Across the street from the Evening in Paris wedding hall, a monument to opulence surrounded by neon-lighted fountains and a five-story replica of the Eiffel Tower, is a little colony of tents where 65 families, mostly returnees from Pakistan, huddle against the winter cold and wish they had never come home.
Similar startling contrasts abound across the Afghan capital. Children with pinched faces beg near the mansions of a tiny elite enriched by foreign aid and official corruption. Hundreds of tattered men gather at dawn outside a glittering new office building to compete for 50-cent jobs hauling construction debris.
"I am a farmer with 11 children. Our crops dried up, so I came to the city to find work, but all day I stand here in the cold and no one hires me," said Abdul Ghani, 47. "All the jobs and money go to those who have relatives in power, and corruption is everywhere. How else could they build these big houses? Nobody cares about the poor," he added bitterly. "They just make fun of us."
Seven years after the fall of the Taliban and the establishment of a civilian-led, internationally backed government, Afghanistan remains one of the poorest countries in the world, with rates of unemployment, illiteracy, infant mortality and malnutrition on a par with the most impoverished nations in sub-Saharan Africa. Most homes lack light, heat and running water; most babies are born at home and without medical help.
Now, according to U.N. figures, the populace is getting even poorer. A combination of drought, soaring food prices, scarce jobs and meager wages has meant that about 5 million Afghans -- far more than in any recent year -- are slated to receive emergency food aid. Many families spend up to 80 percent of their income on food.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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We ask the same question about GM and the UAW daily here at the 'burg. And we're given a say in the process either? It's been going on for four thousand years regardless of color, race or creed.
The captain of an arms-laden Ukrainian cargo hijacked by Somali pirates appealed in an interview to AFP for the ship's owner to engage in direct talks with the pirates and end the crew's 15-week ordeal. Speaking on a satellite phone from the MV Faina over the weekend, Vladimir Nikolsky complained that no direct contact had been made by the ship's Israeli owner with the pirates' leader since the vessel was seized on September 25.
"I think Vadim Alperin, the real ship owner, doesn't know the real situation ... The owner's representative I think has been hiding information from him," Nikolsky said, in his first interview since the hijacking.
The MV Faina is a Ukrainian ship operated under a Belize flag and carries 33 Soviet-type battle tanks as well as ammunition. Captain Vladimir Kolobkov died in unclear circumstances on September 27 and was replaced by second mate Nikolsky.
The ship's cargo sparked a controversy, with Kenya claiming it was the intended recipient of the weapons but several other sources insisting the shipment was in fact destined for the forces of South Sudan. "The leader of the pirates ... is ready to establish contact with the ship's owner and he now refuses to make any contact" with middlemen, he said.
Nikolsky said the crew were decently treated but stressed that the months of captivity were taking their toll: "They are staying in a small room without moving, without any physical exercise ... Half of the crew is ill and the other half of the crew is going to go mad."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I would really like to know what is really going on with this ship.
Venezuelan flags and portraits of President Hugo Chavez have been flying high during protests in the Occupied West Bank against Israel's bloody assault on the Gaza Strip. The Venezuelan president's decision on January 6 to expel Israel's ambassador from Caracas - the only country apart from Mauritania, which withdraw its envoy from Tel Aviv, to take such a large diplomatic step - has made the left-wing South American leader a hero to Palestinians.
Hamas, the Islamist group which controls Gaza, has welcomed Chavez's "courageous decision," while Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, head of Lebanon's Hizbullah, urged Arab states to follow the Venezuelan president's example.
Chavez on Saturday accused Israel of being the "murder arm" of the United States and said the solution to the Gaza crisis was in the hands of Barack Obama when he becomes US president later this month.
Mohammad al-Lahham, an MP for the Fatah party of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, said Chavez was "a symbol of the struggle for liberty, like Che Guevara. This distinguishes him from the world's other presidents." His opposition to Washington, Israel's loyal ally, over the invasion of Iraq and to the Israeli war against Lebanon in 2006 have made Chavez a symbol for all peoples who "are resisting and fighting against occupation," Lahham added.
Venezuelan flags and portraits of Chavez could be seen lofted by demonstrators in the Occupied West Bank towns of Bethlehem, Ramallah and Hebron during rallies last week.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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President-elect Barack Obama plans to issue an executive order on his first full day in office ordering the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba, people briefed by Obama transition officials said Monday.
But experts say it is likely to take many months, perhaps as long as a year, to empty the prison that has drawn international criticism since it received its first prisoners seven years ago this week. One transition official said the new administration expected that it would take several months to transfer some of the remaining 248 prisoners to other countries, decide how to try suspects and deal with the many other legal challenges posed by closing the camp.
Like for instance, which countries will volunteer to take some of these mooks. I don't see a line forming ...
People who have discussed the issues with transition officials in recent weeks said it appeared that the broad outlines of plans for the detention camp were taking shape. They said transition officials appeared committed to ordering an immediate suspension of the Bush administration's military commissions system for trying detainees.
All we know so far is what they don't want to do. When you're the executive you can't vote present. You need a plan. Closing Gitmo without having a plan for what to do next may sound good but isn't being an effective executive.
In addition, people who have conferred with transition officials said the incoming administration appeared to have rejected a proposal to seek a new law authorizing indefinite detention inside the United States. The Bush administration has insisted that such a measure is necessary to close the Guantanamo camp and bring some detainees to the United States.
Thereby daring the Dhimmicrats to vote for such a measure, which they won't and didn't do ...
Obama has repeatedly said he wants to close the camp. But in an interview on Sunday on ABC, he indicated that the process could take time, saying, "It is more difficult than I think a lot of people realize." Closing it within the first 100 days of his administration, he said, would be "a challenge."
That's not what you said last year ...
The president-elect drew criticism from some human rights groups Monday who said his remarks suggested that closing Guantanamo was not among the new administration's highest priorities.
The nutroots will try to keep his feet in the fire ...
But even if the detention camp remains open for months, the decision to address Guantanamo on the day after his inauguration seemed intended to make a symbolic break with some of the most controversial policies of the Bush administration.
Several national security and legal analysts have argued in recent weeks that Obama is in a delicate political position after having committed himself to closing the prison. Aside from analyzing intelligence and legal filings on each of the remaining detainees, diplomats and legal experts have said the new administration will need to begin an extensive new international effort to resettle as many as 150 or more of the remaining men. Portugal and other European countries have recently broken a long diplomatic standoff, saying they would work with the new administration and might accept some detainees who cannot be sent to their home countries because of concerns about their potential treatment.
