Two Afghan civilians wounded by gunfire from a US Marine special operations unit told a panel investigating the incident Tuesday that they had no weapons and were not attacking the unit's convoy.
An Army investigation concluded last year that up to 19 civilians died in the shootings, but attorneys for two Marine officers involved argue the death toll was lower. The civilians testified by video link from Afghanistan before a Court of Inquiry, a rarely used administrative fact-finding panel investigating the March 4 incident along a 16-kilometer stretch of road in Nangarhar province.
Several Marines have told the court they saw people firing at their unit after a minivan packed with explosives detonated near the second Humvee in their convoy. But the Afghan witnesses said Tuesday they did not hear the bombing or see an explosion, and were attacked by the Marines without cause.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Taliban
Afghanistans burgeoning air force received a morale boost this week as several donated Czech helicopters, including gunships, were inaugurated in a ceremony at the newly constructed $22 million military hangar called Aviation Facility 1. President Hamid Karzai, several military leaders, and other Afghan officials attended the event.
"This is the rebirth of the Afghan air force," Karzai told reporters. "God has been kind to us again and has blessed us with the rebirth of the air force." The donated helicopters, combined with Afghanistans current fleet, will bring the total number of Afghan aircraft close to 50.
Aviation Facility 1 is the first part of a US-funded $183 million plan to build a sprawling state-of-the-art Afghan air base adjacent to the international airport in Kabul. The new site already contains some hangars, offices, and other housing accommodations. The air force hopes to recruit up to 3,500 personnel over the next three years and expand the total number of aircraft to 61, all of which would be housed at the new facility.
Although only three of the promised 22 helicopters are currently in country, the remaining six Mi-17 transport helicopters, six Mi-35 helicopter gunships, and four Ukrainian An-32 transport planes are expected to arrive by this spring, according to The Associated Press. Ten additional Mi-17 transport helicopters donated by the United Arab Emirates are also expected to arrive sometime this spring.
The United States also pledged to donate 180 aircraft to Afghanistans air force but dropped the number to 120 in a meeting before Thursdays event. "It is good but 180 is better," Karzai urged. "We encourage them to the figure [of] 180."
Afghanistan hosted one of the most formidable air forces in the region during the 1980s with a Soviet-supplied arsenal that included hundreds of transport and attack helicopters, fighter jets, bombers, and transport planes. After the Soviets withdrew, years of civil war, maintenance cutbacks, and the lack of money for spare parts degraded the Afghan air force considerably throughout the 1990s. Massive air blitzes at the start of the US-led invasion in October 2001 destroyed all remaining functional aircraft. The head of the Talibans air force, Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor, was believed to be among those killed in those initial aerial attacks.
The Afghan air force has been slow to rebuild, essentially starting with nothing more than a few worn-out Mi-17 and Mi-8 transport helicopters left over from the "Northern Alliance." The growth and evolution of the Afghan National Army into a more suitable force over the past three years prompted US and Coalition military advisers to begin investing more time and energy into rebuilding the Afghan air force. The resurgent insurgency and greater demand for troop transport also played a role in jump-starting the drive to re-establish the Afghan air corps.
"In a lot of cases, some of the districts fall, and you cannot react quickly to the situation," Afghan Defense Minister General Rahim Wardak said at a Pentagon press conference last October. "The result is that the district's fallen and then -- Afghanistan is a mountainous country; it takes a long time, I mean, to reach by ground."
Last March, the Afghan government received two Mi-17 transport helicopters modified for President Karzais executive air charters. The US purchased and donated the two Russian-made helicopters that are "equipped with wireless communication, TV and armored plates and were bought from the Czech Republic for $5 million," according to a Pajhwok Afghan News report. Around the same time, Poland defense officials awarded a grant to Afghanistan indicating they soon would provide an undisclosed number of military aircraft and helicopters to the Afghan air force.
So the Poles and Czechs clear out the old inventory, and the Afghans get equipment that they're used to using.
Despite the donations of aircraft and Americas willingness to purchase used helicopters, the plan to rebuild Afghanistans fledging air force has not been an easy one. Locating refurbished Soviet-era aircraft in satisfactory condition and acquiring spare parts has hampered the effort, frustrating both the US donors and Afghan recipients. "We are grateful for what America and the West are doing, but we need to rebuild our air corps faster," Afghan flight commander Colenol Kheir Mohammad told NPR. "We should have jets, helicopters and cargo planes, so that we can defend our borders ourselves."
Hold on there, Skippy, let's earn our training wings before we graduate to jets.
The Coalition officer in charge of advising and providing material support to the Afghan Air Force, US Air Force Brigadier General Jay H. Lindell, also expressed concern about Afghan aircraft. "I guess what I'm not happy with is the state of where we are, the existing equipment that we do have, the state of the supply system to furnish spare parts for the equipment," Lindell said in an interview with the AP. "We're going to work to improve that to try to maintain what they do have as long as we can until they can get the new, more modernized equipment."
I can only imagine what he really thinks about trying to maintain old Soviet equipment ...
