Afghan President Hamid Karzai strongly criticized the way the American-led coalition is conducting the war against terrorists in his country during an interview with the New York Times on Friday.
This was before the assassination attempt by the Talibunnies. Wonder what he thinks as of today?
A Saturday story in the Times said Karzai wants American forces to stop arresting suspected Taliban members and sympathizers. Fear of these arrests, and past mistreatment, is only discouraging Taliban from voluntarily surrendering their arms, he said.
Karzai also blamed American forces, together with some Afghan warlords, for driving the Taliban out of the country and into the inaccessible tribal areas of Pakistan, where they have been able to regroup and rearm. That should not have happened, he said.
The real terrorist threat is in those Taliban and al-Qaida sanctuaries in Pakistan, which must be closed off, Karzai said. If you want to live, and live in peace, and work for prosperity, that has to happen, Karzai said, according to the Times. The sanctuaries must go, period.
But instead, American forces continue to focus their searches for terrorists in Afghan villages, causing needless civilian casualties, Karzai said.
Even though NATO says civilian casualties have dropped substantially since last year, they must cease completely, the president said. The number of civilian casualties seriously undermines our efforts to have an effective campaign against terrorism, he said.
Karzai is facing re-election next year, after spending six years in office. His criticisms may be a way of showing his countrymen that he is an independent leader, unafraid to challenge the coalition and NATO forces involved in Afghanistan.
#1
Another proof of the "first time tragedy, second time farce rule." The strongmen we set up in the old days may have served their political purpose (for us) but were a tragedy for the people they ruled. Ham-eed is just a sad farce...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
04/28/2008 10:14 Comments ||
Top||
#2
There is a saying:
First time Tragedy, 2nd time farce, 3rd time Interpritive Dance
Posted by: George Smiley ||
04/28/2008 18:08 Comments ||
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#3
I thought it was:
First time, happenstance,
Second time, coincidence,
Third time, enemy action
#4
TOPIX > FIVE US AFGHAN BASES ATTACKED + AFGHANISTAN INSURGENCY MAY BE HEADING NORTH.
Also, KOMMERSANT > NATO OF PROTESTS: THE POSSIBILITY OF WAR BETWEEN RUSSIA AND GEORGIA; + TOPIX/RIAN > ABKHAZIA [Georgia separatist region]READY TO SIGN MILITARY AGREEMENT WITH RUSSIA.
A British man who was attacked after converting to Christianity from Islam was told by police to "move to another place", it has emerged. Nissar Hussein, 43, from Bradford, West Yorkshire converted from Islam to Christianity with his wife, Qubra, in 1996.
A report by Christian Solidarity Worldwide, quoted in the Times, says he was subjected to a number of attacks and, after being told that his house would be burnt down if he did not return to Islam, alerted the police. However, the report says Mr Hussein was told that such threats were rarely carried out and that he should stop being a crusader and move to another place.
A few days later an unoccupied property next door to Mr Hussein's house was set on fire.
The report, titled No Place to Call Home, claims that apostates from Islam are subject to gross and wide-ranging human rights abuses. When identities are precarious, their enforcement will take an aggressive form.
Hate to say it, but the coppers have a practical sense of what to do. He should move, but don't tell anyone he's moved. Then let the cops stake out the former residence and nab the arsonist when he comes. And he'll come.
#2
"Then let the cops stake out the former residence and nab the arsonist when he comes. And he'll come."
I envy you your optimism :) In UK and PC Europe in general, police has turned to managers - managing the decline, as precisely it has been named.
Essence of the management of the decline: keep records of crime as low as possible. Say, Denmark: local news agency films the proof, but police refuses to check the local bazar for open trade of khat since "tasks are prioritized, amount of attention depends on other crimes commited at the area".
Another one: thefts of notebook PCs not registered since "there is already too many of them stolen every day".
People in europe, differently from those in USA, have given up their duties (defence, crime control, justice) to authorities, and lost control of them.
