[Tolo News] Karl Eikenberry, US ambassador to Afghanistan, has asked President Karzai to increase personnel in private security firms, AFP reports.
At a meeting with President Karzai participated by top Afghan officials, Mr Eikenberry has told the meeting that development projects cannot continue if private security guards are not doubled.
But President Karzai has rejected the proposal.
Mr Eikenberry had suggested that 25,000 private security guards be recruited to provide security to development projects running in the country.
An official has told AFP on condition of anonymity that the US ambassador argued that billions of dollars' worth of development projects would not go ahead unless they were provided with security and private security guards were the solution.
A top US official has also confirmed the meeting while declining to give more details.
"It turned into a serious discussion, the president said we are trying to dismantle private security firms but you want to add another 25,000 to the firms," said a bigwig at Karzai's palace has told AFP on condition of anonymity.
President Karzai in August 2010 ordered the disbandment of all private security companies with considering no exception, but later after pressure by officials in the West, the President revised his decision a little and some licensed companies remained in place.
The remaining private security companies are presently allowed to operate with limitations within the areas of their responsibility.
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01/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] Chief of the Afghan Armed forces said on Thursday that neighbouring countries, in particular Pakistain, are greatly involved in causing challenges in Afghanistan.
In an interview with TOLOnews, Sher Mohammad Karimi Afghan Chief of the Armed Forces urged Pakistain to take the counter-terrorism fight serious.
"It is obvious that our problems are connected to neighbours. If they had cooperated with us, we wouldn't have any problem," Mr Karimi said.
"Our problems are from outside and we will continue with our peaceful policies."
Head of Kandahar national security department has warned that the Taliban are preparing for a new string of attacks after the winter season. He said they are trained in areas of Baluchistan and Chaman in Pakistain.
Recently Operation Omid has been launched in southern Afghanistan particularly in Kandahar province to take Taliban out of their southern hideouts.
Military officials believed that the operation, which will last for eighteen months, can put greater pressure on the Taliban.
Toryalai Weesa, the governor for Kandahar province said the Taliban will double efforts to regain control of the province.
"Of no doubt they [Taliban] have gone to seek training and return back to conduct their operations, but I'm sure that considering the fact that communication and coordination has improved between security forces, forces of Evil wouldn't be able to conduct attacks as before," Mr Weesa told TOLOnews.
Pakistain has long been under great pressure to honestly take action against forces of Evil on its territory. But Pak officials have insisted that Pakistain is also victim of terrorism and that the country is losing troops in the counter-insurgency war.
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01/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Tolo News] At least one Afghan policeman was killed and two other coppers were maimed in a kaboom in western Nimroz province on Wednesday, officials said.
The incident happened last night in Khashrod district of Nimroz while a convoy of police was passing, a local police official told TOLOnews.
The maimed were rushed to a nearby hospital, official added.
No groups including the Taliban have claimed responsibly for the incident.
Militants use improvised bombs to target Afghan and Nato forces, but civilians are often victimised.
During the past year 1292 Afghan coppers were killed in the Afghan violence, according to Afghan Ministry of Interior report.
Afghan officials said they will increase their military operations in the country's volatile regions in 2011.
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01/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Maghrebia] Families of 17 Algerian sailors aboard a ship pirated off the coast of Oman last Saturday haven't received any information or news about their relatives, according to International Bulk Carriers (IBC) general manager Nacer Mansouri.
"Their fate is still unknown until we receive any contact from those pirates who usually wait for at least a week to start calling to demand ransom," said Mansouri, whose company owns the ship.
Somali pirates hijacked the Algerian-flagged and owned vessel carrying 27 crew in the Indian Ocean while it was en route to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from Salalah, Oman.
The act of piracy was the first of its type against an Algerian ship.
"No one has grabbed credit," a statement from the Algerian Foreign Ministry read, adding that a crisis cell was formed to follow the latest developments.
Meanwhile, ...back at the ranch... the families of kidnapped sailors came to the IBC offices to know the details of what happened to their relatives and check on their safety.
Algerian Transport Minister Amar Tou revealed on Wednesday (January 5th) that the government knows the location of the MV Blida and is tracking its movements "thanks to the 'COSS', a safety system for ships; it allows us to locate the vessel".
The authorities were unable to get in touch with the pirates or crew.
"Contact was lost at about 2:30 PM Saturday with MV Blida," said Mansouri. The vessel was chartered by a Jordanian company and was carrying clinker, a product used to make cement.
A spokesperson for the European Union's Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) counter-piracy operation said that the hijacking took place 150 nautical miles (278km) off the Omani coast. He pointed out that the ship was registered with the Maritime Security Centre (MSC), but it didn't report to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO).
Mansouri said that the 32-year-old Blida was seized by Somali pirates. He noted that the pirates have become more daring, operating further from the Somali coast where scores of other hijackings occurred. He said that it was unlikely that the captain was responsible for entering into a piracy zone, noting the location of the hijacking.
