A police crackdown meant to quell militants in China's rugged frontier of Xinjiang has failed to prevent a surge of attacks, and analysts say Beijing's tactics may actually be encouraging more violence among the region's usually moderate Muslims. Sounds like another iteration of the "anything you do just makes them stronger" argument.
How China deals with Xinjiang is a concern for the rest of the world. The vast area of deserts and mountains borders Pakistan, Afghanistan and several Central Asian republics and is home to a sizable Muslim population that could be a valuable ally in the global struggle against Islamic extremism.
The latest wave of attacks on security forces -- the worst in a decade -- began last week, just days before the Olympics' opening ceremony on the opposite end of the country, some 1,740 miles to the east. It's kinda obvious that they're designed to embarrass the Chinese govt when it's standing on the world stage.
No group has claimed responsibility for the deadly bombings and stabbings, but police have blamed terrorists among the Uighurs -- a Muslim ethnic minority of about 8 million people who have long chafed under Chinese rule. Uighurs and Kazaks established an independent state called the East Turkestan Republic in western Xinjiang in 1944-49, but the territory was retaken by China after the Communist Revolution.
Chinese officials insist relations between the Uighurs (pronounced WEE-goors) and Chinese are harmonious and that the violence is being carried out by radical fringe elements. "The majority of people living in Xinjiang support national unification and are opposed to terrorism, extremists and separatists," Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters in Beijing earlier this week.
But Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, believes the violence is a sign the latest "Strike Hard" campaign is driving more Uighurs toward militant Islam. Human rights groups say what began as a campaign against organized crime, drugs and pornography has become a cover to crack down on Uighurs. "There is extremist propaganda that is radicalizing a segment of the population, but government action itself has hastened the pace of radicalization," said Gunaratna, head of the university's International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research.
Gunaratna said China should take a softer approach with the Uighurs and worry more about Pakistan-based militant groups, whose members slip across the border to train and recruit Uighurs.
The Uighurs have practiced Sunni Islam or the mystical Sufi tradition, but many live a moderate lifestyle, which includes drinking alcohol and allowing women to work. Men often wear skull caps, while colorful head scarves are popular with women, though it's common to see young Uighur women strutting around in designer jeans and high heels.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I just knew it was the AP making these flawed conclusions. The attacks aren't a result of the crackdown, they're happening because the Olympics are going on. Without the crackdowns, there'd be attacks in the populated areas of China, not just the boondocks of Xinjiang.
"Analysts say" - they quote one guy. Nice slanting there, AP.
#3
True, but you also don't need to be Moslem to be angry at a tyrannical Communist government.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
08/15/2008 8:22 Comments ||
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#4
Hey, welcome to the sh*thouse, we saved you a seat.
I'm glad to see that the apologists don't just pillory us when it comes to their beloved "freedom fighters". Damned if you do, dead if you don't.
A lawyer for Dr Aafia Siddiqui accused the US government on Wednesday of setting up her client by planting evidence on her.
"Yeah! It wuz a setup!"
The lawyer, Elizabeth Fink, also accused the US government of trying to poison the court process by leaking information about her client. Siddiqui was arrested on July 17 with papers describing US landmarks, with bottles and jars of chemicals and with papers telling how to make chemical weapons, said an FBI affidavit filed in federal court in New York. "Of course they found all this stuff on her. It was planted on her," Fink said. "She is the ultimate victim of the American dark side."
This article starring:
Aafia Siddiqui
al-Qaeda
Elizabeth Fink
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2008 00:00 ||
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New Delhi: India on Thursday rebuffed the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) for its comments on the violence in Jammu and Kashmir and asked it not to meddle in the country's internal affairs.
"We note with regret the statement made by the OIC Secretary- General on the situation in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna told reporters here. "The OIC has once again chosen to comment upon Jammu and Kashmir and India's internal affairs on which it has no locus standi. We reject such comments," he said.
The OIC, an international organisation that brings together 57 states, professes to speak for the interests of Muslims in the world.
OIC Secretary-General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu on Thursday strongly condemned "the ongoing excessive and unwarranted use of force against the Kashmiri people". It also urged the Indian government to end the violence in the interest of sustaining the India-Pakistan peace process, central to which is a peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute.
He called for steps on the part of international humanitarian and human rights organisations, including the UN Human Rights Council, to address the situation in a manner that would prevent human rights violations in the Indian Kashmir.
The OIC's comments come close on the heels of Pakistan's assertion that it will approach the UN and other global bodies on the Kashmir issue.
The critical comments of the OIC on alleged human rights violations in Jammu and Kashmir, in the course of the nearly two-month-old agitation sparked by a row over the transfer of land to a Hindu shrine, echoes that of Pakistan.
In the past, the OIC had routinely pressed for a resolution of the Kashmir issue and called for asserting the aspirations of the people of Kashmir - which were invariably rejected with equal vehemence by India.
India has strongly rebuffed Pakistan's attempt to internationalise the Kashmir issue by approaching the UN and other international bodies like the OIC.
India also strongly reacted to Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf's remarks on the violence in Jammu and Kashmir and warned Islamabad not to interfere in its internal affairs. New Delhi warned Islamabad to desist from such a course of action that is "gratuitous and illegal" and has the potential to harm the peace process between the two countries.
"To call for international involvement in the sovereign internal affairs of India is gratuitous, illegal and only reflects reversion to a mindset that has led to no good consequences for Pakistan in the past," external affairs ministry spokesperson Navtej Sarna said in a statement.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/15/2008 14:22 ||
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India should internationalize the dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir as soon as Pakistan internationalizes the dispute in the FATA.
NEW DELHI: Charging PM Manmohan Singh with lacking "seriousness" in tackling the Amarnath land-for-pilgrims issue, Leader of Opposition L K Advani has said that protests organised by Valley separatists could not be equated with "nationalist" sentiments prevailing in Jammu.
The BJP leader has written to the PM pointing out his "deep disappointment" with regard to transfer of land to the Amarnath shrine board and that in the face of violence in Jammu & Kashmir, the government seemed "completely out of its depth" in dealing with the issue.
Advani has said that the people of Jammu have suffered "gross discrimination" in several matters like an incorrect census, deferment of delimitation, disbursal of funds and development of the region. Pointing what he felt was a clear bias, he said that Jammu was told that giving it a fair deal with hurt the Valley's psyche.
