Lieutenant General John Allen told the Senate Armed Services Committee today that the Afghanistan decision President Obama announced last week was not among the range of options the military provided to the commander in chief. Allens testimony directly contradicts claims from senior Obama administration officials from a background briefing before the presidents announcement.
In response to questioning from Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Allen testified that Obamas decision on the pace and size of Afghanistan withdrawals was a more aggressive option than that which was presented.
Graham pressed him. My question is: Was that a option?
Allen: It was not.
Allen's claim, which came under oath, contradicts the line the White House had been providing reporters over the past weekthat Obama simply chose one option among several presented by General David Petraeus. In a conference call last Wednesday, June 22, a reporter asked senior Obama administration officials about those options. Did General Petraeus specifically endorse this plan, or was it one of the options that General Petraeus gave to the president?
Champ owns this one. If Afghanistan blows up between now and election day we'll all know who to blame.
Posted by: Steve White ||
06/29/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Allen soon to be known for the handling of this made his reccomendation and Petraeus also backed it.
Politics won.
Objective was having won the southern districts, they wouls sweep by the east to eventually clean out the north.
Allen will draw down unless he sees he is losing grip.
#6
President Bush (W.) ignored advice of almost all on Iraq...
In that case, with victory as the objective, Bush would 'own' a defeat. In this case, victory is NOT the objective, so Zero won't really own a defeat; he'll own the 'victory' of having withdrawn.
#7
victory is NOT the objective People advocating victory in Afghanistan are obliged to define it first. Since the US never had a clear idea of what victory in Afghanistan might actually consist of (no matter what the US did, Afghanistan would never resemble Kansas), victory could not be, never could have been, the objective.
#8
@#6 Glenmore ... BULLPUCKY
Bush not only listened to his military advisors, he engaged in thoughtful deliberation with many of them before making military and strategic decisions regarding Iraq.
[Dawn] The Paks know that Mullah Omar is in Pakistain and are ignoring US requests to find him, two senior US military commanders told Congress on Tuesday.
The two commanders, who will now oversee all US military operations in the Pak-Afghan region, also said that Pakistain was protecting the Haqqani network of faceless myrmidons and had not acted when asked to destroy Taliban weapon factories in Fata.
"We believe he is," said Admiral William McRaven when Republican Senator Lindsey Graham ... the endangered South Carolina RINO... asked him if Mullah Omar was hiding inside Pakistain.
Lt-Gen John Allen said Pakistain lacked the desire and the capability to act against the beturbanned goons.
Their responses enabled senior members of the Senate Armed Services Committee to demand retaliatory actions against Pakistain if it continued to protect the beturbanned goons.
"Do we believe Mullah Omar is there with the knowledge of the ISI and the upper echelons of the army?" asked Senator Graham.
"Sir, I believe the Paks know he is in Pakistain," said Admiral McRaven, President Barack B.O. Obama`s nominee to head the US Special Operations Command. Admiral McRaven also was in charge of the May 2 raid that killed Al Qaeda leader the late Osama bin Laden ... who used to be but now ain't... "If they tried for about a week, do you think they could find him?" asked the senator. "I don`t know whether they could or not, because I don`t know exactly where Mullah Omar is," Admiral McRaven replied.
"Have we asked them to find him?" Senator Graham asked. "I believe we have," Admiral McRaven replied.
Senator Carl Levin, who heads the Armed Services Committee, "and I are both asking Pakistain to help us find Mullah Omar," said Senator Graham.
The senator then asked Lt-Gen Allen, the future head of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan, if the Americans were `certain` that bombs used against their soldiers were coming from Pakistain.
"Yes, we are," said the general.
"Have we given that information to the Paks?" the senator asked. "That`s correct, sir," said the general.
"And have they responded effectively?" the senator asked. "They have not," the general said.
"Well, I`m with Chairman Levin on this. This has got to stop," said Senator Graham while concluding his questions.
But this did not end what looked like Pakistain`s indictment in the US Congress, which began soon after Senator Levin introduced the two nominees to the panel.