Isn't the fact that you have concerns about their treatment if they're sent 'home', combined with the fact that you aren't willing to release them into your own home town in the U.S., an admission that these jokers should be kept behind walls?
Brooke Anderson, a transition spokeswoman, declined to comment on any plans, saying only, "President-elect Obama has repeatedly said that he believes that the legal framework at Guantanamo has failed to successfully and swiftly prosecute terrorists, and he shares the broad bipartisan belief that Guantanamo should be closed."
In formulating their policy in recent weeks, Obama transition officials have consulted with a variety of authorities on legal and human rights and with military experts. Several of those experts said the officials had expressed great interest in alternatives to the military commission system, like trying detainees in federal courts, and appeared to have grown hostile to proposals like an indefinite detention law.
It'd be a great circus to watch federal district court judges try these guys. The judges have no experience in judging intel matters, security, and international relations. Perfect for the job at hand ...
They also said the transition officials were intensely focused on new international efforts to transfer many of the detainees to other countries.
Name another country ...
Several said the officials appeared concerned that a proposal for a new law authorizing indefinite detention would bring the new administration much of the criticism that has been directed at the Bush administration over Guantanamo. A former military official who was part of a series of briefings at the transition headquarters in Washington said the officials had spoken about the indefinite detention proposal as a way of creating a "new Guantanamo someplace else."
"That is very much not the desire of the Obama team," said the former military official.
Catherine Powell, an associate professor of law at Fordham, said transition officials appeared most interested at a meeting last month in showing international critics that they were returning to what they see as traditional American legal values. "They are really looking for tools that we have in our existing system short of creating an indefinite detention system," Powell said.
There's nothing wrong with detaining indefinitely someone who has the stated position of wanting all of us dead. Once you accept that idea Gitmo becomes very reasonable.
Mark Denbeaux, a Seton Hall law professor who has been a prominent lawyer for Guantanamo detainees, said that at a briefing he attended with senior officials of the transition last month the officials seemed to have decided to suspend the military commissions immediately.
"Their position is they're a complete and utter failure," Denbeaux said.
Wonder why? Perhaps because the cabal of international 'rights' groups, bleeding heart Americans, and Soros-funded interest groups have worked to make them a failure? Talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy ...
The Pentagon has been pressing ahead with plans to begin a trial on Jan. 26 of one of its high profile suspects, a Canadian detainee named Omar Khadr. Khadr's case has drawn wide attention, partly because he was 15 when he was first detained on charges of killing an American soldier in a firefight in Afghanistan in 2002.
Some human rights groups said Monday that they were alarmed by Obama's vague timetable and lack of specifics in his remarks Sunday. They said they worried that the administration might yield to pressure to display its toughness in dealing with terrorism in its detention policies. "The devil is in the details," said Anthony Romero, the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, who has been pressing the new administration to publicly commit to immediately close Guantanamo.
Sure Tony, just as soon as you tell us what to do with the inmates. And if you say, 'turn them loose', I'll suggest that we hold a member of your immediate family hostage to their good behavior.
Romero said he had grown concerned because transition officials had provided details of their plans for dealing with the economic crisis, but had yet to provide details for how they will close Guantanamo, which has brought worldwide criticism. "Just like we need specifics on an economic recovery package," Romero said, "we need specifics on a 'justice recovery package.' "
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I say put these gentlemen (and their supporters) in the pit that was the World Trade Center and have a plentiful supply of concrete chunks and steel scrap available for the peanut gallery above. Truly let the people decide their fate.
Posted by: ed ||
01/13/2009 1:02 Comments ||
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#2
Best ideaa of 2009, ed, no matter what anybody thinks up next...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/13/2009 1:07 Comments ||
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#3
If no country will take them, send them to the one place on the planet which belongs to no country. I hear Antarctica is lovely this time of year. And with Global Worming, it will get even nicer.
#6
I wuz listening to my local NPR station this afternoon (they have some killer Blue Grass0 when All Things Considered came on. I decided to listen because the report was about Guantanimo. The Main Person Interviewed made the statement that most of the Gitmo prisoners are very dangerous and nobody countered him. I almost ran off the road because the interviewer agreed.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
01/13/2009 18:45 Comments ||
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#7
Hope and Change
Obama during the Primary:
"I will create 2.5 million new jobs."
Obama during the Election:
"I will create and save 2.5 million jobs."
Obama during the Inauguration:
"I will save 3 million jobs."
NEW DELHI - Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday called for other countries to meet their international obligations to prevent terrorism originating from their territories, without specifically mentioning Pakistan.
Karzais visit to India was to express Afghanistans solidarity with the Indian government and people in wake of the Mumbai terrorist attacks, a joint statement by the two leaders said.
India has often accused Pakistan of abetting terrorists who launch attacks in Indian territory, especially in disputed Kashmir. Afghan officials have accused Pakistan of harbouring Taliban and Al-Qaeda fighters.
The leaders called for full compliance with ... international obligations of states to prevent terrorism in any manner originating from territories under their control since terrorism emanates from sanctuaries and training camps and the sustenance and support received by the terrorist groups, the joint statement said.
The two leaders discussed a range of bilateral issues including development and reconstruction projects in Afghanistan with aid from India. Singh said India would give 250,000 metric tons of wheat to Afghanistan during its current food crisis. The Indian prime minister also accepted an invitation to visit Afghanistan.
I'll bet that's got the ISI sucking the gaspipe ...
Karzai, who arrived on Sunday accompanied by Afghan Foreign Minister Rangeen Dadfar Spanta and National Security Advisor Zalmay Rasoul, left for Kabul Monday.
Posted by: Steve White ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Our toilets is overflowing, sos yous better clean yers. Great advice, guys...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/13/2009 1:10 Comments ||
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Former football teammates of Al Qaeda's top commander in Pakistan, killed in a suspected US missile strike, on Monday spoke of the man blamed for attacks that claimed hundreds of lives.
Pakistani officials have confirmed that Usama Al Kini ('Usama the Kenyan' in Arabic), a Kenyan national, and his deputy Sheikh Ahmed Salim Swedan were killed on January 1 in South Waziristan near the Afghan border.
