[Iran Press TV Latest] US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has claimed that the US mission was to eradicate Al-Qaeda militants and not to establish a modern democracy in Afghanistan.
Clinton criticized the policies of the former president George W. Bush in Afghanistan in an interview with ABC News on Sunday.
"This is not the prior days when people would come on your show and talk about how we were going to help the Afghans build a modern democracy and build a more functioning state and do all these wonderful things," she asserted.
Bush administration had pledged to spread democracy in Afghanistan following the 2001 ouster of the Taliban militants by a US-led invasion.
Clinton emphasized that Washington was pursuing its own interests in the war-torn country where insecurity and poverty has escalated drastically over the past few years.
"Our primary focus is on the security of the United States of America" and "how we protect and defend against future attacks," she reiterated.
Clinton also criticized Afghan President Hamid Karzai over alleged corruption in his administration.
"There does have to be actions by the government of Afghanistan against those who have taken advantage of the money that has poured into Afghanistan in the last eight years so that we can better track it and we can have actions taken that demonstrate there's no impunity for those who are corrupt," she demanded.
However, US media reported in October that Karzai's brother has been a CIA operative in Afghanistan as well as a major drug pusher in the country that finances the Taliban insurgency. He was also reported to have ties with the Taliban leadership.
Karzai himself lived and received education in the US for many years and was widely reported to be the US man in Afghanistan.
Also, differences have also emerged between key US figures on handling of controversial war in Afghanistan.
US Ambassador to Kabul Karl Eikenberry have recently expressed serious reservations about sending more troops to Afghanistan until Karzai's government comes to grips with the alleged corruption.
Meanwhile, US and NATO commander Stanley McChrystal has warned that the war could be lost unless 40,000 more troops are sent to the war-ravaged country.
The US President Barack Obama is not expected to announce a final decision on the matter for several weeks.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
President Hamid Karzai, you had better be doing your homework every damn night.
Your Idiot government is my off ramp. You had better shape that up for real. Get your troops secure and schooled real fast. Be a leader and get US out of there, It is not like we do not have other things to do.
I want 50,000 more troops. Thats, what I want. Go myself if I had unit enough to support me.
#2
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has claimed that the US mission was to eradicate Al-Qaeda militants and not to establish a modern democracy in Afghanistan.
Don't know about you, but I'm pleasantly surprised.
#3
Note blaming Bush for wanting to establish a democratic functioning state.
I think the end game becomes clearer.
In summary, bribe the Taliban to say they have purged AQ from Pushtunistan. Problem solved. Everyone goes home. Civil war ensues, drawing in the regional powers.
#4
Fooey. Al Qaeda itself is no longer the issue, as the Taliban have become the operational arm of Al Q. in that part of the world. Killing all the members of Al Qaeda down to the littlest henchmen fetching tea would change nothing. Without at least knocking back the various Taliban leaderships and raw numbers to something manageable, we'll not only lose Afghanistan to the jihadis, but we'll discover the next major attacks on our soil will have been managed out of Peshawar, not from the Al Q. hideout in the tribal territories.
#5
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has claimed that the US mission was to eradicate Al-Qaeda militants and not to establish a modern democracy in Afghanistan.
The Secretary of State's function is to convince foreign leaders that we are acting in their interests, as opposed to the common-sensical notion that we are acting in ours. Going around telling people that we are acting in our interests is not a function we need a Department of State or a Secretary of State for. It seems to me that one of two things needs to happen - either we dismantle DoS, which has been around a couple of centuries, or we fire Clinton, who's been around 10 months as Sec of State.
#8
just whose interest should we be going after Clinton?? I could care less if the Afghans who have been sitting there for 1000's of years have schools or mosque or what not
Posted by: chris ||
11/16/2009 10:21 Comments ||
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#9
TW and phil_b have pegged it. The Taliban is the problem, DoS has not designated them a terrorist group, then having a variety of tools in the box to dismantle them, as our current policy is to pay them protection money! Dizzying foreign policy. Democracy and education counter fascism in the long term but copping out of a "civil war" so much easier--no problem, no solution needed. I don't know how Hillary defines US interests, but obviously national security and even national survival aren't among them. Why they insist on compartmentalizing extremists instead of fighting a war on all terrorists, regardless of variety and location, is beyond me.
#10
phil b: i like the thinking of the ensuing civil war but if the regional powers got involved i believe we know what would happen.The UN would make a resolution then the US would have too send a peace keeping force which we would also have too pay for with alot less room for defending themselves. Kinda like Somalia before Black Hawk Down
Posted by: chris ||
11/16/2009 11:56 Comments ||
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#11
does "drawing in the regional powers" turn into a war between India & China, proxy or otherwise?
The regional powers,
India
China
Pakistan
Iran
Russia (and the Stans)
The key piece of territory is Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.
With Pakistan occupying, China has a route to Pakistan, Afghanistan and the India Ocean. If India retakes, it has a route to Afghanistan and the Stans (central Asia), and China loses its route.
China aligns with Pakistan (obviously).
Less obviously Russia and the Stans align with India.
Iran is the wild card, but will probably favour India due to Shiia/Sunni rivalry.
Pakistan/China support the Pushtun. India/Russia/the Stans support the Northern Alliance.
#12
If India takes POK, it will be a huge a geopolitical setback for China and I doubt they will stand by and let it happen. China's problem is their long supply line through Tibet dependent on a few key bridges and tunnels. If China tries to militarily stop India retaking POK, things will escalate very rapidly.
#13
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has claimed that the US mission was to eradicate Al-Qaeda militants and not to establish a modern democracy in Afghanistan.
Clinton also criticized Afghan President Hamid Karzai over alleged corruption in his administration.
[Quqnoos] Afghans MPs have accused Pakistan of misbehaving with Afghan refugees saying it violated the agreement between the two countries. There have been reports of harassment of Afghan refugees before, but after the Peshawar suicide attack on Nov. 10th Pakistan Police reportedly detained many Afghans from number of cities throughout Pakistan.
There are reports that some areas where Afghan refugees live have been destroyed by Pakistan Police and they have been warned to leave the country.
"Even Afghans, who go by passports, face different kinds of treatment by the government of Pakistan." Yonus Qanuni, speaker of Afghan parliament said.
"Afghans are illegally detained, they are taken hostage and are not allowed to walk freely, and they all are the violation of the protocol signed between two countries." Shukria Barakzai, a member of parliament said.
