Not that you can tell the players without a scorecard ...
(SomaliNet) As Alshabaab militia starts controlling more ground, hardcode criminals like murders, rapists and illegal drug traffickers are heading the only safe heaven left, Mogadishu. Alshabaab shocked the world when they announced their expansionist intentions and said we are going to follow the Ethiopian troops into Ethiopia. However, what the word hasnt seen or ignored to mention is what they are doing in their newly claimed land.
The group now controls whole southern Somalia except Baidao and parts of Mogadishu. Security and peace returned every town they captured instantly. These masked men whose long-term agenda is anyones guess have at least won the hearts and minds of many victims of Somalias prolonged civil war. Just yesterday they whipped and deported two young men for raping a girl in Kismayo, Somalias third largest city. Both men received hundred lashes and were driven out of the city by force. They were told not to return for a year of face harsh punishment. A mother in Kismayo told SomaliNet she was first skeptical about these men but now, they have her full support. She said What matters to us is peace and lack of fear and thats they brought to us. It is not only Kismayo, criminals are on the run in every corner of southern Somalia, even wealthy pirates are in retreat in central Somalia.
For the first time in Somalia, Alshabaab told people who possess property looted during the civil war, including farms and other real estate to return to their owners and ask for forgiveness. They said if illegal occupiers fail to do whats right or the rightful owners do not accept their apology, they will pay full rent for all the years they occupied or used the property illegally.
While the criminals are on the run in areas affected by Alshabaabs bold and swift judgment, Mogadishu is seeing sharp increase in violent crimes. Many wanted men are said to be hiding in the capital.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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Two weeks after the murder of Moshe Yaish Nahari, the brother of Yemen's Jewish community's head, the country's president Ali Abdullah Saleh pledged to build a secured Jewish ghetto in the outskirts of the capital San'a. The new neighborhood will house the 300 Jews of the Umran province where the murder took place.
Yemen's president has informed human rights organizations and the heads of the Jewish community in the country of his decision to allocate an area in Sana's northern suburb for the construction of a residential neighborhood for Jews on the state's expense. Any family who decides to move there from Umran will receive $10,000 in compensation.
According to President Saleh, the Jewish neighborhood will be guarded by security forces at all hours.
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Posted by: Steve White ||
12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Ummm... Isn't this an opportunity for Israel to offer to move them to Israel?
Posted by: Mike N. ||
12/28/2008 0:14 Comments ||
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You'd think so, huh. It's where all their cousins went when the Yemenis got all nasty the last few decades.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/28/2008 0:26 Comments ||
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Wasn't there another country in history which was famous because of its Jewish Ghettos?
#4
The original ghettos (an Italian word, by the way) were built by the Jews as walled communities to keep out the ravening mobs trying to get at the Christ killers. It was only later that they became prisons.
The Jews in Yemen are the ones who chose not to go to Israel when it was offered, "on the wings of eagles", and at Israel's expense. It will be interesting to see what happens this time, especially given that even high, stout walls are inadequate protection against rocket-propelled grenades and such.
#5
How about a ten to one trade for Paleos? Ok, if you insist, a hundred to one trade. [You think the Yemenis are stupid enough to give up a Jew for a Paleo?]
(KCNA) -- This year the U.S. hard-line conservative forces have perpetrated unprecedented provocative moves in a bid to bring the six-party talks to deadlock, check the settlement of the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula and strain the situation on the peninsula.
Rodong Sinmun Friday observes this in a signed article.
Accusing the U.S. hard-line conservative forces of letting loose a whole string of malignant remarks to lay a hurdle in the way of the progress of the six-party talks, the article notes that this is designed to achieve their criminal purpose to render the DPRK-U.S. relations extremely tense and thus execute their hostile policy towards the DPRK.
It is the ulterior intention of the U.S. bellicose forces to drive the situation to the brink of a war by increasing the pressure upon the DPRK with a hard-line big stick policy, not through the negotiated solution of the problem, and torpedoing denuclearization process on the peninsula, the article notes, and goes on:
The U.S. bellicose forces have staged frantic war exercises targeted against the DPRK by mobilizing their allied forces at a time when the denuclearization was under way on the peninsula. This clearly indicates that they do not stand for the peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue but seek to stem the trend of dialogue and peace and stifle the DPRK by force of arms.
The U.S. bellicose forces would be well advised to behave themselves, properly understanding the mental power and military muscle of the DPRK.
Their reckless military hysteria this year proves once again that they are stepping up their preparations for a war behind the scene of dialogue and their wild ambition to invade and dominate the DPRK by force of arms remains unchanged. The U.S. loudmouthed "peace" and "stability," however, are nothing but a smokescreen to cover up their scenario for invading the DPRK. Their plan to start a war of aggression against the DPRK remains unchanged.
The U.S. double-dealing tactics will never work on the DPRK.
It is the DPRK's independent mode of retaliation to counter the enemy brandishing a knife with a long sword and his use of gun with an artillery piece. The U.S. imperialists' policy to stifle the DPRK militarily is bound to go bust.
The U.S. bellicose forces would be well advised to behave themselves, properly understanding the mental power and military muscle of the DPRK.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 01:16 ||
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#3
Both. A solid, polished performance. Very consistent from start to finish, building up nicely to "The U.S. bellicose forces have staged frantic war exercises" in Par. 5 and " Their reckless military hysteria" in par. 6. Only the clunky "perpetrated unprecedented provocative moves" in par. 1 prevented a more substantial score.
I know I have been a lonely voice at times in my appreciation of New Wave Spittle. I yield to none in my reverence for Classical Spittle, but to me New Wave has a sweeping grandeur and a dynamic, pulsating rhythm that, in the finest work, can simply ravish the senses.
The Old Spittle dries up, and the New Spittle flows.
#8
WAFF/PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > WILL BOSNIA TEST THE NEW OBAMA ADMINISTRATION? [rising Serb, Croat-Muslim Bosniaks militant sectarianism], + RUSSIA AND SERBIA ARE BROTHERS [like China + Pakland].
* WORLD MIL FORUM > RUSSIAN MORNING NEWS: WILL THE NEW OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AND USA LAUNCH A THIRD WORLD WAR, espec Russ-alleged, Dubya-Obama beloved "INTENTIONAL CONTROLLED/MANAGED CHAOS" + GEOPOL IMPERIALISM vee CRIMEA??? The Bam-Man is expected to continue MOST, IFF NOT ALL, OF POTUS PREDECESSOR DUBYA's WOT POLICIES.
Also from SAME > CHINA-VIETNAM DISPUTE OVER NANSHA ISLANDS SHARPENS/ESCALATES [Brit Petroleum Corpor = Oil-Gas dev]; + CHINA HAD CLASSIFIED THE REGIONALLY DISPUTED SPRATLEYS + XISHA ISLANDS AS JURISDICTIONALLY PART OF ITS MAINLAND HAINAN PROVINCE, + CHINA'S RISING HARDLINE: DAOYU ISLANDS [Japan], PLA TROOPS DEPLOYMENTS TO SOUTHWEST, WESTERN CHINA, PLAN FLEET AGZ SOMALI PIRACY....; + CHINA: MUMBAI ATTACKS ARE A DIRECT THREAT TO CHINA'S MARGINAL WESTERN TERRITORIAL SECURITY, NATIONAL ENERGY SECURITY, HINDERS/BLOCKS CHINA FROM RUSHING TO IRAN's DEFENSE, AND PUTS THE WHOLE OF WESTERN ASIA UNDER THE SPHERE OF US/US-LED INFLUENCE AND IMPERIALISM.
And finally, RUSSIAN MEDIAS: MUMBAI ATTACKS ARE A STRATEGIC THREAT TO RUSSIAN SECURITY, ASIAN ORDER.
D *** NG IT, MORIARITY, SO MANY NET NEWS ARTICLES TODAY, BUT STILL NO SUBWAY TWO-FOR-ONE DEAL - WTH KIND OF US-GLOBAL RECESSION/
DEPRESSION II IS THIS!
A Lebanese man who was part of a complex federal investigation into a suspected U.S. terrorist network with ties to al-Qaida is in custody at the El Paso immigration detention center facing deportation, officials have confirmed. According to court documents, Mohamad Kamal Elzahabi, 44, told the FBI he was a freedom fighter in 1988 and 1989 against the Soviets in Afghanistan, where he also attended a jihad military training camp, provided small-arms instruction and was a sniper.
Elaine Komis, spokeswoman for the Executive Office of Immigration Review in Falls Church, Va., said her office could not discuss anything about the case due to a "non-disclosure order" by the Department of Justice. She said that the Department of Homeland Security initiated the case, and that it's now up to the Justice Department to decide Elzahabi's immigration status. Adelina Pruneda, spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration & Customs Enforcement, in San Antonio, said Elzahabi is being held at the El Paso federal detention center. No other details, including his hearing date and name of his new lawyer, will be released as long as the non-disclosure order is in effect.
