THE Australian military has publicly cleared its troops of beating or humiliating prisoners detained in Afghanistan in April, saying the claims were likely the result of a cultural misunderstanding.
The accusations related to the treatment of four suspected insurgents, including a 70-year-old man and a 25-year-old with only one leg, who were held in the southern province of Uruzgan following a battle with Taliban fighters. Among the complaints levelled against the Australian troops were that the detainees were "stripped naked, beaten and mistreated'' and that they had been subjected to ``too rough'' handling.
The Australian Defence Force was forced to investigate the claims after an Afghan army officer objected to the treatment of the prisoners and complained to a senior Afghan National Army commander.
The inquiry by Colonel David Connery, in a report released today, found that medical evidence and witness statements did not support the allegations. Col Connery said while the men may have been "manhandled'' during detention and tactical questioning, the lack of significant physical injuries led him to conclude that the force used against each detainee was "reasonable and humane".
"Based on the evidence available to me I do not believe any of the detainees were beaten up, stripped naked or mistreated by the (Australian) FE (force element) on April 29-30, 2008,'' he said.
Col Connery said the initial allegations were made by a young Afghan soldier who saw an old man, who was not wearing trousers when captured, and a disabled man being detained and secured overnight in walled pens. "A strong sense of cultural appropriateness underpins the initial allegations as some ANA soldiers at the FOB (forward operating base) objected to infidels handling Muslims and did not believe an old man and a cripple could be Taliban,'' he said.
"The accommodations used for the prisoners at the FOB which had previously been used for dogs may have also increased their anger.''
Australia has about 1000 troops in Afghanistan, mostly assisting a Dutch-led reconstruction operation in Uruzgan, a former Taliban stronghold.
#1
"It's a new kind of war, George. A new war for a new century. I suppose this is the first time the enemy hasn't been in uniform. They're farmers. They come from small villages, and they shoot at from behind walls and from farmhouses. Some of them are women, some of them are children, and some of them... are missionaries, George."
"Offer energy resources as tribute [to Beijing] to create harmony" proclaims a giant billboard outside a petrol station in Korla, in Xinjiang province, China's restive western frontier region.
The increasing importance of the Muslim-dominated Xinjiang autonomous region as a source of the energy and minerals needed to fuel China's booming eastern cities is raising the stakes for Beijing in its battle against separatists agitating for an independent state. "The Chinese didn't want to let Xinjiang be independent before, but after they built all the oil fields, it became absolutely impossible," said one Muslim resident in Korla, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution by government security agents.
The desert around the city is punctuated every kilometre or two by oil and gas derricks, each of them topped with the red Chinese national flag, an assertion of sovereignty over every inch of the energy-rich ground. Korla itself is an important junction on the 4,200km-long west-east gas pipeline that carries natural gas from Xinjiang to Shanghai. A brand new airport, high-rise office blocks and scores of new apartment complexes are proof that the city is reaping the fruits of an energy boom that has seen annual natural gas production in the surrounding Tarim Basin increase 20 times between 2000 and 2007. But the vast majority of profits from the industry are sent back east, along with the oil and gas.
Mineral exploration began in the Tarim Basin at the start of last century but it was not until 1958, nearly a decade after the Chinese Communist revolution and the re-conquest of Xinjiang, that the first oil field went into production. At that time Uighurs, a Muslim Turkic people with stronger links to central Asia than the rest of China, were the only inhabitants. Today, Han Chinese from central and eastern provinces make up 70 per cent of the population in Korla. "A lot of Uighurs say this whole area used to belong to them, and now they are strangers in their own home," said Xie, a shopkeeper whose parents were sent out to Korla from their native Hunan province in the 1950s to work in a bomb-making factory for the People's Liberation Army. "Some of them are very angry and they're causing more and more trouble these days."
At a checkpoint outside Korla, wanted posters display the mug-shots and personal details of 11 Uighurs, some as young as 17, who are being pursued for the crime of selling banned literature, including DVDs and books on the creation of an Islamic state. "There are a lot of people who want Xinjiang to be independent of China but we personally don't even dare think those thoughts," said one Uighur in Korla when asked what he thought of the separatist cause.
On Petrochemical Boulevard, the main street in Korla, the only visible Uighurs are street cleaners and the odd waiter hanging out in the doorway of a Muslim restaurant. Locals say Uighurs are sometimes given low-level jobs in the oil fields, but there are none in management positions in Korla. In spite of affirmative action programmes that reserve a proportion of official posts for minority groups, all government and military positions with any real power are held by Han Chinese.
PetroChina and its Korla subsidiary refused to be interviewed, but one former employee said discrimination was rife within the company. "There used to be two Uighurs driving for the oil company here," said this former employee, who asked to be known only by his surname, Ma. "But they were moved to a different work unit because the bosses think Muslims are all terrorists and separatists."
#1
Heck, don't worry - the Uighurs take it out on the rest of China by migrating to the east and becoming pickpockets and bicycle thieves. And they sell noodles and lamb with thick black hairs left in them.
#2
Gulf of Mexico Oil Boom Fuels Louisiana Resentment.
