than two dozen young women taken away by the extremists in a single day in August 2014. Her father and uncles were among about 40 people killed when IS took over the Sinjar area, the heart of the Yazidi homeland.Inside an immaculately kept tent in a displaced persons camp outside the northern Iraqi town of Dahuk, Nazdar's mother said her daughter managed to call once, six months ago."We spoke for a few seconds. She said she was in Mosul," said Murat, referring to Iraq's second-largest city. "Every time someone comes back, we ask them what happened to her and no one recognizes her. Some people told me she committed suicide."The family keeps the file of missing Yazidis on a mobile phone. They show it to those who have escaped the caliphate, to find out if anyone has seen her, and to other families looking for a thread of hope they'll see their own missing relatives again.The odds of rescue, however, grow slimmer by the day. The smuggling networks that have freed the captives are being targeted by IS leaders, who are fighting to keep the Yazidis at nearly any cost, said Andrew Slater of the non-profit group Yazda, which helps document crimes against the community and organizes refuge for those who have fled.Kurdistan's regional government had been reimbursing impoverished Yazidi families who paid up to $15,000 in fees to smugglers to rescue their relatives, or the ransoms demanded by individual fighters to give up the captives. But the Kurdish regional government no longer has the funds. For the past year, Kurdistan has been mired in an economic crisis brought on by the collapse of oil prices, a dispute with Iraq's central government over revenues, and the fallout from the war against the Islamic State.Even when IS retreats from towns like Ramadi or Fallujah, the missing girls are nowhere to be found."Rescues are slowing. They're going to stop. People are running out of money, I have dozens of families who are tens of thousands of dollars in debt," Slater said. "There are still thousands of women and kids in captivity but it's getting harder and harder to get them out."___Lamiya was abducted from the village of Kocho, near the town of Sinjar, in the summer of 2014. Her parents are presumed dead. Somewhere, she said, her 9-year-old sister Mayada remains captive. One photo she managed to send to the family shows the little girl standing in front of an IS flag.Five other sisters all managed to escape and later were relocated to Germany. A younger brother, kept for months in an IS training camp in Mosul, also slipped away and is now staying with other relatives in Dahuk, a city in the Iraqi Kurdish region.Sitting very still and speaking in a monotone, Lamiya recounted her captivity, describing how she was passed from one IS follower to another, all of whom beat and violated her. She was determined to escape.She said her first "owner" was an Iraqi IS commander who went by the name Abu Mansour in the city of Raqqa, the de-facto IS capital deep in Syria. He brutalized her, often keeping her handcuffed.She tried to run away twice but was caught, beaten and raped repeatedly. After a month, she said, she was sold to another IS extremist in Mosul. After she spent two months with him, she was sold again, this time to an IS bomb-maker who Lamiya said forced her to help him make suicide vests and car bombs."I tried to escape from him," she said. "And he captured me, too, and he beat me."When the bomb-maker grew bored with her, she was handed over to an IS doctor in Hawija, a small IS-controlled Iraqi town. She said the doctor, who was the IS head of the town hospital, also abused her.From there, after more than a year, she managed to contact her relatives in secret.Her uncle said the family paid local smugglers $800 to arrange Lamiya's escape. She will be reunited with her siblings in Germany, but despite everything, her heart remains in Iraq."We had a nice house with a big farm ... I was going to school," she said. "It was beautiful."___Salar Salim in Khanke, Lee Keath in Cairo and Desmond Butler in Washington contributed to this report.___Read AP's occasional series "Islamic State: A Savage Legacy" at http://ift.tt/29xf7PT
Conservative MP Jason Kenney says he wants to lead the Alberta Progressive Conservatives and unite voters on the right to stop the "accidental NDP government" in the next election.The former federal cabinet minister says it's imperative that the Alberta Tories and Opposition Wildrose put past differences aside if they are to take back power from Rachel Notley's New Democrats.The PCs have said they aren't keen to merge, while the Wildrose has said it would be happy to link up, but only under its banner and with leader Brian Jean calling the shots. Here is a roundup of the reaction to Kenney's announcement so far:Notley wouldn't be drawn into a direct comment on Kenney."However many conservative leaders and conservative parties may be involved in that (2019) election ... is less my concern than having a record that I am proud of, and proud to present to Albertans," she said."Certainly a lot of political watchers will find themselves some extra stuff to watch this summer, people even in my party, but for me personally as the premier, my focus is going to be solely on continuing the work that I've been elected to do."