[Quqnoos] American officials have begun helping a number of anti-Taliban militias in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban, The New York Times reports.
The Sons of Afghanistan, perhaps?
The newspaper said US and Afghan officials were planning to spur the growth of similar armed groups across the restive south and eastern parts of the country.
The officials say they are hoping the plan, called the Community Defense Initiative, will bring together thousands of gunmen to protect their neighborhoods from Taliban insurgents, the report said.
Already there are hundreds of Afghans who are acting on their own against the Taliban, the newspaper quoted officials as saying. The militias could also help fill the gap while the Afghan Army and police forces train and grow, The Times said.
"The idea is to get people to take responsibility for their own security," the paper quoted an unnamed senior US military official as saying. "In many places they are already doing that."
The growth of the anti-Taliban militias runs the risk that they could turn on one another, or against the Afghan and American governments. The Americans say they will keep the groups small and will limit the scope of their activities to protecting villages and manning checkpoints. For now, they are not arming the groups because they already have guns, the article further noted.
These checks aim to avoid repeating mistakes of the past -- either creating more Afghan warlords, who have defied the government's authority for years, or arming Islamic militants, some of whom have come back to haunt the United States.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/23/2009 00:00 ||
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#2
The officials say they are hoping the plan, called the Community Defense Initiative
Kinda like the old Civilian Irregular Defense Groups (SF/CIDG). Good stuff if #1. You plan for the long-term, training, finance, medical, etc. #2. You plan for a relief of camps via QRF and Arty/Tac Air if attacked. #3. You do not turn over control to the host nation army without strict command & control measures.
[Dawn] Afghan President Hamid Karzai could invite militants to attend a 'Loya Jirga,' or grand council meeting, aiming to seek peace and reconciliation with the Taliban, a spokesman said on Sunday.
The plans signal a more public effort to engage with militants during Karzai's second term as leader, measures that Washington has encouraged in its counter-insurgency strategy.
Afghanistan's constitution recognises the Loya Jirga -- Pashtu for grand assembly -- as 'the highest manifestation of the will of the people of Afghanistan.'
Karzai announced plans for a Loya Jirga in his inauguration speech last week, describing it as a measure to promote peace but giving few details.
Under the Afghan constitution, a Loya Jirga made up of parliamentarians and chiefs of district and provincial councils can amend the constitution, impeach the president and 'decide on issues related to independence, national sovereignty, territorial integrity as well as supreme national interests.'
The rare, colourful mass gatherings of elders have played crucial roles over the course of Afghan history.
Two have been held since the fall of the Taliban in 2001: one that named Karzai interim leader and a second that adopted the constitution. A third gathering of tribal chiefs from both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan frontier, was held in Kabul in 2007 to smooth over relations between the two countries.
The giant marquee tent where those assemblies were held is still standing in a Kabul field.
Hamid Elmi, a spokesman for Karzai, said the assembly envisioned by the president would not be the 'Constitutional Loya Jirga' described formally under Afghan law but a 'Traditional Loya Jirga,' which could have a different make-up of notables.
'The meaning of the traditional Loya Jirga is how to bring about peace and how to invite the Taliban and opposition in Afghanistan,' he said. 'They are not coming to talk about the cabinet and the administration. They are coming to bring security and peace.'
Two options
Elmi said the government was looking at two options: either calling a Loya Jirga at which militants would not be present but a broad spectrum of Afghans would debate how to reconcile with them, or actually inviting some militants to participate.
A decision on who would attend would not be reached until after the date is determined, he said. The onset of winter makes it difficult to hold the jirga soon, but Karzai would like to hold it before parliamentary elections in June, he said.
Karzai's government has said in the past year that it is reaching out to some members of the Taliban, with Saudi Arabia acting as a mediator. Taliban leaders say they will not negotiate with Karzai as long as Western troops remain in the country.
Hamidullah Tarzi, a former finance minister and one of many Afghan politicians who called earlier this year for a Loya Jirga to select a president as an alternative to a dubious war-time election, said the purpose of holding one was no longer clear.