Meanwhile, some other MPs say that Afghans face the same problems in many other countries.
"In the all countries where an Afghan live there are groups who commit such things because of political and economical issues." Ramazan Bashar Dost, anther MP said.
"But neither us nor the government have shown any reaction to it." Bashar Dost further said.
Currently there are more than 6,000,000 Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Yemen's Houthi rebels have Pakistani fighters in their ranks, press reports revealed Sunday,
How very odd. Sunni Pakisatanis or Shiite Pakistanis?
They aren't Christian Pakistanis ...
as Saudi Arabia arrested a sorcerer on its border with Yemen attempting to plant magic spells in the conflict zone in support of the rebel group.
Pakistani fighters are helping the Houthi rebels with their conflict against Saudi Arabia, Al Arabiya TV reported, quoting Yemen's Foreign Minister Abu Bakr al-Qirbi as saying: "The way the Houthi militias operate and the amount of money they spend on the conflict make the involvement of foreign powers almost a certainty."
Foreign powers like Iran. But what would cause Pakistanis to think fighting in Yemen is a better idea than fighting in Pakistan or Afghanistan?
I think it's the benefits package ...
" The way the Houthi militias operate and the amount of money they spend on the conflict make the involvement of foreign powers almost a certainty "
Yemeni FM
"The Yemeni intelligence is investigating the involvement of external parties in supporting the Houthi insurgency," Qirbi said. "This is a conspiracy to destroy Yemen and the Houthis will pay dearly for that."
Saudi forces evacuated 420 border villages as Houthi rebels had previously infiltrated the kingdom, which Qirbi said was an act of terrorism that should be severely punished.
Meanwhile the United States warned that the conflict between the Yemeni government and Houthis could have grave consequences as far as the security of the Gulf region is concerned.
Oooooh, that was profound and meaningful.
Qirbi denied allegations that the Yemeni government asked for security and military support from the U.S. but said "however there is bilateral security cooperation between the two countries in the war on terror," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Saudi Arabia was ranked first and the United Arab Emirates second as the most vulnerable of the Gulf countries to fall victim to cyber crimes, such as website hacking,
Interviewer: "Why do you rob banks?"
Willie Sutton: "Because that's where the money is!"
according to a statistics report recently published by Trend Micro.
In Saudi Arabia 796,000 cases of computer system crashes instigated by hackers were recorded in the past nine months, accounting for 64 percent of the total number of cases in the Gulf Cooperation Countries (GCC), according to Trend Micro, a firm specialized in network antivirus and Internet content security.
I hear those pr0n sites have lots of viruses and trojans and things.
Meanwhile, in the UAE the number of computer system crashes as a result of cyber attacks reached 248,000 in the same period, accounting for 20 percent of the total cases in the GCC countries, according to the report.
Last week the website of the Saudi-based al-Watan newspapers was hacked by suspected supporters of a religious cleric who was sacked from the kingdom's Council of Senior Clerics board.
*snicker*
Al Arbiya website also was such down in October 2008 following an attack by hackers accusing the Dubai-based news channel of supporting Sunni over Shiite Muslims. Hackers infiltrated the system of the U.S.-based company that hosts the alarabiya.net domain name and hacked it, but Al Arabiya's servers continued working.
The report said most cases of system collapse in Saudi Arabia and the UAE involved attacks by hackers to steal valuable data such as passwords and credit card numbers.
A Saudi cabinet meeting approved on March 26 a regulation to combat cyber crimes allowing for fines up to SR11 million ($2.93 million) depending on the seriousness of electronic crimes committed. The cabinet also passed another regulation for electronic transactions and both were prepared by the Information and Communication Technologies Commission in cooperation with the Ministry of Information.
But the prosecution of computer hackers by local authorities is almost impossible because, according to the Trend Micro report, most attacks come from countries outside the region.
The Arab League prepares to hold a workshop in the coming days to discuss ways to reduce cyber crimes and enhance systems protection.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] BDR headquarters yesterday constituted six special courts, two of them in Dhaka, as per the Bangladesh Rifles Order 1972 to initiate trials of the February 25-26 mutineers.
The BDR director general will head each of the three-member courts that will have a lieutenant colonel and a major as the two other members, says a BDR press release.
Lawyers nominated by the attorney general will assist the special courts, which will only conduct mutiny trial, the release says.
Special court-1 will deal with mutiny in Khulna, Rajshahi and Kushtia sectors, special court-2 with cases in Dinajpur and Rangpur sectors, special court-3 will cover Sylhet, Comilla and Mymensingh sectors, special court-4 Chittagong, Rangamati and Khagrachhari sectors, special court-5 Dhaka sector, and special court-6 will try mutineers of the BDR headquarters that house different establishments, signal sector, sadar rifle battalion, BDR hospital and Rifles Security Unit.
The courts will be set up at the scenes of occurrence or near them for the benefit of conducting the trial, says the BDR press release.
The accused will be entitled to self-defence as per the BDR act. "They can employ officers of the force or lawyers to assist them in this regard," the press release adds.
At least 73 people, including 57 army officers deputed at the paramilitary force, were killed in the February 25-26 bloody mutiny.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
It was conveniently close to the mainland, but hidden within a military base, so prying eyes could be kept away.
Prying eyes like the ICRC, who has had unfettered access to Gitmo from the beginning and whined that loud music is 'almost torture' to the scumbag inmates?
Get your facts straight, Rupert, otherwise you risk appearing as just another dumbass in a sea of dumbasses.
#3
ION PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUMS > RENOUNCING JIHADISM: TO THE BRINK AND BACK AGAIN! BRITISH-RAISED/EDUC/ACCLIMATED WESTERN JIHADISTS = DEDICATED ISLAMISTS desire to reform Islam-Sharia + build WESTERN-STYLE ISLAMIST OWG CALIPHATE???
The high-security prison in New York City where 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is expected to be sent to await his trial has a supermax wing to keep even the most notorious criminals quiet but it isn't perfect. Just ask Louis Pepe.
Ten months before Al Qaeda in 2001 struck a deathblow in the heart lower Manhattan, one of the terrorist group's founding members plunged a sharpened comb through Pepe's left eye and into his brain, blinding the 42-year-old prison guard and causing severe brain injuries that plague him to this day.
Pepe told FoxNews.com he worries that sending Mohammed and four of his alleged fellow 9/11 conspirators to New York could compromise the safety of the guards at the MCC prison. Keeping the prisoners in one location, he said, was especially dangerous.