Elzahabi caught the attention of authorities in Canada, Minnesota, New York and Massachusetts, who learned he and three other men fought in Afghanistan and all became cab drivers in Boston. Elzahabi has continually denied he was part of a sleeper cell or terrorist group. "Elzahabi (alias Abu Kamal al Lubnani) stated that he was a Lebanese national who entered the United States in 1984 on a student visa. (He) admitted that he thereafter paid a woman in Houston, Texas, to enter into a marriage with him and help him obtain legal permanent resident alien status," according to a federal complaint filed in Minnesota.
The federal complaint also states Elzahabi decided to travel to Afghanistan in 1988 after he attended a religious conference in the U.S. Midwest. Elzahabi said that while in Afghanistan, "he knew Musab al Zarqawi, Raed Hijazi and Bassam Kanji, aka Abu Aisha, (and) identified photographs of each of these persons." The document further states he told agents of "knowing of Khalid Sheik Muhammad," who U.S. authorities later said had masterminded the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.
The others mentioned in the documents:
Musab al Zarqawi, a Jordanian al-Qaida associate accused of directing terrorist attacks against U.S. and coalition members in Iraq. He was killed by U.S. forces in 2006 during an air raid in Iraq.
Raed Hijazi, born in California, who was convicted in Jordan for his part in the failed "Millennium" bombing plot that targeted American and Israeli tourists in that country. He was sentenced to death and has appealed.
Bassam Kanj, who was killed by Lebanese soldiers in 2000 while leading an attempted violent coup that sought to replace the Lebanese government with a fundamentalist Islamic state.
Elzahabi also told U.S. federal agents that he returned to Afghanistan in in 1991 and remained there until 1995. He also admitted acting as a combat sniper and being a small-arms instructor for jihadists at the Khalden training camp in eastern Afghanistan. Military officials said the camp near Tora Bora, where Osama bin Laden was thought to have hidden, was used by al-Qaida to train terrorists. Hoping to strike bin Laden, U.S. forces bombed the camp. The complaint also states Elzahabi admitted knowing Abu Zubaida, a senior al- Qaida associate.
Elzahabi told FBI agents he traveled to Lebanon and Chechnya and returned to the United States in 1995 "because he was in need of medical care after suffering an abdominal gunshot wound in combat," records state. Elzahabi and his brother operated an axle-repair business in New York from 1995 to 1997 before he moved to Boston, where he worked as a cab driver "and he again associated with Raed Hijazi and Basam Kanj," who were employed by the same cab company.
The 2004 complaint signed by FBI Special Agent Kiann Vendenover alleges Elzahabi lied about not knowing the contents of packages he helped ship from his axle business to Pakistan and other countries -- packages that contained radios and other communications equipment. The FBI also alleged he lied about helping Hijazi obtain a Massachusetts driver's license, and about letting him use Elzahabi's U.S. address for that purpose.
Elzahabi, who has been in custody since May 2004, was convicted last year by a Minnesota court of possessing fraudulent immigration documents based on his marriage to a dancer who worked at the Pink Pussy Cat Club in Houston (he and the dancer had divorced in 1988). He was sentenced to time served and two years of supervised release. After the trial, the Department of Homeland Security turned him over to the Department of Justice for deportation proceedings.
#1
"he knew Musab al Zarqawi, Raed Hijazi and Bassam Kanji, aka Abu Aisha, (and) identified photographs of each of these persons from the neighborhood."
WASHINGTON -- The terrorism threat to the United States over the next five years will be driven by instability in the Middle East and Africa, persistent challenges to border security and increasing Internet savvy, says a new intelligence assessment obtained by The Associated Press.
Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear attacks are considered the most dangerous threats that could be carried out against the United States. But those threats are also the most unlikely because it is so difficult for al-Qaeda and similar groups to acquire the materials needed to carry out such plots, according to the internal Homeland Security Threat Assessment for the years 2008-13.
The al-Qaeda terrorist network continues to focus on U.S. attack targets vulnerable to massive economic losses, casualties and political "turmoil," the assessment said. On Dec. 3, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said the threat posed by weapons of mass destruction remains "the highest priority at the federal level." Chertoff told reporters that more people, such as terrorists, will learn how to make dirty bombs, biological and chemical weapons. "The other side is going to continue to learn more about doing things," he said.
The report, marked "For Official Use Only," does not specify its audience, but the assessments typically go to law enforcement, intelligence officials and the private sector. When determining threats, intelligence officials consider loss of life, and economic and psychological consequences.
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Posted by: Steve White ||
12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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It has been more than seven years since 20-year-old Deora Bodley and 39 other passengers and crew died in the fiery crash of United Airlines Flight 93, their hijacked plane disintegrating in a grove of hemlock trees outside Shanksville, Pa. Most of the remains from the tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001, were never recovered, making the bowl-shaped crash site in the western Pennsylvania countryside an unofficial cemetery and, for surviving relatives, sacred ground.
But efforts to buy property for a national Flight 93 memorial have bogged down in federal red tape and a protracted land dispute, angering family members and risking plans to hold a dedication ceremony on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The delays have prompted an advocacy group, Families of Flight 93, to ask President Bush to personally intervene during his final weeks in office and to allow the federal government to seize the land needed for the memorial and to allocate part of the money for the project.
"He signed the memorial act. He wanted something to be there and to be in place for years and years to come," said Bodley's mother, Deborah Borza, of San Diego. "We have waited so long already. I hold on to being hopeful that between now and January 20, something will happen, something will break free."
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Posted by: Steve White ||
12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
First of all, this is sacred fucking ground. every bit as sacred as any Revolutionary or Civil War battleground.
Secondly, whomever offered $250,000 for 273 acres is an idiot and should be removed from the sale process entirely.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
12/28/2008 0:22 Comments ||
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#2
Wasn't there a controversy about the nature of the memorial -- the official design featured a muslim crescent?
Posted by: regular joe ||
12/28/2008 12:51 Comments ||
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#3
it may be sacred ground but the ppl that own it still deserve too be paid for such land, and also if they are gonna put an islamic symbol in the memorial i wouldn't give it up either
#4
Personally, I am pleased the process is mired in complications.
The crescent design is an abomination.
'No Memorial' is far better than one appearing like a muslim crescent from the air, regardless of hallowed ground.
A crescent memorial would be the ultimate insult to the heroes on that tragic flight.
SRINAGAR: After an election that saw voters defy boycott calls and conquer the fear of the gun in the Valley, National Conference looks likely to form the next government in Srinagar in alliance with Congress, appearing ready to back the return of the Abdullahs after six years.
NC emerged as the single largest party overtaking the separatist-backed PDP in an election that saw a strong turnout of 60.5% in the face of a Pakistan-sponsored call for boycott, strengthening the credibility of India's democratic process.
The outcome was unanimously hailed as a victory of Indian democracy and a rebuff to what chief election commissioner N Gopalaswamy called the "fear factor".
NC promptly staked claim to form the next government, though it was not clear whether Farooq Abdullah was ready to pass on the baton to son, party chief Omar Abdullah, immediately.
Omar, widely speculated to take over the reins from his father, confirmed the party's plan to approach Congress for support even before the counting was over. "Yes, we will approach the Congress which is a like-minded party," he said.
Congress, which was in coalition with PDP before separating on a bitter note, appeared inclined to support NC. However, it may be required to handle those in the state unit who would like to see whether the Abdullahs could be pushed to support a Congressman as chief minister as the price for keeping their chief rival, the PDP, at bay.
Failing that, the state unit may ask the central leadership to insist on the post of the deputy chief minister. The terms of trade, however, are yet to be finalised.
The leadership, which reviewed the results, discussed the options at a meeting of the party's core group, will take the final call after holding discussions with representatives of the state unit.
NC, with 28, and Congress with 17 will have the majority in the 87-strong House.
NC survived a huge drop in vote share in both Valley and Jammu to finish ahead of PDP which - backed by proxy support from the separatists and the loyalty of its strongholds in southern part of the Valley - won 21 seats.
Just like its prospective partner, Congress saw a major erosion in its vote share.
The BJP, in contrast, pulled off a vastly improved performance, taking its tally from one to 11 -- its best-ever show. The party vote share recorded a jump of over 10%, thanks to the polarisation in the Jammu region over the Amarnath land controversy.
But while the BJP will remain consigned to the sidelines, Congress, the main victim of the saffron surge in Jammu, has emerged as kingmaker. The party was veering towards joining the government. The state unit is insisting on power-sharing.
There was not much clarity on who will lead the NC in the assembly. Farooq Abdullah, in response to questions, came up with the right responses, indicating that he was ready to step aside for Omar, a former Union minister and currently a member of Lok Sabha. "Why not? Omar is a young man. If he could serve better why not," agency reports quoted Abdullah Sr as saying in Srinagar just after results.
Farooq, a former chief minister who is a member of Rajya Sabha, also said, "I would be rather be in Parliament."
Congress leadership's estimate, however, was that Omar may have to wait in the wings for a while.
Omar seemed confident of Congress's support to NC's claim. "It is for them (Congress) to think whom they want as an ally, considering their past experience with PDP. During the previous PDP-Congress alliance, it was PDP which benefited while the BJP gained at the cost of Congress in Jammu," he said.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi called the polls a triumph of Indian democracy.