#3
People in europe, differently from those in USA, have given up their duties (defence, crime control, justice) to authorities, and lost control of them.
That's why anyone who wants to take away our guns needs to be hounded out of the country. That goes for both hillarity and BO, since both have said openly they hate guns. I can understand hillarity, who, like all criminals, fear a gun-toting populace, but BO is just plain stupid.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/28/2008 14:03 Comments ||
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#4
That's why anyone who wants to take away our guns needs to be hounded out of the country.
I don't know that they would be hounded ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/28/2008 14:54 Comments ||
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#5
I asked a well-educated, affluent British fellow recently about his country's policies on guns. He allowed that he didn't really like discussing the matter with Americans because it could lead to nothing good.
When I asked him whether the reports on rising crime in Britain were true, he admitted they probably were but since he "lived in a safe area where that kind of thing didn't happen," he didn't worry about it. Speaking of that area, he remarked that he made a very good income for the U.K. but that it was extremely expensive to live there and that he truly had no idea how his neighbors managed to afford their dwellings/lifestyle in the same area.
My last question to him was to ask why Muslims could openly parade down one of London's main streets carrying signs that said "Infidels Will Be Beheaded" and "To Hell with Freedom," when he would get an ASBO for even publicly admitting that he disapproved of homosexuality. His response? "It's a worrying situation."
These people are truly living in denial. Britain is a LOT closer to a societal crash than most of us think. If their economy goes south in any major way, things there are going to get real bad real fast. From my conversation with this fellow I can certainly see why their internal enemies think they're ripe for the plucking.
Posted by: Thaimble Scourge of the Pixies4707 ||
04/28/2008 18:01 Comments ||
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#6
He would get the same advice about moving here in the US but the cops would just be being realistic, they can't be everywhere all the time. He however would not be told to stop being a "crusader." That makes a big difference.
I don't have much faith in the police anyway or anywhere. Cops here in the US see their job as putting as many people in prison as they can as the metric they are measured by. That isn't to reassuring in a country that seems to generate laws designed to make everyone a criminal.
Posted by: Clinter Darling of the Munchkins3507 ||
04/28/2008 19:14 Comments ||
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#8
Monitor whoever goes near the place and does something wrong. Anyone who does surveillance, looks at the place crosswise, or burns it down gets deported back to country of origin.
CARACAS (AFP) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and Iranian leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad have agreed by telephone to meet soon to boost cooperation on several levels, the Venezuelan foreign ministry said Sunday. "Presidents Ahmadinejad and Chavez agreed to meet as soon as possible to continue boosting their industrial, scientific and technological development plans in benefit of their two nations," the ministry said in a statement.
What's the range of those Iranian missiles again?
About 2500 km, plus or minus 2500 km.
The two leaders have often met, the last time was in November in Tehran. They share a profound hatred of the United States and both their countries are members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
In their telephone conversation, Ahmadinejad congratulated Chavez for Venezuela's "victory over ExxonMobil, and ratified his solidarity with Venezuela's fight to secure its natural resources," the foreign ministry said.
A London judge in March lifted a freeze on 12 billion dollars in global assets of Venezuela's state-run oil company PDVSA ExxonMobil had requested as compensation for a Venezuelan 2006 law forcing foreign oil companies to give PDVSA at least a 60 percent share in their operations at oil fields in the Orinoco basin.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/28/2008 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Wel-l-l, iff IRAN can join the SCO why not the future PAN-AMER/CARIBBEAN ZONE = UNION = FREE TRADE ZONE???
D *** NG IT, whatza am I bid to build the CHUNNEL bwtn FLORIDA-KEY WEST, QUBA = PUERTO RICO?, and HUGO???
#2
At the first signal of US giegers clicking off in the region, will be time for the subs to start sinking Iranian ships and inspecting flights! Ala the Cuban embargo, less you want a Syrian style 'sneak in' in the hemisphere.
