US occupation Army kill 17 Afghan civilians

A U.S. service member walked off his base in southern Afghanistan and opened fire on local civilians early Sunday morning, killing at least 17 people, according to Afghan officials.

The service member has since been taken into custody by U.S.-led coalition forces.

A spokesman for the governor of Kandahar province, where the incident took place, said 17 civilians were killed and six were wounded. Other Afghan officials put the death toll higher.

Iran to fire 11,000 missiles at US, Israel if attacked

The Iranian ambassador to Lebanon says his country has the capability to fire thousands of missiles at enemy bases in case of an attack against the Islamic Republic.


Ghazanfar Roknabadi said Iran is keeping a watchful eye on the slightest possibility of a military threat, and would fire 11,000 missiles into identified positions in the United States, Israel or their interests worldwide, should its nuclear installations come under attack.

He said Iran is following a defensive stance, stressing, however, that the country would respond with full force to any potential attack.

Iran’s Defense Minister Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi said on November 27, 2011, that Israel will not have a minimal chance of survival after venturing a military attack against Iran, as Iranian armed forces will pound all of Israel with thousands of missiles.

“The enemy must answer this question. How long of a battle and the loss of how many of its warships and vessels has it prepared itself for if it attacks Iran?”

He advised the US and its allies to realize Iran's might and know that in the event of a war, the Islamic Republic will teach the Americans “what war really is and what soldiers are supposed to be like. “

The United States, Israel, and some of their allies accuse Tehran of pursuing military objectives in its nuclear program. Washington and Tel Aviv have repeatedly threatened Tehran with the "option" of a military strike against its atomic facilities.

Iran argues that as a signatory to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and a member of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), it has every right to develop and acquire nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.

The IAEA has conducted numerous inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities but has never found any evidence indicating that Tehran's nuclear energy program has been diverted to nuclear weapons production.

Terrorist Israeli State attacks kill 13 Palestinian in Gazans

At least 13 Palestinians have been killed and many more wounded in Israeli aerial and land attacks on the besieged Gaza Strip.


In the first attack, missiles fired from an Israeli drone struck a car in the Tel El-Hawa neighborhood, west of Gaza City, killing both its passengers and severely injuring another person on Friday.

The Israeli army has confirmed the attack, saying it was a targeted assassination.

An Israeli military spokesman said that Zohair al-Qaisi, the leader of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), and PRC member Mahmoud Hanini were killed in the attack, adding that Israeli officials ordered the assassination because they had allegedly received reports that al-Qaisi was planning attacks against Israeli targets.

Hanini had been freed from an Israeli jail last year as part of a prisoner swap deal to gain the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Islamic Jihad of Palestine said in a statement issued on Friday that Obeid al-Gharabli, Mohammed Harara, Hazem Qoureqa, and Shadi Seqali of the al-Quds Brigades, the military arm of Islamic Jihad, were killed in a second airstrike on the east side of the city.

Palestinian security officials said that a third airstrike on Zeitoun, east of the city, caused no casualties.

In addition, at least four other Palestinians were killed and over 20 injured by Israeli tanks, which pounded areas in the west and north of the besieged coastal enclave.

Three other Palestinians were also killed in additional airstrikes across Gaza.

The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has condemned the attacks, describing them as barbaric.

Israeli war planes and ground forces have frequently attacked Gaza since the end of the December 2008-January 2009 war on the people of the Gaza Strip. Most victims of the attacks are civilians, including women and children.

Security agencies intercept Christians with 11 cartons of explosives at Lagos airport

A combined team of security agencies led by the Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) on Friday impounded 11 cartons of explosives weighing 95kg at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja.

The Customs Area Controller at MMIA, Mr Charles Edike, disclosed this while parading before journalists some of the suspects linked to the importation.

The explosives were said to have been smuggled into Nigeria on February 24, but were labelled as catridge powder devices and chargers, he said.

Edike disclosed that other items that were seized by the MMIA NCS Command included bullet-proof jackets, security cameras, naval belts and other items.

They were allegedly flown in from South Africa but officials of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Limited (NAHCO) alerted security agencies that the goods were being kept in their warehouse, he said.

Edike added that this was when the security agencies observed that the importer wanted to smuggle them out of the cargo terminal without declaring the items.

He also alleged that the importer did not want to pay the relevant duty on the items.

Edike explained that the importer, who claimed that he was a miner in Kaduna State, brought in the explosives into Nigeria concealed in pallets containing other goods, without disclosing their content.

This, he said, contravened government rules.

The suspected importer, according to Edike, later affirmed that he colluded with some clearing agents to take the explosives out of the cargo terminal, without securing the relevant police permit and making any duty payment.

Edike explained that vigilant security agents at the terminal noticed that the goods were undeclared explosives and that they were concealed in other goods.

The NCS in turn informed other relevant agencies, including the Nigeria Police, to carry out some tests on the items, which were found to be prohibited explosives, Edike said.

He gave the name of the consignee as Miero Marble Granite and Stones Limited in Kaduna State, while one Mr Michael Awara Ernest was the representative detailed to collect the explosives at the cargo terminal.

The Customs boss further gave the name of the manufacturer (consigner) of the explosives as Nobleteq Arms and Ammunition of Gateway Industrial Park in Centurion, South Africa.

Edike explained that it was prohibited for anybody or organisation to import any explosives into the country without relevant approvals and permits.

The Customs boss explained that the explosives had been handed over to the police and other security agencies for proper investigation, to ascertain the motive for the items.

He warned that the long arm of the law would catch up with operators who did not abide by government rules and regulations.

Edike warned that it was wrong and criminal for anybody to import and try to clear any prohibited goods out of the airport, without proper documentation and payment of the prescribed duty charges.

"There was no documentation or duty paid. The explosives were concealed in pallets containing other items.

`"Even the law does not permit that any consignment can be released without physical examination, which must be done after the relevant payments have been made.

"In this case, the explosives were almost released, but the vigilance of our officials led to the discovery,’’ he said.

Edike said that preliminary investigations had revealed that the explosives were meant for marine and offshore Operations.

He added that their importation was against the Explosives Act of 1964, and that it also violated all existing regulations and even contravened the law.

"If these items were released to him, they could have been used to cause mayhem; we are now going to hand him and the items over to the Police for further investigations,’’ Edike said.

He said that what had happened was an absolute prohibition and the importer needed a permit, a user certificate and a police permit, but he did not secure these documents, yet he embarked on the criminal way to smuggle out the explosives.

"We want to warn that no agent should have access to any consignment until relevant payments, including government duty, are paid.

``In this case, the consignee only paid handling charges and he tried to evade customs Duty, which he ought to have paid first,’’ he said.