[The News (Pak) Top Stories] Afghan lawmakers and Taliban-allied representatives held talks at a resort in the Maldives last month, the Maldivian and Afghan governments said on Wednesday.
The talks came just before a conference on Afghanistan in London in late January, at which donor nations backed President Hamid Karzai's plans for peace talks and pledged hundreds of millions of dollars to persuade fighters to lay down weapons.
"There were both, representatives of the Taliban and Hamid Karzai's government at the meeting," said Muhammad Zuhair, a spokesman for Maldivian President Muhammad Nasheed. Another official in Nasheed's office said the Maldives was not directly involved in the three-day meeting, which was aimed at starting a new set of talks. The Afghan government said none of its representatives were at the meeting, which also included the son of former prime minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who leads the Hezb-e-Islami group, which is at present allied with the Taliban. "There was a meeting of Hekmatyar loyalists along with some former Taliban members, who are now sitting in the parliament. It happened in January in the Maldives and they decided to hold more talks," Karzai's spokesman Siyamak Herawi said.
One of the lawmakers present has in the past played the role of intermediary between government, the Taliban and Hekmatyar. The Maldives said it would release an official statement on the meeting on Thursday.
On January 31, Karzai said Taliban fighters should drop their demand that the US and NATO forces withdraw from Afghanistan before peace talks can be held. Hekmatyar also wants foreign troops out. Karzai wants both the Taliban and Hezb-e-Islami returned to the fold of government, and last year asked Saudi Arabia to play a role in peace process.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2010 00:00 ||
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[Maghrebia] The appointment and removal of imams and khatibs in Moroccan mosques will now follow a specific employment code as part of efforts to curb extremism, the Ministry for Islamic Affairs announced this week.
The new code, as reported in the February 11th edition of newspaper Attajdid, stipulates that a committee headed by a ministry representative will now appoint new imams. The committee will also include two members from the Ulema Council and two members of the ministry's directorate, who will convene to sift through applications for the posts in a transparent manner.
Justice and Development Party (PJD) MP Lahcen Daoudi criticised this measure, saying that imams will now "be like an employee of the ministry".
"I don't think that the management of mosques can be made through bureaucrats," he told Magharebia on Monday, adding newly hired imams may be subjected to "pressure".
In order to be selected as an imam, preachers must possess a recommendation from the Ulema Council, a certificate of Qur'an memorisation, a certificate from an imam or khatib and a spotless police record. Candidates older than 45 are not eligible for consideration.
The new code also outlines the application process for mosque openings. After an opening is announced, candidates have 15 days to submit their applications, which will then be reviewed by the hiring committee.
The ministry has also formally designated formal grounds for dismissal for imams and khatibs. Imams who swear in the mosque, are convicted in court or use drugs will be sacked under the new code.
The new regulations have been set in place to ensure that mosque leaders possess a higher level of education and adopt a more moderate approach to preaching.
Several Moroccans expressed concern over the government's attempts to regulate the hiring and firing of imams.
Moroccan terrorism analyst Mohammed Darif told Magharebia on Monday that Morocco is looking to "ensure certain qualities in imams related to the principles of the nation and keenness on [religious unity]".
Darif said the new code is an attempt by the state to monitor the mosques and combat some sects that authorities consider dangerous. For the analyst, this became clear before the 2003 Casablanca attacks, when the ministry "established certain measures for the appointment of clerics".
Other Moroccans are concerned that the new qualifications for imams will make it harder to fill vacant posts in mosques.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
In short, the "qualifications" are simply having to memorize the koran (not be able to read or write it, mindyou), produce an Imam to vouch for you and not be a criminal. Easy, right?
Not to muzzies. Other Moroccans are concerned that the new qualifications for imams will make it harder to fill vacant posts in mosques. Which "qualification" makes it harder to fill posts?
[Bangla Daily Star] At least 25 people were injured yesterday as Chhatra League activists clashed with Islami Chhatra Shibir men at the Sylhet Government College in Tilagarh over establishing supremacy on the campus. Ah, can you imagine the stories at the reunion. Good times. Good times...
Of the injured, 20 are Shibir men while the rest are BCL activists. Looks like a decisive win for the boys of the BCL...
The college authority suspended academic activities till March 10. You're finished at Sylhet Government College! I want you off campus by nine o'clock Monday morning!
BCL men vandalised 25 rooms of the Shibir men at a student dormitory and set those on fire. Now they're on double-secret probation ...
On information, fire fighters rushed to the spot and brought the fire under control. Yeah, that's...what they do.
BCL activists staged protest at about 11:30am after the name of college unit Shibir general secretary was announced for delivering speech at the annual sports function on the college playground. And when they chant "Beat Shibir!", they mean "Beat Shibir!"...
At one stage they swooped on the Shibir men there. Members of both the student organisations got involved in chase and counter chase on the playground for about an hour. Hmmmmm...sounds like "West Side Story". I wonder if they sing?
The BCL men later chased the Shibir men to a nearby student dormitory, where Shibir activists pelted them with brickbats from the roof. What the hell's a "brickbat"? I'm serious...
The BCL activists drove the Shibir men out of the dormitory. They vandalised 25 rooms of the Shibir men and set those on fire.
The annual sports function was suspended following the incident. Game over, boys! Game over!
Fire service officials said valuables worth about Tk 2 lakh were gutted in the flame. And the fire station has a brand new TV set...
Of the injured, college unit Shibir president Yasin Khan and general secretary Nazrul Islam were admitted to a private hospital. It hurts when I do...this, doc.
So don't do that.
Policemen had been deployed on the campus to avert any untoward incident. You're a little late, boys...
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
From www.thefreedictionary.com website:
brick·bat (brkbt)
n.
1. A piece, especially of brick, used as a weapon or missile.
2. An unfavorable remark; a criticism.
[brick + bat, piece of brick.]