Coastline washing away. Ugly blots on the scenery. Increased ship and truck traffic. Pollution. And the royalties go to DC, not Baton Rouge. The natives are revolting. Er, and are not pleased either.
The German army is facing a shortage of recruits. Demographics play a role in the problem, but so too do poor pay and conditions. However, army representatives say the biggest problem is the dangerous mission in Afghanistan.
German political pundits are fond of pointing out that, should Barack Obama be elected as the next president of the United States, it will be much more difficult for Germany to turn him down should he ask Berlin for help in the world's hotspots.
No, it won't be hard at all, as the Germans will show Obama ...
But recent statistics show that even should the political will exist, the German army might have trouble mustering the soldiers necessary.
According to a Friday report in the daily Die Welt, demographic trends in Germany may lead to a dwindling number of young Germans willing to join the military. Consistently low birth rates in Germany mean that the number of high school graduates in Germany will fall from 974,000 in 2007 to 781,000 in 2020 -- a drop of 20 percent.
That, though, isn't the only problem facing the Bundeswehr, as Germany's army is called. There are indications that the army is already losing its shine as a career choice, with the German Army Federation -- a kind of trade union for the armed forces -- claiming that the country's Afghanistan mission has led to a 50 percent drop in applications in 2008.
Apparently the army isn't a good career choice if it's going to, well, fight ...
The German Defense Ministry on Thursday dismissed these figures, but admitted that in the first half of 2008 it had seen 16 percent fewer applicants to become officers and 11 percent fewer for lower grades. The ministry argued that this was a normal fluctuation and that it expected application numbers for all of 2008 to be similar to the previous year. The ministry also said that while around 10 percent of officers break off their careers early, these numbers are consistent with previous years.
Still, the army is still facing that future demographic dip and Bernhard Gertz, the chairman of the German Army Federation, told the Frankfurter Zeitung that the Bundeswehr has to "draw serious conclusions from the growing problem of finding a younger generation."
It's not a demographic 'dip', it's going to continue. There is no evidence that native Germans are going to reverse the birth rate decline.
For Reinhold Robbe, the German parliament's military commissioner, demographics are not at the root of the problem. He told the Berliner Zeitung that it was more an issue of the "attractiveness" of a life in the army. He said that highly-qualified officers have to work under dangerous conditions and increasingly long hours, and at the end of the month they come home with less in their pockets than if they worked in the civilian economy.
You could fix that last part ...
"There has to be a sober analysis of who earns what doing which tasks," he said in comments published on Friday. Robbe, whose job involves speaking regularly to soldiers about their concerns, believes that another reason for the drop off in Germans pursuing a military career is the toll it takes on family life. "The Bundeswehr has obviously been too late in realizing that the balance between family and career is becoming increasingly important."
Gertz's deputy at the German Army Federation, Ulrich Kirsh told the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung on Thursday that economic concerns are not the only reason for a drop in applications. A soldier serving in Afghanistan gets a tax-free bonus of 92.03 for every day served, he pointed out, "but pay isn't everything." It is the danger of the mission in Afghanistan that is making prospective soldiers think twice about a military career. He said that the latest German casualty in Afghanistan -- the death of a 29-year-old master sergeant in a bomb attack by the Taliban on Wednesday -- brought home the fact that death and injury was a part of that mission.
This is with the Germans serving in the 'safe north' of Afghanistan, and being prohibited from being in direct combat. If their current mission worries German officers and NCOs, imagine what a real fight will do.
Congratulations to the West, to NATO, to liberals and reds and greens: you've succeeded in emasculating the Germans ...
#1
Darwin was right. Two world wars killed off a disproportionate number of the historically courageous Germans leaving mostly the wimpier subspecies to reproduce. Of course in the case of Germany this is not necessarily a bad thing.
#2
German political pundits are fond of pointing out that, should Barack Obama be elected as the next president of the United States, it will be much more difficult for Germany to turn him down should he ask Berlin for help in the world's hotspots.
#4
I have a hard time believing that socialists would not intentionally make the army an unattractive career, by sabotaging its budget and working conditions at every turn.
#6
Even a former in the French Army whose service was in the command company of an engineer regiment in ana armored division was horrified after seeing german soldiers go in groups to supermarkets and buy beer in supermarkets while in uniform.
I know this doesn't necessarily reflect combat prowess but it gives an impression of German army becoming lax, lacking discipline and not caring about its image between the public (who sooner or later ends tranishing its image in siol;diers eyes).
#7
I wonder how much rules of engagement play into this. Would you want to serve in an Army where you can't be proactive about stopping an ambush?
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
08/29/2008 11:12 Comments ||
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#8
Truly a double-edged development. Pathetic, yet welcome in its own unique way. It would be a bit more welcome if US officials would point out, and German officials acknowledge, that German views on big international issues facing the US lack credibility because of Germany's inability to carry its own weight. Their dependence and cowardice (nationally) ought to make them diffident - and nitwit American "critics" should be nuked when they cite German views on adult matters.
Sort of allows us to finally safely retire one of my old Cold War favorites: "I love Germany so much, I want there to be two of them"
#14
This is as good a place to say it as any: I'm very grateful for the perspective our two regular French commenters, A5089 and JFM, bring to the 'Burg. Their remarks are always cogent and informative, they present observations that we don't get from anyone else, and they make me remember that there are still some Euros with whom we can proudly make common cause.
