April 24, 2006: Police in Afghanistan noticed that the Taliban's favorite form of motorized transportation was the motorcycle, usually Japanese models. So now the police are going after unregistered motorcycles, as the ones used by the Taliban generally don't bother with registration. Actually, in the back country, many people don't bother with much government paperwork at all. That's now changed, and the police are trying to deny the Taliban one of their more effective forms of transportation. At the very least, this will force the Taliban to get real, or false, documentation for their bikes.
In 2003, the Taliban bought 1,150 such bikes in Pakistan, preparatory to staging a new offensive. Many Taliban attacks, including bombings (suicide and otherwise) as well as killings, have been carried out by men on motorcycles. Groups of men on bikes will make attacks, and then speed off, and often get away, by going off the roads, and up trails that normally only carry horses or people on foot.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/24/2006 10:13 ||
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DOn't they get the "man-jammies" caught in the chain?????
April 24, 2006: The Taliban are making a major effort, but are squeezed by thousands of NATO troops moving into southern Afghanistan, and 80,000 Pakistani troops operating along their side of the border. In the last week, four Canadian soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb. The Canadians are newly arrived in a Pushtun area that favors the Taliban. Pushtun tribes are on both sides of the province, and it's southern Afghanistan where the Taliban always had most of their support. Taliban casualties have been much higher. By the time this "offensive" is over, it will be a lot harder to recruit for the next Taliban offensive.
The war along the border is one of patrol, ambush and raid. The small groups of Taliban (a dozen or so gunmen, enough to overwhelm most police patrols) sneak about, trying to avoid American patrols (who are better armed and trained, and get air support very quickly). The Taliban are looking for Afghan army and police patrols they can ambush. They hope to wipe out the patrol, after which they can steal weapons and other gear off the dead. If the ambush is not a success, the Taliban must flee, quickly, because they are now the prey. These are the situations which often lead to a dozen or more Taliban being killed or captured by pursuing Afghan and American forces. In addition to ambushes, the Taliban units look for villages they can go to, and make sure the locals are still pro-Taliban (will provide food and shelter for Taliban men, and not inform on them.) Threats will be made, and sometimes carried out, in villages that have been less loyal. Unlike Iraq, there are not a lot of cell phones, or any kinds of phones, in the back country of Afghanistan. So when the Taliban come by, they have a captive audience. But eventually an army or police patrol will come through, and the villagers will have to decide what is less dangerous, supporting the government or the Taliban. The villagers know of the UAVs and recon aircraft, that can often document Taliban visits, eliminating the possibility of lying about it. It's a nasty war, out there in the hills.
The Taliban and al Qaeda terrorists are tying to turn Kabul into Baghdad, but the bad guys don't have the numbers, local support or technical skill. More bombs are going off, but the timing and placement are wrong, and few casualties result. But the explosions are loud, and out of place in Kabul. The terrorists put out a press release, claiming non-existent casualties and promising more of the same.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/24/2006 10:11 ||
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#1
The taliban, boldly going forward 'cus they can't find reverse.
#2
I imagine we issue "one-button" phones to some of the villagers. That is, when the Talibs show up, just push the button, then hide the device to protect yourself from them finding it.
This works either way: they either nark the Talibs when they show up; or they use the phones to try and set up an ambush of the US and Afghan forces, thinking themselves crafty.
Needless to say, the latter trick doesn't work too well, and often results in a bigger body count of the bad boyz, who thought themselves crafty.
You always triangulate the call, so you know if it is coming from where it is supposed to be coming, then you use medium altitude reconnaisance to see what's happening in the village before the reaction force arrives. They can even spot the enemy ambush positions for you.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 14:22 Comments ||
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#6
6, I'm sure you would look just lovely in a simple, Swiss-dotted frock with a matching hat and sandals. Or perhaps full camouflage with unshined suede desert boots would better suit your taste. ;-)
One of Darfurs two main rebel groups rejected Al-Qaeda supremo Osama bin Ladens call on Muslims to fight the "crusaders" in the western Sudanese region, warning it could encourage Khartoum to step up its repression.
"We categorically reject these declarations," Justice and Equality Movement official Ahmed Hussein said, reacting to remarks made in an audiotape attributed to bin Laden and aired by the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera news channel.
Bin Laden purportely called "upon the mujahedeen (holy warriors) and their supporters in Sudan and its surroundings including the Arabian Peninsula to prepare to lead a prolonged war against the crusader robbers in western Sudan."
"His words are completely disconnected from the reality in Darfur. Bin Laden is still preaching the theory of an American-Zionist conspiracy when the real problem comes from Khartoum, which is a Muslim government killing other Muslims," Hussein said.
He warned that such comments risked "encouraging the Khartoum regime to perpetuate injustice and its strategy against Darfur."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 04:19 ||
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lol - when I saw the title of this article on page1, I first thought of Jaish-e-mohammed...
That would be like Chiraq rejecting cheesypeasment.
A Sudanese Islamist leader who once protected Al Qaeda supremo Osama bin Laden was branded an apostate by the countrys Muslim scholars on Sunday for taking a liberal stand on womens rights.
A "liberal" stand on women's rights in Sudan would be repressive most other places...
The clerics proposed trying Hassan al-Turabi for apostasy following recent declarations by the Popular Congress Party leader that women were equal to men, had the right to marry a Christian or a Jew and could even lead prayers.
I find the proposal jaw-dropping, given that Turabi's always been a raving Islamist. He's a member of the Supreme Council of Global Jihad, for instance, still in good standing as far as I know. Women being equal to men does sound un-Islamic, despite the fact or perhaps because of the fact that it makes sense. Marrying a Christian or a Jew would by extension mean they'd be able to leave Islam and join their spouse's religion. Women leading prayers has been the excuse for riots and fatwahs in the recent past.
Turabi should declare repentance or face the Sharia Hadd for heresy, said the statement by the Muslim Scholars Committee, which has the support of the government and controls many of the countrys mosques. Hadd is a word in Islamic law that applies to punishments inflicted for some of the most serious offenses. The traditional punishment for heresy or apostasy in Sharia law is the death penalty.
Most of the traditional punishments under Shariah law seem to involve death and/or mutilation...
During a conference in Khartoum earlier this month, Turabi - the countrys most famous Muslim theologian - sparked an intense debate by expressing liberal views on Sudanese society and Islam. The white-turbaned 74-year-old cleric described the Muslim teachings that a Muslim woman should not marry a Christian or a Jew as backward and that adherence to such principles was aimed at hampering womens rights.
My gaster has flabbed.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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I dunno about the intermarriage thing, but Turabi has actually long supported a greater integration of women into Islamic movements, even terrorist organizations. More cannon fodder that way, I guess ...
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 0:23 Comments ||
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Hassan al-Turabi branded apostate for pro-women comments
As we used to say back in the day, arteriosclerosis of the hypothalapopotamus
#3
Turabi has always had some unorthodox ideas that seperate him from the Salafist/Wahabi thinking. He came from a time when Islamists tried to fuse the idea of an Islamic state with socialism and the nation state, whereas nowadays most Islamists have given up all notions of realism and look forward to a utopian fantasy.
Posted by: Paul Moloney ||
04/24/2006 6:28 Comments ||
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#4
Damn, that old surprise meter works after all!!
#5
Just 'cause he found out that ole Maddy Halfbright can push 400 lbs with legs.
Posted by: Captain America ||
04/24/2006 16:28 Comments ||
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#6
That's actually Jimmy JJ Walker: "Chicks are Dyn-O-Mite!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/24/2006 17:02 Comments ||
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The white-turbaned 74-year-old cleric described the Muslim teachings that a Muslim woman should not marry a Christian or a Jew as backward and that adherence to such principles was aimed at hampering womens rights.
"Backward" indeed for the Christian or Jew. Few arguments there.
Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden on Sunday called on his followers to go to Sudan to fight a proposed United Nations force in Darfur, in tape attributed to him and aired on Al Jazeera television.
Brilliant. Excellent idea. The man's a genius.
Since they've wrapped up everything they intended to do in Iraq ...
Bin Laden said: I call on Mujahideen and their supporters, especially in Sudan and the Arab peninsula, to prepare for long war against the crusader plunderers in Western Sudan.
What the hell does Western Sudan have for crusaders to plunder?
Oil, I think.
"Our goal is not defending the Khartoum government but to defend Islam, its land and its people. I urge holy warriors to be acquainted with the land and the tribes in Darfur.
"There's wimmin to be had, lads! Dark, yes! But comely! And treasure!... Of a sort. I guess. And livestock!"
One of Darfurs two main rebel groups rejected bin Ladens call, warning it could encourage Khartoum to step up its repression. We categorically reject these declarations, Justice and Equality Movement official Ahmed Hussein said.
Hussein? Hussein? Isn't that a Muslim name? Must be some sort of apostate or a heretic or something...
Bin Laden also slammed western efforts to isolate the Hamas-led Palestinian government as well as Washington and Europes freezing of financial aid contributions as proof of the Wests crusader war against Islam.
All of Islam, of course, being represented in Hamas...
... they do seem to be the modern prototype, don't they ...
Responding to the tape, Israeli government spokesman Raanan Gissin said that Bin Laden had decided to criticise Israel to deflect growing Arab animosity towards Al Qaeda.
I think he's just jumping on a bandwagon here. But the idea of Hamas representing all of Islam is interesting.
Bin Laden called for a global Muslim boycott of American goods. He said the Danish artists responsible for the offensive caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (ptui pbuh) should be handed over to him for trial and punishment.
Just tell us where to drop them off, Binny.
According to Al Jazeeera, Bin Laden, in a portion of the tape not aired by the channel, scoffed at Saudi King Abdullahs calls for a dialogue among civilisations.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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So what does he think about the ChiComs in the Sudan? C'mon, Binny, lay some wisdom on us.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/24/2006 10:58 Comments ||
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One judge was wounded and 15 activists were detained Monday when Egyptian police broke up a protest in support of judges calling for reforms, a security official and witnesses said. "Fifteen people were detained in the early hours of Monday outside the judges syndicate in Cairo," the official said on condition of anonymity. "Plain-clothed security tried to remove us by force," said Salma Said, one of the 40 protesters and a member the pro-reform Youth for Change movement. "They beat some of the protesters up and when Judge Mahmoud Hamza came down to defend us, he was beaten up too," she said. The judge was hospitalized but his condition was not thought to be serious.
Organizers from the Kefaya (Enough) protest movement said the protesters were holding a 24-hour sit-in in front of the Judges' Club to draw attention to the plight of the two judges facing questioning.
They beat the protesters with sticks ... Judge Mahmoud Hamza is still in hospital," said Hany Enan, an organizer with Kefaya.
"The sit-in ... is to draw attention to the judges," said Enan. "They (the police) thought that if they can remove the protesters, people will not notice the issue anymore," he added.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 20:00 ||
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For more than 14 years a bloody civil war has been taking place in Algeria between the Algerian regime and armed Islamic organizations seeking the establishment of a religious Islamic state in its place. All attempts by the Algerian government to end the war have been unsuccessful.(1) Since 2003, there has been a significant decrease in Islamic terrorist activity as a result of Algerian military operations, particularly in the larger cities of the Republic. At the same time, terror and guerilla attacks are still being carried out by remnants of the armed Islamic organizations.(2) This article will follow the latest developments in the Algerian arena in view of the conditional amnesty offered by the Algerian government to members of the armed Islamic organizations.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 04:51 ||
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DHAKA - Bangladesh on Monday defended its handover to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of an American-born Bangladeshi to face possible terror charges. Ehsanul Islam Sadequee, 19, who has US-Bangladeshi citizenship, was arrested in the capital Dhaka last week. Sadequees activities were suspicious so we have deported him, Home Minister Lutfozzaman Babar told reporters.
I'd say you'd really have to try hard to stand out in Bangladesh
This type of deportation is not the first we have done. In the past we have deported many people on a regular basis. Every year we deport five to seven people, Babar said. The US ambassador to Bangladesh declined to comment on the case.
CNN earlier quoted unnamed law enforcement sources as saying Sadequees detention was linked to the arrest of US student Syed Haris Ahmed, 21, who was indicted last month in Atlanta by a grand jury on a charge of material support of terrorism. US attorney David Nahmias said in a statement the case against Ahmed involves national security and was the first international terrorism charge to be filed in Georgia state.
US court papers unsealed on Friday alleged Sadequee travelled with Ahmed, a Pakistan-born American, to Canada to meet like-minded Islamic extremists to plan an attack against the US, the New York Times newspaper said.
Canada, huh? How's that "Friendship Fence" coming?
Sadequees father Sardar Mohammad Sharif, who was in Dhaka when his son was arrested, told AFP he was not involved in any terrorist activities. My son is clean. Hes not involved with any terror organisation. But like most of his family, hes a devout Muslim ... He knows the Koran by heart, he said.
Well, that certainly makes me feel safer
Bangladesh has been an ally in US President George Bushs war against terrorism and has cooperated closely with Washington on security matters.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/24/2006 09:42 ||
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American-born Bangladeshi
We're gonna have to fire up Freds olde diesel-powered 6-speed parser for that phrase.
Prince Harry would be involved in "the fullest range of deployments" if his unit is sent to Iraq, but he might be kept out of situations where his presence would jeopardize his comrades, the Ministry of Defense said Monday. Harry, the 21-year-old second son of Prince Charles and the late Princess Diana, recently completed his training at Sandhurst military academy and is a second lieutenant in the Household Cavalry.
The Mail on Sunday newspaper, quoting unidentified sources, reported that Harry had threatened to resign from the army if he is held out of combat roles. Make this young Prince King of England some day.
#2
His Leftenant Highness should be sat down by a very senior, grizzled Command Sergeant-Major and have a few facts of life explained to him.
First of all, the difference between an enlisted man, an NCO and an officer. And why.
Second, why there is absolutely nothing he could do in combat that is of higher value than what by birth is planned for him.
Third, if in future he ever wants to accomplish anything, it won't be by demanding, it will be by painstakingly "getting his ducks in a row", to get either what he wants, or accolades for what he doesn't want. One or the other. Not both.
Fourth, and by far the most important. If he really wants his country to survive, once its military is officially absorbed into that continental disaster, he will have to build a new army himself, with his grandmother's money.
That is, unless he wants to see England someday occupied by a foreign army, your highness is going to have to spend his life building and maintaining an offshore army whose sole loyalty is to you. It will have to be kept far away, as secretly as possible, and you can only use it once.
It will be your "Excalibur" Regiment, as it will be the sword that someday saves England. And that, Your Highness, is your purpose in life. To save England. No nobler task exists for an English King.
So, with that stern jaw you would have as a young Leftenant, you will instead have to be a stern-jawed General, ready to act only when the moment is ripe, with our nation being at stake.
#3
However, to be really credible and earn the loyalty of such a regiment, I suspect he needs some actual operational experience. As the *second* son that is his duty and right, it seems to me.
#4
I'm impressed by Harry and hope he gets his posting. It's an act of leadership he owes the nation, protecting it overseas before it becomes necessary to save it at home.
#8
Exactly, 6. How many soldiers do you think would follow Slick Willie into the Valley of Death and do you think he had the balls do do so? Example is a good way to lead.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/24/2006 16:23 Comments ||
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#9
Putting a bit of the 'stiff' back into the English upper lip. I hope the UK military recruiting surges as a result.
#12
This makes him the first piece of British Royalty to qualify as a man in my lifetime. If they would only let Americans vote on who sits on the throne, he IS the boy that would be King.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
04/24/2006 16:36 Comments ||
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#13
Mike, I think you are very young or ignoring Andrew's service in the Falklands aboard the Invincible. The same MOD grannies tried to get him put ashore sailing a desk, but his Mum insisted he do his duty and that was the end of that nonsense.
#14
and Andy bagged Koo Stark while she was still a looker
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/24/2006 17:04 Comments ||
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#15
Nimble, You're on the nuts with that one. 28
Posted by: Mike N. ||
04/24/2006 17:31 Comments ||
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#16
Sorry, while he may want to lead, he cannot be an asset to his unit. In training they can treat him as "one of the lads"; but in the real thing he could get killed, or worse, captured.
Every other man in his unit knows and accepts that they are expendable, and they take responsibility for their own lives. But how many could not resist trying to protect His Highness from taking shrapnel or a bullet? They can't do their job and cover his butt at the same time, and nobody can order them not to defend someone who may be their future king.
The fact is, that there are some damned honorable men who more than anything else wish to serve in the trenches, but cannot. Because they are just too valuable elsewhere.
Harry's problem is that he sees what life he is mostly condemned to follow, and craves a real life beyond that gilded cage. In truth, he is right, but it is possibly up to him to re-define what it means to be of royal blood. With a willing conservative parliament, which it may be by then, he may have a chance.
Were I in his shoes, I would instead be calculating out what could be done for my country with the billions of dollars kept by grandmother.
#17
Good for him - while I'm sure his father and grandmum the Queen, etal. will worry for his life and safety, I see no better way for the troubled monarchy to score points before the Brit people than them seeing a Prince(s) of England go into harm's way like everyone else, or at least Henry V. * "Once more into the Breach, my dear friends /brothers".
Chechnyas rebels are preparing to send out fighters to attack Russia anywhere on its territory, and could activate their attacks any day now, a spokesman for the movement said. In comments published on a rebel Web site, Movladi Udugov said the separatist movement had rejected Western democracy, in favour of setting up a state ruled only by Islamic law.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 04:12 ||
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Chechnya's rebels are preparing to send out fighters to attack Russia anywhere on its territory, and could activate their attacks any day now, a spokesman for the movement said.
Might not be a good idea, from a strategic point of view, though it could indicate that Chechnya itself is getting a bit warm for them.
In comments published on a rebel website, Movladi Udugov said the separatist movement had rejected Western democracy, in favour of setting up a state ruled only by Islamic law.
I'd say it's the measure of our success that you can't rule a Western democracy with an iron fist, like you can a state ruled by Islamic law.
His comments will raise concerns the rebels might be prepared to return to the use of suicide bombers, which were previously sent against civilian targets in Moscow and the Caucasus, but have not been used since 2004. "Our minimum goal - not to surrender - is achieved.
That sounds like a bare admission that they're not dead yet.
"Now we have a different goal, which is total war, war everywhere you can find the enemy, ... a war of units unified with mobile groups and individuals, which can operate autonomously to the rear of the enemy without waiting for orders," Udugov said. "We are counting not on the scale of attacks, but their effectiveness. And this requires staging attacks at any point in all of Russia, not only in the Caucasus."
I guess the Russers weren't lying when they claimed they were successful against the Chechen thugs. I'm impressed. Surprised, but impressed.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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I wonder if Iran will give nukes to the Chechen terrorists - Mother Russia ought to be a lot less cooperative with the mad mullahs in my opinion.
North Korea could suspend food rations for ordinary citizens in Pyongyang next month due to its worsening famine, a South Korean aid group warned Sunday. The North Korean capital has had a better food supply than other areas in the Stalinist state despite a chronic food shortage since the 1990s.
Pyongyang is no longer a safe zone in food supply, Good Friends, a Seoul-based aid group for North Koreans, said in a newsletter.
The implosion begins.
Food supply officials in Pyongyang say food rations lasted only 10 days in April and will be suspended for ordinary citizens beginning in May, the group said. The aid group said big businesses and state organizations would remain unaffected but warned that if food rations are halted for months, a growing number of North Koreans will migrate to China in search of food. North Korea has relied on outside handouts to feed its 23 million population as a failed policy and a series of natural disasters in the mid-1990s hurt grain production. But United Nations food aid to North Korea ended late last year after Pyongyang said it no longer needed emergency shipments from the World Food Programme (WFP) and other international humanitarian agencies.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 04:27 ||
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#1
The aid group said big businesses [criminal Organizations] and state organizations [the military , secret police, and of course Kimmie-boy's friends] would remain unaffected.
#3
Oh, the irony. What if (a BIG IF) North Korea imploded from within while we implode (or the Joooos do it) Iran? Completely dispels the Internal Overthrow(tm) theory on Iran.
Posted by: BA ||
04/24/2006 11:12 Comments ||
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Chinese President Hu Jintao told Saudi Arabia on Sunday that the world's most populous country was ready to help bring stability to the Middle East. "The Middle East is a vital region in the world and there will be no achievements and development in the world without a stable Middle East," Hu said in the translated comments.