"The piracy took place at an area that is very far away from their usual place of operations," he said, adding that "each ship has a security system in similar cases", and that "an unarmed security officer launched a warning device and the signal was picked up".
The ship owner also added that the ransom the pirates demand is usually based on the cargo rather than the people, especially when it is not related to important figures. However, The infamous However... he avoided answering a question on paying a ransom while Algeria strongly opposes this, saying that "these issues are now handled at the highest levels beyond the company". However, The infamous However... Mansouri noted that "it's a reassuring thing that the issue is not political, but has purely financial purposes."
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01/07/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
What if the MV Blida was full of goodies meant to be *pirated" as a kind of "unofficial" help for the Somalian gang?
[Asharq al-Aswat] Moroccan political analyst Dr. Mohamed Darif, who specializes in studying Islamist groups, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Moroccan authorities have dismantled dozens of terrorist cells since 2002 thanks to the pre-emptive security approach pursued by Morocco which had made it possible for the Moroccan authorities to foil a large number of these terrorist cells' plans.
Dr. Darif added that the continuous news in Morocco of terrorist plans being foiled and terrorist cells being dismantled can be explained by the logistical and technical abilities developed by the Moroccan security services, which has allowed Rabat to monitor the activities of such groups.
Answering a question about some people's suspicions about why so many terrorist cells have been uncovered in Morocco - with Rabat claiming to have dismantled as many as 70 terrorist cells since 2002 - Dr. Darif told Asharq Al-Awsat that the skeptics need only ask themselves one question, and that is: Is Morocco truly being targeted by Al Qaeda?"
Dr. Darif stressed that there are a number of reasons why Morocco would be targeted by Al Qaeda to this extent, not least of which is that Morocco is one of the few countries that has announced its full commitment to the global war on terror. Darif added that the ruler of Morocco, King Mohammed VI, was visiting Mauritania when 9/11 occured, however he cut short this visit and returned to Morocco where he announced that Rabat was fully committed to waging war against terrorism.
Dr. Mohamed Darif stressed to Asharq Al-Awsat that ever since this time, Al Qaeda has had a vendetta against Morocco. He also added that we should not forget that one of Al Qaeda's leading commanders, Mohammed Haydar Zammar, was jugged by the Moroccan authorities in December 2001 and later handed over to Syria. Morocco was also known to have taken part in the controversial US "extraordinary rendition" program, with Guantanamo Bay detainees being rendered to Morocco, including senior member of Al Qaeda Ramzi Bin al-Shibh, who is accused of being a "key controller" for the 9/11 attacks, as well as former Guantanamo Bay detainee Binyam Mohamed, who has subsequently spoken about the torture he suffered there.
Dr. Darif also told Asharq Al-Awsat that some people have said that the 16 May 2003 Casablanca bombings which resulted in the deaths of 45 people were planned by Al Qaeda -- and carried out by their affiliate organization Salafia Jihadia -- in retaliation for Moroccan security cooperation with the West, particularly the USA.
Further evidence of Morocco's commitment to combating terrorism, according to Darif, can be seen in the case of the two Moroccan embassy staff who were kidnapped in Iraq in 2005. Rabat completely refused to negotiate with Al Qaeda for their release, and in fact, the Moroccan Senior Council of Clerics which is headed by King Mohamed VI met [at this time] and issued a statement condemning Al Qaeda as an organization that has nothing to do with Islam.
Darif also indicated that when the Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat ... now known as al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb... changed its name to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb in January 2007, it issued a statement threatening violence against Morocco if any officials appeared on satellite television to condemn them.
Darif also told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Moroccan authorities' success in dismantling this huge number of terrorist cells is, most of all, due to the authorities' awareness that their country is being targeted, and has therefore sought to develop strong relations with security apparatus in western countries and the Arab world, particularly Soddy Arabia, Syria, and Jordan.
Darif also indicated that the majority of those jugged in Morocco do not belong to any single organization, for the jihadist salafist ideology is prevalent throughout Morocco. As a result of this, the Salafist jihadists who have been jugged by Morocco are of different trends, and vary in their attitudes towards the authorities which is something that has made it even more difficult for the Moroccan authorities to open a dialogue with them.
Darif added that the majority of cells that have been dismantled since 2005, such as al-Sirat al-Mustaqim, the Ansar al-Mahdi group, al-Murabatoon al-Judud, Fatah al-Andulus, and others, were also accused of trying to recruit fighters for Iraq and Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Whoa, TUNISIA + MOROCCO + SOMALIA/EAST AFRICA + now NIGERIA all at once....
[Asharq al-Aswat] Forensic evidence gathered at an Egyptian church where 23 people were killed on New Year's Day suggests the bomber may have detonated his device prematurely and not intended to kill himself, the main state-run newspaper said on Thursday.
