Saturday, January 30, 2016

US WAR SHIP HEADS TO SOUTH CHINA SEA.

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)

CHINA AND KINGS OF THE EAST MARCH TO ISRAEL 2ND WAVE OF WW3 (200 MILLION MAN ARMY)

REVELATION 16:12-16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates;(WERE WW3 STARTS IN IRAQ OR SYRIA OR TURKEY) and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.(THE TURKEY ATATURK DAM ON THE EUPHRATES CAN BE SHUT AND DRIED UP ALREADY BY TURKEY)
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon,(SATAN) and out of the mouth of the beast,(WORLD DICTATOR) and out of the mouth of the false prophet.(FALSE POPE)
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.(WERE 2 BILLION DIE FROM NUKE WAR)
15 Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.(ITS AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE WHEN AMERICA GETS NUKED BY RUSSIA ON THE WAY TO THE MIDEAST)

DANIEL 11:44 (2ND WAVE OF WW3)
44 But tidings out of the east(CHINA) and out of the north(RUSSIA, MUSLIMS WHATS LEFT FROM WAVE 1) shall trouble him:(EU DICTATOR IN ISRAEL) therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.( 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION)

REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE-2 billion)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)

U.S. warship sails near island claimed by China in South China Sea-[Reuters]-By Phil Stewart-January 30, 2016-YAHOONEWS

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A U.S. Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed within 12 nautical miles of an island claimed by China and two other nations in the South China Sea on Saturday, in an operation the Pentagon said aimed to challenge efforts to restrict freedom of navigation.China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of world trade is shipped every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims.Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis said no ships from China's military were in the vicinity of the USS Curtis Wilbur when it passed near Triton Island in the Paracel Islands."This operation challenged attempts by the three claimants - China, Taiwan and Vietnam - to restrict navigation rights and freedoms," Davis said, reflecting the U.S. position that the crucial sea lane should be treated as international waters.The Navy conducted a similar exercise in October in which the guided-missile destroyer Lassen sailed close to one of China's manmade islands, drawing a rebuke from Beijing.Davis said the latest operation sought to challenge policies that require prior permission or notification of transit within territorial seas. He said the United States took no position on competing sovereignty claims to naturally-formed land features in the South China Sea."No claimants were notified prior to the transit, which is consistent with our normal process and international law," Davis said.The operation followed calls in Congress for the Obama administration to follow up on the October operation.This month, the chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee criticized Obama for delaying further freedom of navigation patrols.He said that allowed China to continue to pursue its territorial ambitions in the region, including by landing a plane on a manmade island in the Spratly Islands archipelago.(Editing by Jason Neely)

LUKE 21:11
11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places,(DIFFERNT PLACES AT THE SAME TIME) and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.

Strong magnitude 7 quake strikes eastern Russia, no casualties-[Reuters]-January 30, 2016-YAHOONEWS

(Reuters) - A strong magnitude 7 earthquake struck eastern Russia on Saturday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, while local Russian Emergencies Ministry said the tremor had not caused any casualties or damage.The quake struck 109 km (67 miles) north of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, USGS said. It struck at a relatively deep 153 km.Russia's Emergencies Ministry in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy said there were no casualties and no threat of tsunami. (Writing by Nick Macfie and Vladimir Soldatkin; editing by Jacqueline Wong and Jason Neely)

JACK VAN IMPE-NO BODIES IN HEAVEN ONLY MOSES-ELIJAH-ENOCH-RIGHT NOW--ALL SPIRT BODIES IN HEAVEN NOW ARE CHRISTIANS IN THEIR SPRITUAL BODIES UNTIL THE RAPTURE OCCURS-WHEN ALL THE BODIES AND SPIRITS OF ALL CHRISTIANS DEAD-WILL REUNIT TOGETHER.AND THEN WE WILL HAVE OUR NEW BODIES AND WE RETURN TO EARTH WITH JESUS TO RULE FOREVER IN NOT OUR SPIRITUAL UNSEEN BODIES.BUT OUR CLEARLY SEEN NEW REUNITED SPIRIT-BODY-SOUL BODIES TO LITERALLY RULE ON EARTH FOREVER WITH JESUS.SO YES-JACK IS CORRECT THERE IS NO PERSON IN HEAVEN WITH A BODY BUT ONLY A SPIRIT BODY FOR NOW-UNTIL THE RAPTURE-WHEN WE GET OUR NEW BODIES THAT WILL BE SEEN AGAIN.AND LIVE ON EARTH WITH JESUS FOREVER.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLbjNEsg-lc