Posting the current troubles in the state as essentially "nationalists versus separatists", Advani has argued that there can be no equivalence in the situations prevailing in Jammu and Kashmir. "The problem today in J&K is not Hindu versus Muslim nor even Jammu versus Kashmir," he has written, pitching the BJP's position that going back on the land allocation was equal to "appeasing" separatists led by Hurriyat and PDP.
Making a case for the demands of the Amarnath Sangharsh Samiti being met substantively, Advani said that the J&K shri Amarnathji shrine Act which defines the duties of the board be adhered to. "It is the duty of the board to provide facilities for performance of worship by pilgrims, to undertake construction of buildings for accommodation of pilgrims, to provide sanitation facilities...It is the duty of the state to enable the board to become effective in order to discharge its duties in an effective manner," the letter states.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/15/2008 14:13 ||
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Members of Nepal's parliament have overwhelmingly elected the Maoist leader Prachanda as the country's new prime minister for life. The 53-year-old won 80% of votes to defeat his only rival, the Congress Party candidate, Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Maoists won a surprise victory in April elections, and two other key parties supported Prachanda in the vote.
What was surprising about it?
Last month, Nepal swore in a mainly ceremonial president, Ram Baran Yadav, after the monarchy was scrapped in May.
It is only two years since Prachanda emerged from more than two decades underground as a militant communist leader. "I am very happy and very emotional," he said as he left the constituent assembly after the vote, reported AFP news agency.
What the Maoists called their "people's war" had left 13,000 people dead, tens of thousands displaced and much of the country's infrastructure destroyed.
The BBC's Charles Haviland in Kathmandu says that now the former guerrilla will be the most powerful politician in the Himalayan country, after 464 lawmakers gave him their vote and only 113 rejected him.
The Maoists' deputy leader, Baburam Bhattarai, said: "Today is a day of pride and it will be written with golden letters in the history of the nation." He predicted earlier that Prachanda would be a leader "for a new era", comparable to Lenin or Napoleon.
Boy howdy there's a historical comparison you want to make ...
Friday's ballot ends months of political deadlock that had followed the sacking of the unpopular King Gyanendra and the abolition of the 240-year-old monarchy.
Our correspondent says that Prachanda's elevation had long seemed inevitable after his party scored its convincing win in April. Prachanda was almost guaranteed victory because he had the support of three parties - his own, the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist) and the MJF (Madheshi Janadhikar Forum).
The Maoists' Congress Party rivals accused them before the vote of plotting to set up a totalitarian communist regime, a suggestion they strongly denied.
"No, no, certainly not! It will be .. something else. For now."
Posted by: john frum ||
08/15/2008 13:59 ||
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He predicted earlier that Prachanda would be a leader "for a new era", comparable to Lenin or Napoleon.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Friday rejected reports that he would step down before the launch of impeachment proceedings against him, saying he was prepared to face the motion in parliament in a "democratic spirit". Sounds like the deal fell through. My guess would be that Nawaz screwed it bad enough to make his army buddies swing around behind him.
During a meeting with his allies in the opposition PML-Q, Musharraf made it clear that he would not quit as he had been constitutionally elected with a heavy mandate. Last poll said 74 percent of GEO viewers wanted him to stay on. Most madrassah rats want him to leave.
He also said there was "no reason for him to step down". He's ignoring what happened to the Bhuttos, father and daughter.
The statement came amid reports that Pakistan's ruling coalition is considering the possibility of giving the former military ruler "safe passage" if he resigns. Zardari's probably in favor, figuring he can have Perv bumped off at liesure if he gets out of line. Nawaz isn't that bright, and he took being bounced in the first place personally, and then not being allowed back in the country at the same time and under the same conditions as Benazir even more personally.
PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and his cousin Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi, leader of opposition in the National Assembly, met Musharraf in his camp office in Rawalpindi to discuss the prevailing political situation, particularly the move to impeach the President. I'd suggest an unfortunate accident for Nawaz. Not only is he the sticking point in the negotiations -- and to a large extent the driver behind impeachment -- but he's nastier even than Mr. Ten Percent. Most of the time he's openly on the jihadis' side.
Hussain and Elahi were quoted by TV channels as saying that Musharraf had told them he would not resign. "No way, man! I like it where I'm at!"
Musharraf also said that if an impeachment motion is moved against him in the parliament, he will face it in a "democratic spirit and in accordance with the constitution". "Unless it looks like I'm actually gonna lose, in which case it's time for a state of emergency."
The beleaguered President also made it clear that he had no intention of using his powers to dissolve parliament. "That's clumsy. Why dissolve all of parliament when a single heart attack or an unfortunate fire can turn the tables?"
The former military ruler also lashed out at ex-premier and PML-N chief Uncle Fester Nawaz Sharif, saying he was "bent on destabilising the system, democracy and the country" and also told Hussain and Elahi that Sharif's "intentions will fail". Perv doesn't like Nawaz any more than Nawaz likes him.
Speaking in Lahore on Thursday, Sharif, who was deposed as premier by Musharraf in a bloodless military coup in 1999, had said the President should not be given a safe exit if he resigned. "Aaaar! Stretch the bastid's neck! In the name of democracy, of course..."
The PML-Q leaders briefed Musharraf on the current situation and assured him of their party's full support in countering any impeachment motion in parliament. And if you can't trust a Pak politician's promise, whose promise can you trust?
This article starring:
Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi
Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain
Posted by: john frum ||
08/15/2008 07:55 ||
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#1
So they wouldn't give in on the pony, now he's gonna make a big hairy deal out of it.
#2
"I'll stand my ground,
and I won't step down..."
Posted by: Tom Petty ||
08/15/2008 9:28 Comments ||
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#3
afaict, zardari wants to let him run away, so they can turn to other things. Nawaz wants to play a game against Zardari, and is taking advantage of Pervs unpopularity (what is geo, and was this all Geo watchers, or just those who responded to a request to call in?)