"China is ready to work with Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries to strengthen peace and development in the Middle East and to build a world of peace, stability and prosperity," he told Saudi Arabia's Shura council, an unelected legislature.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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China's economy is enabling them to become a real player. this is just the beginning of China's asserting itself more aggressively into the global geopolitical arena.
Ominous.
No wonder Israel thought it prudent to sell technology to them.
EFL New NATO ally Bulgaria has agreed to open three military bases to permanent use by 2,500 U.S. troops who would be available for combat in the Middle East and other nearby regions. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will seal the deal when she visits the country this week.
The final draft of the agreement, which was seen by The Washington Times, allows the United States to deploy troops from the bases for missions in third countries without the specific permission of the Bulgarian authorities.
Officials of both countries said the United States will not pay rent for its use of the Bezmer and Graf Ignatievo air bases and the Novo Selo army training range and storage facility. But, according to the agreement, it will cover "operational and maintenance expenses." "If we decide we need commercial property, we'll pay," the senior U.S. official said. The senior Bulgarian official said that any new facilities built by the Americans will remain Bulgarian property during and after the Americans' presence in the country.
The agreement, which has to be ratified by the Bulgarian parliament before entering into force, runs for 10 years and will be automatically renewed. Either side can terminate it with one year's notice. Miss Rice signed a similar agreement with Romania in December. It has been ratified by the parliament's lower chamber and is currently awaiting approval by the Senate, said Sorin Ducaru, the Romanian ambassador to Washington.
De Villiers is so far the only french pol I'd deem as "esteemable" and I'll probably vote for him, assuming I vote.
Still, I don't know how he will fare in the presidential election... probably 5-6%... oh, well.
Btw, he's not right wing in the Le Pen sense, he's a conservative catholic noble, a "sovereignty" EU-skeptic, the son of a deported resistance WWII hero (unlike many french pols who're sons of collaborationnists, Hubert Védrine, Lionel Jospin,...) who's very well managed his region in a relatively free-market way; also, he might be the most popular french pols among french jews, and if I base my judgement on how he's being now diabolized ("to the right of Le Pen", very aggressive interviews,...), he's a real embarassment to the establishment with his denunciation of the rapid islamization of France... He's sincere on that, too, I'd say. Of course, the Lepenists say he's an undercover agent of the establishment, meant to torpedo Le Pen.
Only bad thing about him is he has some dead weights in his entourage, including Paul Marie Coutaux, the guy who wish arabs had the A bomb to counterbalance Israel and the anglosaxons, and he's an enarch (but he has a sense of humor, not a common combination)...
TOM HENEGHAN IN PARIS
A FAR-right French politician launched his 2007 presidential campaign yesterday by claiming Paris's Charles de Gaulle airport was endangered by Islamist radicals who, he said, had infiltrated the ground staff.
Philippe de Villiers, head of the anti-immigrant Movement for France (MPF) party, also declared Islam incompatible with France's secular values and denounced what he called the Islamisation of the country.
Mr Villiers has stirred up controversy in recent weeks with increasingly tough statements about Muslims, which critics call racist and officials describe as exaggerated. France's five million Muslims make up the largest such minority in Europe.
"I am the only politician who tells the French the truth about the Islamisation of France," he said in a radio interview, kicking off his campaign.
On Thursday, he plans to publish a book, entitled The Mosques of Roissy, detailing his charges about radicals at the airport. His main rival on the far-right, the National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen, has also stepped up his preparations for the 2007 vote.
The daily Le Parisien, in an extensive report yesterday on Mr Villiers's charges about Islamist radicals at the airport, quoted officials saying that the problem was minimal and suspicious workers were kept under surveillance.
The interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, and the justice minister, Dominique Perben, toured the airport on Thursday and said that only 122 of about 83,000 ground staff were being watched.
"There aren't 122, there are hundreds," said Mr Villiers, quoting what he said were secret police reports, which he used as the basis for his book. He challenged Mr Sarkozy to publish them.
According to a survey to be published by Le Parisien today, Mr Villiers trails the veteran far-right leader Mr Le Pen, with 4 per cent support against his rival's 14 per cent.
Mr Villiers said Islam was incompatible with the country's democratic system because he said it demanded loyalty to the ummah (world Muslim community) over individual states, wanted to impose sharia Islamic law, and promoted jihad, or holy war. "I think there are moderate Muslims, they are even the large majority, but I do not believe there is a moderate Islam," he said. "I do not think Islam is compatible with the French republic."
Saying France had to fight what he called Islamisation, he said Paris should stop mosque construction, impose a citizen's charter demanding the strict separation of religion and state, freedom to change religions and demand respect for the equality of men and women. It should also expel any persons threatening the security of the French population.
Asked for a comment on Mr Villiers's book, the head of the French Muslim Council, Dalil Boubakeur, told the weekly Le Point: "I don't share his vision of French Islam at all."
So, RBers, what do you think of his views on the ROP?
#1
Stopping Islamization by banning mosque construction. Great idea, they should've thought of that -- stopping a German invasion by banning beer, a Russian invasion by banning Vodka, and an American (tourist) invasion by banning McDonald's.
#2
Well, mosques are sprouting all over the place, including a giant one at Poitiers, where the moors were stopped by Charles Martel, I think you can see the importance of the symbol,... often on public ground being leased or sold for a symbolic euro by the mayor (plenty of voting opportunities here), and with illegal subsidies from the State (trick is to let it fund the "cultural" part of the mosque)... all this while churches are left to decay and to be pillaged by art thieves.
IIRC, France has now more mosque per mulim capita than Morocco. Yet, more are erected every week.
That, and his simple, basic, affirmation that french law must prevail over multiculturalism and islamic values (did you know that the french authorities, led by left wing interior minister Chevènement, caved on the right to change religion back?), gets him my vote.
Of course, in the long run, this doesn't change a thing to the grand shift.
I repeat, he's dubbed as a "right winger" and an extremist, but he's still a run-of-the-mill pol, operating in the cadre of legality. He's proposing legal solution to an unsolvable problem.
It's not like he's going to announce ethnic cleasing or something. And short of that, we're screwed. So, things will get worse, until the tipping point. It won't even have to be violent. Wer're screwed.
to me, it's more than allowing the free practice of islam. we do that in the US and we're not islamicized. islamization is more about the culture moving in a more islamic direction. When prisons and schools cut out whole categories of food, when dress codes are completely redone, when language, music, day to day activities, etc become infused with muslim influences, when other groups are offended because of society's contortions NOT to offend islam - THAT'S islamization.
#5
It's good that the gentleman is saying things that need to be said. Just like yesterday's article about that Dutch report on Islam that caused such consternation over there, it's important that Europeans insist on actually thinking about the risks of the maintaining the current direction. As a result of the the rioting youths and Cartoonifada, Europeans are starting to awaken from their sleep -- and we pray they turn that into real action.
However, Monsieur Philippe De Villiers is a European conservative, which I understand to be a Monarchist, or at least one who wishes to restore rule by the aristocratics and the Catholic church. If he is read that way by the masses of Frenchmen, steeped in the pleasures of Marxist rhetoric and awareness of the several French Revolutions, he will not get a significant number of votes, no matter how much the peepul agree with his sentiments on the subject of the Muslim Conquest. JFM, a5089, could you be so kind as to expand a bit on Mr De Villiers other ideas for governing France?
#6
Since you ask - I think his views of Islam (which I do not call the religion of peace, it is a diverse religion) are incorrect. But then most here would not be surprised.
If French Jews prefer this man over Sarkozy Id be surprised indeed.
Reading his site, even with my rusty French, Villiers is not a monarchist (at least not openly). He is a euroskeptic, to the point that he introduced the "polish plumber" meme into european discourse, apparently.
#8
to me, it's more than allowing the free practice of islam. we do that in the US and we're not islamicized. islamization is more about the culture moving in a more islamic direction. When prisons and schools cut out whole categories of food, when dress codes are completely redone, when language, music, day to day activities, etc become infused with muslim influences, when other groups are offended because of society's contortions NOT to offend islam - THAT'S islamization.
And that's exactly what's happening in europe.
It's not happening in the US?
I guess I only imagined the blacked out bits in South Park, or the odd gaps in news coverage.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
04/24/2006 17:50 Comments ||
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A Dutch Muslim-born politician has condemned Islam's attitudes towards homosexuality and claims that the Netherlands have not done enough to protect gay asylum seekers who face death in their country of origin.
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, first gained international attention with a film documenting voilence against women within Islamic societies. Her new film claims that Islam is responsible for a great deal of homophobia. "By that I do not mean that people of other religions do not persecute homosexuals ... but coming from that background that is what I have witnessed and I think that it is my responsibility not to remain quiet," said Ms Ali who has faced death threats since her 2004 film on the role of women.
She also stressed the Dutch government and other European governments had not done enough to protect those trying to flee such persecution.
I really, really admire what this woman is doing.
Ms Hirsi Ali claimed that the Dutch government have not protected the human rights of gay asylum seekers. This claim follows the comments made by Dutch immigration minister Rita Verdonk who claimed that gays did not face persecution in Iran as long as they were discreet. "My government has not taken this as seriously as I would have liked," Ms Hirsi Ali told reporters after she opened an exhibition documenting the persecution of gay people during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands.
April 24, 2006 - A former CIA officer who was sacked last week after allegedly confessing to leaking secrets has denied she was the source of a controversial Washington Post story about alleged CIA secret detention operations in Eastern Europe, a friend of the operative told NEWSWEEK.
The fired official, Mary O. McCarthy, categorically denies being the source of the leak, one of McCarthys friends and former colleagues, Rand Beers, said Monday after speaking to McCarthy. Beers said he could not elaborate on this denial and McCarthy herself did not respond to a request for comment left by NEWSWEEK on her home answering machine. A national security advisor to Democratic Party candidate John Kerry during the 2004 presidential campaign, Beers worked as the head of intelligence programs on President Bill Clintons National Security Council staff and later served as a top deputy on counter-terrorism for President Bush in 2002 and 2003. McCarthy, a career CIA analyst, initially worked as a deputy to Beers on the NSC and later took over Beers role as the Clinton NSCs top intelligence expert.
McCarthy's lawyer, Ty Cobb, told NEWSWEEK this afternooon that contrary to public statements by the CIA late last week, McCarthy never confessed to agency interrogators that she had divulged classified information and "didn't even have access to the information" in The Washington Post story in question.
After being told by agency interrogators that she may have been deceptive on one quesiton during a polygraph, McCarthy did acknowledge that she had failed to report contacts with Washington Post reporter Dana Priest and at least one other reporter, said a source familiar with her account who asked not to be identified because of legal sensitivities. McCarthy has known Priest for some time, the source said.
McCarthy, 61, a career CIA analyst who was working in the inspector general's office, was then told on Thursday that she was being fired. She was not escorted out of the CIA buiilding, the source said. She also had been assured that the CIA would protect her privacy--just one day before her name became publicly known as the agency official who had been dismissed for leaking to the press, the source said. Ironically, McCarthy, who presvously worked as chief intelligence official for the National Security Council during Bill Clinton's second term, was planning on retiring from the CIA soon to pursue a new career as a lawyer working on adoption and family cases. LOL
CIA spokesman Paul Gimigliano re-affirmed on Monday that an agency official had been fired after acknowledging unauthorized contacts with the media and discussion of classified information with journalists. Gimigliano and other administration spokespersons said they were prohibited by law from disclosing the identity of the person who was fired. But government officials familiar with the matter confirmed to NEWSWEEK that McCarthy, a 20-year veteran of the CIAs intelligenceor analytical branch, was the individual in question.
A counter-terrorism official acknowledged to NEWSWEEK today that in firing McCarthy, the CIA was not necessarily accusing her of being the principal, original, or sole leaker of any particular story. Intelligence officials privately acknowledge that key news stories about secret agency prison and rendition operations have been based, at least in part, upon information available from unclassified sources. More fish to go in the pan
Two official sources familiar with the inquiry which led to McCarthys firing cautioned that news reports indicating that McCarthy was aggressively being pursued by the Justice Department for possible criminal violations were ahead of the facts.
The sources told NEWSWEEK that because McCarthys alleged acknowledgements that she leaked classified information were made as a result of an inquiry based on polygraph examinations, it would be difficult, if not impossible, for prosecutors to use any admissions she made in trying to put together any criminal prosecution. One of the sources, a law enforcement official close to the investigation, noted that polygraph evidence is normally inadmissible in criminal court cases because of judicial doubts about the reliability and credibility of lie-detector machines. Also, the official said, witnesses submitting to a polygraph examination usually give up their rights not to make self-incriminating statements. The use of any admissions McCarthy gave under these circumstances for a criminal investigation would therefore be problematic, the official indicated. No story on CIA ladies woul be complete without a quote from Agency stud muffin Larry Johnson
Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst who got into a dispute with McCarthy in the late l980s when she was his supervisor and remains critical of her management style, nonetheless says that he never saw her allow her political [views] to cloud her analytical judgment. Johnson maintains the Bush White House is really damaging the intelligence community by sending a message to career officials that unless you are a partisan of the party in power, you cannot be trusted. This message, Johnson says, is destroying the intelligence communitys professional ethos. EFL
#1
"Was planning on retiring soon from the CIA" - too bad, as Federal caselaw, statutes, or standards presumes retirement, discharge, or general resignation only within the context that no laws or restrictions were maliciously or criminally broken. Even iff she had formally retired, wilful misconduct or crimes committed during the performance of one's official duties is grounds for the Fed to cancel one's pension - not only may Mary lose her pension, but she could also be asked to pay back any and all annuity sums or benefits she was given, plus penalties.
#5
This message, Johnson says, is destroying the intelligence communitys professional ethos.
Given the intelligence communitiies recent reputation for leakage and incompetence, I'd say their "professional ethos" could use a good kick in the arse.
#6
The diagram cut off Clinton from the top of this pile of cretins.
The story indicates to me that she's really not very bright - in that particularly Moonbat manner where arrogance replaces intelligence. She actually believed herself untouchable, too connected and protected, above the law. Now, when she hears the hammer being cocked, it finally dawns on her that she's in deep doodoo.
Just think, she was an NIO (!!!) and privy to so many incredibly sensitive secrets. Scary. Serious blowback on the corruption and politicization of the Clinton administration is long long overdue.
#10
No, Walter. You have Kerry drawn correctly in the diagram. Well, if you want to be technical, then his output goes effectively into the.....sinktrap, to say it civilly.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/24/2006 23:54 Comments ||
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Key Democratic legislators yesterday joined Republicans in saying they do not condone the alleged leaking of classified information that led to last week's firing of a veteran CIA officer. But they questioned whether a double standard exists that lets the White House give reporters secretly declassified information for political purposes.
"I don't know this woman, and I do not condone leaks of classified information," said Rep. Jane Harman (Calif.), ranking Democrat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, referring to the firing of Mary McCarthy.
Harman added that "while leaks are wrong, I think it is totally wrong for our president in secret to selectively declassify certain information and empower people in his White House to leak it to favored reporters so that they can discredit political enemies," she said on Fox News Sunday.
Harman was referring to White House staff members disclosing the classified identity of CIA case officer Valerie Plame in 2003.
Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) echoed Harman, saying, "A CIA agent has an obligation to uphold the law, and clearly leaking is against the law. And nobody should leak." But he added: "If you're leaking to tell the truth, Americans are going to look at that, at least mitigate or think about what are the consequences that you . . . put on that person."
McCarthy, while working for CIA Inspector General John L. Helgerson, is alleged to have "knowingly and willfully shared classified intelligence, including operational information" to journalists including The Washington Post's Dana Priest. Last week, Priest was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for beat reporting that included the revelation of secret, CIA-run prisons for suspected terrorists in Eastern Europe and elsewhere.
Kerry, on ABC's "This Week," said, "Classification in Washington is a tool that is used to hide the truth from the American people." He added, "I'm glad she told the truth," but if McCarthy did it, she will have to face the consequences of breaking the law.
Then drawing a parallel to the Plame case, Kerry said that with McCarthy, "you have somebody being fired from the CIA for allegedly telling the truth, and you have no one fired from the White House for revealing a CIA agent in order to support a lie. That underscores what's really wrong in Washington, D.C."
From 1996 to 2001, McCarthy worked as a senior intelligence aide on the National Security Council staff. She has been denounced by critics for leaking classified material; some suggested she had a political motive and noted that she gave $2,000 to Kerry's presidential primary campaign.
Rep. Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.), chairman of the House intelligence panel, took issue with Harman on the question of a double standard. Appearing on the same Fox program, Hoekstra said the president has the legal authority to decide "what is classified and what is not," whereas "this person in the CIA thought that they were above the law." As a result, he added, McCarthy put the country at greater risk through her alleged disclosures.
Asked about the administration's statements about Iran's fast-advancing nuclear program, Hoekstra and Harman gave support to Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte's prediction last week that it could be the next decade before Tehran has enough fissile material to make a nuclear weapon.
"We really don't know," Hoekstra said, but "we're getting lots of mixed messages." Pressed about the apparent lack of clear intelligence on Iran, Hoekstra said: "Sometimes it's better to be honest and to say there's a whole lot we don't know about Iran that I wish we did know . . . as decisions are being made on Iran."
Harman picked up the point, saying, "Our intelligence is thin. I don't think we have enough sources." Referring to recent statements from Tehran that it had begun enriching uranium, Harman said: "Just the fact that the Iranian government is making a lot of noise doesn't prove their capability."
She compared Iran today to Iraq in 2002, when "the Iraqi government made a lot of noise, and they had nothing." She said when the Bush White House did not have a strong case that Saddam Hussein had unconventional weapons, "those who tried to speak truth to power were shut out."
As for Iran, Harman said, "This is not a time to be saber rattling in our government, talking about the military option. We don't know enough."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 04:43 ||
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#1
But they questioned whether a double standard exists that lets the White House give reporters secretly declassified information for political purposes.
Not a double standard -- just a law.
Idiots.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
04/24/2006 7:18 Comments ||
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#2
Of course there's a double standard - DemocRATS leak info in order to 'tell the truth', whereas everybody knows Republicans are naturally evil and greedy, so their guilt in these matters should be obvious!
#3
While visiting his niece, an elderly man had a heart attack. The woman drove wildly to get him to the emergency room. After what seemed like a very long wait, the E. R. doctor appeared, wearing his scrubs and a long face.
Sadly, he said, "I'm afraid that your uncle's brain is dead but his heart is still beating."
"Oh, dear, what are we going to do?" cried the woman, her hands clasped against her cheeks with shock, "We've never had a Democrat in the family before."
#4
I wish SOMEONE would have the BALLS to try these ASSH*$ES with treason!!! This CRAP has got to STOP!!!!!Don't care,Repub or Dhimi.Try em' and HANG em' high!!
#5
She's already getting the Sandy Berger kid-glove treatment, I observe. The "CIA is considering" yada yada. So tell me, why is this woman not already in cuffs and doung the perp walk on the nightly news?
10 years in Leavenworth, that's my vote. Not that it appears to matter what I think.
#7
What I was hearing yesterday from all the Bleeding Heart Liberals was, "She's already paid a high price, she was fired. Isn't that enough?" NO, it's not enough. She broke the law and now needs to pay the consequences. These smae people were calling for Carl Rove and Scooter Libby to spend decades in prison for "outing" a non-covert agent. Talk about double standards.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/24/2006 10:54 Comments ||
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#8
Besoeker, I'll take theat bet because in another related story it says she was dimissed, stripped of her security clearence, and escorted from the building. Additionally, she may not be under arrest now but may soon be. Kerry et al keep missing the point that Bush IS NOT THE ENEMY, but liberals always feel they are smarter than most.
#11
I am thinking of what would happen if I leaked classified info. My access would not be "suspended;" it would be gone. I would be fired, of course. I would then be put on trial for a felony.
The crackdown on leaks at the Central Intelligence Agency that led to the dismissal of a veteran intelligence officer last week included a highly unusual polygraph examination for the agency's independent watchdog, Inspector General John L. Helgerson, intelligence officials with knowledge of the investigation said Sunday.
The special polygraphs, which have been given to dozens of employees since January, are part of a broader effort by Porter J. Goss, the director of the C.I.A., to re-emphasize a culture of secrecy that has included a marked tightening of the review process for books and articles by former agency employees.
As the inspector general, Mr. Helgerson was the supervisor of Mary O. McCarthy, who was fired Thursday after admitting she had leaked classified information to reporters about secret C.I.A. detention centers and other subjects, agency officials said.