#16
A strong military will rise again from the land we call Germany. It's just that, the next time it does, it'll be made up of men whose great grandfathers were called Ottoman Turks. Just to be clear, that's not a good thing.
Doesn't matter who the next president is. Given Europe's demographic trends, it's now time to figure ways of getting the nukes out of Europe while all is peaceful and not under undue muslim control or influence.
#17
Personally, I think we went too far in de-militarizing Germany, and the French Socialists went to far in de-militarizing France. It seems to me the French soldiers have always fought bravely and well when well-led. I have no quarrel with the Pouilus.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
08/29/2008 21:00 Comments ||
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#18
Instapundit once noted that while Europeans obviously know where *babies* come from, they're not nearly as clear as to where *adults* come from.
Picked right up on that, didn't he?
(AKI) - Violence between Muslims and Hindus in the disputed territory of Kashmir should be seen as a conflict over secession rather than a dispute over religious differences, according a leading Indian commentator.
M.J. Akbar, editor and author, sought to downplay the latest conflict that erupted in Kashmir after Hindus demanded land be set aside for pilgrimages. M.J. Akbar is s chairman and director of the publication, Covert.
"There's no conflict between Muslims and Hindus," Akbar told Adnkronos International (AKI). "The conflict is between Kashmiri separatists and Hindu agitators. Their tension has not seeped into other parts of the country."
Akbar said there were five million Muslims in Kashmir and 175 million Muslims in India. He said it was important to remember the conflict was confined to Kashmir. He also said Indians in general respected the notion of a religious pilgrimage. "The agitation is for a piece of land," he said. "There is no sympathy for the agitation but there is sympathy for the pilgrims. There is a lot of respect for pilgrims in India."
Neverthless Akbar criticised the politicians who had enabled the "secessionists" to exploit the situation. "The weakness of the central government in Delhi enabled them to raise the temperature of the conflict," he said. "The government did nothing for six or seven weeks - it didn't do anything wrong, it just did nothing. The government lost credibility, it was confused."
Meanwhile, suspected Muslim terrorists militants took seven people hostage after going on a killing spree Wednesday in Indian Kashmir's second city, Jammu. The terrorists militants who are believed to have crossed from Pakistan into Indian Kashmir killed several civilians and an army officer in the Hindu-majority region of Jammu, according to police.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Akbar has pointed out that if 5 million Indian Muslims in Kashmir cannot bear to live in India, then Indians will start to ask if the other 170 million Indian Muslims should be living in India.
He is quite worried that the community will pay a heavy price for a second partition.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/29/2008 7:04 Comments ||
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With Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh proving to be active partners in probing fake Indian currency notes (FICN) related cases, India has recently traced Pakistan's London connection in printing and circulation of counterfeit notes.
Although the role of Pakistani intelligence agency ISI in printing and circulation of FICN has never been a secret, sleuths recently found that the spy agency had, of late, impressed upon the government in Islamabad to import additional currency-standard printing paper from companies located in London to pursue its nefarious designs in India.
Referring to recent probes done in coordination with sleuths of Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bangladesh, officials pointed out that Pakistan has been procuring currency-standard printing paper in huge quantities from London-based companies -- much higher than normal requirement of the country for printing its own currency -- for diverting it to print FICN.
This is, however, only one aspect of Pakistan's direct involvement in the FICN racket which is being carried out by using the network of underworld kingpin Dawood Ibrahim not only in India but also in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal in close association with different terror outfits. The ISI has, in fact, been using state air-carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) to tansport counterfeit currency to its conduits in Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, sources in investigating agencies said.
The modus operandi of the ISI was revealed by two Nepali counterfeit currency traffickers who were arrested by Thailand police in October last year. During interrogation, the accused disclosed that they were working for a prominent Nepali businessman who was the son of a former minister in King Gyanendra's regime. "The fact that Nepali territory is being used by Pakistanis to smuggle counterfeit currency is well known. The first such expose was made when Pakistani diplomats were caught distributing FICN in Nepal," an official said.
Recent arrests made in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh also pointed to Pakistan's connection in the circulation of FICN.
One Naushad Alam Khan, arrested in Dhaka on April 24 with FICN worth Rs 50 lakh, had admitted his direct link with HuJI (Bangladesh) chief Mufti Abdul Hannan. It was found that both Khan and Hannan had fought for Taliban in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/29/2008 00:00 ||
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The "strategic defeat" of al-Qaida in Iraq, proclaimed by CIA Director Michael Hayden in May, has been amply demonstrated by the decision to hand security control of Anbar province, once the hotbed of a ferocious al-Qaida-led insurgency, from U.S. forces to Iraqi troops and police.
The handover is symbolically important because Anbar was taken over by al-Qaida with the backing of Sunni tribal leaders, and it was in the province that U.S. forces faced their most formidable foe. In 2004, al-Qaida was in control of the major cities of Ramadi and Fallujah and many observers feared that the province was lost to the insurgents.
The tide in the war did not turn until 2006, when pro-Saddam Sunni fighters switched their allegiance from al-Qaida to the U.S. Marines in reaction to the brutality and horrific terrorism of the Islamist extremists. The Sunni tribal leaders formed an alliance with the Americans that became known as "The Awakening."
