KABUL - Afghanistan could see higher levels of violence this year with many Taliban attacks in the east of the country originating from across the border in Pakistan, a top U.S. military commander said on Thursday.
Setting the stage ...
Afghanistan saw the worst bloodshed last year since U.S.-led and Afghan forces toppled the Taliban in 2001, with around 6,000 people killed, about a third of them civilians, and some 140 Taliban suicide bombs across the country.
"This year won't be different," said Major General Jeffrey Schloesser, the new commander of international forces in eastern Afghanistan. "I would predict that we will see some level of increasing incidences of violence just as there has been every year and they may well reach a higher level than they did in 2007," he told a news conference in the Afghan capital, Kabul.
Most of the international troops in eastern Afghanistan are American and U.S. military commanders say they have brought down the level of Taliban violence in the rugged mountainous region that borders Pakistan.
Analysts say that if Taliban attacks have gone down in eastern Afghanistan in recent months it may be due to the Pakistani army's increased activity in fighting the Islamist militants who are active on both sides of the porous border. But the new Pakistani government is now seeking peace agreements with militant groups on its side of the border and that may free up Taliban fighters to cross into Afghanistan and intensify their fight to topple the pro-Western Afghan government and eject foreign troops.
"When I look at the map ... my area of interest, the area that I'm concerned about is on the other side of the border as well as on the Regional Command East," Schloesser said. "A large number of the enemy cross that border to attack the Afghan people."
Asked if most attacks in eastern Afghanistan originated in Pakistan, Schloesser said: "Potentially, yeah. I think, yes. There is a good amount of enemy that come across the border."
The Taliban would likely increase attacks on softer civilian targets, he said. "I think that this is an enemy tactic that we're going to see more of. I think that they are afraid to attack ... coalition forces and so they are going for what is an easier target."
Taliban suicide attacks killed at least 200 civilians last year, undermining public faith in the ability of the government and international troops to bring security to a country that has seen more or less continual civil war for the last 30 years. "It's clearly they are trying to stop, curtail and destroy an improving Afghan quality of life," Schloesser said. "I'm outraged about it and I think the international community ought to be outraged about it."
The deployment of 700 French troops to eastern Afghanistan would help to stabilise the situation there, he said. "They are going to allow us to do some things in some areas where we have not had as high a concentration of coalition forces," Schloesser said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/25/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
"I think that they are afraid to attack ... coalition forces"
Words carefully chosen to try to deflect Taliban attacks on innocent civilians. Reminds me of Dr. Rice's comments about Tater.
6,000 people killed, about a third of them civilians
Most of the rest must be Talib. the Pakistani madrassas keep churning out the cannon fodder, but the skill level, already low, has to be hurt at this loss level.
#2
are they already talkin about next years big spring offensive. Hell you could take the crips or bloods and in a few days they would do more damge than the taliban can muster
#3
IMO , this more about the drug trade along with the religous spect of the Taliban really. I n other words they are in a drug turf war and NATO is on their corner
A large number of insurgents are still infiltrating from Pakistan to Afghanistan, a top US military commander said on Thursday. When I look at the map ... my area of interest, the area that Im concerned about is on the other side of the border as well as on the Regional Command East, Maj Gen Schloesser said while addressing a news conference on Thursday. A large number of the enemy cross that border to attack the Afghan people. Asked if most attacks in eastern Afghanistan originated in Pakistan, Schloesser said: Potentially, yeah. I think, yes. There is a good amount of enemy that come across the border. He also said Afghanistan could see more violence this year. I would predict that we will see some level of increasing incidences of violence just as there has been every year, and they may well reach a higher level than they did in 2007.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2008 00:00 ||
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Any peace deal between Pakistan and Taliban fighters would fail and terrorism should be tackled globally, Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta said on Thursday. We believe that any efforts by any country in our region to have a separate peace deal with international terrorists ... will fail, he told reporters. Past experiences have proved that such efforts will only result in those who make such efforts becoming the victims, he added. A peace deal between Pakistan and pro-Taliban tribes in North Waziristan in September 2006 was criticised in Kabul; officials said it had resulted in increased attacks in Afghanistan. Spanta said countries in the region needed to work together with their international partners in a clear, continued and coordinated fight against terrorism, adding that finding a peaceful way to decrease terrorism in all countries, not only in one place, is an issue that all sides should act upon.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2008 00:00 ||
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MANAMA - Bahrain, home to the US Fifth Fleet, on Thursday signed a security agreement with NATO at a conference on cooperation between the Western alliance and Gulf Arab states. The accord provides for the exchange of security information, senior Bahraini foreign ministry official Sheikh Abdul Aziz bin Mubarak al-Khalifa told reporters.
It was signed by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa at the one-day gathering of security officials. "The agreement regulates the exchange of security information between Bahrain and NATO... Such information is important to both sides to resolve or avert security problems or even disasters," such as "a radioactive leak from a nuclear station in the region," Sheikh Abdul Aziz said.
Bahrain and three other Gulf Arab states -- Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates -- have joined the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) since its launch at a NATO summit in Istanbul in 2004.
The ICI focuses on practical security cooperation between states throughout the broader Middle East, with special emphasis on the energy-rich Gulf nations. Through the accord, NATO offers practical cooperation in areas such as counterterrorism, border security, participation in NATO exercises and countering weapons of mass destruction.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/25/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
See also TOPIX > NATO:IRAN'S NUCLEAR AMBITIONS IS A MAJOR GULF THREAT.
#3
I'd like to see the United States take the lead in forming a half-dozen overlapping alliances similar to NATO: one in the Far East comprised of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, the Philippines and Australia; one that includes India and Thailand, with whatever other countries would be practical to join; and at least one each in Central America, South America, and Africa. There should be only three qualifications for joining - a government that respects individual rights and freedoms, a significant committment to supporting a modern army, and a willingness to not only protect their own territory but that of allies as well. Then the US should significantly reduce its presence (and payments) in and to the "United" Nations.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/25/2008 13:55 Comments ||
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A home video of London suicide bomber Mohammad Siddique Khan bidding goodbye to his baby daughter has been shown to a jury at Kingston Crown Court.
The video was shown in the prosecution of three men alleged to have helped find bombing targets in the capital. Waheed Ali, Sadeer Saleem and Mohammed Shakil deny helping the bombers months before the attacks on 7 July 2005.
In the November 2004 video, Siddique Khan tells his daughter that he "has to do this thing for our future". The jury at Kingston Crown Court was told that in late 2004 Siddique Khan and fellow suicide bomber Shehzad Tanweer flew to Pakistan. Prosecutors say that the leader of the bombers expected to die fighting jihad - but there was an unexpected change of plan while abroad which led to their return and the London bombings the following summer.