Another incompetent Muslim bomber? We've had quite a run of those, lately.
Officials have said the attack outside a midnight service in Alexandria on New Year's Day was carried out by a jacket wallah inspired by al Qaeda. Suicide attackers have been rare in Egypt, which has suffered sporadic attacks in recent years.
Security sources said on Wednesday the remains of the bomb resembled devices used in blasts in 2009. Analysts said this hardened indications that snuffies inspired by al Qaeda may be gaining a toehold in Egypt, winning recruits as the state squeezes the Mohammedan Brotherhood and other moderate opponents.
They forgot the scare quote around 'moderate', again.
Information from 45 body parts
That is quite a lot. Are we sure they're all the same person?
gathered at the blast site should enable the Interior Ministry to use its civil data base to identify the bomber, who was shown to be 23 to 25 years old, the state-run daily al-Ahram said it had learned.
Electronic circuits and debris collected by the forensics team showed he used a bag resembling a school or travel bag loaded with 20 to 25 kg of high-explosives, including a chemical substance mixed with sticks of TNT.
The problems with explosives is they want to explode. Did he get the recipe off the internet?
"The forensic investigation showed the impact on the body of the perpetrator indicates the kaboom occurred by mistake or before the planned time, because it caused his body parts to scatter and fly off several meters," al-Ahram said.
The charge contained flakes of tin and iron that mutilated the victims' bodies, but did not contain nails, the newspaper added, citing no source for its information.
Security sources earlier compared the device with two less deadly ones in 2009. One bomb targeted a church in Cairo but caused no casualties. The other killed a French teenager in the popular Khan al-Khalili tourist area of Cairo. Neither was blamed on a jacket wallah.
Presumably because those bombs weren't sewn into vests. Or does the writer mean to suggest our murderer was carrying the bomb under his jacket?
The latest attack came two months after al Qaeda-linked bully boyz in Iraq threatened to strike Coptic churches in Egypt, accusing Egyptian Christians of mistreating female converts to Islam.
The Alexandria bombing prompted protests in Cairo as well as the Mediterranean port city where it occurred. Hundreds of Christians, who make up about 10 percent of the country's 79 million people, have accused the government of failing to provide adequate security even after threats.
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01/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Arab News] Accusing the media of trying to link Al-Qaeda to Soddy Arabia, Jaber Al-Fifi, a former Islamic exemplar who was No. 20 on the Kingdom's list of 85 most-wanted terrorists, told the Saudi Channel 1 on Tuesday evening that the organization depends primarily on non-Saudi recruits in Afghanistan under the leadership of Osama Bin Laden.
"I made the vow of allegiance to a man named Abu Baseer who was a Yemeni and an assistant to Bin Laben," he said on the program "Homomna" ("Our Concerns").
Al-Fifi returned to the Kingdom from his voluntary exile in Yemen, announced his repentance and was rehabilitated at Prince Muhammad bin Naif Center for Religious Advice. "The organization in Yemen was shaken up after its leader and field commander Muhammad Al-Aoufi gave himself up to the Saudi authorities benefiting from the pardon given to Islamic exemplars," he said, adding that most of the members could not believe their ears when they heard the news.
Al-Fifi told his interviewers that the first news that came to them about Al-Aoufi was that he was sold to the Saudi authorities by some Yemeni tribes, but they now believe he gave himself up voluntarily.
"After this incident, Al-Qaeda leaders began to tighten their grip on us," he said. "I stayed in a house for a long time doing nothing. It is then that I began to think of going back home."
Al-Fifi, who was a former Guantanamo detainee, said he decamped Taif to Yemen through the Fifa Mountains.
"My escape was orchestrated by Youssef Al-Shihri, the Islamic exemplar who was killed at a Jazan checkpoint while dressing like a woman," he said.
He recalled that his exodus, with seven other former Guantanamo prisoners, followed a dinner party organized in Taif by Al-Aoufi and Saeed Al-Shihri (incumbent leader of Al-Qaeda in Yemen) during which they called for operations inside the Kingdom and said their Islamic exemplar operations were legitimate, according to a fatwa. He said he stayed at home for a year following his return from Guantanamo and got married until he was talked into rejoining Al-Qaeda during the dinner party.
He said most of the invitees to the dinner had no idea about Al-Qaeda terrorist operations in the Kingdom and thought that they were only targeting the Americans.
"I was against any terrorist operations inside the Kingdom," he said.
Al-Fifi said they chose to escape to Yemen because it was a lot easier to enter the country and forge the necessary identity papers. He said he thought he would not give the oath of allegiance after the one he had given to Bin Laden but was compelled to give a similar oath to the Yemeni Abu Naseer.