THE DELUTED WORLD-JAN MARKELL AND MICHELE BACHMAN-PART 1 OF 2
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/understanding-the-times/player/how-strong-delusion-is-setting-the-final-stage-part-1-513158.html


REVELATION 9:12-18
12 One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.
13 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God,
14 Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.(WORLDWIDE WAR)(TURKEY-IRAQ-SYRIA)(EUPHRATES RIVER CONSISTS OF 760 MILES IN TURKEY,440 MILES IN SYRIA AND 660 MILES IN IRAQ)
15 And the four(DEMONIC WAR) angels were loosed,(WORLDWIDE WAR) which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men.(1/3 Earths Population die in WW 3 2ND WAVE-2 billion)
16 And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand:(200 MILLION MAN ARMY FROM CHINA AND THE KINGS OF THE EAST) and I heard the number of them.
17 And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)
18 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths.(NUCLEAR BOMBS)-IF YOU CAN FIND AN ASTEROID IN HERE THAT SAYS KILLS THE 1/3RD OF EARTHS POPULATION-ILL BELIEVE THE END OF THE WORLD CULTERS-UNTIL THEN I BELIEVE THE BIBLE-NOT NO END OF THE WORLD CULT BELIEF.


People Are Saying The New ‘Planet 9’ Is Going To Kill Us All - Here’s Why-[Rob Waugh's Yahoo Blog]-January 29, 2016-YAHOONEWS

A chill swept over the internet last week when scientists announced that there was a huge, unseen planet at the far edge of our solar system - Planet 9.For decades, conspiracy theorists have predicted that an unseen planet beyond Neptune -  called Nibiru or Planet X - is going to destroy Earth.The announcement from Caltech scientists seemed to confirm there WAS a planet there - and the wilder reaches of the internet have already begun predicting apocalypse.A message appeared on the website of Zecharia Sitchin - a writer who claimed aliens from Nibiru created the human race - despite the fact Sitchin has been dead since 2010.Pastor Paul Begley - an American preacher fond of predicting apocalypse, thundered, ‘Something is causing the heavens to shake - and it’s in your Bible! If you go into the gospel of Saint Luke, Luke 21, verse 10, “Nation shall rise against nation.Kingdom against kingdom. Great earthquakes shall be in diverse places - and famines and pestilences, and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven.”’Begley admits he’s not certain Planet 9 IS Nibiru - but cheerfully predicts an asteroid strike wiping out a third of Earth’s population, followed by an impact with the planet itself.But in case you’re worried, you should note that Nibiru (or Planet X) was widely predicted to hit our planet in December last year, and before that in September.Prior to that, it was predicted to smash into our planet to coincide with the Mayan apocalypse in 2012 - and before that, Nancy Lieder, an American website writer who claimed to have an alien implant in her brain, predicted it would destroy the world in 2003.NASA has thoroughly debunked the Nibiru myth via its Beyond 2012 page, saying, ‘Nibiru and other stories about wayward planets are an Internet hoax. There is no factual basis for these claims. If Nibiru or Planet X were real and headed for an encounter with the Earth, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye.’Soviet-born American writer Zecharia Sitchin first wrote about Nibiru in his hit 1976 book ‘The 12th Planet’ where he claimed it was inhabited by a race of ‘ancient aliens’ - the Annunaki - who had created the human race.Sitchin’s work remains in print and has a devoted following around the world.This week, a message on his website said, ‘With an elliptical orbit of 10,000 or 20,000 of our years, this planet may not be Nibiru, which has an orbit of about 3,600 of our years.‘However, this prediction of a likely additional planet in our solar system is exciting news. Perhaps the search will lead us to either finding Nibiru, or perhaps we’ll find that something has changed and impacted Nibiru’s orbit since the last time it orbited Earth.Nigel Watson, author of the UFO Investigations Manual says, ‘Zecharia Sitchin claims that Nibiru collided with a planet called Tiamat that was situated between Mars and Jupiter. The result was the creation of the asteroid belt and planet Earth.’‘Nibiru is populated by the Anunnaki, an advanced humanoid race, who visited Earth thousands of years to mine gold in Africa. As an outcome of needing workers to carry out these mining operations they used genetics to create Homo Sapiens.’‘The popularity of these type of ideas makes it certain that every new discovery by our spaceships will be be minutely studied for any evidence of Nibiru, or any other similar body that might be populated by extraterrestrials.’