By joining forces with the local sheikhs, U.S. forces gained control of the area, but the cost was high. Since the 2003 invasion the U.S. has lost 1,305 service members in Anbar province, second only to Baghdad, where 1,325 troops have been killed. Since 2004, when 385 U.S. troops were killed in Anbar, losses have steadily declined to 24 so far this year.
The statistics speak for themselves. Anbar, which was Iraq's heart of darkness, has become a symbol of Iraqi renewal and stability. On Monday, it will become the eleventh of the 18 Iraqi provinces, and the first Sunni majority area, to be restored to Iraqi control. The relative calm prevailing in Anbar makes the province a shining example of the success of the counterinsurgency strategy devised by the U.S. commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus.
The postponement of the handover, initially planned for the last week in June, was attributed by U.S. military officers to a sandstorm. But the day before the ceremony, a suicide bombing killed 20 people. That atrocity and another suicide bombing Monday, which killed 30 people who were attending a banquet, sent warnings that al-Qaida terrorists have not been totally defeated.
However, U.S. Marine Commandant Gen. James Conway told a Pentagon news conference Wednesday that during a recent visit to Anbar, Marines serving there told him: "There aren't a whole heck of a lot of bad guys there left to fight." He described the change as "real and perceptible."
Gen. Conway wants to transfer Marines from Iraq to Afghanistan, where reportedly many al-Qaida fighters have gone. That decision will be made by Gen. Petraeus, who soon will become the overall commander for the Middle East and Afghanistan. Whatever he decides, there is now no doubt that al-Qaida is on the run from Iraq.
Israel will not agree to allow Iran to achieve nuclear weapons and if the grains start running out in the proverbial egg timer, Jerusalem will not hesitate to take whatever means necessary to prevent Iran from achieving its nuclear goals, the government has recently decided in a special discussion.
According to the Israeli daily Ma'ariv, whether the United States and Western countries will succeed in toppling the ayatollah regime diplomatically, through sanctions, or whether an American strike on Iran will eventually be decided upon, Jerusalem has put preparations for a separate, independent military strike by Israel in high gear.
So far, Israel has not received American authorization to use US-controlled Iraqi airspace, nor has the defense establishment been successful in securing the purchase of advanced US-made warplanes which could facilitate an Israeli strike. The Americans have offered Israel permission to use a global early warning radar system, implying that the US is pushing Israel to settle for defensive measures only.
Because of Israel's lack of strategic depth, Jerusalem has consistently warned over the past years it will not settle for a 'wait and see' approach and retaliate in case of attack, but rather use preemption to prevent any risk of being hit in the first place.
Ephraim Sneh a veteran Labor MK which has left the party recently, has sent a document to both US presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama. The eight-point document states that "there is no government in Jerusalem that would ever reconcile itself to a nuclear Iran. When it is clear Iran is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons, an Israeli military strike to prevent this will be seriously considered."
According to Ma'ariv, Sneh offered the two candidates the "sane, cheap and the only option that does not necessitate bloodshed." To prevent Iran's nuclear aspirations, Sneh wrote, "real" sanctions applied in concert by the US and Europe is necessary. A total embargo in spare parts for the oil industry and a total boycott of Iranian banks will topple, within a short time, the regime which is already pressured by a sloping economy and would be toppled by the Iranian people if they would have outside assistance. The window of opportunity Sneh suggests is a year and a half to two years, until 2010.
Sneh also visited Switzerland and Austria last week in an attempt to lobby those two states. Both countries have announced massive long-term investments in Iranian gas and oil fields for the next decade. "Talk of the Jewish Holocaust and Israel's security doesn't impress these guys," Sneh said wryly.
Hearing his hosts speak of their future investments, Sneh replied quietly "it's a shame, because Ido will light all this up." He was referring to Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan, the recently appointed commander of the Israeli Air Force and the man most likely to be the one to orchestrate Israel's attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, should this become the necessity.
"Investing in Iran in 2008," Sneh told his Austrian hosts, "is like investing in Krups Steelworks in 1938, it's a high risk investment." The Austrians, according to Sneh, turned pale.
"Krups is probably being confused with the Krupp works, for many years the leading German munitions maker"
Source: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a5_078.html
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
08/29/2008 18:46 Comments ||
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#5
GB4257, what is WRONG with you? This is a piece about the evil JOOOOOOOS; you're supposed to be calling Darrell a moneygrubber or something, not black! You save that for the Obama criticism.
GB, I'm sorry but you're going back down to the minors for more seasoning. You're just not up to the major-league standards for Rantburg trolls. Maybe you can come back to the show at the end of the season.
Man, you just can't get good troll help these days.
#6
*giggle* The poor thing is just upset about its candidate's chances in November, Jolutch Mussolini7800. We've got 2 1/2 more months of this to look forward to, I fear.
The Akko Magistrate's Court on Friday extended the remand of two Israeli Arabs suspected of planning to assassinate Israeli pilots and scientists by five days. The two Shfaram residents are 20-year-old Anis Saffouri, a communications student at Ramallah's Birzeit University, and 19-year-old Hussam Khalil, who studies electronic engineering in Jordan. They both denied the allegations against them.
