Hattip DrudgeReport. Ay Pee, so here's the summary:
Pfc. Bowe Bergdahl appears healthy, read prepared statement castigating US after stating an interesting mix of identifying information: name, rank, unit, birth place and name, blood type and mother's maiden name. The AP article notes that as non-state actors the Taliban are not party to the Geneva Conventions.
Bergdahl is shown seated, facing the camera, wearing sunglasses and what appears to be a U.S. military helmet and uniform. On one side of the image, it says: "An American soldier imprisoned by the Mujahideen of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. A statement read by a Taliban spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, appears at the end of the video and renews demands for a "limited number of prisoners" to be exchanged for Bergdahl.
#1
OK, so the AP wants to play it from both sides, they want the taliban to be protected under the constitution when captured, but our press gives them a pass so they can torture our boys. I say FUCK them, the Taliban and the Press. Fire up the B52's and send the God Damned Taliban another new years present, invite the press while your at it. I really dont care anymore how many poor Afghans we kill in the process, matter of fact the more the better. And YES I do mean that. If we kill enough they just might not give sanctuary to the Taliban. Our country is weak and our leaders are cowards to their core. Our enemy understand the cowardess of our leaders and our Press embrace it. We need to understand total war, embrace it and undertand that it is how we will win this. Otherwise bring our brave boys home, put burkas on in DC and let this country divide, we will settle it another way. I'm tired of the brave bold young men being allowed to suffer for our failures in DC. In the deserts of hell thousands of brave men and women are away from home, suffering from the failures of DC. Mr President, get off your ass, leave Hawaii, end your year long vacation in the White House and do what the people of AMERICA voted you to do, lead this country, for this country, with regard for only this country. We did not vote you in to bow, kiss ass, and suck up to others. We hired you to lead, so reach down between your legs and pull your head out of your ass and lead.
For those in Afghan, Iraq, Yemen, Kazigstan, Kuwait, Bosnia-remember that one?, europe, Korea, Japan, Soddi, Cutter, My close family friends in Syria, By best friend in the Phils, the boys in Thai, The group guys in South America, Africa, and all the OCE's around the world, and any shit hole in the world I may have missed. Merry Christmas, we do love you all!
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
12/25/2009 12:37 Comments ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] Yemeni separatist leader Tareq al-Fadhli threatens to arm his supporters while over 30 people have been killed in the latest government airstrikes on the South.
Witnesses say al-Fadhli made his threats on Thursday, in response to what he called "official violence."
"We will provide weapons and megaphones to our supporters, and we will protest peacefully, or, failing that, we will confront the official violence," the witnesses quoted Fadhli, a strong supporter of independence in the South, as saying during a rally in Jinzibar.
Several protests in recent months have sparked bloody clashes with Yemeni security forces. The demonstrations in South Yemen are usually held by protesters who want cessation from the North.
A recent report by Human Rights Watch said state forces have killed 11 unarmed protesters over the past two years, in addition to other abuses.
Meanwhile, Yemeni security officials claimed the country's air force has killed 34 "suspected Al-Qaeda militants" in the Al-Said district in the southeastern province of Shabwa.
While the government claims only that militants are killed in its aerial bombardments, witnesses say that mostly civilians are targeted in the attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2009 00:00 ||
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Uzbekistan will vote on Sunday in a parliamentary election certain to cement President Islam Karimov's grip on power in a Central Asian nation key to Western efforts to contain the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. The West, once critical of Uzbekistan's rights abuses and hard line on dissent, has kept quiet ahead of the Sunday vote as it seeks to engage the ex-Soviet republic in U.S.-led efforts in Afghanistan.
The resource-rich country has been classified as one of the world's most repressive by global rights groups since it gained independence from Soviet rule in 1991. There are no opposition parties in Uzbekistan and it has never held an election judged free and fair by Western monitors. Most liberal politicians and activists are either in jail or in exile abroad.
"Pessimism is felt everywhere," said Surat Ikramov, one of a handful of independent rights activists working in Uzbekistan. "I don't expect anything good from this election. Everyone is keeping silent, as always," added Ikramov who meticulously documents cases of rights violations across the country.
The West however is worried about stability in Uzbekistan, which lies on a new supply route for cargo bound for U.S. troops fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. The 71-year-old Karimov, who has ruled the poor nation and its command-style economy for 20 years, has no clear successor.