DISEASES

REVELATION 6:7-8
7 And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.
8 And I looked, and behold a pale horse:(CHLORES GREEN) and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword,(WEAPONS) and with hunger,(FAMINE) and with death,(INCURABLE DISEASES) and with the beasts of the earth.(ANIMAL TO HUMAN DISEASE).

THE ZIKA VIRUS HAS NOW SPREAD TO 14 COUNTRIES WORLDWIDE AND GROWING FAST TO BE THE NEXT EPIDEMIC TO CONTEND WITH.

Brazil's Rousseff vows to win Zika 'war'-[AFP]-Natalia Ramos-January 29, 2016-YAHOONEWS

Salvador (Brazil) (AFP) - Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff vowed to "win the war" against the Zika virus, but some experts criticized her government's response and warned the Olympics could fuel the disease's spread.The tropical virus is blamed for cases of brain damage in babies as it sweeps through Latin America, and Rousseff, whose government is deploying 220,000 soldiers to help eradicate the mosquitoes that transmit it, likened the outbreak to a battle."As long as (the mosquitoes) are reproducing, we are all losing the battle. We have to mobilize to win it," she said."We are going to win this war. We are going to show that the Brazilian people are capable of winning this war."Her comments came after her own health minister warned Brazil was "losing the war against Aedes aegypti," the mosquito that carries the virus.Rousseff and US President Barack Obama agreed Friday to launch a high-level bilateral group to develop a vaccine.The initiative will be based on an existing cooperation agreement between Brazil's Butantan Institute of biomedical research and the US National Institutes of Health.Obama has already led calls for faster research on the virus, but experts warn the hunt for a vaccine could take years.At the epicenter of Brazil's outbreak, in Bahia state in the northeast, one health expert deep in the trenches of the Zika fight accused Rousseff's administration of acting too late, and warned that the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro pose a transmission risk."The Brazilian government has not fought the mosquito population. That is Brazil's great sin," said Gubio Soares, a virologist at the Federal University of Bahia who was the first to isolate the Zika virus in Brazil, in April last year."Cities are not fulfilling their duty to hire qualified people (for mosquito eradication). Campaigns to fight mosquitoes are insufficient."Despite promises by authorities in Rio de Janeiro to step up mosquito control measures for the Olympics in August, Soares warned that the Games -- which are expected to bring hundreds of thousands of visitors from around the world -- risked turning into a vector."I don't think (Zika) will threaten the Games, but it will be a source of transmission," he told AFP.Since Zika, which originated in Africa, was detected in Latin America last year, there has been a surge in babies born with microcephaly, or abnormally small heads.Brazil, the hardest hit, sounded the alarm in October, when a rash of microcephaly cases emerged in the northeast.Since then, there have been 270 confirmed cases of microcephaly and 3,448 suspected cases, up from 147 in 2014.The otherwise mild Zika virus is also suspected of causing a rare neurological disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome in some patients, in which the immune system attacks the nervous system, causing weakness and sometimes paralysis.Most patients recover, but the syndrome is sometimes deadly.- Small army of fumigators -The World Health Organization warned Thursday that Zika is spreading "explosively" through the Americas, predicting up to four million cases.The WHO expects the virus to spread to every country in the Americas except Canada and Chile. It is currently present in 23 countries and territories in the region.On Friday, Ecuador confirmed 22 cases plus an additional 67 suspected cases, although none involved pregnant women.Thirteen of those with the disease are believed to have contracted it within the country, Ecuadoran Health Minister Margarita Guevara said.Jitters over Zika, which causes flu-like symptoms and a rash, have spread to the United States and Europe, where dozens of returning travelers have been diagnosed with the disease.Several governments have warned pregnant women against traveling to affected countries, and several major airlines are now offering refunds to expecting mothers booked for travel to Latin America.Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Jamaica and Puerto Rico have meanwhile warned women to avoid getting pregnant.In Brazil, authorities have deployed a small army of sanitation workers to fumigate against mosquitoes and clean up the stagnant water where they breed.Brazilian officials say they are handing out insect repellant -- whose price has gone up since the Zika outbreak began last year -- to 400,000 pregnant women on social welfare.There is currently no specific treatment for Zika, and no way to prevent it other than to avoid mosquito bites.