CEC Gopalaswamy, expressing satisfaction with the polls, attributed the unexpectedly high turnout to lack of fear factor and good weather. He identified people's expectations of bijli, sadak and pani as another big contributory factor. "The 15-20% increase in turnout is because of the absence of fear factor and good weather.
The rest is because of bijli, sadak and pani," said the CEC.
Posted by: john frum ||
12/28/2008 16:49 ||
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(PTI) Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari today pledged to rein in extremist groups but cautioned India not not to dictate the course of action as "we shall do it in our own time and not not because of your demarche".
Accepting that Pakistan had the "cancer" of extremism, Zardari said, "We have non-state actors. Yes, they are forcing an agenda on us....We will cure it, we will solve it, we will correct it".
Ruling out war as a solution to the problems of the region, the President told a gathering at Naudero on the first death anniversary of his wife Benazir Bhutto,"dialogue is our biggest arsenal, biggest tool".
In a reference to the US and India, Zardari said, "I want to tell the oldest democracy and the largest democracy of the world--listen to us, learn from us. We have experiences to share with you. We have lost our people-we do not not talk about war, we do not not talk about vengeance".
Without directly naming India but in an obvious reference to it, the President said, "in case there are people in the region who feel that they want to test our mettle, I would like to tell them that this mettle has been tested many times. Please do not not test it again." Acknowledging that Pakistan had "weaknesses", Zardari said, "we intend to overcome our weaknesses but we shall do it in our own time and not not on your demarche."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 01:14 ||
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#1
Admission of Guilt and being a failed state if I read that right!
Taliban commander Tehsil Khan on Saturday reiterated that a contingent of 500 suicide bombers was ready to act against Indian aggression
Khan said 35,000 Taliban armed with latest weapons were also ready to defend the eastern border of Pakistan. The spokesman of Mullah Nazir group (Wali Muhammad), based in South Waziristan Agency, told reporters they had identified their target (India) after the recent Indo-Pak tensions. He said no action would be taken against the Pakistan Army in the current circumstances. He also warned India against aggressive designs against Pakistan, otherwise the Taliban would ruin India with suicide attacks. "We have our reservations on the government's policies, but the Taliban will be the first to lay down their lives for the sake of national sovereignty," Khan added.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:53 ||
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The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday dismissed claims by a Pakistani astrologer about his supernatural powers, which will destroy the Indian missile system.
Party spokesman Ravi Shankar Prasad told a press briefing that India was a land of 'sadhus' and 'tantriks', whose supernatural powers were more potent and convincing than Pakistani exorcists.
As the war talk had reached a feverish pitch in the media, astrologers, tricksters and 'tantriks' also seemed to be adding to the tensions. Pakistani newspapers on Saturday reported that an internationally famed astrologer and palmist Fazal Karim had assured the Pakistan Army not to fear the Indian military as he had powers to jam India's missile system.
The papers quoted Karim as saying India was consulting pundits and exorcists to decide an appropriate time for launching a war against Pakistan, adding Indian magicians had invoked blessings of Kali Devi by doing a penance at the Kali temple for the past 21 days to influence politicians and military generals through black magic. Karim said he had made all arrangements to protect Pakistan from the magic. Commenting on Karim's claim, Prasad said, "We have a history of producing 'tantriks' and their powers will surpass this Pakistani tantrik."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:49 ||
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India has not planned military action against Pakistan but wants Islamabad act against suspected perpetrators of the Mumbai attacks, Indian High Commissioner Satyabrata Pal told Pakistani Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir in a meeting on Friday.
Sources in the External Affairs Ministry told Daily Times on Saturday that India wanted Pakistan to initiate "executive action and judicial processes" against terrorist outfits.
Meanwhile, India's military told its government Pakistani troops' movement was a usual war exercise, and its border security force said a troop build-up by Pakistan was a "defence operational alert".
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:48 ||
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President Asif Ali Zardari said on Saturday he knew the killers of Benazir Bhutto and that he would expose them. He was addressing Pakistan People's Party leaders who had gathered at Benazir's family home in Naudero to honour her on her first death anniversary.
"I will expose the killers of Benazir Bhutto. I know the killers, I will expose the killers to save the country," Zardari said. He appreciated a statement by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that the world body would soon initiate an independent inquiry into Benazir's assassination.
"We will have to wait for UN even if it takes a long time," he said, adding the 'enemies of Pakistan' were being impatient and provoking people. "They are the same people who had raised the slogan Pakistan Na Khapay (Pakistan not needed) in Garhi Khuda Bukhsh."
He said the Pakistani people and the parliament knew Benazir had been assassinated in an attempt to disintegrate Pakistan, but vowed his government would keep it united.
He also vowed the national and provincial assemblies would complete their five-year tenure, and asked his opponents not to disrupt democracy. "Do not disrupt democracy, because it will hurt Pakistan," Zardari said, asking the opposition to "bear with us".
The president urged the parties who boycotted the elections and were now sitting outside the parliament "venting their sentiments in television programmes", to let the ruling coalition make decisions. The assemblies, he said, were the true representatives of the people of Pakistan and had the right to make decisions on their behalf.
Regarding rising tensions with India following last month's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, the president said Pakistan would act to rein in extremist groups but warned New Delhi not to dictate the terms of such action. "We shall do it because we need it, not because you want it," Zardari said.
He said war was not the solution to the region's problems and pleaded for dialogue. "The solution to the problem of the region... is politics, is dialogue and is democracy in Pakistan," an emotional Zardari said.
"Allow us the freedom of democracy, allow us the freedom of choice, allow us the freedom of opportunity. We will choose our own time," he said.
"I want to tell the oldest democracy and the largest democracies of this world -- listen to us, learn from us," he said in an apparent reference to India. "We have lost our people -- we do not talk about war, we do not talk about vengeance," the president said. "Dialogue is our biggest arsenal."
Zardari praised US president-elect Barack Obama for his vision of a regional cure to terrorism. "I commend the new thought that is emanating from the next government in the USA for a regional cure to this cancer."
"We have non-state actors. Yes, they are forcing an agenda on us," Zardari said, but added: "We will cure it, we will solve it, we will correct it," he said. "We will be accountable to ourselves. We will fight our own wars."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:47 ||
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MOSCOW: Russia voiced grave concern over the build-up of troops on the border between India and Pakistan, urging the two states to step back from the brink of war.
"Russia is extremely concerned by reports of a massive build-up of troops and military equipment on both sides of the India-Pakistan border," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Saturday. "Tension in the region has reached a dangerous level. There are alarming reports that New Delhi and Islamabad are not ruling out the use of military force against each other."
To emphasise how gravely it viewed the situation, the Foreign Ministry took the rare step of issuing a "statement" rather than the usual "communiqué for the media."
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Posted by: Steve White ||
12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Concerned enough to stop exporting weapons and nuclear technology to the region?
#5
Putin is fearfull that the Russian equipment purchased by the Indian government will not perform as advertised and will be replaced rapidly by US equipment, thus endangering one source of foreign capital into Russian coffers.
Now is not a good time for the Indian coppers to allow a prison break ...
Mumbai: The police on Saturday shifted Mohammed Ajmal Amir Iman alias Kasab, the terrorist arrested in connection with the November 26 attacks here, to the Arthur Road jail in central Mumbai for an identification parade.
On Wednesday, Ajmal was remanded to police custody till January 6 by the Metropolitan Magistrate Court on charges of forcible possession of a car near the Mantralaya on November 26. Owing to security concerns, the magistrate and the public prosecutor came to the Mumbai police headquarters to seek extension of police custody for Ajmal.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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This sure as hell made the surprise meter twitch ...
NEW DELHI: A leading American lawmaker, Jim McDermott of the Democratic Party, feels that the activities of Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence are of mutual concern to both India and the United States and that Washington would remain engaged in its effort to resolve problems in Afghanistan, tribal areas and Pakistan.
Mr. McDermott, elected to represent the 7th district of Washington State for the 12th term, has suggested to President-elect Barack Obama that he make India his first international stop. The Congressman visualised that geopolitical events will make relationship between the two democracies more intense and make it imperative for Washington to have an excellent working relationship with New Delhi.
Having made the recommendation to Mr. Obamas transition team before the Mumbai terror attacks, Mr. McDermott told The Hindu that while events in Mumbai have drawn the issues of Afghanistan and Kashmir closer and closer to each other so that it is impossible to solve one without convening all the players at the table, I do not know at this time if a special envoy makes sense. The activities of the ISI are of mutual concern to our countries.
As the co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, Mr. McDermott is of the view that now with a stronger Democratic Congress and a Democrat in the White House, the new President and the U.S. Congress will re-establish Americas leadership role in global affairs, emphasising diplomatic engagement while respecting the sovereignty of nations. This will rebuild trust in us as a partner and can lead to finding common ground and commitment to work together on difficult issues, he said, in response to a question as to what both the Congress and White House would do to strengthening Pakistans civilian government to rein in its army, the ISI and non-State elements.
