President Hamid Karzai on Wednesday asked God to forgive Afghan Taliban killed in the fighting in their homeland, but called on international forces to hit the insurgents at their training bases outside the country.
"Today ... is a day we should remember those families who have lost loved ones in different terrorist acts like bombs and suicide attacks," Karzai said after prayers to mark the Eid al-Adha Muslim festival. "Today I also ask forgiveness from God for those Afghans who have been killed in the fight against the homeland if they are Taliban or otherwise," he said.
Karzai has repeatedly called on Afghan Taliban to make peace with the government and has offered talks with moderate insurgents to try to bring an end to the conflict. Afghanistan, he said, "is not a stronghold of terrorism, Afghanistan is a victim of terrorism. The strongholds are outside Afghanistan, they get trained and equipped abroad." International forces, Karzai said, "should fight against terrorism together with the Afghan people. They should go to the bases, the hideouts and to places that terrorists get training."
Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, in his Eid message, called on foreign forces to withdraw from Afghanistan.
#2
"called on foreign forces to withdraw from Afghanistan."
If Mullah O had felt that way in 2001 we never would have entered Iraq in the first place, but he would not tell those foreigners bin Ladin and Zawahiri to leave.
#6
"Nothing is over until we decide it is! Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor? Hell no!"
"Germans?"
"Forget it, he's rolling"
Posted by: Frank G ||
12/19/2007 10:10 Comments ||
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#7
Still, if we hadn't started with Afghanistan, it would have been a lot harder to get agreement to continue with Iraq. ("Shhh. Just say yes -- we don't want them looking too closely over here!")
#9
Seems like ol Karzai has just staked out his position: Taliwackers good, furriners bad. I call for immediate pullout and carpet bombing of the entire place.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- U.S. Rep. Joe Donnelly returned from a second trip to Iraq in five months encouraged that the mission there is going better and that by 2009 the U.S. military's role could be primarily as trainers and advisers.
"I feel we've made progress, and the other part is I feel we can see an end game in sight," Donnelly, D-Ind., told reporters on a conference call Tuesday from Washington. "It isn't we just keep plugging away in the hopes something will turn out right. Gen. (David) Petraeus is working a plan and we seem to be heading toward a place where the Iraqis can be self-sustaining and we'll have a smaller presence in the background." Over at DU and Daily Kos, they're probably cursing him bitterly. "What kind of Democrat are you? You actually want the United States to win? Filthy Ref---liKKKan bastid!"
Donnelly's findings were in stark contrast to his visit to Iraq last July, when he said the only positive thing that happened in that country since the beginning of the war in March 2003 was the ouster of Saddam Hussein.
Donnelly met with members of Company F of the 151st Infantry, an Indiana National Guard unit from South Bend, who told him that in the past 60 days life in Iraq has gotten safer. "Things are better than they were in their first few months of deployment," Donnelly said.
Donnelly, who traveled to Iraq with Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., Rep. Phil English, R-Pa., and Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said the congressional delegation heard the same thing from Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq. "In his view, things have improved almost across the board," Donnelly said. "There's a confidence and a feeling the progress is being made and there is an end in sight to our significant military presence."
Posted by: Mike ||
12/19/2007 10:12 ||
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#1
Perhaps Boyda would like to go see how the 731st KANG is doing - cuz I heard it is doing just fine and I'm not on the Armed Services Committee. Oh thats right, she is busy trying to grow corn in Kansas and make a prison museum.
I'm telling ya, there are many opportunities for Republicans to capture seats in the House if they do it right, and the d-Reps can smell it.
#2
Al Qaeda and the Democrats need to understand something about a lot of Americans. After 9/11 and 7 years of going after Islamofacism, we are now just getting started. We are not planning on shutting down business anytime soon.
The Senate voted Tuesday to provide $70 billion for U.S. military efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan, handing a victory to President Bush and his GOP allies on Capitol Hill. The 70-25 roll call paved the way for the Senate to pass a $555 billion omnibus appropriations bill combining the war funding with the budgets for 14 Cabinet agencies.
Bush was ready to sign the bill, assuming the war funding clears the House on Wednesday. Democrats again failed to win votes to force removal of U.S. troops or set a nonbinding target to remove most troops by the end of next year. "Even those of us who have disagreed on this war have always agreed on one thing: Troops in the field will not be left without the resources they need," said Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.
Twenty-one Democrats and Connecticut independent Joe Lieberman who stood with Republicans at a post-vote news conference voted with every Republican present except Gordon Smith of Oregon to approve the Iraq funding.