Al-Fifi, who worked under the alias Hamza Al-Taifi and Abu Abdullah Al-Shabhawani, said before he turned himself in he had been asked to go to Somalia, Afghanistan or Iraq.
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01/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV] An Iranian holy man has criticized Soddy Arabia for infringing upon his rights when he was nabbed and imprisoned over outlandish charges while on Hajj pilgrimage.
Yasser Khalili was jugged by a Saudi committee for promotion of virtue and prohibition of vice on the charge of "raising a shoe in front of the shrine of Prophet Muhammad (PTUI!)," the holy man, who appeared on an edition of Press TV's "Face to Face" program, said.
I spent 38 days in jail before I was put on trial on September 3rd 2010, and "was sentenced to five months in prison and 150 lashes," Khalili added.
Khalili said the Saudi government's refusal to grant him access to a lawyer is a breach of international law.
"All 140 pilgrims in our caravan were all clergies. The Saudi government was aware that this caravan was a special one. Our hotel manager told us to be careful because the hotel was under surveillance," Khalili explained.
The Iranian holy man added that prisoners were treated differently according to their faith and nationality.
"In Soddy Arabia, Shias are not entitled to have ownership rights. Shias do not have any important jobs."
Khalili wrote a letter to the judge "about the huge population of Sunnis living in Iran and that we have no problems with each other. We live together. Shias and Sunnis marry each other. They work together."
"I wrote to him not to think of me as Sunni or Shia. Think of me as a human being. All human beings have some fundamental rights."
In answer to a question about the charge against him, Khalili said, "From the way the Saudi authorities acted when they read the charges against me, I could tell they were not familiar with such a charge."
"They had special shackles and handcuffs. They put them on your hands and feet so tightly. Apart from the physical pain, there was a lot of psychological pressure on me. They just wanted to humiliate me and make me feel cheap."
The Iranian holy man was released after 115 days in prison and receiving the 150 whip lashes in the jail.An Iranian holy man has criticized Soddy Arabia for infringing upon his rights when he was nabbed and imprisoned over outlandish charges while on Hajj pilgrimage.
Yasser Khalili was jugged by a Saudi committee for promotion of virtue and prohibition of vice on the charge of "raising a shoe in front of the shrine of Prophet Muhammad (PTUI!)," the holy man, who appeared on an edition of Press TV's "Face to Face" program, said.
I spent 38 days in jail before I was put on trial on September 3rd 2010, and "was sentenced to five months in prison and 150 lashes," Khalili added.
Khalili said the Saudi government's refusal to grant him access to a lawyer is a breach of international law.
"All 140 pilgrims in our caravan were all clergies. The Saudi government was aware that this caravan was a special one. Our hotel manager told us to be careful because the hotel was under surveillance," Khalili explained.
The Iranian holy man added that prisoners were treated differently according to their faith and nationality.
"In Soddy Arabia, Shias are not entitled to have ownership rights. Shias do not have any important jobs."
Khalili wrote a letter to the judge "about the huge population of Sunnis living in Iran and that we have no problems with each other. We live together. Shias and Sunnis marry each other. They work together."
"I wrote to him not to think of me as Sunni or Shia. Think of me as a human being. All human beings have some fundamental rights."
In answer to a question about the charge against him, Khalili said, "From the way the Saudi authorities acted when they read the charges against me, I could tell they were not familiar with such a charge."
"They had special shackles and handcuffs. They put them on your hands and feet so tightly. Apart from the physical pain, there was a lot of psychological pressure on me. They just wanted to humiliate me and make me feel cheap."
The Iranian holy man was released after 115 days in prison and receiving the 150 whip lashes in the jail.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
"...'An then they turned me into a newt!"
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/07/2011 5:29 Comments ||
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#3
In that the Iranians regularly try to start riots, make trouble, disrupt and otherwise cause nuisance during hajj, at the behest and even direction of their government, I'm neither surprised nor particularly disturbed that the Saudis have no patience for their antics.
North Korea revamped major regulations governing the Workers Party to support the hereditary transfer of power from North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to his son Jong-un. South Korean government sources say the revisions officially turned the Workers Party into a "shrine" for the Kim dynasty. In the North, party regulations rank above the country's constitution.
One ring to rule them all...
Among the most prominent revisions is the scrapping of a clause stipulating that a party congress must be convened every five years. Instead, Article 21 states the party will announce when it convenes a congress "six months ahead of time." And the party can now elect senior members and revise regulations just by holding a top delegates' meeting, according to Article 30. A North Korean source said this means whether a party congress is held will depend on the progress of the hereditary transfer of power, and if conditions are unfavorable, Kim Jong-un's control over the party can just be confirmed by top delegates.
According to the new version of the regulation in Article 22,
Which has always been Article 22, unchanged and ineffable (actually, perhaps effable is more correct)
the secretary of the Workers' Party automatically becomes head of the Central Military Commission within the party to make it easy for Kim Jong-un to take power. As a result, if Kim Jong-un, who is presently the vice chairman, inherits the party's top position from his father, he automatically heads the military as well.