Word History: The earliest sense of brickbat, first recorded in 1563, was "a piece of brick." Such pieces of brick have not infrequently been thrown at others in the hope of injuring them; hence, the figurative brickbats (first recorded in 1929) that critics hurl at performances they dislike. The appearance of bat as the second part of this compound is explained by the fact that the word bat, "war club, cudgel," developed in Middle English the sense "chunk, clod, wad," and in the 16th century came to be used specifically for a piece of brick that was unbroken on one end.
SEOUL, Feb. 19 (Yonhap) -- North Korea has raised the possibility of a further show of force in the East and Yellow seas by temporarily designating six regions along its maritime border with South Korea as "naval firing zones," a government Web site said Friday.
North Korea has unilaterally notified the South it will conduct artillery fire drills in four areas in the Yellow Sea and two areas in the East Sea for three days from Saturday, Seoul's National Oceanographic Research Institute said on its Web site.
The designated regions are all in North Korea's own territory, north of the Northern Limit Line (NLL), the de facto maritime border between the two Koreas.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/19/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
The North Koreans notified the ROK. Does anybody know if they notified their own population living in the new fire zones?
Posted by: Mike R. ||
02/19/2010 12:45 Comments ||
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An annual South Korea-U.S. military exercise focusing on operational plans in case of an all-out war on the Korean Peninsula will be staged across South Korea from March 8 to 18, the Combined Forces Command said Wednesday.
The CFC will stage the exercise, dubbed "Key Resolve," together with "Foal Eagle," a field maneuver exercise. Some drills such as U.S. forces' evacuation to the U.S. mainland will continue until April 30. That part isn't necessarily a drill ...
A smaller number of U.S. troops than in previous years are taking part in this year's joint exercises -- about 10,000 troops stationed here and some 8,000 reinforcements from abroad. Some 26,000 U.S. troops took part in last year's exercises, but this year no U.S. aircraft carrier will join.
Posted by: Steve White ||
02/19/2010 00:00 ||
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ION WMF > US MARINE COMMANDER STADLER: OKINAWA MARINES ARE THE ONLY USMC GROUND FORCES IN PACIFIC BETWEEN US FORCES, HAWAII + INDIA'S ARMY [Indian Navy?]. IFF THE US-JAPAN SECURITY ALLIANCE WEAKENS, IT WILL CREATE A NEW REGIONAL ARMS RACE. GUAM IS NOT A SUBSTITUTE FOR OKINAWA.
* SAME > CHINESE GENERALS: US WILL LOSE THE COURAGE TO MIL DEFEND TAIWAN IFF CHINA CHOSE TO USE ITS NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN A TAIWAN STRAITS CONFLICT. CHINA IS READY AND WILLING TO USE BOTH ITS LR STRATEGIC NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND TACTICAL NUCLEAR WEAPONS AGZ INTERVENING US FORCES + CONUS TARGETS.
Dozens of senior figures from the Muslim community will attend a crisis meeting tomorrow night in the wake of the sentences handed down this week to five NSW men convicted of terrorism offences. The meeting will be held at the nation's largest mosque, in Lakemba in Sydney's southwest, and will be hosted by Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali -- formerly Australia's most senior cleric. Several other senior imams are expected to attend.
The extraordinary meeting was called following an outcry within Sydney's Muslim community about the five offenders being sentenced on Monday to maximum jail terms of between 23 and 28 years for plotting violent jihad on Australian soil.
NSW Supreme Court judge Anthony Whealy said that, although there was no evidence that the men had identified a specific target for their crime, the fact that they had stockpiled vast amounts of ammunition and weapons, and were found to be in possession of extremist material, indicated that "each conspirator intended that the ultimate act or terrorist act
Sheik Hilali said the case had the "scent of hysteria" and argued that the men should not have been found guilty when there was no evidence of the group's "true intentions".
Islamic Friendship Association of Australia president Keysar Trad said yesterday that the Muslim community "detested terrorism in all its forms". "If we thought somebody in the community was plotting something, we would be the first to knock down their door and stop it happening," Mr Trad said. He said the feeling in the community was that the five men, who were convicted of conspiring to do an act in preparation for a terrorist act, had been "victimised". "It's human nature -- sometimes we all think about doing stupid things," Mr Trad said. "That doesn't necessarily mean we are always going to go through with it."
It is understood that senior law professor Ben Saul, from the University of Sydney, has been invited by Sheik Hilali to host a "question and answer" session on Australia's terrorism laws at Lakemba mosque next week.
#1
"That doesn't necessarily mean we are always going to go through with it."
The arrests are to ensure that terrorists don't "go through with it". So the muslim community continues to insist that terrorists are victims. Victims because they weren't successful in their mission. Therefore, no mission existed.
That's mainstream muzzie thinking. Mainstream, not fringe or fundamentalist thinking. Might want to have a number of cops at the meeting to scoop up the loudest of 'em.
"If we thought somebody in the community was plotting something, we would be the first to knock down their door and stop it happening," Mr Trad said
No you wouldn't. You haven't. You don't. You never will.
#2
So the problem here appears to be not that there seem to be terrorists amongst the Muslim "community", but that said terrorists were caught and sentenced to long prison terms which, for some reason, seems to offend the Muslim "community". Does that sum it up?
I hope Lakemba mosque hums from the feedback of all the bugs that should be planted at this holy man "summit".
A French court has delayed a ruling on a US application to extradite an Iranian engineer accused of breaking the US trade embargo on Iran.
The appeals court in Paris said on Wednesday that it needs more information before it can make a decision. The court asked France's military armament body to provide information about the possible dual use of the electrical components Majid Kakavand is alleged to have purchased in the Unites States and shipped to Iran via Malaysia.
Kakavand was arrested at Paris' Charles de Gaulle airport in March 2009 while vacationing in France. The US claims the Iranian engineer would have needed export licenses to send the electronic equipment to Malaysia.
But Kakavand's lawyer, Diane Francois, rejected the claim, saying the documents for the deal were stamped with "NLR" for "no license required."