Mr. Goss and the C.I.A.'s deputy director, Vice Adm. Albert M. Calland III, voluntarily submitted to polygraph tests during the leak investigation to show they were willing to experience the same scrutiny they were asking other employees to undergo, agency officials said. Mr. Helgerson likewise submitted to the lie-detector test, they said.
But Mr. Helgerson's status as the independent inspector general a post to which he was appointed by the president and from which only the president can remove him makes his submission to a polygraph even more unusual.
L. Britt Snider, who served as inspector general from 1998 to 2001, said in an interview on Sunday night that he had not been given a polygraph in that position, though he said he was given an initial polygraph when he arrived at the agency in 1997 as special counsel to the director.
"I've never heard of it, and it's certainly unusual," Mr. Snider said. He called it "awkward" for the inspector general to be, in effect, investigated by the agency he ordinarily investigates.
But Mr. Snider and another former senior intelligence official said that it would not be improper if Mr. Helgerson had volunteered for the polygraph to set an example for others.
Reached by telephone on Sunday, Mr. Helgerson declined to comment and referred a reporter to a C.I.A. spokesman, who said he could not comment on any aspect of the leak investigation.
Further details about the inspector general's polygraph test could not be determined.
Mr. Goss has repeatedly expressed unhappiness with what he sees as the laxity of C.I.A. employees and retirees in discussing agency matters. He has taken up the cause of tightening information controls across the board, partly in response to calls from the White House, the Congressional intelligence committees and the presidential commission on weapons of mass destruction.
Mr. Helgerson's office, which investigates accusations of lapses in the ethics or performance of agency employees, has investigated some of the most serious controversies of recent years, including cases involving accusations of detainee abuse.
Since a 1989 change following the Iran-contra scandal, the C.I.A.'s internal watchdog has been confirmed by the Senate and has reported to the Congressional intelligence committees as well as to the C.I.A. director, a shift intended to assure the position's independence.
Among the subjects handled by Mr. Helgerson's office was a report completed last year that faulted senior C.I.A. officials for lapses in the failure to prevent the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. But Mr. Goss kept the report classified and did not punish any of those named.
Former officials say the inspector general's office has also referred more than half a dozen cases of detainee abuse to the Department of Justice, but officials there have taken no action, except for a pending prosecution of one agency contract employee charged with beating an Afghan prisoner who later died.
The "single-issue" polygraphs, which are distinct from the routine polygraphs given to agency employees at least every five years, have been conducted by the C.I.A. Security Center but with close supervision from Mr. Goss's office, one official said. Like other current and former intelligence officials, he was granted anonymity to discuss classified events at the agency without fear of retribution.
For tightly "compartmented" programs like the secret detention centers, the C.I.A.'s computer system automatically limits access to the few officers who have the proper clearance to learn details of the program. The computer keeps an audit trail of which officer has looked at which documents and when they have done it, a record that would aid investigators hunting for a leaker, officials say.
The renewed emphasis on the culture of secrecy has included a tightening of the review process for books and articles by former agency employees, said Mark S. Zaid, a lawyer who represents many authors who once worked for the C.I.A.
Authors say the agency's Publications Review Board has been removing material that would easily have been approved before. While the board in the past has generally worked with retirees to make manuscripts publishable, it now more often appears to be trying to block publication, the authors say. And reprimands for violations have become more stern, including letters warning of possible Justice Department investigations.
A C.I.A. spokeswoman, Jennifer Millerwise Dyck, denied that the Publications Review Board's standards had changed.
"The only rule is that they are not allowed to have classified information in their manuscripts," Ms. Millerwise Dyck said.
But Mr. Zaid said: "There's been a fundamental shift in practice at the Publications Review Board. There's literally been a reinstitution of the 1950's attitude that what happens at C.I.A. stays at C.I.A."
Mr. Zaid said the shift in the agency's approach to publications under Mr. Goss was most clearly illustrated by its handling of a book by Thomas Waters Jr., who wrote about his experiences as a recent agency recruit.
He said the manuscript of Mr. Waters's book, titled "Class 11: Inside the CIA's First Post-9/11 Spy Class," was approved by the Publications Review Board in September 2004 with several modest changes. Mr. Waters then sold the book to Dutton, made the changes and submitted the galleys for a final review.
In February, Mr. Zaid said, the board returned the galleys with nearly half their contents marked as classified and not approved for publication. Mr. Waters, who left the agency after two years for family reasons, has sued the agency to permit publication, and the case is pending.
"What's ironic is that it's a very positive book," Mr. Zaid said. "He had a great experience and he thought this book would be a great recruiting tool."
In other cases, Mr. Zaid said, an acquaintance was recently refused permission to publish an op-ed article that drew on material from the agency's Web site. Another client's book was turned down because, the author was told, even though no single chapter was classified, the whole manuscript revealed enough information that it had to be classified. This so-called mosaic theory of classification, Mr. Zaid said, is being used more often to prevent publication.
Another former employee with long experience having publications approved agreed that reviews had become tougher. "It takes longer and there's a much more conservative approach," the former employee said, adding that he believed that some of the deletions had crossed the admittedly fuzzy boundary between protecting classified information and censoring personal opinions.
Another retiree agreed, saying he believed the agency had begun pressing authors to excise some unclassified material from manuscripts. "It's a more complex process than it used to be," he said. "Now, they question a lot more things."
Yet another agency retiree, who has in the past received warning letters from the C.I.A. after occasionally publishing articles without seeking approval, said he had recently gotten a far more strongly worded letter. This one informed him that a file had been opened to document his transgressions that could be forwarded to the Justice Department, he said.
Mr. Goss's effort to lower the profile of the agency has apparently been extended to the Web site of its Center for the Study of Intelligence, which for years has carried unclassified articles about the history and practice of spying from the in-house journal Studies in Intelligence.
Max Holland, who has written two articles for the C.I.A. journal, recently reported in The American Spectator that the online posting of unclassified excerpts from an agency review of the failure to assess Iraq's unconventional weapons accurately had been delayed for seven months. The last issue represented on the C.I.A. Web site is from mid-2005.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 04:41 ||
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#1
Forget about McCarthy. It's all the fault of the CIA. This story is being spiked.
#2
"special polygraphs, which have been given to dozens of employees since January, are part of a broader effort by Porter J. Goss." WTG Goss! He gets to clean house as they fail polygraphs.
#5
I just watched an analyst on FOX who asked the question that's been driving me nuts since she was identified:
Why isn't McCarthy in a detention center right this minute, under arrest, floating in a sea of giggle juice, and being debriefed until her memory is wiped clean?
US Senator John Kerry on Sunday called on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign following the airing of a new recording attributed to fugitive al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden slipped past US troops from his hideout in the Tora Bora area of Afghanistan in late 2001 because Rumsfeld had not committed enough troops to finding him, Kerry, the Democratic Party candidate in the 2004 presidential election, told ABC television... Pardon me while I spit. A lot.
#4
Can someone give Kerry a Drano gargle and wash? He is the biggest idiot I've ever seen in a high position. If he were any dumber, he'd have to have "LEFT" and "RIGHT" tattooed on his hands.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/24/2006 10:59 Comments ||
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#5
RD...We need a coffee alert and a cleanup on Aisle 3! Good gawd, that's spooky. Unfortunately, pay day's tomorrow, so can I borrow some brillo pads and bleach? I won't give sKerry the satisfaction of using razor blades, though.
Posted by: BA ||
04/24/2006 11:00 Comments ||
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#6
Brillo, Bleach, and Razor Blades are now for sale at Rantburg..see TW!
*Shudder* After seeing that, I'll be happy to give them away, RD. Some people shouldn't be allowed to use their imaginations.
#13
When a Dem pres hopefull speaks and all the folks here at Rantburg do is poke at a photoshop says a lot for his credability. I love how the only one that listens to that windbag is ABC. But I do feel the photo is disgusting and deserves the sinktrap. LOL
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
04/24/2006 17:48 Comments ||
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#14
My g*d That is scary, my dog just went yelping out of the room. :)
Invading Iraq is likely to go down as one of the worst US foreign policy blunders ever, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said in an interview published on Sunday. The former top US diplomat told the New York Times that Iraq's deposed leader Saddam Hussein "was horrible. But I did not think he was an imminent threat to the United States."
"You can't go to war with everybody you dislike," Albright continued. "I think Iraq may end up being one of the worst disasters in American foreign policy."
Great Minds of the 20th Century at Work...
Madam Albright, do the words "never again" mean anything to you?
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
No sweetling. The totally unprovoked and immoral (all Serbs were doing is defending themselves agains Balkan PLO) attack on Serbia was that.
#3
I thought she was dead? No bother she is dead to me.
gromgoru, the Kosovars wanted to join Albania after the breakup of Yugoslavia. The Serbs had resettled many ethnic serbs in Kosovo so they didn't want them to leave greater Serbia. The Serbs might have started a second Bosnia had the U.S. not stepped in. Lots of blood and blame to go around.
#5
CyberSarge
Imprimus, your details are faulty. Serbs were as majority until Mussies started breeding like rabits (more precisely, stopped having 80% infant mortality due to---you guessed it---Serb doctors).
More importantly, far as I'm concerned, there cannot, ever, be a justification for siding with Muzzies against other humans.
#6
Half-bright is almost as dumb, and twice as political, as John Kerry. I wouldn't trust her if she said the sun was shining. She practically single-handedly destroyed US containment of North Korean nuclear ambitions, and wants to do the same in Iran. She should be put on the nose cone of the next satellite launch.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/24/2006 11:03 Comments ||
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#7
I ever thought she was the US foreign policy disaster. Frankly, if I were Putin or China's supreme and I had to talk with her (and look at her) for over five minutes I would be tempted to press the red button.
#9
No, Maddass Halfbright, YOU are one of the worst U.S. foreign policy disasters.
But don't feel too bad - there are losers from other Dem administrations vying for the title.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
04/24/2006 13:51 Comments ||
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#10
I think only Prez Jimmuh can top her for worst US foreign policy disasters because he was key in that effort (NKor) and had his own pathetic record on top of that.
#13
you have to be able to do 400lb squats to lift this much shit day-in, day-out. She should just go away as penance for her weak ass efforts on all fronts, before people wake up to just how incompetent they were...but then again, this is the party of Jimmy Carter
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/24/2006 22:16 Comments ||
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#14
Fred,
I apologize. I've been rude, crude and lewd. Please allow me to stay in the fold. I realize that I've been flagged. I changed the spelling of my ridiculous User Name (Asymetricaltriangulation vice asymmetrical triangulation) to provide comment this evening. I hate the klintonistas and want to dispatch all of them. They're the wasps, hornets, yellow-jackets, COCKroaches, slugs, fleas, scabbies, crotch crickets and poison ivy corrupting an existance they don't deserve.
Dear Lord Jesus, forgive us for letting things get so out of hand. Amen.
#15
AT--you better go the club and have a beer. Half-bright is too heavy for you, no pun intended, heh.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/24/2006 22:55 Comments ||
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#16
You should her what my Serbian friends say about how insulting she was as a young girl when her dad was amb. to yugoland. Her statements as a young girl nearly ruined our relations with Tito's regime.
They really hate her.
A U.S. official told CNN on Monday that the CIA officer fired for leaking classified information was accused of a "pattern of behavior," including multiple contacts with more than one reporter.
Sources also confirmed to CNN that the officer fired last Thursday is Mary O. McCarthy, who last worked in the CIA inspector general's office.
"It's not just about one story, it's a pattern of activity," the official said. Can you say co-conspirators?
Officials said the investigation into leaking to Dana Priest of The Washington Post, and other journalists, is ongoing. "It is not over yet," said one. We haven't subpoenaed Dana.
McCarthy admitted to multiple unauthorized contacts with journalists Ooooh. I hope Katie Couric was one. And Mary Mapes. after failing a polygraph test, one of "dozens" conducted at the CIA since January of personnel knowledgeable about compromised programs, sources said. Those who took polygraph tests included CIA Director Porter Goss and the agency's inspector general, John Helgerson, according to U.S. intelligence officials. I'll bet Right Guard sales are up in Northern Virginia this week.
A congressional aide said that prior to the public revelation that a CIA employee had been fired, the intelligence committees were only told the person was a 61-year-old female in the inspector general's office. That narrowed it down.
Two congressional aides -- one Democratic, one Republican -- both told CNN they knew of no attempt by McCarthy to speak to intelligence committee members about any concerns about CIA activities. Riiiight
Last week, spokeswoman Michelle Neff said the officer admitted to "unauthorized discussions with the media in which the officer knowingly and willfully shared classified intelligence including operational information."
Neff declined to divulge the officer's name or position, or what specifically was leaked.
A U.S. official said the person's name has been turned over to the Justice Department, where a determination will be made on whether to file criminal charges. Looks like they got all the data on weekend communicaitons traffic.
A senior government official said the dismissal was related to a story in The Washington Post about the United States holding terror suspects in fictitious secret prisons overseas.
Priest spearheaded the reporting on the "black site" prisons and was awarded a Duranty Pulitzer Prize earlier this month for beat reporting. The Pulitzer board called her reporting on the prisons "persistent" and "painstaking." But not as persistent or painstaking as this story will be.
A Justice Department investigation is ongoing regarding the story. It is one of several investigations into leaks of classified information, including revelations about the National Security Agency's domestic spying program, which was first reported by The New York Times. I hope they go after Rockefeller also.
Former acting CIA Director John McLaughlin, a CNN contributor, has said any CIA employee who wants to raise complaints should address the agency inspector general or the appropriate intelligence committees, not the media.
"It is illegal to leak information. That's what you sign up to when you join an intelligence service," McLaughlin said.
#1
"Sources also confirmed to CNN that the officer fired last Thursday is Mary O. McCarthy, who last worked in the CIA inspector general's office."
"Former acting CIA Director John McLaughlin, a CNN contributor, has said any CIA employee who wants to raise complaints should address the agency inspector general or the appropriate intelligence committees, not the media."
Duh!! I see a "pattern of behavior" that makes a mockery of the word Intelligence.
Note: I tooke the sneer quotes out of the headline. They are warriors, not "warriors."
Thousands downtown welcome 278th Regimental Combat Team home after deployment to Iraq
Up to 20,000 people turned out Saturday for a parade to welcome home the [Tennessee] National Guard's 278th Regimental Combat Team, providing a big-city atmosphere powered by small-town values. The rains that had been pelting the region ceased and the clouds gave way to bright sunshine for the two-hour Celebrate Freedom Parade 2006 through downtown Knoxville.
"What a great sight this is on the street today," said Gov. Phil Bredesen as he reviewed the 2,500 members of the 278th standing in parade formation wearing their camouflage uniforms. As governor, Bredesen is commander of the Tennessee National Guard. Bredesen said the men and women of the 278th who were deployed to Iraq for a year represent "what is the very best of our state and the very best of our nation."
"I thank you for your courage and sacrifices," the governor told the soldiers. "You left as trained citizens and you came back as warriors."
As part of the Dogwood Arts Festival, the parade included awarding two battle streamers to the 278th's colors. Ace and I have carried those Colors. It was one of the greatest honors I have ever had.
Bredesen; Maj. General Gus Hargett Jr., adjutant general of the Tennessee National Guard; and Col. Dennis Adams, the 278th's commander, attached two new streamers to the regiment's flag. One streamer denoted the regiment's efforts in the global war on terror, and the other was for the team's work during Operation Iraqi Freedom. "I thought it was great," Adams said afterward. "It's the first time since 1918 we've had something of this magnitude." Adams said downtown Knoxville had not seen a military parade such as Saturday's since Gen. Lawrence Davis Tyson marched his troops through the city after World War I. The last time the 278th was awarded a battle streamer was for World War II, Adams said.
Officials said the 4,000 soldiers of the 278th stationed along the dangerous northeast border of Iraq captured or killed 550 insurgents. The soldiers encountered 288 improvised explosive devices, with 64 percent located before the objects could deliver fatal blows to soldiers or civilians. The soldiers built or repaired schools, government buildings, wells and mosques during their deployment, which ended for most of the 278th in late October. As 67 parade units filled Gay Street, children squealed with delight at huge helium-filled balloons and adults swelled with pride at the accomplishments of their children or grandchildren in Iraq. There was John Steinhauer, 80, of Hendersonville, Tenn., who cheered on his 24-year-old grandson, Daniel Worsham. Worsham was a senior at the University of Tennessee before he was called to service. "The crowd is magnificent," Steinhauer said. "And they're here because of what they've done. I'm so happy he came home in one piece."
But 10 members of the 278th didn't come home alive. For their relatives, special seating off to the side of the review stand was cordoned off. For Gayle Thomas, mother of slain Sgt. Paul Thomason III, the red, white and blue confetti showering the troops from 10-foot high scaffolding along Gay Street brought a proud sadness. Thomason was killed March 20, 2005, by an improvised explosive device. He was Thomas' only son. "I'll never get over it as long as I live," the Sevierville woman said.
"I'm just so proud that they did this for those soldiers. They deserve it."
Gary Lee Reese Sr., of Ashland City, Tenn., lost his 22-year-old son Sgt. Gary L. Reese Jr. on Aug. 13, 2005, to a similar device. Serving in Iraq, Reese said, provided his son a perspective on life he never would have gained otherwise. "I think the soldiers saw that these people should have the opportunity to have what we have," Reese said. "He stood up for the right thing, and I'm very proud of that," Reese said. He added he rarely saw a picture of his son in Iraq without children surrounding the soldier. "Those little kids who got to know Lee knew he wasn't there to teach them how to strap bombs on. He was there to help them have what he has. "I know his life wasn't wasted because he gave those children an opportunity see who the good guys are and who the bad guys are." I'd really like to see more of this. I'm an Honorary Captain in the Second Squadron, 278th Armoured Cavaly Regiment. I do some PR work for them and participate in the Change of Command Ceremonies. This is a great Unit.
Well done and welcome home, 278th. Fly your battle streamer proudly.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/24/2006 11:52 ||
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What a lovely way for the town to demonstrate that the news organizations have got it so very wrong. I hope pictures of the parade are being sent back to the troops still on the ground.
Thank you for your service, warriors of the 278th!
#2
From the earliest days of the Republic, the Volunteer State has sent its sons to war. With this parade the people of Tennesse acknowledge that the men and women of the 278th can proudly take their place in Tennessee's pantheon of warriors next to men like Daniel Boone, Andrew Jackson, Davy Crockett, and more importantly to them, their fathers, their grandfathers, and their greatgrandfathers.
#3
Sea, I hadn't considered that about the quotes around warriors. Knowing how the people of Knoxville and the Knoxville News/Sentinal feel about the 278th I don't they ment anything by the quote marks. They probably aren't familiar with sneer quotes. Thanks for taking them off, though, I don't want anyone mistaking what this article is about.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
04/24/2006 13:54 Comments ||
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This is one of the units we're depending on to seize Memphis and cover our east flank on the way to Madison.
Although not a native, I lived in Tennessee long enough to feel at home there more than any place I've ever lived. I remember many areas and families where it was simply assumed that you would join the service and serious disappointment was in order if you didn't.
I'd also like to add Alvin York to that honor roll.
#6
It was an impressive parade. I wonder if there will be any overhead shots? FYI: Parade rest + 30mins of politicians talking = Pain. It was worth it, tho. 2000 Soldiers on parade is a lot of bodies. Impressive, too.
Posted by: N guard ||
04/24/2006 23:14 Comments ||
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The top Republican and the top Democrat on the House intelligence panel said yesterday that the United States simply does not know how close Iran is to developing a nuclear weapon.
"We really don't know," said Rep. Peter Hoekstra, Michigan Republican and chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. "We're getting lots of different messages from their leadership."
Added Rep. Jane Harman of California, the committee's ranking Democrat: "I hope the White House is listening to what Pete Hoekstra just said. We don't know. Our intelligence is thin."
The two made their remarks on "Fox News Sunday" as an Iranian official in Tehran said his country has no intention of suspending its uranium enrichment activities.
The U.N. Security Council has set a Friday deadline for Iran to halt enrichment, the process that produces fuel for nuclear power reactors but also can manufacture the raw material for weapons.
In a clip aired on CNN's "Late Edition," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi said: "We are determined to defend our rights. Nuclear research will continue, and suspension of nuclear activities is not in our agenda. The issue is irreversible."
With press and broadcast reports suggesting that the United States is exploring military strike options on Iran, Bush administration officials last week offered varied assessments of Iranian nuclear potential.