#3
be time for the subs to start sinking Iranian ships and inspecting flights!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Excellent idea. Put the US flying subs on the job.
Posted by: George Smiley ||
04/28/2008 18:05 Comments ||
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#4
WAFF.com > RUSSIA AND IRAN FORGE NEW POLITICAL AGREEMENT; + TOPIX/IRNA > IRAN AND RUSSIA SIGN MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING FOR CLOSER FUTURE RELATIONS. Soon to become a Russo-Iranian formal MEMORAN OF COOPERATION???
The Pakistan government is strengthening efforts to free nine Pakistanis arrested in Spain for alleged terrorism links, Dawn News quoted Foreign Office (FO) spokesman Muhammad Sadiq as saying on Sunday. Responding to fresh appeals for help from the prisoners families, Sadiq said the government was making all possible efforts to secure an early release of those detained in Spain. Sadiq said the detained Pakistanis are being granted counsel and legal access through the Pakistan consulate in Barcelona. The nine Pakistanis are part of an original group of 14 Pakistanis and Indians arrested in Barcelona in January this year, for allegedly plotting a terrorist attack. Three of the 12 Pakistanis in the group have already been released due to lack of evidence.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/28/2008 00:00 ||
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Link ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in Europe
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama, who has called for withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq, said on Sunday he will vote to confirm the top commander there for a new job as head of the military's Central Command. "Yes," Obama told "Fox News Sunday" when asked if, as a senator from Illinois, he would approve Petraeus. "I think Petraeus has done a good tactical job in Iraq."
President George W. Bush has nominated Gen. David Petraeus, who led the buildup of troops in Iraq, to be in charge of operations across the Middle East and Central Asia. If confirmed by the Senate, Petraeus will still be in that job when the next president replaces Bush at the White House in January 2009. Obama hopes that person is him.
Obama has said he would start pulling out more troops as soon as he became president. "My hope is that Petraeus would reflect that wider view of our strategic interest," he said on "Fox News Sunday."I will listen to General Petraeus given the experience that he has accumulated over the last several years," Obama said. "It would be stupid of me to ignore what he has to say.
"It would be my job as commander in chief to set the mission, to make the strategic decisions in light of the problems that we're having in Afghanistan, in light of the problems that we are having in Pakistan, the fact that al Qaeda is strengthening," Obama said.
Obama also said he was a "big respecter" of Petraeus' predecessor Adm. William Fallon, who resigned after a magazine article depicted him as openly criticizing Bush administration policy over Iran. "It was unfortunate that the administration wasn't listening more to the observations of Fallon, that we have to think about more than just Iraq, that we've got issues with Iran and Pakistan and Afghanistan, and our singular focus on Iraq I think has distracted us," Obama said.
#1
"I think Petraeus has done a good tactical job in Iraq - and I want to win the Presidency, pull out our troops and lose this war before it's too late."
There - fixed (if politicians were honest).
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/28/2008 1:18 Comments ||
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#2
Sounds reasonable, looks Presidential. Knowing 'Maha Rushy's' feeling about the General, I can't wait to hear his spin on Obama's feelings about Petraeus!
#3
It's actually a snub to the General: Obama says the least amount he possibly can in praise.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/28/2008 1:36 Comments ||
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#4
Actually Steve, Obama as President has the right to choose his Generals, promote his Generals and retire his Generals, just as "W" and all preceding Presidents have done. General Petraeus knows that "W" is 'lameduck', and it wouldn't be unorthodox for him to thread lightly, in this time of shifting winds (unless of course he falls on his sword after the November elections to save face). Obama could have signaled a cut and slash mentality as regards the Pentagon, such as the 'Hildabeast' is suggesting (I'm sure she hasn't forgotten 'the bird' the Pentagon gave her on that letter she inquired of the Iraqi pullout preparations)! Shows all the more, the statesman like qualities Obama will bring to his administration, if given the chance!
