Out bid by the Russians?
A Thai court Tuesday rejected a U.S. request to extradite an alleged Russian arms smuggler dubbed the "Merchant of Death," dealing a setback to American efforts to try him on charges of plotting to supply weapons to Colombian rebels.
Viktor Bout, 42, was arrested in March 2008 at a luxury hotel in Bangkok as part of an elaborate sting in which U.S. agents posed as arms buyers for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which Washington classifies as a terrorist organization. He is being held in a Bangkok prison, but could be set free if no appeal is filed.
"We will not extradite him to the United States," said Judge Chittakorn Pattanasiri, of the Bangkok Criminal Court.
Chittakorn said the court rejected the extradition request because Bout had not been accused of committing any crimes against Thailand, which has not listed FARC as a terrorist group.
If an appeal is filed, Bout will be held pending further proceedings. U.S. Embassy deputy chief of mission James F. Entwistle said Thai prosecutors have said they will appeal the case and that Washington supports that.
Bout has been linked to some of the world's most notorious conflicts, allegedly supplying arms to former Liberian dictator Charles Taylor and Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. He has repeatedly denied the accusations.
The U.S. is seeking Bout's extradition on charges he conspired to sell millions of dollars worth of weapons to FARC, including more than 700 surface-to-air missiles, thousands of guns, high-tech helicopters and airplanes outfitted with grenade launchers and missiles. He has been indicted on four terrorism-related charges in New York and could face life in prison.
Posted by: ed ||
08/11/2009 08:40 ||
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KABUL - Fewer civilians were killed by airstrikes in Afghanistan last month even as U.S. and NATO forces pushed deep into Taliban territory, driving clashes and Western casualties sharply higher.
Western and Afghan officials say the drop appears to be an early indication of success for restrictions on air power imposed in July by Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the new commander of coalition forces, in an attempt to limit civilian casualties. The U.S. and NATO saw Afghan anger over the deaths as a major impediment to a new counterinsurgency strategy that makes winning over the population a higher priority than killing insurgents.
Six civilians died in airstrikes last month compared to 89 in July 2008, according to an Associated Press count of reports on civilian deaths by witnesses and Afghan officials. None of the reports was the subject of significant dispute by the U.S. and NATO.
A single mishap could send civilian deaths up again this month, dashing Western hopes of any real downward trend. But Afghan civilians and officials say the lower death toll for July mirrors a broader reduction in the accidental bombing of nonmilitary targets.
"When the Taliban are moving in our village, we are scared, but the good thing is there has been no bombing of civilian homes," said Baz Mohammad, a grape farmer from the village of Nilgham in the southern province of Kandahar. "A few months ago there was bombing every day in our district."
More targeted strikes
Western military officials attribute the drop in large part to less powerful and more carefully targeted airstrikes.
The U.S.-led Western coalition launched more than 40 percent more airstrikes last month than in July 2008, according to U.S. Air Force statistics. But at the same time, many of the strikes appeared to be far less powerful: a tally of the total number of rockets, bombs and cannon shells used in airstrikes dropped 50 percent.
"You're starting to see a lot more emphasis now on using the least amount of force necessary to get the result we want," said Capt. Frank Harnett, a spokesman for U.S. Air Force Central Command. "There's an added emphasis about noncombatant casualties. That will drive decisions made out in the field."
Air Force Staff Sgt. Dan Waugh just started a one-year tour in Afghanistan as an air controller, who moves with ground troops and communicates with aircraft called in to attack insurgent positions.
Waugh, who's stationed at a forward operating base in the Spin Boldak district of southern Kandahar, near the border with Pakistan, said he's been told to avoid strikes on buildings. McChrystal has told his commanders to ask themselves how they can be sure there are no civilians inside compounds where militants are also seeking shelter.
"They're wanting us to get away from structures," Waugh said. "If a commander orders an attack on a ridge-line, and it's a clear view and there's no civilians, that's fine."
The Taliban government was overthrown in late 2001 by relatively small numbers of Western troops working with local forces and backed by aircraft armed with precision-guided bombs and missiles, a tactic promoted by some officials in the Bush administration as a revolution in modern warfare.
But the approach proved ill-suited to stabilizing the country once the Taliban became insurgents who hid in rural villages and launched fierce attacks on small Western units who were far from reinforcements. Hundreds of civilians were killed by airstrikes, many called in by Western troops under fire from Taliban fighters they believed to be taking cover in buildings.
#1
U.S. and NATO forces pushed deep into Taliban territory, driving clashes and Western casualties sharply higher.