She added that the US may apply political pressure on the French court over the case.
"I think today the American determination about this case is very strong and I can't rule out that at any given moment American pressure will be placed on France," Francois said.
Kakavand also complained about his situation in France.
"I don't understand it. It is not understandable. My life has been destroyed. It's eleven months that I am here, six months in jail, for nothing, and it's not understandable for me," Kakavand told reporters after the hearing. "I am really disappointed. I cannot speak about this but certainly there are some political pressures," he added.
He said that the electrical components he bought on the Internet, such as capacitors, inductors, resistors, sensors, and connectors, are ordinary items.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry has said that Paris is trying to use the Kakavand case to gain political leverage on Tehran. The Iranian Foreign Ministry also said Kakavand's detention is illegal since the charges against him are fabricated.
This article starring:
Majid Kakavand
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2010 00:00 ||
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HT to AOSHQ
Attorney General Eric Holder says nine Obama appointees in the Justice Department have represented or advocated for terrorist detainees before joining the Justice Department. But he does not reveal any names beyond the two officials whose work has already been publicly reported. And all the lawyers, according to Holder, are eligible to work on general detainee matters, even if there are specific parts of some cases they cannot be involved in. In a just society lawyers would be sanctioned for this sort of unethical conduct ...
Holder's admission comes in the form of an answer to a question posed last November
Asked in November, answered in February. The mills of Justice grinding slowly, and all that. On the other hand, they've been distracted by the process of discovering that they really can't try their pet Gitmo detainees in mainland Federal courts. So we'll see how much benefit they get from the nine Xtra Kewl kids, seven of whose identities will no doubt soon be discovered.
by Republican Sen. Charles Grassley. Noting that one Obama appointee, Principal Deputy Solicitor General Neal Katyal, formerly represented Osama bin Laden's driver, and another appointee, Jennifer Daskal, previously advocated for detainees at Human Rights Watch, Grassley asked Holder to give the Senate Judiciary Committee "the names of political appointees in your department who represent detainees or who work for organizations advocating on their behalf...the cases or projects that these appointees work with respect to detainee prior to joining the Justice Department...and the cases or projects relating to detainees that have worked on since joining the Justice Department."
In his response, Holder has given Grassley almost nothing. I'd say he's given us plenty
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/19/2010 16:20 ||
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The nation's Homeland Security officers lost nearly 200 guns in bowling alleys, public restrooms, unlocked cars and other unsecure areas, with some ending up in the hands of felons. The problem, outlined in a new federal report, has prompted disciplinary actions and extra training. Okay, folks. See this? It's called a gun. It's very important to your job so take care of it, okay? Any questions?
Okay. Coffee and doughnuts in the back. And don't forget to sign the attendence sheet so you get paid for the day. I'm off to my next training class.
Most of the misplaced weapons — including handguns, shotguns and military rifles — were never found. "Most losses occurred because officers did not properly secure firearms," says the Homeland Security inspector general report. So how many of them lost their jobs over this? Damn, what am I saying...
At least 15 of the guns ended up in the hands of gang members, criminals, drug users and teenagers, inspector general Richard Skinner found. His report documented 289 missing firearms from fiscal year 2006 through 2008, although not all were lost because of negligence. Some were lost in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and others were stolen from safes. Sorry, sarge. I put it down to help put a flat screen in the pickup and when I got back...it was gone.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Excuse me but do these people often walk around with their guns out in their hands such that they have to put it down to wash their hands, take a dump, or Bowl?
Someone should tell BigSis that they have this new high tech thing out now called a Holster.....
#4
This is an OLD problem with any agency that has firearms. Pick any agency, any decade in the last 100 years and you will find there are lost firearms. There are usually "interesting" stories involved.
You BUY your weapon when you graduate from the academy. If you "lose" it, you BUY another. If you "lose" a fully automatic weapon from the department arms room, you buy that weapon as well and are terminated.
I suspect we would see a dramatic decrease in.... "lost" weapons.
Special note: Other than possibly the US Border Patrol, I see absolutely no use for fully automatic weapons in US law enforcement.
Pakistan will not turn over the Afghan Taliban's No. 2 leader and two other high-value militants captured this month to the United States, but may deport them to Afghanistan, a senior minister said Friday.
Interior Minister Rahman Malik said Pakistani authorities were still questioning Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, the most senior Taliban figure arrested since the start of the Afghan war in 2001, and two other senior militants arrested with U.S. assistance in separate operations this month.
If it is determined that the militants have not committed any crimes in Pakistan, they will not remain in the country, he said.
"First we will see whether they have violated any law," Malik told reporters in Islamabad. "If they have done it, then the law will take its own course against them.
"But at the most if they have not done anything, then they will go back to the country of origin, not to USA," Malik said.
Pakistani authorities working with the CIA arrested Baradar about two weeks ago in the southern city of Karachi, Pakistani and U.S. officials have said. At about the same time, Pakistani security forces picked up Taliban "shadow governors" for two Afghan provinces, Afghan officials said.
A series of raids by Pakistani forces have followed, netting at least nine al-Qaida-linked militants who were sheltering in Pakistan. Missiles fired from a U.S. unmanned drone aircraft on Thursday killed the brother of Afghan Taliban commander Siraj Haqqani, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
Taken together, the crackdown could be the most significant blow to the militants since U.S.-led forces invaded Afghanistan in 2001 to oust the hard-line Islamist Taliban regime for sheltering Osama bin Laden and the al-Qaida network responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said the U.S. was pleased with the recent arrests. He declined to say whether they were the result of better intelligence or an increased willingness by Pakistan to go after suspected militants.
"What I will say to you, yet again, is that we are enormously heartened by the fact that the Pakistani government and their military intelligence services increasingly recognize the threat within their midst and are doing something about it," Morrell said.