In the weeks before their departure, Siddique Khan recorded a number of home videos featuring his six-month-old daughter. Neil Flewitt QC, prosecuting, said the videos included a lot of "cooing over the baby" typical of any doting parents. In one, shot two days before the departure, Siddique Khan can be seen cradling his baby daughter in his arms. She is wearing a baby-suit and is jiggling on his knee.
The bomber is slightly off-camera for most of the recording as the lens is focused on the girl. His voice can be heard clearly and he frequently breaks off from speaking to kiss her. He is heard saying: "Sweetheart, not long to go now and I'm going to really, really miss you a lot. I'm thinking about it already.
"Look, I absolutely love you to bits and you have been the happiest thing in my life. You and your mum, absolutely brilliant. I don't know what else to say. I just wish I could have been part of your life, especially these growing up... these next months, they're really special with you learning to walk and things. "I just so much wanted to be with you but I have to do this for our future and it will be for the best, Inshallah [God willing] in the long run.
"That's the most important thing. You make plenty of dua [prayers] for you guys and you've got loads of people to look after you and keep an eye on you. But most importantly I entrust you to Allah and let Allah take care of you. And I'm doing what I'm doing for the sake of Islam, not, you know, it's not for materialistic or worldly benefits."
Mr Flewitt told the jury the video had come to light shortly after the bombings. Hasina Patel, Siddique Khan's widow, had handed some tapes to a friend in late 2004. At 1845 on 8 July, the day after the bombings, she handed more material to the same friend. On 13 July the friend handed them over to the police.
'Uncles' video
In another video, recorded in October 2004, Khan introduces his daughter to "her uncles", Waheed Ali and 7 July bombers Shehzad Tanweer and Hasib Hussain. The men are relaxing in the lounge at a house with a television on in the background. Siddique Khan calls Tanweer Uncle "Kaki". Mr Ali, sitting on the floor next to Hussain, gets up and kisses his own bicep in a jokey manner.
The jury were told of further footage to be played later which includes Hasina Patel. Mr Flewitt told the court that Ms Patel says: "There are two minutes left so say your piece."
Khan is said to reply: "My little sweetheart I love you lots and lots. You are my little baby with big fat little feet. Remember me in your Duas, I will certainly remember you, and, inshallah, things will work out for the best. Look after your mother, she needs looking after. Be strong, learn to fight - fighting is good. Be mummy's best friend. Take care of mummy - you can both do things together like fighting and stuff."
April 24 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Navy plans to re-establish its Fourth Fleet, disbanded in 1950, to oversee ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the Caribbean and Central and South America, a Defense Department statement said.
Rear Admiral Joseph Kernan, current commander of the Naval Special Warfare Command, will lead the fleet effective July 1, Admiral Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations, said in a statement. The fleet will be based in Mayport, Florida, coordinating efforts with the U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, which also is based there. ``This change increases our emphasis in the region on employing naval forces to build confidence and trust among nations through collective maritime security efforts that focus on common threats and mutual interests,'' Roughead said.
The U.S. Navy has been planning to build up its forces in the region. Admiral James Stavridis, who oversees military affairs for Latin America, told Congress on March 6 that he backs plans to designate a new fleet, led by a nuclear aircraft carrier, to patrol the waters of the Caribbean and Latin America in support of counter-terrorism operations.
The move comes as South American nations, including Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil and Ecuador, boost military spending to counter tensions and protect oil reserves.
Rear Admiral James Stevenson, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command, said the re-establishment of the Fourth Fleet will send a message to the entire region, not just Venezuela. The focus will probably be on security, he said. The fleet could ``certainly bring a lot more stature to the area and increase our ability to get things done,'' Stevenson said in a telephone interview with reporters today.
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez reacted to the Navy announcement, saying on state television: ``They don't scare us in the least.'' Chavez said that ``along with Brazil we're studying the creation of a South American Defense Council.''
About 11 vessels are currently under the Southern Command, a number that will probably increase in the future, Stevenson said. The types of carriers and vessels that will be deployed is ``a matter of timing and what needs have to be addressed to the particular mission,'' he said.
Other U.S. Navy fleets are the Pacific Fleet, the Fifth Fleet in the Persian Gulf and the Seventh Fleet off the coast of Asia.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/25/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
The NET-MSM evidence is rather extensive, to include even UNCLES FIDL-RAUL = QUBA/CUBA, and from NORTH AMER UNION, TO GREAT LAKES FREE TRADE, TO NORTH ATLANTIC FREE TRADE, RUSS-ALASKA CHUNNEL, ARCTIC-ANTARCTIC EXPLORATION,.........@.
*WOT > WAR FOR OWG-NWO > including WAR BWTN NEW WORLD + OLD WORLD = AMERICAS + EURASIA FOR DOMINATION/CONTROL OF MACKINDER'S WORLD ISLAND.
Now iff only HILLARY's Marketing-PR campaign staff can get a good photo of her properly holding a HISPANIC/SPANISH FAN, as per another First-Lady down SOUTH AMERICA ways also running for national Presidential Officia.
#2
WAFF.com > FOREIGN AFFAIRS - THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN POWER - CAN AMERICA SURVIVE THE RISE OF THE REST?; + PAKISTAN MAKES A PEACE DEAL WITH THE TALIBAN/ISLAMIST MILITANTS, ANGERING THE US.
Saving the Jihad, Camels, etc. for FUTURE POST-US NUCLEAR CALIPHATE???
Also from WAFF > AMERICA'S PERILS IN THE ORIENT, vv CHINA alone + RUSSIA-CHINA combined.
#5
Maybe not whining about downsizing but you can bet your @ss that as sailors begin to experience the same quick turns the Army and USMC are seeing on the ground in the ME, due to not enough hulls for all the committment, expect them to become just as vocal. its not that easy to get a beer at the end of the day when you are underway.....
Right now there are 3 CVs sitting in mothballs at Bremerton that could be pulled back out, Ranger, Connie, and Independence. Oli burners, but i am sure a 'deal' could be reached down south to get a top off every now and then.
#6
Right now there are 3 CVs sitting in mothballs at Bremerton that could be pulled back out, Ranger, Connie, and Independence.
Sure. Then you have to get someone to shell out the bucks to get them operational - drydock, powerplant and systems refurb and check, underway quals, degaussing. Six months minimum, unless you're willing to pay extra for a wartime-tempo overhaul.
Even with a 'mothership' approach, you'll need to find a crew of about 2000, especially those still qualified to run a conventional steam plant.