The year-end budget deal between the Democratic-controlled Congress and Bush ended months of battling and disappointed GOP purists who complained the bill spends too much money and contains about 9,000 pet projects sought by members of Congress. "Congress refuses to rein in its wasteful spending or curb its corruption," said Rep. John Shadegg, R-Ariz. Conservatives estimated the measure contained at least $28 billion in domestic spending above Bush's budget, funded by a combination of "emergency" spending, transfers from the defense budget, budget gimmicks and phantom savings.
Unfortunately that's the price you pay -- literally -- for divided government. Bush got the more important win on Iraq/Afghanistan funding, but it cost an extra $28 billion.
With Bush winning the $70 billion infusion of troop funding, other Republicans muted their criticism. "I do think the president has a victory here," said House Minority Whip Roy Blunt, R-Mo. But the win was hardly clear-cut for Republicans hoping the president would emerge from the monthslong battle with Democrats over the budget with a result that would more clearly demonstrate to core GOP voters the party's commitment to fiscal discipline.
While disappointed by ceding Iraq funding to Bush, Democrats hailed the pending appropriations bill for smoothing the rough edges of Bush's February budget plan, which sought below-inflation increases for most domestic programs and contained numerous cutbacks and program eliminations. "The omnibus bill largely yields to the President's top-line budget numbers, but it also addresses some of the bottom-line priorities of the American people," said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. "The Grinch tried to steal Christmas, but we didn't let him get all of it."
Democrats were able to fill in most of the cuts by using the very budgetary sleight of hand lambasted by conservative groups such as the Club for Growth and Citizens Against Government Waste.
The White House, which maintained a hard line for months, has been far more forgiving in recent days, accepting $11 billion in "emergency" spending for veterans, drought relief, border security and firefighting accounts, among others. Other budget moves added billions more. "Congress did come down to the president's overall top line," White House press secretary Dana Perino said. "And in regards of the emergency spending, most of that spending would have passed on an emergency basis anyway. It's not added into the baseline of the budget."
The bill passed the House late Monday. Under an unusual legislative two-step, the Iraq portion of the bill would be returned to the House on Wednesday, with Republicans supplying the winning margin. That vote, if successful, would send the entire omnibus bill to Bush for his signature.
Democrats succeeded in reversing cuts sought by Bush to heating subsidies, local law enforcement, Amtrak and housing as well as Bush's plan to eliminate the $654 million budget for grants to community action agencies that help the poor. Democrats also added funding for food programs, subsidies to community development banks and Homeland Security Department grants to first responders.
#2
PRAVDA > USA TO SPEND BILLIONS TO CONTROL RUSSIA, IRAQ, AND AFGHANISTAN. US House-Senate approved aid to sovereign former Soviet SSR's being interpreted as another decadent imperialist capitalist Americanski attempt to control Russia.
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Tuesday to extend the U.S.-led multinational force in Iraq for one year, a move that Iraq's prime minister said would be his nation's ``final request'' for help. Authorization for the 160,000-strong multinational force was extended until the end of 2008 because ``the threat in Iraq continues to constitute a threat to international peace and security,'' according to the resolution.
Iraq's U.N. Ambassador Hamid Al Bayati called it a historic day for the country because the council renewed the mandate ``for the last time'' after long and hard negotiation. He expressed hope that the council would deal with Iraq without any military authorizations after 2008. ``We realize that Iraq still needs more time and intensive efforts to enable our armed forces to take over the security responsibilities all over Iraq from the multinational forces,'' he said, noting that Iraqi forces took responsibility for Basra two days ago and now control nine provinces.
U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad formally introduced the resolution Tuesday afternoon and soon after the council met to approve it. After the 15-0 vote, Khalilzad cited ``positive developments in Iraq'' including reduced violence. He welcomed the council's support for the Iraqi government's desire ``to sustain this momentum'' and keep the force in the country.
The resolution requires a review of the mandate at the request of the Iraqi government or by June 15, 2008. It reiterates a provision of past resolutions that the council ``will terminate this mandate earlier'' if Iraq requests that. It also says the Security Council would have to consider Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's request, in a letter on Dec. 7 to the Security Council's president, that ``this is to be the final request ... for the extension of the mandate'' for the U.S.-led force.
Asked whether the United States wanted to keep the door open to maintaining its troops in Iraq longer, Khalilzad said the extension is at the request of the Iraqi government ``representing the will of the Iraqi people.'' ``We hope that ... with progress in Iraqi security capabilities that Iraq's goal of self-reliance can be achieved as soon as possible,'' he said.
