ABOARD USS DONALD COOK -- It was a rare moment of excitement on a long, tedious counter-piracy patrol. On the evening of Sept. 24, lookouts on the USS Donald Cook, a Virginia-based destroyer assigned to a NATO flotilla in the Gulf of Aden, spotted a mysterious shape on the horizon. The distant vessel did not respond to Donald Cook's hails as it loomed closer.
With the cry, "Ship of interest," crew members summoned Donald Cook's captain, Derek Granger. Interrupted during a rare bit of down-time, Granger climbed to the bridge wearing shorts and a t-shirt. Lighting his customary cigar, he joined lookouts on the port bridge wing -- a sort of outdoor deck attached to the ship's side -- and scrutinized the approaching vessel through binoculars.
Soon the mystery ship's features were evident: a long hull, blocky superstructure, tall vertical posts and an aft flight deck on which was lashed a blue-and-white painted Sea King helicopter. The Americans consulted with a ship recognition guide, just to be safe, but it was plain to see: The vessel was an Iranian naval supply ship -- one of at least four warships deployed by Tehran to the pirate-infested waters.
A year after Somali pirates seized the headlines with a series of high-profile hijackings, world powers have assembled a naval counterpiracy coalition that is "without precedent," in the words of Commodore Steve Chick, commander of the NATO flotilla that includes Donald Cook. World Politics Review spent four days on Donald Cook to observe piracy patrols firsthand.
The coalition includes flotillas provided by NATO and the EU, plus one split off from a U.S. Navy-led counterterrorism task force. In addition, China, Japan, South Korea, India and Russia have deployed warships on national counter-piracy missions. The roughly 40 ships share intelligence and supplies and, in the event of a pirate encounter, help cover each other using their armed helicopters. Every month in Bahrain, representatives of these pirate-fighting nations assemble to hash out who will patrol what area, so that there's no overlap. "We're all here for the common good," Chick says.
There's just one country plying East African waters that refuses to cooperate. In December, Tehran announced it would send warships to protect Iranian shipping from attack. The first Iranian flotilla apparently departed in May, and a second group set sail several months later. But the deployed vessels never integrated into the international coalition, and therefore do not benefit from the international cooperation. The Iranian ships operate alone, in silence and secrecy, leading some to question Tehran's motives.
The Bahrainis and Iranians don't get along -- don't even have diplomatic relations. That could make integrating the Iranians a little dicey.
If I recall correctly, that's because Iran would like to think of Bahrain much like China does Taiwan, or Syria does Lebanon.
"It's a mystery," Granger says of Tehran's intentions. He says it's possible the Iranian ships are doing just what Tehran claims -- that is, patrolling African waters to deter and interdict pirates, albeit less efficiently than were they to cooperate with other navies. It's also possible that the Iranian ships are meant as a reminder of Tehran's ability to deploy military power outside its national waters.
There's a third possibility -- one that Granger did not raise. The Iranian warships could also be useful for monitoring the naval capabilities of the assembled pirate-fighting countries. With world concern escalating over the revelation in late September of a secret Iranian nuclear facility, some observers in the U.S. have proposed a naval blockade of Iran. In the event of such a blockade, Iran might find updated information on world naval forces useful in planning any response.
They could be monitoring Israeli naval assets in the Red Sea. They might also be escorting arms shipments to Eritrea and Sudan so as to make sure said arms aren't intercepted and blown to pieces by the Ruritanian Navy and Air Force ...
Or escorting shipments that will eventually wend their way to an Iranian port or border.
Sometimes Donald Cook's crew intercepts strange Iranian radio messages. It's customary for ships belonging to the counter-piracy coalition to hail commercial vessels in order to confirm their identities. The hails are always in English, the accepted "language of the seas." While usually silent, occasionally the Iranian ships will broadcast an awkward hail to a nearby merchant vessel. "They only do it because we do it," said one Donald Cook officer. In other words, the hails might be cover for Tehran's true purpose in sending its ships into the thick of a busy, diverse naval coalition.
Back on Donald Cook's bridge, the tension released as the Iranian supply ship passed alongside and shrank on the horizon. But Granger lingered on the bridge wing, and the crew remained extra alert. The Iranian ships are known to sail in pairs. It was possible another ship was out there, maintaining radio silence, stealthily listening in on the world's navies as they went about the business of hunting Somali pirates.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/11/2009 00:00 ||
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It's a Naval Supply ship. They're there to supply the pirates.