Asked whether the next Congress would have greater oversight over Pakistan in tackling terror on its soil and prevent its spread, Mr. McDermott said it was necessary to take a comprehensive view on what was going on instead of a fragmented, disconnected response. Earlier this month, Mr. McDermott piloted a resolution on December 11 (HR 1532) in the House of Representatives condemning the Mumbai terror attacks.
And then back to reality ...
Having voted against the U.S.-India Nuclear Cooperation Approval and Nuclear Non-Proliferation Enhancement Act this September, Mr. McDermott said while his friendship for India has not and will never change, the Act is not in Indias best interest. As presented to the House, the legislation undermines the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and that can only serve to destabilise the region in the coming years. In my judgment there were insufficient safeguards in the bill and that worries me greatly. With nuclear-armed India and Pakistan separated by a border where violence is all too frequent, I cannot see how India giving additional nuclear capacity will not be countered in Pakistan. Despite the goal of providing additional energy, we are in reality fuelling a nuclear arms race.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Relax, it just means Baghdad Jim's in India's rolodex too.
NEW DELHI: It is becoming increasingly clear elements in Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence played an important role in the planning and facilitation of last months Mumbai attacks, the Bharatiya Janata Party said and demanded that India press for a declaration of the ISI as a terrorist organisation.
Party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad pointed out here on Saturday that media reports in Pakistan said some important ISI officers were present at the birthday celebrations of Dawood Ibrahim in Islamabad although Pakistan often denied that the man wanted in India for the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts of 1993 was living in the country.
While it was for the government to decide on the action against Pakistan, the BJP would suggest that the Indian High Commission in Islamabad be scaled down and the Indian High Commissioner recalled.
An advisory cautioning Indians against travelling to Pakistan was not good enough, Mr. Prasad said. All travel by Indians to Pakistan must come to a stop except in an emergency situation.
Mr. Prasad said that in all probability the 10 terrorists who made their way to Mumbai by the sea were trained commandos who were given training at PNS Iqbal, where Pakistani naval commandos are trained. He said the highly trained and well equipped terrorists would have been facilitated by state actors in Pakistan. Therefore, the government of India must stop using the phrase non-state actors to refer to the masterminds responsible for the planning and execution of the Mumbai attack.
As for Pakistan, its top leadership began by admitting that non-state actors could have been involved in the attack. Later, the leaders talked about stateless persons and still later about freelance terrorists. The fact was the terrorists who attacked Mumbai were well trained and used sophisticated weapons and a high quality GPS system, Mr. Prasad said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
The more I read about the Mumbai attacks, the more I think India has no choice but to take some kind of action. The Indian people are not going to treat this like any of a zillion attacks in Kashmir.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
12/28/2008 0:47 Comments ||
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BAGHDAD, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Sectarian bloodshed has dropped sharply in Iraq from the high levels of 2006-07, but attacks against U.S. and government forces continue, claiming the lives of Iraqi civilians in step, a new study found on Saturday.
Between at least 8,300 and 9,000 civilians were killed in Iraq in 2008, bringing the total of civilian deaths since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 to at least 98,400, human rights group Iraq Body Count said in a new report.
Twenty-five civilians died a day in 2008, the study found. While far below 2006-2007, when at least 48,000 civilians were killed, it is comparable to violence during 2003-2004.
"The first thing is that there has been a very, very significant decrease in violent deaths in the last year, and this decrease has been most prevalent in Baghdad," said John Sloboda, the group's co-founder and spokesman. Still, "no one was saying in 2004 that levels of violence were acceptable. People were talking about a country in terrible decline. It's only an improvement ... from the appalling peak in violence in 2006 and 2007," he said.
The group, which collates deaths reported by media and from other sources, acknowledges the true toll of more than five years of violence in Iraq may be far higher.
Sloboda said the drop in violence in 2008 reflected a slowing of "intercommunal," or sectarian deaths, which soared between minority Sunni Arabs and majority Shi'ites following the bombing of a Shi'ite shrine in Feb. 2006.
In order to staunch violence, the United States sent tens of thousands of additional troops to Iraq in 2007, which the Bush administration has largely credited for improving security. Others argue that the newfound assistance of Sunni tribal leaders helped, or assert that violence subsided after Baghdad's reorganisation to a larger degree along sectarian lines.
Sloboda said that attacks continue against U.S. and other foreign forces, Iraqi police and soldiers, government officials and members of "Awakening Councils", local patrol units often made up of former insurgents. "Because this violence is actually against the occupation, it is unlikely to drop while the occupation continues," he said.
The grim estimates come as the United States prepares to draw down its troops in Iraq from around 143,000 today and restrict operations ahead of a 2012 deadline for withdrawal.
The study found that Iraqi civilian deaths involving foreign forces reached 584 in 2008, compared to 1,359 in 2007.
#1
In Iraq, Civilian Deaths Have Fallen Since the Start of the War Coldly taken as a daily average for the 24 years of Saddam's reign, these numbers give us a horrifying picture of between 70 and 125 civilian deaths per day for every one of Saddam's 8,000-odd days in power.
In other words, over 100,000 Iraqi murders at the hands of Saddam Hussein's henchmen have been prevented so far. And let's be honest, most of the murders that have occurred since 2003 have been by the hands of the remnants of the Saddam's Baathists and their islamic imports. It's taken this long to take out the murderous trash.
Posted by: ed ||
12/28/2008 11:44 Comments ||
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#2
Another thing to look at is the number of dead that occur in Iraq due to normal criminality:
That came to ~25/day during Hussein's reign.
By the way 8300 - 9000 deaths come to 22.67 - 24.5 deaths/day during 2008. That means that not only are the "insurgents" defeated, but progress is being made vs the ordinary criminals. Iraq has not been this safe in several decades.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
12/28/2008 14:05 Comments ||
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BASRA, Iraq - Thousands of protesters in Iraq's southern oil city of Basra demanded their own federal region on Saturday, akin to minority Kurds' peaceful, prosperous enclave in the country's north. Some three thousand people took to the streets in mainly Shia Basra, demanding a referendum on whether the city and surrounding province might become a semi-autonomous state.
While the odds appeared long that such a bid could succeed, it reflects Iraqis' deep discontent with the government in Baghdad and highlights the power struggle unfolding in a nation that is home to a volatile mix of religions and ethnicities. Some in Basra, which produces three-quarters of Iraq's oil, see themselves marginalised by successive Baghdad governments since the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003 and aspire to the same status as Iraqi Kurdistan. Kurdistan, the northern region that has enjoyed de-facto autonomy since 1991, has its own parliament and security forces, but receives budget revenues from Baghdad.
Supporters of a referendum on Basra's fate complained they were getting short shrift from Iraq's Electoral Commission, which has been collecting signatures from among Basra's 1.4 million voters needed to hold such a referendum. According to the Iraqi constitution, any of its 18 provinces can hold such a referendum if it can muster signatures from 10 percent of voters.
Efforts to gather signatures began on Dec. 14, after Wa'il Abd al-Latif, a parliamentarian from Basra, presented a petition calling for a referendum. Residents can participate in the signature drive until Jan. 14. Only 15,400 signatures have been collected so far.
Latif accused the Electoral Ccommission of improperly handling the signature drive. "It is not independent," he said.
Basra has made a few failed bids for autonomy since it was an Ottoman province.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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(Xinhua) -- Switzerland on Saturday joined a chorus of international criticism against Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip that has so far killed more than 200 Palestinians, the official Swissinfo news website reported.
The Swiss Foreign Ministry acknowledged that Israel has a right to protect itself but condemned Saturday's attacks on Gaza City as "excessive," according to the report.
The ministry has also called for a ceasefire from all sides and for humanitarian supplies to be allowed into the blockaded area immediately, Swissinfo said.
Israeli warplanes pounded dozens of security compounds across the Hamas-ruled territory in unprecedented waves of airstrikes on Saturday to retaliate for rocket fire from Hamas militants, according to media reports.
The bloodshed took place at a time when the international community, including the Quartet which groups the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and Russia, is making painstaking efforts to seek a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflicts -- a Palestinian state to live in peace with a secure Israel.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 01:30 ||
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#2
Switzerland can go to hell. Switzerland is the country that demanded the Nazis put a J on the passports of their Jewish citizens, so that the Swiss would know whom to exclude at their borders. More recently, their sacred banks were caught shredding the records of accounts held by Nazi-era Jews, lest they have to actually return to the account holders or their heirs the money they had so long considered their very own, the basis of their national wealth. Then there were all those Red Cross inspectors who had no problem with Auschwitz and the other concentration camps where eleven million were killed because they fell into one or another of the many Nazi-condemned groups... or more recently the Red Cross inspectors who said nothing about the prison camps for Muslims in Bosnia.
My mother went to medical school in Geneva for her own amusement after getting her degree, and subsequently said the Swiss will sell anyone anything who has money enough. It was ironic, that, because it turns out my mother had absolutely no money at the time, and went on some sort of guilt scholarship. Still, while she was there she realized how very glad she was to have become an American citizen; she was no longer tied to Europe's smugly mad traditions, but was freed to become what she could make of herself as a citizen of a country where history and family background are only so important as you, yourself, choose to allow.
