Defence chiefs have ordered an emergency review of the Army's controversial 'Snatch' Land Rover after the deaths of four soldiers in Afghanistan, The Sunday Telegraph can disclose. Commanders have been told to establish whether the vehicle, which was designed for operations in Northern Ireland almost 20 years ago, is critical to the Afghan mission.
The move means the Snatch is expected to be removed from service in the near future and to be replaced by another vehicle better equipped to cope with the threat of landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). More than 30 soldiers have been killed while patrolling in Snatches in both Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003. While the vehicle offers passengers protection from gunfire and small mines, it is highly vulnerable to powerful IEDs.
Same issue as with the HUMMVEE: if it's light enough to be highly mobile, then it's not heavy enough to defeat an IED.
The review has been launched after the deaths of Cpl Sarah Bryant, the first female soldier to die in Helmand, and three members of the SAS, who were killed when their Snatch was destroyed by a landmine two weeks ago. Details of the review were disclosed following the death of another British soldier in southern Afghanistan. The soldier, from 13 Air Assault Regiment Royal Logistic Corps, was killed when a vehicle, believed to be an open-top Wmik Land Rover, rolled over during a patrol in central Helmand on Friday. Two other soldiers were injured.
The pressure on the military to scrap the Snatch Land Rover was further raised by Patrick Mercer, the Tory MP and former infantry commander, who described the vehicle as a death trap, during a debate in the House of Commons.
Commanders in Afghanistan will be asked if there is a requirement for a light patrol vehicle and, if so, whether the Snatch is of the standard required. If not, the military will search for something more suitable, which could take several months. The Army has about 100 Snatches in Afghanistan and they are preferred in the more benign areas of Helmand province because they appear less aggressive than heavier troop carriers.
Brig Mark Carleton-Smith, the commander of British forces in Helmand, told The Sunday Telegraph that Snatch Land Rovers were not safe for use in high-risk areas. Asked if he would rather not have to use the Snatch Land Rover in Helmand, the brigadier said: Its not a vehicle of last resort but its clearly not a vehicle of first choice. The brigadier also said that the mine which destroyed the Snatch and killed four of his soldiers had contained more than 220lb of explosives and would have defeated the armour of any but the heaviest vehicle.
In the next 12 months, about 150 heavily armoured, 19.5-ton Ridgebacks will also join the fleet. But they are much less mobile than the 3.6-ton Snatch. A spokesman for the MoD said: Through investment in Mastiff and Ridgeback we are already reducing the number of patrolling roles in which we use the Snatch.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/29/2008 00:00 ||
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American counter-terrorism chiefs are demanding a full explanation from Britain of how radical cleric Abu Hamza was able to smuggle murderous messages from his UK prison cell to Al Qaeda's deputy leader. The major diplomatic row comes in the wake of a long-running battle by US prosecutors to extradite the former imam of London's Finsbury Park mosque to stand trial in America.
Hook-handed Hamza was jailed for seven years in Britain in 2006 for inciting murder and racial hatred and is held at Belmarsh prison, South-East London, supposedly one of Britain's most secure jails. But according to senior American intelligence sources, Hamza evaded the extensive security measures surrounding him to send a series of questions to Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama Bin Laden's right-hand man.
Late last year, Al-Zawahiri - who has a £13million bounty on his head - posted a message on an extremist website run by Al Qaeda saying he would answer questions on any topic. US intelligence tracked all the email replies and among them were messages from Abu Hamza. It is understood they were sent from an email address known to be linked to the cleric. The sources say they have no doubt that al-Zawahiri was personally involved in answering the questions and that those posed by Hamza had genuinely originated from him.
Brits have some explaining to do ...
US prosecutors have been fighting for four years to send Hamza for trial in the US. They accuse him of involvement in a global conspiracy to wage jihad against the US and other Western countries. Among the most serious accusations is one that he was involved in the kidnap by Islamic radicals of 16 tourists in the Yemen in 1998. Four hostages, including three Britons, died in a rescue attempt.
Earlier this month the High Court turned down Hamza's latest appeal against efforts to send him to the US but his lawyers could still fight his extradition by applying to the House of Lords and the European Court.
For the Americans, frustrated by the length of time it has taken to bring Hamza for trial in the US, the revelation that he was also able to keep in touch with Al Qaeda's high command has caused widespread anger. One source pointedly said that 'if he is transferred to US custody, he would be kept in the country's highest security prison in Colorado'. Once there, the source added: 'It would be absolutely impossible for him to communicate with Al Qaeda.'
