KABUL, Afghanistan NATO's top commander in Afghanistan plans to tighten the rules on night raids on private homes, even if it means losing some tactical advantage, to curb rising public anger.
NATO spokesman Rear Adm. Gregory Smith told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview that a directive would be issued soon to set down the new rules.
Nighttime raids on private homes have emerged as the Afghans' No. 1 complaint after Gen. Stanley McChrystal limited the use of airstrikes and other weaponry last year. The U.S. and allied nations have made protecting the population a priority over the use of massive firepower as they seek to undermine support for the Taliban.
"It addresses the issue that's probably the most socially irritating thing that we do - and that is entering people's homes at night," Smith said Wednesday at his office in Kabul. He would not elaborate pending a formal announcement.
The U.S.-led force has become increasingly sensitive to complaints by Afghan civilians as part of a renewed effort to win support among the public and lure people away from the Taliban. Night operations risk offending Afghan sensitivity about men entering homes where women are sleeping.
Rafiullah Khiel, a Finance Ministry employee whose uncle was detained by NATO forces during a night raid last fall, said the distraught women and children in the compound were rounded up and locked in a watchtower for several hours while soldiers searched the dwellings. Khiel said the soldiers told the family that they had information that the uncle, a pharmacist, was treating Taliban fighters.
"This is just unacceptable to us, to our traditions," Khiel said, holding back tears as he recounted the ordeal during an interview in a home on the outskirts of Kabul. "These kinds of actions, these wrong decisions, just make people turn against them."
The inability of the Afghan government to stop what many of its constituents consider abuse in turn generates support for the militants.
Smith said complaints about civilian deaths from airstrikes had dropped sharply after McChrystal's order last year, but Afghans are "not seeing enough difference in our nighttime operations."
He acknowledged the possible tactical issues in limiting nighttime action, which gives troops with sophisticated night vision equipment an upper hand and provides an element of surprise. But he said the problem needed to be addressed in the effort to win the confidence of Afghan civilians and keep them from supporting the Taliban.
"We're not going to be in a position to stop all that activity," he said, suggesting more operations could be carried out during the day in less dangerous areas.
While the July order by McChrystal ranged from limiting airstrikes to insisting that international troops be accompanied by Afghan forces, Smith said the upcoming directive would deal specifically with night raids.
Regional officials welcomed the shift, saying it would help improve relations between the NATO forces, the government and civilians.
"In the past we had several complaints because of civilian casualties during night raids," said the acting governor of the volatile Khost province that borders Pakistan, Tahir Khan Sabari. "If these things happen during the day, that won't happen as much. It's also good for relations between the government and the public."
According to a recent U.N. report, 98 Afghan civilians were killed last year during search operations - 16 per cent of those killed by pro-government forces. The U.N. said the overall percentage of deaths attributed to Afghan and NATO forces dropped last year. The report credited the decline to NATO's new emphasis on protecting civilians and curbing airstrikes.
Still, the report singled out a late operation on Oct. 16 in Ghazni province in which a joint Afghan-international military force opened fire when entering house, killing an elderly couple, their 35-year-old son and a 10-year-old granddaughter.
"The conduct of pro-government forces during night raids and searches continues to be of concern, particularly regarding excessive use of force resulting in death and injury to civilians," the U.N. said. "Concerns have ranged from allegations of ill-treatment, aggressive behaviour and cultural insensitivity, particularly toward women."
Ghazni, a volatile province southwest of Kabul, was the site of new allegations that civilians were mistakenly targeted on Thursday.
NATO insisted the four people killed were insurgents, but villagers claimed they were civilians - a father, two sons and a neighbour.
About 500 angry demonstrators chanted slogans against the United States and the Afghan government as they carried wooden coffins holding the bodies to the provincial capital of the same name.
"They had no weapons, no grenades, not even one single bullet was found in their home," Abdul Samad, the victims' relative, told Associated Press Television News. "All those killed were innocent people ... We are asking government officials to think about us all the time and not only today. If there is any matter of concern, they should discuss it with our elders."
#1
absof*ckinglutely disgusting! We own the night with our comms, night gear, and to give that advantage away is unconscionable. Resign now, Stanley if you can't do this right
Posted by: Frank G ||
01/22/2010 8:22 Comments ||
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#5
All those 'innocent' people shouldnt associate with miserable scum . Problem solved or problem erased , your choice people of Afghanistan
Posted by: Oscar ||
01/22/2010 9:31 Comments ||
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#6
Please bring back Air Chief Marshall Harris and his THUNDERCLAP raids. They brought the Reich to it's knees! Die altere Menschen in Germany still speak of it.