#4
There's one thing that you can bet on with the Iranian Navy - they're up to no good to us, and whatever perceived good they can see for Iran. I hope there's at least one 788-Class submarine in the area, keeping track of Iranian shipping.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
10/11/2009 20:47 Comments ||
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ALB, Saudi Arabia - Yemen and Saudi officials stopped a UN aid shipment destined for refugees from fighting between Yemen troops and Shiite rebels on Saturday, unable to agree on border procedures. Three trucks laden with tents, mattresses, soap and other necessities were halted by a dispute over how to transfer the goods from Saudi trucks to Yemeni trucks at the border.
"Haw! Yer widows don't need no more ammo!"
This delayed for at least another day the delivery of much-needed humanitarian supplies for 3,000 hard-struck Yemenis sandwiched between the Saudi border and the centre of fighting further in to Saada province. The aborted delivery, witnessed by journalists traveling with the convoy, underscored how local distrust and bureaucratic inertia can prolong the suffering of people who have lost homes and face food shortages in war-torn northwest Yemen.
Overall an estimated 55,000 or more Yemenis have been displaced since the fighting erupted on August 11 between the Shiite Muslim Zaidis, also known as the Huthis, and the government of the Sunni-dominated state.
Zaidi leader Malek al-Huthi, said on Saturday he is ready to work with government opposition leaders to halt the fighting, which has left an unknown number of people dead on both sides. "We are ready for dialogue, to respond positively to all national initiatives and to stand alongside all honourable people wanting to save the country from corruption and injustice," Huthi said in a statement.
But an official of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees spent 12 hours at Alb's border outpost negotiating in vain with officials on both sides to get the goods into the hands of a Yemeni NGOs which would distribute them.
"I am still hopeful we can deliver these goods today," UNHCR protection officer Sultan Khilji said hours into the ordeal Saturday.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/11/2009 00:00 ||
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"UN aid shipment"
Was this the standard Muddled East UN aid shipment of guns, ammo, and bombs with a couple of candy bars added so they can say it's food aid?
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
10/11/2009 0:43 Comments ||
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Seven militants arrested from different districts of Rajshahi division over the weekend were taken on a seven-day remand yesterday in connection with a case filed under the anti-terrorism act of 2008, said investigation official M Hafizur Rahman. The Rajshahi Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court granted the remand and the militants are likely to be taken to the Joint Interrogation Cell in Dhaka, he added.
Requesting anonymity, one official quoted Ashraf, one of the arrestees, as saying that recently the JMB leaders have been given the task of recruiting new members, reorganising old members and making funds through invitations towards Islam.
"To invigorate the inactive members, the JMB leaders are now circulating that they have eschewed the path of military warfare to establish Islam and are engaged in only invitational activities," said the official.
Besides, to persuade new people to join the outfit, the JMB is providing rickshaws or money to run small businesses, and in return, the entrants are to pay a monthly amount for the organisation, sources said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/11/2009 00:00 ||
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Frontier Corps chief General Nawaz denied US accusations that Taliban leadership was based in and around Quetta, saying Washington was looking for an excuse for the difficulty it was facing with an intensifying Taliban insurgency.
"These allegations have been levelled in the past," he said. "They had been dying a death but lately they have started again. In my view, whatever is happening in Afghanistan, if they are not succeeding, there has to be some escape route."
The United States had handed over no information to back up its assertion regarding the "Quetta shura", he said. "If they have any evidence -- which they have not given us a bit of until this moment -- they should share it with us. Pakistani forces are quite capable of sorting them out," he said.
"Trust us!"
General Nawaz said it was impossible for Taliban leaders such as Mullah Omar to go unnoticed. "If he has to move, or if their leadership has to move, they have to move with some paraphernalia, they need to make some arrangements," he said
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/11/2009 00:00 ||
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QUETTA: India and Afghanistan are supporting an insurgency in Balochistan, trying to bolster the leadership of separatists fighting the government, chief of the Frontier Corps (FC) paramilitary force in Balochistan said on Saturday.
"A lot of evidence of Indian involvement through Afghanistan is there, supporting the separatist movement," Major General Salim Nawaz, inspector general of the FC in Balochistan, said.
General Nawaz said the separatists were not very strong as they did not have enough foot soldiers or a proper command-and-control structure. "The foreign element, especially the element there in Afghanistan, is trying hard to create more leadership," he said.
