Afghan analysts say an increase in attacks on Afghanistan's border is vindicating fears that Pakistan's truce with pro-Taliban rebels will feed the insurgency. The US-led coalition said on Thursday that attacks in parts of Afghanistan opposite the North Waziristan region have tripled in some areas since the ceasefire came into effect there two months ago.
It is giving an assurance that they are no more under threat from Pakistan and this is opening a new front in Afghanistan" in provinces on the border...
The deal has essentially opened a new front in the Taliban insurgency, said Kabul University politics lecturer and analyst Nasrullah Stanizai. "I think the agreement in Waziristan is indeed giving legitimacy to Taliban and Al Qaeda activities under the name of local Taliban in those areas," he told AFP. "It is giving an assurance that they are no more under threat from Pakistan and this is opening a new front in Afghanistan" in provinces on the border, he said.
Reflecting suspicion here about the motives of Islamabad, Stanizai said the move was an "organised attempt by Pakistan to destabilise Afghanistan". The spike in attacks, which suggests an increase in the movement of militants from across the border, was not promising, analysts and officials in Kabul said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2006 00:00 ||
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I think the Pakistani army presence was preventing us from doing what needs to be done in Waziristan. The Taliban fols will soon be trumpeting about how illegal inccursions are taking place. And hopefully they will be right.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/30/2006 1:56 Comments ||
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I hope so SH, but I doubt it. Perv has switched sides in the time honored fashion of that part of the world.
#4
I don't think it is switching sides as much as an admission that he can't do anything about the situation for what is probably a collection of reasons. My guess is Waziristan is going to see a lot of cross-border activity, but going in the other direction. Getting the Paki army out of the way was a necessary condition for this to happen without repercussions.
Several thousand Muslims took to the streets of Nairobi after prayers on Friday to accuse Kenyan police of discriminatory arrests and harassment. The demonstrators marched from Nairobi's main mosque to police headquarters chanting and waving slogans like "Stop harassing Muslims" and "We don't want anti-terror police."
Although rowdy and provoking a round of tear gas from riot police at one stage, the demonstration was non-violent. Kenya's Muslim community has long complained of being marginalised by authorities, and feels it has been unfairly targeted in the fight against terrorism, particularly since 1998 and 2002 attacks blamed on Al Qaeda-linked extremists. According to the demonstrators, Friday's rally was fuelled by two recent cases: the arrest of a Muslim man outside the Israeli Embassy, and the arrest of a man whose car was implicated in a recent shootout with police.
Local media have linked that shootout with a possible plot to kill Somali Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi, who was visiting Nairobi this week. "We came to complain to the government and specifically to the police commission against the anti-terror police unit," 25-year-old demonstrator Halimo Daro said. "This unit is terrorising Muslims. It is unconstitutional."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2006 00:00 ||
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This could be one of Scrappleface's better efforts.
#3
Islam - the cult that turns it's slaves into schizoid psychotics. Need to lace their water with Ativan for a couple of years Or, launch a cartoon fest and let them kill each other in riots. The cult is the cause of worldwide raging violence and hatred.
A team of experts has recommended that the UN Security Council impose sanctions on top Sudanese government officials for violations of peace efforts in the war-ravaged Darfur region, diplomats said Friday.
All sides in the Darfur conflict continue to commit "blatant violations" of an arms embargo...
The list, which is secret, was sent to the Security Council with an Aug. 31 report that all sides in the Darfur conflict continue to commit "blatant violations" of an arms embargo. It said the rebels appear to have gained strength since March, while the government continues to supply weapons to Arab militias. Qatar's UN Ambassador Nassir Al-Nassir said the new list of names forwarded to the Security Council includes "top people in the government." The number of people on the list also was not known.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2006 00:00 ||
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The ruler of Kuwait made a personal appeal to US President George W. Bush that helped secure the release this month of two of that countrys citizens from the Guantanamo Bay prison, their attorney said. Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, the emir of the oil-rich US ally, sought the transfer of six Kuwaiti detainees to their homeland during a visit to Washington on Sept. 5, attorney David Cynamon said on Thursday in a conference call with reporters. The emir was pressing and indeed the government of Kuwait has been pressing for the release of all the (Kuwaiti) detainees, not just the two who were sent home nine days later, Cynamon said.
Cynamon said diplomatic efforts were continuing to secure the release of the other four Kuwaitis whom he represents still among the roughly 465 alleged al-Qaida and Taliban supporters detained at the US Naval base in southeastern Cuba. It is distressing that the administration has been dragging its feet so long in repatriating these men to Kuwait, he said.
Distressing to you and their mothers, perhaps, but I don't feel the slightest twinge of distress. Even the chili went down fine tonight.
The military said they had ties to charities with links to terror groups and that their names had been found on the hard drive of a computer seized from a suspected Al Qaeda member.
The two men released on Sept. 14 - Omar Rajab Amin, 41, and Abdullah Kamel al-Kundari, 32 - had been held at Guantanamo for four years. The military said they had ties to charities with links to terror groups and that their names had been found on the hard drive of a computer seized from a suspected Al Qaeda member.
Collecting for the Widows Ammunition Fund.
