Taliban mock US over government shutdown

[Devil Soul]

By AFP Published: October 9, 2013
KABUL: Taliban militants fighting US troops in Afghanistan taunted Washington Wednesday over the government shutdown, accusing US politicians of “sucking the blood of their own people”.
The militants issued a statement describing how US institutions were “paralysed”, the Statue of Liberty was closed and a fall in tourist numbers had hit shops, restaurants and hotels in the capital.
“The American people should realise that their politicians play with their destinies as well as the destinies of other oppressed nations for the sake of their personal vested interests,” the Taliban said.
The insurgents accused “selfish and empty-minded American leaders” of taking US citizens’ money “earned with great difficulty” and then “lavishly spending the same money in shedding the blood of the innocent and oppressed people”.
“Instead of sucking the blood of their own people… this money should be utilised for the sake of peace,” they added.
The US embassy in Kabul has said that it expects “to function normally in the short term” due to the shutdown, though it’s Twitter feed would not be regularly updated.
Embassy press staff was not immediately available to comment on the rebels’ statement.
The Taliban, who were ousted from power in a US-backed offensive in 2001, often use their website to issue colourful verbal attacks on Washington and the Kabul government.
About 57,000 US troops are deployed in Afghanistan, with most of them set to pull out by the end of the next year.
The US shutdown has seen hundreds of thousands of workers sent home without pay after Congress failed to pass a budget for the 2014 fiscal year that began October 1.

 

[Gautam]

“Instead of sucking the blood of their own people… this money should be utilised for the sake of peace,” they added.

Wow. The Good Taliban is talking about peace. AGAIN.

 

[Kamikaze Pilot]

US lawmakers close to deal to end 14-day-old shutdown

PTI | Oct 15, 2013, 05.22 PM IST

WASHINGTON: As the US inched closer to an unprecedented debt default, US lawmakers held a flurry of negotiations and expressed optimism over a potential deal that could end the government shutdown, raise the debt ceiling and avert a crisis that may trigger a global economic turmoil.

US senators say they are closing in on a deal that would reopen the government and push back a possible debt default for several months, though many hurdles remain.

Senate majority leader Harry Reid said he and his Republican counterpart, Mitch McConnell, have "made tremendous progress. We are not there yet".

"We hope that with good fortune ... that perhaps tomorrow will be a bright day," he said from the Senate floor.

Reid and McConnell are trying to reach an agreement that would end the 14-day-old shutdown and lift the debt limit before the US Treasury exhausts the nation's remaining borrowing capacity on October 17, raising the risk of default.

"We've had a good day, we had a good day yesterday," McConnell said.

"It's safe to say we've made substantial progress and we look forward to making more progress in the near future.

"I share [Reid's] optimism that we we're going to get a result that will be acceptable to both sides," he said on the Senate floor.

The new deal, if struck, would last until February 2014.

The plan under discussion would raise the $16.7 trillion debt ceiling by enough to cover the nation's borrowing needs at least through until mid-February 2014.

According to US media, the deal currently under discussion would fund the government until January 15 while raising the debt ceiling until early to mid-February.

Any deal would also have to win approval in the House of Representatives, where conservative Republicans have insisted any continued government funding must include measures to undercut president Barack Obama's signature health law - a nonstarter for Democrats.

The deal would not resolve the disagreements over long-term spending and health care that led to the crisis in the first place.

"If Republicans aren't willing to set aside their partisan concerns in order to do what's right for the country, we stand a good chance of defaulting, and defaulting could potentially have a devastating effect on our economy," Obama said earlier.

US lawmakers close to deal to end 14-day-old shutdown - The Times of India