On Thursday it was cleared for publication that an Islamic Jihad cell plotting to assassinate Israeli pilots, scientists and university lecturers was exposed in a joint IDF, Shin Bet and police operation. The cell was comprised of three Palestinians and two Israeli Arabs from Shfaram. The group also planned to carry out a shooting attack against the IDF checkpoint near Beit Zeit, in the Ramallah area, and go after those suspected of collaborating with Israel. The two Israeli Arab members worked on the fundraising front, trying to secure money for the purchase of weapons. The two attempted to contact the Islamic Jihad headquarters in Syria to this end. The cell did have some arms in its possession and had trained extensively ahead of its plan to carry out the Beit Zeit shooting attack.
Anis Saffouri's father, Jamil, is one of the suspects implicated in the lynching of Jewish terrorist Edan Nathan-Zada in Shfaram. Hussam Khalil is the son of a prominent Balad operative, and Shfaram officials were surprised to hear his name connected to the fundamentalist Islamic Jihad. Both Balad and 'Sons of the Villages' are secular movements. The two young men are suspected of unlawful organization, contacting a foreign agent, aiding the enemy at a time of war and weapon offenses. The police prosecutor filed a statement with the court, declaring that the two would soon be indicted.
Jamil Saffouri told Ynet before the court hearing that his son denies the allegations against him, but that he himself does not object "military actions" against the occupation. "I believe we will eventually discover there is nothing in the allegations against them, but such actions as the ones ascribed to them are acceptable by me," the father said. "There are people who think that by using occupation and force they will succeed and they walk with their head against the wall, and now they discover that there are those who can resist them." He noted that he sees a difference between acts of terror against innocent people, which he objects to, and what he views as legitimate resistance like the plan to target pilots.
Saffouri's lawyer, Attorney Salim Wakim, said that he was allowed to meet with his client for the first time only two weeks ago. "According to information he gave me, some of the confessions ascribed to him by the police were obtained in illegal manners," he added.
Hussam Khalil's father, Khaled, said that the suspicions against his son were false. "Everything released yesterday in the police statement was one big lie," he explained. "Yesterday they said that my son was allegedly involved in attempting to kill people, in weapon offenses, and today the suspicions were reduced to the offense of conspiring to contact a foreign agent. This is part of the government's policy to incite against the Arabs in Israel."
For the record, Hussam Khalil's name has also been rendered as Husam Halili; Anis Saffouri's last name as both Zfori and Sappori.
PM grants full amnesty to leader of most active group as 'peace gesture'
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert this week granted complete amnesty to 45 terrorists, including the chief of the most active West Bank Palestinian terrorist organization, whose cell is responsible for scores of deadly attacks, WND has learned.
Ala Senakreh, considered the West Bank chief of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, was on the amnesty list obtained by WND. He received his full pardon Tuesday. The Brigades is the military wing of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah organization.
Senakreh, based in the northern West Bank city of Nablus the Brigades' main stronghold directed cells that carried out scores of suicide bombings inside Israel, according to security sources and Senakreh's own admission during in-person interviews. Together with the Islamic Jihad terror organization, Senakreh's group took responsibility for every suicide bombing in Israel in 2005, 2006 and 2007, and for scores of deadly shooting attacks.
Last June, Olmert granted temporary amnesty to 178 terrorists on condition they disarm, refrain from attacks and spend three months in PA detention facilities and another three months confined to the West Bank city in which they reside. If the terrorists completed their side of the deal, Olmert's office would grant permanent amnesty, allowing them freedom of movement in the West Bank and taking them off Israel's most wanted list of terrorists to ensure they are not arrested.
In spite of rampant Israeli media reports that many of the 178 pardoned terrorists refused to disarm and continued carrying out attacks, Olmert last October pardoned 48 more Al Aqsa Brigades members and earlier this year pardoned at least 80 more. About 45 percent of the temporarily pardoned terrorists received permanent Israeli amnesty in coordination with Olmert's office and Israel's Shin Bet Security Services. In July, a handful of more terrorists received permanent amnesty, purportedly for abiding by the Israeli conditions for a pardon. On Tuesday, 45 more received their permanent pardons, including Senakreh.
Israel granted the new list amnesty in spite of information dozens of terrorists recently granted full amnesty were later involved in attacks. Just today, Israel arrested Mahmoud Lubada, an Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades member pardoned last month. Lubada was suspected of planning attacks meant for central Israel. Two weeks ago, Israeli forces arrested Maamun Hamdan, an Al Aqsa member given a complete pardon, on information he was planning an imminent attack meant for central Israel. One week prior, Israel arrested Muhammad Qutawi, another Brigades leader given a full pardon. Qutawi is also accused of planning an attack meant for central Israel.
The results of a recent election held for one of Hamas's key decision-making bodies are likely to hinder efforts to free kidnapped IDF soldier St.-Sgt Gilad Schalit, sources in the Gaza Strip told The Jerusalem Post on Thursday.
The secret ballot was held about 10 days ago for the Shura (Consultative) Council, which is made up of Hamas's senior political and religious leadership and is tasked with discussing all important issues.
