CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (AP) - A Marine riding in a Humvee during a shooting that left as many as 19 Afghan civilians dead testified Wednesday that his convoy was fired upon at least three times after it was attacked by a car bomb.
Sgt. Brett Hayes said the gunner in his vehicle was knocked out of the turret by the blast. The gunner returned to his position and began firing, shouting he was being shot at by small arms fire from both sides of the road near a bridge over a dry riverbed.
"I started hearing fire come at us," Hayes said during a fact-finding hearing at Camp Lejeune, adding that he heard small arms fire from AK- 47 rifles and cracks of the bullets passing overhead.
Hayes recalled the March 4 attack during the second day of testimony at a rarely used fact-finding proceeding that is investigating the conduct of two officers involved in the shooting.
On Tuesday, defense lawyers presented photographs of men with rifles standing in the riverbed and said the bombing was a well-planned attack on the patrol.
Afghanistan's Independent Human Rights Commission predictably issued a report after the shooting that accused the Marines of firing indiscriminately at pedestrians and people in cars, buses and taxis at six locations along a 10-mile stretch of road. Defense lawyers have maintained the shooting was justified and wasn't indiscriminate.
The administrative Court of Inquiry, scheduled to last two weeks, will recommend whether the officersMaj. Fred C. Galvin, 38, commander of the 120-person special operations company, and Capt. Vincent J. Noble, 29, a platoon leadershould be charged with a crime. That decision will be made by Lt. Gen. Samuel Helland, commander of U.S. Marine Forces Central Command.
Some Marines in the six-vehicle convoy opened fire along a crowded roadway in Afghanistan's Nangahar province after an explosives-rigged minivan crashed into their vehicles. One Marine was wounded. Although an Army investigation concluded 19 Afghan civilians died and 50 were wounded, attorneys for the two officers argue the death toll was lower.
Hayes said that after his Humvee began to roll after the bombing, the vehicle was fired on again from the right side of the road. The gunner fired back, then fired once or twice at a 45-degree angle toward the road, Hayes said, but he didn't know the intended target.
At that point, the gunner realized he had been hit in the arm with shrapnel and Hayes got into the turret for the trip back to base. Hayes said he didn't fire the weapon.
Hayes said the explosion of the vehicle bomb was close enough that he could feel its heat.
The company was on its first deployment after the 2006 creation of the Marine Special Operations Command. After the shooting, eight Marines were sent back to Camp Lejeune and the rest f the company was taken out of Afghanistan.
Maj. Gen. Dennis J. Hejlik, the commander of the Marine Special Operations Command, later said the unit responded appropriately. Marine Corps commandant Gen. James T. Conway also criticized an apology issued by an Army brigade commander, calling it premature because an investigation remained under way.
The Marine Corps last used a Court of Inquiry more than 50 years ago.
#1
how are our soldiers supposed too do their jobs when they may be brought up on charges at any time for anything. Hell if someone would have just tried too blow me up i would have shot up everyone i didn't know for longer than 10 miles or until i was out of ammo. This ROE bullshit has gone on long enough shut the hell up and let our guys do their jobs the right way and maybe more of them will make it home unharmed.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/09/2008 14:31 Comments ||
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#5
Redneck Jim - for something like this, you'd have at LEAST a panel of three officers, and an option for a jury of six, nine, or twelve, depending upon the crime you'd be tried for. Only low-level crimes are handled by a single officer.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/09/2008 14:58 Comments ||
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#6
Thanks OP, I never got in trouble in the Navy, but others did and they talked, I didn't realise there was a difference in the severity. Only heard about the "Single Officer" type of trial. Never any other.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/09/2008 19:37 Comments ||
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A former Taliban commander who switched sides and helped NATO-led forces reclaim a troubled southern area in a major operation last year has been made local governor, officials said Tuesday.
Abdul Salaam joined the government just before the start of the joint NATO-Afghan operation to retake Musa Qala in Helmand province, which was controlled by the Taliban for almost a year. Taliban forces withdrew in the face of the coalition attack and the district fell to British and Afghan forces on December 4. Abdul Salaam has been appointed as the district chief of Musa Qala, presidential spokesman Homayun Hamidzada told reporters Tuesday.
The president has said before that all those former Taliban who come and accept the constitution, who want to participate in the political process through non-violent means, theyre all welcome, he said. Mullah Abdul Salaam had a role in liberating Musa Qala from terrorist elements and he had a role in bringing unity among the different tribes, he added. Deputy governor of Helmand province Pir Mohammad said Abdul Salaam was now running the district with local approval.
The government listened to the will of the locals on the appropriate governor for the district, he said, adding that hundreds of villagers had attended meetings to choose the leadership council. Finally the locals and tribesmen authorised the three-member council to appoint someone appropriate for the position and the council decided two days ago that Abdul Salaam was the right person, Mohammad said.
Salaam was once the governor of south central Uruzgan province under the six-year reign of the Taliban and mostly served as a military commander for them. He says he gave up fighting after the collapse of the regime and returned to civilian life, but he was arrested and jailed for eight months by the former governor of Helmand, Mullah Shir Mohammad, now a senator. After his release he became a member of the tribal council in Musa Qala, his home town.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
#1
Victory will be declared when a former Taliban commander becomes president.
Posted by: ed ||
01/09/2008 17:02 Comments ||
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#2
See NOSI.ORG > TALIBAN - THE NEXT GENERATION. Whom said that "coming home" from across the borders meant the end of war or R-N-R, for the new boyz???
Algeria is to double the numbers of anti-terror security forces following a raft of terrorist attacks in recent months, Interior Minister Yazid Zerhouni said Tuesday. "The plan for strengthening our security services, begun in 2005, is now in a phase of acceleration, which will allow security services to double their numbers," said Zerhouni on the sidelines of a visit by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to the country's Saharan Tamanrasset region.
A series of attacks in recent months blamed on Islamist militants have destabilised the North African country, which waged a bitter civil war against Islamists in the 1990s that left more than 150,000 people dead.
Zerhouni added that "extraordinary" security measures had been installed in the Sahara regions, "notably at airports and other sensitive sites."
Djanet airport in the Algerian Sahara was the scene of an attack on a military transport plane in November, according to press reports. There was no claim of responsibility, and official sources have yet to confirm the attack -- which reportedly claimed no victims -- took place. Zerhouni said that recent suicide bombings in Algeria were "spectacular terrorist attacks," adding that "terrorist groups choose easy methods in their attacks."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa
(AKI) - The al-Qaeda international terror network has established a permanent presence in Africa that cannot be overlooked, the African Union (AU)'s peace and security commissioner SaidDjinnit told Algerian daily El Khabar. "Al-Qaeda now has a stable presence in Africa. This problem needs to be tackled. It is ingenuous and wrong to ignore it," said Djinnit. "The first time al-Qaeda struck Africa was in Kenya and Tanzania ten years ago," he said.
"Now the African continent has a security problem,which affects above sub-Saharan countries. It needs to be dealt with via surveillance of their borders, where arms and drugs trafficking is flourishing."
According to the AU commissioner, terrorists are able to move easily from one African country to another. "The danger is currently coming from Somalia and Sudan. These two countries form a gateway for terrorists heading for Chad, Niger, Mali and Mauritania."
Djinnit urged vigilance, given the radicalisation of Muslims occurring in the Middle East but also in Africa. "To rise to this challange, we need first of all to understand the complexity of the phenomenon and the nature of the threat," he concluded.
After which you need to kill the terrorists, cut off their money, and whack the governments that support them.
Hundreds of people died in nearly simultaneous car bombings at the United States embassies in the East African capital cities of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, and Nairobi, Kenya, in August 1998. The attacks, linked to al-Qaeda, brought it and its leader Osama bin Laden to international attention for the first time, and resulted in the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) placing bin Laden on its most wanted list.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa
#1
Lemme guess, they want $$$$$$(usd) to "fight" terrorists in their ass-backward little countries.