Now if you want to make it fully operational, then we're talking some real money.
#7
Didn't say it was free, Pappy, but it would still be cheaper and quicker than new constuction.
ANd the Navy is sending Sailors inland to 'augment' those on the ground. agree that there is a lot of looking for work type of things going on in the Navy, but if we don't use the mothballed fleet ( both boats and planes) then they should be cut up for scrap. how much do you think it costs to keep those hulls afloat?
#8
i don't wanna sound like atree hugger but that would put us even more at the mercy of the ME in oil terms. build new ones that could run on something lese with a longer shelf life and less maintenance. Bet Hugo shit himself when he saw the article, and would there be an aircraft acrrier in this fleet. I'm not a navy man
#9
Putting 2+2 and getting 5
Comment Think there's funds for it?
Answer "Only if the Democrats do NOT win this Presidency"
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/25/2008 16:39 Comments ||
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#10
Serious comment, would it cost less to install a smalish nuke plant,(just for Steam, use the engines installed) than refurbishing an oil burner, and fueling it for 20 years or so?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
04/25/2008 16:48 Comments ||
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#11
probably not when you also figure all the engineering that would have to go into the various studies to ensure safety of the crew and the retrofitting of the various shielding needs. i am not a blackshoe sailor, just an airedale, and never got below the mess decks, so i will have to defer to any snipes in the 'Burg.
#12
if we don't use the mothballed fleet ( both boats and planes) then they should be cut up for scrap. how much do you think it costs to keep those hulls afloat?
Why do you think ships are being sunk as targets?
As for carriers, let's look at the current developments:
A SEAL two-star with fleet experience will head 4th Fleet.
The fleet is backing up SOUTHCOM, which the two-star will also command.
Current Commander, SOUTHCOM, ADM Stavridis: "anti-drug operations, humanitarian and cooperative training missions are expected to be the new commands primary engagements."
Plain English: 4th Fleet is going to be more of an expeditionary, non-conventional soft-power show-the-flag operation. I suspect gator-freighters, the USNS Comfort and some of the SF-platforms are going to be more of use at this point than a CV (though I like the idea of an air-combat-capable CV being used as a sea-base).
An accused terrorist with ties to al-Qaeda was able to secure a visa before being arrested at Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Radio-Canada reported Thursday night.
According to a secret document sent to Stockwell Day from the Canada Border Services Agency last July, the minister of public safety was told a man of Pakistani descent obtained a visa to temporarily live in Canada from the High Commissioner in London.
According to the note, the man, whose identity is not revealed, is a suspected terrorist implicated in al-Qaeda's mass destruction weapons program.
On July 12, 2007, agents from the CBSA arrested the man who'd arrived from Newcastle, England. While verifying his passport, agents were able to ascertain he'd been flagged by Canadian authorities.
The man was interrogated by customs agents and then requested to be returned to England while renouncing his visa, but the pilot would not let him on the plane.
The man spent a night in a detention in centre in Toronto before he was deported back to Manchester, England the following day. Authorities in Great Britain were told the man was being deported back to their country, but it is unclear where he is now.
The note, obtained by Radio-Canada, does not indicate whether the RCMP or the Canadian Security Intelligence Service agents also interrogated the individual.
WASHINGTON - A group of U.S. senators on Thursday will call on the Bush administration to use its leverage with OPEC to increase oil supplies or risk Congress holding up multimillion-dollar arms deals with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other members of the cartel.
Not gonna work, but anything to rattle the Saoodis a little can't be all bad ...
"As Americans are paying more than ever to fill up their cars at the gas station, it is clear that oil production by OPEC members is below the capacity at which they could be producing," the lawmakers said in an advisory announcing a press conference in which they will release a letter to President George W. Bush asking him to pressure OPEC for more oil.
The Bush administration has notified Congress it plans to sell Saudi Arabia bomb-guidance kits worth about $120 million. The administration also wants to sell the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait advanced antimissile systems, as part of a potential $10 billion arms package to Gulf Arab states.
"The Bush administration has refused to be tough with so-called OPEC allies and in fact continues to provide huge arms deals, despite the economic pains taxpayers are feeling," the senators stated in the advisory.
The senators sending the letter were Democrats Charles Schumer of New York, Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Gee, not a 'Pub amongst them.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/25/2008 00:00 ||
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A group of U.S. senators on Thursday will call on the Bush administration to use its leverage with OPEC to increase oil supplies
Anyone check the voting records of those Senators on supporting drilling and exploration in our own territories? We won't even raise the issue of wind farms.
#3
..Believe it or not, this might actually rattle their cages, however slightly. The Arab countries want nothing but the BEST for the Princes to fly around with - and they will not buy that Soviet Russian junk, especially as the Russians are almost as trustworthy on arms deals as they are on oil production. On the other hand, they might say, "Give us the damned toys or we cut production further", at which point we'll cheerfully bend over and take it.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
04/25/2008 11:37 Comments ||
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#4
OK. Jack up the prices on the arms since they're so flush with cash.
#5
I agree with #1 - where are the views of these bas$$$$s regarding exploration/drilling/production at home? How do they vote about adding additional refining capabilities? If I were George Bush, I'd be screaming about locking up our production capabilities while we're all being screwed at the pump, and demanding that Congress open up the Gulf of Mexico, California coast, several places in Alaska, and anything we find on the Atlantic seaboard. I'd make sure the greens were to blame for most of the high costs of gasoline, utilities, food, and anything else, and I'd detail, down to individuals, who is stopping what, and why. I'd be harping about nuclear energy, new refineries, and anything else I could think of that would supplement what we currently have, and ease prices. I'd also be screaming about how Congress is holding up arms sales that keep Americans employed, how they're interfering with trade with Latin America that would actually increase US exports, and generally taking it to the Donks and their failed policies they demand be given a second chance (where they will once more fail). John McCain needs to be on the same bandwidth. The Repuglycons are stupid if they don't.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/25/2008 14:57 Comments ||
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The government and the army on Thursday welcomed a unilateral truce offered by Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud. Any cessation of hostilities is a welcome step, chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP. If they cease militant activities it is a good development, General Abbas added. However, he said the military had not been informed about the development. We have not received anything from them, he said, adding that tribal elders were negotiating with government officials.
More good news: Government welcomes the move ... and we want to tell the people of the country that soon they will hear more good news, said Interior Affairs Adviser Rehman Malik during a visit to the NADRA headquarters. Responding to questioning, Malik said Mehsud had denied involvement in Benazir Bhuttos murder. He said investigations would continue and those found guilty would be brought to justice. He said the ceasefire was unilateral. Asked if the government would free more militants as part of a deal, he declined to comment. Malik said the government was reviewing all political cases made by the previous government, including those related to Lal Masjid. Pakistan would not be turned into a battlefield in the name of war on terror.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
So I guess these people really are that dense, aren't they?
