#1
The only permissible use for France's army seems to be evacuating french nationals and protecting french
economic interests. Mostly the latter, spare no expense, charge down the machine guns if there is money at stake.
(AKI) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced plans to leave for Afghanistan on Tuesday after 10 French soldiers were killed in fierce conflict with the Taliban overnight.
The attack, which left another 21 French troops wounded, took place on Monday night, 60 kilometres east of the capital, Kabul. Around 100 insurgents attacked a patrol containing French and Afghan troops, said NATO's International Security Assistance Force.
In a statement released by the president's office on Tuesday, Sarkozy said he wanted to reassure the troops that France was behind them. He also pledged to maintain support for the multinational force in Afghanistan. "France is committed to continue its fight in the war against terrorism, for democracy and freedom," he said.
The French troop fatalities were the heaviest suffered by the French military since 58 paratroopers were killed in Beirut in 1983. Most of the 3,000 French troops in the multinational International Security Assistance Force are in Kabul province which includes the district of Sarobi.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
The difference between the left and the right is that the right actually supports its nations soldiers, but the left despises them.
#6
I tried to get my sister to hyphenate when she married. "Hagmaier-Nedeljkovic" just makes me giggle.
Posted by: Mitch H. ||
08/20/2008 16:17 Comments ||
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#7
Pretentiously dorky? It was 1982,and all the rage among the liberated young professional women at the Fortune 500 company that had hired Mr. Wife straight out of college. But at the time I had only three publications under my name -- all as the very juniormost author, a kindness of my mother, the senior author -- I was only 20, and anyway I didn't think I was ever going to need to reestablish my professional identity after a divorce. Besides, Ohio in those days automatically gave the wife her husband's patronym, and required filing for a legal name change to get one's maiden name back, let alone a hyphenated monstrosity such as we contemplated. After a bit of intense conversation conducted in forte tones, Mr. Wife realized I was not amenable to persuasion, the clever man.
Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he would like to run for re-election next year. Karzai tells The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that he has a job to complete and that "in that sense, yes, I would like to run." Karzai has hinted in the past that he plans to run for the presidency in 2009, but his Tuesday announcement to AP is the first time he has stated so outright.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2008 00:00 ||
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Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani rushed to Kabul Tuesday for meetings, Afghan officials said. Kayani was to meet with Afghan Defence Minister Gen. Rahim Wardak, and he spoke with President Hamid Karzai over the phone in Kabul Tuesday, three officials told The Associated Press. Even Afghanistan's top leadership did not know that Kayani planned to visit, officials said. Top aides inside the presidential palace and the Defence Ministry said they were unaware Kayani was in Kabul even after he arrived. Kayani was also likely to meet with the commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, Gen. David McKiernan, though NATO officials would not immediately confirm that. The visit comes only 24 hours after former president Musharraf announced his resignation.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2008 00:00 ||
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BRUSSELS - The European Union's foreign policy chief Javier Solana Tuesday denounced a military ambush in Afghanistan which claimed the lives of 10 French soldiers. "The attack perpetrated against the French soldiers deployed in Afghanistan constitutes a disgraceful and barbaric act," he said.
Well yeah ...
"These soldiers were serving the cause of liberty and democracy," he said. "It is for these values that they gave up their lives," Europe's top diplomat said. "I bow before their sacrifice. Their courage does France and the whole of Europe proud," he said, paying tribute to their "determination to serve the cause which they so nobly defended in Afghanistan."
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/20/2008 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) The UN special envoy on northern Uganda, Joachim Chissano, in a telephone call to LRA chief Joseph Kony said he wanted to first meet local leaders before President Yoweri Museveni and signing the final peace agreement.
A according to news reports, Chissano told internally displaced persons he was working hard to ensure the agreement was signed. "The talks are over. The LRA and the Government peace teams signed all the papers. What is left is for Kony to sign."
Chissano addressing Christians at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Gulu on Sunday, appealed to residents to pray for peace for development. "I am happy that after a long time of silence rang me and said we should meet in Ri-Kwangba (in South Sudan) in Kony himself the next two weeks."
In April, the LRA chief failed to sign the agreement after a painstaking process, saying he did not understand how a special court due to be created to try the rebels would work. Addressing the residents of Lamin-Lawino on Saturday, the former Mozambican president blamed the failure to sign on problems among the LRA.
"Kony asked me so many questions and we lost contact with him. I am happy that last month Kony telephoned us for peace talks."
He quoted the fugitive rebel leader as saying he wanted just one more meeting before signing. "We are organising the meeting; we hope in one to two weeks we will meet Kony. We hope this time he will sign," Chissano said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2008 00:00 ||
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Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) rescued 25 people including five women and 14 children from a hotel in Rajshahi city as they were being trafficked to India yesterday. Two persons -- Abdus Sattar and Robiul Islam from Kalia in Narail -- were arrested from the hotel for the trafficking bid. Sattar brought them to Rajshahi promising jobs in India, Rab officials said quoting some victims.
Acting on a tip-off, a Rab team raided Elegance residential hotel at Gonokpara and rescued them. They were handed over to Boalia Police Station and a case was filed.