Most of which, as we have seen several times, would go to new Mercedes sedans and private Suise bank accounts.
#1
"...for four and a half years yesterday but could be out on parole in a year. He is expected to serve half his sentence and has already been on remand for 14 months."
If scum like this got the hanging, drawing and quarteing they actually deserve, there might be fewer of them in future.
#3
Another poor oppressed muslim goes to bite the hand that feeds him. What is it with muslim medical professionals and terrorism? Does it have something to with the muslim Hippocratic oath - First, do harm the infidels? Or that they have the spare cash to do what their pseudo-religion commands them to do?
Posted by: ed ||
01/09/2008 16:05 Comments ||
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China has contingency plans to dispatch troops into North Korea and secure nuclear weapons in the event of instability in the hardline communist state, according to US experts who have talked to Chinese military researchers.
Any intervention by Beijing would be done as far as possible after consultations with the United Nations, but unilateral action was not ruled out, the experts said in a report published on the websites of two US think tanks. If deemed necessary, PLA troops would be dispatched into North Korea, the report said, referring to the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA).
Chinas strong preference is to receive formal authorization and coordinate closely with the UN in such an endeavor, it said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Chinas strong preference is to receive formal authorization and coordinate closely with the UN in such an endeavor,
Of course. Nobody would get overly excited if it is don after the fact. UN wheels are not the fastest on the block.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/09/2008 0:30 Comments ||
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#4
TOPIX > MK NEWS - SOUTH KOREA may consider delaying by two or more addit years formal tranfer in 2012 of WARTIME OPERATIONAL CONTROL of milfors from the USA back to SOUTH KOREA iff NORTH KOREA FAILS TO LIVE UP TO ITS NUCLEAR ABANDONMENT PLEDGES/OBLIGATIONS.
Also, MVARIETY > GUAM > Contin USA-JAPAN controversies over a replacement MCAS for FUTENMA, etc. MAY DELAY THE TRANSFER OF 8000 MARINES + DEPENDENTS TO GUAM.
#8
Not so sure. The Chinese probably have some concerns about it and the weapons program falling into the hands of the South Koreans when the Norks collapse and the Korean brothers are reunited. South Korea will want them to guarantee their independence. I sense that the Chinese think the Koreans are just a little too loose in the socket. I sure do.
#10
When the North collapses, I'd assume there will be several factions in the army. A losing faction, with a bomb or two in custody (even if they don't have one now, they could later), might use the threat to extort support. Maybe they'd try extorting the South, or maybe someplace else nearby. China should be worried.
Posted by: James ||
01/09/2008 8:40 Comments ||
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#11
I still hold that the US and China could reach an agreement of sorts, that would be a win-win, but with China making a huge profit.
That is, China takes over Nork briefly, on the understanding with the US and the South that it is there to grab the nuclear materials, *not* in any way to menace the South. Then it sets up a puppet government with a very set purpose, and leaves.
The puppet government's job is two-fold: to open the country up to any and all international aid, so that food can enter Nork, and to begin immediate negotiations for reunification ASAP while maintaining minimal order.
The first benefit to China is that it not only stops Korean illegal immigration, but even causes a backflow of Koreans leaving China to go home.
The second benefit to China is that, by playing Mr. Nice Guy, Korea becomes its best friend in the whole world. A wealthy best friend who wants many billions of dollars of trade with China. This would be an economic boon to all of northeast China. Korea already does things "the Chinese way", so there will be minimal cultural friction.
The third benefit is that the US would no longer have much need at all to keep ground forces in Korea. We could pull back, and maybe keep an agreement for a naval base in Pusan.
A de-nuclearized Korea, friendly with China and the US, makes everybody happy.
#17
China wants the Nukes?
Did they ever get their trains back?
Load the nukes on their trains, make it a two-fer.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/09/2008 14:35 Comments ||
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#18
Also, to add onto Moose's point. China entered the Korean war because it didn't want a western democracy on its southern border. It would be like the Soviet Union taking over Mexico and the US dealing with a communist state right over the Rio Grand.
However, South Korea has become increasingly anti-US in the past few years and the younger generation are forgetting the Chinese aggression and atrocities of one hundred years ago. China might fully be willing to have a friendly democracy and anti-American democracy on its border now.
It makes sense in a geo-political view.
#20
If you look at it from a Chinese perspective, then it can be pretty simple: They do not want a refugee crisis to mess that part of China up - and pushing refugees of on the SKors keeps them to busy and will disrupt the hell out of the SKor economy probably for a decade (look at E Germany's absorption into Germany and the negative impact that had even though it was peaceful).
"Securing the Nork nukes" gives China a "white hate" in the international press. And its serves as a very good pretext for locking their border with the Norks HARD, and taking back some collateral that they may believe they are owed. And it also gives the Chinese military a chance to test some tactics in a live environment.
So "securing the nukes" is a win-win for the Chinese for a lot of reasons.
#23
like the Soviet Union taking over Mexico and the US dealing with a communist state right over the Rio Grand.
Bet then there'd be no hassle over a "Border fence", or "Shoot to kill" orders. Hmmm?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/09/2008 19:51 Comments ||
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#24
Redneck Jim, IM sure the peopel at state woulndt care if Mexico went Communits, and they woudl still pitch a hissy fit if we were to secure the border even in that circumstance.
The Italian interior ministry issued expulsion orders for an imam of a mosque in Turin in northern Italy on public order and security grounds, the online version of the Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported on Wednesday.
Mohamed Kohaila, 44, was accused last year of delivering fundamentalist sermons at Turin mosque in a television programme aired on Italian state-run RAI television.
During the programme, broadcast on 29 March 2006, hidden cameras were used to film Kohaila as he called on Muslims not to integrate with Christians and Jews in Italy, according Corriere della Sera. The video also showed photocopies of a newspaper said to be close to al-Qaeda.
The TV programme led to an investigation into Kohaila's activities by the authorities in Turin. The explusion orders issued on Wednesday now have to be validated by local judges.
Reacting to the explusion order, the Italian Muslim website, Islam-online.it said that that they were "amazed" by the details of this case. The website also said it was deeply concerned worried about the "consequences for the lives of Mohamed Kuhaila and his childrun family".
"Kuhaila and the association in which he is the imam have been the subject of a provocation," said Hamza Piccardo, the leader of the main Italian Muslim group, the Union of Islamic Communities in Italy (UCOII). Must have been the Joooooos!
"In a video that was filmed using hidden cameras, documents praising Jihad were 'found' in the mosque on Via Cottolengo and then it was reported and 'translated' that in the imam's sermon he preached of a war against unbelievers," he said.
"The incident created the furore that the organisers expected it to do, and some politicians called for the immediate expulsion of Kuhaila."
Turin based daily La Stampa reported that after the magistrates in Turin studied the imam's sermon, they said that it did not contain any reference to violence but instead asked Muslims not to "exacerbate religious aspects". By not integrating with Christians and Joooos.
#1
One down. 1,000,000 to go. BTW, though less talked about than Spain, many muslims consider parts of Italy dar ul islam. They did have colonies during the muslim expansion.
Posted by: ed ||
01/09/2008 16:12 Comments ||
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A young married couple suspected of links to Al Qaeda will go on trial soon on federal terrorism charges stemming from the March 2007 online posting of a video threatening Austria and Germany with attacks, prosecutors said Tuesday. The pair both Austrian citizens of Arab origin were arrested in September in connection with the video, which threatened the two countries with terrorist strikes if they did not withdraw military personnel from Afghanistan.
Authorities said the husband later told police that potential targets included the Vienna-based Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, or OPEC, as well as U.N. agencies based in the Austrian capital, German government offices and prominent politicians in both countries. They said the man, identified only as Egyptian-born Mohamed M., 22, mentioned the Austrian targets in Internet chat groups frequented by Islamic radicals. Prosecutors allege that his 20-year-old wife translated Arabic texts into German for the video. Officials have not confirmed reports that another possible target was this summer's Euro 2008 soccer tournament, which is being co-hosted by Austria and Switzerland.