The head of the UN nuclear monitoring agency has criticised the US for not giving his organisation intelligence information on an alleged nuclear reactor in Syria. IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei also chastised Israel for bombing the site seven months ago, in a statement whose strong language reflected his anger at being kept out of the picture for so long.
The White House broke its silence about the issue on Thursday, just hours after top US legislators - members of the House of Representatives Intelligence Committee - were briefed on the alleged reactor which they say was being built by North Korea. US intelligence officials said evidence included dozens of photographs taken from ground level as well as footage of the interior of the building taken by spy satellites after the Israeli strike.
"The director general deplores the fact that this information was not provided to the agency in a timely manner, in accordance with the agency's responsibilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), to enable it to verify its veracity and establish the facts," the statement said. Additionally, "the director general views the unilateral use of force by Israel as undermining the due process of verification that is at the heart of the non-proliferation regime," it said.
ElBaradei was briefed by telephone by John Rood, the US under-secretary of state for arms control. Additionally, a senior US official said a US intelligence team was in Vienna to brief IAEA representatives. A senior diplomat linked to the IAEA said ElBaradei had already let his displeasure be known to Rood during the US official's phone call over the delay between the time the information became available to the US and when he was informed of it.
#2
By unilaterally attacking, it prevented hundreds or thousands of meaningless meetings and entire forests of paperwork, thus depriving vast numbers of functionaries and bureaucrats of their livelihood.
And besides, it prevented North Korea and Syria from moving all those materials to safer, less conspicuous surroundings, where they could work in peace. Terrible. Terrible.
#3
El-Bastard: just another lying Muzzie chiseler. Sod off, swampy.
Posted by: Thaimble Scourge of the Pixies4707 ||
04/25/2008 9:36 Comments ||
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#4
Hoekstra, ranking Repub on intelligence, was furious re: "White House spin" because the media/public was briefed before Congress, yet he knew it a year ago. Could it be because nothing gets accomplished and that some of those who have "the-need-to-know" cannot be trusted?
#5
Hoekstra, ranking Repub on intelligence, was furious re: "White House spin" because the media/public was briefed before Congress, yet he knew it a year ago. Could it be because nothing gets accomplished and that some of those who have "the-need-to-know" cannot be trusted with secrecy?
#8
If the IAEA got the information it would be instantly whisked away into Syrian hands where they could do things to forstall an attack or protect their operations.
Unfortunately, the IAEA can't be trusted, unlike the Bush administration, whose actions were extremely practical and effective. I guess it all boils down to a trust issue. The IAEA is working to protect their jobs, and the Bush administration and Israelis are working to protect lives.
#11
Right up there on who they put on the Human Rights Committee. However, if it were a serious organization it would be appalling, but given that it is the UN....
The U.S. military says it has found caches of newly made Iranian weapons in Iraq, leading senior officials to conclude Tehran is continuing to funnel armaments into Iraq despite its pledges to the contrary, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
Officials in Washington and Baghdad said the purported Iranian mortars, rockets and explosives had date stamps indicating they were manufactured in the past two months. The U.S. plans to publicize the weapons caches in coming days. A pair of senior commanders said a presentation was tentatively planned for Monday, the paper reported.
"You can see the manufacturing dates right on the armaments themselves," one senior commander in Baghdad said. "These are very clearly weapons that were made in the last month or so."
The FOXNews article has a link to the full report on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. This one is not being buried at the bottom of page A-17 of the New York Times.
Muqtada al-Sadr is considering setting aside his political ambitions and restarting a full-scale fight against U.S.-led forces a worrisome shift that may reflect Iranian influence on the young cleric and could open the way for a shadow state protected by his powerful Mahdi Army.
A possible breakaway path described to The Associated Press by Shiite lawmakers and politicians would represent the ultimate backlash to the Iraqi government's pressure on al-Sadr to renounce and disband his Shiite militia.
By snubbing the give-and-take of politics, al-Sadr would have a freer hand to carve out a kind of parallel state with its own militia and social services along the lines of Hezbollah in Lebanon, a Shiite group founded with Iran's help in the 1980s.
It also would carry potentially disastrous security implications as the Pentagon trims its troops strength and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki finally shows progress on national reconciliation.
Last week, the main Sunni political bloc announced provisional plans to rejoin the Shiite-led coalition nine months after quitting the government. The Sunnis are pleased with the squeeze on al-Sadr's movement as well as an amnesty law that could free many detainees. "Muqtada has shown a great deal of patience not calling for an all-out war yet with so much pressure on him," said Mohan Abedin, director of research at London's Center for the Study of Terrorism and an expert on Shiite affairs. "The Mahdi Army is by far the most powerful Iraqi faction. It can cause damage on a massive scale if it goes to war."
Al-Sadr's next move is still uncertain, but he clearly holds important cards. The Mahdi Army is estimated to have about 60,000 fighters with at least 5,000 thought to be highly trained commandos and is emboldened by its strong resistance to an Iraqi-led crackdown launched last month in the southern city of Basra and elsewhere.
Al-Sadr's movement also holds sway over the densely populated Shiite parts of Baghdad and across the Shiite south by controlling vital needs such as fuel and running social services such as clinics. A cease-fire declared last summer by al-Sadr has been credited with helping bring a steep drop violence.
But al-Sadr who has been in the Iranian seminary city of Qom for the past year is seriously considering tearing up the truce and disassociating himself from his political bloc in parliament, according to loyalists and Shiite politicians interviewed by the AP over the past two weeks.
Then al-Sadr would be free to unleash Mahdi attacks on U.S. and Iraqi forces, the political insiders said. They include members of the 30-seat Sadrist faction in parliament and members of rival Shiite parties, including two who saw al-Sadr recently in Iran. All requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. "The emphasis is now on weapons and fighting, not politics," said one of the lawmakers in the Sadrist bloc. "(Al-Sadr) now only communicates with the Mahdi Army commanders."
Any Mahdi Army offensive could have serious repercussions. Mahdi fighters engaged in fierce battles with U.S. forces in 2004 and then were blamed for waves of roadside bombings that were once the chief killer of American troops.
Mahdi militiamen also fought Iraqi security forces to a virtual standstill last month in Basra before an Iranian-supervised truce. It's unknown how much al-Sadr's Iranian hosts are shaping his views.