Also, the Central Military Commission has been given the power to "govern all defense and military programs conducted between each party convention" (Article 27). A Unification Ministry official said, "The status and role of the Central Military Commission has become similar to that of the National Defense Commission, which is North Korea's highest authority."
All political activities of the North Korean military will be pursued "under the guidance of the party," according to the revisions (Article 46). And the top political department in the military, which oversees ideological discipline and ferrets out possible dissent within the forces, will be given the equivalent power as the Central Military Commission (Article 49).
"Control over the military has been strengthened due to fears that the military may become more powerful than Kim Jong-un, whose support base is still weak," a South Korean intelligence official said. "It's a mechanism to prevent dissent within the ranks in the process of the power transfer."
All party members now have to abide by a new regulation requiring them to "oppose and fight against anti-socialist trends." A North Korean defector who used to be a high-ranking official said, "'Anti-socialist trends' refers to elements of capitalism that have flowed in from South Korea. The measure intends to block anything that could hinder the hereditary transfer."
The revisions, the first in 30 years, were unveiled at an extraordinary party congress on Sept. 28 last year. At the time the regime revealed only the preface of the revisions, which referred to the Workers Party as "the party of Great Leader and Comrade Kim Il-sung." It also declared the basic principle of the party to be "guaranteeing the succession of the party."
"The new regulations include various claims that the party is the shrine of the Kim dynasty to legitimize the succession," a South Korean government official said.
They say that Kim Il-sung is not only the progenitor of the Workers Party but of the military (Article 46), political institutions (Article 52) and labor groups (Article 56), while hailing Kim Jong-il as passing on and strengthening Kim Il-sung's accomplishments. "This shows that the party is completely dedicated to the hereditary principle and has deteriorated into a mere vehicle legitimizing the Kim dynasty," a South Korean intelligence official said. "It clearly shows the feudalistic and outmoded nature of North Korea."
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/07/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
And in the darkness bind them.
Very appropriate.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/07/2011 12:40 Comments ||
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Sterling, who is black, said he was denied certain undercover assignments at the agency because, officials allegedly told him, he was "too big and black" to function effectively as a covert intelligence officer overseas.
Sterling worked at the CIA from 1993 to 2002, much of that time as a member of an Iran task force. It was his job to recruit and run Farsi-speaking agents. For his punishment, I recommend giving him the job he wanted.
The indictment says Sterling was bitter about the CIA's treatment of him and the agency's refusal to settle his discrimination case. In retaliation, Sterling allegedly disclosed information and documents about his former secret work to a newspaper reporter. AoS: link added at 8:40 CT.
#4
Sometimes it seems half the comments I make here are complaining about links or offtopic "funny link of the day" stories.
huh! you noticed that too?
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/07/2011 8:06 Comments ||
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#5
WTF kind of idiot do you have to be to not comprehend that being inconspicuous is a necessary part of undercover work?!
Sterling deserves treason charges for being an idiot alone!
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
01/07/2011 9:51 Comments ||
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#6
This... officials allegedly told him, he was "too big and black" to function effectively as a covert intelligence officer overseas.
Then this... It was his job to recruit and run Farsi-speaking agents.
Well f'ing DUH! Sorry guy, you are about poorly qualified to work covert in Iran as red-headed and freckled Irishman would be to work covertly in the Congo.
The guy thinks he was "discriminated" against? Well, you're damn right he was - and justifiably so. Not all discrimination is illegal, sometimes its necessary - after all, its not illegal to discriminate against blind people when it comes to piloting aircraft, nor other jobs where there are physical qualifications -- and appearance is a physical qualification for covert work. Sorry there Mr Sterling, the world is what it is no matter howmuch you pretend otherwise; a large black man will draw attention in a nearly homogeneously light-skinned (Caucasian) Persian population like Iran, especially in light of how suspicious the police state there is anyway.
This is the epitome of the "I'm Entitled to my own reality" liberal mindset. What a fucking idiot. I hope they put his ass in prison for a long long long time for being a spiteful idiot.
#7
WTF kind of idiot do you have to be to not comprehend that being inconspicuous is a necessary part of undercover work?!
Answer: A PC idiot, since our country is so twisted, that PC more often than not trumps national security; e.g., allowing most political asylum seekers into the US from Somalia.
Posted by: Jack Salami ||
01/07/2011 10:18 Comments ||
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#8
Why didn't he go for the sub-Saharan Africa beat? Or the Caribbean? Or Brazil? He'd fit in beautifully wherever the African slave trade had gone. Or stuck with analysis, where brains matter and appearance doesn't?
[Pak Daily Times] Interior Minister Rheman Malik has taken notice of no arrangements by Islamabad police for the security of Punjab governor Salmaan Taseer during his visit to federal capital that resulted in his liquidation.