Canadian authorities are prosecuting a third suspect in the video threat. A fourth suspect who had been arrested in Austria since has been released. Germany has about 3,000 troops in Afghanistan, but Austria maintains only three liaison officers. A trial date was not immediately set but is expected to get under way sometime in the next three months, said Gerhard Jarosch, a spokesman for the Vienna public prosecutor's office.
In addition to the terrorism charges, the pair will be tried on charges of membership in a criminal organization, Jarosch said. If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment.
Investigators say evidence suggests the video which was posted on a German-language Web site and showed images of the Sept. 11, 2001, attack on the World Trade Center was produced by the Global Islamic Media Front, an al-Qaida propaganda group. Austria's Interior Ministry says it is unaware of any evidence suggesting that a plot was in the works to carry out any terrorist attack in the politically neutral alpine country. Although it warned several politicians that their names appeared on a list that had been circulated online, it maintains that none was ever deemed to have been in danger.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
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City officials last month quietly activated some of the nation's newest generation of early warning sensors to detect a biological attack, turning on a limited number of filing-cabinet-size air filters in sensitive, high-volume areas of Manhattan.
But city officials say their effort to expand the program has run into surprising resistance from the White House, which is not widely deploying the machines.
Five years ago, officials here note, the Bush administration was prodding local authorities to move faster to detect the use of biological weapons and pouring billions into biosecurity-related initiatives. New York's leaders now say the administration's enthusiasm and sense of urgency has flagged in its final year in office.
The dispute is partly over whether the new sensors -- each with a $100,000 price tag -- are reliable and affordable enough for widespread deployment. But it is also about whether Washington's early support for such security enhancements has been undermined by distraction and competing budgetary demands.
"We'd like to see a little bit more focus in that area. . . . I think the federal government could do a better job," New York Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said in an interview this week. He was referring to New York City officials' desire for more detectors and enhanced capabilities under a federal government program known as BioWatch, under which air samplers were installed in 2003 in more than 30 major U.S. cities to detect the airborne release of biological warfare agents such as anthrax, plague and smallpox.
BioWatch was meant to speed up the response of health authorities in the critical hours before disease could spread and symptoms appeared in people. More than $400 million has been spent so far, but officials in New York and elsewhere say the older air samplers installed under the program do not work as well as intended.
The older samplers catch airborne particles in filters that are manually collected once a day and taken to a laboratory, requiring up to 30 hours to detect a pathogen. They may not preserve live organisms that scientists use to select treatment options. And the process is cost- and labor-intensive, leading to false alarms, quality-control problems and limits on the system's size, despite an $85 million-a-year national budget.
New York officials say they prefer the newer model activated last month, known as Autonomous Pathogen Detection Systems and developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory with federal support. They can automatically sniff the air hourly for a week unattended, identify up to 100 harmful species by using two types of genetic and biochemical reaction tests, preserve live specimens and transmit results immediately to headquarters.
"The whole name of the game with BioWatch is to buy yourself time," said Richard A. Falkenrath, Kelly's deputy commissioner for counterterrorism and a former Bush White House homeland security aide.
The faster authorities can pin down the time of exposure, the more aggressively they can go after perpetrators, treat victims in time to help them and avoid the overwhelming logistical challenge and likely panic of having to distribute vaccines or antibiotics to millions of people. "We won't have to make the worst-case assumption," Falkenrath said.
In New York, which Kelly notes was targeted in both the 2001 World Trade Center and anthrax mailing attacks, authorities believe that model could help investigators pin down the moment a pathogen is released. "We see ourselves in the cross hairs here," Kelly said.
In President Bush's 2003 State of the Union address, he cited the early deployment of air samplers as an example of "unprecedented measures to protect our people and defend our homeland." Now Jeffrey W. Runge, chief medical officer and assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security's office of health affairs, said more research and technical improvements are needed before a costly full-scale deployment.
BioWatch backers in New York say they have a sympathetic ear and strong partner in Runge, but that it has been hard to him to obtain the administration's support to move faster. Runge, however, called Kelly's criticism unfounded, given that DHS has paid 90 percent of the cost to install New York's system and all of its operating costs.
Runge said technical challenges remain in ensuring new sensors' accuracy and reducing their size and operating costs. He said DHS plans to begin pilot tests this year of alternative sensors -- which it hopes will be better than those made by Lawrence Livermore -- and to oversee a competition between two private bidders, IQuum and Microfluidic Systems, beginning in 2009. As a result, Runge said, decisions on what and how big a system to deploy will be left to the next administration. "That decision has not been made," he said, "and I won't be around for this decision."
"I don't know what better job Washington can do other than having a multiyear, multimillion-dollar research program in how to get better automated pathogen detection," Runge said. "But what we have to do as a federal government is improve on the technology, to make sure other cities that don't have the billions that New York has can actually afford automated detection."
Some policy experts and members of Congress take an even more skeptical position, questioning the premises of the BioWatch program. Last month, for example, lawmakers set aside $2 million of BioWatch's $77 million operating budget for a "cost-benefit" analysis by the National Academy of Sciences of whether BioWatch's basic strategy -- of detecting the use of bioweapons through technology rather than through careful monitoring of disease patterns -- is flawed.
The study is meant to examine whether it would be better to improve diagnostic tests at traditional medical facilities such as hospitals, expand electronic medical recordkeeping and upgrade data links that enable the government to monitor unusual health and agricultural sector disease patterns.
Tara O'Toole, director of the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, asked Congress in October, "Does it make sense to invest limited biodefense funds in more advanced BioWatch technology even as we cut funds for public health personnel needed to analyze BioWatch data, as we are now doing?"
#1
Nah...not buying it!! This is a case of wanting to 'follow the rat by trailing the cheese crumbs' policy! Shut down the 'cheese', and the 'rats' can't bite; to the chagrin of the NSA, FBI and DHS!
#2
TOPIX > FREEREPUBLIC - ISLAM'S GLOBAL ARMY; + SYRIA: BUSH FAILS TO INSINUATE IRAN-ARABS ENMITY.
See also JPOST > GULF COUNTRIES FEAR MAJOR US, IRAN FLAREUP [naval clash]. More hints of six GCC Muslim States forming a local [anti-Iran?]joint military force.
#3
See also ISRAEL NN OP-ED > AN APPEAL OF FAITH TO PRESIDENT BUSH - BOMB IRAN NOW; + YNETNEWS > RABBIS TO BUSH - DECLARE ISRAEL JEWISH. Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz.
ISLAMABAD (Rooters) - Plagued by mounting attacks by Islamist militants loyal to al Qaeda, Pakistan now faces a second wave of violence as its minority Shi'ite Muslims prepare for their annual mourning period.
The 40-day Shi'ite mourning period, expected to begin on Thursday, has become a lightning rod for sectarian violence and comes as the country is still reeling from the assassination of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto in a gun and bomb attack.
The Interior Ministry said 35 districts in the country had been declared "sensitive" and all security agencies had been put on high alert to avert sectarian violence during the mourning period, known as Moharram. Quagmire!
"We appeal to all citizens to exercise vigilance and extend full cooperation to the security agencies," said ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema.
Moharram marks the death anniversary of Imam Hussein, a grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, who was killed in a battle with political rival, Yazid, in A.D. 680 in the Iraqi city of Kerbala.
The climax of Moharram is the 10th day, known as Ashura, when worshippers flog themselves with steel-tipped flails or slash their bodies with knives to express solidarity with Hussein.
Moharram processions have come under attack by Sunni sectarian militants in recent years.
Pakistan saw a surge of religious violence in the 1980s with the emergence of militant groups, most of them Sunni, funded by the United States and Saudi Arabia to fight Soviet forces in Afghanistan and Shi'ite radical groups following the success of the 1979 Islamic revolution in majority Shi'ite Iran.
