Washington - The Afghan elections, already tainted by widespread accusations of misconduct and fraud, received another body blow Wednesday when the head of the European Union's election-monitoring commission said that as many as 1.1 million votes cast in the vote were "suspect."
The latest dark cloud over the Aug. 20 election came as Afghanistan's election commission released a preliminary vote tally Wednesday showing President Hamid Karzai with 54.6 percent of the votes cast enough to avoid a runoff if the total stands up to one official recount already launched and to mounting doubts like those from the EU.
The EU's general depiction of fraud was bad enough. But even more damaging to the Western-backed government of President Karzai was the finding by Phillippe Morillon, head of the EU monitor, that more than one-third of the votes Mr. Karzai received in his reelection bid 1.1 million of about 3 million votes for Karzai could be fraudulent and must be investigated.
In addition to the preliminary vote total, the election commission concluded that turnout in the election was 38 percent much lower than the 70 percent that voted in Afghanistan's first presidential election in 2004 and a number that is likely to feed doubts about the government's legitimacy.
Reaction from the Karzai campaign organization to the EU's pronouncement was swift and hinted at a growing frustration with outside influences in Afghanistan. Antiforeign sentiment was inflamed earlier this year over rising civilian casualties from NATO military operations in the country, and now it has spiked again in recent weeks as Western governments and international NGOs have ratcheted up criticism of last month's election.
Calling the EU statement "irresponsible and in contradiction with Afghanistan's constitution," Karzai's supporters said in their own statement that any allegations of electoral impropriety are the sole domain of the Election Complaints Commission, a national body backed by the United Nations. That commission has already ordered a recount of about 10 percent of polling stations, a move that could put off for weeks a final announcement of the election's outcome.
The preliminary tally of election results showed Karzai with 54.6 percent of the vote, compared with 27.7 percent for his chief electoral rival, Abdullah Abdullah. The recount of polling stations, if limited to the 10 percent already announced, would have to deliver a massive shift away from Karzai to force the incumbent into a runoff.
The electoral turmoil is another sprung leak in the cracking dam that Afghanistan presents to President Obama.
As recently as last week, on the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Mr. Obama reminded Americans that the war in Afghanistan is necessary to deny the likes of Al Qaeda another safe haven and to ward off a Taliban takeover.
But critics of the war, including some conservatives, point to rampant corruption in the country as observed, they say, in the recent elections as one reason the eight-year-old US effort will never transform Afghanistan into a reliable partner in the global battle with extremism.
Increasingly, polls show that Americans who once supported the continued deployment of troops to Afghanistan are souring on the war.
That souring comes just as US commanders in Afghanistan are hinting that they will seek another boost in US forces in Afghanistan.
On Tuesday, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, told a congressional committee that the top American and NATO commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, would "probably" seek a further increase over the 68,000 troop level the American force is slated to reach in November.
Obama says he will seriously weigh the requests he receives from his commanders in Afghanistan, but the deepening political turmoil there will not make that deliberation any easier.
#3
I disagree. Our soldiers have done immense good.
1) they removed al-Qaeda's ability to make war on us from Afghanistan.
2) they removed the Taliban from power.
3) they have made large sections of the north and west safe for the usual sorts of Afghans and tom-foolery, none of which threatens us.
That's not bad.
I'm not sure we need 40 or 70 or 100 thousand troops in Afghanistan. It might be better just to let Dostum take care of business and keep some Special Forces guys around to call in bombs were required. A smaller footprint would be easier to maintain.
Our goal isn't and shouldn't be nation-building. If the Afghans want a nation, let them fight for it. Our goal is to ensure the Taliban and al-Qaeda can't use that unhappy land to stage new attacks on us.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/16/2009 18:37 Comments ||
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#4
It might be better just to let Dostum take care of business and keep some Special Forces guys around to call in bombs were required.
And he damn well can, even if it means dismounting, grabbing a few AK mags and leading a charge into Taliban trenches. Read Doug Stanton's book Horse Soldiers.
Posted by: Matt ||
09/16/2009 19:32 Comments ||
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#6
A couple observations from talking with people knowledgeable about the situation there:
a) we know Karzai's corrupt and weak
b) a big problem is that currently the regional governors are appointed, not elected. So people have no way to hold their officials accountable.
c) for reasons that are being explored, about 30% of the Afghan army leaves at the end of an enlistment period. This destroys continuity and unit effectiveness.
d) what we DON'T want is a strongman with a regional base again. What we do want is to fix this so that there is the possibility of Afghan identity that transcends local tribalism, because the alternative is that the Taliban provides a shared identity in the form of fanatical Islamicism / the Ummah.
#7
What we do want is to fix this so that there is the possibility of Afghan identity that transcends local tribalism
And I want free medical care and icecream for every meal and the same waistline I had at 18 and Rita Hayworth in Gilda and...
What we need is to get real about what is possible in a portion of the world that is several centuries behind us in every aspect of development. We need to study what went right in Afghanistan between 1919 and 1979 and replicate as much of it as reasonable so that we can return to ignoring a useless, worthless corner of the world that deserves to be left alone.
#8
You're assuming that we can do so without cost.
I don't really think we can succeed in more than some limited ways, within a budget we can afford. But I also think we're kidding ourselves if we don't realize the danger in a linkage of Iran, a Taliban-led Afghanistan and Pakistan.