Currently, the Afghan air force has seven Mi-17 transport helicopters and six Mi-35 gunships that are operational, two of which are reserved exclusively for President Karzai. The United States has spent more than $20 million on spare parts for these helicopters, which has helped keep the fleet properly maintained.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/23/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I hope our afghan friends are capable of maintaining this stuff competently
#2
They need to build a massive machine shop, capable of turning out spare parts. The Russians ask exhorbitant prices for them, and the "spares" from other countries are pretty well worn out by the time the Afghanis would get them.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/23/2008 13:17 Comments ||
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#3
Two comments come to mind:
"The head of the Talibans air force, Akhtar Mohammad Mansoor..." what did he fly, a rug?
"Locating refurbished Soviet-era aircraft in satisfactory condition and acquiring spare parts ..."
Call Dreamland, there are Migs (and stuff) out there, probably cheap.
#4
50 aircraft does not an air force make, that's just a wing, dream on, and be sure to keep your whole "Air Force" in a single location where they can easily be destroyed in one sortie.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/23/2008 18:34 Comments ||
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Danes are among the most critical of Islam, according to a report by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Some 79 percent of Danes responded in a poll that they considered more interaction with the Muslim world as a threat. The worry was shared by a large majority in other European countries such as Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain, where up to 67 percent of the population feared more Western interaction with Muslim communities.
The message of the report was clear: there was a widening gap between the West and Islam. 'There is an alarmingly low optimism regarding dialogue between the two worlds,' said Klaus Schwab, founder of the WEF, to Berlingske Tidende newspaper.
The WEF had conducted surveys in 21 countries (half of which were Muslim) throughout 2007. And the general picture was one of distrust.
The Danes' and other Europeans' views on interaction with the Islamic world as a threat was, according to the report, due to a 'growing fear' of the 'Islamic threat' against their European identities. This assumption was based on 'increased immigration from predominantly Muslim regions' the report said. The WEF report can be found here: as a 156 page PDF file.
#2
How can dialoging help when one of the cultures has the concepts of taqiya and indefidel-inferiority built in?
Western culture is built on reciprocation, and this is being represented by the Danish figures showing that they respect islam as much as it respects them, i.e. not very much.
#4
It just shows Danes are on the top of the intelligence scale.
Posted by: ed ||
01/23/2008 9:55 Comments ||
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#5
Had not seen that poster Excalibur. Found a great link with that poster and some parodies. Nothing about travel posters with people pissing into teacups though - or was that just in holland?
#6
Danes took the brunt of muslim anger during the cartoon controversy. Maybe that was enlightening for them. Reminds me I'm about due for another six-pack of Carlsberg.
(AKI) - The intervention of an Egyptian mosque in stopping Rome imam, Ala Eldin Mohammed Ismail al-Ghobaishy, from visiting the city's synagogue was "alarming", the chief rabbi, Riccardo Di Segni, said on Tuesday. "It is not possible to deny the alarming signals from Egypt," Di Segni said at a crowded media conference in Rome.
Di Segni said the actions of the grand mosque of Al-Azhar in Cairo had created a "short-circuit" around the visit that was to have taken place on Wednesday. "We want to believe that organisational problems are the reasons for the temporary halt and they can be resolved quickly," Di Segni said.
The chief rabbi said several supporters of the Sunni institution were looking to "pollute" relations between the faiths with a political dimension.
The historic visit by the imam from Rome's mosque was scheduled for Wednesday but was cancelled late on Tuesday after opposition from the grand mosque of Al-Azhar, the most important international institution for Sunni Muslims.
Di Segni emphasised his faith in the leaders of the Islamic community in the Italian capital from whom there had been "significant signs". After seeing meetings between Muslims and Jews in other capitals like Paris, he said the meetings are a "common and not problematic".
Meanwhile, Riccardo Pacifici, spokesman for Rome's Jewish community, stressed "the importance of valuing those Islamic organisations that share the values of freedom with us and recognise the constitution of our country", rather than those that "preach hatred towards Jews that are so-called crusaders".
Awaiting a new date for the visit, Pacifici said the Jewish community was thinking of proposing a similar occasion and the same warm welcome.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Global Jihad
#1
is this the imam who claims the Koran, properly read, recognizes the Jewish claim to the land of Israel?
The United States may be called on to help meet conditions set down by a blue-ribbon panel for Canada's continued involvement in the Afghan war, but international observers say the government shouldn't let European allies off the hook. "It's not very hard for NATO to come up with another 1,000 (troops) - it's always been a question of political will, not capacity," said Paul Heinbecker, a former diplomat who represented Canada at the United Nations.
Most of the major Euro countries maintain armies that are, on paper, fairly large. The problems are that 1) those armies have very little logistical and transport capability to go beyond their own borders 2) they have relatively little training (except for special forces) in the type of work required in Afghanistan and 3) there's a strong political aversion to overseas deployment, based on the popular aversion to same.
The panel, headed by former Liberal cabinet minister John Manley, recommended the Conservative government give its military partners until February next year to come up with another battle group - roughly 1,000 soldiers - to reinforce hard-pressed Kandahar province. If such an assurance isn't forthcoming, then the federal government should issue notice that Canada's troops will be withdrawn.
"We need to be very direct with NATO," said Manley, who once served as foreign affairs minister. "Either they mean it, that this is the most important mission, or they don't. And if they don't, well then we need to look at the well-being of our young people."
Can't blame him for that. We've ponyed up, the Brits have done the same pretty well, and the Canadians have stood up as well. The Germans, French, Italians and Poles should come up with the troops, and some extras besides.