One of the victims told police that 10 of them belong to a joint family, and they had agreed to cross over to India in hope of earning enough to for a living.
Investigation officer of the case Abdus Sattar Khan said trafficker Abdus Sattar returned from Mumbai recently.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
uh oh...are Abdus Sattar and Robiul Islam gonna make the 3AM visit to the gang's meeting at the secret hideout?
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/20/2008 9:06 Comments ||
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#2
beware of a loose bullet or two and miscrents during the wee hour escape attempt.
/Ship does this way better than anyone I do anyway..
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/20/2008 9:11 Comments ||
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#3
part of the new, kinder, gentler RAB.
seldom does anyone escape their cluthes and tells about it.
MI5 has concluded that there is no easy way to identify those who become involved in terrorism in Britain, according to a classified internal research document on radicalisation seen by the Guardian.
The sophisticated analysis, based on hundreds of case studies by the security service, says there is no single pathway to violent extremism.
It concludes that it is not possible to draw up a typical profile of the "British terrorist" as most are "demographically unremarkable" and simply reflect the communities in which they live.
The "restricted" MI5 report takes apart many of the common stereotypes about those involved in British terrorism.
They are mostly British nationals, not illegal immigrants and, far from being Islamist fundamentalists, most are religious novices. Nor, the analysis says, are they "mad and bad".
Those over 30 are just as likely to have a wife and children as to be loners with no ties, the research shows.
The security service also plays down the importance of radical extremist clerics, saying their influence in radicalising British terrorists has moved into the background in recent years.
The research, carried out by MI5's behavioural science unit, is based on in-depth case studies on "several hundred individuals known to be involved in, or closely associated with, violent extremist activity" ranging from fundraising to planning suicide bombings in Britain.
The main findings include:
• The majority are British nationals and the remainder, with a few exceptions, are here legally.
Around half were born in the UK, with others migrating here later in life. Some of these fled traumatic experiences and oppressive regimes and claimed UK asylum, but more came to Britain to study or for family or economic reasons and became radicalised many years after arriving.
• Far from being religious zealots, a large number of those involved in terrorism do not practise their faith regularly. Many lack religious literacy and could actually be regarded as religious novices.
Very few have been brought up in strongly religious households, and there is a higher than average proportion of converts. Some are involved in drug-taking, drinking alcohol and visiting prostitutes.
MI5 says there is evidence that a well-established religious identity actually protects against violent radicalisation.
• The "mad and bad" theory to explain why people turn to terrorism does not stand up, with no more evidence of mental illness or pathological personality traits found among British terrorists than is found in the general population.
• British-based terrorists are as ethnically diverse as the UK Muslim population, with individuals from Pakistani, Middle Eastern and Caucasian backgrounds.
MI5 says assumptions cannot be made about suspects based on skin colour, ethnic heritage or nationality.
• Most UK terrorists are male, but women also play an important role. Sometimes they are aware of their husbands', brothers' or sons' activities, but do not object or try to stop them.
• While the majority are in their early to mid-20s when they become radicalised, a small but not insignificant minority first become involved in violent extremism at over the age of 30.
• Far from being lone individuals with no ties, the majority of those over 30 have steady relationships, and most have children.
MI5 says this challenges the idea that terrorists are young men driven by sexual frustration and lured to "martyrdom" by the promise of beautiful virgins waiting for them in paradise. It is wrong to assume that someone with a wife and children is less likely to commit acts of terrorism.
• Those involved in British terrorism are not unintelligent or gullible, and nor are they more likely to be well-educated; their educational achievement ranges from total lack of qualifications to degree-level education. However, they are almost all employed in low-grade jobs.
The researchers conclude that the results of their work "challenge many of the stereotypes that are held about who becomes a terrorist and why".
Crucially, the research has revealed that those who become terrorists "are a diverse collection of individuals, fitting no single demographic profile, nor do they all follow a typical pathway to violent extremism".
The security service believes the terrorist groups operating in Britain today are different in many important respects both from Islamist extremist activity in other parts of the world and from historical terrorist movements such as the IRA or the Red Army Faction.
The "UK restricted" MI5 "operational briefing note", circulated within the security services in June, warns that, unless they understand the varied backgrounds of those drawn to terrorism in Britain, the security services will fail to counter their activities in the short term and fail to prevent violent radicalisation continuing in the long term.
It also concludes that the research results have important lessons for the government's programme to tackle the spread of violent extremism, underlining the need for "attractive alternatives" to terrorist involvement but also warning that traditional law enforcement tactics could backfire if handled badly or used against people who are not seen as legitimate targets.
The MI5 authors stress that the most pressing current threat is from Islamist extremist groups who justify the use of violence "in defence of Islam", but that there are also violent extremists involved in non-Islamist movements.
They say that they are concerned with those who use violence or actively support the use of violence and not those who simply hold politically extreme views.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/20/2008 16:03 ||
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#3
MI5 says assumptions cannot be made about suspects based on skin colour, ethnic heritage or natio current threat is from Islamist extremist groups who justify the use of violence "innality.
But... The MI5 authors stress that the most pressing defence of Islam", but that there are also violent extremists involved in non-Islamist movements.