Al-Sadr, who lies about his age is in his mid-30s, is studying in Qom under the supervision of Ayatollah Kazim al-Haeri, a reclusive Iraqi cleric close to Iranian hard-liners. Washington accuses Iran of aiding Shiite militias in Iraq, including so-called "special groups" with murky ties to the Mahdi mainstream. Iran denies the allegations. But Iran has obvious and well known connections to the main Shiite political groups in al-Maliki's government. During the recent battles in Basra, Iran supported al-Maliki's crackdown on so-called "criminals" but did not make a clear statement on the spillover confrontation with the Mahdi Army.
Backing a Mahdi Army uprising would allow Tehran to effectively play both sides in a Shiite showdown.
A flurry of recent statements by al-Sadr has emphasized his first public role: as a firebrand militia leader after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. In a statement posted Saturday on his Web site, al-Sadr gave a "final warning" to the government to halt its crackdown or face an "open war until liberation."
Senior Mahdi Army commanders, speaking on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss strategy with media, said they have taken delivery of new Iranian weapons, including sophisticated roadside bombs, Grad rockets and shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles. The militia's top field commanders, they said, were senior members of the special groups. One commander, who identified himself by his nickname Abu Dhara al-Sadri, said scores of militia fighters were prepared to carry out suicide bombings against U.S. forces. Suicide bombings are the signature attacks of Sunni militants in Iraq's conflict, but the tactic was introduced against Americans in Lebanon by Shiite militants in the 1980s.
Sadrist lawmakers and aides have sent compromise-seeking proposals to al-Sadr in Qom. The ideas seek to appease al-Maliki enough to forestall his threat: barring al-Sadr's followers from running in this fall's key provincial elections unless al-Sadr disbands the Mahdi Army.
But the proposals have gone unanswered, said al-Sadr's aides. One offer, they said, would allow for creation of a new political party with no formal links to the Mahdi Army. Another would permit candidates sympathetic to the Sadrists but with no direct links to run as independents in the fall election. One of the authors of the proposals, moderate cleric Riyadh al-Nouri, was gunned down April 11 in Najaf, the spiritual center for Shiites in Iraq. The reason for the slaying was not clear.
Lawmakers and politicians told the AP that al-Sadr's more belligerent tone is motivated, in part, by his wish to secure a place for himself in history as a nationalist leader and anger over the recent arrests of hundreds of supporters despite his unilateral cease-fire.
At talks this month in Qom between al-Sadr and former Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, the young cleric vowed never to disband the Mahdi Army while U.S. and other foreign forces remain in Iraq, according to Shiite political figures familiar with the meetings.
Al-Jaafari has said he was mediating an accommodation between al-Sadr and al-Maliki's government.
Salah al-Obeidi, al-Sadr's chief spokesman in Iraq, acknowledged that al-Sadr and the Iranians were at present bound by close ties and common goals.
However, he was quick to add that while al-Sadr and the Iranians shared common interests namely fighting the Americans in Iraq the cleric was nobody's puppet.
Vali Nasr, an expert on Shiite politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, said the Iranians may want al-Sadr to stay in Qom to keep him in check for the moment. "Muqtada is forcing everyone's hand right now when they (the Iranians) may not be wanting their hand forced," said Nasr.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2008 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Mahdi Army
#1
As wid any Campaign-War in World History, THE ISLAMIST JIHAD WILL PROVE A FAILURE UNLESS RESPECT, CREDIBILITY, AND POWER CAN BE ACHIEVED ON PAR OR GREATER THAN OTHER GLOBAL COMPETITORS = GREAT NATION/POWER RIVALS INCLUD ALLIES. The OWG ISLAMIST-JIHADIST CALIPHATE OR STATE CANNOT BE ACHIEVED UNLESS RADICAL ISLAM INCLUD IRAN, PAKI, ETC. CAN DEMONS ITS POWER = POTENCY AGZ THE US-WEST, RUSSIA-CHINA, NATO, SCO, EU, etal. SINGULARLY ANDOR COLLECTIVELY.
IMO, Radical Islam - Iran, OBL, Sadr, etc. - are counting on DUBYA = LAME DUCK [per MSM], and on the US-COALITION/ALLIES to stay in Iraq-Afghani as well as to NOT undertake any sort of unilater milaction agz IRAN. THEY ARE CONTENTING THEMSELVES WID NUCLEAR IRAN DOMIN THE CENTRAL ASIAN, PERSIAN GULF, + NEAR EAST REGIONS = BLOC OF NUCLEARIZED MUSLIM NATIONS.
IOW, the POST 2010/12 NEW GLOBAL JIHAD + future GLOBAL CALIPHATE will begin as a NUCLEARIZED REGIONAL-LOCAL CALIPHATE as long as the USA either "stays in place", withdraws, or even just reduces its force presence in the ME. IT WON'T MATTER AS LONG AS MAJOR WORLD POWERS TAKE NO ACTION AGZ NUCLEAR IRAN - THE US PER SE CAN STAY IN IRAQ-AFGHANI AS LONG AS IT WANTS TO.
THE JIHAD WILL SURVIVE, PREVAIL, AND WAR AGAIN EXCEPT NOW IS NUCLEARIZED.
It also would carry potentially disastrous security implications as the Pentagon trims its troops strength and Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki finally shows progress on national reconciliation.
I thought that Maliki going after Tater was the reason the government was starting to pull together.
#3
Typical MSM hysteria : all sorts of "could, might, may" being invoked without any explanation of how he is supposed to accomplish this with the losses the Mahdi Army has taken in the past few weeks. And a lot of those losses are surrenders/defections.
#4
And all the women wearing jeans and returning to the university and all the other folks quoted in The Times article would love to have Tater back.
Intentional or not, what has happenend is we have allowed the folks - and the rest of the world - to see what would have happened without the rule of law. First Falluja and now Basra have been freed again - first from the oppression of Sadam, then from the oppression of their we-know-what-is-best-for-you betters (the democrats?)
Why is he always a "young cleric", anyway?
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/25/2008 6:27 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Even if he does have 60,000 fighters and 5,000 highly trained commandos (and I am doubtful of that), I think he's too late. The IA now outmans him and almost certainly out-skills him and out-commands him. And that's without US advisors and air cover. The only place he 'wins' is in ruthlessness, and if the US advisors 'turn their backs' I imagine the IA would have no problem frying some tater skins in hot oil.
#6
I think the Mullahs have decided to throw Tater under the bus partly because he became too expensive (I shudder at the dental hygiene bill).
Those 60k 'fighters' won't be loyal when their pay stops; the 5k commandos will, at least for a while decide to use their skills to rob and extort from the Shia civilians in the name of Tater.