Heinbecker says when he was Canada's ambassador to Germany that country had an army of 280,000 soldiers, but the government in Berlin has steadfastly refused to let its nearly 3,000 soldiers in northern Afghanistan participate in combat.
"There has to be more boots on the ground for the mission to succeed and it has to play chicken to some extent with its NATO partners to get them to take their responsibility," Heinbecker said in an interview. "To my mind, this is not a bad way of doing it."
Fulfilling the panel's key conditions of more troops, helicopters and unmanned surveillance aircraft will likely depend on the willingness of the United States to lend a hand, say defence observers.
In releasing his report, Manley made clear he hopes the preconditions will not end up driving Canada out of the war. "We hope this is not a poison pill because we believe the mission is an important one," he said.
In addition, the panel says the federal government must secure battlefield helicopters and sophisticated unmanned surveillance drones within a year to ensure troop safety. Both projects have been stalled within the National Defence bureaucracy.
Canada has 2,500 troops on the ground in Kandahar, whose current mandate expires in February 2009.
The appeal for NATO and the international community to "get its act together" in Afghanistan will probably fall on deaf ears in Europe. The major countries already in Afghanistan - France, Germany, Italy and Spain - have refused to commit more troops or lift combat restrictions on the soldiers already there. The Dutch, after going through a similar soul-searching last fall, reluctantly extended their deployment to 2010, but not before that country's defence minister was forced to make a near-tearful plea for support to recalcitrant NATO allies behind closed doors.
Britain has twice increased its troop strength to fight insurgents in Helmand province, next to Kandahar.
That pretty much leaves the United States, which last week grudgingly committed 3,200 U.S. Marines, complete with helicopter support, to a seven-month deployment beginning in April.
And in turn that means we should consider reducing our European defense forces within NATO by precisely 3,200 troops.
Canada's concerns could easily be addressed with a tiny application of American military might, one panel member suggested. "We're working with our American allies on daily basis and if they increase their numbers that will increase security for Canadian Forces as well," said Pamela Wallin, a former consul general in New York City and ex-broadcaster.
In fairness, newer members of the military alliance such Poland have answered the call and other former Warsaw Pact countries are eager to participate, but much of their equipment is in need of upgrade.
So make a deal: they provide the troops and we help them upgrade.
Securing battlefield helicopters and advanced unmanned aircraft may prove to be as big a challenge. The Conservatives decided in the summer of 2006 to buy 16 Chinook medium-lift helicopters from Chicago-based Boeing and entered in sole-source contract negotiations. The choppers are deemed essential in getting soldiers off bomb-laced and booby-trapped highways.
Last week, the air force acknowledged a deal is not expected to be signed until late this year, meaning delivery likely won't happen until 2011. National Defence has tried without success to persuade other countries to let Canada butt ahead of them in the aircraft production line.
In the spring of 2006, National Defence was told it could get its hands on used U.S. Army CH-47D Chinooks under a program called Cargo Helicopter Alternate Procurement Strategy. But the Harper government accepted the military's argument for new CH-47 F-model Chinooks, for which the air force has demanded modifications.
It's been suggested Canada lease helicopters, an idea the air force has repeatedly rejected.
Similarly a program to acquire 12 sophisticated Predator aerial drones (UAVs) from the U.S. Air Force was halted by the federal cabinet before it got off the ground last spring. Two senior ministers apparently objected to the military doing another sole-sourced contract and the Canadian air force has since been forced to review its UAV programs.
#1
...Everyone needs to remember that after the Soviets went down the NATO allies (with the qualified exception of the UK) did their damnedest to eliminate their militaries altogether - and sadly, that includes Canada (I spoke to more than a few Canadian military types who swore it was an open secret that Jean Chretien wanted to do so to leave a legacy of being the first major Western nation to dismantle its armed forces - and pick up a Nobel Peace Prize along the way.).
The sad, brutal fact is that for all practical purposes, ALL the other NATO forces are basically show units supported by nice safe admin outfits, and will remain so until we lay down an ultimatum: rebuild your militaries or we're going home.
Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski ||
01/23/2008 4:41 Comments ||
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#2
The appeal for NATO and the international community to "get its act together" in Afghanistan will probably fall on deaf ears in Europe.
Geez. Stop the presses, boss?
Ummmmmmmmm...no, Johnson.
#4
I think we're on the base of the curve in European military rearmament, and we'll see much more in the coming years. Two things drive this: the only way you can sell military equipment to others is to show you're willing to use it yourself; and Putin keeps trying to rebuild the old Soviet Union. There have only been one or two articles about it, but I've noticed that ALL the new NATO members (the former Warsaw Pact members Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic, Romania, etc.) are all looking to either Europe or the United States for the military equipment they need to upgrade their existing forces. Most of central Europe was well behind the West in infrastructure, technology improvements, and environmental concerns when the Soviet Union imploded. It's taken them awhile to catch up, and many still aren't the equal of the Western nations. They're getting there, and I think they all understand the threat from the east. We're also seeing more and more non-NATO countries aligning their equipment and personnel with NATO standard procedures (because they work), and commit to operating with NATO in exercises and some peacekeeping operations (the Finns, the Irish, etc.). I feel that most of Europe is also beginning to recognize the growing threat of Islamism, and understands the need to mobilize against it. I think you'll see some major improvements in NATO military capabilities over the next 20 years or so.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/23/2008 14:12 Comments ||
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#5
I'll bet the EU component of NATo is saying" The Ukranians just joined. Let them go."