Denial, terminal political correctness, or simply 'stuck-on-stupid' inability to connect the dots?
#4
In retrospect, oddly enough, I think MI5 is correct in their assessment, which magnifies the correctness of the US policy of luring extremists to situations where our soldiers can kill them. The "roach motel" theory.
That is, at the beginning of the WoT, we quickly reached the same conclusion: that there is no easy way to identify the dangerous terrorists among 1 billion Muslims.
Therefore, we had to set up the conditions for them to "self identify" and also put themselves at risk by separating themselves from those who are far less dangerous. We had to get them to leave their homeland and come to a battlefield of our choice.
The criteria we used, from least to most dangerous:
1) Desire to commit acts of violence. This is different from "extremist membership", as it is an individual characteristic. They may otherwise appear "moderate." But this group is mostly just braggarts.
2) Those who seek out a destination and information to get the knowledge to become terrorists. They want to learn how. The majority still don't have the chutzpah to act on what they have learned. Today, they are the Internet support culture.
3) A big jump. Those who actually leave their 'hood, or even their country, to seek training and membership in terrorist organizations, or to act as free lancers. These are all "kill worthy". The majority are dangerous and only a minority just want the training, then to hang out, not to act on it.
4) Those who get training then proceed to a new country where they hope to attack, not just to an adjacent country so that they can talk with those who have attacked while sitting in a coffee shop. Those that enter a foreign country with intent to attack are the most dangerous, but they are only a tiny minority of the total.
By our setting up a situation where they can attack our soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, the cream of the terrorist crop self identified then got themselves killed. This is wiping out terrorism from the top down, instead of from the bottom up.
So what does this mean for England?
A serious problem. Much like what the Democrats in the US wanted to do, to treat the WoT as a "police problem", they are now stuck with a viper in the woodpile.
There only real solution is to do what the French have done: strictly limit Muslim immigration, combined with easy and rapid, no legal appeal deportation out of the EU, not just England.
Francesco Cossiga, former president of Italy, confirmed that his country for years provided Palestinian terror groups with sanctuary and allowed them to set up domestic bases in a secret deal according which the terrorists promised not to target Italian interests.
It was a deal with the devil, Mafia-style. "I always knew, though not by official documents and information kept from me, about the existence of an agreement based on 'don't harm me and I won't harm you' between the Italian Republic and organizations such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the PLO," the Former Italian President said in a letter to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera.
Cossiga was responding to an interview the newspaper conducted last week with Bassam Abu Sharif, a top official of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, or PFLP, who claimed Italy in the 1970s provided his group with safe haven. "The terms of the agreement were that the Palestinian organizations could even maintain armed bases of operation in the country, and they had freedom of entry and exit without being subject to normal police controls, because they were 'handled' by the secret services," the former President wrote.
Cossiga stated the agreement was approved and directed, ironically enough, by former Italian Premier Aldo Moro, who in 1978 was kidnapped and assassinated by the Italian terror group the Red Brigades, close allies of their Palestinian terrorists.
"During my time as interior minister I learned that PLO people were holding heavy artillery in their homes and protected by diplomatic immunity as representatives of the Arab League. I was told not to worry and I managed to convince them to lay down their heavy artillery and make do with light weaponry," Cosinga wrote.
In his letter, the former Italian president also linked the Arab terrorist groups of the 1970s with the Italian far-left.
#4
Not a surprise. Given Italy's propensity for rapid turnover of governments, it's a surprise any laws are enforced at all, nor that some of the governments made nasty little secret agreements with bad guys. Then, too, a goodly proportion of Italians prefer, like the rest of Western Europe, the romantic Palestinians to the Jews.
Prominent Indian human rights activist and author Arundhati Roy said recent protests in the occupied territory have made it clear that the people of Kashmir want freedom from India. Roy in an interview said those who have followed people's movements and who have been in rallies could not dispute what people want, KMS reported. She said the Kashmiri people do not need anyone to represent them. They represent themselves. In case you've forgotten her -- and it's hard to remember -- she's India's answer to Chomsky.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
BIGNEWSNETWORK/WORLDNEWS > HINDU-MUSLIM TENSIONS BOIL IN INDIA, + HINDU-MUSLIM RELATIONS WORSEN IN INDIAN KASHMIR + SMALL STATE, BIG ATTITUDE.
*WAFF.com > GUJURAT: INDIA [Hindus] IS GETTING AWAY WITH GENOCIDE [agz Muslims], in J&K = northern India???
#2
How did a couple of marches and an economic boycott by the Hindus -- formerly of Kashmir, now of Jammu -- become genocide, JosephM?
I tried reading Ms. Roy's famous novel, but was unable to finish the first chapter. She writes like someone in the final stretch of a BA in creative writing.
#8
Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy who had issued a statement advocating freedom for Kashmir was a "loose cannon" who had "abused the liberal traditions of India", the Congress said on Wednesday.
"She (Roy) is a loose cannon who has abused liberal traditions of India to its fullest," said Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari.
"It is a great tribute to the tolerance of India's ethos that a person who openly calls for Balkanization of country is not being locked up and the keys are not being thrown away," Tiwari said.