STORMS HURRICANES-TORNADOES

LUKE 21:25-26
25 And there shall be signs in the sun,(HEATING UP-SOLAR ECLIPSES) and in the moon,(MAN ON MOON-LUNAR ECLIPSES) and in the stars;(ASTEROIDS ETC) and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;(MASS CONFUSION) the sea and the waves roaring;(FIERCE WINDS)
26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear,(TORNADOES,HURRICANES,STORMS) and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth:(DESTRUCTION) for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.(FROM QUAKES,NUKES ETC)

Cyclone churns toward Australia’s northwest iron ore ports-[Reuters]-By Morag MacKinnon-January 29, 2016-YAHOONEWS

PERTH (Reuters) - A tropical cyclone gathered strength as it headed for the northwest coast of Western Australia on Saturday, forcing ports to close and mining companies to evacuate. Cyclone Stan, the first of a season which runs from November to April, was estimated to be 195 km (120 miles) north of Port Hedland and moving southeast, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology said.It is forecast to intensify and cross the coast northeast of Port Hedland, the world’s largest iron ore export hub, late on Saturday.“Very destructive winds with gusts to 170 km/h are possible near the cyclone center as it makes landfall later on Saturday or early Sunday,” the weather bureau said.It has issued communities in Port Hedland and Dampier and surrounding coastal and inland areas with a yellow alert, meaning they need to move to shelter.The bureau also warned of a potential dangerous storm tide with “damaging waves and dangerous flooding”.The ports of Dampier and Port Hedland, through which gas from the northwest shelf and almost half of the world’s seaborne iron ore are shipped, were closed, authorities said. A BHP Billiton spokesman said the company was closely monitoring the cyclone.“All tie-down activities have been completed and staff have been evacuated with a minimal number remaining for security and observation purposes,” the company said in a statement.The Port Hedland facility also ships cargo for Fortescue Metals Group, while Rio Tinto ships iron ore through Dampier.(Reporting by Morag MacKinnon; Editing by Nick Macfie)