Personally, I'd like to see Szark walk the walk and not just talk the talk.
#7
Lot's of nice thoughts, Old Pat, but Ima thinkin it's too late. And I see no evidence that this is anywhere near bottom. The Euro citizens may sense the threat, but the Euro politicians don't and certainly aren't willing to present the bill to their taxpayers. And maybe they're right. The Euros are getting old and need the muzzies for their old age like so many Americans need the Mexicans. Just finish off the next few years and let the children emigrate to Canada, Australia or Argentina.
A Miami judge Tuesday rejected the government's bid for life sentencings for Jose Padilla and two other men convicted of terrorism charges, saying their support for Islamic extremists abroad did not call for the severe punishment given the nation's worst terrorists. U.S District Judge Marcia Cooke gave Padilla, a man inextricably linked to our the Bush administration's war on terror, 17 years and four months in prison for participating in a South Florida-based conspiracy to aid Muslims in "violent jihad."
The judge's decision to grant far below a life sentence was a blow to the government. Cooke reasoned that Padilla's crime was not tantamount to 9-11 or the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. "There was never a plot to harm individuals in the United States," Cooke said. "There was never a plot to overthrow the U.S. government."
Padilla, 37, a U.S. citizen accused of training with the global terrorist group al Qaeda, stared blankly as Cooke condemned his "harsh" treatment as an "enemy combatant" in a Naval brig before his transfer to Miami to face terrorism charges. Cooke deducted the time Padilla spent in military custody -- 3 1/2 years -- from his total sentence. "I do find that the conditions were so harsh that they warrant consideration," Cooke told a crowded courtroom.
Padilla's mentor, Adham Amin Hassoun, a Palestinian who had met him at a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., mosque in the 1990s, and Hassoun's colleague, Kifah Wael Jayyousi, a U.S. citizen of Jordanian descent, were sentenced to 15 years and eight months, and 12 years and eight months, respectively.
Prosecutors, who sought life sentences for all three defendants, said they are considering an appeal. Defense attorneys said they will appeal the prison terms along with the convictions.
#1
Will Padilla and his friends have access to a Muslim Prayer Room Jihad Training Center so they can recruit and instruct lots of new soldiers for Allan? Will the prison administration be forbidden from listening in on the 'prayers'?
PARIS -- Pervez Musharraf says he still gets the question a lot: When will Osama bin Laden and his top deputy be caught? The Pakistani president insists it's more important for his 100,000 troops on the Afghan border to root out the Taliban than search for al-Qaida leaders.
That bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri are still at large "doesn't mean much," the former general said Tuesday on the second day of a swing through Europe. He suggested they are far less a threat to his regime than Taliban-linked militants entrenched in Pakistan's west.
Bin Laden and al-Zawahri are believed to be hiding somewhere in the lawless tribal areas along Afghanistan's frontier with Pakistan.
"The 100,000 troops that we are using ... are not going around trying to locate Osama bin Laden and Zawahri, frankly," Musharraf told a conference at the French Institute for International Relations. "They are operating against terrorists, and in the process, if we get them, we will deal with them certainly."
#3
i think it was Al Queda who has tried several times too kill Musharraf and seems too be a big time consumer of Al zwahiri. Seems like Musharraf better remember history nefore it bites him in the ass
Senior police officers say Kerala has several security concerns though the possibility of a terrorist strike in its territory is currently remote. The Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI), which is banned by the Central government under the provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1958, is believed to be operating under the cover of at least 12 organisations in Kerala. SIMI organisers periodically change the name of their front organisations to shake off police surveillance.
Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan recently said that certain extremist outfits used human rights organisations as their fronts. Intelligence officials believe that SIMI activists in Kerala had developed links with the Lashkar-e-Taiba in 2006. They say that SIMI activists are operating under the cover of religious study centres, rural development and research centres and institutions for developing personal effectiveness. Some of these organisations were spreading extremist religious ideals among a section of impressionable youth by acting as counselling and guidance centres working for behavioural change. In the past 10 years, the police have registered 17 cases against suspected SIMI activists.
Secret meetings
The covert activities of SIMI in Kerala received a boost after 25 of its key organisers held a secret meeting at Chinthavilappu in Kozhikode in 2005, officials say. At SIMIs invitation, a religious scholar from Minicoy in Lakshadweep gave discourses with strong fundamentalist messages in Malappuram in 2006. Intelligence officials believe that SIMI has a secret womens wing with over 335 members in Kerala.
Terrorist links
The names of at least two persons from Kerala have been linked with terrorist activities. The Gujarat police had shot dead Pranesh Kumar from Aluppuzha district, who later took the name of Javed Gulam Muhammad Shiekh, after accusing him of being part of a terrorist plot to kill Chief Minister Narendra Modi.
The Maharashtra police had named the elusive former State president of SIMI C.A.M. Basheer from Aluva as one of the architects of the 2003 Mumbai serial blasts.
Official sources say that the southern commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba had stayed for some time in Malappuram in 2003 before he was shot dead in an alleged encounter by the Mumbai police in March the same year. The police consider Kondotty in Malappuram as one of the centres of SIMI activity.