Some of those caught in the recent operations are key figures in the Afghan insurgency, while others are members of militant groups that operate just across the border in Pakistan.
Among those arrested were Ameer Muawiya, a bin Laden associate who was in charge of foreign al-Qaida militants in Pakistan's border areas, and Akhunzada Popalzai, also known as Mohammad Younis, a one-time Taliban shadow governor in Zabul province and former police chief in Kabul, according to Mullah Mamamood, a tribal leader in Ghazni province.
Others captured in Karachi included Hamza, a former Afghan army commander in Helmand province during Taliban rule, and Abu Riyad al Zarqawi, a liaison with Chechen and Tajik militants in Pakistan's border area, Pakistani officials said.
The Taliban shadow governors - Mullah Abdul Salam of Kunduz province and Mullah Mohammad in Baghlan province - were instrumental in expanding Taliban influence in Afghanistan's north, raising fears the insurgency was spreading beyond its base in the south.
#1
Interesting that a statement like this should come from this chap .
For a bit of background , he was drugs tzar , anti corruption campaigner , been proactive against Islamist militants and has good rep with interpol and other national agencies . But certain clouds loom over him as regards Bhutos assasination
Reading between the lines a little :
"But at the most if they have not done anything, then they will go back to the country of origin, not to USA," Malik said.
Says , to me , once we have finished with them then you lot can have a play, considering who has said it.
Posted by: Oscar ||
02/19/2010 9:40 Comments ||
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#2
Observance of the Law is VERY important. And when you "deport" him back to Afghanistan and he gets off the bus....we can welcome him back. Some money may have to change hands and the ticket gets punched(as it were).
Just so long as the ticket gets punched quietly. Put him off the bus in Goombah at about three in the morning..we will take it from there.
Put him a big canvas Mailbag with lots of masking take around his mouth and some fiberglass tie-ties on his wrists. And after that....we put him in the Jeep for a trip to the airport.
Then a pleasant flight to an Island in the Andaman's in the Indian Ocean and a thorough makeover ...and then...the seaturtles.
#3
Ahhh yes, 'Extraordinary Rendition.' Of course we no longer do it here.
Two days after President Barack Obama was sworn into office, on January 22, 2009, he signed an executive order entitled Ensuring Lawful Interrogations.
This order specifically addresses the practice of transferring individuals to other nations in order to ensure that such practices comply with the domestic laws, international obligations, and policies of the United States.[8] It establishes a committee that will provide recommendations within 180 days of the executive order. It specifically has as its goal a process to ensure that the United States practices do not result in the transfer of individuals to other nations to face torture or otherwise for the purpose, or with the effect, of undermining or circumventing the commitments or obligations of the United States to ensure the humane treatment of individuals in its custody or control.
#4
To twist a phrase: They may be assholes, but they're Pakistan's assholes.
My guess: they will be debriefed, told what to say to Americans, and loosed again in the world. If any don't cooperate, they will be held, kept away from our people, and eventually killed.
#6
FreeRadical...whatever works. I am no stickler for HOW we get what we want. Debriefing is a detailed, meticulous process, could take a while, you do it over and over and over and compare replies. Cross reference. Its a study and can be very productive.
But it isnt fast. Actionable tactical Intell isnt usually available in a debriefing.
The Fear of God is, and always should be, a real application. It was what the Inquisition called "showing the accused the Instruments".
there should be no doubt in everybody's mind that if we dont get what we want in a profitable manner we will KILL you. And we wont be particularly nice about how we do it. I would want that made very clear..forcefully clear, explicitly clear.
Large electrical electrodes in each large muscle of your thighs and the current to run through your genitals , clear.
#7
BBart- what I was trying to say (poorly) was that the Pakistanis (the ISI) aren't going to come out second best in any interrogation they run. What we (US) get will be in their (PAK/ISI) best interest, not ours.
#9
Large electrical electrodes in each large muscle of your thighs and the current to run through your genitals , clear.
BlackBart, it's my understanding based on what I've read here and elsewhere that we stop at waterboarding and sleep deprivation, having determined that the electrode thingy yields bad results as well as being against policy. Oh, and the occasional scantily dressed female interrogator demonstrating who really is the bad guy's daddy.
#11
This bit from a graf in the Times: Officials with the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence, Pakistans military spy agency, limited American access to Mullah Baradar, not permitting direct questioning by Central Intelligence Agency officers until about two weeks after the raid, according to American officials who discussed the issue on the condition of anonymity.
#12
#8 - on the money - you forgot lying a-hole. He's part and parcel of the problem with the Jihadi-loving Pakland culture. He strokes internal agitation, invokes Islam, demonizes the west, and then pretends cooperation. A good target, I'd say
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/19/2010 17:58 Comments ||
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#13
Compromise...
Just tie them down naked in a room full of hungry minks.
#14
If the minks are truly hungry, 3dc, they can be fully clothed and unbound -- it won't matter. Minks are nasty little beasts by all accounts, quite unlike ferrets. But let's not think about such things. Besides, where would they find minks in Pakistan?
[Dawn] President Asif Ali Zardari requested the US government on Thursday to repatriate Dr Aafia Siddiqui to Pakistan. They sure do miss having Madame Qaeda around...
During his meeting with US Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard Holbrooke, President Zardari requested that Aafia Siddiqui, currently convicted for attacking US soldiers, be repatriated to Pakistan under the Prisoner Exchange Agreement with the US. Just tell the Americans that she has terminal prostate cancer and only has three months to live. We're suckers for that sort of thing ... I think that's the British... We didn't complain ...
Zardari said that Pakistan aims to provide legal assistance to Siddiqui and that she has full support of the people and government of Pakistan. Good. They can all come visit her at Florence. And, no hurry. She'll be there for awhile.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
What reason did they give?
Any?
Why do they care?
#3
Gomez just has a soft spot for convicted criminals.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
02/19/2010 9:55 Comments ||
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#4
It's all emotional reasons, she's a mother and a Pakistani scientist. However she shot at US officers and working on bio-warfare for Al Qaeda, keep her locked up!