Malik told Daily Times that he had instructed Interior Secretary Qamar Zaman Chaudhry to investigate the matter and take action against the police officer concerned.
Islamabad inspector general of police (IGP) was informed about the visit of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer to the city, but he failed to make proper security arrangements, Daily Times has learnt.
According to reliable sources, whenever a VVIP enters a province, his security becomes the responsibility of local law enforcement agencies. Only those personnel and officials are deputed on VVIPs' security who have got clearance from the department concerned. Security personnel's mindset is kept in view while deputing him on security duty, as he could be dangerous for one personality but could be used effectively for another. In the case of Punjab governor, the federal police did not bother to ensure foolproof security. A question arises here that if the Rawalpindi Elite Force personnel did not shoot the assassin, what prevented the federal police personnel from gunning him down.
Daily Times has got a letter sent by governor's Military Secretary Col Ghulam Haider to Islamabad IGP Syed Kaleem Imam informing him of the schedule of Taseer's visit.
Sources said the restaurant in which the governor had lunch was in the most sensitive area of the capital. It was strange that at the time of his murder, not a single personnel of federal police was deployed there. And if anyone was deployed there, what was the reason that he did not take any action against the attacker.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
A tragic incident where someone was murdered by the very people charged with their protection. Quite an unusual event for Pakistain - if you don't count Benazir, and all those times they tried to whack Perv. And the weekly random suicide bombings. A charming country.
[Pak Daily Times] President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... husband of the late Benazir Bhutto, who showed remarkably little curiosity about who actually done her in ... on Thursday called the widow of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer by telephone and expressed his sorrow and grief over his murder.
According to the party sources, President Zardari assured Amna Taseer that "the sacrifice of Salmaan Taseer would not go waste and justice would be provided to her family". The president also paid tributes to Salmaan Taseer for his services for the party, sources added.
The president expressed the hope that the elements behind the crime would be exposed and punished according to law. He said Salmaan Taseer was an asset for the party and a true follower of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto in treading their path to martyrdom.
"Taseer's courage and determination in espousing the cause of the marginalised sections of society and readiness to pay the highest price for it will continue to inspire many. Few possess the courage of Salmaan Taseer in standing up to bigots and fanatics, and fewer still the readiness to embrace martyrdom for it," President Zardari said.
The president also prayed to God to grant Taseer a high place in heaven and asked the widow to convey his condolences to other members of her family. She thanked the president saying that his words were a source of great strength in this hour of tragedy, party sources said.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2011 00:00 ||
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[Pak Daily Times] Federal Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan has said that the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) led government will continue its policy of reconciliation and take coalition parties in confidence on important national issues.
About the liquidation of Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer, he said it was a politically motivated murder and a continuation of the wave of terror in society. The law minister said terrorism continued afflicting the country and the PPP-led government would continue its war against terrorism and would not allow anyone to carry out extra-judicial killings.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2011 00:00 ||
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Srsly?!? A little late for that, dude, given it was a deliberately political act.
[Pak Daily Times] The Pakistain Mohammedan League-Nawaz on Thursday warned the Pakistain People's Party leadership that for acquiring the governorship of Punjab, the senior leaders of the ruling party should avoid making statements that the liquidation of the late Salmaan Taseer was a political murder.
Expressing grief over the liquidation of the Punjab governor, opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar Ali said that some elements of the PPP were politicising the liquidation of the governor for their own political mileages, which was very unfortunate.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2011 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
Investigations and background interviews with intelligence and security officers confirm that sectarian organisations have successfully linked up with the more fanatical organisations supported both by the TTP and al Qaeda. In what's described as one of the most blunt comebacks in years, the Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP), a banned organisation known for targeting minorities, has suddenly re-appeared. Daily Times can confirm two addresses -- Sipah-e-Sahaba USA Inc Brooklyn, NY, 11230 PO Box 795 and Sipah-e-Sahaba USA Inc (Women Wing) PO Box 300310, Brooklyn, NY 11230, USA -- which have been used as proxies from the US to fund various beturbanned goon organisations.
In Bloody Karachi, however, the greatest victim of the SSP is bizarrely not the Shia community, but the Barevli-led Sunni Tahreek, which confirmed the recent emergence of the SSP and a threat to its organisation. Sarwat Ejaz Qadri, the Sunni Tahreek chief, told Daily Times that more than 80 of the Sunni Tahreek's workers had been targeted by SSP last year and "that certain old punters of the SSP that we thought were dead had recently re-emerged out of nowhere".
Good lord -- punters re-emerging? That's considerably worse than zombies, donchaknow.
While on the security side, the Pak intelligence agency, which has taken pains to separate the operations of the groups operating in Kashmire from the activities of those based in Afghanistan after 2003, seems to be in a limbo.