#6
A good tactical job? That's it? That's either a major snub, or Obama doesn't know what Petraeus' role is. Maybe Obama will tour a base soon, and give the division commander high praise for keeping such clean latrines.
#11
"A good tactical job? That's it? That's either a major snub, or Obama doesn't know what Petraeus' role is."
Or like most lay people who dont follow military affairs they dont know what "tactical" means. Obama is thinking that the decision to invade or withdraw from Iraq is 'strategic' and ALL decisions made on the ground in Iraq - including where to send particular brigades, how much effort to put into training vs fighting, whether to cover the whole country or to clear and hold one area at at time, etc are "tactical" He probably is unaware of the terms "operational" and "grand strategic" or what they cover.
Hillary, who has served on the armed services comm, probably at least vaguely is aware of "operational" and McCain of course will know this stuff down pat.
Methinks also, Obama may not be averse to Petraeus staying on. His advisors seem to be broadly aware that an immediate withdrawl could be disastrous. Since Obama is committed to quick negotiations with Teheran, its to his advantage to still have bargaining chips going in, to avoid being humiliated, and the troops in Iraq could well be envisioned as such chips by his for pol team. But he will have screams of rage from the base when he institutes only a token withdrawl on taking office. He may well need Petraeus as a shield then.
#12
Obama's comments seem more to me as an attempt to claim some military validity and looking like he is centralist without completely pissing off the liberal loons. Typical politician.
#13
"Isn't he just a great big cuddle-boots, and he's good at military tactics, too!! Yes he is. Aren't you, General Petraeus?!"
/disgusting baby talk voice.
Candidate Obama can not vote against a successful general without losing half the country even as he pleases the left-most ten percent, so he won't. Which wouldn't stop him from making the general, and the Armed Forces, become unsuccessful after Obama were sworn into office.
#14
smn: of course a President has the right to choose the leading generals. That's not the issue or the complaint. The complaint is that he's all but snubbing a very capable man. The issue is that he doesn't understand what's happening in Iraq, 2008. That doesn't bode well should he be elected.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/28/2008 11:14 Comments ||
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#15
Did anyone see Barack playing basketball in a USMC T-shirt yesterday?
This is just more pretending to care about the "bitter people" in fly-over country.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
04/28/2008 11:29 Comments ||
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#16
Yes, TW, I think you have distilled the essence of his move.
#17
So Obamaramadingdong was shooting hoops wearing USMC colors, and now is praising (however superficially) Petraeus, i can hardly wait for either the USAF or the USN to give him the opportunity to ride in the back seatin a fighter. Pull about 6 G's a couple times and he might just earn a new nickname 'Two bags' (of puke)
#18
Positive G forces don't make you puke, negative G forces and rotation make you puke. I've never disgraced myself, but I know a few "joy riders" who lost their lunch. BO wouldn't last past wheels-up.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/28/2008 14:10 Comments ||
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#19
Well i figgered that if you go + you gotta go - sometime. give him a cat shot with his head about 3" off the headrest, that is not a fun experience. (quick learner, only took once)
#20
What are you afraid of Old Patriot? Obama hasn't said he'd have an all black cabinet, more likely it would be stacked with Republicans, Democrats and mostly white. Obama hasn't said he'd only pick an African American for Vice President, although being politically correct (the previous 46 holders did), he would do so! The Presidency is all about listening to advisers then making your decision; And I believe Obama will listen intently just as JFK did during his cabinet sessions. Sounds like YOU don't have confidence in the military establishment to adequately inform the Commander In Chief...that's the way your statement implys!
#21
Is smn always this stupid? Obama is an empty-suit with a huge ego. He doesn't give two shits about the military and he sure as hell doesn't care what they say. He's a patronizing moron who just says what he thinks the people listening to him at the time want to hear. He also hates white people, I mean, you can't sit there and listen to the verbal vomit of a race-baiting hatemonger like Wright for 20 YEARS and not either believe it or start believing it. There's lots of reasons to be afraid of a President Obama. The man is a danger to this country and I pray he doesn't ever get close to the White House.