Sunday's vote is certain to hand his allies all seats in the lower house of parliament in a country where expressing critical views about the Uzbek leader can land people in jail. There has been no visible campaigning ahead of the vote and media reports have been patchy from the isolated nation which has revoked most Western media accreditations in recent years.
Residents of the capital, Tashkent, have been reluctant to speak to reporters based outside the country by telephone, fearful of state reprisals for expressing views in public.
In Tashkent, an ancient Silk Road city rebuilt in Soviet times after a ruinous earthquake, life appeared to proceed as usual as people rushed about on last-minute New Year's errands, apparently ignoring large election banners hanging over streets. "It's a festive season and people are more concerned with New Year celebrations than elections," said Ikramov.
The West cut off ties with Uzbekistan after state troops opened fire on protesters in the eastern city of Andizhan in 2005, killing hundreds of people, according to witnesses. This year Washington stepped up contacts after Uzbekistan agreed to allow non-military supplies to pass en route to Afghanistan. The European Union lifted sanctions in October.
In Sunday's vote, candidates from four parties are running for 150 seats in the lower house. The Ecological Movement of Uzbekistan, focused solely on environmental issues, automatically gets 15 seats in the chamber. All have stated strong support for Karimov's government. None of the parties have been available for comment despite numerous attempts to reach their headquarters in Tashkent.
A Foreign Ministry spokesman said he could not comment on the vote which official websites have described as democratic. "Conditions have been created ahead of this election to make sure they are held in the spirit of freedom, that voters are given transparent choices and information about the candidates' election programs," said the official UZA news agency.
The election monitoring arm of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe decided against sending an observation mission to Uzbekistan, saying that none of its recommendations offered in the past had been implemented. It said in a pre-election report that "the current political spectrum does not offer the electorate a genuine choice between competing political alternatives."
The official spokesman of Turkey's opposition Kurdish Workers Party [PKK] has called the results of Turkish Interior Minister Besir Atalay's recent visit to Iraq and the Kurdistan Region to lay down a joint strategy for confronting the party's fighters, "a failure like previous ones".
In a telephone interview with Asharq Al-Awsat from his base in the Qandil Mountains, Ahmed Deniz, the PKK's official spokesman, warned the government of the Kurdistan Region not to be "deceived" by Turkish promises and economic offers and said: "The government of the region should be more aware and not deceived by these twisted promises and ways which aim at attracting the regional forces and dragging them into a bloody conflict with our party. While we appreciate the stand of Barham Salih, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, about his government's unwillingness to take part in any Turkish military action against our party on the basis that the issue is an internal Turkish one, we assert that the issue is indeed an internal one and needs to be resolved through political negotiation with the parties concerned with it, which are the representatives of the Kurdish people in Turkey." He added: "There is no reason for Turkey's moves to gain regional support for its vile efforts that are aimed at liquidating the Kurdish cause and destroying the PKK. We warn the government of the region against being deceived by the promises and economic offers made by Turkey to ensure its support for the war against our party."
Deniz pointed out that "Turkey is talking about peace in its media statements but is hiding a sharp knife behind its back and therefore its promises and stands cannot be trusted and relied upon. The closest evidence of this is the ban on the activities of the Kurdish Democratic Society Party. After this party refused to comply with the Turkish Government's demands to consider the PKK a terrorist one, the Constitutional Court banned this party which was licensed in accordance with the constitution." He added: "Therefore Turkey's relationship with the government of the region is governed by the same criteria that are hostile to everything that is Kurdish. Turkey is not hostile only to the PKK but to all the Kurds in all four parts of Kurdistan and is dealing with the regional parties on the basis of its interests alone without consideration for the others' rights."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] The head of Germany's Protestant churches has described the war in Afghanistan as "unjust" and has called for a complete troops withdrawal.
On Thursday, Margot Kaessmann called for the withdrawal of all of the 4,400 German troops taking part in the US-led NATO operation in Afghanistan.
"There is no just war. I cannot legitimize it from a Christian point of view," Kaessmann said in an interview in the Berliner Zeitung daily on Thursday.
The comments by Kaessmann, head of the EKD -- an umbrella group for 22 Churches -- comes while Berlin is mulling over sending more troops to the war-torn country following a troop boost request from Washington.