[Al Arabiya Latest] A partial recount ordered to prevent fraud in last month's Afghan presidential election will cover more than 10 percent of polling stations, the head of a U.N.-backed watchdog said on Tuesday.
The announcement means that enough votes are likely to be subjected to the fraud investigation to potentially alter the outcome, prolonging uncertainty over the result for weeks or months.
Main opposition candidate Abdullah Abdullah said that if a result is delayed into next year, he would favor a transitional government led by neither himself nor President Hamid Karzai.
Abdullah told Reuters he was in constant discussions with Western officials about the elections and Afghanistan's political future, but he was not involved in talks about forming a coalition with Karzai to end the stand-off.
Grant Kippen, the Canadian, U.N.-appointed head of the Electoral Complaints Commission, which has the power to veto the election result, told Reuters 2,516 polling stations were subject to a recount order his commission issued last week.
"That will be the number of polling stations that will be covered by that order to audit and recount," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2009 00:00 ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] A Somali militia opposed to Islamist insurgents al Shabaab praised a U.S. commando raid that killed one of the region's most wanted al Qaeda suspects and called for more strikes to wipe out foreign jihadists.
U.S. special forces in helicopters struck a car in rebel-held southern Somalia on Monday, killing the Kenyan said to have built the truck bomb that claimed 15 lives at an Israeli-owned beach hotel on the Kenyan coast in 2002.
"We are very pleased with the helicopters that killed the foreign al Shabaab fighters," Sheikh Abdullahi Sheikh Abu Yussuf, the Ahlu Sunna spokesman, told Reuters late on Monday.
"God sent birds against those who attacked the Holy Mosque, the Ka'ba, millennia ago. The same way, God has sent bombers against al Shabaab. We hope more aircraft will destroy the rest of al Shabaab, who have abused Islam and massacred Somalis."
Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan, 28, was also accused of involvement in a simultaneous, but botched, missile attack on a Israeli airliner full of tourists as it took off from nearby Mombasa.
A senior Somali government source said he was killed along with four other foreign members of the al Shabaab insurgent group, which Washington says is al Qaeda's proxy in Somalia.
Western security agencies say the failed Horn of Africa state has become a safe haven for militants, including foreign jihadists, who use it to plot attacks in the region and beyond.
Ahlu Sunna Waljamaca has fought al Shabaab for months across Somalia's central and southern regions and is allied with the U.N.-backed government of President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed, whose administration controls parts of the central region and some of Mogadishu.
Nahban was killed near Roobow village in Barawe District, some 250 km (150 miles) south of the capital. U.S. sources familiar with the operation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States believed his body was in U.S. custody.
A Pentagon spokesman declined to comment "on any alleged operation in Somalia". The U.S. military has launched airstrikes inside Somalia in the past against individuals blamed for the bombings of the U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1988.
In May last year, U.S. warplanes killed the then-leader of al Shabaab and al Qaeda's top man in the country, Afghan-trained Aden Hashi Ayro, in an attack on the central town of Dusamareb.
Violence has killed more than 18,000 Somalis since the start of 2007 and driven another 1.5 million from their homes.
That has triggered one of the world's worst aid emergencies, with the number of people needing help leaping 17.5 percent in a year to 3.76 million, or half the population.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I like the cut of this fellow's jib
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/16/2009 18:47 Comments ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said yesterday that North Korea is showing no sign of giving up nuclear weapons, although the communist regime has made recent conciliatory gestures because UN sanctions against it are working.
In a joint interview with South Korea's Yonhap news agency and Japan's Kyodo news agency, the conservative Lee also accused the North of trying to win economic aid while holding on to atomic weapons.
He urged other members of the stalled six-nation talks with North Korea to "redouble efforts" to rid the North of nuclear weapons.
Lee's remarks came as the United States is preparing to accept North Korea's offer to hold direct talks, and they underline his deep scepticism about a neighbour that is abruptly taking a softer line following nuclear and missile tests just a few months ago.
"It appears to be true that North Korea is fairly embarrassed because of greater than expected real effects" of UN sanctions, Lee said, according to a published Yonhap transcript. Lee's office confirmed its contents.
"North Korea is using some conciliatory strategy toward the United States, South Korea and Japan in order to get out of this crisis, but for now, North Korea is not showing any sincerity or sign that it will give up nuclear weapons," he said.
North Korea pulled out of talks with the US, South Korea, China, Russia and Japan in April, protesting international criticism of its launch of a rocket that other nations suspected was a test of long-range missile technology.
In May, it conducted a nuclear test that drew tough new UN sanctions on the North's weapons exports and financial dealings. The sanctions also allow inspections of suspect North Korean cargo in ports and on the high seas.
Amid the sanctions, the North has been taking conciliatory gestures, freeing detained American and South Korean citizens and pledging to resume suspended joint projects and family reunions with South Korea.
The North also has invited Washington's special envoy on North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, to visit Pyongyang for bilateral negotiations that would be the countries' first nuclear talks since President Barack Obama took office.
Over the weekend, the State Department said the US is preparing to accept the offer, but said the talks will be part of efforts to resume the six-nation negotiations.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2009 00:00 ||
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Canada has no plans to extend its military mission in Afghanistan past the planned 2011 pullout, even if there is pressure to deal with the worsening security situation, a senior government official said on Tuesday.