NWFP Chief Minister Amir Haidar Hoti has said that operation in Bajaur Agency was launched to target foreign militants. Talking to journalists after the flag-hoisting ceremony in connection with the Independent Day here on Thursday, the chief minister said it was wrong to say that the operation was launched against own people. Foreign militants, including Uzbeks, Chechens and Arabs were hiding in Bajaur and the operation was launched to target them, said Hoti in response to a query. Earlier, addressing the flag-hoisting ceremony, the chief minister said the rulers did not realise the danger in Waziristan and the flames of fire had now reached from the tribal region to the settled areas of NWFP. He said the ANP-led government in NWFP wanted to resolve all disputes through dialogue. However, their talks offer must not be considered as their weakness, he said. Unfortunately, some elements consider the government's negotiation offers as its weakness, which is wrong, said the chief minister. Hoti said he and his government would stand like a rock in front of those who wanted to impose their agenda on the people with the use of force.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2008 00:00 ||
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People from more than 75 villages of Mohmand Agency have started to leave their homes, as a military operation is on cards in the strategic tribal agency to clear the area of Taliban militants, officials said on Thursday.
Thousands of men, women, children and elderly people were leaving their houses to take refuge with their relatives in the suburban areas of Peshawar or inside the city, Daily Times learnt from those leaving their homes.
The villages of Rahim Kor, Banglo, Dab Kor, Karerai, Aisho Kor, Zarif Kor, Sheen Derai and Badio were deserted after residents left. Taliban militants carrying Kalashnikov rifles and rocket-propelled grenades were patrolling different areas of Mohmand with impunity, eyewitnesses claimed.
Deployment: Army contingents were also moving from Peshawar towards the Warsak Dam and Shin Saro areas while convoys with artillery were seen moving towards the agency where Taliban had blown up a school in Shin Derai on Wednesday night.
Security officials told Daily Times that an operation was likely to be launched in the next three days. The officials said the forces were deployed near the strategic Warsak Dam, which is located on the Peshawar-Mohmand border.
According to locals, people had been fleeing the villages of the lower Mohmand Agency for three days. Ali Abbas, a store owner, told Daily Times that 75 percent people had vacated their houses and more were shifting from the area.
Abbas said many families, whose male relatives are abroad, were facing problems. With no male guardian and no relatives in Peshawar, the families could neither stay nor leave their houses.
Many women with children were seen crossing the makeshift Michani Bridge on Kabul River to move into Peshawar. The bridge had collapsed three years ago.
Mohmand Agency is located some 23 kilometres from Peshawar. Besides Peshawar, the agency borders Charsadda district at Shabqadar, Bajaur and Khyber agencies and the Nangarhar province of Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Armed groups in Balochistan are fighting for its freedom and not for provincial autonomy, Baloch separatist leader Bramdagh Bugti has said in an exclusive interview with Daily Times.
And I, for one, am all in favor of shipping them all the arms and ammunition their little hands can hold...
He said he did not want to negotiate with the government in Islamabad because it could not control the army.
There's a true statement ...
The Baloch were an oppressed nation, he said, and would welcome "all types of external support from India and rest of the world".
He said the weapons being given to Pakistan to fight terrorists and the Taliban were being used against the Baloch. He invited international media and human rights organisations to witness what he called violations of the human rights by the army in Balochistan.
That's where your F-16 strikes went, Fred ...
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Are they not more or less on their own anyway? They have to travel 100 miles just to find something to blow up.
#2
Balochistan also straddles across the Iranian border where the Balochi's are already in conflict. The question is will they be trouble to the rest of us when/if they get independence or are they the types that are unhappy if anyone in the world is smiling.
#3
The late Nawab Bugti said that he had no time for jihad: "Of what use is a god that requires me to fight his battles?".
I suspect the Balochis would run the place far better then the Paks.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/15/2008 11:55 Comments ||
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#4
am I gonna get slammed for saying thats one arrow we should keep in the quiver for a while? Lets give the new Paki govt a chance to show if they can do at least as well as Perv in fighting jihadis. Backing the breakup of Pakistan means basically conceding Punjab (if not also Sind) to the enemies of the US. We should certainly be ready to move if we need to(including liasing with elements in RAW who are undoubtedly in contact with the Baluchis), as baluchistan at least provides an alternate air route to Afghanistan (but not necessarily an ideal land route, AFAIK). But frankly, in the conditions where we would need it, Id think wed have higher priorities than Afghanistan anyway.
#6
I agree LiberalHawk. I think that is one reason we haven't exploited the iranian side of the Balochistan issue, because that would torque Pakistan while they are still an ally. An imperfect one but still an ally.
A jirga in Dir district decided to bar either the army or Taliban from entering the district and said the locals could defend the area themselves, Geo News reported on Thursday.
"Yeah! A pox on bot' deir houses! Come sniffin' aroun' here, youse'll get somma dis!"
According to the channel, the jirga also decided to form a lashkar comprising locals to maintain peace in the area. It decided that the army and Taliban militants would not be allowed to control the area and establish checkposts in Dir. The jirga sent a delegation to the Taliban who refused to leave the area, it added.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2008 00:00 ||
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House prices have doubled in a matter of months. Restaurants are opening alongside the waterside corniche. Oil-rich Kuwaitis are beginning to move in, and trade at the port is booming.
Welcome to Basra.
This is the remarkably rosy picture of life in Iraq's second city outlined by a senior British military figure today.
Major General Barney White-Spunner, just returned from commanding British forces in southern Iraq, claims Basra has been transformed. Less than a year ago, British soldiers were being attacked day and night. A week ago, White-Spunner says, he was having supper in a restaurant on Basra's corniche by the Shatt al-Arab waterway.
"Property prices have more than doubled since March. One house is going for ÂŁ90,000, a threefold increase," he says, referring to the now desirable stretch of the city's riverbank walkway. He talks of the "return of the diaspora", with Christians and Sunnis coming back to their Shia-dominated city. Soldiers from the new Iraqi national army had recently built a number of Sunni mosques. And it is not only Basrawis buying property - Kuwaitis and others are helping to push up prices.
"The UK is getting close to what we set out to achieve," White-Spunner says, referring to British forces training the Iraqi army's local 14th division and to the Iraqi navy which he describes as "doing a fantastic job".
Basra's port of Umm Qasr is "booming", he says. A total of 30 civilian flights a week now come in to Basra's international airport and 20 major international oil companies are planning to invest in the region.
The optimistic message is reflected in plans now being drawn up in the Ministry of Defence to cut the number of British troops in Basra from 4,000 to just a few hundred in the first half of next year.