While ordinary Sunni and Shi'ite Pakistanis live side-by-side, radicals from the two sects have inflicted a bloody toll in tit-for-tat assassinations and bomb attacks since then.
"TWO-FOLD THREAT"
Last year, a suicide bomber blew himself up among policemen escorting a Moharram procession in the northwestern city of Peshawar, killing 11 people, most of them policemen.
In 2006, about 40 people were killed in suicide attack on an Ashura procession in the town of Hangu.
The attacks were blamed on Sunni sectarian militants, many of whom established links with al Qaeda after President Pervez Musharraf forged a security alliance with the United States following the September 11 attacks in 2001.
The Interior Ministry is particularly worried about attacks in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) on the Afghan border, where militants are active.
"There is a two-fold threat in NWFP where sectarian tension as well as the militant threat exists," Cheema said.
Shi'ite leaders said they were ready to cooperate with the government to ensure security but opposed any move to restrict their processions.
"Concern about terrorist attacks cannot be overlooked," Sajid Ali Naqvi, a senior Shi'ite cleric and a vice president of country's main Islamic party alliance said.
"But we have very good relations with all sects. We can use these contacts and are ready to cooperate with the government to ensure security. But any restriction on our mourning is unacceptable."
Shi'ites make up about 15 percent of Pakistan's 160 million people. The overwhelming majority of the rest are Sunni Muslim.
Differences between Sunnis and Shi'ites date back to the earliest days of Islam over the succession of the Prophet Mohammad after his death in A.D. 632.
Sunnis, who form a majority of Muslims worldwide, regard Abu Bakr, one of Mohammad's companions, as his successor, while Shi'ites revere Ali, the prophet's son-in-law and cousin. Ali was also the father of Imam Hussein.
Sunnis also revere Hussein but they celebrate Moharram less fervently than Shi'ites.
(Additional reporting by Kamran Haider; Editing by Robert Birsel)
Posted by: anonymous5089 ||
01/09/2008 14:14 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
Remember the good ol' days when the islamo-nuts only wanted to blow us up?
President Pervez Musharraf said on Tuesday that Pakistan was committed to unearthing the evidence, finding the truth, and bringing those responsible for the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto to justice.
He said this to the five-member Scotland Yard team that is probing Benazirs assassination when the latter gave him a general update on the investigations progress.
According to a Press Information Department release, the president thanked the UK government for its prompt response to Pakistans request for assistance. He hoped that the forensic and technological expertise of the Scotland Yard would greatly contribute to the investigation. He assured the Scotland Yard team of cooperation by all local investigating agencies.
The president said the government would not interfere in the investigation, as he also wants to know who was behind the killing, reported Online. He said that the killing of Benazir was a conspiracy to destabilise Pakistan and so foreign help had been required.
British High Commission spokesman Aidan Liddle said the meeting was introductory but refused to reveal further details. He did not confirm or reject reports suggesting that the British investigators sought the presidents permission to quiz government functionaries that Benazir had named as her possible killers before her assassination. I wont go into the details but can tell you that it was a introductory meeting, he said.
British High Commissioner to Pakistan Robert Brinkley and a senior official of the commission, Keith Pearce, accompanied the British sleuths during the meeting. Interior Ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said the Scotland Yard team had thanked the government for the assistance and cooperation provided to them in the probe. Sources said the British team had assured the president that the assassination was being thoroughly examined and facts about culpable elements would be revealed once the probe was completed.
End of the month: According to Online, the team told Musharraf that they would try to complete the investigation by the end of this month and present their report to the people of Pakistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
I guess this fulfills the one-month headstart part of the agreement.
The army may soon be deployed in sensitive districts of the NWFP to help maintain law and order during Muharram, Daily Times learnt on Tuesday.
Called that one, by golly. Toldja the operation against TNSM was a practice run.
Having whomped the AA affiliate, they now go up against a big-league opponent.
Sources in the NWFP Home and Tribal Affairs Department said that Peshawar, Kohat, Hangu and Dera Ismail Khan districts had been declared most sensitive areas. The army will be deployed in Kohat, Hangu and DI Khan districts, but no such decision has been taken for Peshawar yet, they said. Haripur, Mansehra and Tank districts have also been declared sensitive during Muharram. The army, Frontier Corps, Frontier Constabulary and police will jointly manage law and order in the province, and the forces will be deployed on the first of the month.
Afghan border sealed: According to sources, the Afghan border would be sealed on the 9th and 10th of Muharram to prevent the entry of Afghans, believed to be involved in worsening the law and order situation. Aman (peace) committees, consisting of Shia and Sunni members, have also been formed in all districts to address and resolve the issues, they added.
The government has banned the playing of music, wall-chalking and the distribution of leaflets or posters that could provoke sectarian violence during Muharram, and aman committees will be activated at police station level.
According to officials, the administration has received threats of suicide attacks and other such acts during Muharram and the government is mulling a strategy to counter them.
In the tribal belt, Kurram and Orakzai agencies are the most sensitive areas during the month. An official said the impact of the current situation in Kurram Agency could affect Hangu and Kohat districts. Hangu is one of the most sensitive areas, where around 80 percent of the population is Sunni and 20 percent Shia. The first suicide attack in NWFP took place in Hangu on February 9, 2006, when a suicide bomber blew himself up at an Ashura procession and killed several people. Kohat has not been a sensitive area in the past, however, it has been declared a sensitive area owing to its proximity to Hangu and Kurram Agency.
Meanwhile, the NWFP government has banned the entry of 12 religious scholars of both sects from Balochistan, an unspecified number of them from Sindh, and it plans to ban the entry of some religious scholars from Punjab.
The government has also asked the Shia community to form committees to monitor suspected people at their religious gatherings. The NWFP government has also approved Rs 24 million to help the police with their expenditures for transportation and other purposes, the sources added.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
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The reports that the assassin of Pakistan Peoples Party chairwoman Benazir Bhutto belongs to Swabi rang alarm bells in the minds of district administration officials on Monday.
A television channel reported on Monday that the killer of Benazir Bhutto had been identified and several raids were conducted in Swabi to arrest him. Many journalists visited the district to collect information about the person whose name and village were not mentioned in the news report.
DCO terms: District Coordination Officer Muhammad Adil termed the news item as ridiculous, concocted and baseless. The local administration did arrest anybody and did not conduct any raids in the district to this end, he added. Swabi District Nazim Shahram Khan also expressed his shock over the report and said a journalist should confirm any report before sending it on air.
The district police officer was not available for comment as his mobile phone was not responding. PPP district president Manfat Khan and tehsil president Javid Inqilabi told journalists that the drama was devised to divert peoples attention from the real issues.
The government, they said, should come forward to expose Benazir Bhuttos killers, instead of adding to peoples anxiety. They said they had a well-organised party structure in the entire district and the party workers would have informed them had there been any such case.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
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A constitutional petition challenging a foreign agencys involvement in a probe into the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto was filed in the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
Freelance journalist Shahid Orakzai filed the petition under Article 184(3) of the Constitution, and pleaded the court to declare involvement of any foreign agency in any criminal investigation inside Pakistan as ultra vires to the constitution and the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The federation, through the interior secretary, and Punjab province, through the home secretary, have been made respondents. Orakzai requested the court to instruct the Interior Ministry to suspend all investigations by any foreign agency inside Pakistan. He said the federation should immediately submit all evidence collected by any foreign agency before the court until his petition had been disposed of. He said sharing information with foreign agencies was a breach of the Official Secrets Act.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
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HYDERABAD, Pakistan -- Thousands of mourners who filed past the grave of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in her ancestral village aired more than their fury with her assassins.
"We hate Pakistan," they chanted. "We don't want Pakistan."