-Brian Jean, Wildrose leader-"As we have always said, we welcome all conservatives devoted to building unity. However, over the next year, the PC party will be involved in a divisive battle as they debate their stated pledge at their recent AGM to go it alone. It would be wrong to speculate further on the leadership race for the third party until this is resolved."Wildrose stands firm in its conservative identity, principles and membership based decision making. We will continue to build our party in every corner of Alberta, provide stability, give a forward looking vision for the province and strongly oppose the NDP government's risky agenda that is harming working families."-Katherine O'Neill, Alberta PC Party president-O'Neill said she expects other candidates will join the race."I can't talk about his candidacy, but what I can say is it will definitely bring a lot of interest back to the party and what the party's been up to since the election."-Troy Wason, Alberta PC Party executive director-Wason says Kenney throwing his hat in the ring will spark a debate about what it means to be conservative in Alberta."It will be up to the membership to decide what does that look like. So when other candidates come out they will have their vision. So this is just one vision. So that's what it means today is that it starts the talk."Wason points out Kenney isn't an official contender for the leadership until the race begins in October — and Elections Alberta signs off on his candidacy.-Sandra Jansen, MLA for Calgary-North West-"If you look at the comments he has made [on abortion, LGBTQ and education issues] are concerning for a lot of folks who are socially progressive like myself," said Jansen, who famously threatened to quit if Kenney becomes PC leader."He's running to be the leader of a party he's trying to dismantle. It's an interesting strategy — one that I will fight with a lot of people to make sure he's not successful at…"He's not reaching out to any folks I know to have a talk about shared values, and when the only thing you stand for is an attempt to regain government, then you are a pretty hollow candidate with a pretty hollow goal."Jansen said she doesn't think she's going to have to quit the party because she doesn't think "he's going to be successful in dismantling the PC Party."As for a decision to run against him, she says she's "still thinking about it" and will decide only after consulting with her family, her constituents and the PC membership.-Rona Ambrose, Leader of the Official Opposition-"As Jason embarks on this new challenge, I know he has the best interests of Albertans in his heart. Jason is a steadfast defender of conservative principles, a proud Albertan, a tireless campaigner and a fighter for ordinary Canadians from all walks of life. More than that, he is a trusted friend and a valued member of the federal Conservative caucus and team."On behalf of all federal Conservatives, I wish him and all Alberta conservatives nothing but the best in the days ahead. I encourage all conservatives to work together to forge a united path to victory."-Danielle Smith, former Wildrose leader-"It's going to be an uphill battle for him ... because of some of the positions that he has taken on conservative social issues in the past," said Smith, who is now a radio host."There has to be a fundamental recognition that Calgary and Edmonton are far more progressive on social issues than the rural areas.""The question will be: did he say enough in his speech to satisfy the traditional Progressive Conservative members? Those are the ones he's got to win over if he's going to win this leadership contest."Smith says while he gave a barnbuster of a speech today, it appeared that his audience was the Wildrose."All of the hot button issues that he hit, whether it was fiscal issues, whether it was the carbon tax, whether it was changes to the education curriculum, whether it was legislation that's impacting our farmers ... those are the issues that the Wildrose has taken a very strong lead on."Smith puts Kenney's chances at winning the leadership at 50-50. She says the PCs new delegate system for the vote will be a challenge for him.-Michelle Rempel, Conservative MP-Rempel questioned whether uniting the right will be easy in Alberta."It's not going to be a walk in the park all the time," she said. "There are concerns, there are personalities, but my hope is Albertans put that aside and unite.-"I think this was a spark today."-Rob Anderson-A former Wildrose MLA who followed Danielle Smith to the PCs, Rob Anderson is keen to see Alberta's right unite and believe Kenney is the right person to do it.Anderson, who crossed from the Tories to the Wildrose and back again, said the ground is more fertile for a merger now than it was in 2014."When you stare socialism in the face for a year, it kind of wakes you up," he said.- ANALYSIS | Jason Kenney's post-Harper quest to restore conservatism in Alberta.