The names of the Shura Council members are kept secret, although it is believed that some of them are based in a number of Arab countries.
The sources told the Post the vote resulted in a major victory for representatives of the "young guard" in Hamas, most of whom are affiliated with the movement's armed wing, Izzadin Kassam.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Two boats carrying foreign peace activists who had defied an Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip left the Hamas-ruled territory on Thursday for Cyprus, taking with them seven Palestinians. An Israeli official said the Israeli navy would not intercept the boats.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I assume they check passports in Cyprus? And who are the Paleo 'tourists'?
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday rejected the idea that Palestinian refugees living in Lebanon might be forced to stay there permanently, saying they should have the right to return home.
Paleos don't seem to have a home anywhere, do they. Wonder why no one wants them ...
About 400,000 Palestinian refugees and their descendants live in a dozen refugee camps in Lebanon, which were set up for those who fled or were pushed out during fighting around Israel's creation in 1948.
Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said this week that the "right of return" is incompatible with the creation of a Palestinian state.
On a visit to Beirut, Abbas said, "The refugees should have the right of return to their homeland and we are negotiating this with the Israelis. I have to say we are not with permanent settlement of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
"We are against permanent resettlement," Abbas told reporters after meeting Lebanese President Michel Suleiman. Abbas later met with Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/29/2008 00:00 ||
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(AKI) - The United Nations World Food Programme said on Thursday it would boost food assistance to more than 220,000 people displaced by fighting in the southern Philippines.
Government troops on Thursday overran a rebel Muslim stronghold in Mindanao in the south of the country after weeks of fighting that has left over 140 dead, a military spokesman said. Over 40 civilians and soldiers have been killed along with 100 rebels from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. More than 360,000 have been displaced by the fighting, according to the government.
WFP is delivering nearly 1,000 metric tonnes of rice -- around one month's ration -- to civilians caught up in the conflict, it said in a statement. "WFP is responding to a request from the government to provide food assistance to meet urgent needs among the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the sudden upsurge in violence in southern Mindanao," said Stephen Anderson, WFP Philippines Country Director.
"We have rice stocks at a warehouse in Cotabato, close to the affected area, and we've acted quickly to move food out to where it is most needed," he added.
WFP has so far dispatched some 650 metric tonnes of rice to 160,000 displaced families from Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte and North Cotabato. Another 250 metric tonnes of rice are being delivered to some 60,000 people in the provinces of Maguindanao and Shariff Kabunsuan.
Staff from the agency's sub-offices in Iligan and Cotabato City are assessing the areas affected by the conflict to figure out a targeted response to the upsurge in violence in Mindanao.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
TOPIX > NAME CHANGE FOR THE PHILIPPINES [Pre-Magellan/Euro]?; + LIBRE: COMMUNISTS IN FIVE COUNTRIES.COMMUNISM IS NOT DEAD.
D *** NG IT, WHAT IS IT ABOUT "LIMITED FASCISM" {Commies], "RIGHTISM IS THE NEW LEFTISM", AND GOD-BASED LIMITED FASCISM/SOCIALISM/GOVTISM/
TOTALITARIANISM" [Radical Islamism] THAT THE COMMIES HATES - HOW CAN COMMUNISM WIN/LOSE THE WAR AGZ COMMUNISM???
#2
D *** NG IT, HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND WHAT WE REALLY MEANT WHAT WE DIDN'T TELL HIM NOR TRIED TO TELL HIM, ERGO IS ABSOLUTELY UNDENIABLY UNILATERALLY ASYMMETRICALLY, ...............@ETC. RESPONSIBLE!
Sri Lanka yesterday appealed to minority ethnic Tamil civilians living in the line of fire in rebel-held towns to move to areas under government control, saying it would guarantee them safe passage.
Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse said the military had cleared a route for people fleeing the island's embattled north, where troops are advancing on the rebel capital of Kilinochchi, 330km north of Colombo. "We plan to give passage to people from Kilinochchi to come to (government-held) Vavuniya. We're dropping leaflets from the air, encouraging people to leave, giving details of routes to take to safety," Rajapakse said.
Nearly 135,000 people have been driven from their homes because of fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger separatist rebels in the past two months, according to UN aid agencies. "It's better for civilians to come to government-cleared areas so we can start to resettle them faster," said Rajapakse, the younger brother of Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.
His comments came as the defence ministry said at least 37 rebels from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and five government soldiers were killed in the latest clashes in the north on Wednesday.
Troops advancing deeper into territory held by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) killed the 37 rebels and wounded another 18 in clashes on Wednesday, the ministry said in a statement. It said five soldiers were killed and another 33 wounded.
The latest fighting brought the number of rebels killed by troops since January to 6,167, according to government figures. The government says 581 of its troops have died over the same period.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Iran's official IRNA news agency says the government now has nearly 4,000 centrifuges operating in its uranium enrichment plant. IRNA also quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Reza Sheikh Attar as saying Iran is installing 3,000 more centrifuges at the plant in Natanz. Iran says it plans to move toward large-scale uranium enrichment that will ultimately involve 54,000 centrifuges.
Posted by: ed ||
08/29/2008 11:03 ||
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#1
These boys want war more than we do!!!