#23
I would judge Obama to be worse than Hilly was to the military when Willie was President.
And I read Patterson's book. Hilly HATED the military.
Hilly's Willie reduced the military enough to make the world's second-largest military machine with the cast-offs.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/28/2008 16:11 Comments ||
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#24
Don't forget Bobby, while Willie was playing the Trunks owned Congress and didn't make the noise or efforts in keeping the military better manned or equipped either. Just as they followed the Donk tune of pork, they also found it good to save money at DoD.
#25
"Trunks owned Congress and didn't make the noise or efforts in keeping the military better manned or equipped either. Just as they followed the Donk tune of pork, they also found it good to save money at DoD. "
actually the GOP DID want more money for the DOD. Mainly for Ballistic Missile Defense, and there was also some concern about readiness in the USAF, overstretched (so it was said) by Iraq no fly zones and Bosnia and Kosovo, and other deployments.
There was nothing in particular about ground troops, that I recall. Probably cause NOBODY predicted what would happen in 2001, or how it would play out.
#26
"falls on his sword..." = retire (For Frank G)!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Frank G is not in your class, he'll never understand that. Rantburg is lucky to have found you, or should I save be founded by you?
Posted by: George Smiley ||
04/28/2008 18:11 Comments ||
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#27
LOL - thanks George ;-)
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/28/2008 18:45 Comments ||
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#28
George Smiley, Even you can see the Clinton Machine using Rev. Wright as the current 'Willie Horten' in this race! Billy Boy has attached that worm to the line and lowered it into the lake; now all the little guppies have swallowed it hook, line, and sinker. Then again, those who are trained in the advantages of the fog of war, can be blinded by the backwinds therefrom.
Actual, honest to Gawd picture that's in the Pak Daily Times.
Hundreds of youths and families thronged to the Pearl Continental Hotel on Saturday night to attend the first-ever live concert held in the entertainment-strapped city in the last five years.
While most of the audience was made up of college students, some families also attended the concert, although to the disappointment of youths, a curtain divided the hall keeping families and other audience separate. This has been done to keep the families separate from those who are here to enjoy the concert without families, said an organiser.
Bands: Popular band Jal and two other bands from Peshawar and Islamabad performed. The concert, scheduled to begin at 8pm, started after an hour-long delay, although people continued to arrive until 10pm, when Jal appeared on stage amid thundering applause. The youths attending the concert were so excited while listening to their favourite songs Aadat and Chaltay Chaltay that they started dancing and waving.
Entertaining events: Shahid, a practicing lawyer who attended the concert with his brother and two friends, said that entertainment was an important part of life. While he was not impressed with the performers, Shahid was happy that he was witnessing such entertainment activities returning to the city. I have not seen a live concert since my student life, he said, adding, This is the first time Im here and the thing must go on. Dawood, a real estate dealer, told Daily Times that the concert was a positive activity and must continue. He said that there was a blackout in Peshawar during the tenure of the previous government as far as entertainment was concerned. It is good to see that life is returning to our city, he said.
The music show continued late into the night. Tight security measures were adopted inside and outside the hotel. Policemen were seen guarding the Khyber Road in front of the hotel.
An informal ban was imposed on musical shows and concerts by the Mutahidda Majlis-e-Amal government in Peshawar, which also closed the Nishtar Hall, the only venue used for stage dramas and musical shows in the city.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/28/2008 00:00 ||
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[6 views]
Top|| File under: Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
India should co-ordinate a policy with the United States of America, China and the European Union to support the new government in Pakistans drive to counter terrorism and extremism, Indias former national security adviser said in an interview aired on Sunday.
Talking to Karan Thapar in CNN-IBNs Devils Advocate programme, Mishra said India should take the initiative to co-ordinate such a multi-nation action.