Germany is the third-largest force contributor in Afghanistan after the United States and the United Kingdom. Germany's Parliament, which has the final say on troop levels, has so far authorized a maximum level of 4,500 troops.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I dunno, Ms. Kaessmann. Certainly the beatitude, "Blessed are those that fight for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven," would contradict and put a wall against the unjust, totalitarian and barbaric war that the forces of Islam have unleashed upon our society.
#2
Well, Ms. Kaessmann, since in your own words "there is no just war," guess that means you and your countrymen won't be on the phone to DC when Vlad decides that having a West Coast would be a really keen idea...
Posted by: Ricky bin Ricardo (Abu Babaloo) ||
12/25/2009 2:31 Comments ||
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#3
I'm glad it's not only in Britain that our Church figures have become, at best, amoral fools.
#4
The head of Germany's Protestant churches has described the war in Afghanistan the Lowlands as "unjust" and has called for a complete troops withdrawal.
Thanks Bambi. You wanted a circus, you're getting a circus.
Khalid Sheik Mohammed and four co-defendants accused of organizing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks are meeting to plot legal strategy in advance of their transfer to New York and are learning as much as possible about criminal procedure in U.S. federal court, according to sources familiar with the detainees' deliberations.
While the five men wanted to plead guilty in a military commission earlier this year to hasten their executions, sources now say that the detainees favor participating in a full-scale federal trial to air their grievances and expose their treatment while held by the CIA at secret prisons. The sources, who cautioned that the detainees' final decision remains uncertain, spoke on the condition of anonymity because all communications with high-value detainees are presumptively classified.
One hopes most sincerely the meetings are also presumptively and thoroughly bugged. One is, however, not sanguine.
The detainees' "brothers' meetings" were set up to allow them to prepare for a trial at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The military has allowed the gatherings to continue because charges have not been formally withdrawn in the commission process, despite the announcement last month that Mohammed and the others would face trial in Manhattan.
The five accused have held two all-day meetings at Guantanamo Bay since Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said they would face federal criminal prosecution, according to Joseph DellaVedova, a spokesman for the Office of Military Commissions. DellaVedova said they break only for meals and prayers during the get-togethers. The military has also provided the men with computers in their cells at Guantanamo Bay to work on their defense.
It is unclear when the men will be transferred to New York. The Obama administration has yet to file a 45-day classified notice with Congress that it intends to move the prisoners into the United States, according to Dean Boyd, a Justice Department spokesman. That suggests that their initial appearance in court in Manhattan will not come before February; the trial isn't expected to begin until late 2011.
A federal grand jury in New York is hearing evidence and testimony, according to a report by NBCNewYork.com, the Web site of a local station. Both the Justice Department and the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan declined to comment on the report.
Courtroom as pulpit?
In hearings at Guantanamo Bay, the five detainees have trumpeted their role in the 9/11 attacks and broadcast their fealty to Osama bin Laden, causing some consternation among observers that the men will use their federal trial as a pulpit of sorts. Federal officials, though, say they are confident that some of the rhetorical flourishes that Mohammed, in particular, offered at Guantanamo Bay will be kept firmly in check in U.S. District Court.
"Judges in federal court have firm control over the conduct of defendants and other participants in their courtrooms, and when the 9/11 conspirators are brought to trial, I have every confidence that the presiding judge will ensure appropriate decorum," Holder said at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing last month.
Facing trial with Mohammed are four other alleged key players in the Sept. 11 conspiracy: Ramzi Binalshibh, a Yemeni; Walid bin Attash, a Yemeni better known as Khallad; Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, Mohammed's nephew and a Pakistani also known as Ammar al-Baluchi; and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi, a Saudi.
Among other issues being raised at Guantanamo, Mohammed and the others are discussing defense counsel, sources said. At the military tribunal, Mohammed, bin Attash and Ali represented themselves with assistance from both civilian and military lawyers. Lawyers for both Binalshibh and Hawsawi, however, had challenged the mental competence of their clients to represent themselves, and the issue had not been resolved when the Obama administration suspended proceedings at Guantanamo Bay.
The lawyer question
The issue of self-representation will have to be taken up again in federal court for all five defendants.
In New York, lawyers for defendants in death cases are usually drawn from a "capital panel," a short list of attorneys with experience in death penalty cases. Attorneys will also need security clearances to handle classified evidence that is off limits to the defendants.
The American Civil Liberties Union plans to ask the court to consider allowing some civilian lawyers from outside New York who worked at Guantanamo Bay to continue in the case. Mohammed's civilian attorneys at Guantanamo, for example, are from Idaho. They declined to comment on the issue of representation in federal court.