In Baghdad, Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told reporters Tuesday that ``there has been a great deal of progress'' thanks to the joint efforts of Iraqis and the multinational force.'' ``These gains are really very significant. We see them in the streets of Baghdad in many provinces. This needs to be pressed on,'' said Zebari, according to a transcript provided by the U.S. State Department in Washington.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/19/2007 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
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#1
The U.N. sanctions our presence in Iraq?
Has anybody told Harry and Nancy?
Posted by: Bobby ||
12/19/2007 6:01 Comments ||
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#2
But, but, the lefties decry that this is all illegal. How can this be? /sarcasm off
#3
Well, ya see, we went in there illegally, so that was bad. And the US just tells the UN what to do, and that is bad, too. And so, our staying in there is still illegal. So we should get out, cuz we're losing anyway.
/sarcasm
WARSAW, Poland (AP) - Poland's new government formally asked the president Tuesday to approve the country's withdrawal from Iraq by Oct. 31, 2008.
The future of Poland's mission in Iraq, where it has 900 troops, has been a source of friction between new Prime Minister Donald Tusk and President Lech Kaczynski. The mission's current mandate expires on Dec. 31. Tusk wants a pullout next year while the president advocates staying in Iraq longer.
On Tuesday, Tusk's Cabinet sent a motion to Kaczynski - the military's commander in chief and a staunch U.S. ally - asking him to extend the mission only until Oct. 31, 2008, a government statement said. ``The government hopes that the president will agree to ending Poland's mission in Iraq by October 2008,'' Defense Minister Bogdan Klich said after the session.
Presidential aides had signaled previously that Kaczynski might withhold approval of a plan that limits the mission to that date, but both sides have said they are open to discussion.
Thank you for the help, Poland.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/19/2007 00:00 ||
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[4 views]
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#1
See also BLOOMBERG > NATO WAR STRATEGY UNRAVELS AS CANADA THREATENS TO PULL FORCES OUT FROM AFGHAN WAR.
Interesting for being in the Turkish Daily News. Expectation setting.
Iraq will need the support of foreign troops for another 10 years in order secure the country, the Iraqi government Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said in a statement to the el Iraq channel yesterday. Al-Dabbagh said Iraq could not defend itself alone for at least the next 10 years. He added that they would not allow any permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq.
Fifty F-16 Turkish Air Force warplanes hit the PKK terrorist camps in Northern Iraq. Laser guided bombs hit the predetermined targets successfully at midnight. The videos are taken from an F-16. The videos showed that the targets were determined under high intelligence and the marked targets are destroyed only. US forces has given the permission to use air corridor and supplied the intelligence. Video here
#5
Thats a fair assessment. The Iraqis will be mainly concerned with internal and border security for the next 5-6 years, not defense. A US airbase and a couple of heavy brigades in the south and center, and a stryker brigade in the north would be sufficient.
Think Korea, or Germany, post war. It took about 10 years for either of them to get on thier own feet. And even then, we still have troops in both countries half a century later.
#7
Muzz think dogs are unclean. This story reeks...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
12/19/2007 8:10 Comments ||
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#8
Our 'family Marine' tells us that rabies is rampant in Iraq. There was an order about a year or so ago that any dog acting 'strangely' was to be disposed of promptly.
Posted by: Mullah Richard ||
12/19/2007 8:12 Comments ||
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#9
What next - Blackwater made bad faces & scared our kids?
Pfeh. (And I'm a pretty serious dog person. But this is ridiculous.)
Calling the IDF action in Gaza a "war," Prime Minister Ehud Olmert warned Tuesday that Israel will continue to hunt down all terrorists involved in rocket attacks against Israeli communities in the western Negev.
The IDF went on high alert across the country on Tuesday ahead of predictions that Islamic Jihad would escalate its attempts to perpetrate a terrorist attack inside Israel in response to a series of air strikes that started Monday and have killed 13 Palestinians. Despite the threat, defense officials said Israel would continue to target terrorists involved in rocket attacks against Sderot. "We will continue to chase after the terror chiefs and will hit them," Olmert said during a meeting of his Kadima faction. "We will get to every single person involved in rocket attacks against Israel. This is not a unilateral war. The defense establishment has made great achievements in the past two days with its daring operations in this war against terror chiefs in Gaza. This war will not stop."
The IDF air strikes began Monday night with the targeted killing of Majed Harazin, Islamic Jihad's leader in the Gaza Strip. In another air strike early Tuesday, the IDF killed Karim al-Dahdouh, a master rocket-maker. At 6 a.m. Tuesday, the IDF killed another four members of Islamic Jihad's Al-Quds Brigades in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF said their terrorist cell was involved in Kassam rocket attacks. Later in the day, two Hamas operatives were killed when an IAF aircraft bombed a Hamas military position in southern Gaza. The IDF said the bombing was in response to mortar fire on Kerem Shalom.