"The organisations we had worked upon and even our manufactured ones are lost. The reason is the red mosque incident, while top commanders do listen and can be controlled, but we are witnessing a loss of over 60 percent of mid and lower cadre of jihad boy leadership. The problem is that we don't have a clue where these 60 percent of bully boyz are going," confirmed an ex-spy master.
It wasn't long ago that they could be found 60 miles from Islamabad, ravaging the garden spot of the Punjab...
After the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, the new strategy of 'reorganising' jihadis under one command structure, a move that failed in 2002-2003, is being implemented again. The new jihadi set-up being formed now is the result of pressure from the ISI. Because of the irresponsible behaviour of some jihadi organisations, the ISI is incorporating them into the organisations operating in Indian-held Kashmire or changing the leadership of these organisations. All such decisions are being taken in Muzaffarabad and Muridke. This view was corroborated by the office of Harkatul Mujahedin, Kotli, where we learnt that Fazlr Rahman Khalil was trying for the greater clout of Harkatul Mujahedin in the new setup, which is still considered as a "strategic asset" by the security establishment.
That's because the security establishment still think have the delusion that the bridle they have on the tiger contains a curb bit.
The objectives are to unite jihadi organisations under one platform, to work out a collective military strategy, to remove mutual differences among jihadi organisations and to work out a common stand on national and international issues. While intensive investigation and background interviews with both bully boyz and intelligence officials confirm that big Deoband jihadi organisations like Harkatul Jihad Islami have been advised to stay low and hibernate. While most of the bully boyz obeyed, some hardcore members joined other sectarian organisations or took refuge in the tribal belt, whereas some opted to fight inside Afghanistan. Interestingly, Brigade 111, or what is now known from its Punjabi Taliban tag, based in FATA is now under the command of a former SSG commando, Ilyas Kashmiri, and has only recently merged with Jamiatul Mujahedin based in Azad Jammu and Kashmire and has widened its scope with the TTP and other groups in carrying out attacks within Punjab and other urban areas.
While there seems to a deliberate policy from the Pak intelligence agencies post-2004 to split various jihadi organisations within Pakistain to stop their increasing clout, Daily Times can confirm that the actual policy of the security establishment has largely backfired, where instead of splitting various jihadi organisations -- fearful of their fate -- they have managed to allow the merger of these organisations with various sectarian organisations, including the TTP and al Qaeda, to form what is being called a supreme jihad council, which supports using suicide kabooms and issuing fatwas against the state of Pakistain.
The export of bully boyz from Pakistain is continuing where ISAF sources confirm that LeT and Punjabi Taliban are hyperactive in the province of Kunar, Afghanistan, which is turning out to be another headache for both sides. A western diplomat who is closely watching this development told Daily Times, "We don't know what to do with this... these are dangerous developments, but rest assured we will be exerting our pressure to sort such things."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2011 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
[Asharq al-Aswat] The family of Abdul Majid al-Khoei, the former secretary-general of the Imam al-Khoei Foundation in London who was assassinated in 2003 in Najaf has threatened to internationalize this case if the Iraqi judiciary fails to take legal action against Moqtada Tater al-Sadr, ... the Iranian catspaw holy man who was 22 years old in 2003 and was nearing 40 in 2010... whom the family consider to be "the prime suspect in the murder of al-Khoei." Al-Khoei was killed in the holy city of Najaf on 10 April 2003 at the hands of followers of Moqtada al-Sadr.
Haidar al-Khoei, who is the son of the late Imam, spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat in London on Wednesday, following news that Moqtada al-Sadr had returned to Najaf after spending almost four years in Iran. Haidar al-Khoei told Asharq Al-Awsat that "our family trusts the Iraqi judiciary. However the Iraqi judiciary and government are facing an important practical test today to undertake legal proceedings and enforce the law by arresting Moqtada al-Sadr, as an arrest warrant was issued for him by an investigative judge in Najaf in 2004. If this does not happen, we will be forced to go to the United Nationals, on the basis that the Imam al-Khoei Foundation has a seat at the UN, as a non-governmental organization. We will also go to human rights ... which are not the same thing as individual rights, mind you... organizations and the European judiciary. We are also relying on the leaders of sisterly and friendly Arab and Islamic states to activate this case."
Al-Khoei added: "We have verified that a leading figure in the Sadrist movement, a member of the Iraqi parliament, has requested one of the investigative judges in Storied Baghdad to change the course of the case, via false witnesses, in order to steer the blame away from the leader of the [Sadrist] trend [Moqtada al-Sadr] and instead implicate other members of the [Sadrist] trend. This is in order to move closer to al-Sadr, and also win the internal conflict within the Sadrist movement, between the Mullahs and other members. We will disclose the name of this member of parliament, as well as those of the investigative judge, and the false witnesses, who have been involved in perverting this case."