EZEKIEL 38:4-14 RUSSIA/MUSLIMS AGAINST THE ISRAEL-EU AND WESTERN COUNTRIES
4 And I (GOD) will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws,(GOD FORCES THE RUSSIA-MUSLIMS TO MARCH) and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:
5 Persia,(IRAN,IRAQ) Ethiopia, and Libya with them; all of them with shield and helmet:
6 Gomer,(GERMANY) and all his bands; the house of Togarmah (TURKEY) of the north quarters, and all his bands: and many people with thee.(AFRICAN MUSLIMS,SUDAN,TUNESIA ETC)
7 Be thou prepared, and prepare for thyself, thou, and all thy company that are assembled unto thee, and be thou a guard unto them.
8 After many days thou shalt be visited: in the latter years thou shalt come into the land that is brought back from the sword, and is gathered out of many people, against the mountains of Israel, which have been always waste: but it is brought forth out of the nations, and they shall dwell safely all of them.
9 Thou shalt ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land, thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee.(RUSSIA-EGYPT AND MUSLIMS)
10 Thus saith the Lord GOD; It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought:
11 And thou shalt say, I will go up to the land of unwalled villages;(ISRAEL) I will go to them that are at rest, that dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls, and having neither bars nor gates,
12 To take a spoil,(OIL IS IN SPOIL) and to take a prey; to turn thine hand upon the desolate places that are now inhabited, and upon the people that are gathered out of the nations, which have gotten cattle and goods, that dwell in the midst of the land.
13  Sheba, and Dedan,(SAUDI-ARABIA) and the merchants of Tarshish,(SPAIN) with all the young lions thereof,(ENGLAND,AND ALL ITS ASSOCIATES-CANADA,AUSTRALIA-NEW ZEALAND, USA, AND WESTERN ENGLISH SPEAKING NATIONS) shall say unto thee, Art thou come to take a spoil? hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey? to carry away silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, to take a great spoil?(OIL IS IN SPOIL-I BELIEVE THATS WHY RUSSIA,ARAB/MUSLIMS MARCH TO ISRAEL)
14  Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord GOD; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it?

EZEKIEL 39:1-08
1 Therefore, thou son of man, prophesy against Gog,(LEADER OF RUSSIA) and say, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech (MOSCOW) and Tubal: (TUBOLSK)
2 And I will turn thee back,(RUSSIA-ARAB MUSLIM ISRAEL HATERS) and leave but the sixth part of thee,(5/6TH OR 300 MILLION DEAD RUSSIAN/ARAB/MUSLIMS I BELIEVE) and will cause thee to come up from the north parts,(RUSSIA) and will bring thee upon the mountains of Israel:
3 And I will smite thy bow out of thy left hand, and will cause thine arrows to fall out of thy right hand.
4 Thou shalt fall upon the mountains of Israel, thou, and all thy bands,( ARABS) and the people that is with thee: I will give thee unto the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.
5 Thou shalt fall upon the open field: for I have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.
6 And I will send a fire on Magog,(NUCLEAR ATOMIC BOMB) and among them that dwell carelessly in the isles: and they shall know that I am the LORD.
7 So will I make my holy name known in the midst of my people Israel; and I will not let them pollute my holy name any more: and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
8 Behold, it is come, and it is done, saith the Lord GOD; this is the day whereof I have spoken.

Russia says only 'proxy' talks on Syria planned in Geneva: Interfax-[Reuters]-January 30, 2016-YAHOONEWS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Syrian peace negotiations between the main opposition and Syrian government delegates were only expected to involve "proxy" talks, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov was quoted as saying by Interfax news agency on Saturday.He also said that there were no preconditions for the Syrian talks and that Moscow welcomed the decision by Syrian opposition coordinator, Riad Hijab, to take part in talks in Geneva."(United Nations Syria envoy Staffan) de Mistura "has always planned to carry out proxy talks, that is to talk in turns with each delegations: the government and the opposition figures," Gatilov, who is heading to Geneva for talks, said in an interview with Interfax.(Reporting by Vladimir Soldatkin; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Obama looks to take fight to Islamic State in Libya-[AFP]-Andrew Beatty, Laurent Barthelemy-January 29, 2016-YAHOONEWS

Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama has asked key advisors to draw up options for ratcheting up the fight against the Islamic State group, including opening a new front in Libya.Eighteen months after a US-led coalition began airstrikes against IS in Iraq and Syria, multiple administration sources said Friday that the White House wants to speed up and broaden the effort.Efforts will deepen to retake Raqa in Syria, Mosul in Iraq and to check the jihadists' growth in Afghanistan, but there is an increasing focus on Libya.Potential options are said to range from intensified air strikes to participation in a UN-backed ground force that would help take on Libya's estimated 3,000 Islamic State fighters.The Defense Department "stands ready to perform the full spectrum of military operations as required," spokeswoman Lieutenant Colonel Michelle Baldanza told AFP."We also continue to work with the international community to mitigate conflict in Libya, promote stability, and strengthen governance."Officials caution that Obama has not yet been presented with concrete military plans, though the security situation is acute."Action in Libya is needed before Libya becomes a sanctuary for ISIL, before they become extremely hard to dislodge," said one US defense official."We don't want a situation like in Iraq or Syria."Since rebels and Western airpower toppled Moamer Kadhafi's regime in 2011, the country has effectively lacked a government.In the chaos a disparate group of foreign fighters, homegrown militiamen, tribes and remnants of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group have coalesced around the IS banner and gained a foothold.Jihadists have recently taken control of Kadhafi's home town of Sirte, a strategic port near oilfields that could provide a lucrative source of income.- Next steps -Until now, US involvement in Libya has been limited to isolated airstrikes and the deployment of US special forces, who are building ties with local armed groups and providing intelligence.In November, an American F-16 fighter jet struck the eastern town of Derna, killing Abu Nabil -- also known as Wissam Najm Abd Zayd al-Zubaydi -- the local IS leader.On Thursday, Obama convened his National Security Council to discuss current operations and the next steps."The president directed his national security team to continue efforts to strengthen governance and support ongoing counterterrorism efforts in Libya and other countries where ISIL has sought to establish a presence," according to a White House account of the meeting.Republicans, with one eye on November's US presidential election, have pilloried Obama and one-time secretary of state Hillary Clinton for not doing more to prevent the Islamic State's rise."Congress has been calling for a real strategy from the president to defeat ISIS," said a spokesman for House Speaker Paul Ryan."We'll see whether this is just more talk or if it will be backed up with the will and the resources necessary for victory."Further steps -- including ground operations -- are likely to depend on Libyans' ability to form a Government of National Accord, which the United Nations is still trying to bring together."There needs to be a political solution to get a military solution," said another defense official, echoing comments from diplomats."We hope that there is the beginning of a political solution so that there is a legitimate government that can invite us to go after ISIL."Washington is also looking to European nations -- facing a more acute threat from the collapse of a country a short distance across the Mediterranean -- to play a leading role, including former Libyan colonial power Italy.Obama will host the Italian head of state, President Sergio Mattarella, at the White House on February 8.France and Britain are also slated as possible contributors.Secretary of State John Kerry is expected to meet his European counterparts in Rome on February 2."The idea is to have a coalition of nations," a defense official said.Some security experts say the deteriorating situation on the ground may leave the administration few options but to launch a ground campaign, even if the long-term path is unclear."The unfortunate reality is that this is a bad option, but it's the only one," said Patrick Skinner, a former CIA case officer now with The Soufan Group, a consultancy.IS-linked terror attacks from Turkey to Indonesia have sharpened concerns about the group's reach and potency, even as it suffers losses in Mesopotamia."They cannot let the Islamic State run Libya, they just can't.""They are holding really key spots. You can't let the Islamic State have a port, that's insane."According to Karim Mezran, a Libya expert at the Atlantic Council, any government in Libya is unlikely to survive without foreign support and would have to invite in foreign troops."Without an international force of support, there is no way the new government can ever get into Tripoli," he said.

Syrian rebel splits deepen after failed 'merger' with al Qaeda arm-[Reuters]-By Mariam Karouny-January 29, 2016-YAHOONEWS