So Switzerland can go to hell for so graciously permitting Israel to defend herself so long as no Palestinians are touched in any way by their actions. It seems to me that a few well-placed ARCLIGHT runs around the Alps would serve a useful purpose to remind the Swiss of their place in the hierarchy of nations. A bit of damage to the outline of the Matterhorn would not go amiss as a daily reminder in years to come that they are no longer protected by inaccessibility from the anger of the outside world.
#6
OK, now I gots to come up with a recipe for NUKE. Gotta think.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
12/28/2008 9:51 Comments ||
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#7
"It seems to me that a few well-placed ARCLIGHT runs around the Alps would serve a useful purpose to remind the Swiss of their place in the hierarchy of nations."
Hot double-damn, tw! I love it when you get testy.
Everybody drink up! Popcorn's on the house. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/28/2008 10:21 Comments ||
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#9
It seems to me that a few well-placed ARCLIGHT runs around the Alps would serve a useful purpose to remind the Swiss of their place in the hierarchy
Nah, let's go after them in a Q-Ship...
(sorry, I bee good now)
#10
This is boilerplate Foreign Ministry stuff for public (Arab consumption).
It is what is said privately that is important.
Posted by: john frum ||
12/28/2008 11:49 Comments ||
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#11
The Swiss aren't whining as much but have been hit as hard in their banking shorts like most of the rest of the world, so they're assuaging those bank account holders who've got large deposits from looted aid and humanitarian programs, a little business they pickup up on during and after WWII
#17
I don't remember the Swiss complaining about the Palestinian abuses of Israel that received Israel's excessive restraint in recent years. This is just payback that is long overdue.
#20
The Swiss Foreign Ministry acknowledged that Israel has a right to protect itself but condemned Saturday's attacks on Gaza City as "excessive," according to the report. The ministry has also called for a ceasefire from all sides and for humanitarian supplies to be allowed into the blockaded area immediately, Swissinfo said.
No problem. Excessive is obviously subjecting and can be quibbled over. Israel WILL accept a ceasefire - AFTER Hamas has been hard enough to change the terms of that ceasefire. And humanitarian aid is already going through.
(Xinhua) -- Sudanese President Omer al-Bashir here Saturday called for a united Arab stand against the ongoing Israeli aggressions on the Gaza Strip.
In an interview with the Qatari al-Jazeera television, al-Bashir also called for an urgent Arab summit meeting, hoping that strong statements would come out of the meeting to condemn the Israeli action. The Arab countries which was normalizing their ties with Israel must stop the process, said the Sudanese president, terming it as "Israel attempts to split the Arab and Palestinian parties."
Al-Bashir also urged the Arab countries to review their relations with the United States.
There's an idea. Break relations with us. See if we care.
Also on Saturday, the Sudanese government issued a statement to strongly condemned Israeli air raids on the Gaza Strip, urging the Jewish state to immediately stop the aggressions.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 01:28 ||
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(Xinhua) -- The Brazilian government on Saturday criticized Israel's bombing of the Gaza Strip as "disproportionate response." "The Brazilian government calls on the parties to refrain from further acts of violence and extends its sympathy to families of the victims of the bombing of this morning," an official statement said.
The statement also expressed the Brazilian government's regret that violence in the region had affected mainly the civilian population and undermined efforts for a peaceful and negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 01:27 ||
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#1
[Herman Wheque2343 has been pooplisted.]
Posted by: Herman Wheque2343 ||
12/28/2008 2:54 Comments ||
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#2
FREE Streaming TV Shows, Movies, Music (over 6 million digital tracks), Unlimited Games, Money, and College Educations (Stanford, Oxford, Notre Dame and more) http://www.InternetSurfShack.com
#5
The Brazilian criticism of Israel has to do with the BRIC trade cooperation. The R and the C in the acronym BRIC stands for Russia & China, respectively. Brazil is a major trading partner with Russia and China. Hamas receives weapons from Russia and China via Iran.
So naturally, Brazil has to side with her trading partners, since the Brazilian economy is in the tank or some other reason my feeble brain is missing.
#6
If Brazil had done their job and taught the Palis to samba the nights away with feather head dresses and their bare asses hanging out, then the Palis wouldn't have time to launch rockets at Israeli towns. So really, this is all Rio's fault.
Posted by: ed ||
12/28/2008 11:52 Comments ||
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#7
I don't think I'd want to see bare asses hanging out in Gaza
Posted by: European Conservative ||
12/28/2008 14:52 Comments ||
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Khaled Meshaal, the political leader of Hamas, has called for Palestinians to wage a new intifada against Israel, including a return to suicide missions.
Khaled, bravely in Gaza on the front lines against Zionist oppression, calls for an intifada that he will lead himself ... no, that's not right.
In an interview on Al Jazeera, Meshaal said: "We called for a military intifada against the enemy. Resistance will continue through suicide missions."
Meshaal said Hamas had accepted "all the peaceful options, but without results." He said that for there to be any talks with the people of Gaza, "the blockade must be lifted and the crossings [from Israel] opened ... notably that in Rafah," which leads to Egypt.
Meshaal was referring to a blockade imposed on Gaza after Hamas full seized control of the overcrowded, impoverished strip from forces loyal to moderate Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in June 2007.
Meshaal said he was open to reconciliation with Abbas, but demanded that the Palestinian president cease peace negotiations with Israel. "Neither rockets nor suicide operations are absurd, but negotiations are," he said.
Hamas has not carried out a suicide attack on Israel since January 2005.
The first intifada, or uprising, broke out in 1988, and was followed by the 1993 Oslo peace accords, which led to a certain degree of Palestinian autonomy with the creation of the Palestinian Authority. A second intifada broke out in 2000 and eventually ran out of steam three years later.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:44 ||
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#1
Meshaal said he was open to reconciliation with Abbas, but demanded that the Palestinian president cease peace negotiations with Israel. "Neither rockets nor suicide operations are absurd, but negotiations are," he said.
This makes the decision much easier, that he's a warmonger.
Posted by: Grolush Darling of the Hatfields3195 ||
12/28/2008 13:59 Comments ||
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#2
because the 2 previous ones worked out so well
Posted by: European Conservative ||
12/28/2008 14:56 Comments ||
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#3
Third? When did they end the second one? I must've missed it...
Ma'an -- Leaders and citizens of Israel's neighboring Arab countries condemned an airstrike that killed at least 150 Palestinians and injured more than 200 others on Saturday.
Egypt
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak condemned the attacks, holding Israel responsible for those killed and demanded that the semi-successful ceasefire between militants in Gaza and the Israeli army be renewed.
"Egypt will forge ahead with its contacts to create a favorable atmosphere for renewing the truce and attaining inter-Palestinian reconciliation in a bid to end the suffering of the Palestinian people," a statement from the president's office said.
Moments after the first 30 airstrikes at noon on Saturday, a high-level Egyptian official told Al-Jazeera that the Israeli operation was "an unprecedented massacre."
Jordan
Jordan's King Abdullah II called for an immediate end to "all militant activities" in a statement issued from his palace. The statement insisted that the attacks "targeted innocents among the civilians, including women and children. The king insisted that "violence will only escalate the crisis and will not bring security to Israel."
"Jordan will exert every possible effort along with influential powers in the region and beyond to put an end to the Israeli military operations," said Nasser Judah, the kingdom's state minister for Media Affairs and Communication.
Judah added that only negitions will lead to peace and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state "on Palestinian soil."
Meanwhile, hundreds of Jordanians took to the streets when news arrived about the airstrikes. Gathering at the United Nations headquarters in Amman, Jordanians demonstrated by waving Hamas banners and shouting slogans about the Israeli attack and the occupation, in general.
Lebanon
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Seniora called the strikes "tragic and criminal."
Lebanon "strongly denounces and rejects the criminal operation in the Gaza Strip," a statement from Senior's office said.
The Lebanese prime minister called on the Arab League and other heads of state to immediately convene in an emergency session to adopt a "united Arab stand to face aggression."
He also insisted that the United Nations adopt "deterring and necessary measures against Israel for its continuous violations of Palestinian and Arab human rights."
Seniora also announced a "Lebanese, Arab and international solidarity campaign to stop the attack and rescue the victims."
Syria
In Syria's Damascus-area Al-Yarmouk Refugee Camp, dozens of Palestinians protested the attack, vowing to continue the fight against Israel, the Associated Press reported on Saturday.
Arab League Secretary General Amr Mousa, himself from Egypt, condemned the airstrikes and called for an emergency session to discuss a united Arab response to the attacks.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:42 ||
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#1
Think of Oslo Accords as an experiment designed to answer the question "Can we make Peace with Arabs, or should we go for without?", Ahmads.
Ma'an -- All Palestinian sides have condemned the Israeli attacks on Gaza, calling the action a "massacre," and encouraging Palestinian factions to rally in support of the people in the Strip.
Communicating through his spokesperson Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said he "condemns the Israeli attacks against the Gaza Strip." His spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh added that Abbas "calls on the Israeli government to stop these attacks immediately, and to stop such massacres."