The sources said the five have not yet established a common position on the role of defense counsel. But, the sources said, the five are beginning to understand the harsh conditions they will face in Manhattan and that meetings with lawyers will be their only human contact apart from any interaction with their jailers.
The strategy meetings in Guantanamo will almost certainly end. Federal authorities are likely to impose "special administrative measures" on the defendants, according to Boyd.
Apart from measures already in place at Guantanamo Bay -- including bans on social visits, phone calls and access to the media -- special measures can limit access to other inmates, a privilege currently enjoyed in Cuba by high-value detainees such as the 9/11 defendants.
The attorney general can order the Bureau of Prisons to impose such conditions to protect national security and prevent the leak of classified information, according to federal guidelines.
At Guantanamo Bay, Mohammed and 15 other high-value detainees held at the top-secret Camp 7 can share recreation time with another detainee; visit a media room with movies, newspapers and electronic games; or work out in a gym, according to a Pentagon study, which recommended even more communal activities. Mohammed and the others have been told by military defense lawyers that once in New York, they will be in a sparse 23-hour-a-day lockdown with one hour of individual recreation, according to the sources.
"They are quite anxious about the new system and the new living conditions," one of the sources said. "They've been treated like rock stars compared to other detainees at Gitmo. And they know that all of that is about to change."
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/25/2009 12:27 ||
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Female parliamentarians from various mainstream political parties have submitted the 'Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention Act 2009" with National Assembly Secretariat -- which proposes stern punishment for acid attacks and calls for measures to regulate businesses related to "acids and poisonous substances".
Addressing a press conference along with representatives of civil society, Marvi Memon of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) unveiled the clauses of the bill -- which has been co-sponsored by Anusha Rehman of the PML-Nawaz and Shehnaz Wazir Sheikh of the PML-Q.
The proposed legislation -- likely to be taken up as a private members' bill during the upcoming session of the National Assembly -- seeks amendments to Sections 332 and 336 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Two new subsections have been proposed in Section 336 of the PPC. The female parliamentarians have called for an extension in the definition of the word "hurt" and proposed that "whoever ... hurts any person by means of fire, or any heated substance, or any poison or any corrosive substance or acid, or by means of any explosive or arsenic substance, or by any substance deleterious to the human body ... would have to undergo punishment of imprisonment that may extend to a life sentence, or a fine that should not be less than Rs 500,000, or both".
Also, the proposed legislation would also empower courts to direct the those convicted in such cases to pay monetary relief to meet the expenses incurred and losses suffered by the aggrieved party. The relief would also include the loss of earnings and medical expenses of the victim. In case those accused fail to pay monetary relief, the court would be empowered to direct the employers or debtors of the convicts to directly pay the aggrieved party a portion of the wages or salaries or debt to victims.
The sponsors of the bill have also proposed amendments to the Poisons Act of 1919, to regulate businesses related to "acids and other poisonous products". They have called for a ban on such products' manufacture, distribution, supply and sales without a licence to be issued by a provincial authority.
Anybody found involved in a breach of the conditions laid down in the proposed law would face one-year imprisonment and a fine of Rs 100,000 the first time, while a two-year imprisonment sentence and a fine of Rs 200,000 would be handed out for any subsequent breaches.
The proposed bill would make offences within its scope "cognisable, non-bailable and compoundable".
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2009 00:00 ||
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Hidden forces are conspiring against democracy in the country, President Asif Ali Zardari said on Thursday.
Presiding over a meeting of Sindh cabinet members belonging to the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), the president said the people were aware of the conspiracies against the government and would support the PPP in foiling every attempt against the democratic system.
He said the party was not against any institution and respected the courts. However, President Zardari added, "The party will foil all these conspiracies with the support of the people."
Restriction: He said the PPP was a federal party that had its roots in all provinces, but "some elements wanted to restrict it to Sindh only".
Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah and Sindh Assembly Speaker Nisar Khuhro were also present in the meeting, which lasted three hours.
According to sources, the overall political situation was reviewed in the meeting and a consensus was reached on the decision that the party would start a mass contact campaign to counter all conspiracies against the party leadership and the democratic system.
Sindh Information Minister Shazia Marri later told reporters that the president had said all decisions would be made in accordance with the law and the constitution.
Quoting the president, the provincial information minister said the PPP had neither confronted any institution in the past nor would it do so in the future.