"Could you imagine over there what they're gonna do, God forbid?" asked Pepe, now 52, who lost feeling in the right side of his body and most of his ability to speak. "After all these years, you'd think they should know."
On Nov. 1, 2000, Pepe was ambushed in the cell of Mamdouh Mahmud Salim an alleged top aide to Usama bin Laden. Salim's cellmate, another Al Qaeda suspect, joined in the attack, which prosecutors say was an attempt to steal Pepe's keys to the cell block to free other prisoners and take hostages.
The two had been granted permission by a federal judge to purchase hot sauce, says Pepe's sister, which they then stored in a honey jar and used to create a blinding mace. Teaming up against Pepe, they beat and blinded him, covering the floor in his spattered blood. They then tried to rape him as he waited an entire hour for fellow guards to come to his aid, his sister said.
"They wanted to discredit the badge and what he stood for," Eileen Trotta told FoxNews.com. "After they plunged him in the eye with that makeshift knife, they did the sign of the cross on his chest."
Trotta said it would be like "deja vu" to see more Al Qaeda detainees shipped into New York for trial, where their court hearings will be just blocks from Ground Zero
"There's no reason why everything has to be in New York, especially after 9/11 and what happened to Louis," she said. "It doesn't make sense why bring them into the hotbed of the city?"
#1
why in the hell did it take over an hour for the other guards too help this fellow? I know there are procedures in prisons for situations like this but there is a time when deadly force can also be used and this sounds like a good one.
Posted by: chris ||
11/16/2009 10:17 Comments ||
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#2
Good question, Chris. I've seen some videos of a prison riot before and wondered the same thing. I have no idea why guards don't grab shotguns and storm in, shooting anyone who's not in their cell. But they don't. It seems like the standard procedure is for the authorities to just sit back and watch the horror unfold. I really don't understand it.
#4
why guards don't grab shotguns and storm in, shooting anyone who's not in their cell. But they don't. It seems like the standard procedure is for the authorities to just sit back and watch the horror unfold. I really don't understand it.
Posted by Scooter McGruder
You must first understand diversity and affirmative action and 'group think' Scooter.
As evidence, I give a statement made by the Army's top officer just last week:
General George Casey, the Armys top officer, is concerned that diversity will become a casualty of the Fort Hood tragedy.
The religious beliefs of suspect Major Nidal Malik Hasan, a Muslim Army psychiatrist, have led to speculation about motive in the shooting rampage that killed 13 people.
Im concerned that this increased speculation could cause a backlash against some of our Muslim soldiers. And Ive asked our Army leaders to be on the lookout for that, said General Casey.
Asked on NBCs Meet the Press whether Muslim soldiers are conflicted in fighting wars in Muslim countries like Afghanistan and Iraq, Casey said: I think thats something that we have to look at on an individual basis. But I think we as an Army have to be broad enough to bring in people from all walks of life.
The bottom line is the military benefits from diversity, he said.
Our diversity, not only in our Army, but in our country, is a strength. And as horrific as this tragedy was, if our diversity becomes a casualty, I think thats worse, Casey said
Now that the venue is finally set, a sinister question looms over the case of confessed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed: Will he use the court as a platform to spew his sickening diatribes?
Experts say the terror thug will likely resist legal representation, opting instead to turn Manhattan Federal Court into his bully pulpit.
"The chances are excellent that he represents himself," said Ron Kuby, a defense lawyer known for taking on controversial clients.
"[Mohammed's] goal in the legal system is not to beat the rap. His goal is to use the legal system as a forum for his own ideas and to embrace martyrdom through that system."
As Mohammed and his underlings languished in Guantanamo Bay, a fleet of lawyers have worked to protect their rights.
But Mohammed repeatedly tried to get rid of his lawyers, Scott McKay and David Nevin, insisting he's bent on achieving martyrdom.
Even a lawyer for the ACLU, which has been helping to safeguard the rights of the terror gang, conceded that the likelihood they go it alone in court is high.
"It's quite possible that these defendants will undertake to represent themselves," Ben Wizner said. "They've been trying to fire their lawyers the whole time so they can be executed."
Experts say it's possible Mohammed will plead guilty, seeking a quicker path to death.
But if he opts to fight the charges and agrees to legal representation, his lawyer "will have powerful legal weapons at his disposal," said noted criminal defense attorney Alan Dershowitz.
Lawyers could seize on the time it's taken to prosecute the accused terrorists, arguing that they were denied their constitutional rights to a speedy trial.
A crafty defense lawyer might also employ a tactic called "graymailing," demanding reams of classified information in the hope that prosecutors refuse to release them. That provides an opening for a lawyer to request the indictment be dismissed.
Torture is also likely to play a central role in the case.
That Mohammed was waterboarded more than 180 times by CIA investigators is no secret.
"The first thing they're going to do is challenge all of the evidence and say all of it is the fruit of waterboarding," Dershowitz said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Could get to be an interesting situation if (when) the defense essentially puts Bush/Cheney/Rumsfeld on trial for torture. The prosecution would probably cooperate. In fact the conspiracy theorist in me even suspects that possibility is a key reason this trial is being held.
#5
I can see it now:
KSM: "I need access to every classified email and description of all the sources that were used to capture and indict me"
Prosecutors: "We can't give him that! He would just turn it over to al Qaeda!"
Liberal judge: "Give it to him or he walks"
Now what, Obama?
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
11/16/2009 18:30 Comments ||
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[The News (Pak) Top Stories] General (retd) Mirza Aslam Beg has alleged that the US has shifted Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) chief Hakimullah Mehsud and the other Taliban leadership to Afghanistan.
In an interview, Aslam Beg said when the Pakistan Army started the operation in South Waziristan, a helicopter flew from the Bagram Airbase in Afghanistan and shifted Hakimullah Mehsud and other militants to Afghanistan.
He said Hakimullah Mehsud and other militant commanders were present in Afghanistan. He alleged that the US was backing the militants fighting against the Pakistan Army in South Waziristan Agency.
He said that the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) of India wanted to detach the tribal areas from Pakistan but it did not succeed in its designs. About the current wave of terrorism in the country, especially in Peshawar, he said these incidents could be a reaction to the Waziristan operation but possibilities of the US and other foreign actors' involvement could not be ruled out.
Responding to a question about the operation Rah-e-Nijat, he said the people were talking about the difficulties in the operation and the possibility that the Army could be trapped in the area but due to an effective strategy, the military succeeded in clearing the area of the militants within a month and the remaining task would be completed soon.