#7
Lawmakers and politicians told the AP that al-Sadr's more belligerent tone is motivated, in part, by his wish to secure a place for himself in history as a nationalist leader and anger over the recent arrests of hundreds of supporters despite his unilateral cease-fire.
'Nationalist leader'? More like a Prince of Thieves. Meaning he has to constantly work to keep control. Since he doesn't have charisma and a rep outside of being 'his father's son', and he hasn't effectively established a climate of fear, he needs to play warlord.
#8
If he wants to be a "nationalist" leader, it might help his cause if he was actually in the nation that he wanted to lead instead of hiding under his bed at Super Duper Mullah School in Iran while his Mahdi Army saps do all his bleeding for him...
#9
He should have been stomped to a sticky red jelly the first time he raised his ugly head. Now we have to do it again. This time, I don't think Tater's gonna survive. One heavy ARCLIGHT strike against his "forces" will leave him with a handful of useful idiots (democrats), and not much else.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/25/2008 16:09 Comments ||
Top||
#10
He should have been stomped to a sticky red jelly the first time he raised his ugly head.
Which is how martyrs are made.
Better to keep the incompetent, than to have someone with sense (and better teeth) show up.
The United Nations stopped distributing food to Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip on Thursday after its vehicles ran out of fuel because of the Israeli blockade, a U.N. official said. Israeli countered that fuel is available, but said the Islamic group Hamas ruling Gaza is preventing it from being distributed.
A spokesman for the United Nations' Relief Works Agency, Adnan Abu Hasna, said 700,000 Palestinians won't be getting packages of basic foods because the agency could not bring in new shipments or distribute them without fuel for its vehicles. "All of our regular food operations have stopped because of the fuel shortage," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2008 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
Gaza's not that big, and they don't have anything else to do - they can walk to wherever the food is and pick it up.
#3
A spokesman for the United Nations' Relief Works Agency, Adnan Abu Hasna, said 700,000 Palestinians won't be getting packages of basic foods
I'll tell ya what. Why don't you have them flown over here and delivered to me? Sound good to you Adnan? I mean, why let them go to waste AND I PROBABLY PAID FOR THE FUCKIN THINGS ANYWAYS!!!
#4
They also had several dozens of nice greenhouses they could have grown food in, if they had any common sense. Destroying things is better than growing food, so now they should have the consequences - an empty belly.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/25/2008 16:11 Comments ||
Top||
#5
Well, look on the bright side of things. There are no ammo shortages, so the Paleos CAN plan IF they are motivated......
Posted by: Alaska Paul in Chefornak, AK ||
04/25/2008 21:57 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Gaza is not that big a place. What do they do, enter Gaza with empty fuel tanks?
Hamas is willing to observe a temporary truce in hostilities with Israel that would begin in Gaza and last for six months, this after all other Palestinian armed groups agree to the stated terms, top Hamas leader Dr. Mahmoud al-Zahar said at a press conference in Cairo on Thursday.
Al-Zahar said that the lull must be "mutual and simultaneous and the blockade must be lifted and the crossing points opened, including the Rafah crossing point (between Gaza and Egypt)."
Egyptian Intelligence chief, Minister Omar Suleiman, has agreed to summon representatives from all other Palestinian factions to discuss the proposed truce next Wednesday including Islamic Jihad, the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC), the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Hamas would also send delegates on its behalf. It remains unclear if Fatah will partake in the meeting. Suleiman will then set the date for the official commencement of the agreement, al-Zahar said.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2008 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
How about this, Mahmoud: If after six months, there has not been a single attack on or in Israel, they will consider easing (not lifting) the blockade?
The very first attack on or in Israel will mean the blockade is on for at least a year.
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
04/25/2008 0:25 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Why should Israel even contemplate giving its mortal enemy 6 months respite in which to rearm and reorganize?
NASA said today it would team with m2mi to develop very small satellites, called nanosats which weigh between 11 to 110lb, for the development of telecommunications and networking services in space. NASA says large groups of nanosatellites can be grouped in a constellation, that will be placed in low Earth orbit to offer new telecommunications and networking systems and services.NASA and m2mi will develop what they call fifth generation telecommunications and networking systems for TCP/IP-based networks and related services.
Nanosatellites will be produced using low-cost, mass-production techniques, according to m2mi. "The constellation will provide a robust, global, space-based, high-speed network for communication, data storage and Earth observations," said m2mi Chief Executive Officer Geoff Brown Hmm, know any intelligence agencies that might need such a thing in the face of chinese and russian ASATs?
The cooperative effort will combine NASA's expertise in nanosensors, wireless networks and nanosatellite technologies with m2mi's unique capabilities in software technology, sensors, global system awareness, adaptive control and commercialization capabilities. Fifth Generation technology, or 5G, incorporates VoIP, video, data, wireless, and an integrated machine-to-machine intelligence layer, for information exchange and use, NASA said. Took them long enough... I and an R&D group broached this idea about 10 years ago, and pushed it 5 years ago inside the intelligence/aeospace community. We called them "cheap sats". We were met with a collective yawn, since the IC and Big Aerospace is wedded to the One Big Multibillion-Dollar satellite way of doing things. Like the one we just shot down because it failed, and is probably leaving a big gap in intelligence coverage.
/SITYS. Ive been harping on them for years here.
/continues banging drum in hopes that the DoD and IC wake up
#1
Much like the fastest computers in the world are no long the bing honking mainframes, but instead are clusters of smaller processors and computers tied together, so clusters can be applied to satellites.
What sucks is that it took this long for them to finally realize that small cheap clusters of common component satellites can and will outperform the big multifunction platforms. Clustering is the FM here.
ANd it makes them cheaper, smaller, easier to launch (and thus quciker to launch), and a lot less vulnerable to ASATs - you have to kill significant numbers of the cluster, not just one big satellite. And replacements could be quickly lofted.
#3
If we can gang together small optics on the earth to get higher resolution into space, It would make sense to have smaller spy sats to get better resolution from space to earth.
#4
Oldspook and associates may have simply had the wrong term to describe their idea. "Cheapsats" isn't going to be liked by contractors or the managers of the contract managers. Nano-Sats sounds more profitable (even though calling something that weighs 100# 'nano' is a stretch).
#5
All China would have to do would be to blow up enough satellites in orbit so that the volume of debris would cause a runaway chain reaction that takes out all the other sats. Alternate means of military communication will still be necessary.
#6
gorb: what, you mean a deliberate attempt to trigger a Kessler's Sydrome scenario? Even the Chinese wouldn't be so daft.
I hope?