#7
Does anything in the article about this future directive forbid getting into place during the night, then attacking as soon as the household shows signs of being awake? I think the real concern is being seen by outsiders in their nighties... especially their womenfolk being seen in their nighties.
#9
TW - I thought the proper Rantburg term was "scanties".
Posted by: Bobby ||
01/22/2010 13:33 Comments ||
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#10
@ #5 = worth repeating:
All those 'innocent' people shouldnt associate with miserable scum . Problem solved or problem erased , your choice people of Afghanistan
Posted by: Mike Hunt ||
01/22/2010 16:32 Comments ||
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#11
to add--> Didn't we learn anything from Vietnam? Why are we letting politicians run the war?
If I was a member of the NATO Afghan command , I would take careful note of just who and where the complaints were coming from.
Then I would stage raids on those locations at 5:14 AM and 8:38 PM, in hopes of capturing those foreign 'honored guests' the whiners are so interested in protecting.
Posted by: Mike Hunt ||
01/22/2010 16:40 Comments ||
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#12
I suppose next we'll be leaflet-ing the houses first (with 24 hour notice).
The Saudi army has lost 113 troops since the kingdom launched a sweeping offensive against neighboring Yemen's Shi'ite rebels in early November, a military commander said in comments published Thursday.
The kingdom's well-funded but largely untested military joined the fray after Shiite rebels from Yemen crossed the border into Saudi Arabia on November 5, killing two Saudi border guards.
The SA army isn't exactly the US Marine Corps ...
The Al Riyadh newspaper quoted Maj. Gen. Ali Zaid al-Khawaji as saying the dead include a senior Saudi officer whose body was found with those of two soldiers after a battle last week to drive rebels out of a border village.
The latest toll is a significant jump from last week, when assistant defense minister Prince Khaled bin Sultan said the Saudis had 82 dead and 470 wounded.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Yemen announced on Thursday that it would suspend granting entry visas to foreign travelers at the country's international airports in order to "halt terrorist infiltration," the Saba state news agency reported.
The measure comes as pressure mounts on Yemen to crack down on al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which is entrenched in mountain redoubts east of the capital and claimed responsibility for the botched Christmas Day bid to down a U.S. airliner over Detroit.
"Yemen has stopped granting visas at the airport to halt terrorist infiltration," Saba said.
Entry visas would only be granted now through Yemen embassies abroad after travelers would be subject to background security checks, Saba reported.
Yemen has a security data base? How unexpected.
The measure was meant to "prevent the infiltration of any suspected terrorist elements," a military official was quoted as saying by the defense ministry newspaper September 26 as saying.
Six airports in Yemen receive international flights.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
WORLD NEWS > AL QAEDA'S DEEP TRIBAL TIES MAKES YEMEN A TERROR HUB.
[Iran Press TV Latest] Saudi fighter jets have launched another round of aerial bombardment of Houthi positions in northern Yemen along the border with the oil-rich kingdom.
According to a statement released by the Houthi fighters on Thursday, Saudi forces carried out 25 aerial attacks on the northern regions of Jebel Razih, Jebel Dhar Hamar, Khamis al-Mihwar, Saqin, Jebel al-Madood, al-Malaheet, as well as the rugged villages in close proximity to the border regions of the oil-rich kingdom.
Several homes were reportedly torn down while more than a dozen people lost their lives in the strikes.
The statement added that Saudi forces also fired some 750 rockets against the beleaguered areas of Jebel al-Madood, Qafarah, Shada, Qamamat, al-Safih as well as al-Jabiri -- some 966 kilometers from the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
The conflict in northern Yemen began in 2004 between Sana'a and Houthi fighters. The conflict intensified in August 2009 when the Yemeni army launched Operation Scorched Earth in an attempt to crush the fighters in the northern province of Sa'ada.
The Houthis accuse the Yemeni government of violation of their civil rights, and political, economic and religious marginalization, on top of a large-scale corruption.
Saudi forces began fighting with Yemeni Shia resistance fighters, known as the Houthis, and bombing their positions on November 4 after accusing the fighters of killing Saudi border guards.