On Thursday, Director of National Intelligence John D. Negroponte said it will be "still a number of years ... perhaps into the next decade" before Iran has enough material to assemble a weapon. But on Friday, Robert Joseph, undersecretary of state for arms control and international security, said "the Iranians have put both feet on the accelerator" and are "determined to move forward in complete defiance" of world opinion.
Mr. Hoekstra said he wanted to temper the discussion.
"Hey, sometimes it's better to be honest and say there's a whole lot we don't know about Iran that I wish we did know," he said. "We as public policy-makers need to know that as we're moving forward and as decisions are being made on Iran, we don't have all of the information that we would like to have."
Mrs. Harman said, "I'm not comfortable that even if we knew more, that the White House would be listening clearly to the intelligence case. They apparently did not in Iraq. It was not a very strong case."
Meanwhile, discussion continued on several news talk shows about calls for Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld to resign.
On CBS' "Face The Nation," retired Army Maj. Gen. John Batiste said he did not coordinate with five other former generals who have publicly called on Mr. Rumsfeld to resign. "This was all spontaneous," Gen. Batiste said.
On ABC's "This Week," Sen. John Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, said an audiotape released yesterday of what was purported to be Osama bin Laden underscored the Bush administration's failure to capture the al Qaeda boss and served as "one of the reasons Donald Rumsfeld should resign."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 04:09 ||
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As demonstrated vis a vis Iraq, the only way to know for certain is to conquer, then take a nice stroll through captured files. Is that what Representatives Hoekstra and Harman are recommending?
#3
Harman, who sounded occasionally rational in the past, has decided to go political and drop the pretenses. I guess she thinks she needs DNC campaign funds.
Hoekstra seems to have decided he's an independent (small i to match his iq).
If one isn't certain (and when has anyone been totally certain regards intel since WW-II?), one must err on the cautious side. That does not mean posture in the press and play the ostrich defense, given what has been spewed from Tehran, it means grab your favorite pliers and pull the fangs from the lunatics. With prejudice, please.
#4
Iff the guests on COASTTOCOASTAM radio show and DOUG STEPHEN is any measure, Iran already has foreign/mafia-supplied nuclear bombs and is just waiting for the US to invade so that these bombs can be used in both PC new terror attacks against America as well as against Israel and US ground units in Iran proper. As said before, Iran has already justified UNILATERAL UNO-UNSC action againt it, including armed force ala KOREAN WAR 1, due to MadMoud's on-going threats to destroy Israel, a UN Charter member-state. WE ALL KNOW THE USA AND ONLY THE USA, DUBYA AND ONLY DUBYA, GOP AND ONLY THE GOP, WILL GET THE BLAME NO MATTER IFF IRAN HAD NO BOMB, ONE BOMB, OR 1000+ BOMBS andor other WMD caches.
When Mohamedou Ould Slahi's name appeared on the list released last week of Guantanamo Bay detainees, the Pentagon was officially confirming that one of Al Qaeda's most mysterious figures had been in custody since late 2001.
And recently declassified documents show that Slahi has been talking to interrogators the whole time.
But the documents also show that the puzzle of a man U.S. terrorism experts believe was involved in the Sept. 11 attacks and the millennium plot to bomb Los Angeles International Airport seems only to grow deeper.
Slahi has maintained his innocence and said he's such a valuable intelligence asset that his captors should set him free to live in the United States with the government providing security.
"Slahi was always a mystery man within the Al Qaeda hierarchy," said Roger W. Cressey, a senior White House counter-terrorism official from 1999 to 2001 who investigated Al Qaeda plots.
"We could never prove he was the one who activated the Montreal [millennium] cell, but he had enough ties and relationship and dealings with known Al Qaeda operatives that would lead one to question his claims of innocence."
U.S. officials say they think Slahi was a major conduit between Al Qaeda cells in Europe and Canada and its home base in Afghanistan. And there is evidence suggesting that he established small businesses to camouflage movement of money and militants.
As such, authorities believe Slahi, 34, holds valuable clues to how Al Qaeda operates. They say he might prove extremely helpful in unraveling tendrils of the terrorist network that still exist.
And authorities say he may know the identities and whereabouts of others involved in the Sept. 11 attacks and the plot to bomb LAX around New Year's Eve in 1999.
But Slahi is not among the 10 or so suspected Al Qaeda operatives at the military prison in Cuba who have been sent before military commissions for trial.
"They say all these bad things about him," Nancy Hollander, Slahi's attorney, said Friday. "The bottom line is, if he's such a bad dude, why aren't they bringing him to a commission? If they've got something on him, charge him and let us defend this case."
Slahi is appealing his designation as an "enemy combatant." His name was among the detainees whose identities were released Wednesday under the Freedom of Information Act as having passed through the Combatant Status Review Tribunal process in 2004 and 2005.
Initially, Slahi filed a handwritten motion demanding his freedom. "I have done no crimes against the U.S.; nor did the U.S. charge me with crimes, thus I am filing for my immediate release," he wrote in May 2005. Since then, Hollander and several other lawyers have pitched in to represent him.
As Slahi's appeal makes its way through U.S. District Court here, glimpses of the allegations against him have come to light, along with his defense.
The grounds on which Slahi is being held are contained in a federal court filing that says he has been a member of Al Qaeda, that he traveled to Afghanistan to wage jihad, that he received weapons training there at an Al Qaeda camp, and that his goal was to die as a martyr for Islam.
Slahi has said that all that is true. He has also admitted working with a cousin, Abu Hafs the Mauritanian, whom Slahi describes as "the right hand" of Osama bin Laden.
But he has told his interrogators that all such activity occurred in the early 1990s, when he joined the Islamic mujahedin in Afghanistan to fight on the side of the United States "against the Communists" who prevented Muslims from practicing their religion.
"The detainee stated that he had no part of the millennium bombing plot and since 1992 he has had no association with Al Qaeda or the Taliban or any of their associates," according to the court filing.
Slahi insists that he broke off all contact with Al Qaeda more than a decade ago and that he has rebuffed his cousin's efforts to persuade him to rejoin.
In the millennium plot, U.S. officials believe, Slahi was a senior Al Qaeda figure who traveled from his base in Duisberg, Germany, to Montreal to help activate a cell of Algerian militants that included Ahmed Ressam and others.
In the Sept. 11 attacks, authorities believe, Slahi recruited three of the conspirators. The Sept. 11 commission described him as a "significant Al Qaeda operative" who gave the hijackers detailed instructions on how to get from Germany to Pakistan to Afghanistan.
A detailed summary, obtained by The Times, of Slahi's interrogations by U.S. officials suggests that he played a more central role and that he lied about it during his many debriefings over the last four years.
At first, Slahi denied ever having met the future hijackers or other Al Qaeda operatives, but later partially recanted.
He denied facilitating anyone's travel to Afghanistan or to Chechnya, a battleground for Islamic militants, the summary states.
The document portrays Slahi as working closely on Al Qaeda matters with Sept. 11 plotter Ramzi Binalshibh and instructing another militant to "travel to the United States to take part in the planned attacks."
For his part, Slahi says he's among the most cooperative detainees at Guantanamo. At his military tribunal, Slahi said he deserved to be treated accordingly.
"I'm threatened because of the amount of information I've provided to the United States," Slahi said. If returned to Mauritania, he added, "I would be hunted down and I would be killed."
"You want to go to the United States?" he was asked.
"I do," Slahi replied.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 04:01 ||
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NEW DELHI: Jama Masjid, which was rocked by bomb blasts on April 14, will not be repaired with funds from Saudi Arabia.
Sources have confirmed that, after months of deliberations, the Indian government has turned down the offer made late last year by King Abdullah.
The refusal is said to be the fallout of grave apprehensions expressed by intelligence and security agencies that the funds could be used to fuel terrorism and preach radical Islam in the country.
The Saudi offer to the ministry of external affairs (MEA) was first reported by TOI on January 4. The MEA spokesperson had then said the offer was being examined in consultation with the concerned authority.
The Saudi envoy in Delhi, Saleh Moh'd Al-Ghamdi, had stated that the offer was made after Jama Masjid Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari sought help from them.
When contacted on Sunday, Bukhari sounded bitter over the government's decision. "The issue was raised in Parliament and there was a controversy after the news appeared in your paper.
The government has said no, but if money from abroad can be allowed for Christian missionaries working in the country, why not funds for repairing Jama Masjid?" asked Bukhari.
Bukhari said the government's decision had raised serious doubts about its intentions. "They won't repair the mosque on their own nor allow others to do it.
If there were apprehensions about the Saudi offer, the government could have kept the money asked ASI to carry on the repair work," he added.
With disquiet among the security agencies, the government was always in a bind over the offer. But it did not want to take a diplomatically tricky decision as the Saudi king was also the chief guest for this year's Republic Day celebrations.
The cash-strapped Delhi Waqf Board, however, had written to the ministry of home affairs that the offer be accepted because it did not have the money to repair the mosque.
Bukhari said there was an urgent need to carry out repair work in the mosque, including polishing of all the minarets. He said he had asked the Saudi representative to come through the government with the offer.
Posted by: john ||
04/24/2006 19:11 ||
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The Saudi envoy in Delhi, Saleh Moh'd Al-Ghamdi
I'd be concerned about the strings attached to an offer from any of the alGhamdis.
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said he "literally wept" when he heard the "disgusting" news of surrender of Pakistani troops during the Bangladesh war with India.
Appearing on PTV's programme 'First Family,' the General described the 1965 and 1971 wars with India as "important" events in his life.
During the 1965 war, Musharraf, who was then a second lieutenant in the Army, said he was saved from a lot of perilous situations. In 1971 war he was serving as a commando but not in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.
Musharraf said he was "emotionally hurt" and "literally wept" when he heard of surrender of Pakistani troops in the then East Pakistan.
Over 90,000 Pakistani troops led by Gen Niazi surrendered to Indian Army in Dhaka. The troops were later released following the Shimla Agreement between Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
In reply to a question, he said Pakistan Army is fully with him because he has braved off difficulties and dangers with him.
"Each and every personnel is with me because I have not been I have not been a desk-type commander -- I have been living through dangers and hardships with them. They are with me not because of my rank but because they love me and that is leadership."
First Lady Sehba Musharraf, the President's son Bilal and his daughter Ayela Raza candidly shared their experiences, thoughts and hopes for the country's future in the programme.
Musharraf said his keen desire was to be remembered in the history of the country as saviour of the nation from the brink of collapse.
"My greatest achievement is economic revival of Pakistan -- the possibility of pulling the country out of deep economic morass looked remote in 1999 it looked almost improbable in the face of an inextricable circle of debt-servicing but we managed it," he said.
"Not only I saved the country from sinking but I would like to be remembered for taking it forward and putting it on a course to move forward as a dynamic, progressive and enlightened society -- that is what I've achieved for Pakistan," he said in the programme, adding "I must be remembered for protecting the country from economic bankruptcy."
While he admired Pakistan founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah, as an army officer, his favourites have always been Roman and German generals. He is not generally impressed by a singular entity, but greatly admires Turkish founding father Kamal Atatturk, whom he considers as the saviour of Turkish nation.
The fact that Kamal Atatturk battled the European allies with a mere, 275,000 Turkish soldiers, majority of whom perished, managing to have saved the nation, he said.
Commenting on his family background, he said he including his family belonged to the middle class and that he was representative of the middle class. Believing in destiny, he said it was with divine held he rose to become the President from the ranks of a "mere brigadier" in 1990.
He said he loved his daughter and son and described humility and honesty as values of their life. "They don't tell any body that their father is President of Pakistan," he said.
Posted by: john ||
04/24/2006 15:47 ||
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So that is what the medals are for...
Posted by: john ||
04/24/2006 15:50 Comments ||
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Over 90,000 Pakistani troops led by Gen Niazi surrendered to Indian Army in Dhaka. The troops were later released following the Shimla Agreement between Indira Gandhi and Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.
And Bhutto and Gandhi agreed to convert the Line of Control to the international border.. a promise that Pakistan did not keep.. it later launched a jihad against Indian Kashmir that continiues to this day. Musharraf wen't further, actually crossing the LOC to sieze Indian positions and triggering the Kargil war.
Posted by: john ||
04/24/2006 18:26 Comments ||
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I weep when I think about Pakistan and how f*cked up and hopeless it is.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/24/2006 19:45 Comments ||
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Osama Bin Laden is hiding in a remote tribal area along Afghanistans 2,413-kilometre border with Pakistan, separated from his top deputy and, in a sign he has to be careful about whom he trusts, surrounded by fellow Arabs, according to US intelligence officials familiar with his pursuit.
His No 2, Ayman Al-Zawahri, is hiding in a more settled area along the border, surrounded by Al Qaeda operatives of his Egyptian nationality, they say. Their separation has opened a debate in national security circles in the United States and elsewhere about whether the leaders have split up. Neither man mentions the other by name in public pronouncements, and both headed separate groups before joining forces in 1998.
Al-Zawahri has decided to take a more prominent public role than has Osama, releasing dozens of written and recorded Internet messages, including a video this month urging Muslims to support Iraqi insurgents. On Sunday, Osama was heard in his first new message in three months, purportedly saying the West was at war with Islam and calling on his followers to go to Sudan to fight a proposed UN force in Darfur.
US and Saudi officials, several of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because of the informations sensitive nature, say the Al-Qaeda leaders have made a strategic security decision to hide in different places from one another. These officials do not yet see evidence of an ideological split. I dont think they have the luxury to have a rift, said Jamal Khashoggi, an adviser to the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Prince Turki Al Faisal. A former reporter and editor, Khashoggi interviewed and travelled with Osama at times between 1987 and 1995. Osama lost his Saudi citizenship in 1994 after governments in Algeria, Egypt and Yemen accused him of financing subversion.
Osamas at-large status has hounded the Bush administration. When people were asked in a recent CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll if Osama will be killed or captured in 2006, only 27 percent said yes, while 68 percent said no.
In a position paper released late last month, congressional Democrats pledged to eliminate Osama by doubling the number of special forces and adding more intelligence operatives.
A senior Pakistani security official said Pakistani security forces working closely with the CIA came close to capturing Osama a couple years ago, missing by a few hours. Clues to his whereabouts have dried up. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorised to speak to media, said bin Laden and some associates were hiding in Waziristan, near the Afghan border, at the time. The official would not elaborate on who those associates were or who had sheltered the Al-Qaeda leader.
It is unclear now where bin Laden and al-Zawahri are. Some US officials believe they are hiding on the Pakistani side of the border with Afghanistan, protected by tribes that warn when Pakistani forces may be approaching, several U.S. counter-terrorism officials said.
The Pakistani government does not believe that is true. Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao told AP that he has no information suggesting that the Al-Qaeda leaders are in Pakistan. Naturally, we cant go on a wild goose chase. We can only act if we get credible information about the hide-out. We have got no evidence, he said. He and others believe Osama and Al-Zawahri may be on the Afghan side of the border, perhaps in rugged, autonomous Kunar. One of 34 provinces in Afghanistan, Kunar is slightly smaller than Delaware.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 03:58 ||
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According to Moonbats and conspiricy nuts I thought we had him and Bush was gonna wheel him out to win the election! Rofl
#2
Naturally, we cant go on an actual mission a wild goose chase. Why, he's a Holy Lion of Islam! We can only act if he stops paying us off we get credible information about the hide-out.
The Supreme Court today directed the Orissa government to give protection to a Muslim couple who have been barred from living together by their community which insists they are divorced.
No community can behave like this in a secular country. Every community has to live in a civilised way, a three-judge bench headed by Justice Ruma Pal said.
The couple, who were told they had lost conjugal rights in July 2003 after the husband allegedly uttered the word talaq thrice when he was drunk, moved the apex court after failing to get relief from Orissa High Court and the National Human Rights Commission.
The court today directed the state government to file its response within two weeks.
No one can force them to live separately, the bench said, when it was pointed out that their community in Bhadrak had ostracised the couple.
Nizama Bibi and Ser Mohammad had moved a special leave petition challenging an April 18, 2005, order by the high court refusing to intervene in the matter.
The couple ran into trouble after the local community in Bhadrak said they stood divorced as Ser had uttered talaq thrice during a quarrel on July 15, 2003. Both Ser and Nizama said they had no recollection of this.
They approached a mufti who issued a fatwa on September 9, 2003, saying the talaq did not hold as the husband was drunk. The community, however, approached another mufti who ruled to the contrary on September 29, 2003.
As per Muslim personal law, Nizama has to marry another man, consummate the marriage and divorce him before she can remarry Ser and live with him.
In view of opposition from the community, the couple obtained a compromise decree from a Cuttack family court to stay together but the order could not be implemented because police refused to help.
The petition said Nizama approached the police and the NHRC, but got no relief.
With the couple facing a threat to their life, an NGO Committee for Legal Aid to the Poor filed a writ petition in the high court, but it was dismissed on April 18, 2005.
In their appeal, the couple said the high court had ignored the fact that the case raised an important point of law of public importance. It should have decided if one section of a community could be allowed to interfere with the fundamental rights of individuals, they said. A section of the community was victimising a couple in the name of religion, and there were others being harassed similarly, they said.
Renowned American journalist Eric Margolis has said that the US will go for Pakistan and Saudi Arabia after Iraq and Iran.
I certainly hope so. The Saoodis have the money and the Paks have, well, Pakland, and millions of crazy people ...
Margolis is the nutcake foreign correspondent of the Toronto Sun...
We have leaks from reliable sources that after Iraq and Iran, the US plans to go for Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Margolis said in an interview with IWT NEWS on Saturday.
I doubt Bush is going to be able to get around to Soddy Arabia before his term expires. He'll probably leave that for President Rice to attend to. I doubt he has any plans for an attack on Pakland unless they nuke someone. Once the Soddy Princes are thrown out the roots of jihad will have been pulled and Pakland will wither on the vine, breaking up into a handful of greatgaming ministates jockeying for "strategic depth" while looking for another cause to believe in fanatically.
Margolis supported Irans nuclear weapons programme, saying that it poses no threat to the world community.
Easy to say from Toronto.
US President George W Bushs statements on Irans nuclear programme were ridiculous and nonsense, he said. Iran has no nuclear bombs and no capability to bomb a country with these weapons, Margolis said. He said that Irans longest-range missile, Shahab-III, had a maximum range of 1,200-1,500 kilometres, which meant that Iran could not attack North America or Western Europe.
"Israel, yeah, but who cares about them? Turkey, yeah, but what are the Turks really worth?"
And when Iran finally gets nukes, Margolis will point out that it's suicidal to attack them 'because they have nukes, you know'.
No substantial evidence has yet been found that Iran has nuclear weapons, and anyone saying that Iran is a threat to the world is lying and deceiving the world, Margolis said.
Nobody's said they have them. Everyone's saying they're developing them.
He said that Bushs statement about Iraq having weapons of mass destruction had proved baseless.
Sammy played his silly games with the inspectors for years. They weren't able to verify that he didn't have them due to his own machinations. I guess there was only one way to find out for sure, wasn't there?
The US and Israel were planning to attack Irans nuclear infrastructure and major military installations, he said.
You can't say Iran hasn't been given plenty of chances to back down. The Euros have been jawing with them for years and nothing's come of it but bluster, bombast, and vitriol.
Sorta showed the limits of 'soft power', didn't it?
Margolis said that Iran had been trying to acquire nuclear weapons since 1970, when it signed an agreement with Israel to provide it with nuclear warheads and medium range missiles. He said that Pakistani intelligence sources had told him that decades ago, Iran had offered to pay for Pakistans entire defence budget for 10 years in exchange for nuclear technology. Why shouldnt Iran have nuclear weapons? It is surrounded by nuclear powers like Pakistan, Russia, Israel and India, Margolis said.
And they want to exterminate Israel.
But he just said they didn't have nuclear weapons and it was all puffery and lies that they wanted them.
He said that the US was providing India with nuclear secrets and the latest nuclear technology in spite of the fact that the latter had not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty. He said that India is developing submarine-launched missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads, and Inter-Continental Ballistic Missiles with a range of 7,000 miles. With these weapons, India can strike even the US, but the Bush administration is still providing India with modern nuclear technology, he said.
Somehow, when I think of India, I don't think "threat." I suppose that could turn around if the Naxalites come to power, but I have my doubts about that happening. When I think of Pakland, I do think "threat." That could have something to do with the thought of Islamists coming to power there, which is a distinct possibility.
He said that the US had supplied Israel with bomber airplanes, which could travel to Iran and even Pakistan. It had also given Israel around 500 penetrating bombs, which are very lethal.