Ms. Bhutto, chairman for life of Pakistan's largest party, headed the mightiest aristocratic dynasty here in Sindh, the second-largest of Pakistan's four provinces. In the wake of her Dec. 27 assassination, Sindh has been swept by nationalist rage. Many Sindhis, the province's majority ethnic group, have started calling for outright independence. Support for separatism has surged among rank-and-file members of Ms. Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party here. Sindhi nationalists outside the PPP have begun to speak of launching an armed insurgency.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: john frum ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
This is good news. Pakistan survives on Islam and Islam alone. That is why those who benefit from it try to radicalize the population. The more they think about "We are all Muslims" the les they think "We are Sindhs" or "We are Baloks" and the lmess they think "Where is the money going?". The more they think "We have to make Jihad against teh Hindus, the Merricans, the Joooooos" the less they think in battling for independence.
Split Pakistan and its former population will fall to its "natural levels" of militantism, who in some places can be quite high but never as high as the "enhanced level" brought by the people who have an interest in its existence.
And the good news is that so many people in Sindh are saying "No to Pakistan" and that implicitly means "Our national reality is more important than adavancing Islam".
U.S. and Iraqi military operations against terrorists have been so successful in the last year that the security forces have now been able to turn their attention to the many criminal gangs that have flourished in the midst of the terrorist and sectarian mayhem. The gangs are often part of terrorist organizations, which finance their violence with criminal scams. Smuggling, counterfeiting, kidnapping and extortion are favorites. The less religious gangs also deal in booze and prostitution. Many gangs provide support services for the terrorists. Everything from selling and smuggling weapons and bomb materials, to manufacturing suicide and roadside bombs, and even placing them. Some gangs will also kidnap or murder to order, although they will generally stay away from high profile targets (too much back blast.)
Over the last four years, U.S. intelligence efforts have collected information on thousands of misbehaving Iraqis. This database has been used mainly to identify and locate terrorists, but many common criminals were picked up and identified as well. But now the troops are running out of terrorists, and going after the gangsters. This is very popular with the average Iraqi, who has suffered more from the mobsters, than from the terrorists. But this crackdown on crime has created new opportunities to hurt the remaining terrorists groups. The criminals, when caught, or facing some serious damage to their organization, will try to negotiate. The gangsters do have something quite valuable to trade; information on what terrorists (they have worked with) are up to, or just how they operated (and with who.) No honor among thieves, especially now since most Iraqis see terrorism as a dead end and a lost cause.
Posted by: ed ||
01/09/2008 16:44 ||
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#2
This is wonderful news. Now that the various factions have agreed to play nice with us and the government of Iraq, the prisons should start to empty of "insurgents" and fill with criminals. Excellent news.
#3
When the French invaded Spain in 1808, they pretty much rolled up the Royal Army. Guerrilla forces would make Spain a bleeding ulcer in part due to the numerous bands of fighters who coalesced around noted bandits and smugglers. The transition from rogue and outlaw to leader was easy. Most of the skills and infrastructure to do one meld easily into the other. When faced by a real or potential guerrilla threat, it is always good practice to take out the criminal gangs that provide an point of exploitation by the enemy.
A comment after the article -- Maybe this article should be required reading for the Democratic politicians who still insist the Surge has failed.
The U.S. military's successes in Iraq last year were more than partly due to better intelligence, says an analysis posted on the Web by insurgents.
The Jihadi forum Montada.Yaqen posted what one expert called "an extensive analysis" of the security plan implemented in Iraq by U.S. and Iraqi forces as part of President Bush's "surge" policy adopted early last year.
According to an analysis for the Jamestown Foundation, a forum participant identified as a "correspondent" on the "Iraqi front" commenced his analysis by citing Sun Tzu.
"Iraq's Islamist insurgents believe that the U.S. military allocates a significant portion of its assets to the creation of hostile propaganda that spreads false information and exaggerates accounts of the successes of Coalition security campaigns," reads the analysis by the foundation's Abdul Bakier.
He says the correspondent identifies three phases to the U.S. plan: a "preliminary phase," which "started three to four months before the actual implementation of the plan," and focused on intelligence about the various insurgent networks, because a lack of it "was the major reason for U.S. failures in previous operations."
U.S. forces "succeeded in penetrating the secrecy shield of the Jihadis," writes Bakier, "allowing intelligence units to analyze Jihadi groups in different operational sectors and 'hot spots.'"
U.S. forces also exploited differences between the groups, Bakier adds: "The rivalry between various Jihadi factions compromised Jihadi security and secrecy, denying the resistance the element of surprise in their operations.
"The behavior and relations between the people of Iraq were examined and comprehensive intelligence situation reports were prepared, this phase concentrated on collecting intelligence on different jihadi factions."
The second phase identified in the self-described insurgent analysis prioritized what the author calls "defensive operations" -- "an all-out confrontation with various Jihadi detachments, characterized by sustained direct contact by U.S. forces and Iraqi police units."
This phase included "defining areas of confrontation with Jihadis, confining and isolating these areas, constructing camps and control points in these areas and setting up ambushes along routes" they frequented.
The final phase involved "interception" -- with U.S. and Iraqi forces launching search and seizure operations deep within Iraqi cities.
"Hundreds of Jihadis were detained in a matter of weeks and a significant number of arms caches were uncovered," states Bakier.
#2
This kind of self deception and lack of objectivity guarantees failure in the future. It is essential to those who wish to conduct unconventional operations that they have *somebody* who will point out the glaringly obvious, without getting their head cut off for it.
The Roman generals of old, with a victory wreath of laurel on their head, riding on a chariot in procession in Rome to greet the emperor, had a slave assigned to ride with them, whose job was to say, over and over again to the general "Thou are mortal."
#3
Apart from the fact that most people don't like their children kidnapped, murdered and then served on a bed of rice; the big problem was that the terrorists became sloppy and predictable.
Strategy page has had several articles about the Americans doing numeric analysis on terrorist incidents looking for patterns. Once the database got large enough, it became possible to predict where individual cells were going to strike next.
They can not admit publically that they are a bunch of sadistic monsters, but until they show some awareness of pattern recognition, they are as good as dead.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
01/09/2008 19:06 Comments ||
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#4
WAPO > SEE NO GOOD - WHY THE DEMOCRATS/CANDIDATES SEE NO PROGRESS IN IRAQ.
In a report that aired December 21, 2007, Al-Arabiya TV examined how life in U.S. prisons in Iraq is largely controlled by Al-Qaeda members. According to the report, "some of these prisons have turned into factories for converting innocent people into extremists." One former inmate stated, "When you enter prison, either you become one of them, or else they kill you."
Following are excerpts from testimonies by former inmates on conditions in the prisons.
"Some of These Prisons Have Turned into Factories for Converting Innocent People into Extremists"
Sheikh Abd Al-Jabbar Abu Risha: "The Camp Bucca prison has become a school for takfir supporters. When someone who is innocent enters the Bucca prison, he returns to us as one of the takfir supporters, as a result of his contact with them. There are several wards in that prison which oppose the takfir supporters, and the two groups are waging a war within the prison. When someone is released, he doesn't say: 'Thank God I am free.' He says: 'Thank God I am free of the takfir supporters there.'"
[...]
Narrator: "Most of the inmates know nothing about the extremist ideology. Since most of them were arrested for no good reason, Al-Qaeda has a good chance of recruiting them."
[...]
Reporter: "There are no clear figures regarding the number of detainees in Iraq. The official figures revolve around 20,000, while unofficial figures range from 70,000 to 100,000. From time to time, there are initiatives to release detainees, but the difficult security conditions are used to justify the policy of 'arrest now, and interrogate later.' Unfortunately, some of these prisons have turned into factories for converting innocent people into extremists. Lets watch the testimonies of some former detainees, who have agreed to share their prison experience with us."
"We Too Pray and Go to the Mosque - Yet In Their View, We Are Infidels"
Rahman Al-Kubeisi: "They took me from Abu Ghureib, where I was held for one month. Conditions in Abu Ghureib were a little better than [in Bucca]. In Abu Ghureib, I saw strange things too, like an Emir in charge of religious law and an Emir in charge of military matters, a prohibition on smoking, and many things like that. But when I was transferred to Bucca, I saw things I never saw before, and never will see again.