Posted by: ed ||
09/16/2009 09:02 ||
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#2
It wasn't 3000 Canadians that were murdered. What are Americans willing to do to force an end to islamic colonization and conquest?
Posted by: ed ||
09/16/2009 10:38 Comments ||
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#3
Thanks to the Canadian troops that fought there with us. They did an outstanding job. Let's never forget that part.
As for the politics of the rest of the story, Canadian politicians have always been cowards to the polls.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
09/16/2009 10:43 Comments ||
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#4
Total Canadian Forces, air, land, and sea only total around 66,000. The Canadian Forces, Land have about 19,500 active duty and 16,000 reserve members. The Brigade in Afghanistan amounts to the almost entire deployable strength of the Canadian Forces Land. In the massive drawdowns in the CF during the last 20 years, much of the logistics support elements went away. The deployment to Afghanistan has been an eye-opening experience for the Canadians, but the forces are wearing out and need to come home to rest and refit. Currently, if you are in the CF land forces you can count on spending every other year in Afghanistan. All in all, this has been a major effort by the Canadians and we should thank them for their support.
As an aside, more Canadians enlisted in the US forces to fight in VietNam than American draft dodgers were granted asylum. Canadians are good people with feckless politicians.
#5
#1. As of today 130 Canadian soldiers have died in Afghanistan. I don't call that mooching.
Why don't you get off your fat butt and go over there and actually DO something to help the situation? It would be more productive of you to be shooting a rifle there rather than shooting off your mouth while sitting at the computer in your mother's basement.
Thanks to the other commenters for your kind and thoughtful words. I'll be forwarding the Rantburg link to this article on to my old friends in the Canadian Forces, some of whom are over there. They will, no doubt, be interested in the comments.
#6
Canada has been free-loading in the area of defense for most of its history. I doubt they would be in Afghanistan now if it weren't for NATO (which is a whole other rant I'll save for another day, but IMO it has made the West weaker).
Blame it all on Canada's poor political leadership? Sure, one could rationalize it that way. The fact remains they have, for all intents and purposes, disarmed and are quite content to leave their freedom in the hands of others to pay and die for. They (and most of Europe) surely realize that an alliance with the U.S. will protect their sorry asses regardless of the folly of their politicians' decisions.
The only way I'll amend my previous statement is to say they are fucking moochers AND cowards. They CHOSE to become a welfare state.
#7
Incidentally, you can add 27 Canadians to the 3000 murdered in the 911 attacks.
Canada is only in Afghanistan because the former Liberal government decided our contribution to the War on Terror was to fight anywhere but Iraq. So they sent the troops to Kandahar. No preparation, no support, and no equipment. We have lost 130 brave soldiers.
I will be joining my fellow Canadians on the Highway of Heroes (401) overpass later this afternoon to honour the 130th, Private Patrick Lormand
Albeit Canada's global position in Cold War as the buffer between the US and Russian allowed progressive liberals to reduce our fighting forces to not much more than a parade show.(No more than one parade at a time, please.)
#9
Canada has always been a stalwart supporter of the United States. We need to be equally supportive of them, as they've given far more than most others, including 130 dead.
Canada is finding out the hard way that you indeed do "run out of other people's money" as their health care system is on the verge of collapse, their army has dwindled to less than two divisions, and their Air Force and Navy need major revamping. I've worked with Canadians in Germany - they're good people. They just have a government dominated by the fools in Quebec who still want to be a part of France.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/16/2009 14:29 Comments ||
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#10
Read "Clash of Arms" by Russell Hart if you want to inform yourself as to how poorly Canadians performed in WWII.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/16/2009 18:49 Comments ||
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#12
Agreed, Frank, OP and others.
Moreover, the Canadians have indirectly contributed in other wasy to the recent conflicts, including through robotics work that has been integrated into some advanced unmanned ground robots.
But technology aside, the Canadian Forces I've met have been top rank.
#13
No worries, Frank. Canada will cut and run in the middle of a war in an effort at appeasement. Shouldn't surprise you. Hell, they may start a trend, with other 'allies' following in their footsteps. Wouldn't be the first time that we've been left to do the heavy lifting.
Maybe the pussies think that by withdrawing from the fight, their risks of being attacked will be reduced. I tend to disagree, as I simply see it as a victory for the terrorists.
And us dumbass Americans will continue to foot the bill to protect them and millions of other ungrateful dolts around the world.
#14
Woozle, your reading comprehension seems to be slipping in this thead.
The Canadian Forces have been horribly underfunded, underequipped and undermanned. It will take time for them to fix that, and some debate among Canadians about how much to invest vs. other social needs. But in the meanwhile despite dismaying equipment shortages they have fought well, and hard, and with a large percent of the manpower they do have available.
I'm no fan of some aspects of Canada, including the tendency of some to a facile smug antiUS stance. But you miss the very real contribution and effort they've made.
#15
Woozle - I make my point that the Canucks have actually been committing and fighting ABOVE their weight, given the political climate (and internal oppo) and the sad contributions among our NATO allies, especially among combat ops.
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/16/2009 20:45 Comments ||
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#16
I welcome any and all Canuck participation, especially as it doesn't seem limited by internal politics to logistics. Our Moosehead-drinking friends are fighting and dying with us, and should be accorded as such, not criticized. Check the disposition of the rest of the NATO forces and how many are actually prohibited from combat? Thank you, Canada
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/16/2009 20:50 Comments ||
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#17
lotp, there's nothing wrong with my reading comprehension skills. I simply see it differently from some on this site. My mistake, but I thought all opinions were welcome, popular or not.