Cynamon denied they had such links, and said he expected they would be cleared by Kuwaiti courts.
"Lies! All lies!"
The last part I fully believe. Of COURSE they will be cleared.
Pessimist.
Al-Kundari was a former member of Kuwaits national volleyball team who before his arrest worked as an engineer for the Ministry of Water and Electricity.
Then he got religion.
Amin, who attended college in Nebraska, was also accused by the military of being a terrorist financier who had provided large amounts of money to Osama bin Laden - accusations he denied.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/30/2006 00:00 ||
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Here on Guam, the big news is that US ICE and local boys have busted an alleged arms smuggling ring invol arms being transf to the TAMIL TIGERS in SRI LANKA. Wondering iff there's any relation to the CHICOM PLA + RUSSIANS intensifying econ investments in the CNMI Islands???
#2
Forgot to add that ASIA TIMES > THE HUNGRY BEAR series = GEOPOLITICAL ISOLATION is viewed by RUSSIA-CHINA as the key to ending [perceived]US global dominance. Geopol Isolationism = Retreat which one can also add to America = Amerika adopting anti-American AMERICAN/DOMESTIC/LOCAL national Socialism + OWG > you know, why GLOBAL SECULARISM = GLOBAL CALIPHATE > means enemy armies will leave CONUS-NORAM alone iff only America would just unilaterally withdraw from the WORLD = ME ONLY, and WORLD = ASIA-PACIFIC ONLY, and WORLD = AMERICAS-AFRICA ONLY, etc.
LONDON (Reuters) - Composer Steve Reich does not expect his memorial piece for Daniel Pearl to stop what he calls the "medieval religious war" that claimed the reporter's life. He just wants to keep Pearl's name alive.
Approaching his 70th birthday on Tuesday, Reich, known as a founder of minimalism in classical music, shows no signs of slowing down or tempering his views. "If anybody had told me 20 years ago you're going to be approaching 70 and worrying about a medieval religious war that could destroy New York City, I'd have said, 'Hey get a good shrink or have a few drinks and forget all this stuff'.
"But sad to say, it's come to be reality," he told Reuters. Reich thinks Islamic militants are even now trying to get an atomic bomb into his native city. He also blames them for the murder of an innocent man, the 38-year-old Pearl.
The Wall Street Journal reporter was abducted in Pakistan in 2002 as he chased leads after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the U.S.. Claiming the American was an Israeli spy, his captors made a videotape as they slit his throat and beheaded him.
"Daniel Variations", scored for four singers accompanied by a small ensemble and using words Pearl spoke on the videotape, has its world premiere at London's Barbican Hall on October 8.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/30/2006 08:29 ||
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How about Daniel Pearl Memorial Lake in the place where Islamabad stands now (glass bottom etc...)
SEOUL South Korea's National Intelligence Service reported that North Korean engineers have dug a tunnel 700 meters, about two-fifths of a mile, beneath the surface of Mount Mantap in North Hamkyong Province.
Word of the tunnel comes from Chung Hyung-Keun, a member of the National Assemblys intelligence committee. Chung, who belongs to the conservative Grand National Party, revealed the tunnels existence after returning from a trip to Washington in which he advised against transferring wartime control of South Korean troops from U.S. to Korean command.
Afraid your guys can't handle it?
Chung said the tunnel resembles sites of underground tests in Nevada, India and Pakistan. The vertical shaft, near a horizontal tunnel, is about twice the necessary depth a possible precaution against atmospheric fallout.
Richard Armitage, former U.S. deputy secretary of state, visiting Seoul, said North Korea may attempt a nuclear test before the end of the year but may also want to negotiate a deal on nuclear weapons with the next U.S. administration. Armitage predicted that Kim Jong-Il would try to muddle through, notwithstanding the horror it brings to his own people and was likely to wait it out until the next administration." North Koreans are of the opinion that we are mired down in Iraq and Afghanistan and Iran, that we cant be very innovative and flexible with them. he said.
Thanks Rich for that astounding insight. You just can't resist, can you?
Chung revealed the tunnel just as Prime Minister Han Myeong-Sook was in Libya meeting with Moammar Khaddafy, who offered to share his wardrobe mediate in efforts to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program.
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/30/2006 00:00 ||
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Dubya + US-WESTERN INTEL has to verify Kimmie's intent vv CHINA, espec given TEXT/SCHOOL/MAP-GATE where the two KORYEAS are upset over Chicom textbooks ascribing KORYEA as a whole as a de facto part of past + present China = Chinese Histoire'/Civilization.
#2
Isn't it also possible that North Koreans just liek to tunnel. I mean they don't really have the technology, materials, know-how or cash to build sky scrapers. Maybe all really good NK architects go into the tunneling field. I have long suspected that Pakistani kite-flyers are actually their areonautics engineers. You have got to start somewhere. All Cuban naval architects seem to enjoy working on old cars.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/30/2006 2:07 Comments ||
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COPENHAGEN: Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen does not consider cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed (ptui pbuh) that were published a year ago by a Danish newspaper offensive, according to a new book on the controversy. There were many Danes who found it hard to see the cartoons as offensive, including me, the prime minister said in an interview with author Per Bech Thomsen for a forthcoming book based on the encounter, The Mohammed Crisis. While the book is to go on sale on Tuesday, extracts from the book appeared on Friday in free daily metroXpress.