(Snip)
appears to be an early indication of success
By whose standards?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/11/2009 20:08 Comments ||
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In addition to requesting some 45,000 additional U.S. troops in Afghanistan , the country's top American military commander will ask the Obama administration to double the number of U.S. government civilian workers who are in the country.
The proposed civilian "surge" is the fourth leg of Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal's emerging strategy to rebuild Afghanistan's economy and government, along with more American troops, vastly expanded Afghan security forces and closer cooperation between U.S. and Afghan troops, including posting troops from both countries at the same bases.
The request for additional civilian resources will be part of a 60-day assessment of the strategy in Afghanistan . McChrystal's plan also will outline how the military wants to revamp the relationship between civilians and the military so that soldiers shift economic and political development work to civilians.
Posted by: ed ||
08/11/2009 09:22 ||
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#1
I seem to recall a revolt in the State Department when Condoleeza Rice was Secretary of State, because something like 3/4 of the staff flat-out refused to take assignments in Iraq... and many of the rest were tired of carrying the entire load. But no doubt the charm of the current leadership will overcome any reluctance to deploy to even more primitive Afghanistan.
[Maghrebia] Mauritanians are condemning a suicide bombing executed Saturday evening (August 8th) near the French embassy in Nouakchott that left three injured.
According to witnesses, including the doorman at the embassy of the United Arab Emirates, located directly opposite the site of the attack, the suicide bomber approached two Frenchmen who were out jogging, before shouting "Allahu Akbar" and setting off his explosive belt.
"One of the Frenchmen had blood on his chest; the other on his arm," explained one of the witnesses.
French diplomatic sources said one of the wounded men -- who are both French gendarmes assigned to guard the French embassy -- was admitted to the hospital in Nouakchott "for a minor wound to the chest". The policemen were to provide security for the diplomatic compound during work to improve security.
Police initially reported the bomber's identity as that of Ahmadu Ould Sidi Ould Fihalbaraka, a jihadist belonging to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, saying he had been wanted by Mauritanian law enforcement for some time. The identification found on the bomber proved to belong to someone else, however, so the investigation into his identity continues.
The terrorist act created a state of panic and provoked angry responses from Mauritanians unaccustomed to suicide attacks.
"I never imagined that someone could blow himself up in the name of religion and harm others," said Mohammed Al Salek, a Nouakchott resident. "I have seen this evil act on TV, but I never imagined seeing it as a reality over here in Mauritania, due to the peaceful nature of this people."
Ahmed, a seller of mobile phone cards, was near the scene of the attack. "I suddenly heard someone saying "Allahu Akbar" and then the sound of an explosion. I turned towards him, only to see smoke, dispersed human remains and wounded people," he said. "It was a horrible scene, and I have never seen anything like it in my life."
The National Front for the Defence of Democracy strongly condemned the attack, issuing a statement calling violence "a strange thing in Mauritanian society". The message continues: "We call upon... those who care about the stability of the country to unify their ranks to confront the barbarian culture of violence that recruits innocent young people for suspicious purposes."
The National Development Party called on the authorities to take "strict, deterrent actions" to confront the threat of suicide attacks. At the same time, the party called on Islamic scholars and leaders to do their part in combating violent religious ideologies.
The Union for the Republic -- party of new president, Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz -- said the attack was "a dangerous development; a first-of-its-kind precedent in the history of the country", calling it "the worst form of deviation from the values of our great religion".
The French Foreign Ministry issued a statement Sunday. "We wish a speedy recovery for the wounded. We'd like to express our solidarity with the Mauritanian authorities in their confrontation of terrorism. France is determined to combat terrorism alongside the Mauritanian authorities and Mauritanian people," the statement read.
Alain Joyandet, France's Secretary of State for Co-operation and Francophony, reportedly suggested the attack could be linked to President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz's inauguration promise to fight al-Qaeda.
Mauritania has dealt with terrorist attacks before. A 2005 attack in Lemgheity left 15 soldiers killed and 17 wounded. In 2007, four tourists were killed in Aleg and three soldiers killed in El Ghallaoui. Attacks on the Israeli embassy and in Tourine in 2008 left 12 dead, and US citizen Christopher Leggett was murdered in 2009.
Despite claims of responsibility by al-Qaeda for these attacks, none took the form of suicide bombings.
President Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz convened meetings with outgoing Prime Minister Moulaye Ould Mohamed Laghdaf and the High Security Council on Sunday to discuss the security situation in the country following the bombing.