The FC chief said proof of Indian involvement had been provided. "The proof has been given at various levels ... Photographs have been provided," he said, but did not elaborate.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/11/2009 00:00 ||
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Photographs have been provided," he said, but did not elaborate.
Pakistan really needs to stop sending photographs of the penises of dead terrorists to India.
The Indians are well aware that many Pashtun are not circumcised.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/11/2009 11:58 Comments ||
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But the acid test cops and officials used to determine whether any of the dead ones was Indian was to check whether the man had been circumcised. If not, they would summarily dub him Hindu and therefore an Indian agent.
But as more such cases showed up, in places where there was not a ghost of a chance of any Indian involvement, doctors and officials began to worry about the methodology. Its then that they stumbled on a little-known anthropological fact about Pashtun tribes in Waziristan, from where many of the Tehreek-e-Taliban or Pakistani Taliban come.
It appears that many in the backward tribal areas of the country like Waziristan dont undergo the mandatory circumcision that all Muslim males should undergo. The story took a rather comic turn when some of governments own injured paramilitary soldiers, when examined, were found to be uncircumcised. This was especially true of wounded soldiers of the Frontier Constabulary from Waziristan, engaged in fighting Taliban militants.
Kamran Khan, a legislator from Waziristan in Pakistans lower house of parliament, told the Times of India that many in the poor tribal areas fail to undergo circumcision because it is either not mandated in their tribal codes or because in many villages there are neither hospitals or even barbers, who perform most circumcisions in rural areas.
Posted by: john frum ||
10/11/2009 15:22 Comments ||
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#5
It certainly would be interesting to see Baluchistan created out of Iran and Southern Pakistan. Most likely that would be the end of Pakistan and that breakup would probably be messy. Really messy.
ISLAMABAD: The top civilian and military leadership of the country decided on Saturday that Pakistan would take up controversial clauses of the Kerry-Luger bill with the US government through diplomatic channels. The decision came at a meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, army chief Gen Ashfaq Kayani, Foreign Minister Mehmood Qureshi and ISI chief Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha.
The meeting discussed various aspects of the Kerry-Luger bill. There was unanimity of views it was decided that the government would take up controversial clauses with the US. It was also decided that the final national response to the bill would be given on the conclusion of a debate in parliament, said the statement by the prime ministers media office.
A real burr under the saddle ...
Sources said the foreign minister briefed the meeting on the Kerry-Lugar bill. The participants were told that the government was planning to pass unanimous resolutions in both houses of parliament expressing reservations over the bill. These reservations would be conveyed to the US through diplomatic channels, said the sources. Kayani briefed the meeting on a scale operation in South Waziristan. The sources said the political leadership threw its support behind the army chief over the launch of the operation, the timing and scale of which would be determined by the armed forces.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/11/2009 00:00 ||
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ION CHINESE MIL FORUM > seems MYANMAR + BANGLADESH are putting their Milfors, Para-mils, etc. on WAR ALERT after incursion???
ISLAMABAD: The government is setting up eight more passport offices across the country to facilitate the people, Directorate General of Immigration and Passports Director General Wajid Ali Bukhari informed the Senates Standing Committee on Interior on Saturday.
The new passport offices are being set up in Mandi Bahauddin, Mianwali, Hafiz Abad, Jhang, Chakwal, Battagram, Skardu and Khuzdar, he said.
On a query by Senator Mahmood regarding the disciplinary action against Pakistans Houston mission officials Ghulam Rasool Baloch and Muhammad Naeem, who issued a Pakistani passport to an Indian national, Interior Ministry officials told the committee that the culprits had been arrested and were being held in Adiala Jail.
Senator Talha Mehmood also raised the matter of a number of BPS16 officers serving in Pakistani missions with the authority to approve passports, saying it was the responsibility of assistant director-level officers.
Bukhari said several cases of corruption in Pakistani missions were surfacing, as there were only eleven missions where machine-readable passports were being issued.
Senator Talha Mehmood appreciated the machine-readable system introduced by the Interior Ministry, saying it would check forgery, but also asked the ministry to depute officials with impeccable service records in the missions abroad.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/11/2009 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Rafie al-Issawi said on Saturday that four provinces, apart from an Iraqi Kurdistan province, will benefit from investment projects to be carried out by Japanese companies.
Thank you, Japan.