The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten first printed 12 caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed (ptui pbuh) last September and a slew of other, mostly European, newspapers followed suit, sparking outrage in the Muslim world. Much of the anger was directed towards Danish interests abroad, hitting the Scandinavian countrys exports.
It was the first time the Danish prime minister expressed his personal opinion on the cartoons, after refusing to intervene in the crisis on the grounds of freedom of expression.
Freedom of expression was non-negotiable, according to Rasmussen...
Followers of all religions cannot demand that others, who do not belong to their faith, respect their way of life, dogma and beliefs, the prime minister said. Freedom of expression was non-negotiable, according to Rasmussen. In an interview with Danish news agency Ritzau, published in Danish media on Friday, Rasmussen defended his stance. He said it had been right not to interfere with the press and respect freedom of expression as a cornerstone of Danish democracy. Throughout the world people respected (the fact) that we did not bow to pressure from groups of fanatical Muslims, Rasmussen said. Happily we have had almost only positive reactions, apart from certain (unnamed) countries, Rasmussen added.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2006 00:00 ||
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Carlsberg, Tuborg and Neptune are all Danish beers. New independent brewers are also sprouting up, among them are Fuglsang, Hancock, Harboe, Refsvindinge, Thisted, Vestfyen. There are also microbreweries like Brøckhouse, Grauballe, Wintercoat, Skands, Herslev, Ørbæk and Troldhede. This list does not even cover the brewpubs like Apollo, Sct Clemens, Flakhaven, Herning (all owned by the same company), Svaneke Bryghus, Fur, Nørrebro and Søgaards Bryghus.
And if you can pronounce even a few of these names, I'll buy you a beer. Here in America, the two main brands are Carlsberg and Tuborg. I'm a Tuborg guy myself. Nice hoppy aroma, good body (like the Danish women), and a crisp, clean finish (unlike the Finnish).
[dwarf voice] I can tell you about the Holy Grolsch. [/dv]
It's from Holland. A fine beer but certainly not Danish.
Sidebar: According to legend, Carlsberg and Tuborg supposedly back each other up when shortages occur. Since they located are across the street from each other, rumor has it that a pipeline connects the two breweries. Danes jokingly refer to their national beers as "Carlsborg" and "Tuberg".
#4
Muslims deserve to be offended, if so doing illustrates their backwardness. However, be aware that ANY depiction of the phony "prophet" of their cult, is prohibited. Frankly, I would replace our foreign origin Muslims with Philipinos and Hindus. And maybe some Africans to further prove we aren't racist.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/30/2006 13:05 ||
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A video report from CNN's Jack Cafferty says that buried deep within the pending plan to create military tribunals for those suspected of terrorism is amnesty for present U.S. officials.
He said that President Bush "is trying to pardon himself" with the plan, which is in the last stage of congressional endorsement and next will go to the president's desk
"Here's the deal:" Cafferty said. "Under the War Crimes Act, violations of the Geneva Conventions are felonies, in some cases punishable by death. When the Supreme Court ruled that the Geneva Convention applied to al-Qaida and Taliban detainees, President Bush and his boys were suddenly in big trouble.
"They've been working these prisoners over pretty good. In an effort to avoid possible prosecution they're trying to cram this bill through Congress before the end of the week before Congress adjourns," he said.
"The reason there's such a rush to do this? If the Democrats get control of the House in November this kind of legislation probably wouldn't pass," he said.
Cafferty said the "real disgrace" was that Sen. Bill Frist and U.S. Rep. Dennis Hastert "and their Republican stooges apparently don't see anything wrong with this. I really do wonder sometimes what we're becoming in this country."
reminds why CNN is an unviewable biased asswipe
Posted by: Frank G ||
09/30/2006 13:40 Comments ||
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I don't see the pardon in this bill. Cafferty seems to qualify as an activist rather than a jounalist.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/30/2006 18:24 Comments ||
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WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Congress has ordered construction of 700 miles of fence along the U.S.-Mexican border in a move Mexico says will hurt relations between the two countries.
The Senate voted 80-19, with 26 Democrats joining 54 Republicans in support, Friday night before recessing for the fall political campaigns. President Bush has said he would sign it.
26 Dhimmis? Bet that includes most, if not all, of the Dhimmis up for election in November. And it means that more Dhimmis voted for the fence than against. That's going to have some progressives gnashing and wailing. I just might head over to the DU and see ...
Posted by: Steve White ||
09/30/2006 14:16 ||
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On Fox, yesterday, they interviewed a guy who said the fence bill design is a 3-layer thingy. Not as robust as what he had advocated, but substantial.
For the first time in forever, I offer kudos to Frist & the Senate Pubs for guiding this to an up or down vote - something the Dhimmis worked feverishly to prevent, from all accounts. Once it was there, they had to put up or shut up - and we see the results. There is a core of safe-seat Dhimmi asstards who do all the screeching and spewing - trying to provide MSM sound bytes and cover for the cowards by steering everything to die in committees.
It's good to have an enemy who's effectively a clusterfuck gaggle of gutless turds.