The reason, British military officials say, is greater security. Security is now the main concern for just 7% of Basrawis, according to a recent poll conducted for the MoD. White-Spunner points to a recent statement by the radical shia cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, that his Mahdi army militia was no longer a military organisation.
"There is a view the militia is going to come back. It's not going to happen. We are not going to see parts of Basra going back to militia control," the British general says.
Attacks are still likely by special groups - a euphemism for Shia militia rebels - and by extremists and criminal gangs, he adds. But Iraqi security forces say there are no more than 1,500 of them and that they can cope with them without the help of foreign forces.
White-Spunner is also sanguine about Iran. Some elements there, he says referring to the Revolutionary Guards, are still smuggling weapons over the border to the "special groups", a practice he describes as despicable.
However, he adds: "In the long term, Iran wants a stable democracy in Iraq - a stable neighbour with a Shia majority. In the short term, it is totally legitimate that there is Iranian influence in southern Iraq, culturally and religious."
The message he wants to convey is that by next year, the Iraqi army and security forces will be able to maintain law and order in Basra and greater security will lead to economic development. Britain will maintain a military presence there after next year but it will be a group of a few hundred simply training Iraqi forces in such skills as command and control, and intelligence gathering.
It is an optimistic reading of life in Basra, but local Iraqis tell a different story. "The assassinations are back, especially in the last two weeks, just like before," journalist Abu Hend told the Guardian yesterday.
"Two men on a motorbike have been shooting people and five barbers have been killed in the last week alone. The militiamen and some of the commanders of the Mahdi army are still there. They don't carry weapons in public but they are still there. A few months ago if you wanted to import anything through the port you had to bribe the Mahdi army officials who controlled the port. Now the Iraqi army and the government are in control so you only bribe one official now. There is no work apart from collecting garbage. It doesn't matter if you are an engineer or a college graduate. And you have to bribe someone in the municipality to get work as a street sweeper."
For high school teacher Abu Mustafa, the main difference now is that Iraqi soldiers fill the streets instead of armed militiamen.
"The Mahdi army doesn't exist publicly but the killers and assassins are still there and people are still getting killed - though less than before. The militiamen are wearing government uniforms.
"The army raids remind us of what the Ba'athists and Saddam's mukhabarat [secret police] used to do. We thought that after Saddam we would be living in a new Iraq but the same system is back. For example, now the directorate of education is controlled by a new militia they've started replacing headteachers with their own men."
But for labourer Ali Khadem the situation has improved since the Iraqi army entered Basra. "There is less kidnapping and killing but the militiamen are still there though they are not armed in the streets. There are so many of them they can't arrest them. If they did they'd have to arrest half of Basra. If you are a state employee then life is good, but if you don't have a fixed salary then things are very hard."
Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC ||
08/15/2008 12:05 ||
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BAGHDAD - Six sailors working as prison camp guards in Iraq face courts martial for abusing detainees, some of whom were sealed in a cell with pepper spray, the U.S. Navy said on Thursday. Seven other sailors were given non-judicial punishments over the incident, which took place on May 14 at Camp Bucca, the vast desert camp in southern Iraq where the U.S. military houses 18,000 of its 21,000 prisoners.
"Two detainees suffered minor abrasions as a result of the alleged assaults, eight others were confined overnight in a detainee housing unit which was sprayed with riot control agent and then the ventilation secured," the Navy said in a statement.
Navy Fifth Fleet spokeswoman Commander Jane Campbell said the riot control agent was pepper spray. None of the victims required medical attention apart from the two who were beaten, she said. "The day that this all took place there had actually been some unrest at the camp. There had been some detainee-on-guard issues, which ranged from spitting to throwing bodily functions at some guards," she said.
The six facing courts martial have remained with their unit at the prison camp but were removed from duty: "They are no longer doing the mission of guards," Campbell said. The courts martial will begin at Camp Bucca within the next 30 days.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/15/2008 00:00 ||
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Yawn.
"There had been some detainee-on-guard issues, which ranged from spitting to throwing bodily functions at some guards,"
#3
As far as I know (I'm no historian), in every world culture over the past 7,000 years of recorded humanity, a prisoner who spits on a prison guard gets pummeled. Just one of those informal rules of human behavior and conduct ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/15/2008 9:45 Comments ||
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#4
Steve, in the good old days, prisoners were routinely beaten, chained, tortured, hung, starved, crushed, and all kinds of mean nasty things.
Only today (and only for Americans) are guards charged because they responded to harassment like this.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
08/15/2008 12:20 Comments ||
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CNN's Paula Hancocks visits the training facilities and rocket factories of The Popular Resistance Committees. It starts with a phone call at 8:30 p.m. as we are sitting down to dinner in Gaza City. They probably have her on speed dial...
The PRC tells us to be at a certain place in half an hour; they are training. No further details. After a phone call to our Jerusalem bureau chief to weigh up the risks, we all decide it is rare enough an opportunity not to be missed. We grab our equipment and jump into the armored car.
Revered as freedom fighters by many here, reviled as terrorists in the West, the PRC, just one of the many Gaza based militant groups, has been involved in countless rocket attacks on Israel and the kidnapping of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit two years ago. Now, in a rare public relations display intended to be viewed by Israel and the rest of the world, the PRC will show off its training techniques and a rocket factory to journalists. And CNN is happy to do their part...
The "training ground" is basic: a dead-end road for marching drills, a wall with tires stacked up against it for target practice. Burning tires surround the area, giving off putrid thick black smoke so nightly training is invisible to Israeli eyes in the sky. Suuuuure it is... "Say, Moshe! Lookitdat smoke!"
"Hmmm... Burning tires. Looks like PRC is training again."
The gunmen say they are training for what they see as an imminent Israeli incursion into Gaza. "Yeah! They're comin' to get us!"
"For what?"
"Nuttin'! We wudn't doin' nuttin'!"
As a Western female journalist working in Gaza, I rarely have to wear a head scarf, but here I am told to cover my head. The militants bravely cover their faces. Cover your head...INFIDEL WENCH! They wear those face masks because they help them see better when they aim those guns they're always lugging around.
One masked man brings me a chair and a heavily sugared tea so I can watch target and hostage-taking practice in comfort. It is horribly surreal. Didn't volunteer to be the hostage? Whadda professional...