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
04/25/2008 13:49 Comments ||
Top||
#7
:-)
AFAIK, the Chinese have little or no assets to protect in space. It looks like most of their policy revolves around nukes, attacking neighbors, or defending the homeland. And probably without much help from central command. Don't really need much in the way of satellites to accomplish any of these goals.
#8
100-300# and beach ball sized is what we were touting. There were (are?) launch vehicles that can loft that type of load into low earth orbit from under the wing of a high flying B52.
#9
I read an interesting bit on clearing space debris with "a big ball of goo". A rocket is launched that when it reaches altitude, exudes a lot of sticky foam, forming a large ball around it. It normalizes the temperature of the goo by rotating in sunlight.
Then it intentionally collides with smaller objects laterally instead of head on, and they stick to the goo. It uses an irregular orbit to intersect a lot of space junk before burning up in the atmosphere.
#10
Bangalore: India's space agency will launch a cluster of ten satellites onboard a polar satellite launch vehicle from the Satish Dhawan space centre at Sriharikota, about 90 kilometres from Chennai.
The launch rocket will carry the latest version of remote sensing satellite Cartosat-2A, an 83 kilogramme mini satellite, and eight foreign nano-satellites into polar orbit. The launch is scheduled for Monday morning.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/25/2008 18:49 Comments ||
Top||
#11
Lest we fergit, MSM > the polymers and compunds, etc. used in manufactur new supermaterials are predomin OIL-BASED, ERGO WE CAN'T DEV OR DEPLOY ANY "CHEAP SATS" OR "NANO-SATS", ETC. ADVANCED TECHS BECUZ THE WORLD IS SUPPOS RUNNING OUT OF OIL TO MAKE SAID TECHS???
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said the countrys economic woes can be solved by the culture of martyrdom, the Mehr news agency reported.
If we want to build the country, maintain our dignity and solve economic problems, we need the culture of martyrdom, Ahmadinejad was quoted as saying in a speech on Wednesday in the western city of Hamedan. He described martyrdom, dying or being killed for ones religious beliefs, as a quick and shortcut way to reach the summit of salvation.
He did not say how becoming a martyr would help the economy, which is struggling from high inflation. The president was speaking a day after ousted economy minister Davoud Danesh Jaafari became the latest person to launch a withering attack on him for his unconventional economic policies. Ahmadinejad has been criticised for pumping excessive liquidity into the economy to fund infrastructure projects, causing huge money supply growth and triggering Irans current inflation of around 18 percent.
However, critics believe the real inflation rate exceeds 25 percent, and have accused Ahmadinejad of making unscientific decisions in economic matters. Ahmadinejad rejects such criticism. When we insisted on cutting bank interest rates some objected and said this is not scientific, but we tell them that if they are not men of justice, they had better clear the way and leave, he was quoted on Thursday by the Etemad Melli newspaper as saying.
In his remarks on Wednesday, former economy minister Jaafari said during my time, there was no positive attitude towards previous experiences or experienced people and there was no plan for the future.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Martyrdom would solve Iran's economic woes: Ahmadinejad
Posted by: Rambler in California ||
04/25/2008 0:28 Comments ||
Top||
#4
As warned times before, to preclude either NUCLEAR RADICAL IRAN ANDOR ISLAMIST NUCLEAR TERROR, the choices for the USA is to either wage war or "regime change" iff Iran continues to refuse to give up its nuke activities. AT THE RATE MOUD IS GOING, "REGIME CHANGE" OR PEACEFUL CHANGE MAY COME TOO LATE TO PRECLUDE A US-IRAN WAR. 2020 and after > BOTH THE USA + IRAN > ITS GOING TO GET HARDER AND HARDER FOR ONE TO MILITARILY = PEACEFULLY STOP THE OTHER. Both nations OWG, etc agendas are BULLS/ELEPHANTS IN A CHINA SHOP???
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/25/2008 1:19 Comments ||
Top||
#7
Joe's right that our commitment to individual and national freedom clashes irrevocably with the Islamicists. And both clash with China's expanding nationalism and economic clout.
What remains to be seen is how two other forces will play in this: demographics and technology. On the demographic side, China will age rapidly, Iran is overwhelmed with young people it can't employ productively and we're somewhere in the middle, depending on what we do re: immigration (i.e. without it we're slipping towards the Euro posture on having kids).
On the technology side, nano-manufacturing and robotics could disrupt economic stability for all concerned. Strap on your seatbelts, brethren & sistren.
#10
He did not say how becoming a martyr would help the economy
--------------------------------------------------
So little understanding of modern economics in the media, it would plainly cause a
The Syrian nuclear reactor allegedly built with North Korean design help and destroyed last year by Israeli jets was within weeks or months of being functional, a top U.S. official said Thursday. The facility was mostly completed but still needed significant testing before it could be declared operational, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. However, no uranium needed to fuel a reactor was evident at the site, a remote area of eastern Syria along the Euphrates River.
The Syrian reactor was similar in design to a North Korean reactor at Yongbyon that has in the past produced small amounts of plutonium, U.S. officials said. Plutonium is highly radioactive and can be used to make powerful nuclear weapons or radiological bombs.
Top members of the House intelligence committee said Thursday after being briefed on the facility by intelligence and administration officials that the reactor posed a serious threat of spreading dangerous nuclear materials. "This is a serious proliferation issue, both for the Middle East and the countries that may be involved in Asia," said Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich.
CIA Director Michael Hayden, Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell and National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley briefed lawmakers, who were shown a video presentation of intelligence information that the administration contends establishes a strong link between North Korea's nuclear program and the bombed Syrian site. It included still photographs that showed a strong resemblance between specific features of the plant and the one near Yongbyon.
According to officials familiar with the presentation, it did not show moving images inside the facility or any North Korean workers, but included photographs that depict similarities between the North Korean and Syrian reactor designs.
Hoekstra and Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, told reporters after the closed meeting that they were angry that the Bush administration had delayed briefing the full committee for eight months. "It's bad management and terrible public policy to go for eight months knowing this was out there and then drop this in our laps six hours before they go to the public," Hoekstra said.
President Bush's failure to keep Congress informed has created friction that may imperil congressional support for Bush's policies toward North Korea and Syria, he said. "It totally breaks down any trust that you have between the administration and Congress," Hoekstra said. "I think it really jeopardizes any type of the agreement they may come up with" regarding North Korea.
The Syrian site has been veiled in secrecy until this week, with U.S. intelligence and government officials refusing to confirm until now suspicions that the site was to be a nuclear reactor.