Canada pulls out and terror wins out. I hope they enjoy living under Sharia.
#23
They are. You should also be prepared to defend them.
Defend what? My initial comment was met with hysteria and needed no defending. Nothing I have offered has in any way denegrated or besmirched those soldiers serving ... be they Canadians or otherwise.
The fucking moochers aren't those serving, they're the parasites that have free-loaded off the American taxpayer for decades.
As for the comment regarding the performance during WWII, again, if you inform yourself, you'll see it wasn't a critique on those serving, but rather those politicians and cowards left to armchair quarterback from the comfort of safety.
You people need to get over yourselves and get off your high horses. We will be in Afghanistan for a very long time. Our military is severely stretched and, in many cases, underequipped, underfunded and undermanned. Should we, like the Canadians, cut and run as well?
Oh, poor things, they're tired, the war is unpopular, they've run out of resources. We should have a ticker-tape parade and celebrate them leaving I suppose, except our troops are still there and will still be there long after the Canadians have packed up and gone home, leaving us to do the hard work.
#24
Woozle -- just what is your problem? Military folks don't have a lot of say in where they go, where they are, what they have, and what they can do with it.
I'm not sure I'm following your logic... other than.. Canada, big chickens, other countries, big chickens... and if I'm reading you right, USA the biggest chicken of them all!
Again, what's your problem and what is the point you are making?
Yep, I'm opening myself up to your vicious attack -- but that's okay -- I'm just a litl' old lady deep in the heart of Texas that has seen lots that life has offered.... and none of it, brings me to any comprehension of what your message really is.
#26
Woozle --- you did it again --- huh? I'm guessing your generation and mine have real communications problems. I was taught to write in complete sentences, how to diagram those sentences, and what a noun, pronoun, verb, adjective and adverb added to sentences. Yea, those adjestive and adverbs, spelling them, did give me some problems. But I could diagram sentences with the best of them.
Hysterical much? Not only can I not diagram that question (only know that it is a question, because you included the question mark) I have no reading comprehension of what you mean.
Guess it's that tweeting, blackberry language that has depleted your brain of how to speak and write in complete sentences, and using nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs to get your message out to others.
I find it extremely frustrating when I spend the time to write a few words for comments, only to find, some don't have any idea what I meant, or totally didn't get my message, or just didn't understand what the point was that I was making.
Does that ever happen to you?
And, good night, cause our Boss Fred, who has graciously invited and allowed you to be here, is about to turn off the lights here, for this day.
#2
This was not sniping. Not one shot was made at a distance greater than 75 meters. No ingress skills were exhibited, no fieldcraft skills, no egress skills, just shoot from the trunk of a car with a poodle-shooter.
Only the MSM and other similarly ignorant individuals would consider this to be sniping. Sniping is a very carefully crafted activity with definable and measurable tactical goals, accomplished by people who are knowledgeable about those goals and aware of their own responsibility.
This was just plain murder carried out by two cowards.
#3
What do you expect from a 'professional and fact check laden' MSM that treats anything on tracks as tanks.
am·bush n.
1. The act of lying in wait to attack by surprise.
2. A sudden attack made from a concealed position.
3.
a. Those hiding in order to attack by surprise.
b. The hiding place used for this.
4. A hidden peril or trap.
tr.v. am·bushed, am·bush·ing, am·bush·es
To attack from a concealed position.
#6
Muhammed made unexplained trips to the Caribbean while he was living in a homeless shelter in Washington state. I'm sure there was a foreign terrorist connection. Probably Jamaat al Furqa.
#7
Hanging does provide excellent theater, and is truly a deterrent force. This idiocy forced upon us by the ACLU of treating prisoners "humanely" is one reason we've had such an increase in crime. We not only need to hang any criminal that has wantonly killed more than three people, but any ACLU lawyer that tries to defend them on "humane" grounds.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
09/16/2009 14:33 Comments ||
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#9
he is islamic... so public beheading works for me
Posted by: abu do you love ||
09/16/2009 16:09 Comments ||
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#10
My vote of course, is either for public demonstration of microwave beam weapons...or flamethrowers. Let's throw some real deterrent value in there.
Of course, perhaps I just like Girl Genius Online too much, but sticking him in a big jar to bake in the sun is also good.
#12
This Virginian is honored that we'll send this clown to his reward.
Of eternity in HELL.
Too bad Ol' Sparky is not in service anymore. (I understand the executee can choose electrocution instead of injection, but I'd put decent money on this murdering loser being too much of a pansy to ask for it.)
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/16/2009 19:03 Comments ||
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[The News (Pak)] Security agencies have found out that after erosion of the Swat, Buner and Salarzai strongholds, the Taliban have amassed on the hard terrain between Batkhela and Jalala on the Mardan-Swat Highway, and that is from where they perpetrate with the kind of suicide attacks one of which was thwarted at Thana in Swat the other day.
It is from here, say senior security officials working on a new plan to attack this new stronghold, that they are building their arms arsenals, training camps, logistics and propaganda centres.
More than 200 people received handwritten and typed death threats in Mardan, Batkhela, Dargai and the surrounding towns from the Taliban over the past fortnight. These letters point out that "We are aware of how you assist security agencies and act against Islam. You are going to face the wrath of God," says one of them.