Is it to make them more popular at home or keep the Russians happy?
Posted by: Paul ||
08/29/2008 11:47 Comments ||
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Also from IRNA > MOTTAKI: EXPANSION OF CAUCASUS TIES IS IRAN'S BASIC POLICY; + AHMADINEJAD: ENEMIES UNHAPPY WITH A STRONG IRAN AND RUSSIA + SHANGHAI COOPER MEMBERS COMPRISE OVER ONE-THIRD OF THE WORLD'S POPULATION.
Sectarian violence in north Lebanon could provide Syria with a new pretext to intervene in its neighbor, anti-Syrian Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said on Thursday.
Jumblatt also stressed the need for reconciliation among followers of rival leaders whose power struggle pushed the country to the brink of a new civil war in May. Steps taken to that end were "not enough", even if Lebanon was far more stable now than four months ago, Jumblatt told Reuters in an interview.
A protracted power struggle between Jumblatt's "March 14" alliance and a rival coalition led by the Syria- and Iran-backed Hezbollah was ended in May by a Qatari-mediated settlement.
The deal drew both camps into a unity government and led to the election of a new president. But leaders have yet to deal with sectarian tensions unleashed by a power struggle that led to armed conflict between Sunnis, Shi'ites and Druze.
Sectarian tension still hangs over the northern city of Tripoli, where more than 20 people have been killed since June in clashes between gunmen from the city's majority Sunni community and Alawites who have close ties to Syria.
Syria, which is governed by the Alawite Assad family, dominated Lebanon until 2005. The assassination of statesman Rafik al-Hariri that year triggered pressure on Damascus to withdraw troops that had first entered the country in 1976.
"Why should we give the Syrians a pretext to intervene like in '76 when some Christian villages were surrounded ... and the Christians went to Damascus and asked for Syrian protection? It could happen again now with the Alawites," Jumblatt said.
"They feel like a minority and they know they could be protected," he said, speaking of "confessional cleansing" in Tripoli, where Sunni politician Saad al-Hariri, a Jumblatt ally, yields wide influence.
Syria has said it has no intention of being drawn into the north Lebanon conflict.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/29/2008 00:00 ||
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Mustafa Abu Al Yazid, or Mustafa Ahmed Mohamed Osman Abu Al Yazid, also known as Sheikh Said, commander of the Al Qaeda terrorist organization in Afghanistan, was a familiar face in Egypt in the 1980s. He fled to Afghanistan after security operations against the Egyptian Islamic Jihad movement, to which he belonged, intensified. He may still be remembered in Egypt but not nearly as well as he is known today in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
There have been recent reports claiming that Al Yazid had been killed during raids against fundamentalist strongholds along the Pakistani-Afghan frontier. But who is Al Yazid? And what role has he played within the Al Qaeda organization?
Al Yazid could be described as Al Qaedas financier. He was chosen for this role due to his intellect and his theological knowledge of Islam but he lacked knowledge and interest in the military aspects of the Al Qaeda organization.
Like many other members of Egyptian Islamic Jihad, al Yazid made a fresh start in Afghanistan. They destroyed their old passports and forged new ones and changed their names so that they could not be traced even by the countries they were born in.
Yasser Al Sirri, Director of the Islamic Observation Centre in London told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was certain that Mustafa Abu Al Yazid otherwise known as Sheikh Said, Al Qaedas third man, survived the rocket attacks on the Pakistani-Afghan border last month. He added, Since Al Qaeda has not made a statement or announced his death, it is obvious that Al Yazid is still alive. There are strong indications that Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had knowledge of al Yazids whereabouts.
Sheikh Said is Al Qaedas current Commander of Operations in Afghanistan; he is an Egyptian national who was imprisoned for a while with Ayman al Zawahiri, Al Qaedas second man, following the assassination of the late Egyptian President Anwar Sadat in 1981. Sheikh Said is currently referred to as the third most important member of Al Qaeda, after Osama Bin Laden and Ayman al Zawahiri, since the five men who have held this position since the fall of the Taliban in 2001 have been killed or detained.
Yasser Al Sirri revealed to Asharq Al-Awsat that al Yazid and Sheikh Said were in fact the same person; the man who was responsible for the finances of one of Osama Bin Ladens Khartoum-based companies and who is now Al Qaedas Commander of Operations in Afghanistan.
Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, al Yazid was mentioned as part of the US investigation of Osama Bin Laden but the Americans have only recently come to know the importance of this man. Initially, the US government believed that al Yazid was of Saudi nationality but he is from the Egyptian region of Ash Sharqiyah. An accountant by training, he fled Egypt for Afghanistan in 1988. At present, Sheikh Said is not wanted in Egypt on any charges but he is sought by the USA on charges of sponsoring terrorism. He ranks fifteenth on the most wanted list signed by the US President George W. Bush in 2002. Al Sirri told Asharq Al Awsat that upon his arrival to Afghanistan, Sheikh Said joined Al Qaeda in 1988 and became a member of its Shura Council along with Abu Hafs al Masri and Abu Obeida. Sheikh Said is said to be popular within the Council and able to reconcile conflicting trends of Islamic fundamentalist thought. He is fluent in Pashto and has strong ties with the Afghans, not to mention with other members of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad group who also fled Egypt for Afghanistan.