"The safe haven in Pakistain continues to provide the Haqqani network the freedom to launch attacks against US and coalition troops in Afghanistan," remarked Senator Levin.
"Now you both have talked to Pak military leaders. Why do they refuse to take on the Haqqani network? And in your judgment is that going to change?" he asked.
"It`s a function probably of capacity. But it might also be a function of their hedging, whether they have determined that the United States is going to remain in Afghanistan, whether our strategy will be successful or not," Gen Allen said.
"At some point, as we have emphasised to the Paks, we`ve got to bring pressure to bear on this bad turban safe haven. And in the end what we would hope is that they would listen to our desires for them to do that."
"Is Pakistain`s attitude likely to change in the near term?" Senator Levin asked Admiral McRaven.
"I don`t think it is likely to change," Admiral McRaven said. "It is both a capacity issue for the Paks and I think potentially a willingness issue, recognising that the situation in Fata is difficult for them to deal with," the admiral said.
"Well, something`s got to give, something`s got to change, `cause it just can`t continue this way`," Senator Levin remarked.
At another point, Gen Allen assured the politicians there was also "a bright spot in the many different facets" to this relationship.
"And that bright spot is the tripartite planning committee where on a regular basis US, Afghan and Pak military officers sit down and go through the process of planning for how they will conduct cross-border operations."
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
MULLAH OMAR, HAQQANIS, + GO-GO-GO ISLAMABAD
versus
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > AFGHAN ENDGAME: PAKISTAN PREFERS TO WATCH AND WAIT ON US [troops = Obama]DRAWDOWN.
#6
There would be no Taliban if not for PK. Obama's strategy based on his re-election is not only a loser, it is insuring our strategic defeat. This President is a nightmare.
[Tolo News] Chief of Afghanistan Central Bank (DAB) has decamped the country, a government front man has said on Monday.
Abdul Qadir Fitrat, Chief of DAB is alleged to have played a role in the Kabul Bank crisis.
President Karzai's front man Waheed Omar has said Mr Fitrat had not informed the Afghan government of his resignation.
But Mr Omar confimred that Abdul Qadir Fitrat's name was among those mentioned in a report sent to the the Afghan Attorney General's office as one of the people responsible for the Kabul Bank crisis.
Abdul Qadir Fitrat who is now in the United States has told media that he left Afghanistan because his life was threatened.
Fitrat has claimed that the Afghan government was not willing to prosecute those allegedly involved in fraudulent loans.
"My life has become completely endangered," Fitrat said. "Since I exposed the fraudulent practices on April 27 in parliament, I have received information about threats on my life." Mr Fitrat has said he has permanent resident status in the United States and will not come back to Afghanistan.
He has claimed to have asked Karzai government 10 months ago to prosecute those involved in the fraud, but that no action was taken.
"To date, there is no information of any credible plan to try and prosecute these suspects for the crimes they have allegedly committed, Fitrat has said.
The leading Afghan private bank, Kabul Bank, nearly collapsed last year because of mismanagement and alleged misuse of depositors' money.
It was immediately taken over by Afghanistan Central Bank and there were plans to put the bank into receivership as well.
In an exclusive interview with the Rooters, Chief of Afghanistan's Central Bank Abdul Qadir Fitrat said: "I have come to Washington to announce my resignation from the post of Governor of the Central Bank of Afghanistan. You may ask: "OK, why do you resign in Washington, not in Kabul?" The reason I was not able to resign in Kabul is because my life was completely in danger.
"This was particularly true after I spoke to the parliament and exposed some people who were responsible for the crisis of Kabul Bank. And I expected that would help bring closure to the Kabul Bank issue and that would help resolve the Kabul Bank issue. But instead it brought more dangers and more conspiracies against me and against my life," DAB Chief further said.
Attorney General and the High Office of Oversight and Anti-corruption also accused DAB chief of having a role in Kabul Bank Crisis and job negligence.
Corruption watchdog institutions said we were working to announce Mr Fitrat on travel ban, but he decamped the country.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2011 00:00 ||
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Daily beatings and prayer five times a day for over a year were all part of Australian photojournalist Nigel Brennan's suffering at the hands of a Somalian gang after a 2008 kidnapping.