"These letters are being sent down from Shergarh, Batkhela, Chakdara, Iroshah, Shakh Number Panch, Jabban Road, Palai Sherkhanai, Sakhakot, Jalala and other villages on the Highway," said Kamal Shah, former NWFP Minister and chairman of Pukhtoon Aman Jirga, who is one of the recipients.
Securities officials revealed to The News that they had developed "a sense of the reality that Taliban must be creating their new stronghold in areas surrounding Shergarh on Mardan-Swat Highway after they tasted a telling defeat in Swat, Buner and Dir. We are on their heels and are making all efforts to block arms and ammunition supplies to them from the channels developed by Taliban through Mohmand Agency, the adjoining areas of Malakand like Palai Sherkhani and Jabban Iroshah Road."
When asked if they had any data on the activities of Taliban increasing after they made Shergarh their new stronghold, they said, "We are aware of the fact that they are sending down letters to the leaders of peace jirga and Aman Lashkars. We know that about two days ago they attacked the Shabqadar Adeenzai Aman Jirga chief, Malik Mohammad Ali. They attacked Bezo Kharaki Police Station two months ago and killed three policemen. They are now concentrating on the police patrols, as they attacked and killed three policemen last week in Lawrencepur. They are extending these activities toward the upper Punjab. They are causing fear to prevent emergence of new Lashkars and Aman Jirgas."
Letter sent down to the Pukhtoon Aman Jirga chairman, Kamal Shah states: "We have repeatedly warned you against creating Jirga and Lashkar. You proved resilient. You know how we treat such defiance. We made such people into scaring example. We made two attempts on you previously on Mardan-Swabi Road and in Peshawar, but you escaped. And you do not stop indulging in what is against our mission and cause. We have made all arrangements not to let you escape this time. Be prepared to face an ugly end. Your family members are also our target. You cannot escape the punishment."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Hey! Where's my letter?
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
09/16/2009 16:21 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Tension gripped Sialkot, Daska, Sambrial and Pasrur after a young Christian man who was arrested on blasphemy charges was found dead inside his jail cell on Tuesday.
Jail Superintendent Ishtiaq Lodhi claimed that the accused, Robert alias Fanish Masih, being kept in solitary confinement, had committed 'suicide' in his cell.
But his relatives and members of the Christian community refused to accept the jail authorities' claims and alleged that he was tortured to death.
Robert, 19, belonged to a poor family and was arrested on Saturday by the Sambrial police for allegedly desecrating the Holy Quran in Jatheki village the previous day.
Members of the Christian community had fled the village after Muslims took to the streets in protest against the alleged desecration.
Robert was sent to the Sialkot jail on a 14-day judicial remand by a local court on Monday.
Jail authorities claimed that the accused had committed suicide by hanging himself, using the lace of his Shalwar to tie with the latch of his cell's door.
The situation in Sialkot was tense till late in the evening as relatives of the dead man protested by placing his body on the Kashmir Road.
Demanding arrest of jail officials responsible for Roberts death, they attacked 13 shops and damaged some vehicles.
They dispersed after senior police officers assured them of justice. The Christian community has decided to observe a two-day mourning.
An inquiry committee said Robert had committed suicide, suspending three officials of the jail for negligence.
Lahore DIG Salim Shahid Beg told Dawn over telephone that the committee had inspected the accused's body and questioned police officers.
He said that they had also consulted senior doctors and leaders of the Christian community, and found that there was no mark of torture on the body. Leaders of the Christian community were satisfied with the findings, the DIG said.
The suspended officials included Assistant Superintendent Sibtain Raza, Head Warden Mohammad Yusuf and Warden Javed Iqbal Awan.
The DIG said the suspended officials would face an inquiry under the Punjab Employees Efficiency, Discipline and Accountability Act.
The Federal Minister for Minorities, Shahbaz Bhatti, said the government had ordered a probe into the death and promised that its findings would be made public.
In Sialkot, the district administration and police high-ups and leaders of Christian and Muslim communities were trying to keep people calm. Provincial Minister Michael Kamran was also part of the effort.
Christians believed that the accused had been tortured to death by jail officials, who had later hanged his body to give impression that he had committed suicide.
Roberts family claimed that there were torture marks on his body and his ribs were broken. His father, Riasat Masih, called for a judicial probe into the death and asserted that no one could commit suicide with a weak lace of shalwar.
Our Sialkot correspondent adds: The situation was tense not only in Sialkot but also in adjacent towns of Daska, Sambrial and Pasrur.
Scores of Christians took to the streets, blocking traffic and torching tyres. All shops and markets in Sialkot and Sambrial were closed.
Robert's body would be kept in the Bethania Christian Hospital in Sialkot, and his last rites would be performed on Wednesday.
The deceased would be buried in a cemetery in Sialkot instead of his native village because of security reasons.
The Sambrial police have registered a case against around 100 people for burning the local Catholic Church.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
found that there was no mark of torture on the body
He was a young man. Died of a broken heart, maybe?
[Asharq al-Aswat] Not far from the Imam Ali Mosque in Najaf, through a number of old and narrow alleyways, one comes upon the house of the highest ranking Shiite marja in the world, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for a press conference, attended by Asharq Al-Awsat, in the city of Najaf at his residence, perhaps to deny reports surrounding the deterioration of his health, and that he had traveled to London for treatment.