Posted by: john frum ||
08/20/2008 18:24 Comments ||
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A day after their unified effort ousted President Pervez Musharraf, the two major parties in the governing coalition fell into disarray on Tuesday when they failed to agree on the restoration of the chief justice of the Supreme Court.
The instant deterioration in relations became evident when Nawaz Sharif, the leader of one of the parties, the Pakistan Muslim League-N, walked out of a meeting here and headed back to his home in Lahore, a four-hour drive away.
Party members said Sharif had delivered an ultimatum to the senior coalition party, the Pakistan Peoples Party, led by Asif Ali Zardari, to consent to the return of the chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry, within 72 hours, or the Sharif's party would leave the government. Chaudhry was among some 60 judges suspended by Musharraf last year.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: john frum ||
08/20/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Up next: Nawaz and Zardari on the gallows together...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
08/20/2008 17:08 Comments ||
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The Taliban and al-Qaida leaders reportedly celebrated the exit of Pervez Musharraf from the presidency atop the hilly terrains along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, while the Muslim extremists heaved a sigh of relief across the country.
And, they all pledged to hunt down Musharraf and eliminate him for aligning with the Western countries and killing hundreds in Pakistan in the name of war on terror, particularly during the Lal Masjid attack.
According to The Sun , Taliban warlords pledged on Monday night to hunt down and murder Pakistan's ousted president Pervez Musharraf. They were determined to exact brutal revenge for his dedication in supporting the West's fight against Islamic terrorism.
The ex-Army chief has survived as many as nine attempts on his life in the past. But, Pakistani Taliban spokesman Maulvi Umar warned: "He should be awarded strict punishment."
Muslim extremists are also said to be baying for blood, especially for attacking the Lal Masjid killing several innocent children. Maulana Mehraj, prayer leader at the Lal Masjid mosque in Pakistan's capital Islamabad, reportedly said: "We hope Musharraf goes to hell. We will find him, he must be hounded to death."
Posted by: john frum ||
08/20/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Does explain, in part, TOPIX's artic on MUSHY traveling to NEW MEXICO???
BAGHDAD (AP) - An Iraqi official says U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have finished a draft agreement that would see all American troops removed from Iraqi cities by June 30. He says the deal is awaiting final government approval.
The official says under the agreement, all U.S. troops would leave Iraqi cities by June 30 and be out of the country by the end of 2011. The final draft was finished last week but the Iraqi Cabinet has not signed off and many of its members have signaled doubts.
He says a compromise was reached on the contentious issue of immunity for American troops but did not give details.
The military is increasingly dependent on contractors, according to a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report released last week, analyzing the role of contractors in Iraq. That is largely because of reductions in the military and greater emphasis on outsourcing duties that are not inherently governmental functions, according to the Professional Services Council, an industry trade group.
The CBO report sheds light on why there are as many private contractors as U.S. military personnel in the war zone. The high ratio of private contractors to military personnel also reflects the United StatesÂ’ effort to begin reconstructing Iraq now, instead of waiting until hostilities have subsided, according to the CBO report.
Agencies have spent $85 billion in contracts in Iraq since the start of the war in 2003, according to the report, which outlines the cost, functions and numbers of personnel in Iraq. The CBO also compares the past and present use of contractors during military operations and reviews the associated legal issues.
“Iraq is the first time in history the United States has taken on three simultaneous missions in the same geographic location — a military operation, a reconstruction effort and economic development,” said Alan Chvotkin, executive vice president and counsel at the Professional Services Council. The report “debunks much of the mythology around the cost and role of contractors supporting the current military, reconstruction and economic development efforts in Iraq,” Chvotkin said.
From 2003 to 2007, government bought services more than any other category of contract, the CBO found. In analyzing federal contract data, agencies obligated 80 percent of the $85 billion spent in Iraq on services contracts. Specifically, contractors offering administrative and management services received $26 billion.
The governor of Karbala said on Tuesday that Iraqi forces proved their efficiency after the success realized during the security plan implemented during al-Ziyara al-Shaabaniya, proving they do not require foreign support, the governor of Karbala said.
During a ceremony to honor a number of security officers, who contributed in implementing the security plan during al-Ziyara, Uqeil al-Khazaali praised the "success realized by Iraqi forces during the Shiite occasion."
"This proves that Iraqi forces do not need any foreign support, except the air force, and this will be covered in the future," he added. Or maybe logistics, pay, artillery, heavy armour, and real fighters if the opposition fights back and/or our boys refuse to fight.
Karbala, with an estimated population of 572,300 people in 2003, is the capital of the province and is considered to be one of Shiite Muslims' holiest cities. At the centre of the old city is Masjid al-Hussein, the tomb of Hussein Ibn Ali, grandsone of the Prophet Muhammad by his daughter Fatima al-Zahraa and Ali Ibn Abi Taleb. Imam Hussien's tomb is a place of pilgrimage for many Shiite Muslims, especially on the anniversary of the battle, the Day of Ashuraa. Many elderly pilgrims travel there to await death, as they believe the tomb to be one of the gates to paradise. On April 14, 2007, a car bomb exploded about 600 ft (200 m) from the shrine, killing 47 and wounding over 150. Just a loud sendoff and a little boost to their trip to Paradise.