She said the president told the meeting that the National Finance Commission (NFC) Award would be formally signed within the next few days, adding that implementation of the Aghaze Haqooqe Balochistan Package was also in progress.
The sources said some of the participants had asked the president to expedite efforts to resolve the issue of provincial autonomy. They were of the opinion that if the issue of provincial autonomy was resolved, it would be another feather in the PPP's cap.
Meanwhile, official sources told Daily Times that the president would remain in the province for a few days. They said during the week-long stay, Zardari is expected to inaugurate development projects in Karachi, Hyderabad and Larkana. These projects include the recently developed Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Park in Boat Basin area in Karachi. The sources said he was also likely to distribute Benazir Income Support Programme cards among eligible women in Larkana.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] The United Nations has launched a new website to improve transparency about sexual misconduct charges leveled against members of its missions.
The website tracks the number of offences that have been allegedly committed by the UN political and peacekeeping missions across the globe over the past three years.
"This is a first stage and a work in progress," Reuters quoted UN spokesman Martin Nesirky as saying on Thursday.
The world body's conduct and discipline unit is making an attempt to display its 'zero tolerance' policy on sexual abuse by peacekeepers.
The measure complies with a General Assembly resolution requesting "the implementation of an effective outreach program to explain the policy of the United Nations against sexual exploitation and abuse and to inform the public on the outcome of all such cases involving peacekeeping personnel, including cases where allegations are ultimately found to be legally unproven," according to the UN news center.
This year the Mission of the United Nations Organization in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) received over 40 allegations of sexual misconduct, more than any other UN mission, the website statistics suggest.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
"of course, to fund the website development, we are asking the US for $300 million ...for the children"
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/25/2009 11:29 Comments ||
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#2
Wonder if the contract will go to the same company that did that wonderful (NOT) site: recovery.gov.
JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Hamas leaders in Damascus are against Israel's latest offer in a prisoner swap deal, but the organization's Gaza members want to accept, an Arabic newspaper reported.
Al-Sharq al-Awsat, a London-based, pan-Arabic newspaper, reported Friday that Israel's latest offer delivered from Israel to Hamas by a German mediator is not acceptable to Hamas leaders in Damascus. The deal would see hundreds of Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli prisons in exchange for captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
Meshaal is safe and snug in his bed so of course he's against the deal.
But Israel has reportedly refused to release a reported nine senior leaders of Hamas who were involved in the killing of Israelis. The deal has also been held up by Israel's insistence that about 120 prisoners serving life sentences for killing Israelis not be permitted to return to their homes in the West Bank and instead be deported to Gaza or abroad.
"Israel will wait a long time if it fails to pay the price for the release of Shalit," a Hamas source told the Arabic newspaper.
Damascus also reportedly is against having the prisoners deported outside of the West Bank or Gaza.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/25/2009 12:29 ||
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Fifteen Israeli civilians wounded in Palestinian rocket attacks have petitioned a Belgian court to issue arrest warrants against leaders of the Gaza Strip's ruling Hamas movement.
The legal action follows a series of efforts by Palestinians to have Israeli officials and former military commanders arrested abroad over military operations in the Gaza Strip.
Uri Yablonka, director of a pro-Israel European lobby group, says the Israelis filed a criminal complaint with Belgium's federal prosecutor on Wednesday. He says all 15 were wounded during Israel's three-week war against Hamas a year ago. They all hold dual Belgian citizenship.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Anybody willing to bet that EUros will find an excuse not to?
Iran confirmed Thursday that a daughter of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has turned up at the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, but said it does not know how she entered the country.
A Saudi newspaper reported Wednesday that Bin Laden's 17-year-old daughter, Eman, went to the embassy after eluding guards in Iran who have held her, her sister and four brothers under house arrest for eight years.
It has long been believed that Iran has held in custody a number of bin Laden's children since they fled Afghanistan after the U.S.-led invasion of that country in 2001 -- most notably Saad and Hamza bin Laden, who are thought to have held positions in al-Qaida.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on a TV talk show Thursday that Iran had no idea Eman was in the country until it heard from the embassy that she was there.
Mottaki said if Iranian authorities are able to confirm her identity she would be free to leave Iran.
"Some time ago, the Embassy of Saudi Arabia informed us that one of the daughters of Bin Laden is in the embassy," Mottaki said. "We don't know how this person went to the embassy or how she entered the country."