About the US efforts in Afghanistan, he said the US could neither succeed in Afghanistan nor could get a safe exit from the Afghan soil until it corrected its attitude with the Pakistan Army. Aslam Beg said only the Pakistan Army and the Taliban could give a safe exit to the US from Afghanistan. About the military action in Balochistan, he said there was no need for a military operation in the province.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
straight from the Department Of Making Shit Up
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/16/2009 12:06 Comments ||
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#2
Alleging the US is harboring Mehsud and others in Afghanistan, backing the militants killing and maiming our troops, is most interesting, considering CIA is paying the Taliban protection money. General Aslam Beg was mentioned in one of Dan Darling's wonderful posts as one of the key ISI collaborators with AQ Khan on the Pak nuke program. He should be somewhat reputable and not just another fatwa-spouting liar. What possible US interests are there for deliberately prolonging a miserable war? In answer to my rhetorical question: none, but it furthers an anti-American global agenda.
Suicide attacks, car bombings, shootings in the capital and fighting in the mountains -- the Taliban are dragging Pakistan into a war deadlier than in Afghanistan and mimicking the carnage of Iraq.
Taliban attacks killed at least 320 people in Pakistan last month alone, including 170 civilians slaughtered in market bombings in Peshawar, according to tallies from police and medics, and the bloodshed has continued in November.
Across the border in Afghanistan -- where US President Barack Obama is mulling whether to send thousands of extra troops into battle against the Taliban -- attacks were more frequent, but the death toll for October was around 130.
Pakistan is on the frontline of the US-led war on Al Qaeda and has been a key ally in the Afghan campaign, but local analysts warn that increased instability in the country of 167 million people could prove more damaging.
"The danger here is much greater. It's a bigger country, more developed with the nuclear bomb and all that," said tribal affairs expert Rahimullah Yousufzai.
"The previous three or four attacks in markets was a kind of strategy that was being used in Iraq ... but it will come at a cost. No guerrilla movement can survive without local support," he said.
However, controversial US drone attacks on Pakistani soil have killed not only Al Qaeda and Taliban operatives, but also civilians, helping to galvanise anti-American fervour.
Pakistan's latest operation against the Taliban -- a month-long offensive designed to crush the havens of an estimated 10,000 homegrown Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) members -- is running into resistance.
Seventeen soldiers died on Thursday in the bloodiest battle to date since Pakistan launched its offensive in the mountainous South Waziristan region on October 17, with 30,000 troops backed by fighter jets and helicopter gunships.
Leading TTP spokesman Azam Tariq said the group had started a "guerrilla war" in Waziristan, and would attack cities to prove "we can fight for years".
"This strategy can work in Waziristan, in mountain areas, places where the army is stretched out, where the supply lines are going to be long, but the Taliban are not really trained for urban guerrilla warfare," said Yousufzai.
"This cannot succeed in the plains or in the places which are far from their tribal strongholds. So they can't do it in Punjab. They cannot even do it in Peshawar -- just suicide bombers and car bombings," he said.
Four bomb attacks hit the capital last week with an average of two a week since October. Market-place bombings in Peshawar, in outlying towns and the garrison city of Rawalpindi have inflicted huge casualties.
Retired brigadier Mehmood Shah -- a former security chief in the tribal belt -- reflected growing dissatisfaction with the civilian government, whose President Asif Ali Zardari has reportedly strained relations with the military.
Shah said parallels with Iraq should not be overplayed but recognised that "mass bombings in Pakistan in the last couple of days, in which civilians were targeted, show some similarities".
"The political government needs to get out of the paralysis that they are in right now. They don't know how to respond to the situation. We need an integrated policy. People are dying in the hundreds," he said.
"We can expect a guerrilla war. After defeat in South Waziristan, their next phase could be to engage the army in guerrilla warfare," said Mutahir Sheikh, head of international relations at the University of Karachi.
The military claims to have captured notorious bastions in some of the most forbidding terrain in the country with lightning speed.
Members of the Mehsud tribe, which dominates the TTP, say the Taliban no longer enjoy support.
"May be some tribesmen helped them, but now, we the Mehsud tribe don't side with the Taliban," said tribesman Haji Khan Mohammad Mehsud, 60.
Military intelligence and tribal elders say the Taliban are escaping into the mountains of neighbouring North Waziristan and Orakzai.
"This is something not new to the war on terror. America marched into Iraq, into Afghanistan. There was little resistance, thinking they'd achieved their objective. Then the war began," said defence analyst Ayesha Siddiqa.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Insanity is repeating something and expecting a different result?
this maybe because some of the talibs have gone east to pakland
Posted by: lord garth ||
11/16/2009 19:51 Comments ||
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#3
The Iraqi people learnt to loathe jihadis as a result of their experience. There is a real probability that the Pakistani people will do the same... although at the moment I imagine the probability is still excruciatingly small.
An Irish jihadist living in Pakistan's Swat valley says he is preparing to wage war against British and allied troops in Afghanistan.
Khalid Kelly, a former altar boy from the Liberties area of Dublin who used to be known as Terry, told The Sunday Times he is undergoing weapons training in Pakistan's mountainous tribal region in order to fight jihad against the enemies of Islam. His dream is to face a British soldier in combat, although he would "settle" for an American, he said.
"I'm already on the path to jihad. I've already picked up a gun and done target practice to make myself familiar with weapons. The other day I learnt how to use an M-16 [rifle] in five hours," he said. "Next week, inshallah, I could be in Afghanistan fighting a British soldier."
Asked how he would feel about his own three-year-old son becoming a suicide bomber he replied: "I hope he goes to jannah [heaven] before marriageable age." His son, named Osama after Kelly's role model, lives in Britain with his Pakistani mother and two younger brothers. His father reckons Osama will be efficient with weapons by the age of ten.
Kelly says he learnt map-reading in the Scottish mountains, terrain similar to Afghanistan, although he admits he is currently out of shape. He justifies his intentions because of the West's actions against Muslims.
"Why is it such a big deal that I want to do this? Have I not got the right to do the same thing as a guy going into an army recruitment centre?" he said. "As long as we have no security, you will have no security. We'll kill and bomb you as you have killed and bombed our lands."
Ireland is also a legitimate target, according to Kelly. "Ireland has a US embassy so it is open to attack," he stated.