"Eight Democratic senators who supported the bill last night [actual vote] switched their position from the previous day, when they voted [cloture vote] to block the fence. They are Sens. Barbara Boxer of California, Thomas Carper of Delaware, Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, Christopher J. Dodd of Connecticut, Tom Harkin of Iowa, Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, Barack Obama of Illinois and Charles E. Schumer of New York."
I have a list of those I'd most like to see at room temperature, lol.
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/30/2006 00:10 ||
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Of course not, perish the thought. You're a multifaceted guy, a coward, a partisan seditionist, a Tranzi traitor, a complete pussy, and terminally insane with BDS. That's considered well-rounded by those left of Trotsky.
#7
A time table for withdrawal? Wotta maroon! Is this political posturing or is Russ really this clueless?
Hey, I'm an anti-war guy too and generally against killing people. However, I'm also flexible and willing to make exceptions for dealing with homicidal maniacs. Sometimes ya gotta do what ya gotta do.
Husband: No, new Russ Feingold is an anti-terrorist dessert topping!
Wife: He's a anti-war floor wax!
Husband: He's an anti-terrorist dessert topping!
Wife: He's a anti-war floor wax, I'm telling you!
Husband: He's an anti-terrorist dessert topping, you cow!
Spokesman: [enters quickly] Hey, hey, hey, calm down, you two. New Senator Russ Feingold is both a anti-war floor wax and an anti-terrorist dessert topping! Here, I'll spray him on your mop...and some on your democrat pudding.
[Husband eats while Wife mops]
Husband: Mmmmm, tastes anti-terrorist terrific!
Wife: And just look at that anti-war shine! But will he make it through the primary season?
Spokesman: Hey, Senator Russ Feingold outlasts every other leading Senator, 2 to 1. He's durable, and he's scuff-resistant.
Husband: And he's delicious!
Spokesman: Sure is! Perks up anything from an AFL-CIO rally to a feminist whine-athon!
Wife: Made from an exclusive non-hypocritical, non-yellowing formula.
Husband: I haven't even touched my democrat pudding and I'm ready for more!
Wife: But what about the black vote?
Spokesman: Dirt, grime, corruption, racism, even the NAACP, wipes off from him with a damp mop.
[Husband accidentally sprays Russ Feingold onto the floor]
Husband: Oh, sorry, honey, I'll clean that up!
Wife: Oh, no problem, sweetheart, not with new Senator, or dare I say President Russ Feingold!
[Spokesman laughs continuously as he approaches the camera]
Spokesman: New Senator Russ Feingold, for the greatest candidate you ever tasted or used to clean your floors!
(2006-09-29) According to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, 89 percent of Democrats believe its more likely that they will personally be subjected to NSA wiretaps and CIA waterboarding, than it is that Islamic terrorists will attempt another attack on U.S. soil.
The results come in the wake of Congressional passage of President Bushs terrorist detainee and NSA wiretap proposals designed to prevent future attacks.
The only thing we have to fear, said one unnamed Democrat Senator, is Bush himself.
The source noted that al Qaeda is not a legitimate threat, since the so-called terror group has mounted only one successful operation on U.S. soil in the past six years.
In that same time, Bush has ordered many wiretaps and the CIA has tortured lots of detainees, he said. Then he asked rhetorically, Which one presents a clear and present danger: Bush or Bin Laden?
The anonymous senator also noted that the al Qaeda leaders effectiveness has been neutralized because, Bin Laden has been virtually dead since President Clinton nearly killed him years ago.
#1
89 percent? Think of it! Nearly HALF the country (although I don't usually put much stock in CBS or NYT) considers their President a bigger threat than Islamic terrorists. Word fail to express how degenerated a thought this is. There can be no excuse, no rationale, no justification for such thinking. They are truly sick, twisted and evil.
Risks facing charitable organizations not only include contributions being diverted to bankroll terror activities but also the use of charities' services to build grass-roots support for a terrorist organization, the Treasury Department said Friday. The Bush administration examines these possibilities when it considers whether or not a charity should be put on a US list that requires banks to freeze its assets and forbids Americans from doing business with it.
Charities should be on the lookout for such risks as well, the department suggested as it released updated best practices for charitable organizations to consider as they try to protect themselves from abuse from terrorist financiers. The best practices are voluntary. "The risk of terrorist abuse facing charitable organizations is ongoing and significant and cannot be measured from the important but relatively narrow perspective of terrorist diversion of charitable funds," the department said. "Rather, terrorist abuse also includes the exploitation of charitable services and activities to radicalize vulnerable populations and cultivate support for terrorist organizations and activities."
As cases in point, the department, citing media reports, mentioned the role of Hamas-associated charities in building popular support in the Palestinian territories for the Hamas terror organization, and Hizbullah's control of charitable distribution networks in southern Lebanon. The department also mentioned "exploitation" involving the Pakistani-based charity Jamaat-ud-Dawa, which is believed to be a front for Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamic militant group. The department did not elaborate. There have been media reports, however, that money raised for victims of last year's earthquake in South Asia was channeled through the charity to schemers of a foiled plot to blow up US-bound passenger planes.