"The simplest example is that if you were sitting at the door of the caravan or tent, along with two or three people - because it was cold, and you were trying to catch some sun - someone would come and say to you: 'Get inside.' If you asked why, he would pull out some verse, or invent something, along the lines of: 'Do not sit next to the road.' If you did what he said - fine. If not, when the sun would set...They have yellow suits, which they call 'Suniat'... They zip up these suits, and they wear other clothes, which they use to cover their faces. They come over, cover you with a blanket, and beat you with a club or an iron rod.
"All this is done because of something trivial, like sitting outside, but if they see someone smoking a cigarette - they break his bones. For 32 days, I didn't take a shower. The reason was that when I arrived, I had only one set of clothes, and when you took a shower, you had to wear long clothes, down to the knees. That was the situation. In the prison showers, there were 20 shower-heads spraying water at you, so you had no choice but to take off your pajamas or your pants, but this would get you into trouble, and they would break your bones.
"There was a guy who was originally from Tikrit. He came from Al-'Auja, in the Salah Al-Din province. They attacked him for a trivial reason. After all, it is not that we are infidels and they are Muslims. No, we too pray and go to the mosque, yet in their view, we are infidels. Because this guy was from Al-'Auja, near Tikrit in the Salah Al-Din province, they fabricated some story about him, came in, covered him with a blanket, and broke his bones. In the prison, there are large pebbles on the ground. They filled a sock with pebbles, and used it to beat him, until they broke his skull, and he died." [...]
"When You Enter Prison, Either You Become One of Them, Or Else They Kill You"
Al-Kubeisi: "When you enter prison, either you become one of them, or else they kill you. Our Imam, who used to lead us in prayer and deliver sermons, was a teacher of Islamic studies. I knew him from Al-Ramadi. His name was Sheikh Adnan. People always tried to protect him - and I know what I am talking about, because I was detained in ward No. 2. People tried to protect him, because the takfir supporters had issued a death ruling against him. Why did they want to kill him? I was in prison at the time when the constitution was drafted. Anyone who did not want the constitution could vote against it. Nobody forced you to vote 'yes.' He said everyone should vote according to their convictions, and he refused to issue a fatwa against this. In Bucca, you need a fatwa even to drink water."
[...]
Al-Kubeisi: "A detainee from Al-Ramadi, from the Al-Sufiya region, went into the toilet. The toilets are small and made of plastic. They are the Kuwaiti kind, with the two steps that you need to climb. So he entered the toilet with his left foot... Sorry, with his right foot. They made a big fuss, and broke his legs. They said: 'How dare you step into the toilet with your right foot?' The Bucca prison is a safe haven for takfir supporters. The coalition forces do not intervene there, unless, for example, an entire ward is burned down - our ward was burned down - or in the case of a murder. Only then do they bring in the riot squad to take the body. Nobody dares to say who the killer was. Often, we wouldn't know ourselves, because they would cover their faces."
With Swords and Daggers, "They Would Chop Off Either the Hands or the Head"
Al-Kubeisi: "They have many capabilities. They have swords. At first, I would laugh when they told me that a sword fight took place in a certain ward. But then I saw with my own eyes - swords and knives. I don't know how they made or got hold of them, but these were real iron swords. Some say they make them from the air ducts in there. We had a cooling system with air ducts. Some say that they break pieces off, sharpen them, and make swords. You get swords like the real thing, and they use them to kill."
[...]
Former CampBucca Inmate: "One father used to smoke, but his son did not. Smoking was prohibited there, and they treated anyone who carried a cigarette pack as if he was carrying a bottle of 'arak. The son told his father to quit smoking, and the father said: 'How can you ask me to quit when I'm in such trouble? Smoking helps ease the psychological pressure a little.' The son insisted, an argument developed, and the son accused his father of heresy. What do they do to a heretic there? The son called the Emir, who said to [the father]: 'You committed heresy.' The father swore that he hadn't. The Emir ruled that he should be beaten 800 times with a shoe. The Emir was so despicable that he decided the punishment should be carried out by the man closest to him, and the son said he would do it. In front of about 250 people, he tied his father to the caravan, and beat him 83 times with a shoe. The father shouted: 'My son, this is not what our religion commands,' but he beat him 83 times until his entire body was red with blood."
[...]
Abu Nur: "When I just got to Bucca, the riot squad went in. They dug in the ground and took out swords - each sword half a meter or one meter long. Swords and daggers. They'd use them against former policemen or members of the Abu Risha tribe. In the beginning, [Al-Qaeda] was fighting the Abu Risha tribe. When I was there, I concealed my true identity. I didn't say I was from the Abu Risha tribe, because there was a war against us. At any moment, 12 to 16 masked men could enter the caravan. They would come late at night, while everyone was asleep. In each caravan, there were 26, 28, or 30 men. In each ward, there were 30 caravans. 12 to 16 men would come. Eight would guard the door, and the others would come in with swords and daggers. They would get hold of the guy and carry out punishment. They would chop off either the hands or the head. There was an officer from Tikrit. They hammered a tent peg into his head, killing him on the spot."
#1
Pretty similar to life in US prisons in the US - the stronger gang rules.
Sounds like a good opportunity for us though - secretly monitor who's doing the intimidating, and focus investigation efforts on them (and/or turn them over to an 'appropriate' Iraqi prison.)
#3
The notion of aborting the mission because one of the four generators failed is troubling; the word is redundancy and unless there were other (unreported) symptoms that indicated things were starting to go to hell, i have to question this. especailly since it was a combat-related mission.
GENEVA - The United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday it was seeking 261 million dollars (177 million euros) this year to help more than 4 million people uprooted by the conflict in Iraq. The appeal will cover 2.2 million internally displaced people as well as two million refugees in neighbouring countries, principally Syria and Jordan, UN High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman Ron Redmond told journalists.
The UNHCR also cares for some 41,000 foreign refugees in Iraq, including some 13,000 Palestinians whose situation is extremely precarious following threats and attacks by armed groups.
Guess who's going to get the lion's share of the money?
In 2008, the UNHCR will focus on getting assistance to 400,000 of the most vulnerable IDPs, but it stressed that rampant insecurity means delivering this help is very difficult
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
The UNHCR also cares for some 41,000 foreign refugees in Iraq, including some 13,000 Palestinians...
Repatriate them back to the West Bank or, even better, Gaza.
The Israeli and Palestinian leaders agreed Tuesday to begin tackling the core issues of a peace agreement in a push to revive stalled negotiations ahead of the arrival of President Bush. I guess they'll have to. Omelette doesn't have a moustache worth insulting.
The renewed peace talks, in what seems to be becoming a rite of passage for US presidents who are leaving office, formally launched at a conference in November in Annapolis, Md., are a centerpiece of Bush's agenda in his last year of office. But negotiations have made little headway, marred by Israeli construction plans in disputed territory and Palestinian militant attacks in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
"We think the visit is an opportunity to energize the momentum of the post Annapolis dialogue between us and the Palestinians," Israeli government spokesman Mark Regev said. But as we all know, the Paleos never fail to fail, so I doubt anyone in the Israeli government is too worried about things.
Also Tuesday, a pair of Lebanese rockets struck a northern Israeli town before dawn, the second strike from across the border since Israel's summer 2006 war with Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas. No one took responsibility for the attack. United Nations spokeswoman Michele Montas said U.N. officials had begun investigating the rocket fire, and she did not dispute the notion that the rockets may have been fired from an area where U.N. peacekeepers operate. The "peacekeepers" probably had a bet going with Hezballah on whether or not they'd hit a house.
At their meeting, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas pledged to have negotiators begin work immediately on the so-called final status issues. These issues include the final borders between Israel and a future Palestinian state, competing claims to the holy city of Jerusalem, the fate of millions of Palestinian refugees and Israeli security concerns.