"A meeting was held on Saturday (Oct. 10) between Deputy Premier Issawi and Japanese ambassador in Baghdad with Sadako Ogata, President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and her accompanying delegation in the presence of Japanese ambassador in Baghdad Shoji Okawa to discuss investment plans and projects by Japanese firms operating in Iraq," according to a statement by Issawi's office as received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency.
"The deputy prime minister announced during the meeting that four more Iraqi provinces, including Diala and Ninewa, will make good use of the Japanese investments in the country," read the statement.
Okawa, for his part, said that the Japanese government has released $900 million out of a total $5 billion in a soft loan for Iraq, bringing the sum appropriated by the Japanese side to $3.5 billion.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/11/2009 00:00 ||
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Iran's ambassador to the UN, Mohammad Khazaee, sent a letter of protest to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moonin which he wrote that "there is no explanation for Israel's continuing threats against Tehran". Not according to the logic you have published, anyway.
He was referring to an interview given by former Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh to the Sunday Times in which he said that if Iran were not further sanctioned by this Christmas Israel would attack the country. Don't worry, Noobama is trying to figure out what the minimum you will accept will be.
Sneh told the paper that if Israel were forced to attack the Islamic Republic on its own it would do so, remarks the Iranian ambassador deemed "irresponsible". Planting the seeds for your overt reasoning for developing a nuke, perhaps?
Not planting - it's moved to an open item at the IAEA, just as El Baradei hoped and worked towards.
He said he hoped the UN would take steps against such comments. "Remarks such as these, stated once in a while by Israeli leaders, are no more than sorry excuses aimed at avoiding supplying answers rearding Israel's nuclear arsenal and deflecting public awareness from the crimes and terror Israel commits in the region," he said. Let's take care of these things in chronological order, shall we? I'd first like to know what is meant by "wiping Israel off the map".
Khazaee once again stressed that his country's nuclear program was intended for peaceful purposes and said that "the only threat in the region is Israel's nuclear arsenal, which remains unsupervised to this day". I agree, unsupervised nuclear arsenals could be quite a threat in the wrong hands. Do I detect projection here?
#2
Mohammad Khazaee: I'm sure it feels very explicable to you.
Sarah Connor Israel: Soon, it's may feel pretty fucking explicable to you too. Anybody in Iran not wearing 2 million sunblock might have a real bad day.
'Death to Israel!', does that ring a bell? Get it?
#3
RELATED > DRUDGEREPORT > YNET NEWS - IRANIAN OFFICIAL [IRGC]: OUR MISSLES ARE READY. Iran's "SAJJIL" = SEJIL/SAJIL Series LR Missles. Iran also claims to be at the height of its defense produc capabilities + will produce more advanced AD MislSys.
An Iranian court sentenced to death on Saturday three citizens who participated in opposition protests that took place after the national elections which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won. Oh boy, are they going to get in trouble with human rights defenders.
In another sign of continued tensions between Ankara and Jerusalem, the Turkish military canceled a planned joint exercise with the Israel Air Force scheduled for this week, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
Defense officials told the Post that Turkey informed Israel of the cancellation of the Anatolian Eagle exercise last week, which was to also include US, Italian and NATO forces, saying this was because the planes that Israel was going to send likely bombed Hamas targets during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip earlier this year.
#2
US and NATO outcry against the Turkish decision, g(r)omgoru. The US and NATO need to rein in Turkey's "moderate" Islamist political leadership, and cancelling the exercise that Turkey was so looking forward to being part of is as good a place to start as any. Now if someone can lean on Britain to end their attempts to arrest Israelis for so called war crimes, not to mention all the other insults aimed at Israel for insisting on protecting her citizens, then perhaps Turkey wouldn't have felt confident enough to take that position.
#3
Remember that it was the Erdogan regime's veto threat that forced SecGen Rasmussen to apologize for upholding Western Democratic principles, and to do this in front of an assembly of Islamic potentates.
Quite ironic, given that NATO's "Raison D'etre" is ultimately the preservation of just these Western rights and freedoms.
The Erdogan regime might be de jure a NATO member but de facto it is too unfriendly to be even classified as 'neutral'.
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.
ISLAMABAD: The government is setting up eight more passport offices across the country to facilitate the people, Directorate General of Immigration and Passports Director General Wajid Ali Bukhari informed the Senates Standing Committee on Interior on Saturday.