What saved Brennan were the efforts of his family, who never gave up on him and took the lead in negotiations to obtain his release.
Days after arriving, Brennan and Canadian documentary maker Amanda Lindhout were taken and held for $3.16 million - money their families had to find, since neither the Australian nor Canadian government will ransom their citizens.
Knowing their relatives could not pay that much money, the two converted to Islam at the suggestion of one captor that their lives might be spared if they did so -- resulting in days of religious instruction, regular prayers, and reading an English translation of the Qur'an.
Escape attempts were unsuccessful, one try ending when Lindhout couldn't manage to slip through the bars of a window.
The two the next day managed to get into a nearby mosque. Brennan said, "We knew it would be full and we could get help from the Muslim community."
But as soon as they entered the mosque, a warning shot rang out over their heads and chaos broke out. They were soon surrounded by gun-toting thugs.
"Amanda was dragged out and about 20 seconds later I heard a single gunshot fired and actually believed she'd been killed," said Brennan.
Brennan was pistol-whipped, kicked down to the ground and punched and believed he would be killed on the spot. The next ten months until their release were spent near starvation, and they were kept shackled.
Back at home, Brennan's sister Nicky became the main hostage negotiator, with help from the Australian police. With the aid of an Australian businessman, everything finally came together and roughly $650,000 was paid for Brennan. After 462 days, the two were freed at last.
Brennan says he would return to the war-torn nation if things stabilised. He said, "I would really love to see an improvement in Somalia. I would love to see the world media take a little bit more action in what's happening because local journos are being killed like flies.
The "Rebels" then pass the weapons on to AQIM who are rapidly becoming the most powerful army in North Africa, thanks to NATO.
FRANCE began parachuting weapons to resupply Libyan rebels in the mountains south of the capital, Tripoli, last month, a French military spokesman confirmed yesterday.
Citing secret government documents, Le Figaro newspaper reported earlier that the shipments included rocket launchers, assault rifles, machine guns and anti-tank missiles.
The secret desert air drops were carried out without consultation with NATO allies, including Britain, which is France's principal partner in the international campaign against Moamar Ghadafi's regime, the report said.
Colonel Thierry Burkhard, spokesman for the French general staff, confirmed the arms drops, but said they were essentially light arms such as assault rifles for self-defense purposes, AFP reported.
Burkhard said France had become aware in early June that rebel-held Berber villages in the tribal Djebel Nafusa highland region south of the capital had come under pressure from forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi.
"We began by dropping humanitarian aid: food, water and medical supplies," he said. "During the operation, the situation for the civilians on the ground worsened. We dropped arms and means of self-defense, mainly ammunition."
Burkhard described the arms as "light infantry weapons of the rifle type" and said the drops were carried out over several days "so that civilians would not be massacred."
According to Le Figaro's report, the French government was looking for a way of breaking the stalemate in the conflict. "There was no other way of going forward," a senior intelligence source said.
#4
Frankly, I like it, a bridge to a new NATO is being built hopefully under the watchful eye of Saint Didacus, if it works out there will be a ribbon for this bridge.
Posted by: S ||
06/29/2011 19:08 Comments ||
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On Wednesday, a Bangladeshi court issued an arrest warrant against an Indian separatist leader and several retired Bangladeshi officials wanted in connection with arms smuggling.
The arrest warrant was issued against Paresh Barua, military head of Indian separatist group United Liberation Front (ULF) of Assam, and Nurul Amin, a retired senior official at Bangladesh's industries ministry, suppoosedly involved in smuggling 10 truckloads of armaments in 2004.
Investigators have charged a total of 52 people - including two former ministers, Matiur Rahman Nizami and Lutfozzaman Babar, and two former chiefs of National Security Intelligence for smuggling the arms meant for the ULF. All but the two accused have been arrested.
Police seized 10 truckloads of weapons and ammunition from a pier near the port of Chittagong on April 1, 2004.