Trump: Saddam killed terrorists 'so good'-[The Canadian Press]-The Associated Press-July 6, 2016-yahoonews
RALEIGH, N.C. - Donald Trump, who frequently criticizes U.S. foreign policy under President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, is praising Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's ruthlessness."Saddam Hussein was a bad guy, right? ... But you know what he did well? He killed terrorists. He did that so good," Trump told supporters at a campaign rally Tuesday night in Raleigh, North Carolina. "They didn't read 'em the rights, they didn't talk. They were a terrorist, it was over."Trump has previously said the world would be "100 per cent better" if dictators like Saddam and Libya's Moammar Gadhafi were still in power.Saddam in fact has no record of killing terrorists and was not a force against al-Qaida. Then-Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said in 2003 that Saddam was offering financial rewards of up to $25,000 to families of suicide bombers. Although the U.S. supported Saddam against Iran in the Iran-Iraq war, Iraq was listed by the U.S. as a state sponsor of terrorism. Saddam suppressed dissent in his country and used poison gas against 5,000 Iraqi Kurdish men, women and children.Jake Sullivan, a Clinton senior policy adviser, said Trump's "praise for brutal strongmen seemingly knows no bounds."Sullivan said such comments "demonstrate how dangerous he would be as commander-in-chief and how unworthy he is of the office he seeks."Trump's foreign policy pronouncements have proved controversial, even within the Republican Party that is poised to nominate him for president in a few weeks. He has said the United States is too fully engaged around the world and has questioned the role of NATO and said the United States has been taken advantage of by nations benefiting from its security co-operation and troop presence. Some critics within the GOP have said his policies suggest an isolationist stance in an increasingly dangerous world.Sens. John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, partners among Republican congressional critics of Obama administration foreign policy, carried out a fact-check on Trump's national security statements earlier this year at a Capitol Hill hearing.On April 19, when the Army general selected to lead U.S. forces in South Korea testified before the committee, McCain seized the opportunity to undermine Trump's suggestion that the U.S. withdraw its forces from the South because Seoul isn't paying enough to cover the cost of the American military presence."Isn't it the fact that it costs us less to have troops stationed in Korea than in the United States, given the contribution the Republic of Korea makes?" McCain asked Gen. Vincent Brooks.Yes, Brooks said, telling McCain the South Koreans pay half, or $808 million annually, of the U.S. presence there.Two days later, Trump's claim that NATO is irrelevant and ill-suited to fight terrorism came under the microscope. As president, Trump has said he would force member nations to increase their contributions, even if that risked breaking up the 28-country alliance.In early March, more than 70 conservative national experts, including former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, wrote in an open letter that they have disagreed with one another on a variety of issues but are united in their opposition to a Trump presidency. Chertoff served in President George W. Bush's administration.Associated Press National Security Writer Robert Burns contributed to this report.