#2
We've been able to bring many of the troops home to rest and recover before three brigades go off to Afghanistan because the Iraqi forces have stood up as well as they have. Yes, they still need support, but they've mostly fought well, based on the articles and commentary I've read here, and their counterinsurgency effort seems to be progressing nicely. A little national pride does no harm, especially from a provincial governor who has no say in domestic and foreign troop deployment anyway.
#3
This clown may just be a blowhard politician, but in this case, I do like the attitude. If Iraq is to cut the apron strings and stand up as an independent country, they need this attitude.
#4
This can be interpreted in two ways, one is resentfulness, and the other is pride in their soldiers.
I suspect the latter, because he accurately points out that the Iraqis still have some gaping holes in their defenses, which both indicates that he is a realist, and can distinguish real problems from fantasies.
#5
A: This can be interpreted in two ways, one is resentfulness
Actually, I think it's resentment at our getting in the way of the ending of elections in Iraq. My prediction is that if GI's aren't in Iraq, the government will revert to dictatorship in a matter of years, much as postwar Germany or Japan would have.
#2
Something the US could do for Iraq that would be safe, relatively inexpensive, and very useful, would be to build them half a dozen pebble bed reactors.
Pebble bed reactors have nuclear fuel in hard ceramic balls at a fixed distance from each other. The fuel cannot be reprocessed to make weapons grade fuel, and it has no appreciable waste other than the balls themselves, when depleted.
It doesn't use water, instead inert gas turns the turbines directly, that does not itself become radioactive, in case there is a breach of the reactor. It produces a fixed amount of electricity for a known number of years. It takes a much smaller amount of land than a conventional reactor.
When depleted, the balls are dumped down a deep vertical shaft beneath the reactor, and new balls are put in their place.
Even if the high tension lines taking the electricity away from the plant are knocked down, the electricity produced by the generators is just grounded in large heat sinks and harmlessly dissipated.
A half dozen such plants would provide perhaps half the energy needs of Iraq for the next 20 years, giving them plenty of time to augment, or even replace their petroleum based energy production.
An Israel Defense Forces magazine recently reported that Israel was developing an unmanned vehicle that would evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield.
The soldiers' weekly Bamahaneh reported in its latest issue that development is in the early stages. The article carried a picture of a flat, tank-like vehicle. It added that the vehicle could be guided from afar, possibly using GPS satellite technology. It would ferry wounded soldiers back to field hospitals for treatment.
According to the article, the new technology would reduce the risk to medics treating wounded soldiers in the battlefield while under fire.
The weekly magazine reported that development is in a preliminary stage and that deployment is still far off, adding that an unmanned aircraft to be used to evacuate wounded soldiers was also being considered for development.
Another recent IDF development is the Guardium ? a robotic soldier that can see at night, never nods off on sentry duty and can carry 300 kilograms (660 pounds) without complaining.
The unmanned ground vehicle, commissioned by the IDF, is essentially a robotic soldier, among the first in the world to be operational. It can replace human soldiers in dangerous roles, cutting casualty rates.
Like the pilotless drones that have become a mainstay of air forces in Israel, the U.S. and elsewhere, the four-wheeled Guardium is operated from a command room that can be far from the front line. It can be mounted with cameras, night-vision equipment and sensors, as well as machine guns.
Following pre-programmed routes, it can navigate alone through cities - the vehicle knows how to deal with intersections, traffic and road markings. It can patrol borders, its cameras scanning 360 degrees at all times, and alert operators if it spots anything suspicious.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
The Tokyo Fire Department has a body-recovery robot that reportedly also has an on-board oxygen supply.
#3
The obvious, but probably politically unacceptable, development is suicide bomber bots. In particular, kevlar armoured bots that move forward into areas where the enemy is advancing through and target armour, command vehicles, troop concentrations. This would be a very scary weapon and cheap to produce.
#4
We are rapidly approaching the point where we going to see an actual robot war. That's the future and we aren't the undisputed leaders in that field. Time for a major push to develop geeks.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
08/20/2008 3:12 Comments ||
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#5
Military channel had a program on robotic warfre some time ago and featured this concept in one segment. SWARM s the word of the day, not one robot, but many multi-operational robots working in conjunction with field operators who can be in the actual battlespace or somewhere in VA drinking their latte's. Geeks indeed. That being said...Human war is a human endeavor and should remain so for humans' sake. AI ain't that far off and when the robots feel threatened what then? Just a bit of paranoia that always comes out when this subject comes up here. Too many Terminator reruns perhaps.
GAZA - Israel has allowed food and other supplies to enter the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip through a key commercial crossing that had been closed for months, Israeli and Palestinian officials said on Tuesday. Israeli Defence Ministry official Peter Lerner said about 80 trucks would pass through the Kerem Shalom crossing in a trial run before it is officially reopened in accordance with an Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas.
Kerem Shalom has been closed since April, when a Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in a car at the crossing.
Palestinian officials said some 15 trucks carrying ammo canned food and pineapple grenades fruit passed through on Monday and they were told more would follow on Tuesday. Lerner said the trial run was meant to test repairs and improvements made at the border terminal and that it would reopen fully "in the coming days".