For a map, click here
Mexican security forces have in different counternarcotics operations since June 20th seized 9,677 kilograms of marijuana, 1,027 kilograms of unprocessed marijuana, 289.6 kilograms of crystal methamphetimine, 84.4 kilograms of cocaine, 180 liters of liquid methamphetimine and $170,100.00 in cash
Mexican Policia Federal agents arrested an individual and seized several stolen vehicles and weapons in Yautepec, Morelos June 23rd. Cooperating with a local business agents arrested Carlos Gomez Aguilar, 26, in Atlihuayan colony following a surveillance set up.
Vehicles seized by agents include one Nissan X-Terra SUV, one Seat Leon Cupra SUV, one Chevrolet Captiva sedan, one Dodge Ram 2500 pickup truck, and one Chevrolet Lumina sedan. Only the Lumina was listed as not stolen.
Munitions and drugs seized include 13,000 rounds of ammunition, one assault rifle, one submachine gun, three weapons magazines, one furniture, 28 packages of marijuana divided for retail sale and 12 radios.
Mexican Policia Federal agents arrested a woman in Juarez, Chihuahua and took into custody two youths in her custody who were to be smuggled into the United States June 22nd. Susana Avila Vega was arrested at a safe house near the corner of calles Jesus Escobar and Manuel Jaramillo in the Delicias sector of Leyes de Reforma colony. The two youths, aged 16 and 15, were originally from Ecuador, and were to be taken to New York.
Mexican Policia Federal agents seized an amount of cocaine in a traffic stop in San Luis Potosi June 24th and arrested two individuals, one of them having ties with La Familia Michoacana drug cartel. Agents stopped a couple who were travelling aboard a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck on Mexican Highway 57 from Mexico state to Piedras Negras. The truck was taken into custody and to a PF facility in San Luis Potosi, where it was searched and 9.6 kilograms of cocaine were found in 18 packages. Arrested were Daniel Junior Ramirez, AKA El Baleado, and Cinthia Yaneli Avila Mejia , 24. Junior Ramirez is allegedly part of La Familia Michoacana criminal gang.
Mexican Policia Federal agents arrested a top Los Zetas operative in Veracruz June 24. Albert Gonzalez Peña, AKA El Tigre, was arrested in Las Animas colony following PF surveillance operations in that area. Gonzalez Peña was allegedly Los Zetas' top operative in Veracruz and Mexico state, and is said to have run extortion and kidnapping operations in the state, as well as drug trafficking operations.
Mexican Policia Federal agents arrested an individual and seized an amount of marijuana in Sonora June 24th following a traffic stop. Agents detained Jesus Manuel Castro Arellanes, 52, who was driving a Honda Accord on the Mexican National Highway 2 between Tijuana, Baja California and San Luis Rio Colorado, Sonora in Sonora state. The vehicle was taken to a PF facility where 105 kilograms of marijuana in several packages and wrapped in blankets were found.
Mexican Policia Federal agents seized USD $50,000.00 in cash and arrested an individual at an airport in Guadalajara, Jalisco June 26th. Arrested was Edgar Noe Hernandez Carcamo who had the cash in a piece of carry-on luggage. Hernandez Carcamo protested the money was part of a legal transfer but was unable to provide proof.
Detachments of the Mexican 2nd Military Zone seized a quantity of cocaine and methamphetimine in Baja California state in two separate incidents.
At checkpoint Sentinel on the Mexicali-Tecate highway an army unit found a vehicle with 74.8 kilograms of cocaine in 64 plastic packages, and 12.2 kilograms of methamphetimine in 19 packages.
In the San Antonio de los Buenos delegation in Tijuana, Baja California, soldiers detained three individuals aboard two vehicles and seized 17.4 kilograms of methamphetimine. Also seized were two handguns.
Soldiers with the Mexican 8th Military Zone seized almost eight tons of marijuana in Tamaulipas state June 20th. The discovery was made in an underground reservoir in the village of Guardados de Abajo. A subsequent search of the area the next day turned up another 2,388 kilograms of marijuana.