He went on to say "we have kept the original copy of the investigation, and the case file, in addition to video footage of the death of my father. There are also dozens of witnesses who have vowed to testify before the judiciary."
Al-Khoei categorically denied that "Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's involvement in the process of falsifying the case file, and we have confirmed that this file was not included in the coalition deal between the Sadrist trend and al-Maliki's State of Law bloc."
Al-Khoei also called on the Iraqi Prime Minister to involve himself in this case, saying "we call on the [Iraqi] Prime Minister [Nouri al-Maliki] who heads a bloc called the 'State of Law' to apply this slogan in practice. It is imperative to apply laws when dealing with my father's murder case, whether the suspect is a [religious] holy man, or the leader of a political movement with ministers in the cabinet. If the law is not applied in this case, how can the people of Iraq respect the law?"
Al-Khoei also told Asharq Al-Awsat that "our family will continue to wait for legal proceedings to be enforced. We recall that the judiciary pressed charges against Saddam Hussein, and he was a former President. Thus, the fact that al-Sadr has ministers in the cabinet does not give him the right to close this file, which concerns the murder of the son of one of the most famous holy man in Shiite history, Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei".
For his part, a senior Iraqi judicial source confirmed that "an arrest warrant, especially in a criminal case, does not have a statue of limitations [in Iraq] even if it was issued more than 100 years ago. This is the case whether this arrest warrant is issued against Moqtada al-Sadr or anyone else, as the Iraqi Law of Criminal Procedure does not place a statue of limitations on arrest warrants, but considers all such warrants to be active until they have been applied."
The judicial source, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, also stressed that "No Iraqi government or official has the right to nullify an arrest warrant, or close a murder case, regardless of the name, or names, or number of the defendants".
The judicial source also revealed that "[Abdul Majid] al-Khoei's death is considered to be a murder, and as such it is a major criminal case. The case does not have a statue of limitations and no official is entitled to close this, unless authorized to do so by the judiciary. To the best of my knowledge, the Iraqi judiciary has not issued any order to close this case. Even if the victim's family dropped the charges, and I do not believe al-Khoei's family would consent to this, there is still a public right [to prosecute], which cannot be waived."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/07/2011 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Good! I hope they succeed.
Mookie is one bad dude and needs to be taken down.
Mookie's father was a respected guy.
If he were alive today, he would kill his son himself for bringing so much shame to the family name.
Also the government would do well to eliminate or arrest him now.
He's been trained and groomed in Iran to take over the Iraqi government one day.
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/07/2011 17:21 ||
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#1
I am all for it. The first rocket that is fired from Palestine will be an act of war and Israel can respond with the full international law behind them. Then they can try the leaders with war crimes and the like.
#2
Me too, if they want to wear big boy pants they can fend for themselves.
No more free diesel fuel and medicine, start paying dues in the UN and such.
Not so attractive if you figure in the overhead, but I don't think they had if figured that way anyhow.
#3
A sovereign, independent state, eh? So which band of thugs represents the actual government? Fatah? HamAss? The militant wing of the Librarians and Clerical Workers Union? And ditto to what Darth said in #1. Let the fun begin!
A faulty bomb disposal robot and poor judgement are being blamed for the deaths on Saturday of two bomb squad officers in Narathiwat province.
The bomb disposal squad chief said the officers were unable to totally block the surrounding mobile phone signal, so the terrorists were able to detonate the five kilogram bomb remotely. The two officers were so close to the bomb that their anti-blast gear could not protect them. "The bomb suit could only reduce the violence," Pol Snr Sgt Maj Swang said on Tuesday.
Their deaths have raised issues about the performance of bomb suits and bomb disposal robots.
One member of another bomb disposal unit in southern Thailand said he believed the bomb experts could have handled the situation better. They could have shot at the bomb or fixed the robot without touching the explosive device, he said.
Bomb squad officers were aware of the limitations of the bomb suits.
"When disposing of a bomb, a mistake means a potential loss of life. You can't blame it on the suit," he said.
"The protective gear is designed to cushion the impact of a blast. It cannot protect against a big bomb."
However, the source admitted that the bomb suits worn by the men were substandard because their five-year service term had expired. The source also cast doubts on the effectiveness of the bomb disposal robot, which is equipped with a high-pressure water gun only.
A senate committee on southern problems is investigating the incident. The panel's chairman, Anusart Suwanmongkol, wants to hear evidence about the effectiveness of the bomb suits and the robots.
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.
Somali pirates
[Arab News] Accusing the media of trying to link Al-Qaeda to 
Sterling, who is black, said he was denied certain undercover assignments at the agency because, officials allegedly told him, he was "too big and black" to function effectively as a covert intelligence officer overseas. 
Federal Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan has said that the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) led government will continue its policy of reconciliation and take coalition parties in confidence on important national issues.
