 http://www.barenakedislam.com/As Paris Burned, Obama Was Ordering More Muslim Migrants To Be Admitted To U.S. |
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The Obama administration is moving to increase and accelerate the number of Syrian refugees who might be admitted into the United States by opening new screening outposts in Iraq and Lebanon, administration officials told Reuters on Friday.
The
move comes after President Barack Obama pledged in September to admit
an additional 10,000 Syrian refugees in 2016, torn by four years of
civil war and disorder.
The U.S. State Department confirmed the plans to open a refugee settlement processing centre in
Erbil, Iraq, before the end of 2015, and to resume refugee processing
in Lebanon in early 2016, said spokeswoman Danna Van Brandt.
The
White House would not say how many additional refugees it may take in
beyond the 10,000, but two senior administration officials said they are
seeking ways to increase the number.
"We
want to be in a place where we can push out really ambitious goals,"
said one of the officials, who spoke to Reuters on the condition of
anonymity.
The
State Department runs nine screening centres worldwide that serve as
meeting points for refugees and U.S. Department of Homeland Security
employees who have to decide who is suitable for resettlement in the
United States.
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The additional centres will double the number available to refugees in the Middle East.
Most Syrians are now screened for potential U.S. resettlement at centres in Istanbul and Amman, Jordan. The new centres are designed to "increase the channels" the United States has for reaching Syrian refugees, the official said.
Amid
a tide of refugees in Europe, some congressional Democrats and refugee
advocates say the United States should do more for Syrians who often
make dangerous journeys to lands where they have no home or means of
employment.
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However, some Republicans have raised concerns that allowing more Syrians into the United States jeopardizes national security.
In another development, Anne Richard, U.S. assistant secretary of state, told C-SPAN's Newsmaker
"I
would like to see more aid come from the Gulf states that are in the
Middle East area and are relatively wealthy compared to Jordan and
Lebanon," she said. "We would also like to see more from the so-called
BRICs — Brazil, Russia, India, China and, to a lesser extent South
Africa," she added. "These are the wealthy states that care about the
region that could and should be doing more on the humanitarian side."
About
250,000 people have died and an estimated four million driven abroad as
refugees because of the Syrian conflict, which began in 2011 with
protests against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, which has evolved
into a full-blown civil war. The majority of the refugees have flowed
into neighbouring nations such as Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon but
hundreds of thousands have also made their way to Europe. source
Geoffrey Grider | November 14, 2015 at 9:10 am URL: http://wp.me/p1kFP6-
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Obama proclaimed 'ISIS is contained' just hours before attack
Discussion Started by Robert M
Written by Douglas Ernst
All the hallmarks of Islamic terror attacks in Paris, France, on Friday weren’t enough to convince President Obama it would be prudent to use the word “Islam.”
Obama briefly addressed the nation on Friday
after a string of coordinated attacks prompted French President
Francois Hollande to declare a state of emergency and shut all borders.
Terrorists
wielding AK-47s and hurling explosives executed at least 118 people at a
concert hall, after at least 40 people were killed elsewhere in
coordinated attacks that rocked the French capital.
“This
is a heartbreaking situation. And obviously those of us here in the
United States know what it’s like. We’ve gone through these kinds of
episodes ourselves,” Obama said.
“I’m sure that in the days ahead we’ll learn more about exactly what
happened, and my teams will make sure that we are in communication with
the press to provide you accurate information. I don’t want to speculate
at this point in terms of who was responsible for this. It appears that
there may still be live activity and dangers that are taking place as
we speak. And so until we know from French officials that the situation
is under control, and we have for more information about it, I don’t
want to speculate.”
A
witness at one of the attack locations said a man screamed “This is for
Syria!” as he opened fire on patrons at a Paris restaurant, Fox News
reported.
“There
are lots of dead people,” a witness told the network. “Its pretty
horrific to be honest. I was at the back of the bar. I couldn’t see
anything. I heard gunshots. People dropped to the ground. We put a table
over our heads to protect us.”
One
of two suicide bombers is also reported to have detonated just outside
the Stade de France, soccer stadium where Hollande was watching the
French and German national teams play.
Men
with AK-47s also allegedly burst into a theater district and took
hostages while an American rock band, Eagles of Death Metal, performed
at the Bataclan concert hall. A witness told CNN the shooters discharged
their weapons for at least 10 minutes.
French SWAT teams were able to storm the building and regain control early Saturday morning.
Obama used Friday’s
address to condemn the attempt “to terrorize innocent civilians,” but
refused to specifically identify the Islamic element of extremist
groups.
“We’re
going to do whatever it takes to work with the French people and with
nations around the world to bring these terrorists to justice, and to go
after any terrorist networks that go after our people,” Obama said.
Members of the Islamic State took to social media in droves to celebrate the attack.
“O crusaders we are coming to you with bombs and rifles,” read one tweet from the terror network’s media wing.
“After
the French crimes in Mali, and the bombing of Syria and Iraq, now comes
the killing. In your homes there will be war,” tweeted another, Vocative reported.
ABC News aired an interview where Obama downplayed the group’s reach hours before the attack. The segment was taped Thursday.
In
an interview with George Stephanopolous on “Good Morning America,”
Obama asserted that ISIS was not gaining strength and that “we have
contained them.”
“We’ve
always understood that our goal has to be militarily constraining
ISIL’s capabilities, cutting off their supply lines, cutting off their
financing,” he said.
Obama pushed back when Stephanopolous suggested ISIS was gaining strength.
“I
don’t think they’re gaining strength,” he said. “From the start, our
goal has been first to contain and we have contained them. They have not
gained ground in Iraq, and in Syria they’ll come in, they’ll leave. But
you don’t see this systemic march by ISIL across the terrain.”
French police stand guard after a terror attack in Paris, Friday, Nov. 13, 2015 (Photo: Fox News screenshot)
Laura J Alcorn
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