One fighter tells me he will never let his son fire a gun. He says he fights only to make a better future for his family. But he's wearing a balaclava, with a rocket-propelled grenade over his shoulder and vowing to destroy any Israeli who enters Gaza. I struggle to marry the two. "Struggle". Uh-huh...
The next morning, another phone call. The same group wants to show us and other news organizations a rocket factory. Precautions this time are more stringent. We drive just outside Gaza City and are transferred into the back of an unmarked van; we are blindfolded, and our phones are taken away. You know this is standard procedure to protect the location of the factory, but allowing yourself to be blindfolded by a masked gunman in Gaza feels incredibly unnatural. It's hard to stop the worst-case scenario playing out in your head. Nah. They don't hurt their friends.
My arrival at the location caused some surprise, a woman in a rocket factory is hardly the norm. I am closely watched and discussed. I have covered my head and dressed conservatively, but it's not enough. I am given a jilbab, a long loose-fitting coat, to cover my whole body before I am allowed to enter the "factory." Once the novelty wears off, I am completely ignored. But they'll be thinking about you later. When it's dark and they're alone... They'll be busy under the covers then...
The "factory" is anything but; it's a tiny room with rockets lining the walls and masked men trying to light a fire from a gas canister to heat the explosives. Gas canister="Fire"
Fire+Explosives="Cause"
Cause+Inshallah="Effect."
First, the lighter doesn't work, "Stupid infidel lighter!" [flick! flick!]
then there's a gas leak and the room becomes filled with suffocating gas. [Gag!]... [Retch!]... [Barf!]
You hear of unexplained explosions in Gaza from time to time, euphemistically called "workplace accidents." That thought is enough to make us squeeze out of the room and wonder whether we've gotten just a little too close to the story. Would've been a nice time for one.
In a more ventilated area, the preparations begin. I'm struck by the relaxed manner with which these men handle deadly ingredients and warheads. Until they explode...
One slip, and the story would be very different, And it occasionally is...
and we probably wouldn't be around to tell it. ...and wouldn't that be a shame.
As I watch the rockets being made by men who have clearly done this many times before, I glance at the row of rockets made earlier lining the walls. I wonder which will be fired first and whether there will be civilian casualties. I wonder if that bothers her? Anybody care to venture a guess?
Hamas, which controls Gaza and the militant factions there, including the PRC, are two months into a truce with Israel -- not that you'd know it here. They even unveil a longer-range rocket, which could reach some of Israel's larger cities. We're told it is a drop in the ocean of Palestinian surprises should Israel return to Gaza. I'm sure Israel has some surprises for them too. And, unlike them, the Israelis know how to shoot. But they're not as good at making faces, and who's scared of troops that don't wear face masks?
There's no doubt the PRC wants Israel to see these pictures. Rocket makers are positioned to give the camera the best angle; the production of deadly weapons is highly choreographed. It's a militant's PR event, an event the Israeli prime minister's spokesman tells us could force an Israeli response if the truce is just a front for militants to rearm and regroup. If?
#2
Burning tires surround the area, giving off putrid thick black smoke so nightly training is invisible to Israeli eyes in the sky.
Hint for the Israelis -- drop the bombs in the middle of the burning tires that stand out so beautifully in IR.
God, I don't know who's dumber -- jihadis or newsies.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
08/15/2008 10:04 Comments ||
Top||
#3
Oh, look. The Israeli's watch CNN...
The Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) in the Gaza Strip have announced that they are in possession of "Nasser-4" rockets that have a range of 25 kilometers and pose a threat to Ashdod. Senior activists in the organization claimed that the rocket was far more lethal than the current "Nasser-3" model.
The group said that it would launch the new rockets at Israel if the latter attempted to reoccupy Gaza. "We have been under siege for the last two years," Ibrahim Dahman, a senior PRC activist told CNN. "The only thing left is for them to invade and kill us."
The unveiling of the new rockets is a "clear violation" of the truce with Israel, Prime Minister's Office spokesman Mark Regev told CNN. "The cease-fire that was negotiated through Egypt was very specific that the Hamas movement and the other terrorist groups can't use it as a period to import more weapons, more explosives, more rockets into the Gaza Strip," Regev added.
He said that Israel reserves "the right to act, if need be, to protect ourselves. We don't want this current quiet just to be the quiet before the storm."
#12
I think it's about time the US approved specific aid to Israel - I.E., a couple of ARCLIGHT strikes down through the center of Gaza. There are no "civilians" there - there are only card-carrying accessories to terror. Wipe out the entire da$$$$ place, including the goats and camels.
I have had six years of stupidity by muzlimbs shoved in my face, and I'm getting pretty da$$$$ sick and tired of it. I think it's time to take the gloves off, and do some SERIOUS a$$-kicking. Let these unwashed idiots learn what REAL war with a super-power can be, instead of playing these tit-for-tat childish games. It might even give Vlad a good idea as to why he needs to leave other nations alone, even former Russian conquests. It certainly would give Hoogo and Evo a few things to think about, and India an example to follow.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/15/2008 18:09 Comments ||
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#13
CNN this AM > seems the PRC is refusing to cooper wid the PA + HAMAS in turning over their new ISRAELI-discovered improved improvised rocket systems [16-18 km range] wid larger warhead].hich Israel claims is a de facto violation of the terms of their ceasefire wid Palest. Militant Groups.
"On the eve of Tisha B'Av the serious question is raised whether we should take the opportunity and ascend to the Temple Mount as it stands empty, inviting us to build our dream house on it."
#1
No Christian Zionists here? I'm not but there is a good case for asserting Judaeo-Christian civilization. The presense of arab muslims in the Holy Lands is a residue of a repugnant conquest.
#2
McZZZ: No Christian Zionists here? I'm not but there is a good case for asserting Judaeo-Christian civilization. The presense of arab muslims in the Holy Lands is a residue of a repugnant conquest
I second the motion and Bedamed the howling and screaming coming from the homosexual English and Yourpeean Fagot News Rags.
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/15/2008 6:37 Comments ||
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#3
What other possibility have the Paleostains left as a viable alternative? Living together in peace and harmony? Don't make me laugh.
The PA and Gaza have sat back and encouraged the militarization and radicalization of their society to the point where it is probably the most poisonous and dangerous in the world. I think THEY have erased any future for themselves in Jerusalem, not the Jews. If they started now, in 20 years they could have a normal-ish society, but you cannot erase a lifetime of hate and brainwashing with the signing of a peace accord.