#5
Me thinks AQ janked Zardari's leash...they have this neat little package they want delivered and she's the only one that can do the gift wrap and bows...
Does this guy really think we are that stupid?
Wait, based upon our actions over the last year, I bet he thinks we are.
Posted by: Karl Rove ||
02/19/2010 15:09 Comments ||
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#6
It's a psycho-sexual thing. Only muslim males are allowed to imprison muslim females inside 4 dark walls.
Posted by: ed ||
02/19/2010 15:52 Comments ||
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#7
Actually, have they ever given us a reason for anything they demand worth a rat's ass?
Iraq has rejected calls to abolish or suspend capital punishment made during a review by the U.N.'s top human rights body.
Some 20 countries had urged Iraq to end the death penalty that has been used against high-profile members of the former regime of Saddam Hussein and in the country's crackdown against insurgent groups. They'll end it, just not yet ...
Or they won't end it. I have no opinion on such an internal matter.
Iraq has also dismissed suggestions that it should reduce the number of crimes for which the death penalty can be imposed.
The country told the Geneva-based U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday that it also wouldn't commit to investigating abuse against gays or decriminalize homosexuality.
Neither would it raise the age of penal responsibility to 18 years. It is currently 9 in most of Iraq and 11 in Kurdistan.
#1
the UN didn't want too rid Iraq of Saddam but now they are ready too bully them into making sovereign decisions about the death penalty. Why won't they go tell China too stop the death penalty there instead and see what the response is?
Posted by: chris ||
02/19/2010 16:31 Comments ||
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An UNRWA educational program in Ramallah has honored the terrorist Abu Jihad with a football tournament in his name. The tournament was organized by the Fatah Students' Youth Movement at UNRWA's Women's Training Center and Faculty of Educational Sciences in Ramallah:
"The Student Union Council and the Shabiba [Fatah] Students' Movement at UNRWA's Faculty of Educational Sciences has launched a football tournament under the name, 'The Shahid (Martyr) Abu Jihad Tournament.'"
[Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, Feb. 17, 2010]
The fact that UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees) is hosting a tournament honoring a terrorist is not the first time that the UN has supported the PA's policy of honoring terrorists. In the past, the UN has supported summer camps named after terrorists, including a UNICEF-sponsored camp in 2003 named after "the Shahida (Martyr) Wafa Idris."
According to its web site, UNRWA's educational institution prides itself on being "the pioneering UNRWA institute that provides Palestinian refugee women with high quality vocational and technical education..." The web site further states that: "The college has a board of trustees of seven members working with UNRWA. All hold high qualification and have long experience in the field of education."
[Ma'an] Robert Serry, the UN special envoy to the Middle East peace process, hinted on Thursday that the international community would pressure Israel to cede parts of the occupied West Bank to Palestinian Authority control.
Serry said the International Quartet, made up of the UN, EU, US and Russia, will express support for PA demands on the Israeli government to transfer Areas B and of the West Bank C into A, under full Palestinian control, on the road to establishing statehood.
Speaking during a visit to the West Bank city of Hebron, which is divided between PA security autonomy and Israeli military control, Serry told Ma'an, "if Israel is serious about the peace process, and the two-state solution, and wants to see an end to the occupation, we should back Prime Minister Salam Fayyad's successful program."
Following separate meetings with Hebron Governor Husein Al-Araj and Mayor Khaled Al-Aseili, the UN envoy added that real progress should come "outside of the political arena. We should see progress on the ground, a full halt to settlement construction, a full halt to Israeli violations in Area A, because Fayyad is doing a great job restoring security in these areas."
Serry said encouraging Fayyad's program would help "roll back the occupation, which is what the international community is looking forward to," vowing that the Quartet would move forward on implementing humanitarian and economic infrastructure projects.
"I know the situation is difficult in Hebron, but I've been impressed by what they've accomplished, what both the governor and the mayor have achieved, despite the difficult circumstances they face," he added. "We are still concerned about Israeli security violations in Hebron, particularly violence and harassment carried out against residents by settlers."
For his part, Governor Al-Araj urged the UN and international community to urgently intervene by supporting Palestinians politically, and by pressuring the Israeli government to implement its commitments, namely reigning in settlements and the separation wall.
He also referred to ongoing disputes between Palestinians and Israel's army and Civil Administration, which have recently prevented several infrastructure projects in the southern West Bank city.
"The Israelis are placing obstacles in front of the Palestinian economy by preventing building in industrial zones in Tarqumia, areas that would help create thousands of jobs, and by obstructing investment and building in Area C, where investment would support the economy and development forward by creating industrial zones and projects to treat sewage water," Al-Araj said.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
It's long past time for Israel to start pressing back.
[Straits Times] MALAYSIA will extradite nine terror suspects to their home countries, an official said on Thursday.
The nine were detained with a Malaysian last month because they were allegedly linked to an international terrorist network and posed a security threat. All 10 have been held under the Internal Security Act, which allows indefinite detention without trial.
Malaysia plans to extradite the suspects soon, said a Home Ministry official, who spoke on condition of anonymity citing protocol. The Home Ministry has been tightlipped to reveal any details.
Activists have said four of the detained men are from Syria, two are from Nigeria and one each from Yemen and Jordan. Jordanian and Syrian officials have confirmed the arrests.
Activists say police arrested the men with some 40 others while attending a weekly Islamic class with a Syrian university lecturer at a home near Kuala Lumpur on Jan 21. Most were later freed.