'It's an interesting idea, but he should have done it before the election. It would have been very effective. Now that he is the sitting president, it's a different situation,' Tarzi said.
Karzai's recent election foe, ex-foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah, also responded cautiously, saying the formal Loya Jirga described in the constitution could not yet be held because the district officials who would attend it have not yet been elected.
Karzai would have to spell out the aims if he wants support, Abdullah told Reuters.
'It will depend: what's the purpose of that Loya Jirga? What will be achieved in that Loya Jirga? These are big questions.'
Posted by: Fred ||
11/23/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Old mideastern tradition: invite all the militants, serve them dinner, and then slit their throats...
#2
I remember reading in a history book about a Tribe(Doesn't name them, but Mideastern) that had a standard response, the men fled, the women stayed(Voluntarily) were Raped and then when the rapers were sleeping the women Stabbed each and every invader with a special stilletto up through the neck into the brain, then the men came home and looted the corpses and buried them in unmarked graves out in the desert sands.
Any babies born were considered part of the tribe.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/23/2009 17:00 Comments ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Four of the five imprisoned condemned convicts in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman assassination case, verbally expressed their willingness to seek presidential clemency, said Dhaka Central Jail officials.
Meanwhile, families of three of the five met them in the jail yesterday for the first time since their appeals against the convictions and death sentences had been rejected by the Appellate Division of Supreme Court on Thursday.
Towhidul Islam, senior superintendent of Dhaka Central Jail, told The Daily Star that Lt Col Syed Farooq Rahman, Maj Bazlul Huda, Maj AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed, and Lt Col Mohiuddin Ahmed verbally expressed their willingness to file petitions for presidential clemency, while Lt Col Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan has yet to come to a decision on the matter.
Families of Huda, Shahriar, and AKM Mohiuddin, visited them in the death row of Dhaka Central Jail, Towhidul added.
Jail sources said Huda's two sisters Mahfuza Begum and Firoza Begum, and one of his nieces talked to him for about half an hour. But his wife Nafiza Huda could not enter the jail as she had fallen sick at the jail gate.
Shahriar's wife Masowara Khan, son Ashrafur Rashid, daughter Shahnaz Rashid, and his two sisters met him for over half an hour. Mahiuddin's wife Hosneara Mahiuddin met him for about 10 minutes, the sources added.
According to the sources, the five condemned convicts are confined in separate death row cells in a one-storey building named of Rajanigandha which houses eight cells, adjacent to the gallows.
Towhidul said the families of the convicts were taken to the death row instead of bringing the convicts out to the jail gate due to security concerns. The families had to meet the convicts from the other side of the cell bars in presence of personnel from different intelligence agencies including the Directorate of Field Intelligence, and National Security Intelligence. Only one family was allowed at a time into the death row.
According to witnesses, during the visits, the families burst into tears wailing, while the condemned cried silently with tears rolling down their cheeks. The families declined to talk to the media following the visits.
Deputy Inspector General (DIG-Prisons) Golam Haider told The Daily Star, "We have informed the convicts about the final verdict of the court and asked them to express their positions regarding filing of presidential clemency petitions within seven days of the verdict."
"So far four of them verbally informed us about their desire to file the petitions. There are still five more days remaining, they might also reconsider their decisions, and the others also have the time to inform us about their willingness," he added.
The DIG said no lawyer of any convict has yet visited their clients in the jail.
The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the High Court decision in the case. The High Court earlier upheld the death sentences of 12 of the original 15 convicts, acquitting the other three.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/23/2009 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] The Iraqi parliament on Sunday failed to resolve an impasse threatening to delay the country's election in January, which could affect the United States military's plans for a partial pullout next year.
There are only a couple of days left for parliament to address Vice-President Tareq al-Hashemi's veto of an election law, as the law must be passed 60 days before a vote and Jan. 23 is viewed by Iraq's majority Shiite Muslims as the last possible date in January for the ballot to take place.
If no resolution is found, Iraq may have to delay the election for a month until after the Shiite religious festival of Arbain, a move that western diplomats and U.N. officials have warned would be unconstitutional.