Houthi fighters say that Saudi forces strike Yemeni villages and indiscriminately target civilians. According to the fighters, Saudis use toxic materials, including white phosphorus bombs, indiscriminately in northern Yemen.
The US military has also been involved in bombing Yemen's northern regions of Amran, Hajjah and Sa'ada, according to the Houthi fighters.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees estimates that since 2004, up to 175,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in Sa'ada where they have take refuge at overcrowded camps set up by the United Nations.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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Britain's terrorist threat level was raised tonight from substantial' to severe' - meaning that counter-terrorism agencies believe an attack is highly likely'. The measure was approved at a meeting of the Government's Cobra emergency committee and announced by Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary.
The Times understands that the decision to raise the threat level is connected to the conference on Afghanistan taking place at Lancaster Gate, London, next Thursday. Sources said there had been intensive discussions throughout the day relating to intelligence suggesting a possible attempted spectacular' by an al-Qaeda affiliated group.
But the shift was also described by one source as precautionary' rather than rooted in any firm information that an identified terror cell was plotting an attack. The threat level was lowered to substantial - meaning an attack is a strong possibility' - in July last year and a number of counter-terror measures in central London, such as stop and search, have been relaxed.
#1
Hard on the heels of NAMP's threatened refusal to police muslims. Hopefully will lead to pointed, loud and vehement "dialogue" with british muslims and their aid of terror. I doubt the threat level was raised in response to "far right" yobbos.
Turkish police have arrested 120 al-Qaeda suspects in a major nationwide anti-terror operation, reports say. The arrests were made in co-ordinated pre-dawn raids in 16 provinces, said the state-run Anatolia news agency.
Those detained include an alleged militant recruiter who worked at a university in the eastern city of Van, Anatolia quoted police as saying. It added the raids came after police seized documents disclosing details of extremist militant activity in Turkey.
Friday morning's raids netted weapons, fake identity cards and camouflage clothing, unnamed police officials said, adding that those detained included suspected senior al-Qaeda members. The raids, which took place in cities including Ankara and Istanbul, came after 25 suspected al-Qaeda members were arrested in the country earlier this week. According to this report: "Turkish media said one of those detained was believed to be the head of al Qaeda in Turkey, Serdar Elbasa, known by the codename Abu Zer."
Betcha all of them had cell phones, and some had computers, too. Double betcha our clever lads and lasses get some of them to play with. Triple betcha there'll be more arrests in the next few weeks based on information from this lot. Well done, Turkish police!
#1
Dean is immersed in wishful thinking. Using his logic, all the moonbats who voted for Zerobama in 2008 were really conservatives, trying to send a message to the Republican party, to field more conservative candidates - by voting for the liberal messiah.
Let's hope that the Donks stay this clueless for a long time.
A Tennessee man accused of killing a soldier outside a Little Rock, Ark., military recruiting station last year has asked a judge to change his plea to guilty, claiming for the first time that he is affiliated with a Yemen-based affiliate of Al Qaeda. In a letter to the judge presiding over his case, the accused killer, Abdulhakim Muhammad, calls himself a soldier in Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and calls the shooting a Jihadi Attack' in retribution for the killing of Muslims by American troops.
I wasn't insane or post traumatic nor was I forced to do this Act,' Mr. Muhammad said in a two-page, hand-printed note in pencil. The attack, which he said did not go as planned, was justified according to Islamic Laws and the Islamic Religion. Jihad to fight those who wage war on Islam and Muslims.'
It remains unclear whether Mr. Muhammad really has ties to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, which President Obama has said is behind the attempted Christmas Day bombing of an American plane by a Nigerian man. But if evidence emerges that his claim is true, it will give the June 1, 2009, shooting in Little Rock new significance at a time when Yemen is being more closely scrutinized as a source of terrorist plots against the United States.
Mr. Muhammad, 24, a Muslim convert from Memphis, spent about 16 months in Yemen starting in the fall of 2007, ostensibly teaching English and learning Arabic. During that time, he married a woman from south Yemen. But he was also imprisoned for several months because he overstayed his visa and was holding a fraudulent Somali passport, the Yemen government said.
Under pressure from the United States government, Yemen deported Mr. Muhammad in late January 2009. But just four months after his return, Mr. Muhammad used a semiautomatic rifle to gun down two soldiers Pvt. William A. Long and Pvt. Quinton Ezeagwula while they were standing outside a military recruiting station in Little Rock, killing Private Long and wounding Private Ezeagwula.