Security officials said that Al Kini was connected to at least six major attacks in Pakistan, including last year's suicide attacks on the Danish embassy and the Marriott hotel in Islamabad, which killed 60 people. But in the Kenya's coastal city of Mombasa, former teammates remembered Al Kini as a reserved man and a talented footballer. "We played with him in the early 90s to 1996 when he withdrew from public life," said a former teammate in Mombasa. "He was a dedicated religious man and a very good midfielder... Since then, I had not heard of him until I saw his story in the media," his former teammate said. Another former footballer in Mombasa remembered Al Kini as "a reserved boy who did not like mingling a lot with people". He was a...quiet boy. Who liked to blow people up.
Al Kini, known in his hometown as Farid Mohammed Msalam, had promising stints as a youth player with Black Panther FC and former league champions Feisal FC. Maybe they'll retire his number? They can't count that high ...
Pakistani officials also linked Al Kini to a failed assassination attempt on the late prime minister Benazir Bhutto when she returned to Pakistan in October 2007. The attack killed 139 people. The FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists listing for Al Kini, or Msalam, also listed him as having been indicted over the August 1998 bombings of the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed more than 200 people.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Uh, wait. Did they say he tried to assassinate the late prime minister? Was he late first? Was she late before? My head hurts...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
01/13/2009 1:14 Comments ||
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#3
There were several assassination attempts vs Mrs. Bhutto in 2007. The last one succeeded. This guy was apparently suspected in at least one of them.
The Taliban in Swat and a local peace jirga on Monday discussed imposing a ceasefire in the district, sources told Daily Times on Monday.
They said Swat Taliban chief Maulana Fazlullah was among several Taliban leaders present in the meeting, held at an undisclosed location, that considered the ceasefire's imposition. The Taliban assured the jirga of calling a meeting of Taliban shura to discuss a permanent ceasefire in the valley, the sources said.
Taliban spokesman Muslim Khan said they had not agreed on a ceasefire with security forces in Swat so far. Jirga leader Inamur Rehman told reporters they were working to achieve peace in Swat.
Meanwhile unidentified gunmen in Mingora killed a man on Monday. The deceased, whose body was recovered from Odigram area, was identified as Sarwar. Also on Monday, an Afghan trader, Rahim, was abducted from Mingora Bazaar, while unidentified assailants blew up a bridge connecting Chamtalai and Khwazakhela areas.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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India plans to break off business, transport and tourist links with Pakistan and 'isolate it from the rest of the world' if it fails to help investigate the Mumbai terror attacks, Indian Home Minister P Chidambaram told The Times on Monday.
In an interview that is likely to add to tensions between the South Asian rivals, Chidambaram accused Pakistan of doing 'nothing' to assist India bring to justice the perpetrators of the attacks.
Asked what Pakistan was doing to help with the investigation, Chidambaram told The Times, "Zero ... what have they provided? Nothing."
The minister -- who will brief British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs David Miliband on the investigation's progress when the British official arrives in Delhi today (Tuesday) -- gave an indication of action that would be taken if Pakistan 'continues to refuse' to investigate the attacks.
"There are many, many links between India and Pakistan, and if Pakistan does not cooperate and does not help to bring the perpetrators to heel, those ties will become weaker and weaker and one day snap," he said.
"Why would we entertain Pakistani business people? Why would we entertain tourists in India? Why would we send tourists there?"
Chidambaram refused to discuss when such a move might be made, but said, "We need cooperation soon."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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(AKI/Dawn) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani has ruled out handing over any person to any country in connection with the Mumbai carnage. He said that Pakistan was carrying out is own investigation and if any Pakistani was found involved, the government would take action against him in accordance with the law.
The prime minister was addressing a public gathering after inaugurating a cadet college in Sangi, located in Pakistan's Sindh province. "We will not be intimidated by any foreign pressure since our hands are clean. We have our own laws and we will not allow our land to be used for terrorist activities," Gillani said.
He accused the Indian government of issuing irresponsible statements which, he said, were fanning tension.
Gillani added that Pakistan had always behaved with utmost responsibility and the entire world appreciated it, especially its role in the war on terror. He said the government, the armed forces and people were united and nobody could dare to "cast an evil eye upon the country".
However, the Pakistani government said last Wednesday that Ajmal Amir Qasab, the only surviving gunman from November's deadly Mumbai terrorist attacks, is a Pakistani citizen.
The announcement heralded a major clampdown on the outlawed Kashmiri separatist group, Lashkar-e-Toiba, which India has blamed for the attacks.
He said Pakistan was a peace-loving country and "we are against war but if a war is imposed on us, our armed forces are fully capable of defending the country".
Referring to the economic situation, the prime minister said the government was trying to steer the country out of crisis. He also said the system faced no threat and the government would complete its term. Gilani also said that late Benazir Bhutto had struggled all her life for restoration of genuine democracy and for the rule of law and the government was following in her footsteps.
India has blamed Pakistani militants for the November attacks in Mumbai that killed 179 people. The attacks,which targeted two luxury hotels and a Jewish centre, were carried out by 10 gunmen allegedly linked to Lashkar-e-Toiba.
This article starring:
Ajmal Amir Qasab
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
I think the military/ISI tried to undermine the civilan govt by this attack.The Govt dont want the truth to come out!!!!
#2
ION INDIAN MILITARY FORUM > ALARMED BEIJING STAGES MUMBAI-STYLE TERROR DRILLS, vee threat from East Turkestan Islamic Movement [Xianjiang] during Olympics.; + INDIA TO CONSIDER SENDING 120,000 TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN. See below as per CHINA.
* PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > PAKISTAN PML-Q PRESIDENT SHUJAAH: THERE IS NO NEED TO WORRY AS LONG AS CHINA SUPPORTS US; + INDIANS STRUCK BY US FEAR OF CHINA + 100,000 CHINESE TROOPS IN AFGHANISTAN, SUGGESTION TO KILL INDIA'S DREAMS!?
Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Burham Saleh on Monday discussed with the visiting U.S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden the U.S. troops withdrawal agreement and the framework agreement between the two countries.
"Saleh received Biden and Senator Lindsey Graham," according to a statement released from Saleh's office received by Aswat al-Iraq news agency. "The two sides reviewed ways to foster bilateral ties," it added.
"The meeting also tackled means to boost cultural and commercial cooperation within the friendship and cooperation agreement signed between the two countries," it also said.