Suspected SIMI activity in Malappuram had resulted in clashes between Hindu right wing activists and religious fundamentalist outfits in the communally sensitive Tirur coastal area in Malappuram in 2007. The police responded by launching Operation June, which resulted in the arrest of 764 persons, including suspected members of the shadowy sword wielding hit teams of fundamentalist outfits in Malappuram. A senior official says religious fundamentalist activity is a threat to Keralas secular society.
This article starring:
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Students Islamic Movement of India
C.A.M. Basheer
Students Islamic Movement of India
Javed Gulam Muhammad Shiekh
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Pranesh Kumar
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2008 00:00 ||
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(AKI) - Despite recent political upheaval Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has defended his country saying it is not "a banana republic". Musharraf met several members from the European Parliament's including foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Brussels on Monday during his European tour.
He assured them that Pakistan's upcoming elections , scheduled for February 18, would be free and fair and that fundamental rights were being respected in his country.
Foreign affairs committee chair Jacek Saryusz-Wolski asked the president for his assessment of the upcoming elections, while Veronique De Keyser said she saw "a danger for democracy" after recent events such as the mass arrest of lawyers. "There are no political prisoners in Pakistan today," said Musharaff. He said the only people who had been arrested were detained for "breaking the law."
Lots and lots of lawbreakers.
Musharraf also promised that the recent assassination of former prime minister and opposition leader Benazir Bhutto would be resolved by a Pakistani investigation.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2008 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#13
#5 Everyone should have a 'banana republic'. Ours is named Louisiana*.
Only south of the Red River, Obi-Wan. The northern third of the state actually has some sane people in it - plus many of my relatives. In a few instances, I even have sane relatives.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/23/2008 15:41 Comments ||
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#14
My relatives were saner, they moved out of Louisianna in the 50's, now live in North Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia, none in Louisianna now.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/23/2008 18:13 Comments ||
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Former premier Nawaz Sharif said on Tuesday that the countrys nukes were in safe hands, adding that free elections were the solution to all problems in the country, Online reported. He said that Pakistans nuclear assets were under a strong and stable command and control system, adding that no one should be worried about the assets going in wrong hands. Nawaz said this during his meeting with Japanese Ambassador Seigi Kojima at the formers residence in Raiwand, in which he briefed the ambassador about the polls and challenges being faced in this regard. Separately, Nawaz met with the ambassador of Holland, Kat Sunori, also at his Raiwand residence, and said that PML-Q would not win the elections due to its poor performance, APP reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Funny, the idiots we freely elect here in the US are the source of most of our problems. Somehow I don't think importing Paki politicians is the answer...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/23/2008 14:05 Comments ||
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BAGHDAD - Iraqi lawmakers have refused to ratify the nations 2008 budget, the expected passage of which had been praised by Washington as a sign of progress, because of disputes over earmarks allocations, officials said on Tuesday.
Parliamentary speaker Mahmoud Mashhadani called the heads of Iraqs main political blocs to a meeting in his office late on Monday after they failed to sign off on the $48 billion budget, and urged them to pass it when parliament next sits on Thursday. The speaker urged all members and heads of blocs who have reservations on the 2008 budget...to hurry and approve the budget in order to provide for the fundamental needs of the Iraqi people, Mashhadanis office said in a statement issued on Tuesday. Mashhadani and Finance Minister Bayan Jabor met the leaders of the major blocs late on Monday to explain the governments position, Mashhadanis office said.
US officials in Baghdad have praised the budget and this months passage of a law allowing former members of Saddam Husseins Baath party to rejoin the government and military as evidence of progress.
Lawmakers were also being urged to sign off on the increased budget to stimulate Iraqs economy and take advantage of significant security improvements, with attacks across the country down by 60 percent since last June. But what had looked like a smooth passage of the budget disintegrated late on Monday amid continued disagreement between Shia , Sunni Arab and Kurdish lawmakers.
One key dispute was the 17 percent of the budget allocated to the largely autonomous northern region of Kurdistan, based on population estimates, with additional funds set aside to pay for Kurdistans peshmerga security forces. The Kurdistan issue has been simmering for months, with arguments over whether the allocation accurately reflected the Kurdish population.
In the absence of an accurate census, other lawmakers have argued that Kurdistan should only receive 12 percent of the budget. Several MPs also said Kurdistan should pay for the peshmergas itself.
Nassar Al Rubaie, head of a bloc loyal to Shia cleric Moqtada Al Sadr which walked out of the government last year, also voiced concern about what he said were inadequate allocations for teachers and concerns over food rationing. A representative of Shia Fadhila bloc said his group would not agree to the current form of the budget because of what he described as unjustifiable allocations.
Translated as "where's mine?"
The Iraqi National List led by former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi said the government had failed to provide any financial statements for several years.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/23/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Amazing how quickly they learn the fine skills of the beltway.
In the words of Nelson Muntz, "HA-ha"...
Bethlehem Ma'an Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said on Wednesday that Egypt can provide for the humanitarian needs of the people of the Gaza Strip from now on.
Barak was speaking in Paris, following a meeting with French President Nicholas Sarkozy.