Damn us! We're an irresponsible lot, aren't we?... What are "penetrating bombs"? Bunker busters?
He said that a US or Israeli attack on Iran could be very dangerous, as Iran had the ability to punish American forces in Iraq.
I'm sure they'll try to do so. I'm also sure we'll try to keep them busy with other things.
He said that the present Iraqi government was a Shia government which is very close to Iran.
"They're all Shias, you know. The ones in Iraq are Arabs and the ones in Iran are Persians, but you know, that's all the same thing..."
So an attack on Iran can outrage the Shia community of Iraq, he said.
Part of it, anyway. The other part will watch with a certain among of interest, and maybe cheer as Qom is reduced to rubble...
Margolis said that Iran had the ability to launch commando attacks on US forces in the gulf. Iran can attack US bases in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Iran can hamper oil exports from the area, which will create a major panic in the world and in the US, he said.
Isn't that another reason to take them out now?
Iranians are prepared to take huge casualties (to defend themselves) because they are a dedicated and nationalistic nation, whereas the US lacks this advantage, Margolis said, adding that Iran can even send troops to Iraq.
They can form them up to send them to Iraq, anyway.
Posted by: john ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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I wager that Israel can build deadly enough bombs herself. I also think that not wanting to launch human-wave attacks is a sign of wisdom.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
04/24/2006 0:17 Comments ||
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North Korea cannot prevail against Japan, SOKOR, or AMERICA, and I strongly doubt Dubya will give up on TAIWAN in exchange for China's help or acquiesce vv IRAN. What left for any surreal Dem POTUS save to continue wid ME democratization and modenization, + African Union + Chavez, i.e. the radical nations without nukes, sub i.e. SPEND SPEND SPEND AS ONLY A DEM COULD. The GOP's done all or most of the hard stuff - I SAY RANTBURG POST-WOT SHOULD DEMAND MORE SCANTILY-CLAD OR NAKED BABES ON "THE MAN SHOW".
#3
article in wapo yesterday about expansion of special forces, and authorization to use them without the consent of a local US ambassador in friendly countries.
To me, that says Pakistan. We're not going to take on Perv, or try to run the country, but WILL try to quietly do things on the ground.
Perhaps Iran as well, but US ambassadors wouldnt be relevant there.
#8
We have leaks from reliable sources that after Iraq and Iran, the US plans to go for Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, Margolis said in an interview with IWT NEWS on Saturday.
Well, reliable sources tell me that foil hats can help with those kinds of leaks.
NEW DELHI - India has begun the mass production of anti- nuclear radiation suits for its armed forces, a news agency reported on Sunday. Nuclear and biological war command centres were also being built on a top-priority basis, PTI news agency reported, quoting army sources.
The Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO), along with some key private-sector players, have indigenously developed the nuclear warfare gear, Indian army chief General JJ Singh said. The gear is being inducted in a phased manner with formations likely to be prone to these kind of attacks getting it first, he said.
The Indian armed forces preparedness to fight in a nuclear and biological war was assessed at a recently concluded army commanders conference, PTI reported, quoting army sources. The countrys top nuclear and biological scientists addressed the commanders at the conference. They were also briefed about the induction of nuclear protection gear and nuclear command centres.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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The Army commanders conference, which will kick off here on Monday under the chairmanship of General J J Singh, will take up the relatively new concept of the Future Infantry Soldier As a System (F-INSAS).
Towards this end, the Indian Army is also in touch with the US Army about its futuristic land warrior and objective force warrior programmes for its infantry soldiers. Similar programmes being run by Israel, France, Britain and Russia, among other countries, are also being studied.
So, in the coming years, the Army wants its infantry soldiers to be equipped with ballistic helmets mounted with visual, chemical and biological sensors; hand-held computer displays and video
links; smart vests with miniaturised communication and GPS systems; and of course lethal firepower with laserguided weapons.
The Army, incidentally, has already embarked on a project to reduce the battle-load carried by infantry soldiers, which certainly needs some doing.
The present battle-load comes to around 27 kg, which includes the 3.6-kg 5.56 mm INSAS rifle. This goes up to almost 35 kg in high-altitude areas. Its a gradual progress. The aim is to have a battle-load of 24-25 kg and then reduce it to around 20 kg, said another officer.
The commanders conference will, of course, also review the progress of the Rs 3,500-crore plan to modernise the around 350 infantry battalions, including the special forces, which was approved in September 2003.
It includes equipping every battalion with 84 mm rocket launcher MKIII, automatic grenade launcher AGS-30, anti-material bunkerbursting rifles, flame-throwers, hand-held thermal imagers, advanced frequency-hopping radio sets and the like.
Posted by: john ||
04/24/2006 0:25 Comments ||
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Indias Network Upgrade Begins With Army
By VIVEK RAGHUVANSHI, NEW DELHI
The Indian Army intends to use unmanned aerial vehicles and satellites in a $1 billion, three- to five-year plan to network its units from corps level down to individual platoons.
The new network will connect sensors, weapons and decision-support systems with secure communications in a bid to multiply combat effectiveness, a senior Indian Army official said.
We are in the process of finalizing General Staff requirements for a flexible, robust, reliable and secure infrastructure in the tactical battle area, Indian Army chief Gen. Joginder Jaswant Singh explained.
Singh said the Army would seek foreign firms to build the system after its electronic warfare experts finish writing the requirements.
The system will provide beyond-line-of-sight tactical communications through satellites and airborne relays, said Lt. Gen. Davinder Singh, Army signal officer-in-chief.
The $1 billion effort is just the start to a 10- to 15-year program to build a network-centric Army, the senior Indian Army official said.
The Army also intends to buy mobile and static electronic warfare systems; high- and low-altitude unmanned aerial vehicles; electronic intelligence systems on ground vehicles, helicopters, aerostats and low-Earth-orbit satellites; optical imaging systems on helicopters and aerostats; military intelligence communications, surveillance satellites with synthetic aperture radar and signals intelligence systems.
The Army will have two dedicated satellites for network-centric operations.
Part of the network, the Tactical Communication System, will be a large-bandwidth, high-speed voice, video and data network based on asynchronous transfer mode, Internet protocol and Integrated Services Digital Network standards.
The Tactical Communication System will be implemented for about $500 million in five years by state-owned, Bangalore-based Bharat Electronics, Army officials said.
Posted by: john ||
04/24/2006 0:26 Comments ||
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The army spokesman, meanwhile, said the commanders would also hold talks on future infantry soldiers as a system in line with an ambitious military blueprint.
The blueprint aims to include radar, sensor-guided helmets, night vision devices and global positioning systems in the battle gear of Indian troops.
Training of army personnel on information technology for organizational adaption and meeting future requirements will be another important topic that will be deliberated, he said.
The conference is to be followed next month by military exercises involving 60,000 frontline troops and war jets along Pakistans borders in northern Punjab state.
Posted by: john ||
04/24/2006 0:27 Comments ||
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John, thanks for the great info. It's like the Indians have been paying close attention to who's the best in the world, and trying to figure out how to be just like the best.
Posted by: Steve White ||
04/24/2006 0:38 Comments ||
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Pretty soon it will be easier for our troops to do joint ops with the Indians than with the Brits, I fear.
#8
When they say "anti-nuclear radiation suits" they probably mean heavy, lead-lined material. However, within the last ten years, a new, light fabric material has been invented that can stop as much radiation as an inch or more of lead.
"Demron is revolutionary material because it is lead-free, toxin-free, and PVC-free nuclear blocking material. It also has the unique ability to allow for heat dissipation and resist chemical permeation. Additionally, Demron is crack resistant. Its ability to block radiation has been confirmed by a number of prominent universities and government labs. Demron is an advanced radiopaque nano-polymeric compound that is fused between layers of fabric and manufactured into a number of lightweight nuclear blocking garments."
#9
Actually, Moose, in all likelihood, they mean anti-contamination. The MOPP gear used by the U.S. military is meant for chemical, biological and radiological attacks. Keep the crap off your skin and out of you lungs.
As to the quote from Demran, count me as skeptical. The product is probably meant for the dental patient and the X-ray tech.
#10
They're already marketing it for military, as well as civilian use.
http://www.radshieldstore.com/
The other apps I've heard it suggested for are emergency anti-radiation blankets that can be wrapped around you or hung against walls; tents; box liners for large radioactive items; and inner-hull shielding for high-altitude and space craft.
Interesting site. However, if you look at the Lawrence Livermore report, it states, "Demron shields similar to lead by weight, yet poses none of lead's environmental or biological dangers."
So, this Demron product may have benefits, but it's not the equivalent of switching from plate steel to Kevlar.
#13
I can see barium sulfate impregnated fabric being more flexible than lead, but it isn't better at stopping photons. The result would still have to be heavy, and bulkier to make up for lower density.
Posted by: James ||
04/24/2006 16:01 Comments ||
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In a last-minute dash before the financial year ended on Friday, the Centre has cleared defence procurements worth anestimated Rs 7,000 crore.
The Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) chaired by PM Manmohan Singh met on successive days on Thursday and Friday to clear procurements for the armed forces basically from defence public sector units.
The CCS approved 20 single-seater Jaguars (Rs 2,442 crore) and 20 'Tejas' Light Combat Aircraft (Rs 2,438 crore) for IAF from Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL).
IAF inducted 40 Jaguars from UK in the early 1980s, which was followed by indigenous manufacture of another 108 such fighters by HAL under licence.
Now, the first six of the 20 new Jaguars, equipped with "Darin-II" systems, will be inducted in May-June, said defence minister Pranab Mukherjee.
The much-delayed indigenous 'Tejas' LCA, however, is slated to become fully operational only by 2010. The government, incidentally, has also asked HAL to "speed up" delivery schedules of the 140 Russian-origin "air superiority" Sukhoi-30MKI fighters to be manufactured at Nashik over the next 15 years, apart from the 50 imported from Russia directly or in semi-knocked down condition.
The CCS also approved the procurement of another 20 'Dhruvs' for the Army from HAL at a cost of Rs 955 crore. The armed forces have already inducted 46 of these twin-engined multi-role helicopters till now.
The other decisions include acquisition of seven Central Acquisition Radars (Rs 275-crore) from Bharat Electronics Ltd; vehicles (Rs 535 crore) for the recently "upgunned" 130-mm field artillery gun; and five inshore patrol vessels (Rs 431 crore) for the Coast Guard from Hindustan Shipyard Ltd.
Posted by: john ||
04/24/2006 21:35 Comments ||
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This is to prepare for Judgement Day with the PLA and hopefully forestall it. Pakistan isn't enough of a threat to justify the expense.
Thousands of protesters defied a daytime curfew in the Nepali capital on Sunday, chanting slogans against the king on the 18th consecutive day of protests. At least three people were injured when police opened fire on one group of protesters in an eastern suburb of Kathmandu, witnesses said, although they were not sure if live rounds or rubber bullets were used.
King Gyanendra's offer to hand over power to an alliance of seven political parties failed to quell the demonstrations against his rule, if anything emboldening the protesters still further. "Police and soldiers, you are our brothers shoot Gyanendra," one group chanted at rows of padded and helmeted riot police wielding sticks and shields.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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Hows about calling it the.... Southwestern Republic of China?
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Akram Khan Durrani said on Sunday that Ulema-e-Deobands sacrifices for the promotion of Islams supremacy, Islamic teachings and the elimination of slavery would always be remembered.
Who's?
While addressing the second session of the Asser-e-Malta Conference at the Darul Uloom Islamia Arabia in Shergarh, Mardan, he said that due to the sacrifices of great Muslim leaders, the West felt intimidated by the Muslim world and considered Islam a threat to their existence.
I don't think "intimidated" is the word I'd have used. A rabid dog doesn't "intimidate" you, it makes you reach for your gun.
The chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) and the National Assembly (NA) opposition leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman, senators, MNAs, MPAs, provincial ministers, ulema and JUI leaders were also present.
I'll betcha they ate that little bit of Islamic self-congratulation right up, too...
Todays congregation is a testimony to the fact that the followers of the Ulema-e-Deoband existed and furthered the cause of promoting Islamic teachings, said the chief minister.
Durrani, keep in mind, is chief minister of NWFP, where North and South Wazoo are now under the control of locally grown Taliban.
He said that the heroes of the freedom movement, whose stories of bravery had been evoked in the conference, were still alive and the followers of Maulana Aziz Gul would continue fighting against imperialist forces.
Arabs aren't "imperialist," of course, except in the literal sense...
Not only the people of Mardan, but the people of the entire province expressed their confidence in the MMA during the recent elections, he said. He said that it was the governments responsibility to eradicate vulgarity from society, for which he stressed joint efforts between the government and the public.
That's what those Talibs are for, to eradicate vulgarity from society by eradicating the vulgar. And they get to define what's vulgar.
Those violating government rules will be taken to task and the concerned SP and other officials will be taken to task for any type of unlawful incident, including gambling or displays of vulgarity, said Durrani.
But not for chopping people's heads off. That's just a quaint local custom.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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Islamic teachings and the elimination of slavery
Isn't this is the party who advoactes giving each Pakistanese a slave once India is conquered.
In case it isn't this one he could have a friendly firefight discussion with the otherf party and with the Mecca Mosque's garnd poobah who told last year "slavery is part of Islam".
The commander of Kashmirs largest militant group said on Sunday Pakistan had caused irreparable damage to the Kashmiri fighters cause by pursuing peace without winning more concessions from India.
Sayed Salahuddin, the leader of Hizbul Mujahideen and chairman of the United Jihad Council grouping a dozen Kashmiri militant organisations, staged a protest last month over Pakistans strategy in the peace process begun in early 2004. One-sided pragmatism and confidence building measures, which are not reciprocated by the Indian side, have caused irreparable damage to the ongoing freedom struggle in the (Kashmir) Valley, said Salahuddin, in an e-mail response to Reuters. The burly, bearded veteran of 17-year-old insurgency in Indian-held Kashmir said Kashmiri fighters were feeling abandoned.
It has created an impression that Pakistan had now become exhausted in extending support to the Kashmir cause, he said, calling for substantial support for the movement to continue. India has long accused Pakistan of stoking insurgency in its part of Kashmir by arming and abetting militants. Pakistan denies the charge and says the militancy was sparked by human right abuses by India in the Muslim-majority state.
US President George W Bush, according to diplomats, is believed to have urged President Pervez Musharraf to do more to halt cross-border militancy in both Afghanistan and Indian-held Kashmir during a visit to Islamabad in early March. Days after Bushs visit, Salahuddins aides told Reuters that Pakistan had told the Hizbs leadership to stop cross-border infiltration, which usually picks up with the onset of spring.
According diplomats in Islamabad, Hizb was also told that funding, something Pakistan denies extending, was being cut back. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is clearly more satisfied with Pakistans efforts, and there is a froth of expectation that the two sides could be close to an agreement to de-militarise the Siachen Glacier, a high-altitude battlefield they have fought over since the mid-1980s.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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It's good to see Gimli has found work.
Posted by: Baba Tutu ||
04/24/2006 13:06 Comments ||
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Hey! No Gimli jokes here, please. John Rhys-Davies is one of the sane ones.
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
04/24/2006 22:50 Comments ||
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The Interior Ministry has not yet asked the Balochistan government to take action against Baloch MPA Balach Marri, who is believed to head the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA).
Official sources told Daily Times that the Interior Ministry was trying to find solid evidence of Marri's direct involvement in the sabotage activities attributed to the BLA.
On April 9, the government banned the BLA under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997 and decided to arrest its operatives and freeze its bank accounts.
Investigators think that Marri's arrest may lead them to a dead end because they have no authentic information yet about BLA operatives or their whereabouts, sources said. They want to track BLA's hidden activities, its sources of funding and its chain of command, sources added.
Soon after the ban on the BLA, Marri denied links with it, but praised it for demanding that Baloch have complete control of Balochistan's natural resources.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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Either Leslie Nielsen or Aftab Khan Sherpao, I'm not sure which.
Just don't call them Shirley.
Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao said on Sunday that the government is considering political reforms in the tribal areas.
"Yep. Yep. Thinkin' on her pretty hard. We got one of the most primitive areas in the world, right here. Pygmies sit around their campfires in Africa and roll their eyes over how primitive Pakistan's tribal areas are. Head hunters in New Guinea with bones through their noses scare each other with tales of how primitive the NWFP is. So we really should do something, I guess. One of these days."
Talking to 20-member delegation from Mohmand Agency at People's House, Peshawar, Sherpao said that more funds would be allocated for the development of the tribal areas, a private television news channel reported.
"Yes! That's it! We'll spend money on them! Lot's of money! We'll all get rich!... Ehrmmm... They'll all... ummm... become prosperous."
The interior minister said that terrorism had severely damaged the country and terrorists would not be allowed to roam freely. He said that the action being taken against "miscreants was being misinterpreted".
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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April 24, 2006: The four month political deadlock, over who will be the new prime minister, has been resolved. A Shia Arab, Jawad al Maliki, is the man. He has 30 days to appoint ministers and get going. The delay has been expensive, as many Sunni factions that are willing to negotiate peace deals, had no one to negotiate with. Until the new government is formed, a lot of people are putting a lot of plans, including reconstruction, on hold. They have to know who they will be dealing with for the next four years.
While Iraqis wait, U.S. troops have been chasing Islamic and Sunni Arab terrorists around. The terrorists have fewer and fewer places to hide. But the constant action has doubled the death rate for American troops (from last month). Several hundred terrorists have been killed or wounded, and several senior al Qaeda and Sunni Arab terrorist leaders were caught. In many ways, the Sunni Arab terrorists are more lethal than the al Qaeda groups. Most of the Sunni Arab groups are remnants of Saddam Hussein's security forces. These fellows have lots of blood on their hands, and fear retribution, either in the form of war crimes trials, or simply revenge from the kin of the many people they killed. Vengeful Kurds and Shia Arabs know exactly who they are looking for, as Saddam's thugs never hid their identities. So the desperate thugs go on killing, in hopes of getting an amnesty deal. But to make a deal, they need someone to deal with. That won't happen until the new government is in place. In the beginning of the year, American commanders held their fire, but then it was decided to keep going with the anti-terrorist operations, as it appeared that the Iraqis were deadlocked on forming a new government. So May will be a bloody month as well.
Meanwhile, members of the pro-Iran Badr militia are showing up in the northern oil city of Kirkuk. That's odd, because Shia Arabs are a small minority up there, where the most numerous groups are Kurds and Sunni Arabs (plus Turks and Iraqi Christians.) In Kirkuk, Kurdish civilians continue to move back to the city, and, with the assistance of Kurdish militias, try to force out Sunni Arabs moved in over the last two decades by Saddam (who forced out the Kurds who are now returning.) American troops and Iraqi police will interfere with blatant attempts at ethnic cleansing, but it goes on anyway, just more slowly, quietly and sort of out of sight. The Kurds want to make Kirkuk, and all its oil (some $30 billion worth a year), part of the Kurdish controlled north. Ultimately, that has to be decided by the Iraqi parliament, and the Kurds are ready to deal on this point. The Sunni Arabs see themselves as the big losers, because the rest of Iraq's oil is in the south, where Shia Arabs are very much the majority, and in control.
While the Kurds lust after Kirkuk, they are being threatened by the Turkish and Iranian armies. That's because of Kurdish support for PKK radical nationalists. The Kurdish government in the north has tolerated the presence of several thousand PKK fighters. The PKK is fighting for "Greater Kurdistan" (including southeast Turkey, northern Iraq, parts of Iran and Syria.) This sort of thing is very popular with most Kurds, thus the Kurdish leaders feel they cannot crack down on the PKK (as the U.S. and Turkey constantly demand). This year, the PKK has been very active just across the border in Turkey and Iran, attacking police and army units. The Turks and Iranians are fighting back. There are already over 2,000 Turkish troops inside Iraq. This sort of presence has been tolerated for years, as long as the Turks were just looking for PKK camps in remote areas. But the Turks have over 50,000 troops on the border, and appear ready to expand their operations in northern Iraq. Meanwhile, to the east. Iranian troops are moving to the border, and Iranian artillery is being fired into Iraq, at areas believed occupied by the PKK.