Also on Sunday, Security forces in Mauritania's eastern Hodh Gharbi province arrested three young men who are suspected of belonging to al-Qaeda, including a suspected terrorist identified as 23-year-old Mohamed Ould Abdel Wahab.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2009 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Besides the local chapter of Huji, some political leaders have been helping Pakistan-based militant organisation Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) to operate in Bangladesh.
Investigators learned about the political patrons from two recently-detained LeT operatives and Indian nationals--Mufti Obaidullah and Moulana Mohammad Mansur Ali. They are now working to gather more about them, said sources in the intelligence and law enforcement agencies.
Officials involved in the ongoing crackdown on militants said they have information that some politicians might have been sheltering LeT cadres as per secret deals with the terrorist group.
Though law enforcers had detained several LeT operatives in the past, they formally admitted the outfit's existence here only last month after the Detective Branch of police arrested Obaidullah and Mansur. Before that, they had been denying reports about foreign militants ensconced in the country.
A former investigator of the Rapid Action Battalion told these correspondents earlier that they had come to know about the existence of LeT and at least seven of its political patrons in Bangladesh during the last BNP-Jamaat-led government rule. But they could not carry the investigation through as they had limitations with the four-party alliance in power.
Sources said investigators are confirmed that banned Islamist outfit Harkatul-Jihad-al Islami, Bangladesh, has all along been backing LeT operations here.
The local political links became a focus of the investigation after names of some political leaders came up during interrogations of the detained Lashkar men.
DB Deputy Commissioner Monirul Islam who leads the agency's drive against militancy said, "We are now verifying the information and names we've got from the detained Lashkar leaders."
He, however, would not say anything about identity of the political leaders suspected of aiding and abetting LeT in Bangladesh.
Sources close to DB say some of the suspects are local level leaders of a political party and some are quite prominent at national level.
Investigators would also examine if any of the political patrons of Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh are involved in any foreign militant organisation like LeT.
The law enforcers hope they will be able to make headway towards unearthing the LeT's political patrons once they capture some other Lashkar men in the country.
Mufti Obaidullah and Moulana Mansur meantime disclosed that their organisation has been active in Bangladesh for the last 14 years. They also said local LeT operatives have links to the network of absconding Indian underworld don Daud Ibrahim and Huji Bangladesh leaders.
Both the detainees had been teaching at local madrasas since their illegal entrance to Bangladesh in 1995.
"Obaidullah had been organising Bangladeshi youths for jihad on instructions from Ameer Reza, an Indian holed up in Pakistan," DMP Commissioner AKM Shahidul Haque told newsmen after Obaidullah's arrest.
Talking to reporters while being paraded before the media, Obaidullah said four other most wanted Indians are also hiding in Bangladesh. Following up information obtained from him, DB police arrested LeT leader Mansur Ali from Dakkhin Khan area in the capital on July 22.
Mansur told reporters at the DMP headquarters that he had close relations with local Huji top brass including Mufti Hannan, Abdur Rouf, Abu Taher and Sheikh Abdus Salam
This article starring:
Moulana Mohammad Mansur Ali
Mufti Obaidullah
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2009 00:00 ||
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Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez warned on Monday at the presidential summit of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) that "winds of war" are blowing in South America due to Colombia's intention to allow the United States to use its military bases.
For whatever reason these bases are really bugging Oogo. I hope we keep them.
"It is my moral duty to warn that winds of war are blowing" in South America, Chávez said. "This could lead even to war in South America," he added.
The Venezuelan leader reiterated his concern about the agreement that would allow the United States to use seven military bases in Colombian territory, AFP reported. During the summit, Chávez said that he signed a letter that he will submit to his counterparts in the region. "We are very concerned" about the military agreement between Colombia and the United States," he explained.
"The announcement of the installation of seven military bases" in Colombia, which is a member of Unasur, could "become a tragedy," Chávez stated.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/11/2009 00:00 ||
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SEOUL, Aug. 10 (Yonhap) -- The chairwoman of Hyundai Group visited Pyongyang on Monday to seek the release of a detained employee, signaling a possible breakthrough in the case and in stalled inter-Korean relations. The three-day trip by Hyun Jung-eun comes amid growing speculation that North Korea may extend a friendly gesture toward Seoul in line with its recent pardoning of two American journalists.
"I will make my efforts for that," Hyun said before driving across the inter-Korean land border. The North's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) later reported Hyun's arrival in Pyongyang.