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/20/2008 00:00 ||
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Why? Have the rocket attacks quit? No? Then Why?
The Islamist bombers who killed 202 people on the resort island of Bali in 2002 have exhausted appeals against their death sentences, but they are returning to court to argue that they should be beheaded rather than shot. "Too bad. We're gonna shoot youse. Whaddya want for yer last meal?"
"Strawberries!"
Strawberries ain't in season!"
"We'll wait!"
The Indonesian government wants to put the three men in front of a firing squad before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which begins next month. But their lawyers insist that would be inhumane. The three bombers say they prefer to be beheaded, according to local reports. Their lawyers have suggested lethal injection. "Or we could just OD 'em on reds. That'd be kinda peaceful..."
"After the strawberries, of course."
Indonesia's Constitutional Court has agreed to hear a petition from Amrozi bin Nurhasyim, Imam Samudra and Ali Gufron, who were convicted for the backpack and van bomb attacks on Bali nightclubs. Imam Samudra was convicted as a lead organizer and Gufron of masterminding the attacks. In the court filing, lawyers from a group called the Muslim Defenders Team insisted that the bombers had "a constitutional right not to be tortured," and maintained that any delay between being shot and dying would amount to torture. The Muslim Defenders Team would be the Muslim Defenders League, which is another organization set up by Abu Bakr Bashir, who was found not guilty of being head of Jemaah Islamiyah.
As an example, they offered the March 10 execution of Muhammad Tubagus Yusuf Maulana, a shaman who duped villagers out of thousands of dollars by convincing them they would reap riches by paying him. He poisoned eight people and buried their bodies. Maulana died 10 minutes after being shot by a firing squad, even though one member is armed with a pistol to dispatch, with a point-blank shot to the head, anyone who survives the volley aimed at the heart. "This means that the law admits that the prisoner [might] still be alive after he has already been shot, and certainly blood will be all over him, so that he will undergo a very deep torture before he finally dies by the final shot," the petition said.
Atty. Gen. Hendarman Supandji has said he wants the executions carried out before Ramadan, expected to begin Sept. 1, but the court's ruling isn't expected before then. Comes as a surprise, dunnit?
The bombers' legal team conceded that the attorney general has the authority to carry out the executions without waiting for the court's ruling, but argued that such action would disrespect the constitution.
In anticipation of an execution order, authorities have tightened security around Nusakambangan Island, where the men are imprisoned. Samudra warned this year that Al Qaeda was "very likely" to retaliate if the bombers are executed, and some terrorism experts and Indonesian commentators maintain that using a firing squad could have the effect of making them martyrs.
#1
In the West commoners were hanged or otherwise creatively ushered into hell, but the nobility were beheaded. Perhaps the Bali bombers think they, too, should be treated as nobility... or have Indonesian rights confused with American ones, like television-watching criminals round the world who demand their Miranda rights when arrested.
#10
Chain them up by the wrists,Take a scimitar and stick it up their ass, when it comes out the mouth he's left to die, now THAT"S arabic traditional.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
08/20/2008 18:02 Comments ||
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Applying proven techniques. :-) Hattip Instapundit
A Thai-style surge campaign, and change in counter-insurgency strategy, has lead to more than 50 percent reduction in violence in the first 6 months of 2008. Terrorism over the previous 4 years was threatening to get out of control, with some areas becoming no-go zone areas. In 2004, there was a dramatic upsurge in the violence perpetrated by Islamic terrorists in the three southern provinces ("Deep South") of Thailand which border Malaysia. The population of these three provinces is 1.8 million and Muslims make up around 75% of the population whereas the rest of Thailand is 95% Buddhist.
From January 2004 until December 2007 there had been average of 160 terrorist incidents (assassinations, bombings etc) per month in the Deep South, but this reduced significantly to less than 60 incidents per month in the first 6 months of 2008. The number of killed or injured had gradually increased from 120 per month in 2004 to 200 a month in 2007, but this has halved to 100 per month in the first 6 months of 2008.
After the September 2006 military coup there was a continued increase in troop numbers, raids and detention of suspected terrorists, and a more consistent security policy compared with what existed under the deposed government which had been known for its hard line approach. However, it was not until a new army chief (the coup leader reached retirement age in September) was appointed in October 2007 that we saw a greater increase in numbers. There are now over 100,000 security personnel in the Deep South.
The main reason for the drop in the violence was a change in counter-insurgency strategy with a more unified command structure. No longer were security personnel confined to the barracks and being on the defensive. Patrols became more regular and larger in number. As most of the terrorists operate in cells of 8 or less, the increased number of troops on patrols has meant that when the security forces have been ambushed, they have the numbers to fight back. For example, in May 2008, there were 18 ambushes on such patrols, but security forces only suffered one casualty and 8 injuries. On the other hand, the security forces themselves killed 25 terrorists in the first 6 months of 2008.
Raids with hundreds of personnel were also conducted in major terrorist strongholds and areas where cordoned off while houses and people were searched. Instead of arbitrarily detaining large numbers of villagers for 7 days at a military base for questioning and then for months at re-education camps, forensic equipment was now used to test for explosive residue and fingerprints were checked on the spot. Those who were not involved were released which has lead to better relations with the local community. Tip-offs started to increase and security forces now regularly find caches of weapons and training camps on raids.