Member at the executive committee for the PLO Taysir Khaled accused Israel of using weapons in Gaza that are banned internationally and condemned the Israeli attack. He called for immediate intervention to stop the military action, which he said has been in the works for months.
The Jenin branch of Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades sent a statement saying their fighters "would not be handcuffed," and would retaliate "in the right place at the right time." The group declared a state of high alert in order to defend the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip against Israeli aggression.
The Brigades' spokesperson called on all concerned sides including the whole international community to intervene and stop Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades also put all its fighters on alert asserting that Israel will pay a heavy toll for their heavy handed attacks.
Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council Muhammad Dahlan echoed Abbas' statements, calling the Israeli move a "bloody massacre," and called on all factions to unite and oppose the Israeli violence. He added that the international community must act swiftly to stop the attacks and the deaths of more civilians.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:42 ||
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#1
http://com/?rf=4c617467616c656a3
Posted by: mers ||
12/28/2008 6:38 Comments ||
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#2
including the whole international community to intervene and stop Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip
International community is busy with the looming financial crisis right now.
Ma'an/Agencies -- Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Saturday ordered the Foreign Ministry to "take emergency measures" to spin the air force's attacks in the Gaza Strip to the international community, according to Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz.
Livni told senior Foreign Ministry officials to "open an aggressive and diplomatic international public relations campaign," the paper added.
The Israeli foreign ministry instructed ministry officials on vacation for the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah to immediately return to their posts abroad in order to "mount public relations campaigns in their station countries," Ha'aretz said.
The paper added that Livni told diplomats to lobby local media and public officials over the airstrikes, which Israel says were in response to ongoing Palestinian rocket fire.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:40 ||
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Ma'an - Commissioner General of UNRWA Karen AbuZayd expressed her "horror" at the extensive destruction in the Gaza Strip Saturday, and communicated her "deep sadness at the terrible loss in human life," in a press statement.
The UNRWA said in the statement that it "strongly urges the Israeli Government to heed calls for ceasing its bombardment on Gaza." And reminded Israel that it is a signatory of "international conventions that protect non-combatants in times of conflict," and added that "these conventions are worthless if they are not upheld."
The organization said it would "exert all efforts to respond as quickly as possible to relieve suffering and pain."
They said that Saturday's "killing and destruction...follows weeks of a tight blockade that prevented UNRWA and other humanitarian agencies from assisting the population and mitigating the difficult economic situation. The population is already paying the price of the prolonged blockade, 1.5 million people are unable to fulfill their basic needs, and they now face military escalation."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:40 ||
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#2
Buckle your seatbelt beoyotch, the fun has just started. You freakin' fools can never leave well enough alone. Take your medicine. I hope they kick your dumb asses into the sea. I would like to see miles and miles of rubble with nothing left alive and moving. This is the only "real" solution to the problems you continue to cause.
#6
Sorry about the double post - for some reason I got Roadside America and thought the first one didn't pass muster so I added some text to the second one...
Ma'an -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon is "deeply alarmed" by Saturday's "heavy violence and bloodshed" in Gaza, said a statement from his spokesperson Saturday evening.
The statement also expressed concern over the "continuation of violence in southern Israel."
Ki-Moon appealed to all sides to stop the violence.
In the statement Ki-Moon was said to "firmly reiterate Israel's obligation to uphold international humanitarian and human rights law," and further condemned their "excessive use of force leading to the killing and injuring of civilians."
He likewise condemned the use of violence by Palestinian militants and said he was "deeply distressed that repeated calls on Hamas for these attacks to end have gone unheeded."
He also called for aid to be sent to Gaza immediately.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:39 ||
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#1
I guess he feels he needs to protect his phoney-baloney job. Why doesn't he try being deeply alarmed by a population that allows Kassam missiles to be launched at Israelis as if they were lollipops?
Ma'an -- Palestinian Ambassador to Austria Zuheir Al-Wazir appealed to the Austrian government to immediately intervene to stop the Israeli massacres committed against the Palestinians in Gaza.
Al-Wazir said Austria could urge the EU countries to play an important role in the Palestinian crisis and stop the Israeli attacks on Gaza.
Senior officials in the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed deep concern over developments in the region and said the Minister is working on a statement on the issue.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:38 ||
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Ma'an -- The blame for Saturday's catastrophic loss of life rests with Hamas, according to a statement from the White House.
Bush administration officials did not call on Israel to end an operation that killed over 200 Palestinians in a matter of minutes.
The United States did call on Israel to "avoid civilian casualties," according to news accounts, but it did not join the increasing calls for an end to the deadly operation, which has killed hundreds and left hundreds more injured.
If Palestinians want the violence to end in Gaza, Hamas must stop firing projectiles into southern Israel, the US maintains. A projectile killed one Israeli and injured five others on Saturday.
"Hamas' continued rocket attacks into Israel must cease if the violence is to stop," White House assistant Gordon Johndroe said on Saturday. The spokesperson was speaking from the US state of Texas, where outgoing President George W. Bush is vacationing at his ranch.
"Hamas must end its terrorist activities if it wishes to play a role in the future of the Palestinian people," Johndroe said.
"The United States urges Israel to avoid civilian casualties as it targets Hamas in Gaza," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:38 ||
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#1
[Herman Wheque2343 has been pooplisted.]
Posted by: Herman Wheque2343 ||
12/28/2008 2:55 Comments ||
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Ma'an - Fourteen Palestinian human rights originations banded together to warn the world of the consequences of Israel's current attacks on Gaza, stressing Israel's violation of human and internationally recognized rights.
The group called on the international community to work urgently and seriously to protect Palestinians from Israeli airstrikes and siege, and to ensure civilian safety in Gaza.
In a Saturday press conference the group called the day's violence in Gaza a "dangerous and unjustified escalation," that targeted "Palestinian security department buildings in the residential areas in Gaza." They warned that casualties would be high because Gaza hospitals have few medical supplies.
The group slammed the Israeli decision to target de facto government police during their 11:30 graduation ceremony since it is also the time when Palestinian school children head home for the day.
The Human Rights organizations said the decision represented a "criminal intention of deliberately causing mass casualties and destruction in addition to intimidating civilians."
They urged the signatory countries on the Geneva Fourth Convention to hold an urgent meeting to discuss ways and procedures that might make Israel to respect this convention and implement it in the Palestinian territories. Moreover, they said, a tribunal should be convened to charge Israel with war crimes.
The fourteen organizations were:
Al-Haq
Al-Damir
Ad-Dair for Prisoners and Human Rights
Al-Mizan for Human Rights
Defense for Children International
Insan Center for Democracy and Human Rights
The Independent Organization for Human Rights
The Al-Quds Center for Legal Assistance
The Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR)
The Palestinian Center for the Independence of the Judicial System
Ramallah Center for Human Rights Studies
Women's Center for Legal Assistance and Guidance
Women Studies Center
PNGO
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:37 ||
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#1
Well, at least we agree that criminal intent is bad. I guess all we need to do now is define what constitutes criminal intent. Without resorting to the Holy Crayon.
Ma'an -- Not a single Gazan turned up at Rafah crossing Saturday despite an Egyptian promise to open the crossing and accept wounded Palestinians for treatment in Egyptian Hospitals.
Between three and six hundred Palestinians were injured in Israeli airstrikes throughout the day, and Palestinian hospitals have almost entirely run out of medical supplies. The dead were carried home in cardboard boxes because Gaza City hospitals ran out of sheets.
Palestinian medical sources said mild to moderate cases were turned away for lack of doctors and supplies, and reported bodies in hallways after morgues filled up. Despite Egypt's offer to accept wounded Gazans medical sources said the condition of most of the injured was too fragile to make the trip to Rafah.
Only if Egypt sent helicopters would the majority of serious cases be able to accept the offer, said Head of Emergency and Ambulance Services in the Ministry of Health Muawiya Hassanain.
Hassanain appealed to Arab states to send medical supplies so cases could be treated without being moved, and Saturday night Egypt made a second promise to send four loads of medical supplies to Gaza hospitals.
The caretaker Ministry of Health praised the Egyptian stance and Minister of Health Fathi Abu Moghli called on the international community to continue supplying Gaza with medical equipment to ensure civilians get treatment and the number of casualties is reduced.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:36 ||
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#1
Try laying down a few artillery salvos where the tunnels are and see how many stream across all of a sudden.
Israel will employ measures to counter the ongoing Palestinian rocket fire on the western Negev, but such measures will not include an invasion of the Gaza Strip, President Shimon Peres told the London-based newspaper Asharq al-Awsat in a report published on Saturday.
"Israel will take all steps demanded of it in order to stop the rocket fire," he said. "We will not go into Gaza. There are other ways - we didn't leave Gaza in order go back."