The worker with Hyundai Asan Corp., the North Korea business arm of Hyundai Group, was detained on March 30 at a joint industrial park in the North's border town of Kaesong where he had been employed for years. North Korea accused the Hyundai employee, identified by his surname Yu, of "slandering" the North's political system and trying to persuade a local woman to defect to the South. In contrast to the American journalists who were allowed phone calls to family and consular contact, North Korea has not granted any outside access to Yu during his detention.
Hyundai said it was not yet decided whether Hyun will be granted a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, but it did not rule out the possibility. She met with the North Korean leader in 2005 and 2007 to reach accords on joint tourism ventures. "We have to see. We were not notified of such a schedule by North Korea in advance," Kim Young-soo, a Hyundai Asan spokesman, said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
She better be careful or they'll kidnap detain her, too.
A new study has found more than 40 per cent of Australians believe it is acceptable to torture enemy soldiers in certain circumstances.
The survey of over 1,000 people by the Australian Red Cross found two in five believed torturing to obtain important military information was OK, even though most knew it was illegal.
The "People on War" survey was released to mark the 60th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions.
Red Cross strategic adviser on international law Helen Durham says about half of those questioned believed the Geneva Conventions made no difference.
"There was a lot of cynicism expressed, but that's consistent with other countries that actually haven't been exposed to armed conflict directly," she said.
"For example, in a place like Afghanistan, 75 per cent of people believed the laws of war made a difference, and in places like Liberia 85 per cent of those surveyed thought the laws of war did actually reduce suffering."
A Pakistani TV show spoofing Taliban has become a roaring hit with its quirky humour and dark satire. PakistanÂ’s troubled civil society is tuning in every Friday for the Geo TV show for some lighter moments.
The show is named ‘Hum Sab Umeed Se Hain’ and its songs, skits and spoofs make fun of all, from Musharraf to Shahid Afridi, from the lawyers’ movement to burqa diktats. But the clear favourites are the segments named Channel T (Taliban), Channel M (Musharraf) and Channel B (Burqa), also available on the internet.
Launched three months ago, the satirical digs on Channel T have struck a chord with audiences. In one episod, Pakistani pop singer, jeans-clad Hadiqa Kiyani, comes on stage covered in a chador (sheet) as per Taliban diktat of not to be seen or heard in gair mehram (without male blood relatives) and just sits with her back to the camera”, says 37-year-old producer and writer of the programme Dr Younis Butt. Butt has scripted satire since mid-1990s, when the psychiatrist quit his practice.
By Syed Saleem Shahzad - As speculation continues about the fate of Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud it is worth recalling what happened when Pakistani militant Abdullah Mehsud faked his own death. In 2005 Abdullah Mehsud, then the Taliban commander of South Waziristan, abducted two Chinese engineers working on the Gomal Zam Dam in North West Frontier Province.
His Al-Qaeda patrons, including some top Pakistani militants advised him that given Pakistan's friendship with China, the army would have to mount a major operation and in the subsequent rescue attempt, one of the hostages was killed.
The militants and the Pakistani army agreed that Abdullah Mehsud, who was injured in the security operation, would be declared dead.
Several of his comrades issued statements to the media that that he was buried in Shawal in the North Waziristan.
Abdullah Mehsud kept a low profile for several months and then resumed his activities, before committing suicide last year when Pakistani security forces surrounded him in Baluchistan.
The ongoing controversy about Baitullah Mehsud raises the same questions even though the Pakistani government has pledged to provide DNA evidence that he was killed with his wife in a US drone attack on his father-in-law's house in South Waziristan on Wednesday.
Pakistan's federal minister for interior affairs Rehman Malik on Monday insisted that Baitullah Mehsud was killed in the attack on the night of August 5.
Journalists in the tribal areas strongly believe that Baitullah Mehsud was killed. His rival Haji Turkestan appears to be the source, backed by some local witnesses.
But a high profile and well-connected Taliban source whose name cannot be revealed insists that the man widely considered responsible for the assassination of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto is still alive.
The chief of the Taliban in Wana, South Waziristan, also contradicted reports of his demise.
Baitullah's umbrella Tehrik-i-Taliban group has brought together around 5,000 fighters, who together with Al-Qaeda militants keep the army engaged in an elaborate game of hide and seek.
The US predator drones, which can fire lethal missiles on precise targets, have killed scores of militants including high ranking Al-Qaeda militants.
Baitullah tried to strike a deal with Pakistani security forces in 2005 and has at times been branded a spy for the US and Britain. He was also called an agent for India's Research and Analysis Wing intelligence agency.