After the shooting, Mr. Muhammad pleaded not guilty, but also took responsibility for the shootings in interviews with The Associated Press. But he did not acknowledge being part of an extremist group and some terrorism experts came to view him as a self-radicalized, lone actor.
In his letter to Herb Wright Jr., a Pulaski County circuit judge, Mr. Muhammad calls himself a member of Abu Basir's Army,' an apparent reference to Naser Abdel-Karim al-Wahishi, the Yemen group's leader, who also goes by the name Abu Basir.
Mr. Muhammad's father, Melvin Bledsoe, a Memphis businessman, said that while he believes his son may have been radicalized in Yemen, he doubts whether he has serious ties to the Qaeda affiliate. He suggested that Mr. Muhammad might be trying to link himself to Al Qaeda because he believes it will lead to his execution and make him a martyr. Mr. Bledsoe added that he considers his son unable to process' reality, describing him as brainwashed.'
Mr. Muhammad's lawyer, Claiborne Ferguson, said his client had not discussed changing his plea to guilty before he wrote the letter, which is dated Jan. 12. He said the prosecutor would have to agree before the judge would consider the request.
John M. DiPippa, dean of the Bowen School of Law at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, said a judge could only accept a guilty plea in a capital case if he determines that the defendant is mentally competent and not under duress. Mr. Muhammad is in the process of being evaluated by a psychologist, his father said.
Mr. DiPippa said the prosecutor would also have to waive the death penalty, something he may be unwilling to do. Mr. DiPippa added that the only way it would make sense' for a defendant to plead guilty in a capital case is to avoid the death penalty.' In an interview, the prosecutor, Larry Jegley, said it was highly unlikely that he would waive the death penalty, adding, We're on' for a trial.
#4
I still think some ingenious police agency in a very rural State should set up a trap for jihadis. Set up a very difficult to get to cabin, in a special State reservation where weapons are strictly prohibited, and posted as such. Say a theoretical State repository for nuclear materials, though none are stored there.
Along the route to the cabin are concealed checkpoints, and the cabin itself is surrounded by sensors. There is no great effort to arrest them, but to catch them in crossfire while they are armed to the teeth and intent on murder.
If they carry explosives, then for those explosives to blow up before they are ready. There is no intent that there be any survivors.
The trap sits idle, until there is a high profile assassination target in the US, and then it is let slip to the radical Muslim community that this cabin is where they are staying.
Something like Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Salman Rushdie, and the Israeli ambassador are meeting there in a conspiracy to force all Muslim teen girl to wear bikinis and makeup, and convert to Christianity while eating BLTs or something.
A few car loads of bad boys from Detroit show up, armed to the teeth and with a hundred pounds of dynamite, and get the same reception the James-Younger gang got in Northfield, Minnesota.
#9
Islam is a runaway freight train. I fear for my grandchildren.
Written by somebody who knows nothing about Railroads.
In real life those tracks end, and if care is not taken a tremendous wreck when the rails end,
Islam's "rails" are very near the end of the line, and the switchman's frantic signaling is being Ignored.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
01/22/2010 21:41 Comments ||
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[Dawn] A roadside bomb apparently targeting anti-Taliban elders killed three people and injured 22 others on Thursday in Pakistan's northwest tribal belt bordering Afghanistan, officials said.
The explosion hit their bus in Salarzai district in the tribal region of Bajaur, a day after a similar bomb planted in the road injured a provincial parliamentarian in the northwest capital Peshawar.
"It was an improvised explosive device which exploded as the bus headed to the region's main town of Khar," local government official Mazhar Ali said.
"One woman was killed while 22 other passengers were wounded."
Senior administration official Abdul Kabir later said that "two others succumbed to their injuries in the hospital."
Sayed Badshah, a doctor at a local hospital, said two of the wounded were still in a critical condition.
The vehicle was carrying some tribal elders who had formed a militia to fight militants in the region. A number of local leaders have been killed in similar attacks in Bajaur in recent months.
Also in Bajaur, two Taliban militants were killed when a bomb they were preparing exploded in Savaei village, local official Farooq Khan said.
In northwest Swat valley, meanwhile, at least five militants were killed in a gunfight which erupted near the town of Madyan, officials said.