Both Regev and Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said the two leaders authorized their chief negotiators "to conduct direct and ongoing negotiations on all the final status issues."
"The president (Abbas) urged that the year of 2008 be a year of peace," Erekat said. Then in 2009 the hudna will be over.
Both Israeli and Palestinian officials said their decision to begin work on the conflict's deepest issues was influenced by the Bush visit. Have they settled on the shape of the table yet? Or does that have to be flown in with W, too?
The Palestinians are furious about Israeli plans to build new housing in east Jerusalem and the West Bank areas captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war and claimed by the Palestinians for their future state. I wonder what they'd be "furious" about if it wasn't for the housing issue.
Israel, for its part, has demanded that Palestinian forces do more to rein in militants in the West Bank. Since Olmert and Abbas last met, two Israelis were killed in the West Bank, and Israeli security forces blame members of Abbas' Fatah movement.
"The Palestinians need to do everything they can to fight terror. Israel frankly needs to look at its road map obligations and to do nothing that would prejudge the final status agreement," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who will be accompanying Bush, told Israel's Channel 10 TV. Why aren't you telling the Syrins "Paleos" that, Condi?
The U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan requires Israel to freeze settlement construction and the Palestinians to crack down on militants. How about the Israelis get to build ten new houses for each missile launched into Israeli territory? That way the Paleos would have control of the Israeli behavior of what is making them so "furious"!
During Tuesday's meeting, the Palestinians called on Israel to halt settlement activity and urged Israel to stop carrying out military operations such as last week's raids on the West Bank city of Nablus, saying it damaged Abbas' credibility on the Palestinian street. I guess I don't understand what passes for credibility for the Paleos, and I also don't understand what credibility buys a Paleo leader.
Israel says it cannot relinquish security responsibilities to the Palestinians because they are not ready. Must . . not . . snark!
Further casting a shadow over peace efforts is the Hamas militant group's control of the Gaza Strip. Hamas seized the area last June after routing Abbas' forces. I'd call it chaos.
The group, which is committed to Israel's destruction, opposes the U.S.-led peace efforts. While talking peace with Abbas, Israel conducts military operations in Gaza almost every day to halt rocket-launching squads. Dozens of militants have been killed in recent weeks. Everyone misses them so.
On Wednesday, Israeli ground forces shot a missile toward Palestinian militants launching mortar shells from the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun, killing one and injuring six, Palestinian medics and the Islamic Jihad militant group said. I believe it. Got any video footage of that?
The Israeli army confirmed that troops fired a surface-to-surface missile from Israel toward the Gaza militants. The group had earlier fired four mortars toward southern Israel and other militants fired two rockets, the army said. No injuries were reported in Israel. No word yet from the Gazans involved.
In Gaza, Hamas said it would hold a rally against the Bush visit on Wednesday. Stores are preparing for a rush on rocks and jars of spittle.
"You killer of children, go. You are not welcome in the Holy Land," Hamas said in a leaflet. So we agree that killers of children should "go", right?
Israeli hardliners critical of Bush's peace efforts put up posters on a main Jerusalem road showing Bush, Olmert and Israeli President Shimon Peres wearing traditional Arab headdresses, under the title, "Accomplices to Terror." Police said they detained six people who put up the posters for questioning. Hmm. Seems g(r)om has been pretty quiet for a bit . . . .
Israeli police, meanwhile, were preparing for a major deployment for Bush's visit. In all, 10,500 police, including 9,000 brought in from other areas of the country, will be stationed across the city, police chief Micky Rosenfeld said.
Main streets across Jerusalem were to be closed at midnight, snarling traffic for the city's 750,000 residents. Next time hold this in the summer and you won't have to close all the streets. Just shoot the folks wearing overcoats.
The military said that as an added security precaution it was barring all entry to Israel by Palestinians, from midnight Tuesday until after Bush leaves Friday. Careful, they'll be furious.
In the West Bank town of Ramallah, Abbas' headquarters were painted inside and out, and a main courtyard was repaved. Ah! A new coat of paint always spruces up the cave!
The Palestinian Authority on Tuesday rejected the idea of deploying third party troops in the West Bank. A senior PA official said there was no need for the presence of foreign troops in the West Bank "because the Palestinian security forces are capable of assuming their responsibilities in the area."
The Jerusalem Post reported Tuesday that the US is preparing a plan to station third party troops in the West Bank to secure the area after an Israeli withdrawal and before the PA can take over full security control.
The issue of how to deal with the period between when Israel leaves large swaths of the West Bank and the PA is able to take control is likely to be discussed during talks US President George W. Bush will hold in Jerusalem and in the PA this week.
US Special Envoy for Middle East Security James Jones has been assigned the task of preparing a plan on this issue within six months. A number of options are being considered, including the involvement of NATO troops or Jordanian and Egyptian forces.
The PA official told the Post that he had not heard about the idea until now. He also expressed doubt that Bush would raise the issue during his talks with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and PA Prime Minister Salaam Fayad. "Before we talk about deploying foreign troops in the West Bank, we must talk about the need to halt construction in the settlements and remove the Israeli checkpoints," he added. "In any case, we are opposed to the presence of non-Palestinian security forces in the Palestinian territories."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
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(KUNA) -- Thousands of Palestinian security-men were deployed to Ramallah ahead of the forthcoming visit to this West Bank capital by the US President George Bush next Thursday, Palestinian security officials said.
Why doesn't that make the cockles of my heart feel any warmer?
A curfew-like state of strict security measures would most probably be imposed on the entire area, which houses the Palestinian Presidency headquarters, where Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas would meet the US President George Bush upon his first ever visit to the Palestinian territories, Col. Adnan Dhumairi of the Palestinian Police Public Relations Department told KUNA.
According to Dhumairi, a close coordination is being maintained between Palestinian and US security forces to ensure the safety of the US President. US Security forces have been taking precautionary measures in the area for over a week now, he noted.
President Bush is planned to begin a trip to the Middle East tomorrow to encourage Palestinians and Israelis reach a peace deal before his term in office expires by the end of this year.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
President Bush is planned to begin a trip to the Middle East tomorrow to encourage Palestinians and Israelis reach a peace deal before his term in office expires by the end of this year.
The European Union on Monday called on the Sri Lankan government to offer "substantive devolution" to Tamil rebels as fierce fighting, renewed since Colombo scrapped a ceasefire, claimed more victims.
Does that mean the EU's going to offer "substantial devolution" to the bomb tossers? How's that Basque homeland thing going?
Just about worked in Kosovo ...
The Slovenian EU presidency voiced deep regret at the Sri Lankan government's decision to end the truce with the rebel Tamil Tigers, saying the decision further exacerbates an already violent situation.
When both sides are shooting it out on a daily basis then the ceasefire's ceased, by definition.
"The EU calls upon the government of Sri Lanka to come forward with a substantive devolution offer around which negotiations can start, as soon as possible," the presidency said in a statement.
"You go first," sez Sri Lanka...
"For an arrangement to serve as a feasible basis for negotiations, it needs to go beyond past offers and the EU urges both parties to work towards a solution that would bring a peaceful and lasting resolution to the conflict."
Earlier Sri Lanka Monday took exception to a statement by Nordic nations, which voiced distress over the situation in the Indian ocean island, where the government abrogated an Oslo-arranged truce. The foreign ministers of Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland said in a joint statement last week that they were "Deeply Concerned about the worsening situation in Sri Lanka."
The remarks followed Colombo's decision to withdraw from a 2002 ceasefire on January 16. Quitting the truce sparked fears of further violence in a country where 6,000 people have been killed in fighting between rebels and government soldiers in the past two years.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
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Iran's Revolutionary Guards say the US navy fabricated evidence that a convoy of its ships was harassed by Iranian speedboats in Gulf waters on Sunday.
The US has released grainy footage, apparently showing small boats speeding near the American warships.