#1
I think we can learn a lesson from this in Afghanistan too, where 9 soldiers were killed a week back, saying they were outnumber by 200+ gun men on three sides.
We also saw our operations in Iraq improve as more men were on the ground.
A leaner Army is great for assaults and cost but more troops speak for them self when we have to patrol areas full of scum hiding within the population.
#2
The major cause of the surge success was the defection of thousands of Sunnis from the insurgency to the Awakening Councils and Sons of Iraq.
If something similar happens in Thailand, it might be meaningful, otherwise it is likely to be a lull in the fighting as the insurgency modifies its tactics.
#4
Rumsfeld was being disingenuous when he suggested that less troops was better. Given Uncle Sam's prodigious logistical capabilities, more troops are always better. The problem was that more troops in Afghanistan would have taken away from operations in Iraq. And a bigger overall army would have taken money away from important weapons programs - necessary for fighting big opponents like China and Russia - that had been deferred for over a decade. Basically, Bush decided to fight the war on the cheap, and Rumsfeld had to cover for him by making trade-offs between force size and new equipment.
(AKI) - Muslim separatists have warned the Filipino government against declaring "all out war" against its organisation.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front on Tuesday warned the government against any escalation of the conflict that has erupted in the southern province of Mindanao in the past week.
"For the government to declare all out war against the MILF would be the most serious blunder that this sitting regime could commit," an unnamed official said on its website.
"A prolonged all-out war ... would inevitably bring this regime to its knees because of the dire economic and political repercussions that such a war would engender. And this is precisely the situation that those opposed to this regime are just waiting for so they could easily seize power," the official said.
The MILF has also refused to revisit or renegotiate the agreement it reached with the government in July on recognising its autonomy in the region. The agreement was blocked by the country's Supreme Court.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Sounds to me like these guys are running scared. No?
Posted by: Richard of Oregon ||
08/20/2008 12:14 Comments ||
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Iran's attempt to launch its first domestically produced carrier rocket into orbit was a "dramatic failure" that fell far short of the country's assertions of success, one U.S. official said on Tuesday, adding that "the attempted launch failed."
"The vehicle failed shortly after lift-off and in no way reached its intended position," the official said. "It could be characterized as a dramatic failure."
Iran, embroiled in a standoff with the West over its nuclear ambitions, said on Sunday it put a dummy satellite into orbit on a home-grown rocket for the first time, using a technology that could also be used for launching weapons. Iran says it has no nuclear-weapons plans and that it seeks nuclear technology to generate electricity.
Iranian television showed the rocket on its launch pad, but did not show the actual lift-off. "The failed launch shows that the purported Iranian space program is in its nascent stages at best -- they have a long way to go," the U.S. official said.
Israeli experts and officials on Monday voiced mixed reactions to the launch as well.
Tehran test-fired the new rocket, Safir Omid (Hope Envoy), before dawn Sunday, according to an Iranian Army statement published by the official news agency IRNA. The statement said that it was the second test-launch and successfully prepared the ground for the launch of the main satellite in the future.
Israel Radio quoted a senior Israeli security official as saying that if Iran was capable of launching a satellite into space, this proved it was also able of launching other payloads over distances of thousands of kilometers.
A security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also told Israel Army Radio that the test "underscores Iran's military ambitions."
One Israeli expert, Tal Inbar, a senior researcher at the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies, said the test was a "turning point," which had "far-reaching consequences for Israel's security."
Inbar told the daily Yedioth Ahronoth that the test was a "most impressive technological achievement," and said the development of civilian satellite launchers was a "cover" for purchasing parts and know-how on the international market for Iran's military programs.
But lawmaker Yitzhak Ben-Israel, the former head of the Israel Space Agency, downplayed the achievement as Iranian "propaganda." He said the concern expressed by some Israelis was "exaggerated" and "plays into the hands" of Tehran, which was trying to deter Israel and the U.S. from attacking its nuclear facilities.
The satellite launched by Iran was an unsophisticated box of 20 kilograms, similar to one built by students at Israel's Technion Institute of Technology already 10 years ago, he said. "It's just an attempt to scare the Israeli public, which is apparently working pretty well, with all the superfluous media coverage," he told Israel Army Radio.
Following its successful launch, Iran said Monday that it was ready to help fellow Muslim states launch satellites into orbit.
The head of Iran's Aerospace Organization, Reza Taghipour, said Iran wanted to help Muslim countries launch satellites. "I am announcing now that Iran is ready to launch satellites of friendly Islamic countries into space," Taghipour told state television.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2008 00:00 ||
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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned on Tuesday if Lebanon were to become a terrorist state under the domination of Hezbollah, Israel would unleash more massive firepower at its disposal. Too bad nobody believes Olmert, since he's already proven multiple times that he talks tough but at heart he's prune whip. Or was he talking about what'll happen with a Netanyahu government in power?
Olmert said if Hezbollah guerrillas attack again as the dominant force in Lebanon, Israel will hit back harder than before. He said Israel "did not use all means to respond then, but if Lebanon becomes a Hezbollah state, then we won't have any restrictions in this regard." He did not elaborate on this issue.