Kelly, 42, is an unconventional jihadist. Having grown up a staunch Catholic and trained as a nurse, he moved to Saudi Arabia in 1996 to work at the King Faisal hospital on a tax-free salary. In 2000 he was introduced to radical Islam by an Afghan when he was serving time in the Al-Ha'ir prison in Riyadh for bootlegging.
"I was living a cushy Western lifestyle, in a three-storey house with a swimming pool. I was your average Western racist," he said of his time before conversion. "Now I'm living the dream, but the price of paradise does not come cheap. I am getting up at 5am to pray. I travel a lot and I'm experiencing hardship."
Kelly moved to the UK in 2002 where he joined Al-Muhajaroun, the now disbanded hardline Islamic organisation, and an associate of radical clerics Omar Bakri Mohammed and Anjem Choudary. He achieved notoriety in 2007 when he declared the London bombings of 7 July a "happy day".
"If I had had the opportunity, I would have been on those tube trains. But my time in London was to give the call," he said. Kelly also "gave the call" in Ireland, where he returned frequently in a bid to lure young Muslims with his jihadist teachings. He warned that Ireland was putting itself in the line of fire by allowing US warplanes to land at Shannon airport.
Kelly now sees his time in the West as mental preparation for jihad, claiming he spent a lot of time on the internet learning how to make bombs. He left the UK in 2008 after some friends were arrested for extremist behaviour during a protest about the Danish cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed.
After a period underground, Kelly has now re-emerged in Pakistan's Swat valley, where the army recently drove out the Taliban in a three-month military operation. He travels frequently to Rawalpindi, a garrison city next to the nation's capital Islamabad, to meet contacts and spread his radical jihadist message.
In a meeting in one of the city's parks last month he told The Sunday Times that he had a "divine calling" to kill. "I would feel good because you are killing for God. I have practised enough mentally to know that when my time comes I'll be ready. I pray every night for bravery," he said.
Kelly said he moved to Pakistan to join the "best of the best" in the jihadist struggle and to work towards replacing the civilian government with an Islamic one. As Islamabad vows to take on Islamic militants, Kelly harbours a dark hope that Pakistan will become like Iraq with "beheadings and kidnappings".
His face brightens at the mention of suicide bombings and shootings that have devastated hundreds of Pakistani families since the army launched its recent offensive against Taliban and Al Qaeda militants in the tribal belt of Waziristan.
He is also unapologetic about his desire to fund, encourage and take part in terrorism. "I always believe Islam is terrorism. We are told to terrorise the enemies of Islam," he said. "The world will become a dangerous place. Everybody had better start embracing Islam or people will start flying planes into buildings again."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
...he told The Sunday Times that he had a "divine calling" to kill. "I would feel good because you are killing for God."
That's all you have to know about radical islam. There is no discussion. There is no compromise. There is only kill or be killed.
#3
Khalid Kelly, a former altar boy from the Liberties area of Dublin who used to be known as Terry, told The Sunday Times he is undergoing weapons training in Pakistan's mountainous tribal region
Terry or Barry... just another western convert treking off to lovely Pakiland. No surprises here.
#5
"I always believe Islam is terrorism. We are told to terrorise the enemies of Islam,"
At least there is no taqiyya there. Straight from Mo's mouth: Allah's Apostle said, "I have been sent with the shortest expressions bearing the widest meanings, and I have been made victorious with terror (cast in the hearts of the enemy), and while I was sleeping, the keys of the treasures of the world were brought to me and put in my hand."
#6
What a twerp, but, also, what a lost, lost lil white man ("western racist", of course...), so unsure of what he is and what he belongs to that he lept toward the nearest identity that affirmed itself... the end product of a civilizational loss of will to live, loss of belief in itself.
That's sad, that guy is a pure nihilist, who's found acceptance among the livings (as opposed to the zombie-like West, zombie because of people like him and those who made him what he is).
Really, when you believe in nothing (I doubt his Catholicim days wee more than going through the motions & rituals, without any beliefs in Christ, but, then again, the RCC is an empty shell, or has been since Vatican II IMHO), you'll believe in anything; instead of a saudi conversion jail, he could have ended up as a scientologist or something, or as a leftist radical back in the 70's.
#7
I really thought this was a particularly dark onion piece. What a fucking idiot this guy is. Too bad for him a predator drone will make his jihadi days short.
BAGHDAD As one, the stony faces broke into a free-for-all of kisses, hugs and tears on Monday as the 50 women who called themselves the Lioness group became the first female graduates of Iraqs police officer training academy.
On a vast concrete parade ground, the women joined 1,050 male classmates in what American military officers, who provided advice on the training, called a step forward for the country and its women.
Some people have a view of Iraqi women that for them to join the police academy is a shame, said Alla Nozad Falih, 22, wearing a star on her epaulet that marked her as a first lieutenant. Like about half of the groups members, she wore her hair uncovered except by a uniform blue beret, and like 26 of her female classmates, she joined the academy after finishing law school.
The job of officer in the national police force is among the highest paying available in Iraq, but also one of the most dangerous; officers and trainees are favorite targets of insurgents.
Its been my desire since I was a kid to be a police officer, and now I am one, Lieutenant Falih said. We are proud to be officers, and we encourage other women to be officers because its a great job.
Women have long worked in the lower police ranks here, directing traffic or searching other women at checkpoints, but until now they have been ineligible for the elite officers corps. The government changed the rules this year. Several police officials who were questioned did not have an explanation for either the change or the previous prohibition.
The women studied and trained separately from the men, but were subject to the same standards, said Col. Randy Twitchell of the United States Army, a consultant on the nine-month course. Though the graduates do not have their first assignments yet, Colonel Twitchell and others said the women would not be shunted into administrative jobs, but would take part in investigations and forensic work.
For First Lt. Noor Waled, 22, who joined the academy after getting a degree in anthropology, the hardest part was the physical drill. Everyone knows women have soft bodies, so its difficult for us to do military training like jumping or climbing, she said.
Other graduates said the hardest part was learning to handle firearms, a skill in which their male classmates had much more experience.
When we first joined, we were shy about wearing the uniforms, carrying guns and everything, said First Lt. Farah Hameed, 24, who was a legal investigator before joining the academy. But right now we are ready to do anything. Even the trainer said, Now I can tell you are real officers by the way you walk.
All said their families had encouraged them to join the academy. But during the course some mentioned receiving threats from men in their communities, said Nana Shriver, a Danish police major who was an adviser on the womens training.
Though the male students all slept at the academy, there was no housing for women, so they had to commute, some leaving their homes as early as 4 a.m. and returning after dark.