Mottaki made no mention of the other Bin Laden children and he was not asked on the TV program whether Iran was holding them.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Like nobody knew they were there. Duh...
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
12/25/2009 20:44 Comments ||
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has called his former US counterpart George W. Bush the most hated man in the United States.
"One day, Bush and his colleagues will be tried and punished for the crimes they committed in Iraq and Afghanistan," Ahmadinejad said in a Wednesday afternoon speech in Iran's southern Province of Fars.
"World affairs have changed completely. People are getting to know all those who plotted against Iran. They are descending into the pits of historical notoriety and infamy," he added.
The Iranian president said that today, no-one dares use the former US president's semantics when addressing other countries.
According to 2007 estimates published by the independent London-based polling agency, Opinion Research Business, over a million Iraqis have died due to violence since the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
This is while there are no estimates available on the number of civilians who have been killed in Afghanistan since the 2001 coalition invasion, but according to the latest UN report, over 1,500 Afghans have been killed just in the first half of 2009.
This is the equivalent of 10 Virginia Tech shootings in Iraq and Afghanistan everyday.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Apparently he's not been paying attention to Obama's poll numbers.
#5
Must be some sort of pox, or hereiditary genetic disorder. Ahmadinejad's brother Barry can't seem to get over "W" either. Can't say for certain, but possibly a frontotemporal dementia. I must refer this one to Dr. Steve and his team of specialists.
Iran confirmed Thursday that a daughter of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden has turned up at the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, but said it does not know how she entered the country.
A Saudi newspaper reported Wednesday that Bin Laden's 17-year-old daughter, Eman, went to the embassy after eluding guards in Iran who have held her, her sister and four brothers under house arrest for eight years.
It has long been believed that Iran has held in custody a number of bin Laden's children since they fled Afghanistan after the U.S.-led invasion of that country in 2001 -- most notably Saad and Hamza bin Laden, who are thought to have held positions in al-Qaida.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on a TV talk show Thursday that Iran had no idea Eman was in the country until it heard from the embassy that she was there.
Mottaki said if Iranian authorities are able to confirm her identity she would be free to leave Iran.
"Some time ago, the Embassy of Saudi Arabia informed us that one of the daughters of Bin Laden is in the embassy," Mottaki said. "We don't know how this person went to the embassy or how she entered the country."
Mottaki made no mention of the other Bin Laden children and he was not asked on the TV program whether Iran was holding them.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2009 00:00 ||
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Najwa al-Ghanem, the first wife of Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden, confirmed that she greatly misses her six children who have been detained in Iran for more than eight and a half years. In a telephone interview conducted with Asharq Al-Awsat yesterday, Najwa al-Ghanem also revealed that she is in poor health, and that she prays to God night and day for the reunion of her family and the return of her six children and eleven grandchildren who she has not seen since they first went to Iran.
Najwa al-Ghanem appealed to the Iranian authorities to complete the good deed of looking after her children since 2001 by quickly facilitating their return to the family.
Najwa told Asharq Al-Awsat of the feelings of joy that she felt when she learned that her six children were alive and well in Iran and described this as being the result of "a blessing thanks alone to God Almighty, and [our] prayers that He keep them from harm. God has responded to us because they [the children] are innocent of any allegations."
Asharq Al-Awsat yesterday published an interview with Najwa al-Ghanem's son Omar Bin Laden in which he revealed that six of his siblings and his father's wife (Umm Hamzah) have been present in Iran since 2001. He also confirmed that his sister Iman has sought refuge in the Saudi embassy in Tehran after she escaped from her guards.
Osama Bin Laden's first wife told Asharq Al-Awsat "my children Saad, Othman, Mohamed, Fatima, and Bakr, and their wives and children, in addition to Mrs. Khayriyah (Umm Hamza) the wife of Bin Laden are being detained in a residential complex." As for her daughter Iman, Najwa al-Ghanem said that she is being hosted by the Saudi embassy in Tehran. She told Asharq Al-Awsat that she phones her daughter and checks up on her via the Saudi Arabian embassy's internal communications, and that she lives honorably in a special room in the embassy until --God willing -- she can leave and travel to Saudi Arabia or Syria or any other neighboring country.
Najwa al-Ghanem expressed her thanks to the Iranian authorities for taking care of her six children during the previous years and keeping them safe. She said that due to the long absence of any news about them she believed that they had come to harm or died, but the telephone call from Iman to her brother Abdullah, before she sought refuge in the Saudi embassy in Tehran, gave her new hope. She confirmed that none of her children have anything whatsoever to do with suspicions of terrorism, and they lived in Afghanistan with their father because they are his family.