A senior Malaysian official has said the 10 were arrested to stem the growth of the hard-line Islamic Wahhabi sect often associated with Al-Qaeda, as they are believed to be followers of the sect. He said the names of several of the foreigners also appeared on lists of terror suspects issued by various organisations and countries, including the United States.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda
Regime Boasts of Defense Capabilities at Revolution's Anniversary Ceremonies
Alef Summary translation by Persia House
February 2, 2010
Colonel Nasser Arab-Baygi, Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' (IRGC) Self-Sufficiency Organization, spoke of the country's defense capabilities during the celebration of the Islamic Revolution's victory:
The enemy should not believe that just because their Apache helicopter operations were successful in Iraq and Afghanistan, they would be as victorious in Iran. If attacked, we will end the Apache's power. We have based our research on the enemy's threats. We continuously study and identify the foreign enemy's regional, international and internal threats and capabilities. Our structure and organization are designed to form a matrix, and then we immediately form specialized research teams. We will never be restrained by classic structure and organization.
We are working on several fundamental programs and basic infrastructure in carrying weapons and equipment in the field of mobility and rapid response. Specifically, we are focusing on: air defense (against aerial and ground threats); preventing espionage operations; and tackling terrorist activities that are conceived by the World Arrogance [the U.S.] and Israel with the help of some regional countries.
We plan for the enemy's entire threat. In the IRGC's new structure, the enemy's capabilities, equipment, and operations outside and inside Iran are our priority. Our intelligence teams analyze the information, and then we plan accordingly.
In the event that we are attacked by the enemy, we will end their Apache and tank power. The IRGC has gained amazing capabilities in designing anti-armor weapons.
The Imam Hussein Ground Force Battalions have the quality and efficiency similar to other battalions. The only difference is that the Imam Hussein battalion's mission is unconventional defense, camouflage, and concealment for conventional and personnel defense. Our experts are constantly trying to improve these capabilities.
In the latest defense news, we have designed and manufactured an advanced tactical Safir 3' vehicle. This vehicle has a 1.25 ton capacity and special equipment, and is capable of climbing vertical and lateral slopes. It can easily be transformed into a weapons carrying vehiclespecifically defense weapons. Thus this vehicle has dual functionality: it can be a personnel carrier or armored carrier. This vehicle is equipped to keep warm or cold temperature for the fighters [a.k.a air conditioner or heater]. Safir 3 will be unveiled in the near future.
Utilizing universities' talents in IRGC Ground Force defense research, we have reached out to universities for joint research projects in order to recruit and encourage talented students, studying technical subject matters, who are interested in participating in these joint programs. The Self-Sufficiency Organization will provide financial assistance for students' research. For example, we recently reached an agreement with the Dean of Imam Hussein University (IHU) to form a joint committee with the entire technical and engineering schools and research centers of the university. The Self-Sufficiency Organization will provide support and present our technological requirements. IHU professors and students can be assigned to this organization to work on research projects. For the original article in Persian, click here.
Persia House Analysis:
Colonel Arab-Baygi's statements illustrate the manner in which the regime often exaggerates its military's strength to the Iranian populace by touting capabilities it has yet to acquire. Of everything he mentions, the Safir 3' advanced tactical vehicle seems to be the one Iran has actually manufactured thus far, although it has yet to be unveiled; it will be the latest version of the original Safir, which was introduced in December 2007.
The so-called anti-Apache weapon is the light-weight laser guided Qaem missile, which is in the beginning stages of production.
Also at the beginning stage of production is the Toophan 5 anti-armor missile, which is designed to hold two warheads. According to Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi, the Toofan 5 is one of the most advanced anti-armor missiles,' and is designed to penetrate armored vehicles, personnel carriers, and tanks.
The IRGC's Self-Sufficiency Organization is a testament to the importance the Islamic Republic places on developing its indigenous defense industry. This push began as a result of the US arms embargo of the 1980s, and was exacerbated by Iran's experience in its eight-year war with Iraq, in which it felt the international community sided with the aggressor, Saddam Hussein. To further Iran's indigenous capabilities, the IRGC (in cooperation with the Basij) provides, as Arab-Baygi indicates, financial incentives to students pursuing degrees in science and technology fields such as engineering, physics, and medicine.
#1
Seems like " Comical Alli " has found a job with his former foes.
Posted by: Dave UK ||
02/19/2010 17:19 Comments ||
Top||
#2
ION WMF > RUSSIA'S NEW S-400 ADMS, AD TROOPS TO COMRPISE BULK OF CIS' UNIFIED AIR DEFENSE SYSTEM; + RETURN OF "ISKANDER" DIPLOMACY: RUSS DEFENCE MINISTER SERDYUKOV SAYS RUSSIA DESIRES TO STRENGTHEN MILITARY COOPERATION WID FINLAND.
* SAME > RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV: RUSSIA UNEASY AT NATO'S NEW CHANGE IN STRATEGIC CONCEPT FROM "TERRITORIAL/REGIONAL DEFENSE" TO "GLOBAL DEFENSE".
Iranian state television said the first Iranian-built destroyer was launched on Friday in a ceremony attended by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. "The first domestically made destroyer Jamaran was launched this morning and joined Iran's naval forces in the southern waters of the Persian Gulf," state television IRIB reported. It did not give the location of the launch.
The report showed footage of the warship and said it was equipped with torpedoes and electronic radar. The ship is 94 meters long and more than 1,500 tonnes, it said. Much of Iran's naval equipment dates from before the 1979 Islamic revolution and is U.S.-made.
A senior Iranian commander says the country's military might forced the US into giving up its plans to launch an attack against Iran.
"When the US realized the capabilities of Iran's armed forces and the military maneuvers they can hold, it changed its mind and gave up plans to attack Iran," the Commander of Iran's Ground Forces Brig. Gen. Ahmad-Reza Pourdastan said.
He noted that the US has carried out terrorist attacks in order to use them as pretexts to launch wars in the Middle East to control the world economy.
"The US planned and carried out the 9/11 attacks with support from Zionists," Fars news agency quoted Pourdastan as saying on Wednesday.
"The US claimed that terrorists have carried out the attacks in order to find a pretext for presence in the [Middle East] region," he stated.