We had workshops about the challenges they face from males, from society, Major Shriver said. Some said they were threatened by others because they were female.
But Lieutenant Hameed, like others, said their gender provided advantages. They could interview women and children in crimes like rape or sexual abuse in a way that would be hard for men, she said. Everyone says men are able to do everything, but thats not true, she said. In investigations, especially with women, women use their compassion with victims to get them to answer questions clearly.
Next years class will have 100 women, Colonel Twitchell said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#2
It has been the blood of such patriots that has fertilized the Iraqi tree of liberty thus far. If all they were to do was to catch the female suicide bomb groomers, they could die happy in their success.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Iraq's Camp Bucca, the U.S.-run jail where around 100,000 prisoners were kept over six years, was a breeding ground for the al-Qaeda terror network, according to police and former inmates.
Bucca, located in an isolated desert north of the border with Kuwait, was a school for scores of Takfiris, or Sunni extremists who usually ended up in al-Qaeda, said Abu Mohammed, freed in 2008 after 26 months behind its bars.
" The illiterate and straight-forward people were the easiest prey for indoctrination "
Abu Mohammed, ex-inmate
"The illiterate and straight-forward people were the easiest prey for indoctrination," said the 32-year-old resident of Ramadi, the former insurgency stronghold 100 kilometers (62 miles) west of Baghdad.
Opened after the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Camp Bucca was the biggest detention centre in Iraq housing up to 22,000 prisoners in 2007.
At its closing on September 17 this year, there were only 8,000 inmates who were transferred to Camp Cropper in Baghdad and Camp Taji, north of the capital. "The two suicide bombers and the majority of suspects detained after the twin bombings of August 19 against the foreign affairs and finance departments, which killed 95, were released shortly before from Camp Bucca," a senior interior ministry official told AFP.
"We reached the same conclusion for the double attack of October 25 which left 153 dead," the official said of the almost simultaneous blasts at the justice and public works ministries, after which 73 people were arrested.
In addition, according to an officer, "the Iraqi police belatedly realized that many terrorists from al-Qaeda were released because they had been detained in American prisons under false names and were not under our review."
Captain Brad Kimberly, spokesman for the U.S. prisons authority in Iraq, told AFP that "to date, we've not received any evidence suggesting a former detainee may be involved in either attack."
Newcomers educated
" The Takfiris educated some newcomers, and they soon became as radical as their masters and justified the murder of policemen and soldiers, calling them 'apostates' "
Haj Ahmad, ex-inmate
Former inmates beg to differ, however. "The Takfiris educated some newcomers, and they soon became as radical as their masters and justified the murder of policemen and soldiers, calling them 'apostates'," said Haj Ahmad, a 45-year-old who spent four years in Bucca before being released in late 2008.
"The most surprising thing is that the Americans released them after they were fully impregnated with ideology and had become killers... they joined al-Qaeda when they left the camp," said Ahmad.
Abu Mohammed, a 35-year-old labourer who was arrested after the bombing of a major Shiite Muslim shrine in Samarra in February 2006, offered a similar insight into Bucca's extremists.
"The Takfiris focused on those around the age of 24. They welcomed them warmly, questioned them about the motives which had led to them being imprisoned, their relationship with religion," said Mohammed, who spent three years at the camp.
"Then they indoctrinated them by encouraging them to grow a beard, dress like the Salafists, including killing policemen and soldiers," he said referring to a group that seeks a purer form of Islam.
Abu Yasser, a teacher aged 45 who was also arrested in Samarra, said he was convinced the Americans were aware of the brainwashing carried out by members of al-Qaeda.
"The people of al-Qaeda used to persuade them that suicide operations against the infidels would lead them to paradise. There were youths from Samarra who were quite moderate but did not to speak to me because they considered me a traitor," he said.
But Captain Kimberly insists the allegations are unfounded.
"Actually, our theatre internment facilities are some of the best schools to give detainees the tools they need to succeed and contribute to Iraqi society," he said.
"Detainees who enter our facilities are kept segregated from the more extremist detainees specifically because we want to ensure the low-threat detainees are not influenced by those who have no issue in perpetrating attacks against the Iraqi people or coalition forces," said the U.S. spokesman.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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[Ma'an] Unidentified assailants broke into the offices of the Al-Dameer Association for Human Rights in Gaza City and stole several items, director of Al-Dameer Khalil Abu Shammala said on Sunday.
Abu Shammala asserted that the incident was not a robbery, but rather an attempt to steal data concerning the association. He refused to accuse any particular association or person.
According to Abu Shammala, the assailants stole two computers and the memory stick of a digital camera, pointing out that more valuable assets were not stolen, proving that the assault was not a robbery, he said during a telephone interview.
"The door was opened seemingly using a special tool," Abu Shammala said.
Abu Shammala called on the de facto government to reveal the assailants, describing the assault as "piracy against a national foundation."
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine denounced the break-in, and speculated that the purpose of the raid was to acquire information on the organization rather than a simple robbery.
In a statement, the leftist faction said it was not the first time organizations had been attacked in Gaza in recent weeks, and urged police to immediately bring to justice the perpetrators and step up protection for human rights groups in the future.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] A death sentence against a Jordanian linked to al-Qaeda over the 2002 murder of an American diplomat has been commuted to 15 years of hard labor in jail, his lawyer said Sunday.
"The cassation (appeals) court last week rejected the state security court's decision to sentence Moamar al-Jaghbir to death and replaced it with 15 years of hard labor in prison for his role in the assassination of Laurence Foley," Fathi Daradkeh told AFP.
" The court's decision was based on the fact that Jaghbir was not in Jordan at the time of murder, did not take part in the assassination and did not know about its timing "
Defendant's lawyer
"The court's decision was based on the fact that Jaghbir was not in Jordan at the time of murder, did not take part in the assassination and did not know about its timing."
Daradkeh said his client heard about the attack from the media.
"The court saw in all these facts a reason to commute the sentence," he said.
The military tribunal condemned Jaghbir to death by hanging in July after a third re-trial for his role in the crime over charges of "carrying out terrorist activity aimed at killing an individual."
In 2007, the same court sentenced Jaghbir, who is already on death row for another conviction, to 10 years in prison with hard labor in connection with the murder.
But the appeals court demanded a new trial, arguing the military tribunal had not heard all the evidence against him.