Islamic State tightens grip on captives held as sex slaves-[The Canadian Press]-Lori Hinnant, Maya Alleruzzo And Balint Szlanko, The Associated Press-July 6, 2016-yahoonews
KHANKE, Iraq - The advertisement on the Telegram app is as chilling as it is incongruous: A girl for sale is "Virgin. Beautiful. 12 years old.... Her price has reached $12,500 and she will be sold soon."The posting in Arabic appeared on an encrypted conversation along with ads for kittens, weapons and tactical gear. It was shared with The Associated Press by an activist with the minority Yazidi community, whose women and children are being held as sex slaves by the extremists.While the Islamic State group is losing territory in its self-styled caliphate, it is tightening its grip on the estimated 3,000 women and girls held as sex slaves. In a fusion of ancient barbaric practices and modern technology, IS sells the women like chattel on smart phone apps and shares databases that contain their photographs and the names of their "owners" to prevent their escape through IS checkpoints. The fighters are assassinating smugglers who rescue the captives, just as funds to buy the women out of slavery are drying up.The thousands of Yazidi women and children were taken prisoner in August 2014, when IS fighters overran their villages in northern Iraq with the aim to eliminate the Kurdish-speaking minority because of its ancient faith. Since then, Arab and Kurdish smugglers managed to free an average of 134 people a month. But by May, an IS crackdown reduced those numbers to just 39 in the last six weeks, according to figures provided by the Kurdistan regional government.Mirza Danai, founder of the German-Iraqi aid organization Luftbrucke Irak, said in the last two or three months, escape has become more difficult and dangerous."They register every slave, every person under their owner, and therefore if she escapes, every Daesh control or checkpoint, or security force - they know that this girl ... has escaped from this owner," he said, using the Arabic acronym for the group.U.S. State Department spokesman John Kirby told the AP that the U.S. continues "to be appalled by credible reports that Daesh is trafficking in human beings, and sex slavery in particular.""This depravity not only speaks to the degree to which Daesh cheapens life and repudiates the Islamic faith, it also strengthens our resolve to defeat them," he said.The AP has obtained a batch of 48 head shots of the captives, smuggled out of the IS-controlled region by an escapee, which people familiar with them say are similar to those in the extremists' slave database and the smartphone apps.Lamiya Aji Bashar tried to flee four times before finally escaping in March, racing to government-controlled territory with Islamic State group fighters in pursuit. A land mine exploded, killing her companions, 8-year-old Almas and Katherine, 20. She never learned their last names.The explosion left Lamiya blind in her right eye, her face scarred by melted skin. Saved by the man who smuggled her out, she counts herself among the lucky."I managed in the end, thanks to God, I managed to get away from those infidels," the 18-year-told the AP from a bed at her uncle's home in the northern Iraqi town of Baadre. "Even if I had lost both eyes, it would have been worth it, because I have survived them."___The Sunni extremists view the Yazidis as barely human. The Yazidi faith combines elements of Islam, Christianity and Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian religion. Their pre-war population in Iraq was estimated around 500,000. Their number today is unknown.Nadia Mourad, an escapee, has appeared before the U.S. Congress and the European Parliament to appeal for international help."Daesh is proud of what it's done to the Yazidis," she said to Parliament. "They are being used has human shields. They are not allowed to escape or flee. Probably they will be assassinated. Where is the world in all this? Where is humanity?"IS relies on encrypted apps to sell the women and girls, according to an activist who is documenting the transactions and asked not to be named for fear of his safety.The activist showed AP the negotiations for the captives in encrypted conversations as they were occurring in real time.The postings appear primarily on Telegram and on Facebook and WhatsApp to a lesser degree, he said.Both Facebook-owned WhatsApp and Telegram use end-to-end encryption to protect users' privacy. Both have said they consider protecting private conversations and data paramount, and that they themselves cannot access users' content."Telegram is extremely popular in the Middle East, among other regions," said Telegram spokesman Markus Ra. "This, unfortunately, includes the more marginal elements and the broadest law-abiding masses alike." He added the company is committed to prevent abuse of the service and that it routinely removes public channels used by IS.In addition to the posting for the 12-year-old in a group with hundreds of members, the AP viewed an ad on WhatsApp for a mother with a 3-year-old and a 7-month old baby, with a price of $3,700. "She wants her owner to sell her," read the posting, followed by a photo."We have zero tolerance for this type of behaviour and disable accounts when provided with evidence of activity that violates our terms. We encourage people