Najwa al-Ghanem also commended the embassy of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques in Tehran. She told Asharq Al-Awsat "God knows that they have done very well, we are in their debt, those in the embassy have treated my daughter with love and respect and honor, they have treated her like their own daughter. We wish them all the best and may God bless them, and their efforts to return her [Iman] to the bosom of her family, and their good deeds on the Day of Judgment, God willing.
An official in the Saudi embassy who wished to remain anonymous refused to comment on the details of Iman's life in the Saudi embassy in Iran, saying only that one could confirm her wellbeing from her siblings and mother who check up on her on a daily basis, and communication between them is not interrupted. The official also pointed out that talking to the media may damage the mediation efforts that are being made with the Iranian authorities [for the return of the Saudi citizens].
For his part, Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden's fourth son told Asharq Al-Awsat that he had no idea that his brothers and sisters were alive until they contacted him in November and informed him that they had fled Afghanistan prior to the September 11 attacks, walking to the Iranian border. They were then transferred to a [residential] compound surrounded by fences outside of Tehran where the guards informed them that they were not allowed to leave for their own safety. He said "the time has come for the children of Bin Laden to return to their good and pure homeland and their beloved Saudi Arabia rather than this dispersion [of family members] that we are experiencing today."
Omar Bin Laden also said that his relatives "live a good life as much as possible in Iran today, cooking food and watching television and reading. They are infrequently allowed outside on shopping trips." He thanked the Iranian authorities for taking good care of his siblings, and added "The Iranian government did not know what to do with this large group of people that nobody wants, they therefore looked after their safety. Therefore we owe them a lot of gratitude, and we thank Iran from the bottom of our hearts." Omar Bin Laden now hopes that his family will be allowed to leave Iran and reunite with his mother or reunite with the family in Saudi Arabia, and his brother and sister in Syria, or join him and his wife in Qatar.
The group that is present in Iran includes one of Osama Bin Laden's wives, six of his children, and eleven of his grandchildren, all of whom have been living in a [residential] compound outside of Tehran under strict security measures for the past eight years.
The US and Afghan forces launched a large-scale attack on the Tora Bora mountains in 2001 to hunt down the Saudi born Osama Bin Laden. Bin Laden has never been found, and it is believed that he is still hiding out in the mountainous border regions between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Najwa married her cousin Osama Bin Laden when she was 15 years old and he was 17 years old. She bore him 6 sons and 4 daughters. Osama Bin Laden's first wife also revealed new details about the character of America's Most Wanted man, revealing details about his private, his relationship with his wives and children, and his hobbies, in a special book published in London two months ago.
Najwa said that her husband is a "frugal father who banned his children from having toys and banned his wives from using modern tools in the house, but he loved nature and cultivating flowers. He [also] spoke English fluently and he loved fast cars."
In this book, Bin Laden's first wife, and his fourth son Omar, gave a unique perspective on the personal life of the Al Qaeda leader at the time of the September 11 attacks on America.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2009 00:00 ||
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I Pray to God Night and Day for the Return of My Children
[Iran Press TV Latest] President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says some Western countries are using Iran's nuclear program as a pretext to put pressure on the Islamic Republic.
In an interview with Britain's Channel 4, Ahmadinejad said that Iran opposes expansionist policies being pursued by certain Western countries, adding that this was the real reason behind their animosity with Iran.
"Some Western countries are using Iran's peaceful nuclear program as a pretext for imposing sanctions and [passing] resolutions against the Iranian nation," IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying on Thursday.
"It would be better if they were brave enough to openly declare that they are against the Iranian nation because it is an obstacle to their expansionist policies in the world," the Iranian president said.
He noted that Tehran had voluntarily offered to buy nuclear fuel from the West to provide them with an opportunity to cooperate with Iran.
"Based on the [IAEA] regulation they are obliged to provide Iran with nuclear fuel without setting any preconditions," Ahmadinejad added.
Article III of the IAEA Statute clearly states that the agency, if requested to do so, should act as "an intermediary for the purposes of securing the performance of services or the supplying of materials, equipment, or facilities by one member of the Agency for another."
He noted that the West is setting "political conditions" for a nuclear swap deal with Iran.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/25/2009 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.