"The problem is that Hamas wants to do in the West Bank what they did in Gaza, to start another uprising," Peres continued. "[Hamas] is the one which is preventing the establishment of a Palestinian state. Without Hamas, there would've already been a Palestinian state."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:33 ||
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#1
FREEREPUBLIC > DELIVERY OF S-300 RUSSIAN AIR DEFENSE MISSLES TO IRAN TO ISRAELI TURNING POINT!?; + PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > ISRAEL MAY BE PLANNING A JOINT STRIKE WID INDIA AGZ PAKISTAN'S NUCLEAR FACILITIES???
* WORLD MIL FORUM > IFF ISLAM COMES TO DOMINATE THE WORLD, CHINA AND THE CHINESE PEOPLE WILL BE IN A WORSE/VERY BAD SITUATION; + IFF CHINA AND RUSSIA FORMALLY PARTICIPATE IN AFGHANISTAN, FOLLOWED BY IRAN, GWOT AND WORLD PEACE WILL TRULY BE ******** [obscene = you-know-what]???
Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Saturday night vowed that Israel would not accept a ceasefire with Hamas. "For us to be asked to have a ceasefire with Hamas is like asking you to have a ceasefire with al Qaeda. It's something we cannot really accept," Barak said in an interview with Fox News Barak added that a ground operation might follow the air strikes.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:31 ||
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In an urgent letter to the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and the head of the UN Security council, Israeli UN Ambassador Gabriela Shalev on Saturday night defended Israel's decision to embark on a military operation in the Gaza Strip in order to put an end to rocket attacks on the South.
"Israel is taking the necessary military action in order to protect its citizens from ongoing terrorist attacks originating from the Gaza Strip and carried out by Hamas and other terrorist organizations," Shalev said, adding that Hamas "holds the sole responsibility for the latest events."
Israel, she continued, "has exhausted all means and efforts to reach and maintain quiet and to respect the state of calm... Israel's response is aimed solely against the terrorists and their infrastructures in the Gaza Strip. It is not intended against the civilian population. Israel is committed to prevent a humanitarian crisis."
Shalev asserted that "No country would allow continuous rocketing of its civilian population without taking the necessary actions to stop it."
World reaction to Israel's sudden, massive strike against terror infrastructure in the Gaza Strip ranged from immediate condemnation and a call to halt all attacks to cautious acknowledgement of Israel's right to defend its citizens. Some international powers spoke against Hamas's bombardment of communities in southern Israel since the cease-fire ended last week; others wrung their hands over the humanitarian suffering in the Strip.
In a statement released Saturday, Ban called for an immediate halt to all violence in both Gaza and southern Israel.
"While recognizing Israel's security concerns regarding the continued firing of rockets from Gaza, Ban firmly reiterates Israel's obligation to uphold international humanitarian and human rights law and condemns excessive use of force leading to the killing and injuring of civilians. He condemns the ongoing rocket attacks by Palestinian militants and is deeply distressed that repeated calls on Hamas for these attacks to end have gone unheeded," the statement continued.
Ban has reiterated his previous calls for humanitarian supplies to be allowed into Gaza to aid the distressed civilian population.
Quartet Representative Tony Blair, speaking Saturday in response to events in Gaza, said: "The terrible events and tragic loss of life in Gaza require, in the immediate term, the introduction of a genuine calm in which the rocket attacks aimed at killing Israeli civilians and the Israeli attacks on Gaza cease so that the suffering of the people, which is severe, can be lifted.
"Then, as I have said many times before, we need to devise a new strategy for Gaza, which brings that territory back under the legitimate rule of the Palestinian Authority in a manner which ends their suffering and fully protects the security of Israel."
President Nicholas Sarkozy of France, who holds the rotating European Union presidency, said he "firmly condemns the irresponsible provocations that have led to this situation, as well as the disproportionate use of force," according to an e-mailed statement.
The EU itself has also urged an immediate halt to Israeli air strikes and Palestinian attacks in and around Gaza and the lifting of Israeli blockades in the area, saying in a statement that the 27-nation bloc "condemns the disproportionate use of force" from both sides. "There is no military solution in Gaza," the EU statement said, urging a lasting truce.
The EU statement also urges the "reopening of all checkpoints and the immediate resumption of fuel and humanitarian aid deliveries."
In Germany, the foreign minister condemned Hamas for abandoning the cease-fire with Israel and urged the group to "immediately and permanently stop the insufferable rocket attacks on Israel."
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown expressed concern with the situation in Gaza and called on Palestinian factions to halt rocket attacks on Israel.
"I call on Gazan militants to cease all rocket attacks on Israel immediately. These attacks are designed to cause random destruction and to undermine the prospects of peace talks led by President [Mahmoud] Abbas."
"I understand the Israeli government's sense of obligation to its population," Brown said. "Israel needs to meet its humanitarian obligations, act in a way to further the long-term vision of a two-state solution, and do everything in its power to avoid civilian casualties."
Conservative Party leader David Cameron called the violence "horrific," but said that though he understood Israel's right to protect its citizens, both sides must show restraint. "In the end, the only progress will be political progress and a settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians. That is what's desperately needed," he added.
The Foreign Affairs spokesman for the Liberal Democrat Party, Ed Davey, described the Israeli strikes in Gaza as "disproportionate and unacceptable."
The Vatican's spokesman, Rev. Federico Lombardi, told Vatican Radio on Saturday that Israel's offensive would be a "very serious blow" to Hamas but could also cause many innocent victims and damage peace prospects in the Holy Land.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:30 ||
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#1
The only "defense" Israel should offer to any of these clowns is "FOAD."
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/28/2008 11:15 Comments ||
Top||
Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip admitted Saturday that they were caught by surprise by the massive IDF operation in the Gaza Strip and accused the Palestinian Authority and Egypt of "collusion" with Israel.
The officials also expressed deep disappointment over the failure of the Arab and Islamic world to exert pressure on Israel to halt the operation. Until the last minute, Hamas was convinced that the threats to launch an IDF operation were mere rhetoric in the context of the upcoming election campaign in Israel.
In Ramallah, the PLO executive committee called for a general strike and a day of mourning Monday in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to protest against the Israeli "massacres." Meanwhile, Egyptian and PA officials who strongly condemned the IDF drive also held Hamas responsible for the latest cycle of violence by continuing to fire rockets at Israel.
Hamas's top leaders have not been seen in public since last Thursday, when news about an impending IDF operation began spreading.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas cut short a visit to Saudi Arabia and headed to Amman for talks with King Abdullah about the latest developments in the Gaza Strip. Abbas's office issued a statement strongly condemning the Israeli "atrocities" and calling for an urgent meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
A Hamas official told The Jerusalem Post that the reason why security installations in the Gaza Strip had not been evacuated before the attack was because the Egyptians had assured his movement that there would be no Israeli attack in the coming days.
"Only hours before the attack, the Egyptians told our representatives that they were under the impression that Israel would not launch an operation," the Hamas official said. "We believe the Egyptians deliberately deceived us because they had given Israel a green light to attack."
Another Hamas official told the Post that Abbas and his top aides had long been urging Israel to bring down the Hamas government so that they could return to the Gaza Strip.
The official pointed out that both Abbas and the Egyptians had announced shortly before the Israeli attack that they were engaged in attempts to resume "national dialogue" between Fatah and Hamas.
"The Egyptians even made it clear to us that they had convinced Israel not to attack the Gaza Strip," he said. "Abbas also wanted to reassure Hamas by talking about his intention to renew the reconciliation talks with us."
Taher a-Nunu, spokesman for the Hamas government, accused "third parties" of involvement in the Israeli effort to overthrow Hamas. However, he refused to name the third parties.
A Hamas minister later said that the spokesman was referring to Egypt and the PA.
Nunu told reporters in Gaza City that Hamas would not "raise a white flag" and would not make any political concessions as a result of the IDF operation. He also stressed that Hamas would not accept the conditions set by the Quartet for dealing with his government - first and foremost that it recognize Israel and renounce terrorism.
"The Hamas government will remain steadfast in the face of all the conspirators and we defend our people who voted for us in a free election [in January 2006]," he said. "This aggression will only increase our determination to pursue the path of resistance against the occupation."
Mussa Abu Marzouk, a senior Hamas official based in Damascus, claimed that some Arab parties had pushed Israel to launch the attack. "We are astonished by reports according to which some parties have been urging Israel to wipe out Hamas," he said. "We are also shocked to hear officials in Ramallah and Cairo blame Hamas for the Israel aggression."
Abu Marzouk claimed that the IDF operation was designed to force the Palestinians to succumb and make political concessions. "The Israeli enemy won't succeed in achieving its goal," he said. "In the past, they launched a military operation in the northern Gaza Strip and imposed blockades which didn't work."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:30 ||
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#1
About two hours ago a Hamas goon said they would move to assassinate PA and Egyptian officials as well as Livni and Barak.
Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah said Saturday that they were prepared to assume control over the Gaza Strip if Israel succeeds in overthrowing the Hamas government.
"Yes, we are fully prepared to return to the Gaza Strip," a top PA official told The Jerusalem Post. "We believe the people there are fed up with Hamas and want to see a new government."
Another PA official said Fatah had instructed all its members in the Gaza Strip to be prepared for the possibility of returning to power. "We have enough men in the Gaza Strip who are ready to fill the vacuum," he said. "But of course all this depends on whether Israel manages to get rid of the Hamas regime."