As US drones stepped up their attacks and the army advanced against him,Baitullah may simply have decided to disappear.
Al-Qaeda used this tactic with Osama Bin Laden when the US invested heavily in Pakistan and Afghanistan to capture him after he fled Afghanistan in 2001.
In 2005, several special forces operations were closing in on him and then he completely disappeared, fuelling fresh speculation about whether he was dead or alive.
A similar tactic was adopted by Rashid Rauf, a dual British and Pakistani citizen arrested in Pakistan in relation to a trans-Atlantic aircraft plot in August 2006.
He fled to North Waziristan and despite reports of his death in a drone attack in November 2008, Adnkronos International (AKI) understands he is alive and well.
Despite official claims that Baitullah Mehsud was killed with his wife and bodyguards, no-one is yet certain whether this charismatic and ruthless leader is dead or alive.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Must be pretty schmart to be able to fake Helfires, to say nothing about disassembling himself.
Posted by: ed ||
08/11/2009 7:33 Comments ||
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#2
With Christmas coming up, Taliban Transformers would be a big seller.
Dozens of Islamic terrorists have entered the Gaza Strip over the past year and are operating there in the framework of extremist organizations identified with the "Worldwide Jihad." The terrorists are Sunni Muslims, many of whom have taken part in the fighting against American forces in Iraq. So far, as much as is known, these terrorists have been involved in a relatively small number of attacks.
Various groups inspired by Al-Qaida and other similar organizations are responsible for the relatively recent attempts to launch terror attacks from Gaza. Two months ago the Israel Defense Forces and Shin Bet security service prevented an attempted attack which involved sending booby-trapped horses to the Erez crossing point. An extremist splinter group was behind the failed terror attack, but despite the reports in the Palestinian press, Israel did not identify the involvement of any foreign terrorists in the attack.
The flow of foreign terrorists to Gaza will gradually increase, defense officials forecast, as the friction between the extremist Sunni groups and U.S. forces in Iraq diminishes in advance of the expected American withdrawal. Israeli officials are of the opinion that Hamas is not particularly interested in having these foreigners enter the Strip since they do not act under Hamas instructions and are identified with even more extremist and uncompromising ideologies than Hamas itself.
Hamas has a relatively high level of control over the actions of established groups such as Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. But Hamas is finding it difficult to rein in the smaller and newer groups, which are identified with Al-Qaida and Worldwide Jihad, and are made up primarily of former Hamas activists.
The months of quiet since the IDF's Operation Cast Lead in Gaza this past winter have increased the number of those deserting Hamas in favor of Worldwide Jihad, as front-line Hamas military activists have increased their criticism of what they view as the impotence of the organization's leadership against Israel.
Senior Israeli defense officials confirmed that Hamas in Gaza is not presently involved in attacks against Israel. The organization is not initiating terror attacks and in many cases is even preventing such attempts by the smaller organizations. A senior IDF officer claimed Hamas has moved from just holding back the groups to actually preventing attacks. He said this was due to Hamas' "temporary interest in quiet and not from any sudden love for Israel, but those are the facts for now."
Hamas is interested in a long time-out, say defense officials, in order to rebuild its military capabilities and strengthen its control of Gaza. Even when the IDF sends small forces inside the Strip - usually to defuse bombs or clear areas it suspects are booby-trapped - Hamas prefers to show self-restraint, even though it feels it has a legitimate cause for a military response against Israel.
At the same time, Hamas is continuing its intensive efforts to smuggle arms into Gaza. The Islamic Jihad is also organizing its own arms smuggling, but on a much smaller basis. Since January, the smuggling has faced more and more difficulties. Israel attributes much of this to increasing Egyptian motivation to stop the smuggling, but also to preventative steps taken by other countries. Hamas' main efforts are focused on smuggling in munitions that will give it a concrete advantage in a conflict with Israel: medium-range rockets, anti-aircraft missiles and advanced anti-tank missiles.
Israeli intelligence has no exact information on the missiles that have already been smuggled in, but the assumption is that Hamas has managed to receive very few of the advanced missiles. Due to the difficulties in smuggling arms, the Gazan weapons industry is making great efforts to improve its capabilities, and in particular to extend the range of its homemade rockets. Hamas seems to have succeeded in stockpiling a similar number of rockets, in addition to what it had on hand before Cast Lead.
Hamas continues to send dozens of activists for military training in foreign countries, particularly in Iran and Lebanon. They travel via Rafa and Egypt.
Ma'an -- The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Ramallah accused Hamas authorities on Monday of dismissing four doctors from Ash-Shifa Hospital in Gaza for no legitimate reason.