US counter-intelligence chiefs are said to be particular concerned because Hamza's questions suggest Al Qaeda may be planning a new front in its activities in Egypt - where both Hamza and al-Zawahiri were born - and openly discuss the murder of police and other law enforcement officers.
Hamza wrote: 'I have two questions for you, our great Shaykh. First: When will there be a wing of the organisation in Egypt? And if it is there, how can one join the caravan?
'Second: What is your opinion of the officers of State Security in Egypt? Are they committing unbelief? And is it permissible to kill them? Or does the matter have its particulars?'
Al-Zawahiri answered: 'First, the days will reveal to you what you didn't know. And news will come to you from those who didn't have it.
'Second, I believe the officers of the State Security Anti-Religious Activities Branch and who investigate Islamic causes and torture the Muslims are infidels, each and every one of them. They know more about the Islamic movements than many of those movements' members know about them. And it is permissible to kill the officers of State Security and the rest of the personnel of the police, whether we declare them unbeliever individually or declare them unbelievers in general, if that is the framework of a combat campaign.
'As for the discretion of your brothers in Qaeda al-Jihad Group, it is to focus at this stage on striking American and Zionist targets and targets of the states allied with it in the aggression against the Muslims and on serious efforts to change the regimes in the hire of the Crusaders and Jews. And Allah knows best.'
Last night a Whitehall source said: 'If the Americans had information that a terror suspect in Britain was in communication with senior figures in Al Qaeda, I am confident we would be informed.'
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Oh you've been informed all right.
The question is what the hell you plan to do -- and haven't done in the past -- about it.
The war supplemental funding bill that is awaiting the presidents signature includes a provision that allows the U.S. to help pay for the dismantling of North Koreas nuclear weapons. The Senate passed the measure on Thursday, the same day the White House announced that it would begin removing North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism. President Bushs move followed North Koreas detailed release of its nuclear activities.
As part of the supplemental, both chambers passed a waiver to the so-called 1994 Glenn amendment, which prohibits the U.S. from providing funding to states that detonate a nuclear device but are officially considered non-nuclear weapon states under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The absence of the waiver could have led to an embarrassing situation where progress on dismantling North Koreas nuclear program would have been delayed because of a technicality, said Leonor Tomero, Director of Nuclear Non-Proliferation at the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation.
The administration supports the waiver to the amendment. However, some lawmakers disagreed with the administrations decision to take North Korea off the terror list. Removing the regime from the list of state sponsors of terrorism is premature. This dictatorship remains a real threat to the region and their blatant violations, time and time again, should not be forgotten, said Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.), the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.
Lifting sanctions and removing North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism flies in the face of history and rewards its brutal dictator for shallow gestures, said Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.), Bonds House counterpart.
ISLAMABAD -- Bitterly criticizing the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), renowned Pakistani nuclear scientist Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan said it is not an international organization but belongs to the Americans and Jews. It quoted Dr. Khan as having told an Urdu-language weekly published from New York in a telephonic interview.
According to the report circulated by the South Asian News Agency, Dr. Khan said that Libya is lying as Tripoli did not get anything from Islamabad. He said they (Libyans) purchased nuclear hardware from the person from whom Pakistan had purchased nuclear hardware.
He said he admitted the (proliferation) allegations not because of any fear but in the interest of the country. He said at that time he was told that if he did not accept the allegations, the country might be bombed (by United States).
Dr. Khan, who is respected as a national hero in Pakistan, said that now it is time to show the real picture to the nation because the other side is spreading false stories one after another. He said that his report would not remain under wraps like the Hamoodur Rehman Commission report (report about 1971 Pakistan-India war) because he has told each and everything to his family and the nation would soon know the truth.
About the threat to his life, Dr. Khan said he is a true Muslim and believes that life and death are in the hands of Almighty Allah, therefore, he is not afraid of death.
About procurement of conventional weapons by Pakistan despite having nuclear weapons, he said they have no value as compared to the nuclear weapons and are being bought just to receive commissions.
In this regard, he referred to the construction of flyovers in Karachi and said that in the areas inhabited by the poor there are big potholes all around. When big projects are executed, he added, these are meant to receive commissions.
Commenting on the personality of Benazir Bhutto, Dr. Khan said she was a wise woman and had she been alive, the situation would have been different. He feared that she might have been eliminated because she had announced to investigate the affairs of the nuclear program. He said Ms. Bhutto was assassinated by those very elements that were responsible for forcing him to confess so-called smuggling of nuclear plans.