The elections in Pakistan were free and fair and have brought about a situation where ... theres hope of democracy in Pakistan, he said. Now my view is that the democratic parties which need to take on, one way or another, the fundamentalists and the extremists, need the support of the armed forces... Its in Indias interest to get the armed forces to fully support the civilian regime brought about by these elections.
But he said India did not need to tom-tom about it. We dont need to go public and say weve done this, we have done that ... we need to be discrete. I dont want any force in Pakistan to say (first) the US was meddling now so many countries are meddling. My idea is to support the democratic forces which have already got the verdict (from the people).
He said the people of Pakistan were ready to move forward with their relations with India and added that democratic Pakistan wants to have very good relations with India.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/28/2008 00:00 ||
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[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
Baghdad - Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, US commander in Baghdad, patted the hand of the Iraqi general who oversees government forces in Sadr City. He smiled, but delivered a firm message. "Tell the mayor the mayor of Baghdad, the big mayor tell him we'll be here tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock, and we'll be very disappointed if he's not here. The prime minister needs this to happen," he said during a Friday trip to Sadr City. "We gotta get going."
General Hammond is pushing for services trash pickup, medical care, water, electricity for a southern slice of the volatile district. It's part of a US plan to win Iraqis away from Moqtada al-Sadr's sway. And they see a window of opportunity as fighting in Mr. Sadr's Baghdad stronghold shows signs of quieting.
While sporadic fighting continued Sunday, clashes with the Mahdi Army calmed after Sadr issued a statement Friday calling for the "patience" of his followers and for an end to bloodshed among Iraqis. He stepped back from his earlier threat of "open war until liberation," saying it was only directed at Iraq's "occupiers."
In the assault on the Shiite enclave, the Americans' original goal was to push Mahdi Army gunmen out of the southernmost section of Sadr City, from where a barrage of rockets and mortars was launched on the Green Zone, home of US and Iraqi offices. The firings from this part of the district have mostly stopped. As part of the US and Iraqi campaign against the cleric and his Mahdi Army militiamen, the Americans have walled off one southern part of it from the rest of this vast quarter of 2 million Shiites.
Now, Hammond wants the residents there to see the benefits in helping keep the fighters from returning. And he's in a hurry to do so. Sadr City is certainly on edge. While fighting has tapered off since the Iraqi government's campaign against Shiite militias in Basra sparked new violence in Baghdad, it could easily erupt again. The idea here is to replicate successes in other Baghdad neighborhoods where security walls and controlled entrances have delivered significant drops in violence.
The Americans have tried to win over Sadr supporters through civic projects before, only to see fierce bouts of fighting return. And Hammond is no stranger to the earlier attempts that the US made at turning things around in Sadr City efforts that began within months of the US invasion in March 2003. There have been programs for working with the locals and trumpeted infrastructure projects before.
But, he says, he sees "three elements that make me believe we can achieve it this time."
One is the Iraqi government. "You have a government with the will now and the resources to get something done." Two, the Iraqi Army and police. "They now have security forces that have performed and proved they can operate under fire."
And three, the people have changed, he says. "Maybe the most important thing is that the people are just tired. They're tired of the bad guys hurting good people, it's as simple as that."
Hammond admits to disappointment at the pace of government engagement in Sadr City so far, but reserves judgment for the moment. "I'm a little disappointed we haven't got the government in here yet, but give it a few more days," he says. "We'll see how well they've kicked in the resources."
American and Iraqi officials also point to several recent developments to support the idea that now is the time to plant a sustained government presence inside Sadr City. On Sunday, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki met with Iraq's Sunni vice president to address ways to reintegrate Sunni parties back into the Shiite-led government. Iraq's largest Sunni bloc said over the weekend that it would soon rejoin Maliki's cabinet, a development attributed to Maliki's crackdown on Shiite militias.
Added to that is Maliki's commitment to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during her recent visit to Baghdad that the government would spend $300 million to improve living conditions in the Shiite neighborhood.