The Kurdish government in northern Iraq basically tells the PKK, "you're on your own." But if the Turks and Iranians do serious damage to the PKK (by finding and destroying many of the PKK camps, which are often disguised as civilian villages), many of the PKK fighters will just flee to Kurdish government controlled areas and blend into the civilian population (the PKK gunmen don't wear uniforms). This would tempt the Turks to just keep going. The Turkish army has been fighting, and defeating, Kurdish irregulars for centuries. No big deal. Many Turks believe that northern Iraq really belongs to Turkey (it was taken away from defeated Turkey after World War I, so that Turkey would not have access to the newly discovered oil in the area.) Iraq does not want to give up the north, but they cannot defeat Turkish troops. Only the U.S. can. For the moment, the Americans are telling the Turks to stick to hunting PKK, and forget about lost provinces. For the moment, anyway.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/24/2006 09:47 ||
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Wapo sez abuse persists in Iraqi prisons, raising questions over Gen. Pace's pledge that U.S. troops would try to stop inhumane treatment if witnessed. Scanning the article suggests there is not much, in the first place, that the Military does report it, in the second place, but does not interfer in Iraqi soverignty, hence , they "do not stop it."
Text at link. Wapo is looking for "permission" to post articles to web sites, but it's "generally" OK to publish links.
Posted by: Bobby ||
04/24/2006 07:09 ||
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The real news is,
Iraq is First Middle East Country to Allow Independant Inspectors in Prisons
On the cusp of their first permanent government since the American-led invasion, Iraqis are not exactly celebrating. Rather, they seem to be gritting their teeth and clinging grimly to the battered hope for democracy, even in what many see as a strange and uncomfortable incarnation.
Iraq, said one Baghdad doctor, is a drowning man, and the prime minister-designate a floating plank.
"We have to hold on to the wood, even if it has nails," said the doctor, a rheumatologist named Riyadh al-Adhadh. "We need this wood, whatever its shape. It is all that prevents us from going under the sea."
The seven new political leaders chosen Saturday, including a president and prime minister, face tasks with obstacles so great that they appear nearly insurmountable.
The prime minister must appoint a government that can win the confidence of most of Iraq's diverse and feuding groups. Since the American invasion, the religious and ethnic divides of Iraqi society have worsened. The new Constitution was more peace treaty than democratic blueprint. In some areas, daily fighting and lawlessness are already considered civil war.
The new leaders, all men, must also try to win public confidence, the capacity for which had been ground out of Iraqis under Saddam Hussein, and hardly revived by the years of the war that the government has been unable to control, and at times, is even seen to have helped.
Still, many Iraqis say they are so desperately in need of a strong, independent leader that almost anyone Shiite, Sunni or Kurd would do.
"There is no such thing as too Shiite or too Sunni," said Dr. Adhadh, briskly signing papers in a sparsely furnished room in the Adhamiya district council, where he serves as a member. "People voted based on sect. We simply have two different groups now."
Even as Katyusha rockets fell (three hit a parking lot just outside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone in a morning attack that killed six Iraqis, including a man who had been married for four days) and bullets flew (four men playing soccer in a field in south Baghdad were shot dead by gunmen at dusk), many Iraqis seemed willing to give the new prime minister-designate, Jawad al-Maliki, the benefit of the doubt.
"There's a saying in our culture: a man is only as good as his word," said Amar Noori, 27, a student standing in the parking lot by the blood stains of one of the dead men, who he said was his cousin. "Maliki said he would form a government in a month. Let's see if he will."
Even for Iraq's secular politicians, who have been virtually eclipsed by sectarian and religious figures and who received none of the seven positions filled this weekend, the mood on Sunday was not altogether dark.
One of them, Adnan Pachachi, who served as Iraq's foreign minister in the 1960's, said that even though most colleagues in his secular alliance abstained from voting in protest of the sectarian nature of the choices, Mr. Maliki, a Shiite, appeared to have his plusses.
In private meetings with parliamentarians before the vote, for example, he tried to distance himself from Iran, and spoke forcefully against allowing autonomous regions, desired by many in the main Shiite block, known as the United Iraqi Alliance.
"He's more acceptable than a lot of the U.I.A.," said Mr. Pachachi, 82, sipping coffee in his quiet, carpeted living room. "Most important is which ministers he'll choose. If we're going to have a collection of party hacks, then we don't have anything."
But he said if Mr. Maliki was able to bring in "some good people from outside his party and outside Parliament," both he and Iraq might have some chance for success.
The view was echoed by Ayad Ali, a pharmacist in his 50's. Like most Iraqis, Mr. Ali has followed the recent developments, and concluded that Mr. Maliki might be good for Iraq, if he could work independently.
"I don't know Maliki, but from what I heard from him in the last few days, I think he's good," Mr. Ali said. "When we have real monitoring from more than just one side, things will be different."
Beyond the obvious obstacle of a severe lack of professionals and experts, many of whom have fled Iraq, Mr. Maliki will be under tremendous pressure from his own and other Shiite parties to fill his cabinet from within their ranks. The former prime minister, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, was broadly criticized for allowing fellow Shiites to run amok in ministries, leading to the spread of militias blamed for many politically and criminally motivated murders.
"I'm optimistic, especially if he can give a real solution to the issue of militias," said Ahmed al-Ansary, a 30-year-old computer engineer. "Not an artificial one like last time."
Militias, often associated with the fringes of the Shiite religious parties, have deeply worsened conditions for democracy in Iraq, driving bright shards of hatred into the hearts of neighborhoods, and dangerously fraying the fabric of Iraqi society.
The stories are grim but familiar. Majid Hamid, 43, told of how his brother, Haider Hamid, 22, who worked for an Iraqi human rights organization and lived in Dawra, a Baghdad neighborhood where fighting rages constantly, was taken away on April 15 by men dressed in Iraqi security force uniforms, who said he was being "arrested."
Mr. Hamid said he found his brother in the morgue five days later, riddled with drill holes and stab marks in his leg and torso amid other signs of torture, with no explanation for what had happened. Morgue workers told him Haider apparently had died the day he was arrested.
Mr. Maliki acknowledged the militia problem in one of his first policy speeches on Saturday, saying they should be folded into official government forces.
(Perhaps reflecting how difficult his task will be, Iraq's Kurdish president said Sunday that the Kurdish force, the pesh merga, "is not a militia," but a "regulated force," Agence France-Presse reported.)
Insurgent violence, driven by Sunni Arab extremists, also grinds on. Three American soldiers were killed northwest of Baghdad around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb. Insurgent violence left 12 Iraqis dead in and around Baghdad on Sunday. Authorities also reported the deaths of 3 Iraqis in Falluja and the northern city of Kirkuk on Saturday. Twelve unidentified bodies were also found.
For his part, President Bush on Sunday morning made congratulatory phone calls to the new Iraqi leadership. Later, Mr. Bush told marines at the combat center in Twentynine Palms, Calif., that the new leaders had "awesome responsibilities." Mr. Bush also told the marines that the United States would not withdraw from Iraq until the Iraqis could take over on their own.
On Sunday afternoon in the parking lot outside the Green Zone, men stood in small groups, examining a large rocket shell casing lodged in the pavement. The front ends of several cars had been crushed.
Everyone wanted a chance to talk. They told of how they tried to help the victims, whose bodies were on fire from the explosion, and of how shooting had suddenly erupted.
"No authority, nothing," an elderly man shouted from the crowd.
A woman in a housecoat stood in her doorway just down the street. "There's a lack of everything," she said. "We want someone who will come to save the people."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 04:40 ||
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At a joint press conference with US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani expressed his concern over reports about Turkish and Iranian troop concentrations near the borders of both countries with Iraq. According to Turkish newspapers, the Turkish government had decided to move some 10.000 more troops towards the Iraqi border to boost its military presence there to 50.000. This move was deemed necessary to safeguard Turkey against infiltrating Kurdish PKK militia, especially in the light of last weeks continued clashes with Kurdish militants in Diyarbakir and surrounding towns. Iran has also decided to boost its military presence at its north western border with Iraq following repeated reports of infiltrations of spy and undercover action squads from the Iraqi Kurdish region. To thwart off such attempts, Iran had launched an attack on an alleged hideout of action squads in its north eastern mountainous regions bordering with Iraq firing also into Iraqi territory.
Sheikh Harith al-Dari, the chairman of the (Sunni) Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq, has rejected the accusations that some government parties have made against what he called the "resistance." On his recent visit to Cairo, Al-Dari told Asharq al-Awsat that he is against narrowing down the resistance to only Al-Zarqawi and Saddam's supporters.
I've been saying all along we should include the Association of Muslim Scholars in it...
He described the situation in his country as a state of sectarian violence rather than a civil war.
The difference being...?
He said that some radical groups fostered by certain parties, which have armed militias and special interests and agendas that have nothing to do with the homeland's interests, are behind these acts of violence. He added that some political groups are trying to exploit the sectarian issue to achieve their own interests. He accused these groups of being behind the criminal acts that certain parties are committing.
Having demonstrated that the Sunnis can slaughter people indiscriminately, we are now seeing a demonstration of the fact that Shia's can do the same thing.
Al-Dari said that the resistance targets only the occupation and its aides.
Which is, of course, the gummint...
He said that there are multiple sources of terrorism, including the occupation, the government, and some armed militia.
Guess it all depends on your definition of terrorism, doesn't it?
He stressed his rejection of terrorist acts that target innocent people from the sons of this homeland.
"I, personally, never do that stuff, of course..."
He said that unfortunately, Iraqis are now being targeted by several international and local parties.
Like, for instance, Iran, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda, the remnants of the Baath Party, Moqtada al-Sadr, various wannabe Baath successors, Soddy Arabia, the Association of Muslim Scholars, and the Supreme Council of Global Jihad, among others...
The chairman of the Association of Muslim Scholars said that the occupation is the main problem in Iraq and that an end to the occupation and the withdrawal of the coalition forces will represent the beginning of the restoration of stability in Iraq.
"At that point, we'll be able to fight it out among ourselves, slaughter the Shiites, kill the Kurds, and establish our own version of paradise on earth..."
He accused the occupation troops of committing criminal actions and accused some Iraqi parties of seeking to confuse terrorism with resistance and of promoting this state of confusion to serve their own interests. He added that these people have even put their personal interests above the homeland's interest.
No! Reeeeeeeally?
Al-Dari pointed out that some Iraqis have been duped and stressed that the occupation has brought all-out evil into Iraq, thus shifting the situation of Iraqis from bad to worse.
"Yes. It's all their fault. It's not us. Really."
Concerning the demands that the Sunnis have placed on the next Iraqi Government, Al-Dari said: "(Joining) the government is completely out of the question for us. This is because we expect it to do well. In my opinion, forming a purely Sunni, purely Shiite, or purely Kurdish government will add nothing new to the situation."
Have I mentioned that I regard this person as evil?
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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ANKARA, Turkey - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview broadcast Monday that he has the authority to remove the newly elected Hamas government from power, and he warned the government it had little choice but to negotiate with Israel, waving his tiny withered fist. "The constitution gives me clear and definite authority to remove a government from power, but I don't want to use this authority. Everyone should know that by law this power is in my hands," Abbas said in an interview with CNN-Turk that was recorded before he arrived in Turkey on Sunday.
"Yes. This is my legitimate right. It is written."
Asked about the possibility of Abbas bringing down the Hamas government, a senior Hamas official in the
West Bank said the group would "not leave in silence" and threatened to stop recognizing a truce with Israel. "We will go, but we will not recognize the Palestinian political regime. We will not participate in any new election and we will go underground as we did before and we will not adhere to any commitments, any truce, by anyone. Being ousted from power will have a heavy price for everyone. We hope not to reach that."
"We might get angry. You wouldn't like us when we're angry. And who cares about road repair schedules, school supplies, and recycling centers anyway? This whole responsibility thing blows."
A spokesman for the Hamas-led government, Ghazi Hamad, added that Abbas should not have made such a statement at an early point in the tenure of the new government. "We expect from President Abbas to protect his government and not to make such declarations," Hamad said in an interview from Gaza city.
Aides to Abbas said his comments were meant as a warning to Khaled Mashaal, the Hamas leader who criticized the Palestinian president last week, and that Abbas doesn't plan on dissolving the government anytime soon. He will do so only if the economic situation in the territories becomes "catastrophic," they said. If Abbas were to dissolve the government, he would ask someone else to try to form a new Cabinet, which would need the approval of the Hamas-controled legislature. If a stalemate then emerged, Abbas has the authority to order new elections. In the interview, Abbas also said that Hamas had to face the facts and negotiate with Israel or the Palestinian people would be left to starve after the United States and European Union cut funding because of Hamas' refusal to recognize Israel or renounce violence.
"Hamas has to face the facts and establish communication with Israel," he said. "I'm worried that the situation will turn into a tragedy in the near future. A short time later, we could be up against a great hunger disaster in Palestine."
"Without help we can't stand on our feet long," he added. Abbas spoke during the interview in both Arabic and English and the interview was broadcast with a voice-over in Turkish. CNN-Turk provided The Associated Press with a full transcript of Abbas' remarks translated into Turkish. Abbas said that he would work for a solution with or without Hamas. "Hamas can support me or not. When I find a way to a solution with Israel, I'll present this to the Palestinian people in a referendum. The Palestinian people are above Hamas and other politicians," he said.
A counterterrorism expert on Saturday warned that southern Thailand may become a breeding ground for terrorists as Muslim insurgents there shift from a nationalist to a more jihadist orientation.
"Our prediction is Thailand will become like Mindanao in the next five years unless the Thai government takes decisive steps to control and contain the local insurgency," Rohan Gunaratna, head of the Singapore-based International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, told an international counterterrorism conference.
Mindanao in the southern Philippines is home to the country's largest Muslim separatist group, the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, and the brutal Muslim extremist group, Abu Sayyaf. Militants from the Southeast Asian Islamist group Jemaah Islamiyah also operate and maintain a training camp in the area with the support of the MILF and Abu Sayyaf, Gunaratna said.
The MILF, which is in peace talks with the Philippine government, denies any ties to Jemaah Islamiyah.
Gunaratna told reporters that the conflict in southern Thailand is changing because other Islamic militant organizatilved. Insurgents there are increasingly talking of external assistance and have even launched an Arabic Web site, he said, adding that the Thai government's response has been inadequate.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 04:31 ||
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Governments confronting terrorism could be dangerously underestimating the capabilities of terror groups and their linkages with each other under al-Qaeda despite the rude awakening the world got on Sept. 11, 2001, an international forum on counterterrorism was told on Saturday.
Veteran international journalist Maria Ressa told security experts and diplomats from over 50 countries participating in the first Philippine Counter-Terrorism Experts Conference (CTEC) here that the press plays a crucial role in fighting terror, preventing conflicts and promoting understanding among peoples and nations.
Ressa, former Jakarta and Manila bureau chief of CNN and author of "Seeds of Terror," also sought to debunk some myths that contribute to governments tendency to underestimate and turn a blind eye on threats posed by terror groups.
Ressa, who now heads ABS-CBNs News and Current Affairs, said many governments, including that of the United States and those in Southeast Asia, such as the Philippines, appear to remain in denial as to the extent of the threat posed by militant groups operating in many countries.
"The trend is that denial lasts until a major attack-in the United States, in Indonesia, in the Philippines," Ressa said, adding the Philippine government for a time had a policy of denial on the existence of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) training camps in Mindanao and its links with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front because it was trying to negotiate peace with the MILF.
"But the costs are high for denial it misleads the people and leaves Muslims vulnerable to radical ideology. This is part of the reason why many Muslims still believe Osama bin Laden is a hero," she said.
Apart from denial, Ressa said, there is also a tendency for "misrepresentation" among governments on the true picture of the respective terror threats they are facing largely because of vested interests.
She cited the case of Philippine security officials previously withholding information about JI training camps in Mindanao from the US while Muslims in Indonesia are still asking about the weapons of mass destruction still being sought in Iraq.
"You get the idea: everyone wants to use and interpret the information they get based on their vested interests and that often clouds the judgment of the information," Ressa said.
There is also a trend among governments to think that their domestic insurgent problems are purely internal and links with the al-Qaeda and JI are not clearly established, she said.
She said even the Asean institutionalized such thinking by coming up with the so-called "constructive engagement" in dealing with internal problems.
"All conflicts are local and can be dealt with domestically. Wrong. Because what were seeing is that when youre talking about conflicts involving Muslim issues, there are no local conflicts," Ressa said.
"That is part of the reason the United States is paying little attention to the upsurge of sectarian violence in Southeast Asia, failing to see the link between these local conflicts and the global jihad," she said.
Ressa said the militant violence in Southeast Asia, such as in the Malukus and Sulawesi in Indonesia, southern Philippines, and southern Thailand are all "cause of alarm."
"But its not the US turning a blind eye. Many of their own governments refuse to see the interconnections because admitting those links mean redefining their worlds and searching for a different strategy," she said.
Another myth, Ressa said, is that military victory need not take into account culture and language as the latter are now weapons in an ideological campaign.
The most important myth that should be debunked, she said, is that the United States is the "hero" leading the fight against terror despite Bin Ladens attempts to portray terror as a war between Islam and the West.
"Because the frontline in this war is within the Muslim world. It is not a fight between Islam and America but a battle for the soul of Islam: between a radical minority and a moderate majority," Ressa said.
"At the core of the military war is an ideological battle. That is why language, culture and religion play such a crucial role in convincing Muslims around the world to take sides in defining Islams future," she said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 04:21 ||
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SEVERAL terrorist groups have been identified for each country in Southeast Asia, but all of them sprung from one group, the al-Qaeda.
Experts believe the al-Qaeda network inspired local groups such as the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) to initially create local conflicts and then turn their cause into a global jihad.
Al-Qaeda is the vanguard, said Dr. Rohan Gunaratna of Singapores International Center for Political Violence and Terrorism Research.
During the last plenary session of the Counter-terrorism Experts Conference (CTEC) last Saturday, Gunaratna said all major JI attacks were funded by the al-Qaeda network.
He said the terrorist groups in the Southeast Asian region have learned to exchange ideas, training and technology and cross borders through the backdoor.
Likewise, former CNN Jakarta bureau chief Maria Ressa showed how territorial borders do not stop terrorist groups from sharing ideas and technology in carrying out their plots.
Ressa spent two decades covering bombings and riots and met many of JIs leaders in her job as a journalist.
She said officials in the Philippines and Indonesia claimed the design of a backpack bomb used by a suicide bomber in the second Bali bombing last year was first tested in the Philippines.
They learned this because the Philippine National Police found a prototype of the Bali bomb in a church in Cotabato, which failed to explode.
Because of weak law and order, training opportunities still exist - despite ongoing peace talks with the countrys largest Muslim separatist group, the MILF (Moro Islamic Liberation Front). In fact, the JI and other groups continue to train in areas protected by the MILF. The camps are so much smaller than they were in the past, but theyre still there, Ressa said.
This meant the training of potential terrorists continue, spreading the ideology.
But Gunaratna believes there is a better chance of working with Asian terrorist groups than with the radicals in the Middle East, saying Asian groups are more moderate and tolerant.
He explained that Middle East groups are largely radicalized because of the Palestinian conflict with Israel.
He is glad to see the Asian region has begun working with the US and Australia. He said the fight cannot be controlled by Asian governments alone.
A partnership is imperative if we are to succeed, he said.
Ressa, for her part, said there are six areas that need to be addressed: an ideological response to counter the world view pushed by the radicals, a stronger military/law enforcement response, intelligence sharing, an educational response to make sure the ideology does not reach students, a financial response to track and disrupt terrorist fund-raising and a legislative response.
She also recommends that officials communicate with the public and learn to work with the media.
You will need to tell the public what theyre facing because in the end, each nation must find the balance between trading in some civil liberties in exchange for greater security. And in a democratic country like this one, people will not give up their freedoms willingly until and unless they know exactly what theyre getting in return, she said.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 03:59 ||
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#1
SEVERAL terrorist groups have been identified for each country in Southeast Asia, but all of them sprung from one group, the al-Qaeda.
Not entirely true. JI is an AQ organization, I give him that. But the MILF was a break away from the MNLF and the MNLF got their terrorist training fighting with the Mujahadine in Afghanistan. On their return Kadaffi Janjalani, Hashime Salamat, Parouk Hussain, and others took leadership of the MNLF. Once the peace talks were agreed on with the MNLF the MILF broke away. The receive their funding from Lybia, Saudi, and the OIC.
The Abu Sayyaff got their first large influx of funds from Momar Kadaffi when they took the european hostages. The ASG asked for 300K US for the hostages and Kadaffi paid them 26 MILLION US! Nothing like supporting terrorism.
I believe it was only after 911 that AQ funding came to suppport ASG and MILF through the JI.