to use our reporting tools if they encounter this type of behaviour," said Matt Steinfeld, a spokesman for WhatsApp.Some passages of the Qur’an have been interpreted to condone slavery, which was widespread when the Prophet Muhammed lived. The Qur’an allows men to have sex with both their wives and "those they possess with their right hands," taken by interpreters to refer to female slaves.By the 19th and early 20th centuries, most Muslim scholars backed the banning of slavery, citing Quranic verses that say freeing them is a blessing. Some hard-liners, however, continued to insist that under Shariah sex slavery must be permitted, though the Islamic State group is the first in the modern era to bring it into organized practice.In the images obtained by AP, many of the women and girls are dressed in finery, some in heavy makeup. All look directly at the camera, standing in front of overstuffed chairs or brocade curtains in what resembles a shabby hotel ballroom. Some are barely out of elementary school. Not one looks older than 30.One of them is Nazdar Murat, who was about 16 when she was abducted two years ago — one of more than two dozen young women taken away by the extremists in a single day in August 2014. Her father and uncles were among about 40 people killed when IS took over the Sinjar area, the heart of the Yazidi homeland.Inside an immaculately kept tent in a displaced persons camp outside the northern Iraqi town of Dahuk, Nazdar's mother said her daughter managed to call once, six months ago."We spoke for a few seconds. She said she was in Mosul," said Murat, referring to Iraq's second-largest city. "Every time someone comes back, we ask them what happened to her and no one recognizes her. Some people told me she committed suicide."The family keeps the file of missing Yazidis on a mobile phone. They show it to those who have escaped the caliphate, to find out if anyone has seen her, and to other families looking for a thread of hope they'll see their own missing relatives again.The odds of rescue, however, grow slimmer by the day. The smuggling networks that have freed the captives are being targeted by IS leaders, who are fighting to keep the Yazidis at nearly any cost, said Andrew Slater of the non-profit group Yazda, which helps document crimes against the community and organizes refuge for those who have fled.Kurdistan's regional government had been reimbursing impoverished Yazidi families who paid up to $15,000 in fees to smugglers to rescue their relatives, or the ransoms demanded by individual fighters to give up the captives. But the Kurdish regional government no longer has the funds. For the past year, Kurdistan has been mired in an economic crisis brought on by the collapse of oil prices, a dispute with Iraq's central government over revenues, and the fallout from the war against the Islamic State.Even when IS retreats from towns like Ramadi or Fallujah, the missing girls are nowhere to be found."Rescues are slowing. They're going to stop. People are running out of money, I have dozens of families who are tens of thousands of dollars in debt," Slater said. "There are still thousands of women and kids in captivity but it's getting harder and harder to get them out."___Lamiya was abducted from the village of Kocho, near the town of Sinjar, in the summer of 2014. Her parents are presumed dead. Somewhere, she said, her 9-year-old sister Mayada remains captive. One photo she managed to send to the family shows the little girl standing in front of an IS flag.Five other sisters all managed to escape and later were relocated to Germany. A younger brother, kept for months in an IS training camp in Mosul, also slipped away and is now staying with other relatives in Dahuk, a city in the Iraqi Kurdish region.Sitting very still and speaking in a monotone, Lamiya recounted her captivity, describing how she was passed from one IS follower to another, all of whom beat and violated her. She was determined to escape.She said her first "owner" was an Iraqi IS commander who went by the name Abu Mansour in the city of Raqqa, the de-facto IS capital deep in Syria. He brutalized her, often keeping her handcuffed.She tried to run away twice but was caught, beaten and raped repeatedly. After a month, she said, she was sold to another IS extremist in Mosul. After she spent two months with him, she was sold again, this time to an IS bomb-maker who Lamiya said forced her to help him make suicide vests and car bombs."I tried to escape from him," she said. "And he captured me, too, and he beat me."When the bomb-maker grew bored with her, she was handed over to an IS doctor in Hawija, a small IS-controlled Iraqi town. She said the doctor, who was the IS head of the town hospital, also abused her.From there, after more than a year, she managed to contact her relatives in secret.Her uncle said the family paid local smugglers $800 to arrange Lamiya's escape. She will be reunited with her siblings in Germany, but despite everything, her heart remains in Iraq."We had a nice house with a big farm ... I was going to school," she said. "It was beautiful."___Salar Salim in Khanke, Lee Keath in Cairo and Desmond Butler in Washington contributed to this report.___Read AP's occasional series "Islamic State: A Savage Legacy" at http://ift.tt/29xf7PT
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