His comments came after tens of thousands of Palestinians broke through the border wall separating the Gaza Strip and Egypt and bought supplies of food and fuel, before returning home.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Wednesday that he gave orders to the security forces to allow the entry of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. "I told them to let them enter and buy food and return as long as they were not carrying weapons," Mubarak told reporters in Cairo. The flaw in that plan is "return". Enjoy 'em...
The de facto government in the Gaza Strip expressed its willingness to sit down immediately with the Egyptian leadership to discuss arrangements for the operation of the Rafah crossing, saying they were ready to assume management of the crossing. Sure. Should be easy, seeing how it doesn't exist anymore...
#1
The Israelis should cut off everything ASAP. No fuel, food, water, anything. Give them to Egypt and say that they are no longer their problem. Anyone tries to cross the wall into Israel gets shot, however. And no Egyptian military or armored vehicles in Gaza, either. The place is a "demilitarized zone".
#2
Might have been better for everybody concerned if Egyptians had fired on the Paleo gunnies when they first started trying to breach the wall unless they are willing to deal with all of the ramifications and consequences both known and unknown.
Egyptian military in Gaza might be a good thing if they were willing to deal with Hamas. But if they're unwilling or unable to deal with Hamas it could lead to another clash between Israel and Egypt. Egyptian troops could get caught in the crossfire as IDF retaliates against Hamas missiles or other provocations. But if Egypt permits traffic across it's border, Israel's blockade is broken and it's also a can of worms for Egypt. Israel had it sealed but Egypt just let them out. Could be very dangerous. Hamas with fresh supplies and Egypt with an illegal immigrant problem which will certainly include destabilizing muslim whackos. What will Egypt do when the splodydopes start going off in Cairo?
#3
What will Egypt do when the splodydopes start going off in Cairo?
the same thing Jordan's Hussein did: Black Pick-Ur-Month-To-Die-Paleos September
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/23/2008 15:47 Comments ||
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#4
Israel should have nothing to do with Gaza except to lob ordinance there if Hamas gets frisky. Egypt can put the Gaza albatross on their necks.
Egypt does not want Gazans in Egypt, they are destabilizers. Well, enjoy Gaza, Mubarak.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
01/23/2008 20:10 Comments ||
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#5
Egypt lost Gaza in the '67 war. Now they can have it back. They did such a good job integrating the Paleos from '48-'67, something the world tends to intentionally forget. /sarcasm off
#1
This makes a lot of sense, and is evidence of strategic thinking in Hamas, something I had contemptuously dismissed until now. Vo Nguyen Giap only launched offensives against the French after establishing safe havens in China.
#3
PD, I am not sure how Egypt will respond, maybe a bit wimpy in a short term. But long term, they can't afford to have Hamas dictated from a position of power. It is possible that they are waiting for some plausible casus belli, or it may be in the making.
#4
Well, I'm not sure if Egypt will respond with force, Planet Dan, for two reasons.
First, there are tight restrictions on the forces Egypt is allowed to deploy in Sinai according to the Camp David accords. There's still a US battalion sitting out there, ostensibly as a monitor. This has created a power vacuum that al Qaeda has taken advantage of in recent years (see the Taba bombings, etc.) Egypt got some souped up police units to monitor the Gaza border, but that was bending the rules as it was. If this as serious as I think, it's going to take armor and artillery to dislodge Hamas. It's a real problem.
Second is political will in Egypt. While autocracies aren't, of course, as sensitive to public opinion as democracies, I don't think it will go over very well on the streets of Cairo if Egyptian troops start cracking down on the Palestinians. It tpobably won't go down so well in the halls of power, either. The Egyptian instinct will be to let it ride for a while -- Hamas isn't an immediate threat to Egypt, and it will serve as a useful opportunity to get more goodies from the Israelis and Americans.
#5
Building on Rory's analysis, National Public Radio reported today there were pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Egypt (presumably Cairo). After half a century of pro-Palestinian/antisemitic propagandizing, the Egyptian govermnment will need a serious casus bellum to go after their pets now while avoiding riots in the streets.
As Israel reopened the Nahal Oz crossing Tuesday morning to allow a fuel delivery into Gaza, local Palestinian Authority terrorists were launching missile attacks at Jewish towns on the other side of the crossing, in the western Negev.
Israel delivered enough diesel fuel 2.2 million liters to run the Gaza power plant at 60 megawatts for a week. Israel and Egypt provide Gaza with another 140 megawatts from their own grids. Even without the new fuel supply they have enough electricity for more than half of Gaza, since Israel regularly supplies [the region] with 70 percent of its electricity needs, said a senior defense official. Israel is not providing gasoline for cars, however.
We will not allow a humanitarian crisis, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told Kadima party members Monday night, but we have no intention of making their lives easier. As far as Im concerned, the residents of Gaza can walk, and they will not get gasoline because they have a murderous, terrorist regime that does not allow the residents of southern Israel to live in peace.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2008 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
How can they tell?
Posted by: Kelly ||
01/23/2008 12:31 Comments ||
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#2
Jihad Watch Jan 15 Clergymen in Gaza estimate there are about 3,000 Christians still living in the Gaza Strip. Most are Greek Orthodox, but there are also a few hundred Catholics and a handful of Baptists. They live among some 1.5 million Muslims in the 140-square-mile territory.