Last note, Maria Ressa is an anti American hack. But with that said her book on the AQ link in Asia is worth reading if you can get past her constant hacking that it's all our fault. She explains the sanctuary the MILF give world wide terrorists to plan and organize attacks.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
04/24/2006 9:35 Comments ||
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Trailing Wife,
The book is called "Seeds of Terror" and worth a reading. Probably the best open sourse book on the Asian AQ connections.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
04/24/2006 9:39 Comments ||
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Noted, and added to my list, 49 Pan. Thanks loads!
Malaysia has been informed that 99 of the 130 Thai Muslim refugees currently seeking asylum in the country have expressed willingness to return home, reports said Monday.
Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said Sunday that his Thai counterpart, Kantathi Suphamongkhon, had recently conveyed the news to Kuala Lumpur.
"I was informed by my Thai counterpart that 99 are willing to return after having been guaranteed safe passage and security by their government.
"However, we have yet to receive confirmation at our end," Syed Hamid was quoted as saying by the Star daily.
The refugees were part of a group of 131 Thai men, women and children who fled across the border in August last year to seek asylum, claiming that their safety was in jeopardy in the troubled southern Thai region.
They were given temporary shelter at a holding centre in the north-eastern Terengganu state, and were interviewed by officers from the UN refugee agency in Kuala Lumpur, a move which Bangkok slammed as seen to be interfering with its internal affairs.
In December, Malaysia handed over one of the refugees to Thailand after a request by authorities to question the man on his alleged involvement in the January 4, 2004 robbery of 300 weapons from an army depot.
Syed Hamid on Sunday reiterated Malaysia's stance on the remaining 130 refugees.
"We treat them as people seeking temporary refuge owing to problems there. If they want to return, we shall help in the process," he said.
The three southernmost provinces comprise the only majority Muslim area in predominantly Buddhist Thailand. The region, which was first conquered by Bangkok in 1786, has strong historical and cultural links with mainly Muslim Malaysia.
#1
My plan of retaliation to their retaliation is to drop concrete, not concrete bombs, concrete down that well in Iranistan where that 12th Eeemam went. Seal it like an old oil well.
Iran is to cancel a 960-million-euro contract with companies from France, Germany and South Korea to build a new petrochemical plant, an oil ministry report said Monday.
The ministry's Shana news agency said the decision was made because local firms were deemed capable of carrying out the work and at a saving.
"The Olefin 11 contract will be cancelled and the project is to be implemented by the National Petrochemical Company (NPC) and domestic contractors with a 260-million-euro saving," NPC managing director Asghar Ebrahimi-Asl said.
In 2005 Iran awarded the contract to a consortium including Germany's Linde, France's Technip and South Korea's Hyundai. The deal is for the production of 2.4 million tonnes of ethylene per year to feed a national ethylene grid and 11 petrochemical plants.
"It is natural that these companies object," Ebrahimi-Asl was quoted as saying, but added that the firms will not be compensated and are only to be paid for the number of hours worked.
The move is in line with a promise by hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, made after his election win in June 2005, to increase involvement of domestic firms in the energy sector.
#1
See, even if you bow down like proper dhimmis, you still won't get the reward you hoped for. While I'm sorry about the loss of jobs, this is one fewer deal that Iran could hold over the heads of France, Germany and South Korea to secure their cooperation on matters international.
Posted by: ed ||
04/24/2006 19:08 Comments ||
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Also sounded like the companies handed over the bluprints before the cancellations. Suckers.
Posted by: ed ||
04/24/2006 19:10 Comments ||
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Maybe the Chicoms want to take over and play footsie with the Iranians. Hey, knock yourselves out. Try to get other firms to go into Iran after you screwed the big ones.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/24/2006 22:29 Comments ||
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Tehran, 24 April (AKI) - The Iranian parliament is examining a bill presented by deputies close to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad which bans satellite television for private citizens. The draft law provides for fines of up to 5000 euros for offenders. Saiid Abutaleb, the member of Parliament who drafted the reform, on Monday presented the bill to the media. Under the measures, which Parliament is to discuss in the coming days, private citizens who own a satellite dish have three months to get rid of it once the bill becomes law.
Offenders will be liable to fines of up to 5,000 euros, which most Iranian families can't afford given that the average salary amounts to less than 200 euros a month. Only public institutions and some associations will be allowed to own a satellite dish. Companies importing and selling satellite dishes and receivers to citizens who are not authorised to own them will receive fines of 50 thousand euros and their goods will be seized. The government will use revenues from fines for the "fight against the West's cultural offensive," said Abutaleb.
The draft law allows companies to broadcast some foreign television channels provided they have obtained the government's permission. Television channels broadcasting from abroad in farsi will be banned.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/24/2006 09:14 ||
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#1
If passed, this law may be the answer to our prayers.
Posted by: Steve ||
04/24/2006 10:48 Comments ||
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Iranians are addicted to sat TV
Posted by: Frank G ||
04/24/2006 11:14 Comments ||
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The draft law provides for fines of up to 5000 euros for offenders.
I'm no economist, but why the tie to the Euro? I mean, doesn't Iran have it's own currency, or are the MMs anticipating a wild fluctuation in currency soon, for some unknown reason? Inquiring minds, ya know.
Posted by: BA ||
04/24/2006 11:21 Comments ||
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France and other Euros have been heavy backers of Iranian TV and communications systems dev since the 1960's. When the Shah attempted to engage in universal modernization, the Euros were there. Buy a good supply of popcorn.
Iran said Sunday its nuclear program is irreversible, issuing yet another rejection of a U.N. Security Council deadline to cease enriching uranium that will be extended expires in five days.
Earlier this month, Tehran announced for the first time that it had enriched uranium using 164 centrifuges, a step toward large-scale production of nuclear fuel that can be used either in atomic weapons or in nuclear reactors for civilian electricity generation. "Nuclear research will continue. Suspension of (nuclear activities including uranium enrichment) is not on our agenda. This issue is irreversible," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters.
The United States and anyone with the sense God gave a mule some allies charge Iran is using the program as a cover for weapons production. Iran says it is designed only for power generation.
The Security Council deadline of Friday is not binding, but the United States and Britain said Iran must comply or the two countries would seek a resolution to make the demand compulsory, which would raise the possibility of sanctions. "Iran won't give up its rights and has prepared plans for any eventuality," Asefi said.
Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N. nuclear watchdog, Saturday spoke of a "basic agreement" between Iran and Russia to set up a joint uranium enrichment firm on Russian soil. The announcement was a repeat of a similar declaration by Iran and Russia in February but details have never been worked out. "Necessary grounds need to be prepared for its implementation," Asefi said. It still remains unclear whether Iran would entirely give up enrichment at home, a top demand of the West, or if the joint venture would be complementary to the existing enrichment inside Iran.
Asefi insisted Sunday that Iran has not used any advanced P-2 centrifuges in its enrichment of uranium. Such a device would be a vast improvement over the current P-1 centrifuges, which Iran has said it used to enrich uranium.
Iran's rabid hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claimed last week that his country was conducting laboratory research on the advanced P-2 centrifuge, which could be used to more speedily create fuel for power plants or atomic weapons. "We have not so far used P-2 centrifuges. What we have used has been P-1," Asefi told reporters. The spokesman, however, said Iran had the right to work on P-2 centrifuge. "No one can deny us of such a work," he said.
Iran has vowed it would never give up its right under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty to enrich uranium and produce nuclear weaponsfuel.
#3
I'm sure a 1-MT blast on each and every possible nuke site in Iran, plus a 10MB blast on Tehran and Qom would put a pretty solid stop to it, like instantly.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
04/24/2006 17:34 Comments ||
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An international Zionist conspiracy, an American bid to enact regime change in Iran and extra-marital sex these are the main dangers facing the Islamic republic today.
Perhaps we should bomb them with nookie to achieve regime change?
Or so says a close aide to Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah-Yazdi, a powerful cleric seen as the ideological and spiritual godfather of Irans lunatic hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The most important challenges for the regime are the policies of the United States and the Europeans. They are trying to make trouble for us. They are trying to topple our regime, argued Hojatoleslam Mohsen Gharavian.
"And we din't do nuffin'!"
We believe the US and European nations want to see a regime in Tehran which is subordinate to their wishes and which obeys their economic and political commands, he said in an interview in Qom.
"Why's ever'body always pickin' on me?"
Mesbah-Yazdi, 72, is also a prominent member of the Assembly of Experts, the body that supervises the work of supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since Ahmadinejads election win, he has emerged as a rising force whose viewpoints underpin Ahmadinejads firebrand approach.
Kind of the fountainhead of vitriol, huh? I'll put him on my list...
Nations like the United States and Britain are our worst enemies. They are instruments in the hand of world Zionism, said Gharavian, a mid-ranking and middle-aged cleric who teaches philosophy and jurisprudence at Mesbah-Yazdis institute as well as Irans most prestigious seminary.
Actually, we're not. We're the source of Americanism and Britainism, and Zionism's only our tool to get dominate the world and have Medes and Persians have sex with each other...
The Ayatollah tends to avoid giving interviews, particularly with Western media. Today the chant of Death to America has become like the verse of a prayer.
When I'm brushing my teeth in the morning I sometimes chant "Death to Iran!" It's worked just about as well as chanting "Death to America" does in Terrorhan.
"The US should take this into consideration, Gharavian said, while also warning European statesmen that they could even expect a revolution like the one which toppled the Soviet Union.
A revolution exported from Iran...
The nuclear issue has become a national issue. Today, everyday, Iranians, even shepherds and farmers from the remotest areas, say this slogan: nuclear energy is our undeniable right, he asserted.
I'm sure all the shepherds and farmers say that.
I do not believe that the US can do anything about it, as they could not do anything in Iraq with all their troops. The Iraqis cannot tolerate the US presence in their country, so the US is defeated.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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The United States doesn't have enough good intelligence to know whether or not Iran will be capable of producing nuclear weapons in the near future, top congressional intelligence committee members said on Sunday.
Iran said earlier on Sunday it would not abandon its work on nuclear enrichment, which the United Nations has demanded it halt, and was prepared to face sanctions from abroad.
Asked on Fox News Sunday when Iran might be capable of producing nuclear weapons, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman Peter Hoekstra, a Michigan Republican, said: "I'd say we really don't know.
"We're getting lots of mixed messages," Hoekstra said. "We've got a long way to go in rebuilding our intelligence community. We don't have all of the information we would like to have.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
The 75% solution, pursued aggressively, and with ENTHUSIASM, WILL PRODUCT S U C C E S S !
With just five days to go before the expiry of a UN Security Council deadline for Iran to freeze uranium enrichment, Tehran insisted on Sunday that the sensitive nuclear fuel cycle work was irreversible.
"The suspension of Iran's activities is media propaganda. Iran's research activities are irreversible," foreign ministry spokesman Hamid Reza Asefi told reporters. The Security Council has given Tehran until Friday to suspend uranium enrichment, a process which makes reactor fuel but can be extended to make weapons, as a "confidence-building" measure.
Iran has refused to do so %u2013 despite growing talk of a possible US military strike %u2013asserting that its nuclear drive is a legal bid to generate energy. Mohamed ElBaradei, director of the UN nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency, is to report on Iran's compliance in a week and diplomats predict it is unlikely to reflect well on the Islamic regime.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
He's talking on a regular basis with the Hidden Imam.
#2
At the bottom of a well? I've seen that movie. The Hidden Imam(tm) is a japanese girl named Sadako, with long sprawling jetblack hair covering her face. I think we're done, we'd better convert right now, or western civilization will have only 7 days left to live.
This is just part of Phares' assessment, go to the link for the rest.
One more time Al Jazeera pomotes an Usama Bin Laden speech. After airing portions of the Bin Laden audiotape al Jazeera posted large fragments of the speech on its web site. This was the longest version possible we were able to have access to. After careful reading, my assessment of the piece got reinforced: This is not just another audiotape or videotape of a renegade in some cave. Regardless of who is the speaker and his whereabouts, the 30 minutes long read statement is a declaration, probably as important as the February 1998 declaration of war against America, the Crusaders and their allies.
This is a state of Jihad address by a Terror-leader who projects himself as the supreme leader of all Salafi Jihadists in the world. The document provide guidelines and vision to the followers across the continents: A call for mega-terrorism and a fiery delivery of a bloody war in all directions. Not one single civilization and religion got away from Usamas grapes of wrath: Muslim moderates, Shiites, Christian Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox; Jews, Hindus, Buddhists and Atheists as well. Europeans, Chinese, Indians, Semites, Africans and others were all deciphered as Kuffars, infidels.
In two decades of Salafi and Khumeini rhetoric monitoring, I havent heard or seen a cross-infidel speech as the one aired by al Jazeera on April 23, 2006. There will be lots of ink and mega bites spent on its analysis for months and years to come, but here are the main points. Al Jazeera dubbed them: The main axis of the speech. ÇáãÍÇæÑ ÇáÃÓÇÓíÉ Ýí ÎØÇÈ Èä áÇÏä
Twenty" marching orders"
* One a long attack on the Cartoons crisis: Blood is needed to cleanse the matter.
* Two, there is a Western war on Muslims and Islam.
* Three, Western policy towards Hamas proves this aggression.
* Four, the United Nations is an infidel and criminal institution.
* Five, there is a Western-infidel aggression against Muslim Sudan. The Black southerners are bandits and the Darfur Blacks are agents of the infidels
* Six, Iraqs Jihad is to stop future US military bases
* Seven, a cultural invasion is underway: Arab TVs are to be stopped, Muslim liberals to be killed
* Eight, France is to be punished for the female Hijab affair
* Nine, Bosnias Muslims were not salvaged by the West
* Ten, The independence of East Timor is a defeat to the Muslims
* Eleven, India and the Hindus are the enemies in Kashmir
* Twelve, Pakistans Musharraf is to be killed
* Thirteen, Russia must be punished
* Fourteen: Salman Rushdie is not to be forgotten
* Fifteen: The masses in the infidel lands think like their leaders. Their public (enemies) is responsible
* Sixteen: Calls for Dialogue with the West are to be rejected
* Seventeen: Do not trust the traitors including Muftis and moderate clerics
* Eighteen: King Abdallah of Saudi Arabia ignores world realities
* Nineteen: (Western) civilization is attacking ours
* Twenty: It is of the duty of all members of the Umma to offer everything for Jihad, including their lives.
Throughout the day I analyzed most of these "axis" on MSNBC, but I was able to observe the airing process on al Jazeera as well.
Imagine yourself as an Arab viewer: The speech was repeated endlessly throughout the day. Bin Laden didn't have his 20 minutes of shine, but 24 hours at least. The Bin Laden audiotape wasn't played one or two times but until every word was sinking deep in the minds of the attentive viewers. However the most powerful part of the speech wasn't restricted to its content: Al Jazeera lined up the best of its "experts on Islamist groups" to react instantly to the audiotape and throughout the day, and add "more details and substance."
#4
Phares' break-down comes off as a targeting list. The UN wouldn't be much loss, but Binny's vitriol seems to extend to just about everyone else. He's calling for all out global jihad, and they practiced throat-slitting by the thousands at the Haj. I think he's moved out of the tribal areas, either south to some sympathetic areas of Saudi or Yemen, but he's aware of current events and preparing his final stand. I also think Baghdad as the center of the Caliphate is a lie to mislead, and he is actually eyeing Jerusalem. They all tie the "Palestinian interest" to their list of gripes and have no intention of allowing Israel to exist in their redrawn map. They aren't even willing to cede an inch of Sudan, let alone Israel. He must be moving, increasing the chances of catching him, but his sons, Im-a-dinna-jacket, Moogy, and their disciples need annihilated NOW.
#6
Yep, as said before over the months and years the "status quo", however benevolent or prosperous, is no longer acceptable to either the Secular Socialists, nor to the Radical Muslims, i.e. God/Faith-based Global Theocrats = God/Faith-based Global Leftists-Socialists. ANY AND ALL PATRIOTIC AMERICANS, WHETHER WE REALIZE IT OR NOT, LIKE IT OR NOT, AND REGARDLESS OF BELIEFS, ARE IN A WAR TO THE DEATH AGAINST ENEMIES OF AMERICA. Our selective choice is to choose to be destroyed by either the Global Islamist Caliphate, versus the Global Secular Socialist State. America-Allies either de facto the world and future NWO, or be destroyed. Compromise, like Military Armistice, only means America's enemies will kill us later, rather than sooner. IN A WAR FOR CONTROL OF THE WORLD, RUNNING AWAY TO AMERICA OR OTHER PARTS UNKNOWN ISN'T GOING TO SAVE YOU OR YOURS FROM THE INEVITABLE.
Osama bin Laden is hiding in a remote tribal area along Afghanistan's 1,500-mile border with Pakistan, separated from his top deputy and, in a sign he has to be careful about whom he trusts, surrounded by fellow Arabs.
His No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, is hiding in a more settled area along the border, surrounded by al-Qaida operatives of his Egyptian nationality, according to U.S. intelligence officials familiar with his pursuit.
Their separation has opened a debate in national security circles in the United States and elsewhere about whether the leaders have split up. Neither man mentions the other by name in public pronouncements, and both headed separate groups before joining forces in 1998.
Al-Zawahri has decided to take a more prominent public role than has bin Laden, releasing dozens of written and recorded Internet messages, including a video this month urging Muslims to support Iraqi insurgents.
On Sunday, bin Laden was heard in his first new message in three months, purportedly saying the West was at war with Islam and calling on his followers to go to Sudan to fight a proposed U.N. force in Darfur.
U.S. and Saudi officials, several of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because of the information's sensitive nature, say the al-Qaida leaders have made a strategic security decision to hide in different places from one another. These officials do not yet see evidence of an ideological split.
"I don't think they have the luxury to have a rift," said Jamal Khashoggi, an adviser to the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Prince Turki al-Faisal. A former reporter and editor, Khashoggi interviewed and traveled with bin Laden at times between 1987 and 1995. Bin Laden lost his Saudi citizenship in 1994 after governments in Algeria, Egypt and Yemen accused him of financing subversion.
Bin Laden's at-large status has hounded the Bush administration. When people were asked in a recent CNN-USA Today-Gallup poll if bin Laden will be killed or captured in 2006, only 27 percent said yes, while 68 percent said no.
In a position paper released late last month, congressional Democrats pledged to "eliminate" bin Laden by doubling the number of special forces and adding more intelligence operatives.
A senior Pakistani security official said Pakistani security forces working closely with the CIA came close to capturing bin Laden a couple years ago, missing by a few hours. Clues to his whereabouts have dried up.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to media, said bin Laden and some associates were hiding in Waziristan, near the Afghan border, at the time. The official would not elaborate on who those associates were or who had sheltered the al-Qaida leader.
It is unclear now where bin Laden and al-Zawahri are.
Some U.S. officials believe they are hiding on the Pakistani side of the border with Afghanistan, protected by tribes that warn when Pakistani forces may be approaching, several U.S. counterterrorism officials said.
The Pakistani government does not believe that is true.
Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao told The Associated Press that he has no information suggesting the al-Qaida leaders are in Pakistan.
"Naturally, we can't go on a wild goose chase. We can only act if we get credible information about the hide-out.... We have got no evidence," he said.
He and others believe bin Laden and al-Zawahri may be on the Afghan side of the border, perhaps in rugged, autonomous Kunar. One of 34 provinces in Afghanistan, Kunar is slightly smaller than Delaware.
No matter which side, the border gets little respect, particularly compared with deep-seated tribal and family loyalties. Complicating the search, the mountainous region - with peaks taller than the Rockies - is full of centuries-old routes used for trade, smuggling and invasions that would be invaluable for evading capture.
Parts of the Afghan side are controlled by renegade Islamic militia leader Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, who Khashoggi and others say may be allied with bin Laden and al-Zawahri.
"They don't have many choices to hide in Afghanistan," Khashoggi said. "I think they are roaming in a very limited area."
The marriage would be one of convenience, centered largely on a mutual disdain for the United States. After the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, U.S. officials began to suspect Hekmatyar was aligning himself with al-Qaida. The CIA tried to kill him with a Predator drone in May 2002.
Help from Hekmatyar would be invaluable, given that bin Laden and al-Zawahri are foreigners and do not speak the languages native to the region. Joining the U.S. in any searches on the Afghan side are thousands of NATO troops from countries including Britain, Canada and the Netherlands.
Intelligence officials got some confirmation that al-Zawahri is surrounded by only the closest of associates with the Jan. 13 Predator drone attack on a house in Damadola, just across from Kunar.