The United States since the 2001 terror attacks on New York and Washington has designated 43 charities worldwide and 29 people associated with them for providing support to terrorists, the department said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2006 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Crescent Society ||
09/30/2006 0:29 Comments ||
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Sigh. We wouldn't have to spend so much time and shoe leather checking out Islamic charities if we just threw all of the Muzzies out. Eventually, this is precisely what we'll do, too, though it will happen in fits and starts, a silly and painfully drawn out series of intermediate steps... Right up until we have lost enough people and treasure and face a threat to our survival so obvious that even a Kennedy on Ambien and Jack Daniels can see it to finally go medieval. Indeed, the time will come to muck out the stables - beginning with our own.
The primary drawback to being logical and all that is that we're addicted to process. The only accelerant is when we collectively accept tipping points.
#4
These "Charities for Children" are nothing more than a war funding facade for the Muzzie armies. Never been anything but. Stop them now, so that their transferral of funds becomes more dificult. And, for further progress, when is it going to be lawful to start massive mosk destruction ?
#6
All Islamic charities in America should have their assets frozen and be gone over with a fine tooth comb. There also must be an immediate crackdown on the halawa network. Legitimate donations need to be distributed under the direct oversight of answerable third-party organizations. Dontations turning up in terrorist hands should result in a six to twelve month moratorium on the receipt of further aid in that region.
The general's 'frank' memoir leaves his countrymen unimpressed
At the upscale Ferozesons Book Store in Lahore, people invariably head straight for the New Arrivals section. Invariably again, they reach out for the hardbound book, In the Line of FireA Memoir, that their president, Pervez Musharraf, has written. The curiosity about the book is incredibleand understandable. Rarely has a head of state chosen to pen his autobiography; and scarcely has an autobiography generated such headlines worldwide as Musharraf's has.
Journalism student Jameel Yousaf is sitting cross-legged on the floor of the store and leafing through the book.
Its price of Rs 1,295 is beyond him. Jameel's bespectacled friend nudges him and mutters, "It's the same old crap." They think they have already read the more "gripping" sections in excerpts in newspapers. Standing there is retired government official
Azam Qureshi, who is curious to know "what lies Musharraf has to offer this time". The problem is, he says, "I can't force myself to spend Rs 1,295 and let that man benefit."
The elderly man at the sales counter is jubilant: a thousand copies have flown off the shelves in just two days. But these have been largely through bulk orders placed by the Punjab chief minister's secretariat, the Governor's House and scores of government departments. The old man huffs, "Most of the people who show interest in the book do not buy it. The sale of Musharraf's autobiography is similar to that of President Gen Ayub Khan's Friends, Not Masters."
Like Musharraf, Gen Ayub Khan had written his memoir while in office. Soon after its publication in 1969, he abdicated his post saying he did not want to preside over the destruction of Pakistan. His plainspeaking book was addressed to the United States, which, he wrote, had deserted its "most allied ally" after its 1965 war with India.
So, what was Musharraf's compulsion to pen his memoir? He provides the reason in the book's preface. "I decided to writemy autobiography after Pakistan took centrestage in the world's conflicts, including the war on terror. There has been intense curiosity about me and the country I lead. I want the world to learn the truth."
Analyst Zubeida Mustafa says the 'truth' has brought him in the line of fire of both friends and foes alike. "One can understand why Ayub Khan became an author while governing the country," she adds. His book, after all, sought to promote Pakistan's interests. By contrast, Musharraf seems to have been fired by the desire to glorify himself, to justify his past deeds and bolster his future prospects. As cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan told Outlook, "Musharraf has tried to recast history, the very same way many dictators have tried in the pastto make themselves look good, wise and powerful, to establish themselves as the defenders of their countries." Imran feels the book is typical of an extrovert 'army type' with many a boast of past victories and juicy war stories. "This is part of the book's charm, for it greatly humanises Musharraf."
Others like Roedad Ali Khan, a former senior bureaucrat, feel Musharraf has written the book for foreign readersand not for those at home where he is "thoroughly discredited". The chapter 'The War on Terror', for instance, is designed to inject a sense of relief among Western readers that Musharraf is at the helm of affairs in Pakistan. "He's telling the West that you have to keep me there, if you want to win the ongoing war on terror and you have to allow me to keep my uniform, if you want me to win this war for you," Roedad told a news agency.
Most analysts feel Musharraf's book threatens to strain relations with countries like India and the US. Leading political analyst Dr Hasan Askari Rizvi argues, "I don't see any good impact on Indo-Pak relations because of this book; rather it could harm them.His questioning of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's approach to the peace process, his claim that Vajpayee was responsible for the failure of the Agra talks, and his claim that the Kargil war eventually led to the Indo-Pak peace talks are likely to have a negative impact on relations with India."
The book has also prompted the US to dub some of Musharraf's claims as sheer exaggeration. The CIA, for instance, has stoutly refuted the contention that Washington paid millions of dollars to Islamabad for taking custody of terrorists apprehended in Pakistan. Cornered, Musharraf tamely suggested that the section on cash-for-terrorist deal needs a "revision".Says Zubeida, "Musharraf has spilled many beans that should not have been spilled at this stage. Not tied by the constraints of a democratic system, he probably feels he doesn't have to worry about the repercussions of his words."