Jaghbir was first sentenced to death in absentia in 2004 for Foley's murder, along with seven others including slain al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
But in line with Jordanian law, Jaghbir underwent a second trial after he was arrested in Iraq by U.S. forces and handed over to Jordan in 2004.
A Jordanian and a Libyan convicted with him in 2004 were executed in March 2006.
Jaghbir has also been tried separately for the deadly bombing of Jordan's embassy in Iraq in August 2003 that killed 14 people.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
A death sentence against a Jordanian linked to al-Qaeda over the 2002 murder of an American diplomat has been commuted to 15 years of hard labor
#2
In 2007, the same court sentenced Jaghbir, who is already on death row for another conviction, to 10 years in prison with hard labor in connection with the murder
so he's gonna get executed for a different crime. Hokay
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/16/2009 12:31 Comments ||
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[Ma'an] Palestinians are determined to build state institutions in preparation for statehood, caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said in Ramallah on Sunday.
Speaking alongside US officials, he dismissed Israeli concerns as irrelevant.
"They're talking about unilateralism, to which we reply - yes, building state institutions state is our responsibility and we embrace it," Fayyad said.
"A Palestinian state will be established, so long as Palestinians want it, which they do, as it is their natural right to live in a homeland," he added. "This isn't dangerous, although everyone knows, as our people know, that the road is long and not of roses."
Prior to his remarks, Fayyad briefed US officials, including members of its Congress, on his plan for building a state within two years. But he said "Israeli stubbornness" was getting in the way, and urged the country to "stop settlements and abide by international law and legitimacy."
"The international community must emphasize Palestinian rights, at the top of which is ending the occupation, and ensure the right to determine our own future, rather than relying on the occupying power to carry out its wishes," he said.
US Congressman Joseph Lieberman reaffirmed America's commitment to the two-state solution, applauding "the positive role played by the Palestinian Authority and its efforts to build state institutions," and added that the government's platform was "thorough and encouraging."
"I know some people are concerned that this is unilateral," he added, according to The Jerusalem Post. "But it seems to me that it is unilateral in a healthy sense of self-development."
Netanyahu: We too can act unilaterally
The PA has been mobilizing international support for declaring statehood, chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said on Saturday. The Ramallah leadership will bring the issue to a vote before the United Nations Security Council, which would declare a Palestinian state on the 4 June 1967 border with Israel, he said, calling the initiative a response to Israel's policies.
But Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and like-minded officials warned on Sunday that Israel was capable of declaring unilateral steps of its own.
"There is no substitute for negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and any unilateral path will only unravel the framework of agreements between us and will only bring unilateral steps from Israel's side," he said, according to the Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz.
Speaking at the Saban Forum in Jerusalem, the Israeli prime minister added that while he was not interested in "negotiating for the sake of negotiations," but added that he was willing to come to an agreement with Palestinians.
Bill Clinton: Netanyahu has made major concessions
Meanwhile, former US President Bill Clinton said Palestinians would get a better deal through negotiations than by unilateral action.
He said the international community may eventually blame Palestinians for the stalled peace talks, rather than Netanyahu's refusal to freeze settlements.
In fact, Clinton said, "This is the first time that any Israeli government has said we will not issue an new permits and not have any new settlements. Echoing remarks by his wife and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the former president said Netanyahu's gestures "should "should be enough to open the door and start talking."
In any event, America still wants Israel to stop building settlements, he said, defending US President Barack Obama's demands. "You should not think that President Obama is your enemy."
Do not think, know.
Clinton said that since Israel receives so much in US military and economic aid on the pretext of security needs, "we owe it to you to say what the best way to achieve that security is."
"No American president can serve in good conscience and not be committed to the security of Israel and not be committed to the security of Israel," he added, and pointed to America's efforts to thwart Richard Goldstone's fact-finding mission as evidence that the US backs Israel.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Palestinians are determined to build state institutions in preparation for statehood
Exactly what were they doing the last 15 years---or, never mind.
[Ma'an] Israeli soldiers manning new USAID-funded military checkpoint held up a convoy of US Consulate vehicles for several hours on Sunday, the Hebrew-language daily newspaper Maariv reported.
The incident was apparently sparked when the diplomats refused to submit to a search, which Israeli soldiers were demanding at the new Jalamah crossing, which opened this week.
Soldiers shut down the crossing, causing a major traffic buildup, while senior officials from the Israeli Defense Ministry and local police were summoned over the incident, Maariv reported, adding that the Americans had refused to identify themselves.
According to the newspaper, the soldiers guarding the checkpoint attempted to explain that they wanted only to search the Palestinian drivers, but all parties continued to refuse on principle until the US Embassy in Tel Aviv convinced their colleagues to show ID.
One of the soldiers was quoted as describing the incident as "the latest provocation from staffers at the consulate, where Palestinians working as drivers refuse to be searched," while "we want to make sure everyone is holding diplomatic passports - an issue that can't be sorted out by looking in, since cars belonging to the US Consulate have tinted windows."
The incident caused long delays for Palestinians inside Israel en route to Jenin, the newspaper reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
When I was doing reserve duty in Intifada - I (1987) we had a US Jerusalem consulate limo trying to run a check point---I guess the driver thought that (how you call it) toothed carpet should recognize diplomatic imbumity.
#3
Maybe the Americans had refused to identify themselves because they wanted no record of the visit. Searching should not exclude diplomats in this day and age. High tech scanners and biometric IDs aren't all that intrusive to get in a huff about. "Thou dost protest too much."
[Ma'an] Israeli forces distributed demolition warrants to nine Palestinian families from the Al-Hathalin area south of Hebron, near the Karmiel Israeli settlement.
According to local resident Imad Al-Hathalin, the families in question recently sent letters to caretaker Prime Minister Salam Fayyad asking for his intervention to stop the demolitions from proceeding.
Al-Hathalin explained that the demolition notices included residential homes and a chicken den.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
the demolition notices included residential homes and a chicken den
I expect a really harsh letter from Hildy concerning the chicken den.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad said Sunday that the declaration of a Palestinian state would be a mere formality once the institutions of a Palestinian state are created.
Speaking at a press conference in Ramallah organized by the Saban Forum, Fayyad said it is important to create institutions that are functioning, committed to the Palestinian people and free of corruption.
Palestinian officials have they are preparing to ask the United Nations to endorse an independent state without Israel's consent because they are losing hope they can achieve their aspirations through peace talks. The announcement drew a harsh rebuke from Israeli officials.
Fayyad did not comment on the independence plan.