Egypt intercepted several cash-smuggling attempts by Gazans in the last year. Perhaps Hamas has chosen to lay off staff rather than raise taxes on the citizenry to balance their budget.
The ministry said in a statement that Hamas ordered the doctors Basel Fada, Wesam Awadallah, Iyas Deka and Mohammad Al-Halabi to leave Gaza's largest hospital immediately, in a decision enforced by the Gaza security forces.
The ministry also appealed for international help in stopping Hamas from "destroying what is left of the health sector in Gaza."
After winning parliamentary elections in 2006, Hamas took full control of the Gaza Strip through force in June 2007. President Mahmoud Abbas then appointed Salam Fayyad, an economist favored by donor states, to lead a caretaker government that still holds power only in the West Bank.
Earlier on Monday the Ministry of Health in Ramallah also accused the Hamas-backed de facto government in Gaza of preventing patients from leaving the Gaza Strip to receive treatment abroad.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Hey, "Palestinians", what are you whining about?
Then agan, who are we to laugh since "we" elected The One?
Ma'an -- The leftist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) called for an independent investigation into the death of a Hamas member in a Palestinian Authority (PA) prison on Monday.
The PFLP in a statement called for national and Islamic factions to back the investigation. It also called for an end to politically-motivated arrests and respect for human rights.
The statement was in reference to the death of 27-year-old Fadi Hamadneh from the village of Asira Ash-Shamaliyya, near the northern West Bank city of Nablus.
Hamas said his death was the result of torture.
According to the PA's security services spokesman, Adnan Demeiri, Hamadneh was found dead after he hung himself with a bed sheet tied around his neck. Dmeiri said officers on the scene took the man's brother-in-law, Shakir Dababsa, to the scene of the alleged suicide to prove that the man's death was not the result of foul play.
The spokesman added that security services summoned medics and representatives from the Palestinian Independent Human Rights Commission to examine the circumstances of the man's death, and insisted that they were prepared to bring in an alternative physician requested by the victim's family.
However Hamadneh's brother Hani said he doubted the PA's report, insisting that his brother was deeply religious and would have never committed suicide.
According to Dmeiri, Hamadneh was detained by the Fatah-backed PA General Intelligence Service on 15 June, and that security forces completed their interrogation on the 25th of that month. Hamarna had been held pending release in a separate cell since then, Dmeiri said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
The PFLP in a statement called for ... respect for human rights.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Lebanon's army has put its forces on high alert after Israeli forces made advances toward the area of Shaba farms amid heightened tensions with the Hezbollah movement.
Lebanese army sources said Sunday that three armored Israeli vehicles, accompanied by a civilian car, advanced toward Shaba farms, along southeast borders with Lebanon on Monday, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported.
The Lebanese army, stationed on its side of the border, has also been deploying tanks and positioning soldiers inside fortifications.
Tensions follow an escalating war of words between Israel and Lebanon amid threatening remarks by officials in Tel Aviv about the likelihood of Hezbollah's inclusion in the new Lebanese government.
Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Beirut over Hezbollah's participation in the upcoming government, saying Beirut would be held responsible for any military attempts by the movement.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I wonder if Arabs realize what the next war will be like?
#2
It would be to the advantage of the Israelis to get more of the Lebanese army to the border, with the Hezbollah moving back, if Israel plans to hit Iran. That backward momentum is hard to halt if all of a sudden they get advance and attack orders. And with the Leb army in the middle.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Defeated presidential candidate Mehdi Karroubi claimed several of the protesters jailed following Iran's June unrest have been savagely raped as a leading lawmaker said Monday the illegal entry to the Islamic republic of three detained American citizens may have been linked to the unrest.
"A number of detainees have said that some female detainees have been raped savagely. Young boys held in detention have also been savagely raped," Karroubi said in a letter to powerful cleric Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, which was obtained by AFP. "The young boys are suffering from depression and serious physical and mental damage since their rapes," calling for Rafsanjani to order an investigation.
Karroubi's "confidential letter" was delivered on July 29 to Rafsanjani in his capacity as head of the Assembly of Experts, the powerful body which selects and supervises the activities of the supreme leader.
Karroubi urged Rafsanjani to take up the issue with supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, saying the "clergy and the Islamic republic will be held responsible" for such acts. "The people who told me about this hold sensitive positions and some are veterans of the war (with Iraq)," he said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
One more nail in the coffin of the Revolution. I almost feel sorry for what's going to happen when the time comes. And I wouldn't be too surprised if Nutjob or the Nutatollahs use their first nuke against their own people.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Iran's Intelligence Ministry has issued a warning to the media about revealing "classified data" about its operatives, documents and structure.