U.S. officials will not confirm that the strike happened, and Pakistani officials suspect at least four foreign militants died in the strike. The list includes Egyptian Midhat Mursi, an explosives and chemical weapons expert; Abu Obaidah al-Masri, a chief responsible for attacks on U.S. forces in eastern Afghanistan; and Al-Abdul Rehman al-Maghribi, al-Zawahri's Moroccan son-in-law. Mursi had a $5 million bounty on his head and is on the FBI's list of most-wanted terrorists.
Authorities hoped al-Zawahri would be at the high-level dinner called Eid al-Adha, marking the end of Muslims' pilgrimage to Mecca.
The fact that the U.S. could target the gathering signaled to some security experts that someone in the region betrayed the al-Qaida leader - and the U.S. was able to take advantage of the fissure.
"For the United States to get wind of a high-level dinner like that and have precise information on when it is taking place, someone must have betrayed somebody - absolutely," said Ken Katzman, an expert on terrorism at the Congressional Research Service who recently traveled to Afghanistan.
U.S. intelligence officials believe bin Laden and al-Zawahri are surrounded by smaller entourages of perhaps 10 or 20 people. Katzman called it a "fairly sculpted group" of "close cronies" - often of their own country. "If you are an Egyptian in that region, Zawahri is your mentor and the one you look up to more," he said.
Counterterrorism officials say Egyptians in the region play an important role in protecting the al-Qaida leaders.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 04:24 ||
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For what its worth, I think Bin Laden and Zawahiri split some time ago, and rumors of his death in Iran a ruse to buy time. There are renowned plastic surgeons in Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and even Brazil that could do a makeover requiring months of recovery. He isn't the first terrorist to have features altered, making facial recognition software ineffective. Tyre, Sidon, the thickets of Jordan, Kedar, and lofty crags of Edom are all nests of vipers.
#2
Also, many aren't aware the Bin Laden spent summers in Syrian Latakia during his youth and sowed a few wild oats in Beirut before marrying his Syrian cousin. He was in Lebanon about the time of Mugniyeh and even Arafat during the late 70's. He also camped in the Saudi desert, proud to be associated with the poorer nomadic tribes. Binny's silence means he's where we least expect him, adding improbability to his recognition by others.
Osama bin Laden's message on a new audio recording is certainly vintage with equal measures of lecture and threat but some analysts sensed much less passion than usual in the 17th message heard from bin Laden since 9/11.
The White House responded by saying al Qaeda's top leaders are under the gun and on the run. Nevertheless, the tape is a stark reminder that the man behind 9/11 is still alive and making threats.
First aired on the Arabic language news channel al-Jazeera, the recording repeats bin Laden's view that U.S. civilians are valid targets.
"The citizens renew their approval of their government action," bin Laden says in Arabic. "They send their youth into the military to kill us and burn our lands."
But to some, bin Laden seems much less menacing on the newest tape than he has in the past.
"There was a time when we heard a bin Laden tape and assumed an attack would take place shortly thereafter somewhere in the world," said Richard Clarke, the former U.S. anti-terror czar who is now an ABC News consultant. "That hasn't been the case for several years now, and the things he says very often don't happen."
The al-Jazeera network would not say how or when it got the tape. But there are specific mentions by bin Laden of the Israeli incursion into a Palestinian prison last month, an indication the tape was made recently.
As always, the bin Laden tape became a political issue.
On ABC News' "This Week," Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said the tape was a reminder of the U.S. failure to stop bin Laden in a key early battle in Afghanistan.
"Osama bin Laden is loose today because we allowed him to escape at Tora Bora," Kerry said. "It's that simple."
The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee called the tape effective propaganda for the Islamic world.
"It recognizes that much of this war, this battle that we're fighting, is about winning the hearts and minds of moderate Islam," said Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., "and they are focused on that. We need to be focused on it."
The strongest language in the new tape may have been bin Laden's call for an economic boycott of the United States.
But it also suggests he may have lost his ability to personally command any of thousands of warriors he once controlled.
"He seems to have been reduced to being a commentator on Islamic news," Clarke said.
Every new tape from bin Laden presents a new opportunity to locate him. A small team of Pakistani and U.S. intelligence agents is tracking the al Qaeda courier network that moves the tapes from bin Laden to outlets such as al Jazeera. There has been some success, but it is thought that as many as 25 couriers are used to move just one tape.
Though the tape suggests bin Laden could be weaker now, U.S. officials point out that he does not necessarily have to be strong to hurt America. For instance, the terror nightmare for U.S. agents is five or six al Qaeda suicide bombers at five or six American shopping malls or train stations.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 04:15 ||
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"The strongest language in the new tape may have been bin Laden's call for an economic boycott of the United States"
Good grief, that's his best shot?????????? Whadda Maroon!!! Exactly who does he think is going to participate in this boycott?? The Saudis who he put out a contract on??????
"... is about winning the hearts and minds of moderate Islam,"
Umm, correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't he include a contract on "moderate" Muslims, too?
Seems like a strange way to win hearts and minds.
#2
Binnie may finally have jumped the shark with this speech. What a fruitloop. Even the less-than-moderate muslims know who's doing what in Darfur. Plus the "kill the whole world - including sane muslims" ranting.
Might lose him a few fans with the "conspiracy" crap starting to sound like the crap it is. I don't think even the fundos have the energy for another round of cartoon riots.
#6
I'm not convinced - as someone whom fought wid Osama against the Soviets in Afghanistan, for me it is more likely he is anticipating America taking mil action againt IRAN soon, and is dividing his org so that Zawi can focus on launching new 9-11's against America. IRAN has always been the ultimate focii/center of Osama's visionquest as per his brand of Radicalism, his Apocalypse - I believe Osama as Mahdi/Imam Incarnate is getting himself ready to fight his "final battle" against America in Iran. IFF IRAN FALLS TO THE INFIDEL, OSAMA WILL INTERPRETE IT AS A SIGN FROM GOD AS TO THE CORRECTNESS OR DEFECT OF HIS BELIEFS. IFF IRAN FALLS, THE DREAM OF IRAN-CENTRIC REGIONAL AND GLOBAL CALIPHATE WILL DIE THEN AND THERE, AS OSAMA HIMSELF WILL KNOW HE IS NOT THE ONE GOD INTENDED. In my own weird way, I wish my old friend well - however bad or whatever evil he is doing, Osama per se is a true believer in his God and his cause.
Zacarias Moussaoui was an easy mark. Young and nearly broke, sleeping in a London shelter, he was ashamed of his past and uncertain of his future. And each day, when he went to the mosque in Brixton, he would run a gantlet of Islamic extremists.
Eventually, they snared him.
And the story of how a disaffected, down-and-almost-out young Muslim became a self-described member of the 9/11 plot offers chilling insights into the way Al Qaeda trolls for recruits and trains them to become suicidal zealots, willing to kill themselves to kill others.
Had Moussaoui not surrendered to the spell of the radicals, his life might have been different. After all, he had broken away from his impoverished childhood in France, as well as his violent, alcoholic father. He had made it to London. He was smart; he earned a master's degree in business.
But that was the road not taken.
At the Brixton mosque, he began wearing military camouflage and black boots. He criticized fellow Muslims as too soft. "Where's the jihad?" he kept asking. "Where's the jihad?"
From there, joining Islamist guerrillas in Chechnya was not a big step. Neither was signing up for Al Qaeda training camps in Afghanistan. Or flight school in America.
Moussaoui found his war.
Last year, he pleaded guilty to being involved with the Sept. 11, 2001, plot. This week, a federal jury in Alexandria, Va., will begin deliberating on what the legal consequences of his involvement with Al Qaeda should be a death row cell or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
But for government and other analysts who focus on trying to understand how seemingly ordinary young men become terrorists or would-be terrorists, testimony and documents in the sentencing trial offered valuable details about the path men such as Moussaoui have traveled.
Paul R. Martin, an expert on cults, said Moussaoui represented the classic case of a vulnerable young man brainwashed by Islamic radicals in London during the mid-1990s. "They swept him away," Martin told the jury last week.
Martin said that French Moroccans such as Moussaoui living in Western Europe "just didn't feel like they fit in. They were sort of on the fringes. So when some of them came into contact with these radical elements, they felt for the first time that, 'Wow, I belong. This is my home.' "
Other new evidence came from Mohammed al-Qahtani, the so-called 20th 9/11 hijacker. In a summary of what he has told U.S. interrogators at the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Al-Qahtani described how Al Qaeda isolated men like him and Moussaoui and transformed them into automatons for jihad. They were herded together at training camps, Al-Qahtani said, assigned to group tents, cut off from the outside world. One man ruled their life: Osama bin Laden, whom they called "the big boss."
Also, a new CIA report was read to jurors that further outlined Al Qaeda's "brainwashing techniques." It even told of one initiate who feared for his life and with some perseverance had made it out of the camps.
Moussaoui arrived in England around 1995. He was in his late 20s and enrolled in business school. Fellow student Nil Plant recalled him as friendly and ambitious. "But he wasn't a proper Arab or a French boy either. He was sort of stuck in between, belonging to nowhere. He had a lot going for him, but nowhere to go."
Abdul Haqq Baker, the imam at the Brixton mosque, testified that Moussaoui "came in eager, quick to learn." But outside the front doors were radicals passing out leaflets and warning that Baker and other mosque leaders were too soft. They said the Middle East was aflame and yet the mosque leaders sat idly by.
The leaflets announced upcoming militant study groups. The titles included "Victory to Muslims!" and "Why Muslims Are Weak." The radicals showed films of young Muslim boys castrated in Bosnia, their genitals displayed on trays. They derided U.N. troops as "blue hats," and said they used Muslim women as "pleasure girls." Moussaoui was intrigued and started attending the radicals' study circles.
"His friendly demeanor changed," Baker said. He erupted into tirades; asked to calm down, Moussaoui shouted epithets. "You could see the disdain in his face," Baker said.
By now, according to Martin, the extremists controlled Moussaoui: "Probably, at that point, he felt like he owed them his life."
Moussaoui went off to Chechnya. He turned up at the Al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan, where he drove young recruits from the airport and back. He trained in explosives and pledged bayat total loyalty to Bin Laden.
The CIA report said the camps "provided the isolation and psychological atmosphere necessary to support classic brainwashing techniques." The goal was to turn recruits into "committed operatives who could be trusted to live for several years in the West and still carry out their mission."
Travel to Afghanistan was crucial; Al Qaeda wanted its young fighters immersed in the "pure Islamic state." Additional pressures were applied to prevent "backsliding," especially to keep a "second wave" of recruits in line for a planned follow-up attack after Sept. 11.
Moussaoui, Al-Qahtani and many of the 9/11 hijackers were at the Afghanistan camps at about the same time. Al-Qahtani described how the system worked at two camps.
The first had a rigorous schedule, where all students prayed together, rarely leaving one another's sights. Bin Laden frequently visited. He gave "sermons, recommendations and advice regarding jihad, the struggle of Islam and bayat," Al-Qahtani said. Recruits swore allegiance to the "Prince of Jihad."
Al-Qahtani moved to an advanced training camp near the airport at Kandahar, Afghanistan, at a place called Tarnak Farms. They practiced breaching doors and waging close-quarter combat. They were taught explosives "in case they ever needed to use them."
Al-Qahtani was selected as the 20th hijacker for Sept. 11. But he was turned away at the Orlando, Fla., airport in August 2001 when he drew the suspicion of authorities. Moussaoui by then had been in this country for eight months. He said he was sent by Bin Laden to join the Sept. 11 team. He first took flight training in Oklahoma City.
According to FBI memos, Suhaib Webb, the imam at the Islamic Society of Greater Oklahoma City, said Moussaoui complained that mosque members were too complacent.
Moussaoui took one member of the mosque, Hussein al-Attas, under his wing. Webb believed that "Al-Attas was probably brainwashed" by Moussaoui into planning a trip to Pakistan for jihad. Instead, Moussaoui was arrested taking jet simulation lessons after he and Al-Attas drove to Minneapolis.
Moussaoui believes that someday he will be set free. But the truth appears far different. As far as Bin Laden's lieutenants are concerned, evidence presented near the end of the trial suggested, the Brixton recruit was used up expendable.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 04:04 ||
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"Where's the jihad?" he kept asking. "Where's the jihad?"
LOL! Show me the jihad!
A newly released audiotape attributed to Osama bin Laden urges Muslims to prepare for a long war in Sudan and attacks the U.S. and European cutoff of aid to the Palestinian government, now controlled by the militant group Hamas, as proof of "a Zionist-crusaders' war on Islam."
The tape, broadcast Sunday by the Arab satellite channel Al Jazeera, is the first reported message from the Al Qaeda leader since January.
The White House said Sunday afternoon that U.S. intelligence officials believed the tape was authentic.
In his last message, on Jan. 19, Bin Laden said Al Qaeda was preparing attacks against Americans but offered a truce, without spelling out the conditions.
In the new tape, however, he said members of the Western public shared responsibility for the actions of their governments because they "are renewing their allegiance to its rulers and master" an apparent implication that civilians could be targeted.
Peter Bergen, an expert on Bin Laden and one of the few Westerners who have interviewed him, said in an interview that the subject matter of the latest communication was "not particularly interesting. The real message is, 'I'm alive.' "
But because Bin Laden retains much symbolic power within militant groups and a wider circle of sympathizers, the new tape is likely to provoke some response and reaction, said Bergen, author of the recently published book "The Osama bin Laden I Know: An Oral History of Al Qaeda's Leader."
"There is some cause and effect," he said.
President Bush was informed of the tape about 6:30 a.m., White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said.
"The Al Qaeda leadership is on the run and under a lot of pressure," McClellan told reporters traveling with the president in California.
Leading senators from both parties criticized the administration Sunday for its failure to track down Bin Laden.
"Frankly, I'm very dissatisfied that we haven't brought him to justice, and I think it has to be a top priority," Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told "Late Edition." "But one day, we'll catch him."
Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee, charged on the same program that the administration "took its eye off the ball when President Bush decided to go after Iraq instead of Al Qaeda, the people who had attacked us on 9/11, and their leader Bin Laden."
Bin Laden's comments on the violent refugee crisis in Sudan were his first on the fighting in that country, which was his home from 1992 to 1996, when he was expelled under U.S. pressure and moved his base to Afghanistan.
Bin Laden was harbored by the Sudanese government during the period in which he plotted the 1998 bombings of the U.S. embassies in Nairobi, Kenya, and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Those attacks killed more than 220 people and injured about 4,000.
More than 180,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in Darfur, in western Sudan, as Arab militias have fought African tribal rebels. Negotiators are trying to broker a truce, and United Nations peacekeepers may be sent there.
Last year, an accord ended a decades-long civil war between the Arab-Muslim rulers and predominantly Christian and animist rebels.
Bin Laden contended that the West was trying to divide the country.
"Our goal is not defending the Khartoum government but to defend Islam, its land and its people," Bin Laden said on the tape, according to Al Jazeera's English-language website.
Media in the Middle East have reported recently that Al Qaeda is trying to organize in Sudan, as well as in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Lebanon.
There are no overt connections between Al Qaeda and Hamas, and the organization quickly distanced itself from Bin Laden's comments.
"The ideology of Hamas is totally different from the ideology of Sheik bin Laden," spokesman Sami abu Zuhri told the Associated Press.
Bin Laden has cited the Palestinian struggle against Israel in the past, but Hamas leaders have said they are fighting only Israel and are not part of the global Islamic radical movement.
The Hamas spokesman said his group was interested in good relations with the West, AP reported.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
04/24/2006 03:54 ||
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The Bin Laden tape is authentic and pathetic, a two-fer.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
04/24/2006 11:02 Comments ||
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#2
Why is it again that we're all supposed to believe that he's still alive? I thought that the need for dialysis would have killed him by now. Is it just politically expedient for us to all pretend that he's alive so as to not (prematurely) make a martyr of him?
Osama Bin Laden is hiding in a remote tribal area along Afghanistans 2,413-kilometre border with Pakistan, separated from his top deputy and, in a sign he has to be careful about whom he trusts, surrounded by fellow Arabs, according to US intelligence officials familiar with his pursuit.
His No 2, Ayman Al-Zawahri, is hiding in a more settled area along the border, surrounded by Al Qaeda operatives of his Egyptian nationality, they say. Their separation has opened a debate in national security circles in the United States and elsewhere about whether the leaders have split up. Neither man mentions the other by name in public pronouncements, and both headed separate groups before joining forces in 1998.
Al-Zawahri has decided to take a more prominent public role than has Osama, releasing dozens of written and recorded Internet messages, including a video this month urging Muslims to support Iraqi insurgents. On Sunday, Osama was heard in his first new message in three months, purportedly saying the West was at war with Islam and calling on his followers to go to Sudan to fight a proposed UN force in Darfur.
US and Saudi officials, several of whom spoke on condition of anonymity because of the informations sensitive nature, say the Al-Qaeda leaders have made a strategic security decision to hide in different places from one another. These officials do not yet see evidence of an ideological split. I dont think they have the luxury to have a rift, said Jamal Khashoggi, an adviser to the Saudi ambassador to Washington, Prince Turki Al Faisal. A former reporter and editor, Khashoggi interviewed and travelled with Osama at times between 1987 and 1995. Osama lost his Saudi citizenship in 1994 after governments in Algeria, Egypt and Yemen accused him of financing subversion.
Posted by: Fred ||
04/24/2006 00:00 ||
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Are we supposed to scurry out of Iraq and Afghanistan to Sudan after OBL's jihadi's now?
Just leave Iran alone and focus elsewhere while they prepare their strike. Nope - Darfur is a muslim problem, so we've been clearly informed. No infidels in Sudan and just fine by us. Nice try.
He's working with mahmoud armagheddon on this one. In two weeks or so OBL should release his "everyone on jihad" tape.
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.
April 24, 2006: Police in Afghanistan noticed that the Taliban's favorite form of motorized transportation was the motorcycle, usually Japanese models. So now the police are going after unregistered motorcycles, as the ones used by the Taliban generally don't bother with registration. Actually, in the back country, many people don't bother with much government paperwork at all. That's now changed, and the police are trying to deny the Taliban one of their more effective forms of transportation. At the very least, this will force the Taliban to get real, or false, documentation for their bikes. 
A Sudanese Islamist leader who once protected Al Qaeda supremo Osama bin Laden was branded an apostate by the countrys Muslim scholars on Sunday for taking a liberal stand on womens rights. 
Al Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden on Sunday called on his followers to go to Sudan to fight a proposed United Nations force in Darfur, in tape attributed to him and aired on Al Jazeera television. 
Chechnya's rebels are preparing to send out fighters to attack Russia anywhere on its territory, and could activate their attacks any day now, a spokesman for the movement said. 
A Dutch Muslim-born politician has condemned Islam's attitudes towards homosexuality and claims that the Netherlands have not done enough to protect gay asylum seekers who face death in their country of origin.
US Senator John Kerry on Sunday called on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign following the airing of a new recording attributed to fugitive al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. Bin Laden slipped past US troops from his hideout in the Tora Bora area of Afghanistan in late 2001 because Rumsfeld had not committed enough troops to finding him, Kerry, the Democratic Party candidate in the 2004 presidential election, told ABC television...
Invading Iraq is likely to go down as one of the worst US foreign policy blunders ever, former Secretary of State 
Renowned American journalist 
Thousands of protesters defied a daytime curfew in the Nepali capital on Sunday, chanting slogans against the king on the 18th consecutive day of protests. At least three people were injured when police opened fire on one group of protesters in an eastern suburb of Kathmandu, witnesses said, although they were not sure if live rounds or rubber bullets were used. 
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister 
The commander of Kashmirs largest militant group said on Sunday Pakistan had caused irreparable damage to the Kashmiri fighters cause by pursuing peace without winning more concessions from India.
Sheikh 
ANKARA, Turkey - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview broadcast Monday that he has the authority to remove the newly elected Hamas government from power, and he warned the government it had little choice but to negotiate with Israel
Iran said Sunday its nuclear program is irreversible, issuing yet another rejection of a U.N. Security Council deadline to cease enriching uranium that 
An international Zionist conspiracy, an American bid to enact regime change in Iran and extra-marital sex these are the main dangers facing the Islamic republic today. 
Osama Bin Laden is hiding in a remote tribal area along Afghanistans 2,413-kilometre border with Pakistan, separated from his top deputy and, in a sign he has to be careful about whom he trusts, surrounded by fellow Arabs, according to US intelligence officials familiar with his pursuit.