In an audio recording, an Iranian radio operator appears to say "I am coming at you; you will explode".
The Iranian parliamentary speaker has dismissed the affair as being part of a US propaganda campaign against Tehran.
"The footage released by the US Navy are file pictures and the audio has been fabricated," Iranian state-run TV quoted a Revolutionary Guards source as saying. "IHOP!"
The US Pentagon says the American ships were about to open fire when the Iranian boats withdrew.
US President George W Bush described the incident as "provocative", adding that it was a "dangerous situation" that should not have happened.
The video, said to be shot from the bridge of the USS Hopper in the Strait of Hormuz, appears to show the small boats racing near the wake of the US ships and crossing close to each other.
One boat is shown in close-up - a blue speedboat with at least two crew.
After spotting the approaching vessels, a Navy crewman can be heard over the radio, warning them they are approaching a coalition warship.
"Request you establish communications, identify yourself and state your intentions, over," he says.
He refers to "five unidentified small surface" boats, and the ships' sirens can be heard in the background.
The four-minute video condenses what US officials have described as a 20-minute stand-off.
At the end of the US recording, the screen goes black and the remainder is in audio only. Some of the communication is unclear.
The US issues a final warning that if the boats do not change course immediately they will be "subject to defensive measures".
The speedboats, believed to belong to Iran's Revolutionary Guards, came within about 200m (650ft) of the US vessels, Pentagon officials said.
The weekend stand-off happened in a major oil shipping route, in what the Pentagon insists were international waters.
Iranian officials earlier played down the event, calling it an "ordinary occurrence".
An Iranian foreign ministry spokesman said: "This... happens for the two sides every once in a while and, after the identification of the two sides, the issue is resolved."
#4
Anything Iranian that gets anywhere near launch distance should be prejudicially dispatched and then a press release saying we're glad we done it and can't wait to do it again.
Posted by: ed ||
01/09/2008 15:47 Comments ||
Top||
#5
I don't get it. Why do we even give these jerk-offs the opportunity to claim we faked the video?
I agree with DV or ed, dispatch the provocative ne'er-do-wells to Allah's paradise where they can have their 72 virigins and be done with it.
Don't deny or confirm it either, it'll mess with their heads more.
"We might have sunk them. Then again maybe we didn't. Who knows, really? I guess we'll never know."
The United Nations and Lebanon have made progress in establishing an international tribunal to prosecute those responsible for the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday. Ban said he will announce the names of judges for the tribunal once all preparations are completed, including the ratification by the Dutch parliament of an agreement to set up the tribunal at The Hague, where UN courts like the International Criminal Court are already functioning.
The tribunal's budget would cost up to 120 million dollars for a three-year period and already has received more than 30 million dollars in contributions from UN members.
Ban said "good progress" had been made in negotiations between the UN and Lebanon on setting up the tribunal, but voiced "deep disappointment" that Lebanese legislators have so far failed to resolve the deadlocked election of a president.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
120 million? Jeesh. We already know who is responsible. Just get a rope. I'm not sure it is a good idea to make tribunals for murderers and mass murderers such a profitable business.
#2
Well, you gotta have the limos, and the private planes,and the 5 star hotels, and the tofu, and the shrimp, and the silk bed sheets. Any more questions?
About time this went to trial, although I already know who dunnit.
Dr. Samir Geagea , leader of the "Lebanese Forces" described the Arab initiative as balanced clear, practical and direct and therefore nothing prevents the parliament members to head to the parliament this Saturday and elect the President of the Republic, He added : "Implementation of the first initiative, which calls for the immediate election of a new President of the Republic of Lebanon is the correct approach since it is the first step called for in the initiative even though there are other issues on the table
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
Iran on Tuesday rejected US charges that its naval forces threatened to blow up American ships in the Strait of Hormuz, amid renewed tensions ahead of US President George W Bushs visit to the region.
US defence officials said five speedboats from the naval forces of Irans Revolutionary Guards menaced three US warships in the strategic waterway on Sunday, radioing a threat to blow them up. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice described the incident as provocative and dangerous, amid fears such an isolated encounter could spark a major confrontation between the two foes.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
NEWSVINE COLUMNISTS > IRAN IS PROVOKING THE NEXT WAR IN THE MIDDLE EAST; + WAFF.com > NO ONE IS IN CHARGE OF IRAN.
#2
IRANIAN.WS > DIRE STRAITS + HOW IRAN ATTACKS AT SEA + US-IRAN TENSIONS ON THE RISE. see also PAYVAND > MAJILS LEADER:PERSIAN GULF CLASH/INCIDENT IS PART OF US PSYOPS.
#5
I have got to think that the Iranians were hoping to catch a smaller craft working with the larger vessels and capture it ala Brits. Good thing that didn't happen or San Fran Nan and Harry Reid would have been on the next plane to Qom to surrender.
#6
Next time they come out, sink them and air drop the bodies onto their presidential palace. Then deny sinking them and claim it was Allens' will that teleported the bodies there.
The leader of an Al-Qaeda-inspired militia warned that a deadly 15-week battle that it fought with Lebanese troops at a refugee camp in northern Lebanon last year was only the beginning. "Our message to the crusaders is to expect the worst. This battle was only the beginning and we will prevail," said the audio message attributed to Fatah al-Islam's Palestinian chief Shaker al-Abssi. The message also said that the group aimed to "hoist the banner of Islam in the Levant," singling out Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and Jordan.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/09/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Fatah al-Islam
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
(AKI) - The al-Qaeda international terror network has established a permanent presence in Africa that cannot be overlooked, the African Union (AU)'s peace and security commissioner SaidDjinnit told Algerian daily El Khabar. "Al-Qaeda now has a stable presence in Africa. This problem needs to be tackled. It is ingenuous and wrong to ignore it," said Djinnit. "The first time al-Qaeda struck Africa was in Kenya and Tanzania ten years ago," he said.
The Italian interior ministry issued expulsion orders for an imam of a mosque in Turin in northern Italy on public order and security grounds, the online version of the Italian daily Corriere della Sera reported on Wednesday. 
By Zeeshan Haider
President Pervez Musharraf said on Tuesday that Pakistan was committed to unearthing the evidence, finding the truth, and bringing those responsible for the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto to justice.
The army may soon be deployed in sensitive districts of the NWFP to help maintain law and order during Muharram, Daily Times learnt on Tuesday.
A constitutional petition challenging a foreign agencys involvement in a probe into the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto was filed in the Supreme Court on Tuesday.
In a report that aired December 21, 2007, Al-Arabiya TV examined how life in U.S. prisons in Iraq is largely controlled by Al-Qaeda members. According to the report, "some of these prisons have turned into factories for converting innocent people into extremists." One former inmate stated, "When you enter prison, either you become one of them, or else they kill you." 
GENEVA - The United Nations refugee agency said on Tuesday it was seeking 261 million dollars (177 million euros) this year to help more than 4 million people uprooted by the conflict in Iraq. The appeal will cover 2.2 million internally displaced people as well as two million refugees in neighbouring countries, principally Syria and Jordan, UN High Commissioner for Refugees spokesman Ron Redmond told journalists.
(KUNA) -- Thousands of Palestinian security-men were deployed to Ramallah ahead of the forthcoming visit to this West Bank capital by the US President George Bush next Thursday, Palestinian security officials said.
Iran's Revolutionary Guards say the US navy fabricated evidence that a convoy of its ships was harassed by Iranian speedboats in Gulf waters on Sunday. 
The leader of an Al-Qaeda-inspired militia warned that a deadly 15-week battle that it fought with Lebanese troops at a refugee camp in northern Lebanon last year was only the beginning. "Our message to the crusaders is to expect the worst. This battle was only the beginning and we will prevail," said the audio message attributed to Fatah al-Islam's Palestinian chief Shaker al-Abssi. The message also said that the group aimed to "hoist the banner of Islam in the Levant," singling out Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian territories and Jordan.