#4
there are goofy groups in ISrael too,yup. At least they mainly just put out pamphlets, not make bombs, like the Pals. This is NOT good for Israeli PR, and they should shut up.
#5
Theres a big difference between being a nut in the general sense of it and murdering people with a bulldozer. I think most if not all rational people recognize these guys as the nuts they really are.
#6
The real hard core Zionists should take over the West Bank and form their own state. Displace troublemakers, clean house, and ensure rule of law and jobs. Name it Palestine. Get some Christian Arabs into the government as spokesmen to help with the propaganda.
This would create a buffer state, put a lid on the ungovernable while giving Israel deniability and the chance to play Good Cop for a change. If the Boers could have two states why not the Jews?
#7
RJ - there are a hundred thousand or so settlers in the WB - but a considerable number are not that hard core and live in settlements close to the old 67 line what everyone expects Israel to keep, and are unmotivated to do a Rhodesia. Lets take all the settlers who live "beyond the security wall" and add a good portion of those who live close to Israel but are ideologically motivated. Thats like 80,000.
Now add the rest of the ultra vote - those who vote for parties like NRP-National Union. IIUC they have less than 5% of the vote,so thats maybe 300,000 all told, but the 80,000 virtuall all double counts with that. And SOME of those guys are content to vote for hardline policies, but wouldnt move to WestbankRhodesia. Add a few Likud voters to add to that. I think youre probably talking 300,000 people tops.
Of whom 250,000 would be fresh arrivals in Westbank Rhodesia, whod need housing fast. Meanwhile the PA security forces ALONG with the terrorists/militias would have a free hand to go after them, while Israel and the IDF stand aloof.
It would be one big bloody mess, and while it would kill lots of arabs (making some folks here happy) it would not achieve what the settler want. It would end either with total chaos, with an ARAB intervention on behalf of the PA, OR, to avoid that, an IDF intervention which while it might be applauded in the short run by the settlers, would lead to almost all Israelis deciding that the whole settlement movement is insane, which would lead to the destruction of the settlements by the IDF, whether or not Israel continued negotiations with the arabs.
Rhodesia was thousands of miles from London, so the UK could ignore it. Israel has no such luxury wrt to the West bank.
#8
Israel should have long ago expelled the Muslims from Jerusalem, knocked down the al-Asqa mosque, and been done with it. Instead they let the open wound fester and become gangrenous.
With the next, inevitable war, the Israelis should be prepared to be done with Arabs and mosques. No reason to be murderous about it, just forceful. They have to leave, and have several days to get their affairs in order.
If they want to be extra nice, then their lands will be sold by the Israeli government at market prices, and they will be sent a check for the sale price.
#10
liberalhawk, you are right but you also assume that all Pals would side with Fatah. There are examples galore of a small group keeping a larger group under their thumb. The timing would have to be carefully managed but I don't really see a whole lot of solutions in that region. Pals can't govern themselves and Jordan wants no part of them and the world (and Israel) don't want Israel to run the place. So what's left?
#11
liberalhawk, you are right but you also assume that all Pals would side with Fatah. There are examples galore of a small group keeping a larger group under their thumb.
its not just that this aint rhodesia or south africa (pals are much more politicised, much more heavily armed, and have heavily armed neighbors nearby) its that the settlers and their sympathizers (whom I refuse to call ultraZionists, for a variety of reasons I consider them LESS Zionist than the rest of the Israeli spectrum) dont have the political skills of an Ian Smith or a Piet Botha. These guys (and Im not talking about Bibi type likudniks, a whole different kettle of fish) have never had to exercise the responsibility of power - theyre good at planting some mobile homes on a hill, beating up some arabs, and protesting in Jerusalem. They DONT know how to run a state, and they are the LAST people who could manage to play off Pal factions against each other.
The timing would have to be carefully managed but I don't really see a whole lot of solutions in that region. Pals can't govern themselves and Jordan wants no part of them and the world (and Israel) don't want Israel to run the place. So what's left?
There are disadvantages to all courses (which ive discussed on other threads here) but the idea of a seperate state in the West Bank run by Jewish settlers is one of the worst ones.
#12
"It's an iron rule of history that peoples who can't coexist, don't."
what is coexist? Theyre "coexisting" now. Well not peacefully, to be sure, but really. I mean folks outside tend to read the news and think every israeli is cowering in their sheltered rooms 24/7. Its not pleasant in Sderot, but Sderot is a small town. I invite you to read an Israeli daily paper (in English). Or look at Israeli stuff on youtube. Plenty of focus on the economy (doing well, though fears ahead as prime markets like the US face troubles) on housing(way overpriced) on water, on traffic, on arts and culture, etc. And when its politics, well its corruption, personalities, jewish religious disputes, finances, etc as well as "Security"
And the biggest security issue by far is Iran. Day to day, unless you live in the territories, or in Sderot, the Pals arent as big a deal as you think reading the press here.
So any "solution" has to be better than "muddling through". Starting a war against the entire muslim world, one where ISrael would not have the support of the west, probably not even of the US, is hardly an appealing solution.
JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israel will not allow the return of any Palestinian refugees as part of a future statehood deal, Olmert's office said on Thursday. The rare official statement was issued in response to reports Olmert proposed absorbing 2,000 refugees per year for 10 years as part of an agreement to establish a Palestinian state in most of the occupied West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip.
"The prime minister never offered to absorb 20,000 refugees in Israel. The prime minister again reiterates that under any future agreement, there will not be any return of Palestinian refugees to Israel in any number," Olmert's office said.
Nabil Abu Rdainah, an aide to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Olmert's stance on refugees was unacceptable.
Leaks on this and other aspects of peace talks, such as an Israeli proposal to postpone discussion on Jerusalem, were designed to convince the world that Palestinians would be to blame for any failure of negotiations, he told Reuters. He said a final settlement must provide for a Palestinian state in all of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including Arab East Jerusalem, and a "just solution for the issue of refugees".
Mauritania is still open despite the recent coup there ...
The 20,000 figure was reported in Thursday's edition of Israel's left-leaning Haaretz newspaper and was confirmed by Israeli officials familiar with the matter before Olmert's office issued a statement denying it.