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The leader of al Qaeda's Syrian wing tried unsuccessfully at a recent meeting to convince rival Islamist factions to merge into one unit, several insurgency sources have told Reuters.Abu Mohamad al-Golani, head of the Nusra Front, even suggested he was willing to change the name of his group if the others, including the powerful Ahrar al-Sham organization, agreed to the deal, the sources said.But he made clear that Nusra would not cut its ties with al Qaeda, and its allegiance would remain to Ayman al-Zawahri, who took over as leader after U.S. Navy SEALS killed Osama bin Laden in 2011.Much was riding on the outcome of the meeting, which the sources said took place about 10 days ago.Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham are the most powerful groups in northern Syria: when they briefly teamed up with other Islamists last year in an alliance called the Fatah Army, the rebels scored one of their biggest victories by seizing the city of Idlib.Some rebels believed a merger would create a stronger rival to Islamic State and might attract much-needed military support and recognition from regional and international powers.But the leaders left without an agreement, and the sources said the atmosphere was tense, with Nusra blaming Ahrar al-Sham for the failure.A few days later, members of the two groups clashed in the towns of Salqin and Harem in Idlib province, near the border with Turkey. Several fighters were killed on both sides, but other insurgent groups brokered a quick ceasefire.Jihadi sources, including some from Ahrar al-Sham, say it is only a matter of time before another battle between the two erupts. They say the rift between them is getting deeper, although mediation continues. One restraining factor has been an imminent assault by the Syrian army and its allied forces in northwestern Syria."The situation is charged, the failure of initiatives could cause an explosion," said a jihadi in Idlib who is close to the two groups. "What happened just avoided all-out conflict, all-out battle. But it will be hard to tell what will happen in the future."Outright war between Nusra and Ahrar al-Sham would still further complicate the five-year Syrian conflict, in which rebel groups are mushrooming under different slogans and sometimes fighting each other.It would come hard on the heels of the United Nations' failure this week to bring rival parties together for peace talks in Geneva, the first attempt in two years to end a war that has killed a quarter of a million people.-LACK OF TRUST-Distrust between Nusra and Ahrar is mutual. Nusra accuses its Islamist rival of being a front for Turkey, addressing not the "interests of Muslims" but the agenda of Ankara in order to be part of a future political deal to rule Syria.Ahrar presents itself as a Syrian nationalist force, in contrast to al Qaeda's global jihadist ideology. It recently joined a Saudi-backed Syrian opposition council set up to join the U.N. peace talks, although the council is demanding an end to air strikes and blockades by the Syrian government and its allies before it will take part.Ahrar and other groups are pushing Nusra to cut its ties with al Qaeda as a step towards becoming more fully engaged in the struggle against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad."The problem is with the Qaeda link and its ideological implications. Nusra insists on its agenda, it doesn't want to maneuver at all," said a frustrated Ahrar commander, accusing it of "damaging the revolution".In the first few weeks after last year's capture of Idlib, the two groups divided responsibilities and territory without problems. But gradually divisions began to surface, as Ahrar and other insurgents became wary of Nusra and accused it of trying to seize power and sidelining them."Nusra cannot work with others, they have a dominating project, they do not accept the others," said a fighter from Ahrar al-Sham in Idlib via the Internet.Some insurgents are suspicious of Nusra's long-term agenda in the region and globally, distrusting its declaration that it has no ambitions outside Lebanon and Syria."This declared goal is an interim one. After it wins and establishes itself in Syria, they will move to the next step, which objects to the goal of the revolution," said an Islamist rebel who is allied with Ahrar al-Sham."They will join the global jihad and this is against our revolution. Our revolution is limited to Syria."-NO JEANS-On the ground, Nusra imposes strict Islamic rules in villages and towns where it shares power. It has banned women from wearing make-up, showing their hair or wearing tight clothes like jeans, and applied a policy of segregation between the sexes. All these moves have served to assert its dominance, while provoking other groups."There is no group on the ground that actually objects to having an Islamic government but the implementation and methods are different," said another Islamist fighter from a group that is allied with Ahrar.Highlighting the dilemma facing Syrian rebels, a local commander of an Islamist brigade that works closely with Ahrar al-Sham said: "It will be difficult for Nusra to disengage from Qaeda and it will be difficult for us to work with them. The situation is really difficult. Things are complicated and interlocked all together."Asked how long the groups could avoid hostilities, an Ahrar al-Sham military commander said: "We can avoid fighting with Nusra for now. For how long? That is a difficult question. Only God knows."(Writing by Mariam Karouny; Editing by Mark Trevelyan)

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