Iraqi and non-Iraqi officials have visited al-Sistani, who has played an increasingly prominent role in Iraqi politics since the collapse of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003.
Asharq Al-Awsat attended the press conference at al-Sistani's modest home, and Ayatollah al-Sistani himself greeted the journalists one by one.
Ayatollah al-Sistani sat on the ground, on his left was a small wooden box with a stack of books piled upon it, and to his right was a bag containing gifts which he would present to visitors. This gift being a silver coin about the size of a dirham, engraved upon one side of the coin is the title "Commander of the Faithful" in reference to [Imam Ali] the first of the 12 Imams of the Shiite sect, while on the other side of the coin is the title "Sahib al-Zaman" in reference to [Imam al-Mahdi] the last of the 12 Imams.
Ayatollah al-Sistani, who is in his late seventies, seemed to be in good health. He calmly spoke in a low voice for around ten minutes, addressing such issues as the media, political affairs, social issues, and Iraqi modern history, without showing any signs of illness or fatigue.
Al-Sistani held prayer beads made of Yemeni agate in one hand, and he was dressed in the traditional garb of a Shiite religious cleric.
Ayatollah Al-Sistani told the press "My health is good, thank God, and it is up to the media to report the facts accurately."
He added "I am fully aware of what is happening to the Muslims in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Iran, and I am very hurt by the explosions that are taking place, and was very hurt by the most recent bombing which took place in Iraq."
Al-Sistani also said "In my meetings with political parties, I say to them, do not make the marja [religious doctrine] a front for your actions. The people elected you in order to bear this responsibility; you are the ones that run the country."
"In the majority of my meetings with politicians I commend them not to use my meeting [with them] as election propaganda; they have taken up this responsibility and it up to them to bear it." Al-Sistani added.
Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani also spoke of his "love" for all Iraqis, regardless of social class or sect, and said that he does not discriminate between them.
Al-Sistani also told the gathered journalists "You are young journalists, and your responsibility, as the Fourth Estate, is to report factual news impartially...you work independently, and you are the ones who report events that occur here and there, and you must be neutral."
He is making Western-style secular behaviour in the secular world a religious duty incumbent upon all Shiites. Very impressive.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2009 00:00 ||
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Given that in its present form this religion seems to attract nutcases, it can't be avoided. The clergy will have to refocus the religion somehow. Right now, even a truly peaceful muslim doesn't really seem to be all that likely to interfere with the actions of a fanatic simply because they are muslim.
#2
It would have been nice if Al-Sistani had warned against the religious parties back in 2004-5. Of course it would also be nice if he hadn't said that chess is forbidden or if he hadn't said that homosexuals should be killed so that it causes pain or if hadn't said that shaking hands with an infidel causes uncleaness, etc.
Posted by: lord garth ||
09/16/2009 0:18 Comments ||
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#3
corruption is what drives people to the hard side.
Sistani makes bad calls, but overall, he looks like a true believer in the ability of reform.
He's a bit late with these comments. The horse has been out of the barn for a while on this one.
He's one of the few voices of reason in Islam and the US would be well served to ingratiate itself with this guy. I know we put guards on him when the Iranians were trying to assassinate him to create a civil war.
We could do worse having him as a religious leader in Iraq.
Posted by: James Carville ||
09/16/2009 14:23 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] An Iraqi reporter who hurled his shoes at former American President George W. Bush was released from prison on Tuesday and greeted as a hero as he described how he was tortured in prison. Muntazer al-Zaidi, whose act of defiance during a news conference last December summed up the feelings of many Iraqis towards the former U.S. leader, was met outside jail by some parliamentarians who support his case.
"Today I am free again but my home is still a prison," he told reporters shortly after his release, a dig at the continued U.S. military presence in Iraq six and half years after the invasion to oust Saddam Hussein.
He was slurring his speech because of a missing tooth, but otherwise seemed in good health. His brothers alleged that Zaidi was beaten by guards after his arrest.
After his arrest he probably was. He shamed them by his actions toward a guest.
Zaidi added: "At the time that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said on television that he could not sleep without being reassured on my fate ... I was being tortured in the worst ways, beaten with electric cables and iron bars."
He said he wanted an apology from Maliki, adding that his guards had also used simulated drowning on him -- the technique of water-boarding used by the Americans on suspects arrested over the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks.
Yes, well the Iraqis are not Americans, and so they have different standards of behaviour. Next time Mr. al-Zaidi might want to misbehave on Western soil.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2009 00:00 ||
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US forces now taking different course:An Iraqi man who witnesses said shouted abuse before throwing a shoe at a US army vehicle was shot dead on Wednesday in what the American military said was a suspected grenade attack.
A United Nations report issued Tuesday says both Israel and the Palestinians committed actions amounting to war crimes during Israel's military incursion into Gaza from December 27 to January 18. Hey, gotta protect your phoney baloney jobs, right?
Although the U.N. investigation found that Palestinian militants also committed war crimes, the overwhelming majority of the criticism in a summary of the 574-page report targets Israel. Could I get some bleeding heart over there to send me a copy? I'd love to see what evidence was gathered and how well it was vetted. Also, I've torn most of the pages out of my Holy Crayon and I need something else for toilet paper.
Israel "committed actions amounting to war crimes, possibly crimes against humanity," the report says. Yawn.
The findings were revealed by the head of the U.N. Fact Finding Mission on the Gaza Conflict, headed by Richard Goldstone, a South African judge.