The Iranian general noted that the US invasion on Iran was planned to take place after the US occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2010 00:00 ||
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[10 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Because Iran might have the bomb, or might not?
#2
"They tried to bring a small number of tanks and personnel carriers in through al-Durah but they were surrounded and most of their infidels had their throats cut."
I'd love to be in the heads of Middle Easterners if the US were to announce.
"Okay, a**holes, we've had enough of your $h*t. Next time you see our tanks we're taking over and going back to that whole colonization thing. You'll get the gov't that WE think is best for the likes of you. Dig?"
#5
Good grief, for some reason this makes me flash back to when I was in the Sinai after the second Arab Israeli war and saw an IDF tank literally tied to the ground with control wires from anti tank missiles that had missed...great hardware, those French made wire guided AT missiles but the Arabs were and probably still are LOUSY shots...
Now that our Army is the most battle seasoned and battle tested in the world...what does that bunch of thugs think they are...we'll eat their lunch in about two weeks and have dinner in Teheran.
Posted by: Karl Rove ||
02/19/2010 15:27 Comments ||
Top||
#6
Were all IDF tanks issued wire cutters after that, Karl?
Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said the Zionist regime of Israel is so terrified of the Lebanese resistance and people.
The Iranian president made the remark in a phone conversation with the Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah, ISNA reported on Thursday.
President Ahmadinejad and Nasrallah also discussed the latest developments in Lebanon and the region. He further praised Nasrallah's latest stance on the Israeli threats.
"The Zionists are really terrified of the resistance and people in Lebanon and the region," President Ahmadinejad emphasized. "But they (the Israelis) are looking for opportunities to make up for their past defeats in Gaza and Lebanon as they feel their credibility and existence are in jeopardy."
However, the president insisted, "They don't dare to do anything as they are afraid of the consequences."
The Iranian official further underlined the need for maintaining readiness against any potential Israeli threats adding, "If the Zionist regime want to repeat the same mistakes they previously made, they must be gotten rid of once and for all, so that the region will be saved from their nuisance for ever."
President Ahmadinejad then reiterated that to this end, the Iranian nation will remain along the side of the Lebanese and other regional nations.
The Hezbollah Secretary General, for his part, said that Lebanon and the resistance movement are in favorable conditions.
"We are not afraid of the Israeli threats and the Israeli threats will not work," Nasrallah said. "Strategically, Israel is not in a situation to wage a new war, but is after a psychological warfare with its threats... and of course, either way they will not get anywhere."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2010 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
#1
TOPIX > MOUSSA: ARABS [Arab league Nations] WILL STAND BY LEBANON IFF ISRAEL ATTACKS.
* SAME > IRAN TELLS NASRALLAH HEZBOLLAH MUST PREPARE FOR STRONG RETALIATION AGZ ISRAEL.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says the UN nuclear watchdog's chief has confirmed that the country's nuclear program is peaceful in nature.
"The new director general of the IAEA in his report has confirmed the fact that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful and it has had no diversion towards military ends," Ali Asghar Soltanieh told IRNA on Thursday.
The IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano released his first report on Iran's nuclear program on Thursday.
"In fact Amano's report once more confirmed all previous reports over the past six years which showed that Iran's nuclear program is peaceful,"Soltanieh added.
The new report once again rejects Western allegations that Tehran is pursuing a military nuclear program through its uranium enrichment work.
The 10-page document which is to be discussed by IAEA governors at a meeting next month confirmed that Iran has produced its first batch of 20 percent enriched uranium at the Natanz enrichment plant.
Iran decided to enrich uranium up to 20 percent to fuel the Tehran research reactor, which produced radioisotopes for cancer patiends.
The decision came after a UN-proposed nuclear swap deal -- which would require Iran to ship most of its low-enrich uranium abroad months before receiving nuclear fuel -- failed to address the country's concerns regarding guarantees that the fuel would eventually find its way back to the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2010 00:00 ||
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[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
[Al Arabiya Latest] The U.N. nuclear watchdog fears Iran may be working now to develop a nuclear payload for a missile, the agency said in a confidential report on Thursday obtained by news agencies.
The International Atomic Energy Agency report also confirmed Iran had produced its first, small batch of uranium enriched to a higher purity -- 20 percent -- but said the Islamic Republic had failed to give inspectors the required advance notice.
Both developments will stoke Western concerns that Iran is secretly bent on developing nuclear weapons capacity from the enrichment process. Tehran says the effort is meant only to yield electricity or radio-isotopes for agriculture or medicine.
The IAEA has been investigating for several years Western intelligence reports indicating Iran has coordinated efforts to process uranium, test explosives at high altitude and revamp a ballistic missile cone in a way suitable for a nuclear warhead.
In 2007 the United States issued an assessment saying Iran had halted such research in 2003 and probably not resumed it.
But its key Western allies believe Iran continued the program -- and the IAEA report offered independent support for that perception for the first time.
"The information available to the agency is extensive,.... broadly consistent and credible in terms of the technical detail, the time frame in which the activities were conducted and the people and organizations involved," the report said.
"Altogether this raises concerns about the possible existence in Iran of past or current undisclosed activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile."
It was unusually blunt language in the first IAEA report on Iran under new Director-General Yukiya Amano, who is seen as more inclined to confront Iran over its behavior than his predecessor, Mohamed ElBaradei.
The report, to be considered at a March 1-5 meeting of the IAEA's 35-nation governing body, said it became harder to unearth relevant information as time passed, and it was therefore vital for Iran to cooperate with IAEA investigators "without further delay."
Iran has dismissed the intelligence as a load of fabrication but failed to provide substance to back up its position. It has refused all contact with the IAEA on the matter for 18 months.
Last week, Iran announced a start to higher-scale enrichment, saying it was frustrated at the collapse of an IAEA-backed plan for big powers to provide it with fuel rods for nuclear medicine made from uranium refined to 20 percent purity.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/19/2010 00:00 ||
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[5 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Yeah, and Daytona International Raceway may be 'working' on patching a pothole in turn 2 also....