The meeting was attended by Head of the Kurdistan Alliance Fouad Massoum and Industry Minister fawzi al-Hariri for the Iraqi side, while Ambassador Ryan Crocker and General Commander of the Coalition forces General Raymond Odierno from the U.S. side.
A presidential source had said earlier that Joe Biden arrived in Baghdad on Monday on a surprise visit to Iraq.
Biden voted for the 2003 invasion of Iraq but later became a critic of the war and the way in which President George W. Bush was executing it.
He is best known in Iraq as the author of a 2006 plan to divide the country into self-governing Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish enclaves -- an idea that offended many Iraqi politicians and was quietly put on the back burner as violence ebbed.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Aswat al-Iraq: Head of the Sadr parliamentary bloc, lawmaker Aqeel Abdulhussein, on Monday commented on the statements of Massoud Barazani, president of the Iraqi Kurdistan region, that the region could separate from Iraq in case of constitutional amendments, describing the statements as "unrealistic."
"The statements are for media consumption," Abdulhussein told Aswat al-Iraq news agency. "Barazani aims at gaining political accomplishments by escalating the idea of separation," he said.
"The separation process has no realistic prospects," he added. "What the Kurds have achieved thus far came under an Iraqi umbrella," he noted. "If the Kurds decided to separate, this would not be a promising issue," he pointed out. "Amending the constitution is a national demand, and no one has the right to oppose it," he asserted.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
why because the kurds have alot of oil or that they are actually making a future for themselves?
(Xinhua) -- Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Monday stressed that she sees no reason or need to negotiate with Hamas, saying that the group's words were "meaningless."
"I am not going to negotiate with Hamas and don't need them to sign anything for me. What they said is meaningless," Israel's Army Radio quoted her as saying as her government was negotiating with Egypt for an end to the 17-day-old onslaught in Gaza Strip.
Noting that "the war on terror will be long and difficult" and demands no other alternatives than the use of military force, she added that additional military operations in Gaza could be staged should "Hamas dare raise its head and strike Israel again."
"This is what is called deterrence: they know that the next time they attack us, they will be harmed," said the top Israeli diplomat, who has been leading Israel's public relations efforts to brand the Gaza offensive, which has killed over 900 and wounded over 3,100 in the Palestinian enclave, as the Jewish state's self-defense.
As international pressure mounts up for an early truce, Israel has started talks with Egyptian officials over a possible Gaza ceasefire deal, which was cosponsored by France and commended by the United States, Israel's staunch ally.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army on Sunday began deploying reservist troops to Gaza Strip, triggering speculations that the Jewish state might expand the current offensive, possibly by sending tens of thousands of reservists into Gaza, to further tighten the rope around Hamas' neck.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
commended by the United States Condi Rice, Israel's staunch ally foe.
In thinking about it, we just got done moving an incredible amount of ammunition to Israel back in December that was recently delivered, and yet Israel is already looking for two more shipments of more ammunition? In terms of weight, at least according to the Reuters article, the amount of ammunition needed to be shipped is enormous.
That kind of gives the impression Israel is stocking up for the long haul.
But that isn't where this story ends, unconfirmed reports as of a few hours ago suggest Greece is barring any shipments using their ports to deliver weapons to Israel. Should get interesting.
#2
The thing is, none of that shipment is earmarked to go to the Israeli military. Those are US arms and ammunition that are going into a US strategic Middle East stockpile. In case the crap hits the fan someplace, we wouldn't have to ship weapons/ammunition all the way from the US or Europe. Those are US stocks for US use.
Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton said on Tuesday the United States must address Israel's security needs and the Palestinians' legitimate aspirations as part of a pragmatic U.S. foreign policy.
"As we focus on Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, we must also actively pursue a strategy of smart power in the Middle East that addresses the security needs of Israel and the legitimate political and economic aspirations of the Palestinians," Clinton said in prepared remarks for her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
#2
Here we have an excellent, infuriating, nauseating example of the emptiness and idiocy of most Dems and many others WRT national security. Nothing but sophomoric or empty slogans, signifying nothing, completely distorting the facts of the last 8 years.
It's not harmless that people as smart as Hillary usually realize this is silly stuff they put out. Because it shapes and confirms a fantasy framework built up by their fellow politicos, academia, the media, and others. Rest assured not one nanosecond of actual discussion behind closed doors has anything to do with 99% of the puerile crap that passes for policy on the clueless, er, "liberal" side.
My stomach is too weak to watch or peruse - is there anyone on Senate Foreign Relations with a clue who might actually raise the discussion to at least an undergraduat level? (thus leaving Hill and her ilk hopelessly over their heads)
Abdul Raheem Hawila's 16-year-old nephew, Ishmail, was killed by Israeli shells near his home in Jabaliya in northern Gaza. The boy should have been buried in the spacious Eastern cemetery outside Gaza City, but the presence of Israeli troops made it impossible. Instead, he had to be buried in an old cemetery that was filled and closed many years ago.
There was no room in the old cemetery. We had to bury him on top of his grandfather who died 25 years ago, said Mr Hawila. Moreover we could find no cement or tiles to re-cover the grave. We didn't even open a mourning house.
To the traumatised Palestinians of the Gaza Strip it is bad enough that their friends and relatives are being killed in such numbers - more than 900 at the last count. What is worse is that they can no longer give them proper funerals. In northern Gaza, because the Eastern cemetery is no longer accessible, the bereaved are having to search for plots between the existing graves in the older, full-up cemeteries to bury their loved ones, or to reopen and reuse the graves of their forebears.
Mr Hawila said that in Jabaliya there had been instances where several children from different families were buried in one mass grave. Islam decrees that the dead should be buried as soon as possible, but the Israeli bombardment makes delays inevitable.
Palestinian families also open their homes and erect tents for as many as three days of mourning, during which they welcome and feed hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people who come to pay their respects to the dead. Not any longer. Mourners cannot be contacted, cannot travel or simply do not dare to attend large gatherings while the bombardment continues.
Gazans say that at least one crowd of mourners was hit by an Israeli strike in the town of Beit Hanoun on the third day of the war. Several were killed or lost limbs.
It's very hard to bury someone without people around you, said Mohammed Rafiq, 50, whose 15-year-old nephew was killed by an Israeli shell. They give you solidarity. It makes it easier for you to bear the death. When they're not there it's much harder to bear the pain.