Some 700,000 people, half the Arab population of Palestine in May 1948, ran away fled or were driven from their homes when Israel was created. Letting them and their families live in Israel now would undermine its nature as a Jewish state, Israel argues. While Olmert has long rejected Palestinian insistence on the right of return for refugees and their descendants, who now number 4.5 million, Israeli officials had said that he was open to a very limited number returning as a "humanitarian" gesture.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/15/2008 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israel will not allow the return of any Palestinian refugees as part of a future statehood deal, Olmert's office said on Thursday. "The prime minister never offered to absorb 20,000 refugees in Israel. The prime minister again reiterates that under any future agreement, there will not be any return of Palestinian refugees to Israel in any number," the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) was quoted by local daily Ha'aretz as saying.
The official statement was issued in response to an earlier Ha'aretz report that Olmert had proposed absorbing 2,000 refugees per year for 10 years as part of an agreement to establish a Palestinian state in most of the West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip. According to the earlier report, Olmert had proposed to Abbas that the "shelf agreement" the two sides are working on include an agreement for Israel to take in Palestinian refugees as part of "family unification." Sources in Israel and the United States said that according to Olmert's offer, the absorption would be based on humanitarianism and according to a formula to be determined in advance.
The PMO, however, responded to the report by saying that Olmert' s stance is that the establishment of a Palestinian state is meant to provide an answer to the absorption of Palestinian refugees, and those refugees who are not returned to a Palestinian state will be dealt with by an international force.
The American stance on this matter is identical to that of Israel, as expressed in U.S. President George W. Bush's April 2004letter, in which he says Palestinian refugees will not be returned to the State of Israel but to a future Palestinian state, the PMO added.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who is conducting parallel talks with the Palestinians' chief negotiator Ahmed Qureia, is opposed to Israel's taking in any Palestinian refugees, and also refuses to accept them on the basis of family reunification, said Ha'aretz. In her opinion, Israel must not compromise on letting in refugees, because that would be interpreted as an opening to exercising the "right of return." Livni had made it clear to the U.S. administration that if Israeli cabinet is presented with a memorandum of understanding that includes allowing refugees into Israel, she might vote against it.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
well that clears that up.
I still think Israel might yet allow a small number in, but it would only be in exchange for Pal concessions on Jerusalem. This is better rug dealing than the initial reports of admitting 20,000 with the Jeru issue unresolved.
The cease-fire deal with Hamas along the Gaza Strip border has created conditions that facilitate the talks to free abducted soldier Gilad Shalit, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Wednesday. "Had we been involved in a large scale operation in Gaza today there would be no chance of negotiating over Shalit," Barak said on a visit to communities on the Gazan border. "The negotiations... are taking longer than they should. We will have to make difficult decisions to bring Shalit home, but we have a moral and ideological commitment to do so," he said.
Barak told reporters that Israel must be prepared for the possibility that the ceasefire would collapse, leading to a deterioration that could last days or weeks. He promised to continue pushing for fortifying structures in the southern communities from future rocket and artillery fire. "We stand with you in your struggle with the government. It is the state's duty to take care of the fortification," Barak said. The border communities recently petitioned the High Court of Justice, demanding that the government fortify their buildings and allocate the appropriate funds to do so.
Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai, who accompanied Barak, assured the communities' heads of the ministry's continued efforts. "By hook or by crook we'll reach the second stage of the fortification plan... despite the prime minister's opposition," he said.
The ministry has spent about NIS 1 billion on fortifications for the southern communities, Vilnai said. The rest of the plan is "stuck" for lack of funds, he added.
"The entire state is under threat, both in the north and south. We aim to fortify wherever necessary," Barak said. "I believe the government should provide this fortification, as it did in the north for years."
The head of the Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council, Alon Schuster, expressed his disappointment after Barak and Vilnai's visit, saying that neither had an answer for the residents' plight.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
They're already impossible. The only thing that would be "rendered" would be the deniability of that impossibility.
(AKI) - An Indonesian court has agreed to consider delaying the execution of the three men convicted of the 2002 Bali bombing until the court hears a challenge against their deaths by firing squad.
Lawyers for Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, Ali Gufron and Imam Samudra told the Constitutional Court on Thursday that death by firing squad can be tortuously slow and painful and therefore unconstitutional. The court also agreed to consider an application that the bombers executions be delayed.
Lawyer Wirawan Adnan said that while the Constitutional Court did not have the power to order a stay of execution, it would be respectful for the government to do that. "It's up to them whether or not to do it, but, you know, I believe they should respect this court and respect the constitution," he said.
Indonesia's constitutional court opened hearings into the Islamists' latest bid to stave off their executions by firing squad over the 2002 attacks (photo) on the resort island of Bali which killed 202 people, mainly foreign tourists.
The Indonesian attorney general's office has said it hopes to execute the Islamist militants, who were convicted in 2003, before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins in early September.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
The Indonesian attorney general's office has said it hopes to execute the Islamist militants, before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins in early September.
Why not execute them during ramadan to prove the terrorist totally misrepresent islam?
#2
Yep. Brave Jihadis welcoming that martyrdom. Yeah, sirree.
Stick a .45 behind their ear. I'll bet that's not "tortuously slow and painful". Messy though.
ISTANBUL - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his Turkish counterpart failed on Thursday to sign energy deals opposed by Washington, which is seeking to pressure Tehran into halting its nuclear programme. A joint statement from Ahmadinejad and President Abdullah Gul said the two countries would continue discussing further energy cooperation. No further explanation was given.
Gul and Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan have come under fire for inviting Ahmadinejad, who has lobbied hard since coming to power in 2005 to visit NATO member Turkey, which has strong ties with the United States and Israel. A source from Erdogan's office told Reuters earlier that Ahmadinejad's two-day working visit to Istanbul may no longer yield the expected oil and gas deals following new demands from the Iranian side, including pricing and investment conditions.
After Russia, Iran is the biggest provider of gas to Turkey.
The Turkish government has said Ahmadinejad's visit was necessary given the failure to resolve Tehran's nuclear programme, and offered to help resolve the dispute. "Turkey's effort is not to solve the problem but ease the tension and keep the crisis at controllable levels," Keskin said.