The prime minister warned the next war with Lebanon would involve attacks on Israel's cities, saying a future conflict "will reach the cities and homes of Israeli citizens and the goal of our enemy will be to hurt the home front."
Speaking during a visit Tuesday to the Home Front Command, Olmert said a future war will be conducted differently than the Second Lebanon War. "Gone are the days when wars are fought on remote and hidden battlefields while life in the cities carries on as usual," he said.
In 2006 Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon fired almost 4,000 rockets at northern Israel during a monthlong war that ended in a United Nations brokered cease-fire.
Olmert's remarks were released in a statement by his office.
The premier further stressed the importance of maintaining calm and preventing panic among the public in light of media reports pointing to increasingly dangerous threats to the country. "We don't need to scare ourselves too much with regards to the threats," Olmert said. "Ultimately, the threat that we foresee in our imaginations is more demonic than it really is.
"In many respects, the Home Front Command will be the first and most important command in any future war and I am impressed by the astounding progress in its readiness and the change in its mindset," Olmert said.
During the visit, Olmert was briefed on the Home Front command's preparedness and its efforts to internalize and implement the lessons learned as a result of the errors made during the Second Lebanon War. The prime minister received a synopsis of the Home Front Command's emergency plans in the face of threats to Israel's interior, as well as contingency plans for meeting civilians' needs in wartime, methods of operation, and deployment strategies.
Accompanying Olmert during his visit were Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai; IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi; Home Front Command chief Yair Golan; the director-general of the Prime Minister's Office, Ra'anan Dinur; and other officials from the defense ministry, the IDF, and the PMO.
The Lebanese unity government approved a political platform earlier this month, according to which Hezbollah enjoys the right to use all means at its disposal "to liberate land occupied by Israel."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
If even half of the "Palestinian" prisoners that Israel released head off to Lebanon, it will be a Hezbollah state.
I think its reasonably clear to all but those with no good will toward Israel, that Israel exercised restraint in 2006 because it WAS concerned about the survival of the nominal Leb Govt, and also because the US and France were very concerned about it, and Israel did not want to piss off the US and France. If the situation in Leb changes to the point where the West no longer sees itself as having a stake in the Leb govt, that will impact Israels behavior.
As for Bibi, last time he was PM he also had to accommodate US policy.
TEHRAN - Iran plans to build six more nuclear power plants, the deputy head of the Iranian Atomic Organization said Tuesday.
Ahmad Fayazbakhsh told the official news agency IRNA that contracts were signed with six local companies commissioned to find suitable locations for the new plants within the next 13 months. Companies from Canada, Russia and Switzerland also took part in the tender but only local firms were finally selected, he said.
Iran wants to have six nuclear power plants within the next 13 years but has already started the uranium enrichment process for producing the fuel, raising Western fears that the Islamic republic is pursuing a nuclear weapons' programme.
Uranium enriched to a level up to 5 per cent is used for making nuclear fuel, but if enriched to a higher degree, it can be employed for producing nuclear bombs. The West alleges Iran's persistence to enrich uranium despite international threats of financial sanctions and political isolation is suspicious because it has operational nuclear power plants. Iran's only nuclear plant is still under construction at the southern Persian Gulf port of Bushehr. After an eight-year delay, the first unit of the plant, which is built in cooperation with Russia, is supposed to be ready later this year. Russia will provide nuclear fuel for the Bushehr plant.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/20/2008 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
(AKI) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced plans to leave for Afghanistan on Tuesday after 10 French soldiers were killed in fierce conflict with the Taliban overnight. 
(SomaliNet) The UN special envoy on northern Uganda, Joachim Chissano, in a telephone call to LRA chief Joseph Kony said he wanted to first meet local leaders before President Yoweri Museveni and signing the final peace agreement. 
Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) rescued 25 people including five women and 14 children from a hotel in Rajshahi city as they were being trafficked to India yesterday. Two persons -- Abdus Sattar and Robiul Islam from Kalia in Narail -- were arrested from the hotel for the trafficking bid. Sattar brought them to Rajshahi promising jobs in India, Rab officials said quoting some victims.
BAGHDAD (AP) - An Iraqi official says U.S. and Iraqi negotiators have finished a draft agreement that would see all American troops removed from Iraqi cities by June 30. He says the deal is awaiting final government approval.
The governor of Karbala said on Tuesday that Iraqi forces proved their efficiency after the success realized during the security plan implemented during al-Ziyara al-Shaabaniya, proving they do not require foreign support, the governor of Karbala said.
GAZA - Israel has allowed food and other supplies to enter the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip through a key commercial crossing that had been closed for months, Israeli and Palestinian officials said on Tuesday. Israeli Defence Ministry official Peter Lerner said about 80 trucks would pass through the Kerem Shalom crossing in a trial run before it is officially reopened in accordance with an Egyptian-mediated truce between Israel and Hamas.
The Islamist bombers who killed 202 people on the resort island of Bali in 2002 have exhausted appeals against their death sentences, but they are returning to court to argue that they should be beheaded rather than shot.