Posted by: ed ||
01/13/2009 8:19 Comments ||
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#4
It seems to me there is a similar problem in the cities of Europe. One remains buried so long as the rent is paid, or for a particular period, then the remains are dug up and stacked -- most respectfully, of course -- to be replaced by another. Or the thousand-year old Jewish cemetery in Prague, where the bodies where buried vertically, one atop the next. Or start a new tradition: stack the bodies, most respectfully, in a booby trapped house, and hope that when the IDF trips it, the bodies are incinerated in a semifinal act of sacrifice for jihad. The ash can be collected to make building material to shelter The People until the living jihadis trigger the next round of war. Needs must, especially when one has started a war.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
01/13/2009 12:30 Comments ||
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#16
i'm pretty sure they where caryying AK's at the time of death, since we have alrady seen a 12 decapitate a man on video from akistan a few months ago
#17
Cemetaries here use the double-stack system as well, my mother owns two double plots Dad is in one, my stillborn sister in another, one is reserved for mom (94 And going strong) the other is for whatever family member dies next, (Probably me)
Posted by: Rednek Jim ||
01/13/2009 14:56 Comments ||
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Arab leaders are scheduled to meet and discuss reconstruction in the bombarded and blockaded Gaza Strip in their first economic summit.
Speaking at a news conference in Kuwait City on Monday, the adviser to Kuwait's emir and head of the summit's media committee, Mohammad Abulhassan, said the summit will discuss the reconstruction of Gaza.
He noted that all Arab states have announced they will participate in the economic summit, and so far, no Arab country has notified the host nation it will not attend.
The January 19-20 summit seeks out ways to upgrade economic integration among Arabs.
On Monday, Arab League chief Amr Moussa declared that a long delayed emergency Arab foreign ministerial meeting on the Gaza conflict is planned to be held in Kuwait on Friday.
This is while Arab leaders have been blamed, almost as much as Israel, for the plight of the people of Gaza. Top of the list is Egypt, which many feel gave Israel the green light to attack the enclave.
Many in the Arab world believe that Egypt's insistence on maintaining the Rafah border closure during the Israeli military operation is akin to collaborating with Israel. Strengthening that perception was the fact that Mubarak met with Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Cairo shortly before Israel's offensive.
Also, more anger is reserved for Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the secular Palestinian Fatah faction, who would like to wrest control of Gaza from the elected Hamas government. Arab governments such as Jordan and Mauritania, who are on friendly diplomatic terms with Israel, come in for yet more criticism.
Finally, anger is in addition vented at the wealthy Arab governments, like Saudi Arabia and Persian Gulf littoral countries, which could potentially do more to resolve the Palestinian issue, but do little or nothing.
Since Israel unleashed its air and sea campaign against Gaza on December 27, at least 919 Palestinians have lost their lives and more than 4,100 others - most of whom are civilians - have been injured.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert says that he told President Bush not to vote in favor of the United Nations' last week resolution on Gaza. "I told him (Bush) the United States could not vote in favor. It cannot vote in favor of such a resolution. He immediately called the secretary of state and told her not to vote in favor," said Olmert on Monday.
Last Thursday, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1860, calling for an immediate ceasefire between Hamas and Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip and an immediate withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The US was the only country that abstained while fourteen of the council's 15 members voted in favor of the resolution.
According to Olmert, Bush had ordered Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to abstain.
"In the night between Thursday and Friday, when the secretary of state wanted to lead the vote on a ceasefire at the Security Council, we did not want her to vote in favor," Olmert said in a speech in the southern town of Ashkelon. "I said 'get me President Bush on the phone'. They said he was in the middle of giving a speech in Philadelphia. I said I did not care. 'I need to talk to him now'. He got off the podium and spoke to me," he added.
#2
Worst Israeli Leader ever
One more month to go sheesh
Posted by: European Conservative ||
01/13/2009 19:40 Comments ||
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#3
g(r)om, More likely it went like this. "Try not to fuck this one up." "I'm not covering your inept ass forever."
You can bet Bush won't be happy about that dumbshits grandstanding. Count on a yay vote on the next resolution and thank your PM for it when it comes. Don't make us here you whine, about the US selling Israel out.
And just because I don't like you, enjoy your countries failure in Gaza, welfare queen.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
01/13/2009 19:48 Comments ||
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U.S. President George W. Bush gave his last press conference at the White House on Monday, 8 days before the inauguration of incoming president Barack Obama, calling for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip, but emphasizing Israel's right to defend itself.
As Israeli troops continued targeting Hamas infrastructure in the Gaza Strip for the 17 day, Bush said that Hamas must stop firing rockets into Israel in order for an effective cease-fire to take hold in Gaza and said Israel should avoid harming innocent people there.
"Israel has a right to defend herself," the president told reporters at the White House. "Obviously, in any of these kinds of situations I would hope that she would continue to be mindful of innocent folks and that they help expedite the delivery of humanitarian aid."
"I'm for a sustainable cease-fire, he said, adding that such a truce would require Hamas' agreement to halt firing rockets into Israel. There will not be a sustainable cease-fire if they continue firing rockets. I happen to believe the choice is Hamas' to make."
Bush gave his backing to Egyptian-led efforts to secure a truce that would end the smuggling of weapons into Gaza through underground tunnels. Israel has been pounding the underground arteries with air strikes since it launched the operation on Dec. 27. Officials in Gaza say some 870 Palestinians have been killed. More than a dozen Israelis, including 10 soldiers, have died.
"The best way to ensure that there is a sustainable cease-fire is to work with Egypt to stop the smuggling of arms into the Gaza that enables Hamas to continue to fire rockets," Bush said. "Countries that supply weapons to Hamas have got to stop and the international community needs to continue to pressure them to stop providing weapons."
Egypt, which often serves as a mediator between Israel and Hamas, has been playing a key role in trying to forge a cease-fire. Egypt's state-owned news agency reported progress in truce talks with Hamas but provided no specifics.
International Mideast envoy Tony Blair was in Cairo on Monday, meeting with President Hosni Mubarak following talks with Israeli leaders on Sunday. Egypt has put forward a three-stage proposal to end the fighting.
"I think the elements of an agreement for the immediate cease-fire are there," Blair said, adding that, while more work needed to be done, he hoped to see a cease-fire in the coming days.
Israel's representative to the talks is in close contact with Egypt but, in a sign that more work is needed, postponed a trip to Cairo.
Bush repeated his belief that his administration had made progress in trying to seal a peace deal between Israel and the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority led by Mahmoud Abbas but acknowledged that U.S. President-elect Barack Obama would face stiff challenges in keeping up the effort.