The Quds Brigades' commander in Jenin, Tarik Abu-Raali, was killed during an exchange of fire with troops in Kabatiya, south of Jenin, Palestinians reported. The IDF said Palestinian gunmen had fired at the soldiers, who returned fire. The IDF did not confirm that Raali had been killed.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak told US Special Envoy for Middle East Security James Jones on Tuesday that Israel must take precautions and be on the alert for a possible response by Islamic Jihad to the recent air strikes. Barak told Jones that Israel "must hope that the IDF successes [in Gaza] continue to prevent rocket attacks against the western Negev."
Islamic Jihad's spokesman in the Gaza Strip, Abu Hamza, hinted that his organization would carry out suicide attacks in Jewish towns in the Gaza periphery in retaliation for the air strikes. "We have a long arm," he said on Hamas television. "You will soon [experience] strikes similar to those we carried out in Tel Aviv, Netanya and Eilat." Abu Hamza warned that Islamic Jihad would step up Kassam attacks on Sderot, Ashkelon, Yad Mordechai and Netivot.
Earlier, in an e-mail sent to reporters, Islamic Jihad said it would retaliate for its losses with suicide attacks inside Israel, threatening "a wave of martyrdom operations."
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh told a Channel 2 reporter Tuesday he was prepared to negotiate an end to the rocket attacks and Israeli attacks, a Hamas spokesman told Israel Radio. Vice Premier Haim Ramon praised the military action and said the operations "greatly impeded" the terrorist groups' activities. He predicted the air strikes would result in a decrease in rocket attacks. Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilna'i said he was "very pleased with our achievements [Monday] night ," but added that the air strikes were not an alternative to a ground operation.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/19/2007 00:00 ||
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Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt warned on Monday that maintaining presidential void could encourage terror and urged the election of a new head of state as soon as possible. "Void doesn't benefit anybody. On the contrary it could form an environment friendly to terror and killing so is it logical to maintain void pending a political agreement? This is illogical," Jumblatt wrote in an editorial to be published Tuesday by his party's weekly newspaper , al-Anbaa
Jumblatt stressed that the Lebanese people are "required today, more than ever before, to confirm their allegiance to the state in line with the Taif accord that protects the formula of power sharing."
That was an apparent rejection by the PSP leader to alleged plans by the Hezbollah-led opposition to topple the Taif accord which calls for sharing power equally between the Christians and the Muslims
Jumblatt said Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman is "a consensus candidate he carried out significant efforts in safeguarding stability, combating terrorism at Nahr al-Bared, protecting the resistance and confronting Israel."
Posted by: Fred ||
12/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
presidential void could encourage terror
Anything that doesn't encourage terror with you people?
U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch on Tuesday expressed concern over Presidential void, urging Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to call MPs to elect a new head of state. Welch, talking to reporters following a meeting with parliament majority leader Saad Hariri, said the Hezbollah-led opposition is putting Lebanon in danger.
After an unscheduled return to Beirut and talks with Hariri, Welch said parliament has failed to elect a president because of the opposition stand that blocks the move. The international community, according to Welch, is concerned due to the delay in electing a head of state for Lebanon.
He stressed that the presidency is an important status for the Christians in Lebanon. The United States, he added, Supports the Lebanese people and urged domestic and foreign parties to back the election of a president.
Nine Parliamentary sessions to elect a new president have been postponed. A 10th session is scheduled for Saturday.
Welch returned to Beirut one day after Western and Arab nations urged parliament to elect a president with no further delay. "We share deep concern at the prolonged political crisis in Lebanon, we reiterate our call for unconditional Lebanese presidential elections without any further delay," a statement said on Monday. "In this regard, we urge that parliament be allowed to convene immediately to fulfill its constitutional duties," said the statement signed in Paris by representatives of nine nations and the United Nations.
The signatories condemned a string of political assassinations that have plagued Lebanon since 2005, and called on unspecified "outside powers" to respect Lebanon's constitution and democratic institutions. "We support the legitimate, democratically elected Lebanese government and the Lebanese armed forces in their efforts to maintain the sovereignty and stability of Lebanon," the statement added.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/19/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Nasrallah is stalling to see if the world political scene changes to his favor again. Two years ago, he was the Arab world's Ramadan superstar and now he's chopped liver.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
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