"The gunfight started when militants opened fire at a military convoy passing through the area," a local military spokesman told AFP.
Senior police official Qazi Ghulam Farooq confirmed the incident and said that the bodies of five militants had been taken to a local police station.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] A man was killed and six others were wounded in incidents of violence that erupted in parts of the metropolis following the killing of a local builder on Wednesday evening, police said.
They said that six vehicles were set on fire in different blocks of Gulistan-i-Jauhar. The violence was restricted mainly to some parts of now defunct district East.
The police believed that the violence erupted following the killing of a builder, who was targeted in his office in Gulistan-i-Jauhar.
They said that unidentified assailants entered the office of Rehman Builders situated in Gulistan-i-Jauhar Block 19. They held a brief conversation with the builder, Zareen Khan, and opened indiscriminate fire, the police said.
The police said that Zareen Khan and his associate, Mohammad Wali, suffered bullet wounds and were taken to a nearby hospital where doctors declared the builder dead. The assailants managed to escape.
Although the police believed that the incident appeared to be a result of some personal feud, after some hours unidentified persons turned violent and torched at least six vehicles in Gulistan-i-Jauhar.
Some people also resorted to heavy firing into the air, which forced shopkeepers to close down their business and suspended vehicular traffic on the otherwise busy roads.
The police said that of the six vehicles, three cars and one auto-rickshaw were set on fire on a road linking Rashid Minhas Road and Jauhar Chowrangi.
However, despite the fact that a fire station is located in Block 16 of Gulistan-i-Jauhar, the only fire tender stationed there was not moved out in the area apparently due to the precarious law and order situation.
Later in the night incidents of indiscriminate firing were reported from different city areas including Shah Faisal Colony, Quaidabad, Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Abul Hasan Ispahani Road.
One person, identified as Atif, was killed and Haseeb was wounded in the firing of unknown persons in Natha Khan Goth within the remit of the Shah Faisal Colony police station. Till the filing of this report, it was unclear whether they were targeted or suffered bullet wounds due to firing into the air.
In another incident of firing in Quaidabad area, two persons, Naseer and Fahim, suffered bullet wounds.
However, when contacted for his version, the DIG East, Abdul Khalique Shaikh, said that no one was reported killed in the violence and only three vehicles were set on fire.
Meanwhile, the coordination committee of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement strongly condemned the violence in which unknown persons torched vehicles of innocent citizens.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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[Bangla Daily Star] Thousands of paramilitary personnel have launched a crackdown to target some 50 Maoist leaders across the country in a bid to crush what is described as India's biggest internal security challenge.
"We would be breaking the neck (of the Maoist movement) by arresting all their senior leaders like Kishenji," a highly placed official in the security establishment said in an interview.
"We believe there could be around 50 such leaders scattered all over. We are targeting them to make the entire movement headless and make a serious dent," the official told IANS.
"With this it would be relatively easy to take on the rest of Maoist guerrillas," the official added, providing for the first time operational details of the coordinated and sweeping security drive.
As of now, operations are under way in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal and Maharashtra -- five states where the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) is most active, mainly among tribals living in remote interiors who are among the poorest of the poor.
The operational methods would, however, differ from the way Sri Lanka's military crushed the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) last year, it was pointed out.
"We are not going for any operations where innocent lives are put at risk. Do not expect us to launch similar actions in which the LTTE was eliminated. We have our own strategies," said the official who did not want his name and designation to be revealed.
Another official said that a total of 42 battalions from the Border Security Force (BSF), the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were involved in the operation.
"Of these five battalions are from BSF, four from ITBP and the rest from CRPF," he said.
The BSF, ITBP and CRPF are jointly operating in Chhattisgarh, considered the heartland of the Maoists who believe in a rural insurrection aimed at seizing territory in rural areas and then taking power violently.
"However, it will not be before March when the security forces will launch their operations in all the Maoist-affected states," the official said.
According to rough estimates, over 60,000 paramilitary forces would be in action against 6,000-7,000 Maoists armed with heavy weapons as well as light machine guns, AK-47s, AK-56s and Insas rifles.
The highly-placed official pointed out that a similar strategy had led to the dramatic killing of forest brigand Veerappan, who like some of the present Maoist leaders had been on the run for years.
"Once Veerappan was gone, it became easy for police and security forces to swoop down on other bandits. We have adopted a somewhat similar strategy."