Former ISI chief Lt Gen Asad Durrani says he has pondered over the vital question: Does Musharraf's book help Pakistan, its image or its policies? "All
that I can conclude is the book only helps one man and that is Pervez Musharraf," Durrani replies.The book has also goaded the Opposition into slamming Musharraf for disclosing state secrets, and spending public money on the launch of his book. The Opposition has demanded a special session of Parliament to discuss these contentious issues. A statement issued on behalf of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif says Musharraf seems to have decided to make some money now that he realises his political demise is near.
"The book is nothing more than a pack of lies aimed at rewriting history. The general has lied about the Kargil disaster and the 'illegal coup' he mounted to overthrow an elected government," the statement says.
Adds Farhatullah Babar, the spokesman for former premier Benazir Bhutto: "The Musharraf Memoir has set a new and dangerous precedent for the chiefs of air force and navy to record their memoirswhile in service and then take official jets to set out on tour to Europe and America on promotional campaigns. Gen Musharraf's visit to the US was less for promoting national interests and more for boosting the book's sale."
Chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Asma Jahangir, minces no words either: "In disclosing state secrets in his book Musharraf has violated the President's oath that binds the incumbent of the office to keep the affairs of state secret." But then, you could well ask, since when has Musharraf ever bothered about constitutional propriety.
Posted by: john ||
09/30/2006 14:55 ||
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The father of slain journalist Daniel Pearl said a top Al Qaeda operative, accused by the Pakistani president of killing the young reporter, should be punished if his role in the crime was proven. Former Al Qaeda No 3 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused of masterminding the attacks of September 9/11, was blamed by Musharraf in his book for killing Pearl, or taking part in his 2002 murder in Karachi. "It is important if Mohammed had any part in the crime, he should be brought to justice," said Judea Pearl late on Thursday in an interview over the telephone from New York.
Mohammed, a dual Kuwaiti-Pakistani citizen, was arrested in 2003 in Pakistan and had been held by US authorities in a secret location until he and 13 other terror suspects were recently transferred to Guantanamo Bay. Pakistani officials had not previously confirmed Mohammed's role in Pearl's brutal murder after his kidnapping on January 23, 2002. Musharraf, however, wrote in his book, "The man who may have actually killed Pearl or at least participated in his butchery, we eventually discovered, was none other than Khalid Sheikh Mohammed."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I'd like to fly Pearl's Dad to Cuba, and give him 2 days to do what he wants with that fat piece of shit.
#3
If this piece of dogshit is still breathing, he hasn't had enough. All information of value should have been extracted by now. I believe it's time to announce he's contracted a fever,and, after hospitalization and a valiant struggle to save him, he "passed away" of natural causes. Naturally.
MIRANSHAH: The government is trying to reach an accord with militants in South Waziristan and Bajaur agencies similar to the one it made with pro-Taliban militants in North Waziristan early this month, official and tribal elders told Daily Times. "The government, having made peace deals with militants in South Waziristan in November 2004 and February 2005 respectively, is interested in amending them to make them similar to the one made in North Waziristan," the official and a tribal elder told Daily Times.
The official said the government would seek the assistance of the 45-member tribal jirga that brokered a peace deal in North Waziristan to amend the two deals in South Waziristan, and reach a North Waziristan-like accord with the militants in Bajaur Agency. NWFP Governor Ali Muhammad Jan Orakzai told reporters after the September 5 deal in Miranshah that the tribal jirga "still has work to do", but declined to set a timetable for the missions in the Bajaur and South Waziristan tribal regions.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2006 00:00 ||
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President General Pervez Musharraf on Friday rebuked critics who have alleged he has failed to do enough to quash a resurgent Taliban, and urged the West to offer assistance rather than criticism. Speaking to an audience of students and academics at the University of Oxford, Musharraf said his government was working hard to remove the Taliban, who have become entrenched in his country's tribal regions.
"The West and anyone else that criticises us needs to understand we need understanding and assistance, instead of criticism," he said. Musharraf did not specify what sort of assistance he required, but he has repeatedly asked for more helicopters and surveillance equipment to be better able to monitor the Pakistan-Afghan border.
"We are doing our best to bring (Pakistan) back to the previous levels of peace, tolerance and prosperity," he said. Musharraf said Pakistan had been trying to separate the Taliban into moderates and extremists, and to co-opt the moderates into helping to identify the militants. "The most dangerous possibility for us is that the Taliban gets converted into an ethnic people's movement," he said Friday. "We cannot let the moderates drift to the extremists. That would be a disaster."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Ol' Pervy's gotten pretty good at the triangulation and "assistance" games.
#2
...urged the West to offer assistance rather than criticism.
Message to Perv:
Make a presidential declaration that North and South Waziristans are a No Man's Land. The US strategic and tactical air forces will then kill anything that moves sunset to sunrise. Suspected taliban/terrorist strongholds will be bombed into oblivion. The Waziristans will cease to be a problem.
#3
I feel for Perv. He has a tough job trying to drag his people into the 19th century, keep the country from degenerating into total islamo-nuttiness and not get killed in the process. I'm betting that Waziristan has been declared a free-fire zone. We shall see, although I expect the forthcoming 'incidents' will not be broadcast on the evening news.