"Will this ever happen? I think it will," he said. "And I know we've advanced the process."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Yes Mr. President. That's true until January 21, 2009.
Israeli military plans in the Gaza Strip include the option of retaking the narrow stretch of land that separates the coastal enclave from Egypt to try to prevent Hamas from rearming, Western diplomats said on Monday. Israel intensified its aerial bombardment overnight of the so-called Philadelphi corridor to destroy smuggling tunnels that Hamas could use to move longer-ranged rockets, leaders, fighters and funds in and out of the war zone. Western diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, described a ground operation to retake the Philadelphi corridor and parts of the town of Rafah as one of Israel's leading 'third phase' options if talks over a ceasefire founder. A ground operation along the corridor would allow Israel to use bulldozers and sonar equipment to root out tunnels that have yet to be destroyed with air power alone. Holding the nine-mile-long Philadelphi corridor could give Israel a bargaining chip in ceasefire talks, diplomats said. Israel has demanded security guarantees from Egypt and Western powers to ensure the tunnels are not rebuilt.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Israel intensified its aerial bombardment overnight of the so-called Philadelphi corridor
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Monday that he hoped to see a quick end to Israel's offensive on the Gaza Strip, but emphasized that the war would go on until Hamas ceased its rocket fire and its smuggling tunnels were decimated,
Olmert told students at the French school in Mikveh Israel that Israel had "not declared war on Gaza residents," but that the fight against "the murderers of Gaza" often results in innocent civilians being caught in the crossfire.
"Every child and adult not involved with terror who has been caught as a casualty of our military efforts is a victim for which we apologize, which we want to prevent."
The prime minister expressed his gratitude toward Egypt for working toward destroying the smuggling tunnels from Gaza and said he hoped dialogue with Cairo would yield positively.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said earlier Monday that there was no reason to negotiate with Hamas over restoring calm to the Gaza Strip as the group's words were "meaningless."
"I am not going to negotiate with Hamas and don't need them to sign anything for me. What they said is meaningless. This is what is called deterrence: they know that the next time they attack us, they will be harmed," the foreign minister told Israeli radio stations.
Livni said that additional military operations in the Gaza Strip could also be in the cards should "Hamas dare raise its head and strike Israel again. The war on terror will be long and difficult and we will use military force because that is how one fights terror ? with military force and no alternatives. When they fire [rockets], I've said before, we must return the fire."
Livni said that the current operation in Gaza has proven to Hamas that Israel will always respond to provocation. "Israel is a country that reacts vigorously when its citizens are fired up, which is a good thing," she said. "That is something that Hamas now understands and that is how we are going to react in the future."
Meanwhile, sources close to Olmert confirmed Sunday that he continues to disagree with Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak regarding the question of continuing the warfare in Gaza.
The so-called troika met Sunday evening to discuss the subject, and both Barak and Livni reportedly argued for ending Operation Cast Lead as soon as possible. This is apparently the reason Olmert wants to present the issue to the security cabinet, where the majority supports his view.
Livni contends that continuing the offensive could harm the deterrence it has achieved so far and damage Israel diplomatically. Barak objects mainly to inserting ground troops deep into densely populated areas of Gaza. For his part, Olmert told the full cabinet Sunday that stopping Operation Cast Lead now would be a missed opportunity.
Sources close to Olmert said Sunday, after the meeting of the three, that most of the security cabinet supports Olmert's stand or even believe the operation should be expanded. Olmert is likely to convene the security cabinet today to seek approval for an expansion of the operation.
Olmert's associates also said no one in the security cabinet supported Livni's position and that a few Labor ministers support Barak's position that an agreement should be reached with Hamas.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
In other words, it won't end until Arabs change, or become extinct.
#4
Interesting that, having agreed not to run in the February election, Prime Minister Olmert now seems to be working to undermine his chief competitors within the party.
For the second time since Israel launched its offensive in the Gaza Strip, Hamas television aired a taped message delivered by group leader Ismail Haniyeh on Monday. In the message, Haniyeh declared that Hamas was determined to continue fighting despite Israel's military offensive in the Strip, but added that the group would be willing to cooperate in efforts to negotiate a cease-fire agreement with Israel.
"Gaza will not break - our victory over the Zionists is near," Haniyeh said in a fiery speech. "Our fate is in the hands of Allah, so what power could the sons of Zion against him? Allah will take his revenge on them."
"When we watch over you, residents of Gaza, we draw patience and will power from you," Haniyeh went on to say, adding however that Hamas does not have the physical might to withstand Israel's "war machine."
The Hamas leader ended his address with a prayer.
Haniyeh first appeared on Hamas television some two weeks ago, saying that Israel's operation in Gaza was paramount to genocide of the Palestinian people. Haniyeh and other senior Hamas officials have gone into hiding since Israel launched its operation on December 27.
Meanwhile Monday, other Hamas leaders in the Gaza Strip declared victory to be "closer than ever."
In a statement distributed to news organizations, the Hamas cabinet said it continued to function as a government and condemned Israel for its "reoccupation" of Gaza, saying the invading forces would soon be repelled.
"We confirm to our people that victory is closer than ever," the statement read. "We confirm our intention to continue to work to stop the terrorists' war against our people, end the siege completely and bring about a reopening of the crossings."
A report in Reuters on Monday quoted unnamed sources in Lebanon close to Hamas as saying the group would not accept ceasefire efforts that include a long-term truce with Israel.
Israel launched its offensive on Dec. 27 saying it intended to put a stop to Hamas' firing of rockets across the border into southern Israeli towns and cities. Following several days of aerial bombardment, Israeli troops and tanks launched a ground offensive, moving in on the major population centres, including the city of Gaza.
Some 900 Palestinians, including some top Hamas commanders, have been killed in the assault, according to Palestinian medics and the Islamist movement.
Hamas, which came to power in Gaza after elections in 2006 and subsequently seized control of the territory of 1.5 million people, said it would remain steadfast.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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Israeli tanks punched their way toward the heart of Gaza City on Monday in some of the heaviest clashes of the war as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert vowed to hit Hamas with an "iron fist" unless it stopped firing rockets. A defiant Hamas meanwhile said it was closer than ever to victory after 17 days of conflict which have so far left more than 900 Palestinians dead but not halted the Islamists' targeting of southern Israel with makeshift missiles.