Fayyad spoke at a news conference with U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman, who praised Fayyad's efforts to develop the economy. "I know some people are concerned that this is unilateral," Fayyad said, referring to his development plan. "But it seems to me that it is unilateral in a healthy sense of self-development."
Fayyad said building national institutions is an important step in preparation for the establishment of a Palestinian state within the 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital.
He added thatsaid it was the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority to lay the groundwork for statehood, while it is up to the Palestine Liberation Organization to actually declare a state when the conditions are right.
Fayyad said his government is dedicated now more than ever to providing resources to West Bank areas negatively affected by settlements and the separation fence. "Our people are continuing to demonstrate against everything that is illegal under international law, including the separation fence," he said.
The press conference was held at the end of a discussion Fayyad held with 80 guests as part of the Saban Forum, organized by Israeli-American media tycoon Haim Saban. Some 40 guests arrived in Ramallah from the United States, including three U.S. senators and five congressmen. Forty Israelis were also in attendance, including Bank of Israel Governor Stanley Fischer.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
They dont like the fence? That means its working. Screw'em.
And declaring a State is "merely a formality"? When is a government NOT a govt, then?
And they will declare a State when the time is "right". yeah , baby, you do that.
Supporters of Irans regime have desecrated the grave of Neda Soltan, the student who became a symbol of the opposition after she was shot dead during an anti-goverment demonstration on June 20.
The incident was confirmed by Ms Soltans fiancé, Caspian Makan, who fled from Iran after being released on bail following 65 days in prison. A recording of Ms Soltans mother weeping and cursing those responsible has been posted on the internet.
Mr Makan, 38, also disclosed that the regime tried to force him and Ms Soltans parents to say that she was killed by the opposition, not by a government militiaman on a motorbike as eyewitnesses have claimed. A documentary to be shown on BBC Two next week contains an unseen clip of demonstrators catching the militiaman seconds after the shooting.
Mr Makan, who is in hiding said: The breaking of Nedas gravestone broke the hearts of millions of freedom-loving people around the world. The repressors, believing they can stifle the cries for freedom, have even attacked, beaten, threatened and insulted Nedas parents. This is while the Islamic Republic of Iran denies Nedas murder.
On the internet recording Hajar Rostami, Ms Soltans mother, weeps over her daughters grave and wails: Woe on me! Wheres my childs tombstone? . . . My child has no gravestone . . . You bastards! Why dont you leave my child alone?
On November 4 Ms Soltans parents were attacked and detained when they joined a protest in Iran. One source told The Times that members of the security forces taunted them, saying that they could meet the same fate as their daughter.
Officials had been pressurising Ms Soltans parents to say that their daughter was shot not by a government militiaman a basij but by enemies of Iran seeking to embarrass the regime. They were told that if they did so she would be declared a martyr and they would receive a pension.
In October Ms Soltans mother said: Neda died for her country, not so that I could get a monthly income from the Martyr Foundation. If these officials say Neda was a martyr, why do they keep wiping off the word martyr in red which people write on her gravestone? . . . Even if they give the world to me I will never accept the offer.
Arash Hejazi, the doctor who tried to save Ms Soltans life and who now lives in exile in Oxford, told The Times: The beating and arrest of Nedas parents, the shattering of her tombstone, and the torturing and imprisonment of her boyfriend only shows how far this government is ready to go.
Posted by: ed ||
11/16/2009 09:21 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his American counterpart Barack Obama warned that time was running out for diplomacy to resolve a crisis over Iran's nuclear program.
The U.S. had been willing to give Iran time to decide whether to accept a U.N.-brokered deal meant to allay suspicions it is after atomic bombs but which has drawn Iranian objections, a U.S. diplomat said a week ago.
On Sunday Obama, speaking after talks with Medvedev on the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific meeting in Singapore, suggested patience was running low.
"Unfortunately, so far at least, Iran appears to have been unable to say yes to what everyone acknowledges is a creative and constructive approach," Obama said while seated next to Medvedev. "We are running out of time with respect to that approach."
But taking a softer tone against Iran Medvedev said: "We are prepared to work further" to ensure Iran's nuclear program is only for peaceful purposes.
"Thanks to joint efforts the process of (the Iran talks) has not stopped but we are not completely happy about its pace. If something does not work there are other means to move the process further," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Tis the season for the Lucy Van Pelt - Charlie Brown sports show.
Posted by: ed ||
11/16/2009 1:47 Comments ||
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#2
Just make sure Lucy removes the football before he try's to punt it.
Iran's parliament has condemned Saudi interference in the conflict in Northern Yemen that has lead to the evacuation of around 240 villages in the war-ridden area.
During a Sunday session, devoted to debate the qualifications of the three remaining members of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's 21-member cabinet, 250 of the parliament's lawmakers called on Islamic states to take action against the killing of innocent Muslims in Yemen.
"How can the custodian of the two holy mosques of Islam bring himself to permit the killing of innocent Muslims in the forbidden months," Parliament speaker Ali Larijani asked referring to King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz of Saudi Arabia.
Known as the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, the Saudi kings preserve the role as protector of the two holiest cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina, which had traditionally been the role of the Caliph.
Islam has forbidden its followers from waging war or fighting during the four lunar months of Shawwal, Rajab, Dhu al-Qi'dah and Dhu al-Hijjah.
Sana'a started a massive crackdown on Shia fighters known as Houthis in August after years of irregular battles against them. The Houthis have taken up arms against the Sunni-dominated central government in protest to its repression and discrimination against the Shia minority of the county.
Some 150,000 Yemenis have been forced out of their homes in the beleaguered north because of the ongoing Operation Scorched Earth which has been also joined by Saudi military forces and fighter jets.
The anti-government fighters accuse Saudi Arabia of collaborating with the Yemeni government in its military offensive on Shias and of targeting civilians in villages far from its territory.
The Saudi military assistance started on November 4 on claims that Houthis had penetrated 'Saudi territory.' The fighters say the Saudis have started shelling their villages with illegal phosphorous bombs, which are capable of inflicting severe burns.
They also charge Sana'a with employing al-Qaeda mercenaries and terrorists to help the army with its campaign against Houthis.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/16/2009 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.
Now that the venue is finally set, a sinister question looms over the case of confessed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed: Will he use the court as a platform to spew his sickening diatribes?
An Irish jihadist living in Pakistan's Swat valley says he is preparing to wage war against British and allied troops in Afghanistan.