In a statement released on Monday, the ministry warns the media against publishing "false news" that could result in revealing information -- "documents, identities of personnel, internal structure" -- pertaining to the Intelligence Ministry.
"This subject is among classified material and it is obligatory for all individuals, and especially media supervisors, newspapers, websites to refrain from publishing such reports," the statement elaborates.
The revelation of such information will lead to "interruption of the staff in their line of duty and the management of the ministry, and is harmful to the national interests," the Iranian Student News Agency quoted the statement.
The ministry also warned of prosecution against those who publish such reports.
In recent weeks, there have been persistent media speculations about shuffles within the Intelligence Ministry after the disputed June 12 presidential election and the sack of the former Intelligence Minister Gholam-Hossein Mohseni-Ejei.
A number of names have been mentioned in the media, whose opinions are alleged to differ from those of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] As reports emerge that Iran's post-vote detainees were raped while in custody, Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani calls for investigations into the allegations.
Larijani said Monday that "a special Majlis (Parliament) committee had carried out investigations into the situation in [Iranian] jails and the treatment of detainees and it should also look into whether 'jail rape' allegations are true or false," Tabnak reported.
The call for investigations comes as opposition figure Mehdi Karroubi wrote a letter to Head of the Assembly of Experts Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani on July 29, informing him that a number of detainees had claimed that several women and men, arrested over the course of post-vote demonstrations, were 'sexually assaulted' by their jailers.
"A number of detainees have said that some female detainees have been raped savagely," Karroubi said in the letter.
"Young boys held in detention have also been savagely raped," he said, adding that they were suffering from depression and serious physical injuries after the alleged attacks.
Karroubi went on to say that senior officials in the country had informed him of the appalling behavior taking place in Iranian jails, adding that if true, this would be a catastrophe for the Islamic Republic.
The grim revelations surfaced after the Leader of the Islamic Revolution ordered officials to shut down a "non-standard" prison in July amid reports of the mistreatment of detainees who protested against the result of the disputed presidential vote.
Later on, the Iranian police force contended that violations of detainee rights along with dereliction of duty have been evident at the notorious detention center, Kahrizak, in southeastern Tehran.
The deaths of at least three people in custody also prompted Iranian authorities to jail the head of the Kahrizak detention center.
People were put in prisons after the disputed presidential vote in June provoked mass protests with supporters of defeated presidential candidates Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Karroubi taking to the streets to express dissatisfaction at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election with a massive margin.
At least 30 people were killed, hundreds of others injured and nearly 3,000 people arrested in the country in the aftermath of the election.
About 200 of 3,000 opposition activists, protesters and journalists arrested over the course of the unrest in Iran are still being held in detention, who face mass trials on charges of plotting to topple the government through a "velvet coup."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Jail cheif under fire, now this - sounds like they're beginning to eat their own which is just ducky. Start offering their own supporters up as sacrifices and the loyalty goes out the window.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Top Iranian Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Nasser Makarem-Shirazi denies reports suggesting that he has congratulated President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on his disputed re-election.
"Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi has not sent any congratulatory messages to Ahmadinejad and the cleric considers such fabricated reports as a means of creating dissension," an official in the office of the top cleric's office was quoted as saying by Tabnak website.
The remarks came after some news agencies reported that the top cleric had sent a congratulation letter to the office of the president.
The aide refused to elaborate on reason as to why the cleric has not congratulated Ahmadinejad who, according to the official vote results, won the June 12 election with a massive margin.
The election, which defeated candidate reject as fraudulent, provoked an outpouring of discontent demonstrated in widespread protests by supporters of Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi.
During the post-election unrest, Ayatollah Makarem-Shirazi criticized "aggressive language" employed by state-run media and urged officials to use the language of "compassion."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2009 00:00 ||
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#3
I continue to be weirded out by stuff like this appearing in Iran Press TV. It reinforces the "old revolutionaries' civil war" thesis. When do Bakunin and Stalin turn on Zinoviev & Kamenov?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
08/11/2009 18:00 Comments ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Amid heated discussions on his choices for Cabinet members, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faces challenges in introducing interior and defense ministers.
Iran's Joint Chiefs of Staff has reportedly opposed Ahmadinejad's choice for the Defense Ministry, Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli, Asre Iran reported on Monday. The report added that due to the opposition to the pick, the president would have to name another candidate for the post.