But perhaps the best sign, some US military officials say, is evidence that local residents are ready for things to change in the neighborhood. "The people tell us they are sick of the fighting, they want a positive life," says Lt. Col. Frank Curtis, commander of the 4th Infantry Division's 302nd Civil Affairs Battalion.
During Hammond's Sadr City foray on Friday, the streets were quiet. It was the Muslim Sabbath, so even those businesses that have remained open despite the fighting are closed. And it was oppressively hot. But few vehicles moved, some streets near the military installations were completely closed to traffic, and the few young men walking or hanging out at intersections failed to give the neighborhood a sense of life.
Hammond's visit to the walled-off neighborhood included stops at the US military outpost where a civil affairs officer worked with an embedded civilian reconstruction team, and at a joint US-Iraqi outpost that had come under fire just the day before.
Colonel Curtis says a drop-in medical clinic that his unit organized the day before was "overwhelmed" with 300 residents. The original trickle of locals coming to file compensation claims for property damage during the heaviest fighting has grown to a steady stream.
For Hammond to get anywhere in Sadr City he needs the participation of an Iraqi government and key ministries that so far have shown little initiative in taking their services into areas like Sadr City. That is why this general from the 4th Infantry Division on his third tour in Iraq this time finds his agenda filled with meeting Iraqi civilian government officials, local leaders, and influential sheikhs, and his time with military officers increasingly focused on delivering services.
"I didn't think I'd find myself doing this," Hammond says. "But we need the people to see they have security forces that are making their neighborhoods safe, and to see they have a government that can deliver a better quality of life."
#3
FREEREPUBLIC > is MUGTADA AL-SADR teaming up wid AL QAEDA in Iraq???
See also various NET > articles on Hezbollah = Hizzb post-2006 reorganz and alleged covert milplans for A NEW SECOND ANTI=ISRAELI LEBANON WAR INCLUDING MASS ATTACKS [DEEP] INSIDE ISRAEL???
(Xinhua) -- Israel will consider a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip if Gaza ruler Hamas can restrain Islamic Jihad and other smaller militant groups from attacking the Jewish state, Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported Sunday.
Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups are due to meet in Cairo Wednesday to discuss a truce deal with Israel, the report quoted Israeli security officials as saying, adding if Hamas cannot control the smaller groups, first and foremost Islamic Jihad, there will not be much point to the agreement. Without completely restraining the smaller groups, the firing of Qassam rockets from the coastal strip, taken over by Hamas last June, will soon resume as in the past, the officials said.
Hamas on Thursday agreed to a conditional six-month truce in the Gaza Strip. On Friday, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister's Office, David Baker, said the Islamic movement was "not serious" and "trying to buy time in order to rearm and regroup."
However, the spokesman's remarks did not pass through Egypt, which has been leading efforts to broker a ceasefire deal between armed Palestinian groups and Israel. The ceasefire agreement under discussion would be between Hamas and Egypt, with Israel not being an official party. If a deal is reached, Egyptian intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, may soon visit Israel, after postponing several trips to Israel in recent months.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Sunday that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is supporting Cairo's mediation efforts to reach a ceasefire deal with Israel.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/28/2008 00:00 ||
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[3 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
I guess we don't have to worry about another hudna for now.
(Xinhua) -- Islamic Hamas movement on Sunday denied plotting any operation threatening Egypt's national security. "The Egyptian national security and the Arab security are both red lines that Hamas can not cross," said Mohammed Nasser, a member of Hamas politburo.
Nasser's remarks were made following reports that Egyptian authorities arrested two members of the Muslim Brotherhood opposition party, who, with Hamas, planned to prepare an unmanned aircraft. The reports did not clarify what the aircraft was designated to be used for. Nasser said the Palestinian factions "carry out resistance works without harming Egypt's national security." He also said that such reports were motivated by holding "hostile to the Palestinians, the Egyptians and the Arabs."