I also predict that Seymour Hersh's next book will detail how the Evil Amerikkkan War Machine(tm) violated Pakistan's sovereign without first saying please.
#4
need from western help. Well hell haven't we been trying too kill these fuckers for the longest time but if we hit someone across the border then they cry like babies
Efforts to form a Palestinian unity government, seen as key to solving an unprecedented crisis, are in jeopardy over entrenched differences with Hamas, a Fatah party spokesman said Friday. "Talk of a national unity government is not serious now," Maher Miqdad told AFP, more than two weeks after Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas and prime minister Ismail Haniya agreed on a policy outline for the incoming government. Talks have been flung into limbo over Hamas's refusal to soften its stance by unequivocally agreeing that the future government recognize Israel and past agreements signed between the Palestinians and the Jewish state.
Miqdad charged that Hamas had "reneged" on the agreement reached between Abbas and Haniya on September 11 over a political platform for a unity cabinet to replace the Hamas-led administration battling international boycott.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Don't worry, we're not deaf, we're just ignoring you. Let us know when you dumbfucks are finished starving.
#2
Hey, Zen, want some of this pizza? The sweet and spicy tomato sauce, slowly simmered over a stovetop for several hours with garlic, onion and oregano, sits on a crunchy and aromatic crust, and is topped with 4 different kinds of cheeses, which melt in your mouth the moment you bit into the slice. Or how about a nice slice of high quality prime rib which has been slowly cooked to perfect tenderness and is swimming in its own succulent juices?
(KUNA) -- The Israeli army is planning on taking over Gaza Strip within the next two weeks, said a report by Israeli television on Friday. In a report by a news show, the television said the army recommended reoccupying the strip to the Israeli government to avoid turning it into another southern Lebanon. Senior army commanders appealed to Premier Ehud Olmert to approve an offensive plan against the strip before the armed Palestinian factions in Gaza mobilize themselves and obtain more weapons, noted the report.
The report said the takeover might take place after the Jewish Passover that will start next week, noting that the anticipated conquest would be similar to the one that took place in 2002. Israeli military intelligence claimed that the smuggling of weapons into Gaza through Sinai has substantially increased as funds keep flowing from Syria, added the report. The Israeli Foreign Ministry, said the report, was currently rallying up the international community to accept the possible invasion especially after Israel had lodged a protest to the UN Security-Council against the launching of missiles against Jewish settlements from Gaza.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
KUNA doesn't know the Jewish calendar, does it? Passover?
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
09/30/2006 2:44 Comments ||
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#2
Going to dust off that plan to dig a seawater filled ditch along the Gaza border with Egypt? Something to flood all those pesty tunnels? Maybe do something more positive like run it to the drying Dead Sea and generate some electric power off the deal?
#4
I was afraid Easter was gonna hit right about Christmas - which would certainly speed up the liturgical calendar, a good thing - but mightily screw up retail sales - a bad thing.
Tens of thousands of Hamas supporters marched through the northern Gaza Strip on Friday afternoon to show their backing for the militant group, even as its efforts to form a national unity government appeared stalled. Thousands of people marched through the town of Jebaliya in northern Gaza, wearing green baseball hats and waving green Hamas flags. One banner carried by the marchers read: "Yes to our government, no to all the mercenaries trying to sabotage it."
Hamas lawmaker Mushir al-Masri, attending the rally, vowed that his group would never recognize Israel, no matter what the cost. "We vow to God never to recognize Israel, even if we all die, and we ask God to punish Israel, its allies, and those who recognize it or call on us to recognize it," al-Masri said. Al-Masri told reporters that "the Palestinian people... are rejecting the unjust and unfair siege and all attempts to carry out an internal coup against this government."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Don't these boyz know the IDF is sparing Nasrey, unless the Paleos + Lebbies + SYRIANS, etc all wanna be future Iranians + Shias??? JUST BECUZ RADICAL IRAN HATES ISRAEL DOESN'T MEAN RADICAL IRAN WANTS A MUSLIM ME FREE FROM IRANIAN + SHIA CONTROL!?
#4
i've been thinking what the next front of horrors the Pals can cook up. Afgter all, it's the Pals that gave us homicidal bombers.
And I don't like where my thoughts are going. With the Leb war "media" bites to engage sympathy of fools - children's bodies and wailing women - I fear the next step. But I'm going to call it anyway.
Mass suicide - of children and women only, of course. Drinking poison, forced to, all for the cameras. Because they would rather die than renounce violence. Rather die than recognize the country that gives them life, having no liveliehood of their own.
I see this next wave from the death cult. And soon.
A senior Iranian cleric said on Friday that Pope Benedicts recent remarks that angered Muslims were an act of madness and said the leader of the Catholic Church had disgraced himself.
Muslim leaders worldwide have criticised the Pope for a speech two weeks ago hinting that Islam had been spread by the sword and brought only evil to the world. The Pope has expressed regret at the uproar four times but has not withdrawn his words. It was an act of madness what the Pope did and he disgraced himself and the system he represents, said Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, who heads the constitutional watchdog the Guardian Council. His comments showed either that he did not have information on Islam, or the he had information and did injustice to Islam, or that he had fallen into a trap, Jannati told a Friday prayers gathering, broadcast on state radio.