Deposed Prime Minister Ismail Haniyya, the head of the movement's government in the Gaza Strip, insisted Monday that Hamas is nearing victory.
"We are approaching victory," he said in a televised address. "The blood which has flowed will not have flowed in vain as it will bring us victory, thanks be to God," Haniyya added on the 17th day of Israel's offensive. "I tell you that after 17 days of this foolish war, Gaza has not been broken and Gaza will not fall."
Haniyya also said that the "blood of children" who have been killed in the conflict would serve as a "curse which will come back to haunt [US President George W.] Bush."
Israeli infantry units, bolstered by thousands of newly deployed reservists, battled Hamas gunmen across the enclave as Olmert insisted Israel was achieving the objectives of "Operation Cast Lead."
"We want to end the operation when the two conditions we have demanded are met: ending the rocket fire and stopping Hamas' rearmament. If these two conditions are met, we will end our operation in Gaza," he said in a speech in the southern town of Ashkelon.
"Anything else will meet the iron fist of the Israeli people, who are no longer ready to tolerate the Qassams [rockets]."
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
Funny definition of "victory". Gaza turned to rubble, nearly all their field commanders turned to worm food, and the terror-supporting citizens of Gaza cowering in the dark, chilled by the cold of winter. Whooot!!
P.S. You idiots, "You keep using that word, victory. I do not think it means what you think it means."
#3
Yes, they're infuriating.
Makes you wonder if they have even gotten the message yet.
As Israeli tanks enter Gaza City and flame any Hamas dumbass that is stupid enough to shoot a gun at them, they are celebrating their 'glorious victory' in a basement somewhere.
#4
Wimp Lo: Ha! Face to foot style, how do you like it?
Chosen One: I'm sure on some planet your style is impressive, but your weak link is: this is Earth.
Wimp Lo: Oh yeah? Then try my nuts to your fist style!
Operation Wimp Lo
Gazans: you and your children will die as shields for the cowardly Hamas, or fight Hamas and maybe die maybe live but your children will live in freedom and peace. When an entire day passes without a rocket firing into Israel we will cease bombing until another rocket fires. If an entire week passes without a rocket firing we will know your intent of peace.
#5
Israel needs to withdraw completely from Gaza, then nuke it until there's nothing left. Not just 'scorched earth', but "radioactive, salted, plowed and urinated upon earth". It's the only solution that will guarantee no more rockets are fired at Israel from Gaza. It will NOT, however, keep "palestinians" from firing rockets from Egypt, Jordan, Syria, or Lebanon, unless you do the same thing to them.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
01/13/2009 20:08 Comments ||
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#6
Why doesn't Israel reoccupy the parts of Gaza where the rockets come from? If the Gazans shoot rockets from somewhere else, Israel reoccupies those areas too.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
01/13/2009 20:30 Comments ||
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Foreign ministers from the Arab world will hold an emergency meeting in Kuwait on the Gaza crisis, officials said Monday as diplomatic efforts picked up speed to halt Israel's war on the besieged territory. Arab League chief Amr Moussa confirmed on Monday that the meeting would be held in the Persian Gulf nation later this week.
Qatar requested the meeting on Sunday to discuss Israel's rejection of a UN Security Council resolution that called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.
Friday's meeting in Kuwait "will examine the developments relating to Israel's refusal to abide by UN Security Council Resolution 1860," Moussa told reporters in Cairo.
Israel has rejected the ceasefire, saying it was impracticable and demanding an end to Hamas rocket fire into Israel and the smuggling of weapons into Gaza.
Hamas has said it would not accept any truce that did not lift Israel's blockade of Gaza and has called on Egypt to permanently open its Rafah border crossing with the enclave.
Israel launched an offensive on Gaza on December 27, with the stated aim of stopping rocket attacks from the territory.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has been pushing a plan which calls for an immediate ceasefire to let humanitarian aid into Gaza, talks on opening border crossings and taking steps to prevent arms smuggling.
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, whose remit is limited to the Occupied West Bank, said the initiative offered the best hope of peace, putting pressure on both Israel and Hamas to respond positively.
"He who refuses, voices reservations or moves slowly on this initiative bears the responsibility of explaining themselves, especially to the people of Gaza," Fayyad said.
Ex-British Premier Tony Blair, now a peace envoy for the international community, said after meeting Mubarak that the elements for an immediate truce are in place and talks were "at a sensitive and delicate" stage.
"The elements for an agreement for an immediate ceasefire are there. I think they are now being worked on very hard in great detail," he said.
He said details included an end to the smuggling of weapons into Gaza and the opening of passages into the Palestinian enclave.
The smuggling of weapons into Gaza, which Israel says are brought through tunnels linking Egypt and the coastal strip, is one of the points of contention in the talks.
Egypt says it would be willing to accept tunnel detection equipment and training but denies weapons are smuggled in from its territory and says Israel should open the border crossings if it wishes to end smuggling.
However, Egypt refuses to permanently open its Rafah border crossing with Gaza - a key Hamas demand - citing a 2005 agreement that requires the presence of EU monitors and Palestinian Authority representatives.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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An Israeli reservist has been sentenced to jail after refusing to fight in Gaza because of the killing of Palestinian civilians by the army.
The soldier whose identity has not been revealed has been sentenced to 14 days imprisonment in a military center, the Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Monday.
He is the first soldier to be tried over mutiny against his superiors.
Michael Sfard, the legal advisor of Omets, an NGO for social justice, said eight reservists has sought his legal assistance over conscription since the start of the Gaza offensive on December 27.
According to the attorney, three of the eight reservists have refused to fight in Gaza and two of the three have reached an agreement with their commander.
The Israeli Army has started the deployment of reservists into the Gaza Strip to join the regular army in its ground operation.
After 17 days of pounding the populated territory, the military is waiting for the government's green light to start the third phase of attacks, which could involve deploying more reservists to the battle.
Posted by: Fred ||
01/13/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
My bet is that this guy is not from Sderot or one of the other target cities.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
01/13/2009 2:13 Comments ||
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#4
like cocientous ablectors here he can become a medic and will also have too go too the front lines whick when it is boiled down thats the whole reason he don't wanna go
The Department of Justice (DoJ) approved the filing of a case for illegal possession of explosives against a Bangladeshi national arrested last year on suspicion of being a member of the Southeast Asian terror network Jemaah Islamiyah. "After a careful review of the evidence and the pleadings submitted by the parties, we find probable cause against respondent [Mohammad Rafiq Ullah] for illegal possession of explosives," State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera said in his resolution.