Meanwhile, some prominent figures have also opposed appointing the incumbent Defense Minister Brigadier General Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar as the 10th government's interior minister. Subsequently, the former head of the presidential office and an academic member of Iran's University of Science and Technology, Ali Sheikholeslami, has emerged as a candidate, reports say.
Sheikholeslami has served as the deputy governor of Hormozgan province and is a close ally of President Ahmadinejad.
With less than two weeks before Ahmadinejad has to introduce his Cabinet, the president met the Parliament's Principlist bloc to discuss the next government.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Iranian Nobel peace prize winner Shirin Ebadi called Monday for intensified international pressure to help her country democratize and denounced the crackdown on opposition protesters.
"I oppose military and economic sanctions against Iran as they will aggravate the situation," Ebadi was quoted as saying in an interview with South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper. "However, intensified international public opinion will contribute to Iran's democratization."
Ebadi, a lawyer and human rights defender who won the Nobel prize in 2003, arrived in Seoul Saturday for a six-day trip to receive this year's Manhae Peace Prize named after a 20th century Korean Buddhist reformer. She said she would step up her campaign to remove censorship in Iran. "I want to let all the people know what's going on in Iran and make it a free country," she said.
Eradicating violence
Ebadi denounced Iran for jailing citizens who protested at President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's disputed re-election in a June 12 poll that sparked weeks of unrest.
"I don't take a political stance but I oppose the government's violent oppression," she told Dong-A Ilbo in a separate interview. "Violence must be eradicated and all those who were arrested after the election must be freed."
At least 20 people have died in clashes with security forces and hundreds of opposition protesters have been detained. Iran has also jailed dozens of journalists, political activists and reformist leaders.
Ebadi said the government had misinterpreted the spirit of Islam to discriminate against women.
She told Dong-A that Islam can "develop into a direction in which the religion stays in harmony with human rights. The problem is that undemocratic governments abuse the term "Islam" for an oppressive policy that defies human rights."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] As Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani's turn to lead the Friday prayers stirs up controversy in Iran, the influential cleric reverses his decision to deliver the sermon in order to avoid "clashes" at the event.
The office of Ayatollah Hashemi-Rafsanjani issued a statement on Monday, explaining that he would not lead the Friday prayers this week at Tehran University. The clarification came as on Saturday, the website of the two-time former president announced that he would lead the prayers on August 14.
However, head of the Policy-making Council for Friday prayers leaders Hojjatoleslam Seyyed Reza Taqavi made a move on Monday to reject the report. Hojjatoleslam Taqavi acknowledged that based on regulations, August 14th is Ayatollah Hashemi-Rafsanjani's rotational turn to deliver the sermon. He, however, added that "in order to prevent any abuse of the Friday prayers occasion for unconventional and political reasons" Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani will not lead the prayers.
Shortly after, the statement by the office of Ayatollah Rafsanjani explained that "in order to prevent possible clashes during the political ritual the head of the Assembly of Experts and Chairman of the Expediency Council will not lead the Friday prayers."
The assertion comes after opposition supporters on July 17 made use of Ayatollah Rafsanjani leading the Friday prayers for the first time since the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as president on June 12 to express their protest at the results of the vote. The protests following the sermon came as the Interior Ministry on many occasions has refused to issue permits for demonstrations -- gatherings at the Friday prayers venue does not require any authorization.
During the historically-attended sermon, the influential cleric told hundreds of thousands of worshipers -- most of whom were opposition supporters -- that the ambiguities surrounding the presidential vote had led to the distrust of the Iranian nation in the establishment. "Doubt has been created," he said. "There are two currents; one has no doubt and is moving ahead. And the other is a large portion of the wise people who say they have doubts. We need to take action to remove this doubt."
Following his sermon, fresh protests took place in the streets of the Iranian capital, provoking another crackdown on the worshippers who had crammed into downtown Tehran. Iran's police department later announced that 40 people were arrested in the protests on July 17.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/11/2009 00:00 ||
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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.
Waugh, who's stationed at a forward operating base in the Spin Boldak district of southern Kandahar, near the border with Pakistan, said he's been told to avoid strikes on buildings. McChrystal has told his commanders to ask themselves how they can be sure there are no civilians inside compounds where militants are also seeking shelter.
[Iran Press TV Latest] As Ayatollah Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani's turn to lead the Friday prayers stirs up controversy in Iran, the influential cleric reverses his decision to deliver the sermon in order to avoid "clashes" at the event. 