He also said the Pope was following the same path as those who published cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PTUI PBUH) in the Danish press. Those cartoons outraged Muslims around the world. These moves aimed at confronting Islam and the (Islamic) revolution (in Iran) are all doomed to defeat, Jannati said. In his speech, Pope Benedict quoted criticism of Islam and the Prophet Muhammad (PTUI PBUH) by 14th century Byzantine Emperor Manuel II Palaeologus, who wrote that everything Mohammad brought was evil and inhuman.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
...who wrote that everything Mohammad brought was evil and inhuman. Is it possible that the Byzantine Emperor predicted the creation of Pakistan?
Posted by: Super Hose ||
09/30/2006 1:39 Comments ||
Top||
#2
I'm ready for the Civilization Crusades to begin.
#4
The Pope has expressed regret at the uproar four times but has not withdrawn his words.
So, one of these raving assholes finally noticed. It's about time.
I'm ready for the Civilization Crusades to begin.
While I have always decried Bush's original blunder in labeling of the War on Terrorism as a "Crusade Against Terrorism", in an ultimte twist of irony, Islam and its endless atrocities has now crystallized Bush's mistaken choice of words into total reality. This I will grant Bush, even though he did not know it then nor was he probably prescient in any sense, his words have now become absolutely true. Funny how things change.
I'm with you Paco, let the Civilization Crusades begin.
The Bush administration again threatened Iran with UN punishment Friday unless it responds positively to demands it cease work on processing uranium. Senior European Union diplomat Javier Solana has been holding talks with Ali Larijani, Iran's top nuclear negotiator. There have been vague reports of some progress, but Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday again rejected calls for Iran to suspend enrichment.
State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said. "What's going to happen now is that at the ministerial level there is going to be a conversation about exactly what Mr. Solana heard," McCormack said. Still, the spokesman went on, "Absent a positive, clear, authoritative answer from the Iranians that they were going to meet the conditions of international community, then we would expect ... the Security Council would follow through and go down the pathway of sanctions."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/30/2006 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The ruler of Kuwait made a personal appeal to US President George W. Bush that helped secure the release this month of two of that countrys citizens from the Guantanamo Bay prison, their attorney said. Sheik 
COPENHAGEN: Danish Prime Minister 
The Danish newspaper 
It was the first time the Danish prime minister expressed his personal opinion on the cartoons, after refusing to intervene in the crisis on the grounds of freedom of expression. 
WASHINGTON, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Congress has ordered construction of 700 miles of fence along the U.S.-Mexican border in a move Mexico says will hurt relations between the two countries.
The father of slain journalist Daniel Pearl said a top Al Qaeda operative, accused by the Pakistani president of killing the young reporter, should be punished if his role in the crime was proven. Former Al Qaeda No 3 Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused of masterminding the attacks of September 9/11, was blamed by Musharraf in his book for killing Pearl, or taking part in his 2002 murder in Karachi. "It is important if Mohammed had any part in the crime, he should be brought to justice," said Judea Pearl late on Thursday in an interview over the telephone from New York. 
MIRANSHAH: The government is trying to reach an accord with militants in South Waziristan and Bajaur agencies similar to the one it made with pro-Taliban militants in North Waziristan early this month, official and tribal elders told Daily Times. "The government, having made peace deals with militants in South Waziristan in November 2004 and February 2005 respectively, is interested in amending them to make them similar to the one made in North Waziristan," the official and a tribal elder told Daily Times. 
President General Pervez Musharraf on Friday rebuked critics who have alleged he has failed to do enough to quash a resurgent Taliban, and urged the West to offer assistance rather than criticism. Speaking to an audience of students and academics at the University of Oxford, Musharraf said his government was working hard to remove the Taliban, who have become entrenched in his country's tribal regions.
(KUNA) -- The Israeli army is planning on taking over Gaza Strip within the next two weeks, said a report by Israeli television on Friday. In a report by a news show, the television said the army recommended reoccupying the strip to the Israeli government to avoid turning it into another southern Lebanon. Senior army commanders appealed to Premier Ehud Olmert to approve an offensive plan against the strip before the armed Palestinian factions in Gaza mobilize themselves and obtain more weapons, noted the report.
Tens of thousands of Hamas supporters marched through the northern Gaza Strip on Friday afternoon to show their backing for the militant group, even as its efforts to form a national unity government appeared stalled. Thousands of people marched through the town of Jebaliya in northern Gaza, wearing green baseball hats and waving green Hamas flags. One banner carried by the marchers read: "Yes to our government, no to all the mercenaries trying to sabotage it." 
A senior Iranian cleric said on Friday that Pope Benedicts recent remarks that angered Muslims were an act of madness and said the leader of the Catholic Church had disgraced himself. 
The Bush administration again threatened Iran with UN punishment Friday unless it responds positively to demands it cease work on processing uranium. Senior European Union diplomat Javier Solana has been holding talks with Ali Larijani, Iran's top nuclear negotiator. There have been vague reports of some progress, but Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday again rejected calls for Iran to suspend enrichment. 