"I think tomorrow will be crucial and the issue will be resolved," said Khalid al-Attiya, deputy speaker of parliament. "There are no agreements but there are ideas and I hope we will agree on a specific project tomorrow."
The election is viewed as a milestone for Iraq as it emerges from years of sectarian bloodshed since the U.S. invasion in 2003 and starts to stand on its own feet ahead of a full U.S. withdrawal by Dec. 31, 2011.
Privately, Western and Iraqi officials say a short delay in holding the ballot might not be a bad thing as it would give the electoral authorities more time to prepare.
But the constitution stipulates that the next election should be held by Jan. 31, and breaching that barrier could set a dangerous precedent that might be exploited in the future by a would-be strongman, disinclined to hold a scheduled election.
A major delay might also affect U.S. plans to end combat operations by Aug. 31 next year, as U.S. military commanders want to retain a sizeable force in Iraq until the next government is in place and the security situation is clear.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/23/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
ION PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > WORLD END IN 2012?NOPE, NEW BOOKS SAYS 2012 WILL BE ISRAEL'S END.
POSTER MAP > depicts GAZA-WEST BANK PA ending borders and joining/linking up wid JORDAN [ISRAEL reduced to SOVEREIGN MINOR/SMALL ENCLAVES WIDIN LARGER PALEO-JORDANIAN STATE]???
[Ma'an] Three Palestinian armed groups in Gaza said on Sunday that they are not bound by an agreement to hold their fire at Israel.
The armed wings of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) and Fatah denied the deal, which the Hamas-backed government in Gaza announced on Saturday.
That's how it works: one Paleo group announces a cease-fire, two other Paleo groups say they won't honor it and lob rockets at the Israelis, and when the Israelis retaliate they're the ones accused of breaking the cease-fire.
"We affirm that we were not part of any agreement on stopping the firing of rockets at Israel or to neutralize any form of legitimate resistance as granted by all international codes and conventions," read a statement from the armed wing of the PFLP, the Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades.
The statement released stressed that confrontation and resistance to the occupation will remain an option, denying any agreement to stem the launching of projectiles into Israel.
The DFLP's armed wing, the National Resistance Brigades, also released a statement saying it would continue with "resistance in all its forms." The group also called for armed groups to form a joint operation room to counter Israeli attacks.
Fatah's Al-Aqsa Brigades also denied any connection with the reported agreement. "The news reports that were released [of] an agreement between the Palestinian factions on halting firing rockets at Israel are inaccurate and untrue."
The respective paramilitaries' statements follow the announcement on Saturday that armed Palestinian groups in Gaza reached an agreement to stop firing homemade projectiles into Israel except during army incursions, according to de facto Interior Minister Fathi Hammad.
The Al-Qassam brigades, Hamas' paramilitary group, confirmed the agreement between factions and said that, "The agreement with the armed wings of the resistance factions to stop firing projectiles did not arise from weakness but rather from a need to restore the internal front and the national interest of the Palestinians."
The brigades added that, "Al-Qassam brigades will not stand hand folded towards the Israeli escalation in Gaza, yet, they will defend with all means to back fight any new assault targeting Gaza."
Meanwhile, eight Palestinians were injured in Gaza as Israeli warplanes struck several targets on Sunday morning. The Israeli military stated that the airstrike was a response to a projectile fired into southern Israel the morning before.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/23/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
ION TOPIX > LEBANESE ARMY CHIEF: PREPARE FOR ISRAELI ATTACK.
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.
[Dawn] Afghan President Hamid Karzai could invite militants to attend a 'Loya Jirga,' or grand council meeting, aiming to seek peace and reconciliation with the Taliban, a spokesman said on Sunday.
[Bangla Daily Star] Four of the five imprisoned condemned convicts in Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman assassination case, verbally expressed their willingness to seek presidential clemency, said Dhaka Central Jail officials.
[Ma'an] Three Palestinian armed groups in Gaza said on Sunday that they are not bound by an agreement to hold their fire at Israel.