3000/1500000=0.2%
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/23/2008 17:35 Comments ||
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#5
If the "Clergymen" really gave a shit, they'd be organizing a way to transplant these "Worshipers" to a saner country, that they're NOT speaks volumes.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/23/2008 18:25 Comments ||
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#6
Ya' beat me to it, Kelly. ;-p
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
01/23/2008 18:46 Comments ||
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Former IDF chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon said Tuesday that Israel should completely cut itself off from Gaza.
"There is a near-full autonomous Palestinian regime there yet there is still much dependence on Israel for water and electricity," Ya'alon told the Herzliya Conference. "Israel should make efforts to completely disengage from Gaza," continued the former chief of staff, adding that as long as the current situation continues, "the Gaza Strip must be considered a real enemy entity."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Finally, a little common sense. Israel should make it clear to Egypt that if they want to support Gaza, they are not just free to do so, but now obligated to do so.
With the wall down, unless Egypt fixes it and quick, Israel should immediately cut off all supplies to Gaza. The wave of Paleos flooding into Egypt may make the Egyptians think otherwise.
The Israeli Army has been ordered to destroy Hamas structures in Gaza as part of a three-pronged strategy aimed at toppling the Islamists, a senior Israeli official told AFP yesterday. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak decided in a meeting last week to order the army to destroy Hamas power symbols in the Gaza Strip, he told AFP.
We have begun targeting ministries, police stations, army and government buildings that are used by Hamas in Gaza in order to weaken the regime there, he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The other measures against the Islamists include continuing air and ground operations against militants and rocket launching cells, as well as economic sanctions on the territory, the official said.
In the first sign of the implementation of the new policy, Israeli warplanes on Friday flattened a four-story building in Gaza City used by Hamas as its Interior Ministry. The building was empty at the time, but the strike killed a woman in a nearby building and wounded dozens of others, many of them attending a wedding.
More wedding casualties? Anyone get shot in the foot?
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2008 00:00 ||
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#3
PRNEWSWIRE > ME EXPERT [Aaron Klein]: TERRORISTS ARE WATCHING THE US PRESDIENTIAL CAUCUSES, for insights into US political and domestic opinions, etc. Contray to popular perceptions. KLEIN > Terrorists live in well-decorated/furnished apartments with all the trappings of a production company. IOW, TERRORISTS ARE WELL-OFF = NOT "TRAILER/TENT-CAMEL TRASH"???
Genenal Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement was said to have readied its supporters in the northern Batroun region to carry out a "deployment maneuver" to pave the way for a full-scale riot along with its Hezbollah-led opposition allies later this month.
FPM official, Maj. Gen. Issam Abu Jamra, however, denied the report published on Tuesday, saying the FPM has no "street action plans." The report, carried by several Beirut dailies, said FPM partisans were instructed to carry out a "deployment maneuver starting 7 p.m. Tuesday in a bid to test the pulse of the Batroun residents" ahead of a full-size street action to be launched after Jan. 27.
A senior source with the March 8 coalition said Opposition factions were almost finished with their "draft agenda" regarding its broad action in the event that failure of an Arab plan was confirmed and pending outcome of a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Damascus scheduled for Jan. 27.
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01/23/2008 00:00 ||
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(AKI) - A year after a police operation left 14 Islamic militants and a policeman dead in Poso in the Indonesian province of Central Sulawesi, a leading think-tank says jihadi violence may have ended there. The International Crisis Group (ICG) said there are grounds for "cautious optimism" but more needs to be done to ensure peace is maintained.
In its report, Indonesia: Tackling Radicalism in Poso, the ICG said that the government had arrested and convicted those guilty of jihadi crimes since 2001, while extremists linked to Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) had fled the area. "No serious violence has taken place in Poso for twelve months, " the report said. "The JI administrative unit in Poso appears to have been destroyed, at least temporarily."
According to Sidney Jones, a senior ICG advisor, welcomed government peace initiatives but warned that new threats are emerging. Now the task is to see that the peace is sustained, she said.
Jemaah Islamiyah is a terrorist organisation committed to uniting most of Southeast Asia into an Islamic caliphate. The group is responsible for several bombings that have taken place in the region since 2000 including the 2002 Bali bombing. A bloody sectarian war raged between Christians and Muslims in Poso between 1998 and 2001. It was reportedly chosen as a new hub by JI soon after the end of the conflict and the move led to an escalation of religious-related crimes. In January 2007 conflict erupted when police sought to persuade those alleged of crimes to turn themselves in.
The ICG said in the past year the Indonesian government had made funds available to improve education and promoting vocational training in the region. The two initiatives are aimed at diluting the influence of radical teaching and ensuring that would-be extremists have career opportunities. The ICG report, however, warned that their implementation could undermine peace efforts.
The think-tank highlighted that grievances, particularly relating to justice and accountability, have not been fully resolved. It also said funding initiatives were mired in allegations of corruption, the issue that most concerns non-government organisations and community leaders. The whiff - or stench - of corruption has long hung over Poso, and it undermines public trust in government more generally, said John Virgoe, ICG Southeast Asia project director. If corruption can be brought under control and the deradicalisation initiatives take hold, then perhaps the residents of Poso will have reason for hope.
The ICG said national and local government needed to lift its auditing procedures and increase funding transparency.