White House press secretary Dana Perino said Bush stood by the statement he made in October 2006 when he described North Korea as one of the world's leading proliferators of missile technology, including transfers to Iran and Syria. "The transfer of nuclear weapons or material by North Korea to states or non-state entities would be considered a grave threat to the United States, and we would hold North Korea fully accountable of the consequences of such action," Bush said then.
Perino refrained from describing what she thought the consequences could be. "Let's let the briefings take place and the declaration take place and we'll move on from there," she said. Perino said that the information being provided to lawmakers today will not come as a surprise to any member of the six-party talks.
The administration has thus far refused to reveal why it chose to release the information now, but the briefings come at a critical time in the diplomatic effort to get North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons.
As part of that process, the North is required to submit a "declaration" detailing its programs and proliferation activity, but the talks are stalled over Pyongyang's refusal to publicly admit the Syria connection. However, officials say the North Koreans are willing to accept international "concern" about unspecified proliferation. By disclosing North Korean-Syrian cooperation to Congress, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog and the public, the administration may have overcome that impasse by giving North Korea a "concern" that it can acknowledge in the declaration.
North Korea was aware that the administration would be releasing the information and its Foreign Ministry said Thursday that a visit to Pyongyang this week by a U.S. delegation to discuss the declaration made progress. It did not elaborate. At the same time, the administration's release of the intelligence shines light on alleged malfeasance by Syria, which has signed an international treaty requiring it to disclose nuclear interests and activity, and makes it easier for Israel to explain its decision to destroy the site.
Syria has not declared the alleged reactor to the International Atomic Energy Agency nor was it under international safeguards, possibly putting Syria in breech of an international nuclear nonproliferation treaty.
In the Syrian capital of Damascus, legislator Suleiman Haddad, who heads the parliament's foreign relations committee, told The Associated Press that the videotape does not deserve a response. "America is looking for any problem in order to accuse Syria," Haddad said by telephone. "Do we need Korean workers to work in Syria?"
"It is regretful to say that America is putting us among its enemies and therefore this talk (at Congress) does not deserve a response. America is trying to create an atmosphere of war in the region," Haddad said. He did not elaborate.
Israeli warplanes bombed the site in Syria on Sept. 6, 2007. A new, larger building has been constructed in its place. U.S. officials were also briefing members of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, at its Vienna headquarters.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/25/2008 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
Congress was angry about being kept in the dark until the last minute. Understandable. But given their inability to keep secrets it is also understandable why the administration would keep them in the dark. Not to mention that these secrets were not 'ours' - at most they were joint secrets with Israel, and if we want to keep getting information from Israel (and influencing their actions) we need to honor THEIR secrecy.
There's a lot of story still hidden behind this public release - I just hope I live long enough to hear 'the rest of the story' (might have to live a longer life than Paul Harvey to do it though.)
#4
ISRAEL's WORRY > once IRAN is allowed to dev "NUCLEAR ENERGY" [Israel read - WEAPONS], SYRIA etc. will also demand the same thing. ISRAEL RIGHTLY FEARS THAT, UNLESS REGIONAL PEACE IS ACHIEVED NOW, IT FACES LT PROSPECT OF BEING SUROUNDED BY HOSTILE MUSLIM-ISLAMIST NUCLEAR STATES, + STILL BE HAMMERED BY VARI NUCLEARIZED WEAPONIZED LOCAL MILITANTS. The US-West may no longer be willing to mil assist = save Israel iff the choice is POTEN WAGING MUTUALLY DESTRUCTIVE STRATEGIC NUCLEAR WARFARE AGZ ISRAEL'S ENEMIES.
Many Israeli Jews and Net Posters believe "the Clock is ticking" agz their country iff contemporary peace efforts fail + RADICLA IRAN-MILITANTS GET NUCLEAR TECHS.
#5
Compare wid TOPIX > MUSLIM MARTIN LUTHERS: THE THEOLOGIANS WORK FOR "EURO-ISLAM" + TURKISH SCHOLARS PREPARE TO RE-INTERPRETE ISLAM + ISLAM UNDER REVIEW BY MUSLIM/ISLAMIC MAJOR SCHOLARS.
Hopefully, efforts such as these to reform and modernize Islam will succeed, AS RADICAL ISLAM GENER DOES NOT RECOGNIZE PARITY = CO-EXISTENCE AND COMPATIBILITY WID NON-ISLAM, e.g. NEITHER WITH THE US-WEST NOR RUSSIA-CHINA, etc.
Have you seen what Zawahiri, the Qaeda No. 2, has called the mainstay of war? Men and money. Together, they are the mainstay of war, says Zawahiri. And he is disappointed in the Muslim performance: They have not flocked off to Iraq, for example, to prosecute the jihad. Too few people committing suicide attacks.
We often get signals that Qaedism is not exactly hot among Muslims. And that is something to cheer, or at least be glad of.
One more point about Zawahiris latest exhortations: He, and other Qaedists, say that the world is at war: radical Islam versus most everything else. Do we, on the most-everything-else side, recognize the same?
Posted by: Mike ||
04/25/2008 09:44 ||
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[2 views]
Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
#5
Zawahiri, if you don't like the way things are going in Iraq, why the hell don't you go there yourself you chickenshit scum? Just as I thought, you are an elitist pr!ck that would have someone else do your bidding.
#7
And yet, this douchebag-- and I meant that in the literal sense of the word-- has gall enough to tell us that we are losing and they are winning in Iraq.
I guess desperate times do call for desperate measures.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
A home video of London suicide bomber 
April 24 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. Navy plans to re-establish its Fourth Fleet, disbanded in 1950, to oversee ships, aircraft and submarines operating in the Caribbean and Central and South America, a Defense Department statement said.
The government and the army on Thursday welcomed a unilateral truce offered by Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud. Any cessation of hostilities is a welcome step, chief military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP. If they cease militant activities it is a good development, General Abbas added. However, he said the military had not been informed about the development. We have not received anything from them, he said, adding that tribal elders were negotiating with government officials.
The head of the UN nuclear monitoring agency has criticised the US for not giving his organisation intelligence information on an alleged nuclear reactor in Syria. IAEA director general Mohamed ElBaradei also chastised Israel for bombing the site seven months ago, in a statement whose strong language reflected his anger at being kept out of the picture for so long.
Muqtada al-Sadr is considering setting aside his political ambitions and restarting a full-scale fight against U.S.-led forces a worrisome shift that may reflect Iranian influence on the young cleric and could open the way for a shadow state protected by his powerful Mahdi Army.
The United Nations stopped distributing food to Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip on Thursday after its vehicles ran out of fuel because of the Israeli blockade, a U.N. official said. Israeli countered that fuel is available, but said the Islamic group Hamas ruling Gaza is preventing it from being distributed.