Israel did not cooperate in the investigation.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement saying Israel "did not feel able to cooperate with the Fact Finding Mission because its mandate was clearly one-sided and ignored the thousands of Hamas missile attacks on civilians in southern Israel that made the Gaza Operation necessary."
Sami Abu Zuhri, a spokesman for Hamas, which controls Gaza, told CNN: "This report is evidence of the crimes committed by the occupation forces against Palestinian citizens." Any comments regarding the thousands of Kassam missiles fired at random by "Palestinians" into populated civilian areas in Israel?
He rebutted claims in the report that Hamas militants also committed war crimes by saying that "the Palestinian factions were defending themselves, which international law allows them to do." From behind "civilians"? Without wearing a uniform? Intentionally aimed at civilian populations? Using resources better given to your "suffering masses"?
The report claims that the Israel Defense Forces "failed to take feasible precautions required by international law to avoid or minimize loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects." Bull. Hard to do when "civilians" are running around during firefights doing God knows what. And who cares about civilian "objects" anyway?
The U.N. findings also conclude that Israel fired the chemical agent white phosphorous in civilian areas, intentionally fired high-explosive artillery shells upon hospitals, and failed to provide effective warnings to civilians or U.N. workers before attacks. It also claims that Israel used Palestinian civilians as human shields and deliberately attacked Palestinian food supplies in Gaza. Hey, Hamas uses them with their permission, so why not Israel?
The report recommends that the U.N. Security Council require the government of Israel to launch appropriate independent investigations into the findings of the report within three months. The findings also recommend that the alleged Israeli war crimes be explored by the International Criminal Court's prosecutor. Israel finished their investigations long ago. Didn't find much wrong. I trust them more than I trust a bunch of one-sided idiots from the UN. In any case, show me the video. Surely some of those civilians has something on video we can review.
The findings also call on Palestinian leadership to investigate alleged war crimes, for militants to respect humanitarian law, and for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit on humanitarian grounds. Oh, I get it! April Fools must fall on September 15th over there. Good one! Had me going for a while.
#3
The UN investigation methodology consists substantially of interviewing Gazans and taking their testimony at face value (ignoring that the testimony may be made up, coached, etc.). This is perhaps the 20th or 30th such UN report.
Posted by: lord garth ||
09/16/2009 9:41 Comments ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] The Islamic Development Bank has donated $1 million to the Palestinian Ministry of Health to help prevent the spread of the swine flu virus.
Dr. Muhammad Shtayeh of the Fatah Central Committee said the contribution came as part of its mandate to improve the health condition of Palestinians, the Ma'an News Agency reported on September 15,
The grant is meant to help institutions fighting the H1N1 virus and which struggle against its spread, he added.
The announcement came the same day that seven students were diagnosed with the virus in a Nablus area school.
The caretaker ministries of health and education closed the school to prevent the spread of the disease.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Palestinian Ministry of Health.
"What money"?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/16/2009 0:21 Comments ||
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It's just an excuse, Redneck, and they know it. ;-)
Ma'an -- Israeli prison authorities are preventing the donation of Canteen money for prisoners in their custody, following the approval of the goodwill payment to cover the costs of Palestinian prisoners in Israel, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Prisoners Ziad Abu Ein said.
The Council of Ministers okayed the payment on Monday, saying it was on the occasion of the holy month of Ramadan and the Eid Al-Fitr end of Ramadan celebrations.
The Canteen operates in Israeli prisons and provides prisoners essential materials denied to them by prison authorities, including food and drinks, as well as personal hygiene items. The prisoners pay for the items out of their own pockets, and have no choices other than the product or price the prison administration selects.
The Ministry of Prisoners Affairs submitted an application for the prison authorities to allow the admission of 20 tons of sweets and other Ramadan goods, but was told to send money instead so prisoners could purchase what they need from the Canteen.
The Ministry subsequently transferred 2 million shekels as per the request, but the money was sent back.
Abu Ein considers the decision to be unjustified, and called it a clear strategy to aggravate the suffering of prisoners during the month of Ramadan.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2009 00:00 ||
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Abu Ein considers the decision to be unjustified, and called it a clear strategy to aggravate the suffering of prisoners during the month of Ramadan.
So, Ein, exactly what are these folks in jail for? How 'bout giving Shalit some candy while he's "in jail"?
Earlier this year, the U.S. Air Force asked Congress for money to buy four 15 ton Massive Ordnance Penetrator (MOP) bombs. Now it wants ten, and preferably twelve. The likely targets are North Korea or Iran, and apparently the air force has developed some new information on targets that would require more MOPs, and as soon as possible.
The U.S. Air Force is also modifying some B-2 bombers so that they can carry two MOP bombs. These 21 foot long bombs have began development in 2004, with the first test models showing up in 2005. Operational characteristics (how deep the bomb can go in different types of material) have only mentioned the ability to penetrate 200 feet underground. The MOP is mostly metal, with about 18 percent of its weight devoted to explosives. It uses GPS, and inertial guidance, to find its target. The MOP is the latest of a long line of American "super bombs." B-2s are supposed to be ready to use MOP next year. Previously, the heaviest U.S. "penetrator" bombs were the 2.1 ton BLU-28 and one ton BLU-109.