A unit of the Mexican 9th Military Zone seized a quantity of processed and unprocessed marijuana in Sinaloa state June 26th. The seizure took place in the village of Comanito in Mocorito municipality where 1,027 kilograms of unprocessed marijuana and 53 kilograms of processed marijuana.
A unit of the Mexican 8th Military Zone seized two tons of marijuana in Tamaulipas state June 25th. The find was made in the village of Los Ãngeles in Miguel Aleman municipality where soldiers found 2,187 kilogams of marijuana in 324 packages hidden in brush.
A detachment of the Mexican 9th Military Zone located a hidden drug laboratory in Sinaloa state June 26th. The lab was found in the village of San Antonio in the Culiacan municipality where soldiers seized 260 kilograms of methamphetamine, 180 liters of liquid methamphetamine, 145 liters of acetic anhydride, 610 liters of alcohol, 330 liters of toluene, 360 kilograms of sodium acetate, 300 kilograms tartaric acid, 450 kilograms of caustic soda and 20 kilograms of mercuric chloride, as well as various equipment and containers.
The Republic of Ingushetia Security Council unconditionally rejected claims by officials in neighboring Chechnya that Doku Umarov has returned to the Caucasus after getting medical treatment in Turkey and may be hiding in the mountainous Jeyrakh district of southern Ingushetia. "No, no, certainly not!"
Top Ingush security officials insisted that Jeyrakh is "completely stable," and that the entire district is "under intensified surveillance."
"A Palestinian tunnel rat mole couldn't surface there without being noticed, let alone Umarov," said one of them.
A Chechen source in the Federal Security service (FSB) had claimed on June 27 that Umarov was injured in March when his group came under attack in Ingushetia's Sunzha district. Umarov then travelled in April to Turkey, according to the source, where he spent a month receiving medical care, including treatment for frostbitten feet.
Umarov returned to Russia "several weeks ago" and convened a meeting of his top commanders in Jeyrakh, which borders on Georgia, the FSB source went on. He said Umarov "may" still be in Jeyrakh, or in the forested uplands on the border between Sunzha and the neighboring Chechen district of Achkhoi-Martan.
The FSB official claimed to have intelligence indicating that Umarov's jihadis are planning a series of high-profile terrorist attacks in Stavropol Krai and Astrakhan Oblast soon. They're always planning high profile terrorist attacks...
This account of Umarov's travels since late March fails to convince on several counts. First, Umarov telephoned RFE/RL's North Caucasus Service on April 7 and rejected as false persistent Russian media reports that he was either dead or terminally ill.
Second, on May 12, when Umarov was purportedly still hospitalized in Turkey, his official website reported that he was in Chechnya, and had convened a meeting "a little over a week ago" with several Chechen local commanders.
At the same time, Umarov has not delivered on the veiled threat he made during his phone call to RFE/RL that "they [presumably meaning the Russian authorities] will be hearing from me soon."
A planned suicide attack in Grozny in late April by two young fighters tied to Umarov was averted by a counter-terror operation in which the two men reportedly blew themselves up after running out of ammunition.
The failure to launch follow-up operations over the ensuing two months leaves doubts about the resources and personnel at Umarov's disposal, although he himself declared in an interview that "we are not in any hurry."
By contrast, the Chechen jihadis who split with Umarov last summer have staged as many as 15 attacks on pro-Moscow Chechen forces since May 1 (one every five-six days on average), in which up to 14 pro-Moscow police and security personnel have been killed and 49 wounded. All but three of those attacks were in the south or south-west, the theater of operations of veteran leader Tarhan Gaziev.
Please, let this not include Womyns Studies, I can hear the wails from the poor dears already
North Korea has shut down its universities for the next 10 months and sent students to work in factories, agriculture and the construction sector as it struggles to rebuild its economy. That will give them an "education" alright.
Pyongyang has told the North Korean people that the nation will have achieved its aim of becoming "a great, prosperous and powerful nation" in 2012, which marks the 100th anniversary of the founder of the reclusive state, Kim Il-sung.
In addition, Kim Jong-il will turn 70 in February and the "Dear Leader" hopes to be able to transfer his power and an economically stronger nation to his son and heir-apparent, Kim Jong-Un.