This article starring:
Jemaah Islamiyah
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2008 00:00 ||
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IN AN extraordinary exercise, al-Qaeda's deputy leader submitted himself to questions from followers of the Islamic militant group as yet though, Ayman al-Zawahri hasn't given answers.
Al-Sahab, al-Qaeda's media arm, announced in December that he would answer questions posted on Islamic militant websites and would respond "as soon as possible". More than 900 entries were posted on the main Islamist website until the cut-off date of 16 January. After that, the questions disappeared from the site, but no answers have appeared.
One thing is clear from the questions: al-Qaeda supporters are as much in the dark about the terrorist network's operations and intentions as western analysts and intelligence agencies. Like many in the West, the questioners appear uncertain whether al-Qaeda's central leadership directly controls the multiple small groups that work in its name, or whether those groups operate on their own. The vast majority of questioners, identified only by computer usernames, support al-Qaeda or the jihadi cause, often expressing praise for "our beloved sheik" and "the lion of jihad, Sheik Osama (bin Laden]". However, many appear frustrated that al-Qaeda is not doing more.
"Seeking the Path" asks: "When will we see the men of al-Qaeda waging holy war in Palestine? Because, frankly, our situation has become very bad. As for al-Qaeda in Saudi Arabia, are there efforts to revive jihadi action there after the blows that hurt us?"
"Osama the Lion" asks: "Why doesn't al-Qaeda open a front in Egypt, where there are wide opportunities and fertile ground for drawing in mujahedeen?"
"Knight of Islam" asks: "We are awaiting a strike against American soil. Why has that not been done? Why are the Jews in the world not struck?"
Zawahri has repeatedly spoken in videos of opening new fronts against all those lands, but little has occurred. Saudi Arabia has waged a fierce crackdown that has killed or captured many in al-Qaeda's branch there.
In 2005, Zawahri announced the formation of a branch in his homeland, Egypt, but nothing has been heard of it, although the country has suffered terrorist attacks.
Zawahri always depicts al-Qaeda as moving steadily toward victory, which none of the questioners directly challenges. But they seem in need of reassurance about al-Qaeda's plans. "I think (al-Qaeda's leaders] were aware (that] everyone was no longer buying into the propaganda about how great they are," said Jeremy Binnie of Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Centre. "This was put forward as a propaganda exercise and to make it look like they are responding to these concerns."
A few claim to be active fighters in militant groups. "Phenixshadow" says he is a member of the al-Qaeda branch in North Africa that has been blamed for attacks in Algeria. "What do you expect from us?" he asks. "Should we follow the instruction of the mother organisation to target the 'far enemy' the Zionist-Crusader (the US] or do we focus our efforts on the apostate regime (Algeria]? Or do you advise a middle path of striking both enemies?"
Another hot topic is Iran. Several ask why al-Qaeda does not attack the mainly Shiite nation. They express concern over rumours of an understanding between al-Qaeda and Iran. Many others simply ask for advice on how and where to join jihad. One 23-year-old living with his mother says: "I want to travel to join jihad and I sought my mother's permission, but she would not give it to me. Can I go without her permission?"
CAN WE REALLY BELIEVE IT?
IT IS impossible to confirm independently whether any of the questioners are really active fighters, or that the interview offer really came from Ayman al-Zawahri, although it was posted with the logo of Al-Sahab, which issues his videotapes. But most questions focus on the same issues western terrorism experts have long debated, including how much direct support and command Zahwari and Osama bin Laden give to militants in Arab countries and Europe.
Some query al-Qaeda's long-term strategy. One asks: "Do you have a body that studies events and reviews them to correct mistakes and assess them?" Others ask about the health of bin Laden.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/23/2008 00:00 ||
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A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
Afghanistans burgeoning air force received a morale boost this week as several donated Czech helicopters, including gunships, were inaugurated in a ceremony at the newly constructed $22 million military hangar called Aviation Facility 1. President Hamid Karzai, several military leaders, and other Afghan officials attended the event.
Danes are among the most critical of Islam, according to a report by the World Economic Forum (WEF). Some 79 percent of Danes responded in a poll that they considered more interaction with the Muslim world as a threat. The worry was shared by a large majority in other European countries such as Sweden, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain, where up to 67 percent of the population feared more Western interaction with Muslim communities.
Senior police officers say Kerala has several security concerns though the possibility of a terrorist strike in its territory is currently remote. The 
(AKI) - Despite recent political upheaval Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has defended his country saying it is not "a banana republic". Musharraf met several members from the European Parliament's including foreign policy chief Javier Solana in Brussels on Monday during his European tour.
Former premier Nawaz Sharif said on Tuesday that the countrys nukes were in safe hands, adding that free elections were the solution to all problems in the country, Online reported. He said that Pakistans nuclear assets were under a strong and stable command and control system, adding that no one should be worried about the assets going in wrong hands. Nawaz said this during his meeting with Japanese Ambassador Seigi Kojima at the formers residence in Raiwand, in which he briefed the ambassador about the polls and challenges being faced in this regard. Separately, Nawaz met with the ambassador of Holland, Kat Sunori, also at his Raiwand residence, and said that PML-Q would not win the elections due to its poor performance, APP reported.
IN AN extraordinary exercise, al-Qaeda's deputy leader submitted himself to questions from followers of the Islamic militant group as yet though, Ayman al-Zawahri hasn't given answers.