Dr. Khan disclosed that Israel had once been warned (by Pakistan) of the destruction of Tel Aviv if it ever tried to attack Pakistan.
About Nawaz Sharif, Dr. Khan said he is a brave man and remains committed to whatever he says. Regarding Asif Zardari, he said that he does not know much about him. He generously praised Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and said he is a great man. About his oath under the PCO (Provisional Constitutional Order), Dr. Khan recalled that some companions of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) were non-believers before embracing Islam but they cannot be remembered as non-believers.
Nonetheless Dr. Khan accused President Pervez Musharraf of doing whatever the U.S. wants him to do.
Posted by: john frum ||
06/29/2008 16:17 ||
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#1
Khan isn't a scientist; he is an industrial espiionage perpetrator.
A day after People's Democratic Party (PDP) pulled out from the Congress-led coalition government in Jammu and Kashmir, Governor N N Vohra on Sunday formally wrote to the state government saying he is willing to revoke the transfer of forestland to the Shri Amarnath Shrine Board (SASB). Following his letter, Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad, state Congress president Saif-ud-din Soz and other senior Congress leaders met Vohra, who is also the chairman of SASB.
PDP, however, says it stands by its decision of withdrawing support from the state government. I am happy with the decision. We have succeeded in what we wanted to do. We would like to see normalcy back in the state. We have already pulled out of the government, PDP President Mehbooba Mufti said. Mebooba added: 'Once the government agrees to provide the facilities to the yatris, as was done for so many years, there will be no point of transferring the land.'
National Conference president Omar Abdullah, whose party is not in favour of the land transfer, told CNN-IBN that he was pleased with Vohras decision but whether theyll extend support to Congress was still unclear. We are happy with the Governor's decision. As of now, we are not providing support to Congress. However, our agenda will be decided in the core committee meeting on Sunday, he said.
But Congress continues to remain confident of lasting a full term despite the split. I believe we will have a breakthrough. I am meeting the Governor, and together we will look for a solution. Government will run its course till the last day, Soz said.
Meanwhile, the state government has made it clear that it will conduct the Amarnanth yatra instead of the Board.
BJP, however, has objected to the decision stating that J&K government is ill equipped to handle the yatra. We are completely against the decision of the transfer of responsibility of the yatra back to the state government, which is not equipped to deal with the arrangements and is the main reason SASB was constituted in 2002, BJP party in-charge, Kashmir, R P Singh.
Singh added, The standing of the government is still not clear on whether the yatra is still on. How will the government be able to handle the arrangements?
Srinagar has been tense since June 23 after dozens were injured during clashes with police. Three people died and more than 200 were injured in protests that lasted six days. Authorities had decided to transfer nearly 100 acres of forestland in Batal SASB to erect temporary structures for thousands of pilgrims who annually trek to the cave shrine.
Posted by: john frum ||
06/29/2008 08:14 ||
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Pakistan's disgraced nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan told investigators that contaminated and used centrifuges found in Iran by the U.N. nuclear watchdog in 2003 were sold by his laboratory as scrap to a Karachi-based company, according to a friend of Khan.
The friend, who asked not to be named, said Khan told him that he told investigators in 2003-2004 that the used centrifuges were sold as scrap to ALCOP when first generation P-1 centrifuges developed by him were replaced with a bigger P-2 centrifuge machine.
SRINAGAR - The People's Democratic Party (PDP), crucial partner in the Congress-led ruling coalition in Jammu and Kashmir, has pulled out of the government in a latest development in the Amarnath land row.
The decision was taken at an extraordinary meeting of the party leaders and later made public at a Press conference by its president, Mehbooba Mufti. Two senior party leaders, including Deputy Chief Minister Muzaffar Hussein Baig, later headed for Raj Bhawan to hand over the letter of withdrawal of support to Governor N. N. Vohra.
The PDP had asked Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to rescind the recent government order diverting about 40 hectares of forest land in the Sindh range, north of summer capital Srinagar, to the Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board (SASB) that manages the annual pilgrimage to the cave-shrine of Amarnath in Kashmir Himalayas and set June 30 as the deadline for meeting its demand.
But as the unrest in Kashmir has only intensified over the past two days over the land row with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets, the PDP, which otherwise has been a party to the land diversion decision, by quitting the government apparently wants to seize the opportunity to consolidate its vote bank in the predominantly Muslim Valley which sent most of its 19 members in the last Assembly elections held in 2002.
The chief minister was also closeted with the governor. With the PDP pulling out and the Congress' strength in the 87-member Jammu and Kashmir Assembly being only 34, the Azad government has been reduced to a minority and as the other major group National Conference, which has 25 members, unlikely to extend its support to him, the only option left for Azad is to recommend the dissolution of the Assembly, local watchers say. In such an event, Azad may be asked by the governor to continue as a caretaker chief minister till fresh elections are held which in any case are due in October this year.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/29/2008 00:00 ||
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WASHINGTON (AFP) - US military operations in Iraq following the 2003 ouster of Saddam Hussein suffered from poor planning and lack of vision, according to an army report released Sunday. The 696-page report, called 'On Point II: Transition to the New Campaign,' is the army's historical account of the 18 months following President George W. Bush's declaration of the end of major combat in May 2003.
Military leaders and civilian officials were fixated on military triumph and removing Saddam from power, but paid too little attention to the phases that would follow, said the report posted on the army's combined arms center website.
'The transition to a new campaign was not well thought out, planned for, and prepared for before it began,' wrote report authors Donald Wright and Colonel Timothy Reese, both military historians. 'Additionally, the assumptions about the nature of post-Saddam Iraq on which the transition was planned proved to be largely incorrect.'
The army's Contemporary Operations Study Team, along with the report authors, said the army 'should have insisted on better Phase IV planning and preparations through its voice on the Joint Chiefs of Staff.'
'The military means employed were sufficient to destroy the Saddam regime; they were not sufficient to replace it with the type of nation-state the United States wished to see in its place.'
The study is the second in a series -- the first On Point covered the start of combat through to the ouster of Saddam in April 2003 -- and is described by the authors as 'neither triumphant nor defeatist.' Its aim is to provide 'military professionals with a means to understand important and relevant lessons from the army's recent operational experience.'
#4
US military operations in Iraq following the 2003 ouster of Saddam Hussein suffered from poor planning and lack of vision, according to an army report released Sunday.
Same could be written up about Ike and what to do after getting ashore at Normandy, spending months bottled up in hedgerow country in a grinding fight no one had anticipated or planned for. However, if you don't get part one right, you don't need to worry about part two. You have even bigger problems.
#5
I think it's fiction that the US military didn't have a plan. I think they had one, but the State Dept. and CIA let the invasion happen and then swapped in a plan of their own. Five years on from having Garner sacked and replaced by a state department employee who doesn't seem to have known what was going on, I think it's about time we reevaluated that decision.
And don't forget the sabotage and dismantling of the Iraqi expat security force Rumsfeld was training.
But don't blame it all on State and the CIA. There were plenty of Clinton-appointed generals & colonels in the Army who, being stuck in the 80s-90s, hated Rumsfeld and were happy to sabotage a lot of his initiatives.
I'm a strong supporter of our military but let's call this one for what it was - nigh dereliction of duty, done passive aggressively. Snits in green suits.
HAWIJAH The Government of Iraq and Coalition forces continue to reconcile former fighters as the Operation Restore Peace program in the Hawijah District of the Kirkuk province held its seventh meeting recently. The Government of Iraq is giving you an opportunity to reconcile. Take it, Lt. Col. Christopher Vanek, 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division said to those attending. If you arent here to reconcile Ill see you again, on the battlefield.
Twenty-one showed up from throughout the district and were instructed on the reconciliation process under Restore Peace. The program involves six phases or steps encompassing approximately 240 days. From initial contact by Iraqi Security Forces, Coalition forces and local leadership to the first meeting where the program is laid-out and questions are fielded. Petitioners are also to provide personal information, according to 1st Lt. Matthew Gregor, 1-87, Fire and Effects Coordination Cell.
In step two, candidates return to be vetted, biometrically registered and entered into a data base. At this juncture, they are given a temporary respite from targeting, according to Vanek. The respite is part of the no targeting agreement, which occurs between the second and third steps, at which point the information obtained during step two is processed and verified.
Step three is the no activity and no negative reporting period where the candidate is expected to cooperate with ISF and CF, and assist with the peace process by providing information on criminal activity occurring in their respective communities. In steps four through six, an accounting board made up of local government, ISF, CF leadership and a designated sponsor; determine the way ahead for the petitioner. If successful, a public declaration of allegiance to the Government of Iraq is made by the participant and further monitoring for a set period of time is undertaken.
The program locals refer to as Musalaha, has been instrumental along with the Sons of Iraq program with the over 90 percent decrease in violent attacks against ISF, CF and civilians in the Hawijah District, according to Gregor.
Your sheik, neighbor and village have spoken, Vanek said. They want peace.
Additionally, the successful lethal efforts of 1-87 and other CFs in sync with non-lethal methods are key to the security successes in the region and the motivating factor in persuading more Iraqis in the area to lay down their arms and join the reconciliation process, according to Vanek.
Over 200 have successfully completed the reconciliation process since 1-87 began Operation Restore Peace in January. Hawijah is located approximately 60 miles southwest of Kirkuk City.
Cairo, Jun 28, (VOI) Abbass al-Bayati, lawmaker of the Unified Iraqi Coalition (UIC Shiite parliamentary bloc), on Saturday said that the Iraqi people reject dominance over its sovereignty, destinies, and national resources, and the long-term security agreement with U.S. is still a draft.
"There is no copy of the agreement that has been agreed upon, and it is still a draft and ideas being debated," al-Bayati told Aswat al-Iraq Voices of Iraq (VOI) during his participation in the Arab parliament's second round of sessions for this year. "During the Arab parliamentary conference, we demanded that the Arab countries take a clear and tangible Arab stance regarding three important cases in Iraq: Supporting the Iraqi government's efforts; departing the case of hesitation and question marks; and finally considering the national reconciliation project," he said.
"The Iraqi people are still waiting for Arab countries to cancel demands on repaying loans, as the Euro states did," he added. "Arab diplomatic representation in Iraq, excluding Syria and Lebanon, is still weak and shy," he proceeded.
"The political and security situations in Iraq are improving, and Iraq will embrace any Arab gathering, and we hope to see Arab countries' ambassadors in Baghdad soon," he noted. Concerning the latest attacks in Iraq, al-Bayati commented, "They are terrorist groups' last attempts, and for media consumption only, as they targeted public places."
"The Fardh al-Qanoon (Law Imposing) plan will continue, and the coming station is Diala province," he asserted.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/29/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
I wonder if they (Iraqi "lawmakers") realize what their life expectation is should US forces leave?
#3
Sistani does understand that, which is why his statements about the SOFA discuss changes around the edges and he has said that the Iraqis need to accept the agreement.
Millions of pounds of British government money is going to Palestinian security forces which use methods of torture including hanging prisoners by their feet and putting them in stress positions for hours at a time. Evidence to be published next month in a report by Human Rights Watch was corroborated last week in interviews by The Sunday Times with victims in the West Bank, ruled by President Mahmoud Abbass western-backed Palestinian Authority. Prisoners who have emerged from Palestinian Authority jails many of whom have never been charged with any offence or even seen a lawyer said they had been subjected to mock executions, kicked, punched and beaten with sticks, plastic pipes and hoses.
The disclosures came at the end of a week in which a Berlin conference of 40 donor nations, including Britain, pledged £121m over the next three years to bolster the Palestinian security forces and judicial system in the West Bank. Of this total, about £20m will come from Britain, which is already committed to spending £2.7m on the training of Palestinian security forces this year. A British brigadier based in the West Bank city of Ramallah is involved in the training. Britain has set aside a further £4.5m for reform, civil justice and public prosecution over the next three years. A total of £4 billion overall has been promised to the government of Abbas, who is the commander-in-chief of the Palestinian security forces.
Western support for Abbass security forces is part of a strategy to isolate Hamas fundamentalists who seized control of Gaza last year. However, many of those detained on suspicion of links to Hamas described a form of torture called shabah in Arabic being forced to hold stress positions for prolonged periods. Some have been made to stand with one leg and one arm raised for hours. Others have had to sit on the edge of a chair with their hands tied to their feet.
Amar al-Masri, 43, a Nablus businessman who is married to Kholoud al-Masri, an elected Hamas municipal official, has been held since last month in al-Jenid prison in Nablus. Last Thursday, his son Abdullah, 13, crossed off day 54 on a calendar on the familys refrigerator. What is shocking me is that no charge has been addressed against my husband, Kholoud said last week, sitting in her home in Nablus, a hijab (head-scarf) covering her hair. He is in a Palestinian jail, but we dont know why. She has been allowed to visit him only once. He said he was hung by his two legs by a rope connected to the ceiling, Kholoud said. The prisoners lawyer said he had seen puffy wrists and legs that supported the testimony, as well as scabs on his legs and hands.
A former prisoner, interviewed at a coffee shop near his third-floor flat in Nablus after he was released at the end of a 50-day spell in prison, described similar experiences. They arrested me on fantasy charges that I had rockets, said the 29-year-old law student, who did not want his name used out of fear the security forces would come after him. They tied my hands behind my back, and the rope was connected to a pipe, he said. They would stress the rope every 20 seconds. They said if they did it more I would be paralysed.
He was eventually released without charge. They [the security forces] told me, You have been steadfast under torture so we have decided you are clean. We will not bother you again. The Palestinian Authority denied using torture in detention centres. They are prisoners. We do not give them chocolate and roses, said Akram Rajoub, head of preventive security in Nablus. But I can assure you that we dont use torture methods or shabah methods.
The Foreign Office expressed concern at the Human Rights Watch revelations. The UK is concerned to hear reports of human rights violations in the occupied Palestinian territories, a spokesman said. We are committed to reforming the Palestinian security sector.
A spokesman for the Department for International Development, which administers the funds paid to the Palestinian Authority, confirmed that money was going to West Bank security forces but said some of it would be used to root out abuses. People are aware of irregularities in their behaviour . . . and thats why we are investing in making them a more professional outfit and a more accountable police force, the department said.
Human Rights Watch last week called for the aid going to the Palestinian Authority security forces to be made conditional on effective efforts to reduce arbitrary arrests and torture and on improving the system of justice.
The article is a fine example of how aid money inevitably goes to what the recipients most want to do -- in the case of the Paleos, it is jihad, torture, and killing Joooooz.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/29/2008 10:33 Comments ||
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LOL! Bark little doggie!
Iran is to dig 320,000 graves in border districts to allow for the burial of enemy soldiers in the event of any attack on its territory, a top commander said on Sunday.
'In implementation of the Geneva Conventions... the necessary measures are being taken to provide for the burial of enemy soldiers,' the Mehr news agency quoted General Mir-Faisal Bagherzadeh as saying. 'We have plans to dig 15,000 to 20,000 graves in each of the border provinces or a total of 320,000,' the general said, some of them mass graves if necessary.
Bagherzadeh said Iran was keen to 'reduce the suffering of the families of the fallen in any attack against our country... and prevent any repetition of the long and bitter experience of the Vietnam War.'
His comments came as the United States continued to refuse to rule out an eventual resort to force against Iran over its contested nuclear programme, which the West fears is cover for a drive to build an atomic weapon.
They also came as Israeli officials spoke of their determination to prevent Iran developing a nuclear capability at all costs. A former head of Israel's Mossad foreign intelligence agency said in comments published on Sunday that the Jewish state had one year to destroy Iran's nuclear programme or face the risk of coming under nuclear attack.
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2008 17:36 ||
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#1
Enough fox holes in each province for an entire division. No Thanks. We prefer to dig our own emplacements.
#2
Good idea. At least some of the many unemployed Iranians will be given something to do, for which they'll be paid... and get to spend all day outside in the fresh air and sunshine, building up their bodies.
#3
I sincerely doubt we'd bother sending in ground troops, except perhaps to mop up afterwards.
One does wonder whether General Mir-Faisal Bagherzadeh really believes the scenario he paints. Good try with invoking Vietnam, but that meme is already pretty depleted via Iraq. I give it maybe a 2 out of 10 .....
#5
Well, what this would say is that Iran must be preparing to start something that they fear will cause an invasion of some sort. But in any case, if we were to send troops in there, I don't think the Iranians would have enough infrastructure left to do any kind of organized burial.
If they were going to bury invading troops, they would be digging the graves in the interior, not along the border. Digging graves in border provinces would tend to argue more for preparations for an Iranian invasion of Iraq than one coming from our side.
Iran seems to be digging itself a pretty big hole.
Posted by: Bin thinking again ||
06/29/2008 19:53 Comments ||
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#7
We'll only kill that many if they don't surrender. Personally, I think once the 60,000 core fanatics are red mist, the rest will not be so inclined to follow them.
#8
ABSOLUTELY NO "nation-building" in Iran. We destroy their military, transportation infrastructure, and nuclear capability, mine their ports, and let them ROT. If they try to do anything to block the Straits of Hormuz, then we'll dig a canal through Oman and the UAE, while turning Bandar Abbas and the cliffs around it into industrial-use glass.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
06/29/2008 20:27 Comments ||
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#9
Persian way is deception. They talk nuke but I am betting viral.
#11
2008-2012 > IRAN's STRAT PRIORITY is to try and de facto nuclearize and weaponize, PREFERABLY NOT TO ENGGAE IN ANY TYPE OF TOTAL/NATIONWIDE WAR AGZ ISRAEL LET ALONE THE USA. The Militants-Terrs are another matter as many Cells-Groups remain capable of INDEPENDENT ACTION.
To protect NUCLEARIZING IRAN + even PAKIS, etal. THE MILITANTS-TERRS WILL LIKELY HAVE TO CONTIN ENGAGING IN TERROPS AGZ ISRAEL + "MODERATES", + AFGHANI-PAKIS INSURGENT ACTIONS, + ELSEWHERE TO
OFFSET ISRAELI + US, ETC MILTECH SUPERIORITY +
KEEP ISRAEL-US MIL PREOCCUPIED/CONTAINED ANDOR AT BAY [POTUS Obama? = US Withdrawal?]???
IMO Israel must know and be aware of the above - ideally, the best time for any anti-NUCLEAR IRAN CONFLICT is NOW THRU 2010. "ONE YEAR" > The longer after JAN 2009 or Year 2010, the greater the risk that Iran's nucweapsdev WON'T be completely precluded or destroyed, + escalatory lack of political will over time. IOW, AFTER 2010 EVEN IFF IRAN IS MIL DEFEATED AND OCCUPIED > NO WAY TO VERIFY THE LEVEL OF NUCTECH TRANSFER TO THE MILITANTS-TERROR CELLS + GROUPS.
IOW, 2008-2010 > EITHER ISRAEL MIL PREEMPTS ASAP < ONE YEAR [Summer 2009], OR THE MILITANTS-TERRS DO SOMETHING CATASTROPHIC TO INDUCE A UNILATER ISRAEL ANDOR US MIL RESPONSE AGZ IRAN.
* ISRAEL JOINING NATO + BASING USGMD-TMD INSIDE ISRAEL > NO WAR??? 2008-2010 > STILL LEAVES NUCLEAR IRAN ERGO STILL LEAVES NUCLEAR MILITANCY-TERRORORISM ERGO NUCLEAR JIHAD???
And now you know, VIRGINIA, why the US DEMS may criticize Dubya for his handling of Iran + Iraq-WOT, and ditto criticize MCCAIN for being pro-Dubya = "Warmonger/Lover", WHILE SIMUL SSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH DESIRING DUBYA OR A POTUS MCCAIN TO DE FACTO ATTACK IRAN.
It is GEOPOL CONUNDRUMS like these that show why A MILITARY DRAFT OR EXPANSATORY US MILFORS LEVELS are better even though we all know the Lefties and Govtists will domestically exploit the former to their ideo's advantage.
"REVOLT OF THE GENERALS/ADMIRALS" > better to have a DRAFT ARMY BEFORE A NUCLEAR WAR = NUCLEAR TERROR EVENT(S), NOT AFTERWARDS AS PER UNKNOWN FACTORS. Better to have TOO MUCH and redux after victory, than to have TOO LITTLE AND BE TOO WEAK TO EFFEC RESPOND/RECOVER VV THE UNKNOWN. MORE DIFFICULT TO TAKE DOWN A HEAVY OBESE PERSON THAN A PAPER-THIN ONE e.g. "BIGGER IS BETTER" mil adage.
* ACHILLLES To AGAMMEMNON IN "TROY" > BE CAREFUL, KING, TO "WIN AN EMPIRE" YOU MUST "WIN" FIRST.
versus:
ODYSEUSS > YOU KNOW WE CAN'T DEFEAT PRIAM, HECTOR, AND THE TROJANS WIDOUT ACHILLES. WITHOUT ACHILLES, WE ARE JUST SENDING OUR OWN MEN TO THEIR DESTRUCTION WITH NO HOPE OF VICTORY.
#14
INTERFAX > BOLTON: NATO SHOULD ADMIT UKRAINE, GEORGIA, JAPAN, AUSTRALIA, AND ISRAEL; + IRAN SAYS BUSHESHR NPP WILL BE UP AND RUNNING IN ORCTOBER [2008].
Also from INTERFAX > RUSSIA, UKRAINE READY TO ENRICH URANIUM + AZERI ARMY TROOPS READY TO LIBERATE OCCUPIED TERRITORY.
*KOMMERSANT > UKRAINE WANTS TO MOVE [unilater] [Russian]BLACK SEA FLEET TO SYRIA.
* REGNUM > ANALYSIS: WAR IN TRANSCAUCASIA AND CENTRAL ASIA [Multi-Region/Areas + predomin or heavily Muslim]. Russia facing perceived US-Western led wilful anti-Russ separation from former southern SSR's [Muslim], + growing Iranian influence in same.
* TOPIX > ARMENIA IN THE IRAN, KURD ISLAMIC CROSSFIRE + ISLAMISM: RUSSIA AND ASIA UNDR SIEGE.
Gaaawd, its Raining and a Monday to boot.
Again, from North Africa to the ME + Asia, many Third World including Muslim nations are desirous to dev their own national nucprogs.
All things equal, IRAN + MILITANTS-TERR > MUST SEE LT ODDS OF PAN-ISLAMIST NUCLEARIZATION + WEAPNZ IS IN THEIR FAVOR, vv MUSLIM-SPECIFIC NATION(S) OR NOT.
Iranian state-run radio is reporting that a man is on trial in Tehran's Revolutionary Court on charges of spying for Israel. But details were vague.
The report did not identify the man but said the charges against him include spying for the Mossad in return for money. The radio report said the man's lawyer defended his client in court Saturday.It didn't provide any further information but said more details would be released in the next few days. No other information about the case was immediately available.
TEHERAN - The journalists association in Iran said on Saturday it would take legal action against the labour ministry over steps which could lead to the union being closed. The move came after the labour ministry declared the association as "fit for dissolution" earlier this week because of alleged irregularities in electing the group's board of directors.
The decision was "politically-motivated," charged the association's head, Rajabali Mazrooi, insisting the union founded in 1997 grouped journalists of all political factions. "In all elections of the union, members have chosen reformists to the board but those in the government prefer to have people of their own line among directors," he told a press conference.
He said the association could only be dissolved by a vote among its members, by a court ruling, or if it failed to hold elections within six months after the board's mandate had expired. "The association will continue its activities and pursue the matter legally," he said, adding that the 4,000-member group was independent and did not receive government funds.
Sucks to live in a dictatorship, doesn't it.
The labour ministry says it has found irregularities in the process of selecting the current board, elected in 2006 in what was a third meeting of its assembly after the first two efforts failed to achieve the required quorum.
According to its leaders, the association has faced hurdles in promoting members' demands, such as on health insurance, since hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005. m"They have really given me a hard time in this period ... They have created all kinds of obstacles for us," said the board's secretary, Badralsadat Mofidi.
Another board member, reformist journalist Ahmad Zeidabadi, said the "government wants to see the association turn into a political body which defends and promotes the Islamic republic's policies."
Iran's moderate press enjoyed a degree of freedom during the reformist presidency of Mohammad Khatami from 1997 to 2005, but it was also targeted by a series of bans. Under Ahmadinejad, the Iranian media -- a myriad of newspapers, Internet news sites and news agencies of all political colours -- has been hit by a string of closures.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/29/2008 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.
American counter-terrorism chiefs are demanding a full explanation from Britain of how radical cleric 
SRINAGAR - The People's Democratic Party (PDP), crucial partner in the Congress-led ruling coalition in Jammu and Kashmir, has pulled out of the government in a latest development in the Amarnath land row.
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US military operations in Iraq following the 2003 ouster of Saddam Hussein suffered from poor planning and lack of vision, according to an army report released Sunday. The 696-page report, called 'On Point II: Transition to the New Campaign,' is the army's historical account of the 18 months following President George W. Bush's declaration of the end of major combat in May 2003.
HAWIJAH The Government of Iraq and Coalition forces continue to reconcile former fighters as the Operation Restore Peace program in the Hawijah District of the Kirkuk province held its seventh meeting recently. The Government of Iraq is giving you an opportunity to reconcile. Take it, Lt. Col. Christopher Vanek, 1st Battalion, 87th Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division said to those attending. If you arent here to reconcile Ill see you again, on the battlefield.
Millions of pounds of British government money is going to Palestinian security forces which use methods of torture including hanging prisoners by their feet and putting them in stress positions for hours at a time. Evidence to be published next month in a report by Human Rights Watch was corroborated last week in interviews by The Sunday Times with victims in the West Bank, ruled by President Mahmoud Abbass western-backed Palestinian Authority. Prisoners who have emerged from Palestinian Authority jails many of whom have never been charged with any offence or even seen a lawyer said they had been subjected to mock executions, kicked, punched and beaten with sticks, plastic pipes and hoses. 
TEHERAN - The journalists association in Iran said on Saturday it would take legal action against the labour ministry over steps which could lead to the union being closed. The move came after the labour ministry declared the association as "fit for dissolution" earlier this week because of alleged irregularities in electing the group's board of directors.