Reports in South Korea indicated that the government in Pyongyang on Monday ordered all universities to cancel classes until April of next year. The only exemptions are for students who will be graduating in the next few months and foreign students.
The reports suggested that the students will be put to work on construction projects in major cities while there are also indications that repair work may be needed in agricultural regions that were affected by a major typhoon recently.
Analysts in Japan claim there may be other reasons behind the decision to disperse the students across the country.
"One reason is that there is a possibility of demonstrations at university campuses," said Toshimitsu Shigemura, a professor at Tokyo's Waseda University and author of a number of books on the North Korean leadership.
"The leadership has seen the 'Jasmine Revolution' in Africa and it is very frightened that the same thing could happen in North Korea," he said. "They fear it could start in the universities."
Professor Shigemura also said that North Korea has purchased anti-riot equipment from China in recent months, including tear gas and batons, while there has been an increased police presence at key points in Pyongyang in recent months
#1
TOPIX > NORTH KOREA THEATENS TO LAUNCH [merciless]"RETALIATORY SACRED WAR" ON SOUTH KOREA, for alleged slander agz it by frontline = DMZ ROK troops.
I'm a'guessin the ROK Boyz weren't too impressed, or silent?, about seeing pics of sickly, starving, near-skeletal Babes on those 2011 DPRK Beach/Bikini Calendars.
#15
WORLD NEWS > NORTH KOREA RUSH TO BUILD APARTMENTS FOR 2012 EVENTS.
Whoa, Soccer = the Asteroid-Solar Flare = Kim Jong-Un's inaugaural = ...
Who knew???
VERSIES
* SAME > [US-Japan] FUTENAM RELOCATION PLAN MAY FALL APART: DEFENSE MINISTER SAYS. Nippon DM Toshimi Kitazawa, as per Local = Mainstream/Popular resistance to relocate MCAS Futenma anywhere in Okinawa Perfecture.
IOW, NIPPON VOTERS = IFF THE AMERS + USMC hav Have HAVE H-A-V-E HHHAAAVVVEEEE, D *** YOU, TO STAY IN JAPAN + OKINAWA, KEEP 'EM WHERE THEY ARE ALREADY AT.
[Dawn] Secretary of the Judicial Commission on slain journalist, Syed Saleem Shehzad has called upon public on Tuesday to provide any relevant information or material they may have that could help with the murder investigation.
"If anyone from the general public, media, civil society, family, friends and acquaintances of the slain journalist has any information or material relevant to his abduction and murder should send it to Federal Secretary Information & Broadcasting and Secretary of the Judicial Commission, Taimur Azmat Osman," said a government spokesperson in a statement.
Any information or material related to Saleem Shehzad must be accompanied by a statement in written, duly verified, that affirms the information/material's authenticity as well as responsibility of the claimant, said the statement.
The statement further said that all information/material must be submitted at the Commission Secretariat, Pakistain Television Corporation (PTVC) Headquarters Islamabad by July 5.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
What is there to learn here? We already know that the guy drove a hundred miles out of town, beat himself up pretty bad, shot himself, and then fell into the canal over there. Really, just an open and shut case. It is hard to understand people like that. You know, they have issues that just build up, and then one day, they snap. Case closed. Move along. Nothing to see here.
[Dawn] Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman Deobandi holy man, known as Mullah Diesel during the war against the Soviets, his sympathies for the Taliban have never been tempered by honesty ... has congratulated Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... chief Altaf Hussain for taking what he called a bold decision to quit the Pakistain People's Party-led coalition government and observed that this step would strengthen the opposition.
According to an MQM blurb, the JUI-F chief held a telephonic contact with Mr Hussain on Tuesday and discussed with him matters relating to the Azad Jammu and Kashmire election, the MQM announcement to sit on the opposition benches and holding of a Kashmire Qaumi Conference.
Maulana Fazl termed the PPP attitude towards the MQM 'undemocratic'
Where undemocratic is defined as we didn't win...
and observed that it had disappointed the people of Kashmire. Mr Hussain apprised the JUI-F chief of reasons behind the MQM decision to quit the coalition government.