"Our men are gathering intelligence about Maoist leaders. We won't go on the offensive until and unless there is actionable intelligence,' the source added. 'We have arrested some people but we are yet to net the big fish."
Asked about Kishenji, the elusive Maoist leader who keeps giving interviews to television channels, the source said he had managed to slip away from the Lalgarh area of West Bengal Tuesday.
Another official said the security forces, especially the CRPF, have got six trained dogs each for the 'special sector' (Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra), 'eastern sector' (Orissa and West Bengal) and the 'Bihar sector' (Bihar and Jharkhand) to help take on the Maoists.
"These dogs have been deployed in the field. They are specially trained in locating land mines and hidden weapons. We have also trained some local dogs for the same purpose," the official said.
Home Minister P Chidambaram will Friday visit Raipur, the Chhattisgarh capital, to check the operational preparedness against Maoists. Raipur is also the headquarters of CRPF Special Director General Vijay Raman, who is the national coordinator in the anti-Maoist campaign.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
TOPIX > INDIAN GOVT: NEW ANTI-MAOIST OPERATION TO REGAIN LOST AREAS [re-assert IndGovt authority].
[Dawn] Security forces on Thursday arrested a suicide bomber from Hangu who was planning to attack high-profile targets in Islamabad, DawnNews reported.
The bomber confessed that he was travelling to Islamabad to hit high-level targets, security officials said. he said that he was planning to attack the federal capital along with two other suicide bombers.
Arms and suicide jackets were also recovered from his possession.
The bomber also disclosed that he has been working for a militant group called Zawar.
Meanwhile, security forces have launched a search operation in the area to arrest two of his accomplices while the suspected suicide bomber is being interrogated.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] At least eight militants including a key commander were killed as gunship helicopters pounded a militant hideout in Shandara village of Baizai Tehsil in Mohmand Agency on Thursday.
Official sources said the strike was carried out when an important meeting of the militants was underway in the area. A key militant commander was killed in the strike but his name could not be confirmed.
The remote village of Shandara is still shadowed by the militants.
Also, sporadic incidents of violence have been reported in the last three months in Baizai as security forces continue search and clearance operation in the area.
The rest of Mohmand has been cleared of militants and only Baizai and some areas are occupied by militants.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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[The News (Pak) Top Stories] A Jirga of the Mehsud tribe on Wednesday agreed to hand over their 378 wanted men, including the chief of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Hakimullah Mehsud, to the government and announced to fully support the government in maintaining peace and reconstruction process.
The Jirga announced to accept all the seven conditions put forward by the government for ensuring peace and harmony in the South Waziristan Agency. The government had given January 20, 2010 deadline to the Mehsud tribe for seeking their response on the seven conditions.
The announcement was made at the Jirga, held at the Political Compound South Waziristan in Tank district, which was attended by over 300 leading tribal elders of the Mehsud tribe. -- APP Irfan Burki adds from Wana: The government conditions included surrender of 378 wanted persons, a ban on display of arms, acceptance of Collective Responsibility Clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) and abstaining from giving shelter to foreign militants. The Jirga announced to accept all the conditions and pledged to extend all possible help to the authorities in purging the area of militants.
Speaking on the occasion, the elders said that Mehsud tribesmen had no intention to fight against their own Army and the restoration of peace in South Waziristan was their earnest desire. They added that they were patriotic citizens of the country and wanted to see progress in South Waziristan.
The Mehsud elders hoped that the government would play its role in rehabilitating and compensating the internally displaced persons (IDPs), who had to leave their homes in South Waziristan.
They said the conditions set by the government were acceptable to them and another Jirga for peace talks would be held on February 10. Addressing the Jirga, South Waziristan Political Agent Syed Shahab Ali Shah said the government would provide all-out support to the tribal people affected by the operation. He lauded the cooperation of the Jirga elders for peace in the area.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
Interesting development..
BUT and a big but .. these folks have a history of negating on any deal when it suits them , so could someone pass the salt
Posted by: Oscar ||
01/22/2010 3:32 Comments ||
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Two Palestinian Fatah activists were indicted on Thursday for allegedly attempting to murder Israeli policemen and IDF soldiers.
According to the indictment, the men planned to hurl Molotov cocktails at security forces at the Kalandia security checkpoint north of Jerusalem and to stab those manning the checkpoint.