The news that Sheikh Said is a pseudonym for Mustafa Abu Al Yazid is important because Sheikh Said is reportedly responsible for financing the 9/11 attacks in the United States. His pseudonym is included in the US congress investigation into the attack as the man responsible for funding the operation via accounts based in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Sheikh Said travelled to Qatar then to the UAE as part of his role in financing the 9/11 attacks. Mohamed Atta, who led the 9/11 hijackers, returned a surplus amount of US $26,000 to Sheikh Said two days before the attacks took place.
It is interesting that Sheikh Said agreed to help finance the 9/11 attacks since he and a number of other high ranking Al Qaeda members, including Mullah Omar, opposed the attacks. Despite his objection the Sheikh acceded to the wishes of Osama Bin Laden, and transferred the funds. Sheikh Said was named Commander of Operations for Al Qaeda in Afghanistan in June 2007, taking over the role of Abdel Hadi al Iraqi who was arrested in Turkey and handed over to the US forces in Iraq. He was then transferred to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
But what of Sheikh Said? Islamists in Britain claim that he is a spiritual figure, rather than a military commander. Sayyed Imam al Sharif, known as Dr Fadl, the founder of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad movement to which Sheikh Said belonged, objected to his appointment as a military commander. Dr Fadl, who is currently imprisoned in Tora Prison in Egypt and who recently recanted the theological basis for Jihad and renounced violence, says Sheikh Saids appointment as Commander of Operations for Al Qaeda in Afghanistan signals an end to Al Qaedas cadres due to imprisonment or death. Sources close to Dr Fadl in Europe attribute his opposition to Sheikh Saids new position to the latters lack of experience in military command.
Muntassir al Zayat, an Islamist lawyer, told Asharq Al-Awsat that he personally met Sheikh Said on more than one occasion in Egypt and knew him personally as a member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad movement. He described him as a popular figure, a spiritual leader and a theologian, but he does not have military expertise or command. Therefore we can understand Dr Fadls objection to him being given the position of a military commander in Al Qaeda.
In his last public appearance Sheikh Said appeared in a rare television interview with journalist Najeeb Ahmed from a secret location in Afghanistan that was broadcast on the Pakistani Geo TV channel in July 2008. Sheikh Said revealed in this interview that he was angered by the publication of the Danish cartoons that depicted Prophet Mohammed in 2005. He confessed that the 9/11 attacks were indeed carried out by Al Qaeda, and criticized former Pakistani President Musharrafs pledge to stand shoulder to shoulder with the United States. He also expressed his confidence that Al Qaeda would triumph in Afghanistan.
This interview preceded the broadcast of a video by Al Qaedas production house, As Sahab, and only a few days before Sheikh Said appeared in a video in which he elegized the Al Qaeda commander Abu Hussein Al Saidi and commended him for his courage. Abu Hussein Al Saidi was also a member of the Egyptian Islamic Jihad movement and fled to Afghanistan to join Al Qaeda. In the video, Sheikh Said also spoke about the merits of suicide bombing operations as a military tactic.
The US Congressional 9/11 Report revealed that Bin Ladens main objective was to attack the USA, but others within the Al Qaeda organization held different viewpoints. The Taliban command was focusing military attacks on the Northern Alliance. The Taliban believed that any attack on America would result in a negative reaction and would drag the Americans into war just when the Taliban was within reach of a decisive victory over Ahmed Shah Massouds forces.
There is evidence that Mullah Omar, the leader of the Taliban, objected to any Al Qaeda operations against the USA in 2001. There were disputes between the leaders of Al Qaeda who wanted the attack on the USA to go ahead and others who supported Mullah Omars position opposing an attack on the USA at that time. Mullah Omar attributed his objection to ideological reasons, rather than due to fear of Americas response; he wanted Al Qaeda to attack Jews. Mullah Omar was also facing increasing amounts of pressure from the Pakistani government to prevent Al Qaeda from carrying out operations on foreign land.
Despite helping to finance the operation, Al Qaedas banker, Sheikh Said also adopted the same opinion as Mullah Omar due to his apprehension of Americas response to any attack. Abu Hafs al Mauritani, one of the more prominent members of Al Qaeda also opposed the attacks, which he outlined in a letter to Osama Bin Laden. Even after the Al Qaeda Shura Council had convened to discuss the matter, and the majority of its members objected to any planned attacks, Bin Laden remained insistent that the 9/11 attacks would go ahead as planned.
The full story about the disputes within the Al Qaeda organization regarding the 9/11 attacks is unknown and perhaps will never be fully discovered as the sources from which information can be derived are far from reliable. Yet there is no doubt that Sheikh Said played a part in preparation for the attacks.
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.
"Offer energy resources as tribute [to Beijing] to create harmony" proclaims a giant billboard outside a petrol station in Korla, in Xinjiang province, China's restive western frontier region.
The German army is facing a shortage of recruits. Demographics play a role in the problem, but so too do poor pay and conditions. However, army representatives say the biggest problem is the dangerous mission in Afghanistan. 
PM grants full amnesty to leader of most active group as 'peace gesture'