Analysts also say Turkey may have played up the nuclear issue to diffuse criticism over inviting Ahmadinejad. Turkey's powerful secularist establishment has long opposed his visit on fears he would seek to export the Islamic revolution abroad. Ahmadinejad, in an live interview with Turkish broadcasters CNN Turk and NTV on Wednesday, said he did not see Turkey as a mediator in such talks but rather as a friend.
Last July Turkey and Iran signed a preliminary agreement to export Iranian gas to Europe through Turkey, including a provision for Turkey to produce 20.4 billion cubic metres of natural gas in Iran's huge South Pars gas field.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Hmmmm. one man's failure is another man's success. ;-)
Syria agreed Thursday to begin negotiations with Lebanon on demarcating their border, making its second concession in two days to longtime demands from the Lebanese as they seek to normalize relations with their dominant larger neighbor.
Formally setting the border is a key symbolic move recognizing Lebanon's sovereignty, as was Syria's agreement a day earlier for the two nations to establish diplomatic relations for the first time.
But the agreements won't mean an end to Syrian influence in Lebanon, and some Lebanese -- as well as Washington -- remain concerned that the Damascus regime will continue to try to exercise power over its neighbor.
Syria agreed to the steps only after a Lebanese unity government was formed Tuesday that gives the Syrian-allied Hezbollah a strong say in Lebanon's decision-making. Syria also has a relatively friendly president in Lebanon: Michel Suleiman, who was installed as a compromise in May after Hezbollah blocked pro-Western factions from electing an anti-Syria politician.
Still, Lebanese on all sides hope the new government will ease the power struggle between pro-Western and pro-Syrian factions that has kept Lebanon in turmoil the past three years. The union is fragile, however, and an attempt by either side to push its agenda too strongly could revive tensions.
Saad Hariri, who heads the anti-Syria majority in Lebanon's parliament, welcomed the deal on border negotiations as a "historic step toward rectifying relations," but added a warning that Damascus must not interfere in Lebanon in the future. "It is time ... for (Syrian) tutelage to end once and for all," said Hariri, whose father, former prime minister Rafik Hariri was killed by a 2005 bombing that some in Lebanon blame on Syria. Damascus denies any role.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2008 00:00 ||
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In a speech to mark two years since the end of the Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday declared that Israel's defense minister and army chief's "failures" in the past meant they did not scare his Lebanese militant organization today.
"[Defense Minister Ehud] Barak, who accuses the political and security echelon of lacking experience during the period of the Second Lebanon War, what can he say to his failures during his term as prime minister, particularly the hasty departure from Lebanon?" The Lebanese militant organization leader asked.
Nasrallah continued: "I also remind [Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gabi] Ashkenazi of his failures during the period when he served as GOC Northern Command. They both failed then, and therefore they don't scare us today."
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The Hezbollah leader, against whose organization Israel waged the 34-day war in 2006, also said that the expected replacement of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert signifies the end of Israel's wartime leadership's rule.
He even argued that he doesn't remember the name of the defense minister during the war ? a mocking reference to Amir Peretz, who held the post during the conflict and famously said: "Nasrallah will remember the name Peretz."
Nasrallah added that the issue of the Second Lebanon will hold a central position in all public and media debate in Israel in years too come.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
and therefore they don't scare us today
Sure. Must be why he never shows himself in public. Talk to your friend Mugniyah lately?
Hezbollah leader says the war with Israel has 'not ended yet' as Israel has not halted its 'aggressions' against Lebanon and the region.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah made the remarks as Lebanon marked the Hezbollah victory over Israel in the 33-day war. Hezbollah shattered the invincibility of the Israeli army in 2006 war. The aftershocks of the war are still reverberating in Israel. More than 100 Israeli soldiers were killed in the 33-day war. Nasrallah said it was a 'historic and divine victory' in Arab-Israeli conflict which shattered the invincibility of the Zionist regime's occupation army and changed the political face of the Middle East and 'foiled the US-Israeli New Middle East project' for breaking up regional countries.
Israel killed more than 1000 Lebanese civilians by bombarding Lebanon. Nasrallah said the cluster bombs dropped on Lebanon are still taking the lives of innocent people.
Lebanese Islamic resistance forced the Israeli army out of Southern Lebanon in 2000. Nasrallah said Hezbollah defeated Israel in 2000 and 2006 and put an end to 'political life' of Israeli regime. He said Israel is on the verge of collapse and therefore it is seeking conspiracies to 'disarm Lebanese resistance and isolate it.'
Nasrallah slammed some Arab states who have been attempting to 'distort the image of Hezbollah,' saying some Arabs try to ensure Israel's superiority "because their stability is dependent on Israeli supremacy." The Hezbollah chief went on to say that the 'culture of resistance' is expanding as polls show 70% of Muslims support it. He added Hezbollah proved it is very strong as its fighters resisted the most powerful army in the Middle East for several weeks.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/15/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
The Muslim' war against disbelievers of their deity CANNOT end. Peace is dictated by means, not motive.
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.
A lawyer for Dr 
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Friday rejected reports that he would step down before the launch of impeachment proceedings against him, saying he was prepared to face the motion in parliament in a "democratic spirit". 
People from more than 75 villages of Mohmand Agency have started to leave their homes, as a military operation is on cards in the strategic tribal agency to clear the area of Taliban militants, officials said on Thursday. 
Armed groups in Balochistan are fighting for its freedom and not for provincial autonomy, Baloch separatist leader Bramdagh Bugti has said in an exclusive interview with Daily Times. 
House prices have doubled in a matter of months. Restaurants are opening alongside the waterside corniche. Oil-rich Kuwaitis are beginning to move in, and trade at the port is booming.
It starts with a phone call at 8:30 p.m. as we are sitting down to dinner in Gaza City.
JERUSALEM - Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas that Israel will not allow the return of any Palestinian refugees as part of a future statehood deal, Olmert's office said on Thursday. The rare official statement was issued in response to reports Olmert proposed absorbing 2,000 refugees per year for 10 years as part of an agreement to establish a Palestinian state in most of the occupied West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip.
(AKI) - An Indonesian court has agreed to consider delaying the execution of the three men convicted of the 2002 Bali bombing until the court hears a challenge against their deaths by firing squad.
In a speech to mark two years since the end of the Second Lebanon War, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday declared that Israel's defense minister and army chief's "failures" in the past meant they did not scare his Lebanese militant organization today. 