The suspects allegedly alerted police to the scene in order to increase the number of potential casualties.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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IDF soldiers arrested nine Palestinians in West Bank operations overnight Wednesday. The men, who were arrested in Nablus, Ramallah and Bethlehem, were transferred to security forces for interrogation. The soldiers also discovered an explosives device near Ramallah, which was detonated by military sappers.
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01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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[Ma'an] Palestinian Legislative Council speaker Aziz Dweik on Thursday denied reports by Israeli news outlets that he said on Wednesday Israel has a right to exist.
"The media reports in question were inaccurate," he said in a statement, adding that since his release from an Israeli prison last year, Israeli news outlets have repeatedly misrepresented his views.
The Jerusalem Post, an English-language Israeli newspaper, quoted Dweik as saying on Wednesday that the Islamic movement has accepted Israel's right to exist and would be prepared to nullify its charter, which calls for dismantling the state.
The remarks were said to have been made during a meeting in Hebron with British millionaire David Martin Abrahams, who reportedly maintains close ties with senior Israeli and British government officials.
Dweik told Ma'an, however, that he offered no such recognition of Israel's "right to exist on Palestinian land," as was reported, and moreover, that he told Abrahams the PLO had made a mistake by nullifying its charter.
"The PLO canceled its charter, and Palestinians achieved nothing," he said. "This is Hamas' stance and the opinion of any Hamas leader regarding the nullification of [its] charter."
Dweik said the talks was held at Abrahams' request, and came within a series of meetings with the PLC's leadership with international officials, delegations and other news outlets. There was nothing unusual about Abrahams' visit, he said.
The Ramallah-based Hamas leader was seized along with dozens of others during arrest raids in retaliation for the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in June 2006. Dweik was detained for three years, officially for belonging to Hamas, which Israel considers a terrorist organization.
Abrahams, who the The Jerusalem Post identified as a major donor to Britain's Labor Party, told the newspaper he would urge Foreign Secretary David Milliband to "consider the implications of Hamas's positive overtures."
"The fact that there is a possibility for recognition of Israel is a symbolic gesture," he reportedly said. "We can all look for good in people and we can all look for bad in people. I always look for the good."
He was also quoted as saying: "People might say that I'm naïve, so let them. But I'm prepared to give them a chance because I've got faith and confidence in Dwaik and [Gaza Prime Minister Ismail] Haniyeh. We can't allow 1.5 million to be festering in the Gaza Strip while the majority of them are good and well-educated."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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Hamas has accepted Israel's right to exist and would be prepared to nullify its charter, which calls for the destruction of Israel, Aziz Dwaik, Hamas's most senior representative in the West Bank, said on Wednesday.
Dwaik's remarks are seen in the context of Hamas's attempts to win recognition from the international community.
Dwaik is the elected speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council. He was released a few months ago after spending nearly three years in an Israeli prison.
Dwaik was among dozens of Hamas officials and members who were rounded up by Israel following the abduction of IDF soldier St.-Sgt. Gilad Schalit near the Gaza Strip in June 2006.
His latest remarks were made during a meeting he held in Hebron with British millionaire David Martin Abrahams, who maintains close ties with senior Israeli and British government officials.
Abrahams is scheduled to brief British Foreign Secretary David Milliband this weekend on the outcome of his meeting with Dwaik and other top Hamas officials in the West Bank.
Abrahams, a major donor to Britain's Labor Party, told The Jerusalem Post he would urge Milliband to "consider the implications of Hamas's positive overtures."
During the meeting in Hebron, Dwaik stressed that other Hamas leaders, including Damascus-based leader Khaled Mashaal and Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, have voiced support for the idea of establishing an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 boundaries.
"The [Hamas] charter was drafted more than 20 years ago," Dwaik noted, adding that his movement would even be prepared to "nullify" the document.
"No one wants to throw anyone into the sea," he said.
Dwaik also expressed Hamas's desire to engage in dialogue with the international community, first and foremost the European Union. He confirmed that Hamas was receiving financial aid from Iran, but said that this was the direct result of the boycott and sanctions against the movement.
Abrahams said that he would be happy to facilitate a dialogue between Hamas on the one hand, and Israel and the international community on the other. He said he was "very excited" to hear from the most prominent leader of Hamas in the West Bank that the movement would be prepared to nullify its charter and accept Israel.
"The fact that there is a possibility for recognition of Israel is a symbolic gesture," Abrahams added. "We can all look for good in people and we can all look for bad in people. I always look for the good."