The reports come as Egypt mediates between Hamas and Israel to broker a ceasefire in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. Hamas has handed over its position to Egypt, and is waiting for response from the Israelis.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/28/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hamas
Hundreds of hardline Indonesian Muslims burnt a mosque early on Monday belonging to a sect that has been branded heretical by most Muslims, police said. The attack in West Java's Sukabumi district came after a government team recommended this month the Ahmadiyya sect be banned because its teachings deviate from the central tenets of Islam.
Sukabumi police chief Guntor Gaffar told Reuters the attack followed an ultimatum by the Jamaatul Mubaligin Forum on Friday to the Ahmadiyyas to remove a signboard from the mosque in two days. He said a policeman guarding the mosque was hurt in the attack and police were questioning eight people in connection with the incident.
Earlier this month, an Indonesian government team, which includes officials from the religious affairs ministry, recommended the government ban the sect because its teachings deviate from the central tenets of Islam. An Ahmadiyya spokesman told reporters in Jakarta the agency's recommendation to ban the group on the grounds that it is heretical had led to increased destruction of its mosques. "The recommendation has caused an escalation of mosque destruction run by Ahmadiyyas across Indonesia," the spokesman, Shamsir Ali, told reporters. Ali said the destruction had increased since the government agency's announcement this month and four mosques had been attacked in less than a month.
#3
The attack in West Java's Sukabumi district came after a government team recommended this month the Ahmadiyya sect be banned because its teachings deviate from the central tenets of Islam.
That govt team is the source of the problems, yet the media is focused on the rioters.
#9
Professor Abdus Salaam, who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1979, was an Ahmadiya muslim.
The Pak dictator Zia Ul Haq was embarrassed when the good professor began to recite the kamlima on Pak TV. It was quickly cut away, since it would have forced Zia to jail Abdus Salaam. It is forbidden in Pakistani law for an Ahhmadiya to claim to be a muslim, or call their meeting places "mosques". Most cannot get passports. The Paks send a list of Ahmadiya to the Saudis, so they can be stopped if they attempt to enter Mecca on pilgrimage.
When he died, his tombstone read "the first muslim nobel laureate"
A pakistani magistrrate arrived with a squad of policemen and chiseled out the word muslim.
Posted by: john frum ||
04/28/2008 12:37 Comments ||
Top||
#10
Gee, about a year ago, I believed that every Muslim should die to rid us of this cancer.
Now, I believe that every Muslim should die to rid us of this cancer.
Not much progress for the moderates.
#12
See also WAFF.com OPinion/Scenario Thread > THE POSSIBILITY OF A THAI-MALAYSIAN PROXY WAR? Malaysia's Govt. being deliber pushed to the brink of collapse by predomin Muslim Fundamentalist pressures - CHANCE FOR REGIONAL = TRANSREGIONAL SPREAD???
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
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Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
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Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
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Afghan President Hamid Karzai strongly criticized the way the American-led coalition is conducting the war against terrorists in his country during an interview with the New York Times on Friday.
Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama, who has called for withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq, said on Sunday he will vote to confirm the top commander there for a new job as head of the military's Central Command. "Yes," Obama told "Fox News Sunday" when asked if, as a senator from Illinois, he would approve Petraeus. "I think Petraeus has done a good tactical job in Iraq."
"I will listen to General Petraeus given the experience that he has accumulated over the last several years," Obama said. "It would be stupid of me to ignore what he has to say.
Baghdad - Maj. Gen. Jeffery Hammond, US commander in Baghdad, patted the hand of the Iraqi general who oversees government forces in Sadr City. He smiled, but delivered a firm message. "Tell the mayor the mayor of Baghdad, the big mayor tell him we'll be here tomorrow morning at 9 o'clock, and we'll be very disappointed if he's not here. The prime minister needs this to happen," he said during a Friday trip to Sadr City. "We gotta get going." 