#5
In International Relations trusting souls will unfortunately not last very long.
They are not our friends. We DO not trust them. They actually hate our guts. And what exactly is a Moslem's word actually worth?
There is no nice way this is all gonna end.
Somebody wins and somebody loses. Oldest rule in the book.
Its only a matter of time.
They have three years, we have to get rid of Skinny first. A lot can happen in three years....keep the pressure on and get ready, and BE ready..its gonna happen.
The short essay below is by Jordan Blashek, Princeton 2009, who decided to turn down acceptance to medical school to join the U.S. Marine Corps and enter its Officer Candidate School, from which he graduated in December 2009. Written originally as an explanation of his decision for his high school classmates, it is worth reading and appreciating by us all.
"You Joined Us' -- That phrase is carved into a steel plaque that tauntingly guards the entrance to the Officers' barracks at Camp Barrett in Quantico, VA. As I hobbled inside, exhausted from another 15-hour day, my roommate half-jokingly pointed to the plaque, Why did we do that again?' I smiled. Today had been a long day. Waking at 4 AM, we spent the next 9 hours outside in the pouring rain learning hand-to-hand combat and outdated bayonet techniques. Without warming layers, hats or gloves, our hands quickly went numb and our bodies started shaking uncontrollably in the 30-degree temperature. Finally, we were sent back inside to clean our rifles, which must be spotless before we can wash off our bodies. As 8 PM rolled around and we were still cleaning on a Friday night when my high school and college friends were out at Happy Hours I thought about that plaque on the wall: Why exactly did I join, again?
It's a question I have tried to answer many times for my family and friends, but never feel as though I have fully conveyed my reasons. I made the decision to join the U.S. Marine Corps at the start of my senior year at Princeton, turning down an acceptance to medical school in the process. I kept the decision to myself until I broke the news to my shocked parents over Christmas Break. I ran through the litany of justifications for them: I wanted to serve my country. I wanted the camaraderie and the pride of being in the Marine Corps brotherhood. I needed the challenge to test my true capabilities and strength. I would receive the best leadership training on the planet, which would help me in any future career I chose. I wanted adventure and the chance to be a part of history in Iraq or Afghanistan. I wanted to exude that same confidence that I saw in every Marine officer I have met. Whether I convinced them or not, in the end, none of these reasons' alleviated my parents' understandable anxiety.
When I told my plans to anyone else, I felt as though I were talking to a brick wall the Military, especially the Marine Corps, was simply outside their reality. My closer friends would nod their heads and say something to the effect of Wow, that's cool;' but since I was the perennial flake of the group, most did not take my decision very seriously. And to be honest, even I was not quite sure that I would follow through with the choice. In the comfort of my college dorm, the decision to become a Marine Corps officer seemed glamorously abstract. However, on October 1, 2009 my decision suddenly became very real when I arrived at the Marine Corps' Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Quantico, VA.
My OCS experience was surreal. Along with 407 other Candidates' all college graduates with newly shaved heads I ran around for 10 weeks carrying an M16 rifle, while the Marine Corps' famous drill instructors screamed increasingly creative insults at us. In reality, we were beginning the painful, yet deliberate process of transforming from civilians into Marine officers through some of the most intense training that exists in the US military. Meanwhile, the drill instructors continually evaluated our leadership potential as part of the time-honored tradition whereby enlisted Marines select the officers that will eventually lead them in combat. After nearly half of the officer candidates were dropped or dropped out on their own, we emerged from OCS standing a little taller and a little straighter on graduation day, December 11, 2009. That afternoon, I raised my right hand to swear the oath of office and receive my commission as a second lieutenant. That oath obligates me to serve a minimum of four years in uniform.
Ultimately, I joined the US Marine Corps because I believe that officers bear the most solemn responsibility in our nation, and that was a duty I could not, and should not, leave for others to assume. To say that I wanted that responsibility is not quite right, because being a Marine officer is not about one's self, wants or needs; it is about guiding the young 18 and 19 year-old Marines fighting this country's wars on our behalf. I decided that serving them was the highest honor and responsibility I could have at this point in my life. As one speaker at my commissioning ceremony explained:
As second lieutenants, you must have a strong sense of the great responsibility of your office; the resources which you will expend in war are human lives. This is not about you anymore. This is about the young Marines who will place their lives in your hands. It is your job to take care of them, even when that means placing them in mortal danger. That awesome responsibility the weight which now rests on you is reflected in those gold bars which you will soon place on your shoulders.'
That is why the plaque hangs in every portal through which we pass You Joined Us. We chose to bear this responsibility and we must make absolutely sure we are prepared to fulfill it, because young American lives are at stake. If that means being cold and miserable; studying for ungodly hours; and going for days without sleep, then so be it. That is the price of the salute we receive from our Marines.
Five months into my service commitment, I have not regretted my decision for a moment. I already have unforgettable memories from my experience and new friendships with diverse and exceptional peers from all over the country. We have had moments of pure fun together and laughed harder than I ever thought possible. We have also been humbled by the stories and portraits of brave Lieutenants those who fought and died after roaming the very halls where we now stand and their portraits hang. Most of all, I am immensely proud to bear the title of United States Marine,' an honor that I will carry with me my entire life. Semper Fi.
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.
Dozens of senior figures from the Muslim community will attend a crisis meeting tomorrow night in the wake of the sentences handed down this week to five NSW men convicted of terrorism offences. The meeting will be held at the nation's largest mosque, in Lakemba in Sydney's southwest, and will be hosted by Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali -- formerly Australia's most senior cleric. Several other senior imams are expected to attend.
An UNRWA educational program in Ramallah has honored the terrorist Abu Jihad with a football tournament in his name. The tournament was organized by the Fatah Students' Youth Movement at UNRWA's Women's Training Center and Faculty of Educational Sciences in Ramallah:
