[Dawn] US special forces have stepped up counterterrorism missions against some of the most lethal groups in Afghanistan and plan an even bigger expansion next year, The New York Times reported late Saturday.
Citing unnamed US military commanders, the newspaper said the commandos from the Army's Delta Force and the Navy's classified Seals units have had success weakening the network of Sirajuddin Haqqani, the strongest Taliban fighter in eastern Afghanistan.
Haqqani's group has used its bases in neighboring Pakistan to carry out deadly strikes in and around Kabul, the Afghan capital, according to the report.
Guided by intercepted cellphone communications, the US commandos have also killed some important Taliban operatives in Marja, a Taliban stronghold in Helmand Province in the south, the paper noted.
Marine commanders say they believe that there are some 1,000 fighters holed up in the town, according to the report.
Although US President Barack Obama and his aides have not publicly discussed these highly classified missions as part of the administration's new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, the counterterrorism operations are expected to increase along with the deployment of 30,000 more US troops next year, The Times said.
The increased counterterrorism operations over the past three or four months reflect growth in every part of the Afghanistan campaign, including conventional forces securing the population, other troops training and partnering with Afghan security forces, and more civilians to complement and capitalize on security gains, the paper noted.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
commandos from the Army's Delta Force
Mission creep? I hope we've got enough JSOC resources within the stockade to react to extremis requirements both domestic and overseas. The original intent, etc.
#2
This article obliquely refers to an advantage we have in Afghanistan versus Vietnam. The Phoenix program was villified for conducting a similarly effective assassination program (despite it being less wide-scale, long-lasting, and brutal than Viet Cong tactics), but there is barely a peep about us doing it now. I think there are two main factors. First, the Communists had a worldwide propaganda machine including reporters imbedded in the West. The Islamicists lack that and get only weaker echos of support from the former Communist network. Second, deaths in Viet Nam were localized, so the public could feel withdrawal would stop the killing and turn an apathetic blind eye to what would happen to South Vietnamese after we left. But even a lethargic public is aware that Islamacists are targeting us and will continue to target us on our own soil. Therefore, there is very little ruckus about us using tough and effective tactics.
#3
Lest we forget, democrats are sometimes a good fulcrum for national defense as they are not challenged in their methods as harshly as Republicans are in such matters.
Home Minister Sahara Khatun yesterday denied the allegation of killings in crossfire and termed it a self-defence method for the law enforcers.
Much easier to defend yourself if you just plug the miscreant behind each ear before the truck leaves the coppe-shoppe ...
If you look up the definition of crossfire there is no crossfire in the country. It has never happened. What is happening is that the members of my law enforcement agencies are being compelled to shoot miscreants to defend themselves when the miscreants open fire on them, Sahara said while talking to reporters at a function in the city.
Do you want the law enforcers to be hit by bullets when criminals open fire on them to evade arrest? the home minister questioned, reports the private television channel ATN Bangla.
Sahara made the remarks on a query regarding the High Court's verdict that asked the government to stop extra-judicial killings. Sahara was speaking at an orientation and annual prise-giving ceremony at Milestone School & College in Uttara in the afternoon. The home minister also affirmed that no one, including members of law enforcement agencies, would be spared if they were involved in any kind of criminal acts and corruption.
Earlier, on November 17 the home minister claimed that no incidents of 'crossfire' had taken place in the country since the Awami League government took over.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/27/2009 00:00 ||
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[Kyodo: Korea] A top Korean People's Army officer on Wednesday criticized U.S.-South Korea joint military drills as North Korea celebrated the 18th anniversary Thursday of leader Kim Jong Il's assuming the KPA supreme commandership, the official Korean Central News Agency said. ""Acute confrontation is prevailing on the Korean Peninsula due to the moves of the U.S. and its followers to ignite a new war,"" KCNA quoted Ri Yong Ho, chief of the General Staff of the KPA, as saying in a report delivered at a national meeting in Pyongyang celebrating the anniversary of Kim"s assumption of the KPA supreme commandership on Dec. 24, 1991.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2009 00:00 ||
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SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il conducted about 200 field guidance tours of local farms and military camps this year, the communist nation's state media said Saturday, marking the highest number of public appearances he has made since coming to power.
Kim "conducted field guidance at as many as 200 places across the country," reported the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
It's a wonder anyone ever gets any work done ...
"It was a hard work unprecedented in the history and a partisan long march," the KCNA said, adding that the increased appearances indicated that Kim strove to solve issues pertaining to the people's livelihoods.
The South Korean Unification Ministry said earlier in the month that the North Korean leader made 156 such trips as of Dec. 18, based on the North's media reports. The figure is the highest since Kim took over leadership in 1998 from his late father, Kim Il-sung, and almost double his 90 public activities of last year, the ministry said.
The communist leader usually gibbers gives field guidance at factories, farms and military camps to highlight his leadership and policies.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/27/2009 00:00 ||
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BRUSSELS - Airports and airlines across Europe moved rapidly to tighten security on U.S.-bound flights on Saturday after a man tried to set off explosives on a plane flying from Amsterdam to Detroit. Authorities in Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands either increased passenger checks or reinforced security measures already stepped up ahead of the busy Christmas and New Year travel period, officials said.
The measures follow a formal request from the U.S. Department of Transportation to airports worldwide to ratchet up security following the failed Christmas Day attack on a Delta Air Lines flight by a Nigerian suspect, officials said.
German authorities said they were considering increasing airport security but hadnt done so yet.
British airports group BAA, which manages two of the 10 busiest airports in Europe Heathrow and Gatwick said airlines had strengthened security and travellers should expect delays during one of the busiest travel periods of the year. Passengers travelling to the United States should expect their airline to carry out additional security checks prior to boarding, the company said in a statement.
A spokesman for Aeroports de Paris said the U.S. transport authority had specifically asked airports to search passenger luggage more thoroughly and to carry out extra pat-down searches of passengers before they board U.S.-bound flights.
We received instructions from the U.S. Federal Transit Administration last night and its up to the individual airlines to put them in place, the spokesman said, referring to a unit of the U.S. Department of Transportation. The instructions were sent to all the countries in the world and apply to all airlines travelling to the U.S.
The vice-president of the European Commission, Jacques Barrot, said European authorities were in touch with the United States and would do everything to keep airline security tight. This incident shows once again that vigilance is necessary at all times in the fight against terror, he said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/27/2009 00:00 ||
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You may not have noticed because we've been covering for Barry most of the plots were foiled, but 2009, only Barry's first year, saw an unprecedented surge in terror "events" Got the quotes on the wrong word?
on U.S. soil. When analysts tally these events, thought so
they refer to anything from a disrupted plot to U.S. citizens traveling abroad to seek terror training or a lone gunman running amok in the U.S. And by the calculations of Rand Corporation expert Brian Jenkins, more terrorist threats were uncovered in the U.S. during 2009 than in any year since 2001.
"There appears to be an increase in [terrorist] activity in the U.S.," warns Jenkins, who calculates that there have been 32 terror-related "events" on these shores since 9/11, and that 12 of those occurred in 2009. Wonder if 9-11 made the top 10
[Geo News] The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan Swat chapter has expressed its confidence on the mediation of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in restoring peace in Malakand Division. The TTP Malakand has announced this in an audio message delivered to senior journalist and analyst Rahimullah Yousufzai. The message has been recorded in the voice of a TTP commander Nooruddin Muhammad. In his message, he described Imran Khan as a patriot, sincere Pakistani, good person and Muslim-friendly politicians. We announce to accept his (Imran) mediation for restoration of peace in Malakand, it said.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Why is Imran Kahn the wealthy well travelled ex cricketer a fan of the Taliban?
LAHORE: Former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf has denied writing off loans of any affluent or influential individual.
However, answering questions on Facebook on Saturday, he said he had written off loans of those affected by natural disasters in Balochistan and Sindh in 2000, victims of the 2005 earthquake and the 2006 floods, and as part of an agriculture reforms package for the poor.
And those weren't bribes, those were gratuities ...
Musharraf also denied charges of handing over Pakistanis to the US or any other country for interrogation. He said those taken into custody by the US were captured in Afghanistan. "Our policy was clear: Pakistanis will be tried in Pakistan whereas foreigners will be handed over to their own countries first and in case of refusal (which was invariably the case), will be handed over to the US."
To a question on his return to Pakistan, Musharraf said he would surely come back. "The timing, however, is of the essence," he remarked.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/27/2009 00:00 ||
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif on Saturday he was ready for a meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari, Nawaz but it should be result-oriented and have a clear agenda. Talking to reporters after a meeting of the PML-N, Nawaz ruled out any serious threat to the current democratic system.
There is no threat to the system. If there is any threat, it will be from undemocratic moves. We will support the democratic process and the constitution, he said.
Nawaz reassured his partys conditional support to the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government provided it implemented the Charter of Democracy (CoD), abolished the 17th Amendment, followed the Supreme Courts verdict on the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) in letter and spirit and ensured good governance.
Nawaz complained about what he saw as the governments lack of will to do away with the 17th Amendment and reneging on promises. On the issue of resignations of NRO beneficiary ministers, he said, The government itself should have secluded the beneficiary ministers until they cleared themselves of all charges. We want to support the democratic system but that does not mean we exonerate those who committed corruption.
We will not compromise on anything which is extra-constitutional. This is our principled stance and we wont deviate from it, he added.
The PML-N chief reiterated his partys demand for scrapping the 17th Amendment and said the government had complicated the matter by linking it with a comprehensive constitutional package being formulated by the Parliamentary Committee on Constitutional Reforms.
It was an easy matter. The government complicated it by bringing other things under this ambit Now there are issues of the provinces demands, he said referring to impediments being faced by the reforms committee in completing the task of coming up with a consensus package.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/27/2009 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD / Aswat al-Iraq: Two lawmakers from two different blocs severely criticized the Iraqi governments decision to move Camp Ashraf of the Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) to the Iraqi capital Baghdad while a third termed anti-Iran group as undesirable.
Taha al-Leheibi, the leader of the Iraqi Democratic Grouping, called in statements to Aswat al-Iraq news agency on the Iraqi government to deal with the PMOI members as humans and in accordance with the principles of human rights and relevant international covenants.
The governments official spokesman, Ali al-Dabbagh, had said that the government would move the Camp Ashraf, which houses the PMO refugees, from the province of Diala, 57 km northeast of Baghdad, to the Iraqi capital on December 15.
Leheibi noted that the step aims to keep the PMOI members from the Iranian territories as the Iraqi government believes they pose a threat to Iran.
He noted that the Iraqi government has even started to block entry of pharmaceuticals and medical doctors into the camp.
Iraqi security forces had entered Camp Ashraf in Diala on July 28, 2009 in order to wield control over it. Clashes occurred between the Iraqi troops and the camp residents, leaving seven killed and 400 others wounded while two Iraqi soldiers were killed.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/27/2009 00:00 ||
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Tens of thousands of Iraqi security personnel have been deployed in the holy shrine city of Kerbala ahead of the climax of the Shia Ashura commemorations. More than one million pilgrims are expected to pour into the city on Sunday, where authorities will also check on the 60,000-odd foreign worshippers expected to attend the ceremonies to ensure they do not have swine flu.
General Ali Jassim Mohammed, Karbala police chief, said that around 25,000 policemen and soldiers had been deployed to secure the commemoration ceremonies.
About 20,000 soldiers have formed eight cordons around the city, according to Amal al-Hir, the provincial governor of the city.
A thousand snipers are positioned on roof-tops and dog sniffers are to be employed to help find any explosives. About 600 female staff have been placed on three roads entering the city to counter women suicide bombers, who have struck in the past. CCTV cameras are also being used to follow any incidents in the city.
Baghdad has also seen a rise in security personnel during the commemorations. Some pilgrims will visit a Shia shrine in the Kadhimiya district of the capital.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/27/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
This is not good. I would expect some excitement just after the Ambo's return to their posts.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
12/27/2009 1:52 Comments ||
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#2
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Avigdor Liberman, will host a conference next week (27-31 December) for Israeli Heads of Missions.
Sounds like they're planning for a real blow out New Year's Eve.
#6
It could be psy-ops on the Iranians. It could be that they want to get potential targets out of the way based on some new intel. It could be that all the ambassadors need to be briefed on their new talking points.
Posted by: Steve White ||
12/27/2009 12:35 Comments ||
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[Straits Times] SHE wears a helmet and drives her scooter slowly through the capital of Indonesia's Aceh province, but Yuli is still stopped by the sharia police. Her crime: wearing tight jeans and a blouse deemed 'un-Islamic'.
The 20-year-old lowers her eyes and doesn't argue with the khaki-clad male officers who summon her to the side of the road. 'I promise to buy a more Muslim outfit,' she says, showing enough contrition for the police to wave her on her way.
In one hour, 18 women are pulled over because the guardians of morality decide their slacks are too tight or their shirts reveal too much of their feminine curves. Only three men receive the same treatment, for wearing shorts. 'We have to respect sharia (Islamic) law, which has been adopted by the provincial government and which stipulates that women can only show their faces and their hands,' sharia police commander Hali Marzuki told AFP.
Perched at the end of Sumatra island about 1,000 kilometres northwest of the Indonesian capital Jakarta, Aceh is one of the most conservative regions in the mainly Muslim archipelago. Most Muslims in the country of 234 million people are modern and moderate, and Indonesia's constitution recognises five official religions including Buddhism and Christianity.
But Aceh has special autonomy, and one of the ways it has defined itself as different from the rest of the country is through the implementation of sharia law and the advent of the religious police. The force has more than 1,500 officers, including 60 women, but unlike their fearsome counterparts in Saudi Arabia the local sharia police do not seem to cause too much concern among citizens.
Officers are relatively cheerful, they carry no weapons and they almost always let wrongdoers off with a warning. 'Punishment is not the objective of the law. We must convince and explain,' says Iskander, the sharia police chief in Banda Aceh, who goes by only one name. He has the power to order floggings but has found no need to do so since he was promoted to his current position a year ago. Less than a dozen people have been publicly caned since 2005, for drinking alcohol, gambling or having illicit sexual relations.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2009 00:00 ||
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Hezbollah Secretary-General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah has described American leaders as anti-human and brutal, saying US citizens are the first victims of such leaders.
"US authorities are anti-human," the 49-year-old Nasrallah said, adding the country is governed by the most brutal and greedy individuals.
The Hezbollah chief made the remark during a televised speech marking the eighth day of Muharram on Friday night.
In a reference to the US invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks Nasrallah said that "The American democracy has victimized the Iraqi and Afghan people."
Years after the US-led invasion of the two Muslim countries, daily violence is calming the lives of people in the two war-ravaged states.
The Hezbollah Secretary General also urged his country's politicians to "observe a one-year truce" in an attempt to avoid new conflicts.
Nasrallah also called for giving the unity government an opportunity to function.
"Let those who don't want to tackle the people's priorities resign from the cabinet," he noted.
Posted by: Fred ||
12/27/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Most people who work for the US govt. are not Moslems and they are usually just plain anti-human Evil. Everybody knows that.
How hard can it be just to ding this guy, Nasrallah? You could always just contract the work. Cant be a shortage of takers out there...what ever happened to the Jackal? That part of the world must be absolutely floating in folks who can be hired for a job in that basic line.
Get somebody for Nasrallah. Hire someone competent. Tell him to make it messy ( deep fried in Krisco ). I mean, they got Mugadniyeh ( did I spell that right?)
Blew him to wet confetti in a parking lot. Yeah.
Nasrallah has to cross the street somewhere every day. Yay, brutal and greedy, its for a good cause.
Put one on the payroll.
#2
Most people who work for the US govt. are not Moslems and they are usually just plain anti-human Evil.
Pooh. Most people who work for the U.S. government work hard and mean well, just like anywhere else. The question is what they are assigned to do and the tools they are given to do it. The answer is to reduce the scope of their responsibilities and the number of people doing whatever it is, to the point of wiping out entire departments and setting those people free to make their way in the private sector. Contrariwise, anyone working for government health insurance will sooner or later do something that causes pain, suffering, and death -- it's the nature of the situation, not of the people involved.
My understanding is that Nasrallah has only appeared in public a handful of times the 2006 conflict. The Hezbollah system of security around him is layered. He is rumored to spend most of his time in various bunkers and to move from bunker to bunker fairly often. Not an easy get.
Posted by: lord garth ||
12/27/2009 11:16 Comments ||
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#4
"US authorities are anti-human,"
"The American democracy has victimized the Iraqi and Afghan people."
Years after the US-led invasion of the two Muslim countries, daily violence is calming the lives of people in the two war-ravaged states.
He's making strong statements, and yet he is not acting as if he really believed in their truth.
If he did he would be staying quiet and desperately be trying not to draw attention to himself and his little country.
He would reasonably fear that even a provocative statement on his part could bring "victimization" to himself and his part of the world, courtesy of the "inhuman US".
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.
SEOUL, Dec. 26 (Yonhap) -- North Korean leader Kim Jong-il conducted about 200 field guidance tours of local farms and military camps this year, the communist nation's state media said Saturday, marking the highest number of public appearances he has made since coming to power.
LAHORE: Former president Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf has denied writing off loans of any affluent or influential individual.
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif on Saturday he was ready for a meeting with President Asif Ali Zardari, Nawaz but it should be result-oriented and have a clear agenda. Talking to reporters after a meeting of the PML-N, Nawaz ruled out any serious threat to the current democratic system.