I just love it when a plan comes together ...
The two officials voiced hope that the current IDF operation would end Hamas rule in Gaza. They said that the PA was also prepared to dispatch security forces from the West Bank to replace the Hamas militiamen. However, they denied Hamas allegations that the PA had urged Israel to launch a massive attack to overthrow the Hamas government.
Also Saturday, Fatah called on its supporters in the Strip to storm Hamas-controlled prisons to release Fatah detainees. The call came as most of Hamas's security installations were demolished by IAF planes. Fatah representatives in the West Bank said that Hamas was holding more than 250 Fatah men in its various prisons throughout the Gaza Strip. They expressed fear that Hamas would use the detainees as human shields against the Israeli air strikes.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 00:30 ||
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The usual when Arab foreign ministers meet: expect lots of spittle and no action ...
CAIRO - Arab foreign ministers will meet in Cairo on Sunday to seek a common position on Israeli raids which killed at least 195 people in the Gaza Strip, the Arab League said on Saturday. Several Arab countries, including Qatar, Syria and Yemen, suggested an early Arab summit in response to the violence, and Libya, the only Arab country on the U.N. Security Council, will seek an urgent meeting of the council in New York.
The council of Arab foreign ministers will hold an extraordinary and immediate meeting tomorrow or the day after ... at the request of Jordan, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said. His spokesman said later it would be Sunday. It will take a joint Arab position on what is happening and at the same time agree on the steps to be taken, Moussa added.
But Omani Information Minister Hamad bin Mohammed al-Rashdi told Reuters in Muscat that a meeting of Gulf foreign ministers would go ahead as planned on Sunday. Ministers can send deputies or ambassadors to the Cairo meeting.
Moussa said the attacks on Saturday were only the beginning. We are facing a continuing spectacle which has been carefully planned. So we have to expect that there will be many casualties. We face a major humanitarian catastrophe, he said.
A separate Arab League statement condemned the Israeli attacks and said Jordan and Egypt wanted the foreign ministers to call for an end to the massacres which Israel is committing against the Palestinian people in Gaza.
In Damascus, the official SANA news agency said that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was in contact with Arab leaders on the possibility of holding an emergency Arab summit to discuss what a Syrian official source called a heinous crime. The agency said that Assad, who hosted the last Arab summit earlier this year, spoke to the leaders of Qatar, Libya, Sudan and Yemen to discuss the Israeli raids on Gaza. Syria ... calls on Arab leaders to hold an emergency Arab summit to discuss the dangerous situation in Gaza, the source said.
The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, also proposed that Arab leaders follow up the foreign ministers meeting by holding a summit, the Arab League said.
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh condemned the attack as a barbaric aggression and called for an emergency Arab summit to discuss it, Yemens state news agency Saba reported.
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora also condemned Israels latest massacres in Gaza and appealed in a statement to the United Nations and its secretary-general to take swift measures to end the Israeli attacks.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/28/2008 00:00 ||
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Iran's Supreme Leader issued a religious decree to Muslims around the world on Sunday, ordering them to defend Palestinians in Gaza against Israeli attacks "in any way possible", state television reported. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei also declared Monday a day of public mourning in Iran after Israel killed more than 280 Palestinians in two days of air strikes on Gaza.
"All Palestinian combatants and all the Islamic world's pious people are obliged to defend the defenceless women, children and people in Gaza in any way possible," Khamenei said. "Whoever is killed in this legitimate defence, is considered a martyr," he said in a statement.
A religious decree is an official statement by a ranking religious leader that commands Muslims to carry out its message. While there is no religious and legal force behind it, Khamenei is respected by many Iranian and non-Iranian Shi'ites.
Iran refuses to recognise Israel, which accuses Tehran of supplying Hamas Islamists with weapons. Iran denies the claim, saying it only provides moral support to the group.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/28/2008 10:45 ||
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#1
"Whoever is killed in this legitimate defence, is considered a martyr"
Whoever is killed in your continuing attempt to destroy Israel and all the Jooooooooos is still DEAD.
Why don't you go first and show them how it's done, Khamenei Kockamamie?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
12/28/2008 11:22 Comments ||
Top||
The Afghan farmer didn't even know how to work the recording device tucked in his vest pocket when he approached a member of the Taliban who was plotting to launch a rocket attack on a U.S. air base. But if he was nervous about helping the Americans, the farmer didn't show it. "What is the target?" he asked as the two men stood in a field on the outskirts of their Afghan village, according to transcripts of the recordings. "Do they want to shoot the foreigners or the local people?"
"The Americans are infidels, and Jihad is allowed against them," replied Khan Mohammed, the Taliban associate. "If we have to fire toward the airport, we will do it, and if not the airport, wherever else they are stationed."
The farmer, who was working for U.S. federal agents stationed in Afghanistan, secretly recorded Mohammed more than 10 times using a digital audio device and a tiny video camera shielded in his traditional vest. The focus of the investigation was at first on rockets but soon changed to opium and heroin, lucrative narcotics that U.S. officials say help finance the Taliban's insurgency. The farmer's undercover work eventually led to Mohammed's arrest in October 2006 by Afghan police working with the federal agents. With the cooperation of the Afghan government, he was brought to the United States in late 2007.
Convicted in May of drug trafficking and engaging in narco-terrorism after a five-day trial, Mohammed was sentenced to life in prison yesterday by U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington. The judge said Mohammed, the first known Afghan Taliban member convicted in a U.S. courtroom, deserved a stiff sentence because he was a serious drug dealer and a terrorist bent on killing Americans in any way he could.
In recent years, authorities have brought five prosecutions in U.S. courts against Afghan drug dealers, and they say such cases are a critical component of their strategy to sever the flow of drug-tainted cash to the Taliban. As part of that effort, U.S. officials have been pushing the Afghan government to cut down poppy fields and have been trying to reform the nation's justice system, eliminate corruption and encourage the production of food crops. Bowing to U.S. pressure, NATO has also expanded its counterinsurgency mission in Afghanistan to include drug trafficking. Such efforts face a daunting challenge. Although opium production is down 19 percent this year, largely because of a severe drought, Afghan farmers continue to grow opium poppies on 388,000 acres. The country supplies about 90 percent of the world's heroin, though only about 10 percent of the U.S. demand for the drug, according to United Nations and U.S. government estimates.
U.S. officials say curbing opium production is key to stabilizing the country. The Taliban, which had once outlawed poppy growing, has become a key source of protection for many opium growers and collected as much as $400 million last year in levies on those farmers, according to the United Nations. The Taliban uses that cash to buy weapons, clothing and food to sustain its insurgency, government officials and outside experts say.
Justice Department prosecutor Matthew Stiglitz said in court yesterday that Mohammed's "significance ultimately rests with the symbiotic confluence of two worlds: drugs and terrorism. Without him or men like him, there is no effective insurgency in Afghanistan." Mohammed's attorneys, public defenders assigned to represent him, said he was just a middleman trying to help a friend buy drugs, not a terrorist.
The Justice Department declined to discuss the case or to talk more broadly about its counternarcotics cases originating in Afghanistan. But a review of hundreds of pages of trial testimony, court documents and other records provides a rare look into the challenges facing authorities as they push to bring such cases in U.S. courts. Much more at link
This is someone engaged in warfare against the United States. You don't fight wars in a courthouse.
Posted by: john frum ||
12/28/2008 10:46 Comments ||
Top||
#2
What nonsense is this? Courts? Prison?
This is someone engaged in warfare against the United States. You don't fight wars in a courthouse.
We're trying this guy here for the same reason that we brought Colombian drug dealers to trial here - they can't bribe/threaten the judges/guards to let them out of prison here. They can in Afghanistan.
#5
I hope you're right, but I suspect it is just the Afghanis teaching the latest new big guy who's still going to be running Afghanistan in 200 years.
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.
It has been more than seven years since 20-year-old Deora Bodley and 39 other passengers and crew died in the fiery crash of United Airlines Flight 93, their hijacked plane disintegrating in a grove of hemlock trees outside Shanksville, Pa. Most of the remains from the tragedy on Sept. 11, 2001, were never recovered, making the bowl-shaped crash site in the western Pennsylvania countryside an unofficial cemetery and, for surviving relatives, sacred ground.
BAGHDAD, Dec 27 (Reuters) - Sectarian bloodshed has dropped sharply in Iraq from the high levels of 2006-07, but attacks against U.S. and government forces continue, claiming the lives of Iraqi civilians in step, a new study found on Saturday.
Khaled Meshaal, the political leader of Hamas, has called for Palestinians to wage a new intifada against Israel, including a return to suicide missions.
The Afghan farmer didn't even know how to work the recording device tucked in his vest pocket when he approached a member of the Taliban who was plotting to launch a rocket attack on a U.S. air base. But if he was nervous about helping the Americans, the farmer didn't show it. "What is the target?" he asked as the two men stood in a field on the outskirts of their Afghan village, according to transcripts of the recordings. "Do they want to shoot the foreigners or the local people?" 