#5
What they haven't mentioned is the "deep digger" munition that used cannon to bore its way through a lot of reinforced concrete. After one hugely successful test, it vanished, so has probably been reclassified.
It's nice to see all that tsunami aid we gave them being put to good use.
Indonesia's province of Aceh has passed a new law making adultery punishable by stoning to death, a member of the province's parliament has said
Ahmadinejad Critiques 'Western Theory of Development' as Aimed at Liberal Democracy, Free Market Economy, and Moral Relativism And Proposes Iranian Alternative Based on 'Divine and Idealistic Values,' 'Society of Ali and the Mahdi'
In a September 10, 2009 speech to university professors, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad critiqued "the West's theory of development," which he said was aimed at "the dominance of liberal democracy, the establishment of a free market economy, the favoring of moral relativism, and the non-interference of moral values in social relations." He argued that this theory had reached a dead end, and that it was Iran's role to give the world an alternative model for advancement - one based on "divine and idealistic values rather than material ones," and on the society of Ali ibn Abi Talib and the Mahdi.
At a September 8, 2009 farewell ceremony for outgoing Iranian Intelligence Minister Mohsen Ejei,Ahmadinejad said that the mission of Irans Islamic regime was to raise the banner of Mahdism (i.e. the message of the Mahdi's imminent arrival) throughout the world.
Following are excerpts from an English translation of his September 10 speech, as published by Press TV. [1]
The Western Theory of Development "Has Reached a Dead End"
"If we accept the dominant [global] order for development, we will not get anywhere for a thousand years, because the origins of this theory are elsewhere [i.e. in the West], and the rules of development were formulated by them. Iran's nation and society [possess] all the necessary elements for a leap towards growth and superiority, but what prevents the nation's leap is the absence of a clear definition of the ultimate goal.
"In Western society, according to the theory of development, all efforts are aimed at the dominance of liberal democracy, the establishment of a free market economy, the favoring of moral relativism, and the non-interference of moral values in social relations. This [approach] has a dark future, but all efforts are along [these lines]. According to this theory, U.S. society has reached the peak of social development, and, [in order] to paint the world in their own shade, they have created various international bodies [oriented towards] their particular culture, and they try to sway the countries of the world to fall into line with them.
"It is evident that this theory has reached a dead end, and even if we want to [follow] its path, this road will end in a precipice."
"Can the World Imagine a Template for the Past, Present, and Future of Human Society That Is Superior to the society of Ali and the Mahdi?"
"Our nation, with its ancient cultural heritage and its [adherence] to a [set] of divine and idealistic values, cannot in any way walk along a path which has been defined [based] on material values. Can the world imagine a template for the past, present, and future of human society that is superior to the society of Ali [ibn Abi Talib, the first Shi'ite Imam] and the Mahdi, [the Shi'ite messiah]?"
Alluding to the results of the June 12 elections, Ahmadinejad said: "[Even] if there are a thousand elections in Iran, with 100 percent participation, in the opinion [of the West], they will still not be democratic."
He continued: "We have no alternative except returning to ourselves, and the duty of the universities in Iran is to [outline] our utopia and our ideal society, so that all forces and potentials move in that direction, and so that we have a society with its own economy, culture, politics, and art."
"Our enemies cunningly and intelligently try to [preoccupy] us with small concerns, so that we do not think and achieve great goals.
"Today the world [is] disappointed with the dominance of the [Western] theory of development, and has reached a dead end. Today our mission is not limited to the internal affairs of [our] country; it is a worldwide mission to open a way for global human society to escape from this disappointing situation."
[1] Press TV (Iran), September 10, 2009. The text has been lightly edited for clarity.
[Al Arabiya Latest] ebanese President Michel Sleiman began consultations with MPs on Tuesday in a new bid to appoint a prime minister after Saad Hariri, the majority leader in parliament, abandoned efforts to form a unity cabinet.
Sleiman is to meet with the 128 members of parliament during the two-day consultations that are expected to see Hariri re-appointed to the post of premier with at least the 71 votes of his coalition.
Hariri, who had been appointed on June 27, and his allies won a majority of 71 seats in an election earlier that month, while a rival coalition led by the Shiite militant group Hezbollah clinched 57.
Reflecting a less cordial political climate, the parliamentary bloc of Shiite parliament speaker Nabih Berri, which nominated Hariri for prime minister in June, did not nominate anyone for the post on Tuesday.
Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement and Hezbollah will not nominate Hariri, political sources said. Neither nominated him in June.
The premier's slot is reserved for a Sunni Muslim under Lebanon's complex sectarian political system.
Hariri, son of slain billionaire ex-premier Rafiq Hariri, announced he was stepping down last Thursday after the opposition turned down a 30-seat coalition cabinet he had proposed to Sleiman.
He accused the Hezbollah-led opposition of blocking weeks of efforts to unlock a political stalemate over the government.
But Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah accused him of proposing a line-up that he said would only complicate the situation in Lebanon.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/16/2009 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Washington - The Afghan elections, already tainted by widespread accusations of misconduct and fraud, received another body blow Wednesday when the head of the European Union's election-monitoring commission said that as many as 1.1 million votes cast in the vote were "suspect." 
Ahmadinejad Critiques 'Western Theory of Development' as Aimed at Liberal Democracy, Free Market Economy, and Moral Relativism And Proposes Iranian Alternative Based on 'Divine and Idealistic Values,' 'Society of Ali and the Mahdi' 