Asked whether he might be condemned as naïve for believing Hamas, Abrahams said, "People might say that I'm naïve, so let them. But I'm prepared to give them [Hamas] a chance because I've got faith and confidence in Dwaik and Haniyeh. We can't allow 1.5 million to be festering in the Gaza Strip while the majority of them are good and well-educated."
Abrahams said that his decision to engage Hamas was aimed at "preventing bloodshed on both sides." He said he was encouraged by the massive support he found among the Jewish community in Britain for the idea of talking to Hamas.
"I recently published an article in the Jewish Chronicle to test the temperature of the water within the Jewish community about Hamas," he said. "I found a lot of support among Jews for dealing with Hamas and I was pleasantly surprised."
Denying that he had delivered any message from the British government or the EU leadership to Hamas, Abrahams said he was convinced more than ever that the movement posed no threat to the US. "Hamas is different from al-Qaida," he said. "Hamas is no threat to Western interests."
Some consider Dwaik, as speaker of the PLC, to be the acting president of the Palestinian Authority, since Mahmoud Abbas's term officially expired on January 9. Dwaik himself has said that he is content to let Abbas continue in office until the election that is now scheduled for June 28, 2010
Posted by: Fred ||
01/22/2010 00:00 ||
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#1
His latest remarks were made during a meeting he held in Hebron with British millionaire David Martin Abrahams
So this Dwaik dude said that in English, to a foreign audience. What's he saying in Arabic, to his own folk?
Chennai, Jan 20: Yet another report claiming that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) chief, V Prabharakan is alive has surfaced.
A new website, lttepress.com, which claims to be the official website of the rebel outfit, a few days ago published that the Tiger chief is alive. Mario gets a 1-UP?
Terming the Sri Lankan government's assertions that LTTE founder V Prabhakaran was killed in an encounter in May 2009 as 'rumours', Tamil Maaran, the spokesperson of the Tigers, promised the citizens of Tamil Eelam that the Tamil chief will appear before them. Yeah, it was all a case of secondhand news and dreams, after those false reports, they'll never go back again and go their own way.
Keeping in mind the present situation of our people and the international scenario and the Sri Lankan government's aim, our leader has redesigned the next move of our freedom struggle,'' said Maaran.
Our struggle will continue under the leadership of Prabhakaran in different forms and we will not allow any force which tries to cheat our people,'' Maaran added. "Mario's current form is 'worm food' but we hope to move on to 'fertilizer' eventually."
The LTTE spokesperson told a bi-weekly magazine that LTTE's intelligence wing chief Potuu Amman is also alive.
In the special interview with 'Junior Vikatan', he also stated that Prabhakaran's wife Mathivadani, one of his sons Balachandiran and daughter Dwaraka are safe too.
When asked about 'Prabhakaran's body', which was shown in Lankan media about eight months ago, Maaran commented sarcastically that only the 'real architects' Rajapaksa and Sarath Fonseka know the 'technical details' of the fake body. Yes, like the technical details behind climate change. Niggling details best ignored.
According to Maaran, Prabhakaran fought the war till the last day of the battle and safely exited from the war front with the help of more than 100 black tigers.
This is the second time a report like this as emerged. Barely a day after the reports of Prabhakaran's death hit the headlines, a pro-LTTE website tamilnet.com published an article claiming that Prabhakaran is 'safe and alive'.
#2
So basically they're saying he ran away and left everyone else in the enclave to suffer death and imprisonment, and they expect _us_ to think better of him for this?
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.
Turkish police have arrested 120 al-Qaeda suspects in a major nationwide anti-terror operation, reports say. The arrests were made in co-ordinated pre-dawn raids in 16 provinces, said the state-run Anatolia news agency. 
A Tennessee man accused of killing a soldier outside a Little Rock, Ark., military recruiting station last year has asked a judge to change his plea to guilty, claiming for the first time that he is affiliated with a Yemen-based affiliate of Al Qaeda. In a letter to the judge presiding over his case, the accused killer, Abdulhakim Muhammad, calls himself a soldier in Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and calls the shooting a Jihadi Attack' in retribution for the killing of Muslims by American troops.
[Dawn] At least eight militants including a key commander were killed as gunship helicopters pounded a militant hideout in Shandara village of Baizai Tehsil in Mohmand Agency on Thursday. 