Ullah was arrested last December 2 at his cellphone repair shop in Barangay (village) Tapayan, Sultan Mustura Armando, in the then province of Shariff Kabunsuan. Members of the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) confiscated two rocket propelled grenade (RPG) projectiles, an RPG shell with explosive filler, an RPG shell with fuse assembly, soldering lead, electrical wires, and 81mm mortar shells, among others.
During the preliminary investigation, as well as in his counter-affidavit, Ullah denied he being a bomb-maker and claiming his arrest was a case of mistaken identity. But the prosecutor noted that several identification cards with different names were confiscated from Ullah, who admitted to using the names as aliases "to confuse the authorities."
New Thai premier Abhisit Vejjajiva will at the weekend visit the country's insurgency-hit deep south for the first time since he took office last month, a minister said Friday.
Abhisit will make a one-day trip on Saturday to the Muslim-majority region, where more than 3,500 people have been killed since the jihad rebellion broke out five years ago, Deputy Interior Minister Thavorn Sennium said.
The announcement came as the cabinet agreed to extend emergency rule in the south for another three months to April. It is the 14th extension since the emergency was first imposed in 2005.
"The National Security Council advised the government that emergency rule was crucial for security officials in terms of operation and investigation," said Supachai Jaisamut, deputy government spokesman. "But the militants are still mounting attacks against the authorities, therefore the emergency rule is necessary," he said.
Rights group Amnesty International on Tuesday accused Thai security forces of using "systematic" torture on suspects in the south, saying in a report that four people had been tortured to death.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Tuesday that 61 former detainees from its military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, appear to have returned to terrorism since their release from custody. And these were the low risk detainees.
Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell said 18 former detainees are confirmed as "returning to the fight" and 43 are suspected of having done in a report issued late in December by the Defense Intelligence Agency.
Morrell declined to provide details such as the identity of the former detainees, why and where they were released or what actions they have taken since leaving U.S. custody.
"This is acts of terrorism. It could be Iraq, Afghanistan, it could be acts of terrorism around the world," he told reporters.
Morrell said the latest figures, current through December 24, showed an 11 percent recidivism rate, up from 7 percent in a March 2008 report that counted 37 former detainees as suspected or confirmed active militants.
Rights advocates said the lack of details should call the Pentagon's assertions into question.
"Until enough information is provided to allow the press and the public to verify these claims, they need to be viewed with a healthy degree of skepticism," said Jennifer Daskal, a Washington-based Asshat lawyer for Scum Human Rights Watch.
Rights advocates contend that many Guantanamo detainees have never taken up arms against the United States and say the Defense Department in the past has described former detainees as rejoining "the fight" because they spoke out against the U.S. government.
"The Defense Department sees that the Guantanamo detention operation has failed and they are trying to launch another fear mongering campaign to justify the indefinite detention of detainees there," said Jamil Dakwar, scum human rights director at the American Communist Civil Liberties Union.
President-elect Barack Obama, who takes office next Tuesday, is expected to issue an executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay prison. Defense Secretary Robert Gates also favors shuttering Guantanamo.
But the prison is unlikely to shut until after U.S. officials settle a myriad of legal and logistic issues, including a solution on where to house its occupants.
About 255 men are still held at the U.S.-run naval base in Cuba, a symbol of aggressive interrogation methods that exposed the United States to allegations of torture.
Pentagon officials say that about 110 detainees should never be released because of the potential danger they pose to U.S. interests.
Washington has cleared 50 of the detainees for release but cannot return them to their home countries because of the risk they would be tortured or persecuted there.
The Pentagon said it considers a former detainee's return to terrorism "confirmed" when evidence shows direct involvement in terrorist activities. U.S. officials see a "suspected" terrorism links when intelligence shows a plausible link with terrorist activities.
"Propaganda does not qualify as a terrorist activity," the Pentagon said in a statement.
Posted by: Gomer P. ||
01/13/2009 19:09 Comments ||
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#2
I think we have enough for reasonable assumption of aiding and abetting during time of war of some of our 'legal' class. The lefties want a truth commission to investigate war crimes, they may get some, just not oriented in the manner they had planned.
#4
Well, O's transition team says he close Gitmo almost immediately (yeah, I know He has said that it may take a little longer.) If so, there may be an additional 250 hard core types on the loose.
Posted by: Rambler in Virginia ||
01/13/2009 20:01 Comments ||
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Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi on Al-Jazeera Incites Against Jews, Arab Regimes, and the U.S.; Calls on Muslims to Boycott Starbucks and Others; Says 'Oh Allah, Take This Oppressive, Jewish, Zionist Band of People... And Kill Them, Down to the Very Last One'
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.
Across the street from the Evening in Paris wedding hall, a monument to opulence surrounded by neon-lighted fountains and a five-story replica of the Eiffel Tower, is a little colony of tents where 65 families, mostly returnees from Pakistan, huddle against the winter cold and wish they had never come home. 
President-elect Barack Obama plans to issue an executive order on his first full day in office ordering the closing of the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in Cuba, people briefed by Obama transition officials said Monday.
(AKI/Dawn) - Pakistan's Prime Minister Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani has ruled out handing over any person to any country in connection with the Mumbai carnage. He said that Pakistan was carrying out is own investigation and if any Pakistani was found involved, the government would take action against him in accordance with the law.
Aswat al-Iraq: Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Burham Saleh on Monday discussed with the visiting U.S. Vice President-elect Joe Biden the U.S. troops withdrawal agreement and the framework agreement between the two countries.
Abdul Raheem Hawila's 16-year-old nephew, Ishmail, was killed by Israeli shells near his home in Jabaliya in northern Gaza. The boy should have been buried in the spacious Eastern cemetery outside Gaza City, but the presence of Israeli troops made it impossible. Instead, he had to be buried in an old cemetery that was filled and closed many years ago. 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon said on Tuesday that 61 former detainees from its military prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, appear to have returned to terrorism since their release from custody. 
Sheikh Yousef Al-Qaradhawi on Al-Jazeera Incites Against Jews, Arab Regimes, and the U.S.; Calls on Muslims to Boycott Starbucks and Others; Says 'Oh Allah, Take This Oppressive, Jewish, Zionist Band of People... And Kill Them, Down to the Very Last One'