Maulana Fazl informed the MQM chief that he was organising an All Parties Kashmire Qaumi Conference on July 28 in which leaders of all political and religious parties would participate. He extended a special invitation to the MQM to participate in the moot.
Accepting the invitation, Mr Hussain assured Maulana Fazl that the MQM would not only take part in the event but also extend its full cooperation in organising the conference.Mr Hussain also praised efforts of the JUI-F chief in highlighting the Kashmire issue.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
IIRC DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > THE DESTRUCTION OF THE [Pak] GOVT. HAS BEGUN: ALTAF HUSSAIN.
A number of Pak Mil Forums Bloggers-Posters want to see how Pak COAS Kayani, aka the alleged unofficial = unelected "REAL RULER/LEADER OF PAKISTAN", sub-aka Pak Army = Armed Forces, will react.
[Dawn] Although the People's Party faces no threat to its governments at the centre and in Sindh, it has asked the Muttahida Qaumi Movement ...English: United National Movement, generally known as MQM, is the 3rd largest political party and the largest secular political party in Pakistain with particular strength in Sindh. From 1992 to 1999, the MQM was the target of the Pak Army's Operation Cleanup leaving thousands of urdu speaking civilians dead... to 'reconsider' its decision of quitting the ruling coalition.
On the other hand, the MQM, which has been a part of governments at the centre and in the province for over a decade, has claimed that "this time we are determined to stick to our decision".
"For the time being, the party's doors are closed for the PPP," said Wasay Jalil, an MQM front man and member of the party's coordination committee. A front man for PPP co-chairman and President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... told Dawn that the presidency had not received the resignations of Sindh Governor Ishratul Ibad or the Muttahida's ministers. Mr Zardari is currently in London on a private visit.
Farhatullah Babar, who was scheduled to reach London by Tuesday morning, said the PPP would continue to pursue the policy of reconciliation in the interest of political stability and would "urge the governor to reconsider his decision to resign".
Mr Babar said the issues facing the country and, particularly Sindh, were "too many" and "complex". He called for strengthening the ongoing policy of reconciliation with all political forces.
The front man expressed the hope that the Sindh governor would reconsider the decision.
In reply to a query, Mr Babar said no meeting between the President and Muttahida chief Altaf Hussain was scheduled during Mr Zardari's stay in London. However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... Mr Babar did not rule out the possibility of a meeting between the two leaders in the wake of the recent development.
He said the president would be staying in London till July 2 and that he would only be able to confirm any such meeting only after reaching there.
Wasay Jalil, a front man for MQM, said the party's decision was "final as it has been taken after a thorough review of the situation and after consultations within the party".
THE PRESIDENT'S SISTER: Zahid Mehmood, the MQM's coordinator for Punjab, held PPP MNA Faryal Talpur, the sister of President Asif Zardari, responsible for the crisis, alleging that she had been supporting a particular candidate for the AJK polls and it was because of her insistence that the PPP even sacrificed its alliance with the MQM. He said the MQM felt that the PPP's attitude had become "dictatorial after it won the support of the Pakistain Mohammedan League-Q as it no more required the MQM's support for getting the budget passed in the National Assembly".
Mr Mehmood said Sindh Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah was a figurehead as the government was being run by people like Faryal Talpur, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, Agha Siraj Durrani and Nadir Magsi.
A love-and-hate game between the two parties has continued since the formation the coalition government in 2008, with the MQM coming out of the federal cabinet and even the federal government once and threatening several times to walk out of the Sindh coalition.
This time, however, the chances of a patch-up, according to some political experts, seem to be slim because the MQM is not ready to trust even Interior Minister Rehman Malik Pak politician, current Interior Minister under the Gilani administration. Malik is a former Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) intelligence officer who rose to head the FIA during Benazir Bhutto's second tenure. He later joined the Pak Peoples Party and was chief security officer to Bhutto. Malik was tossed from his FIA job in 1998 after documenting the breath-taking corruption of the Sharif family. By unhappy coincidence Näwaz Shärif became PM at just that moment and Malik moved to London one step ahead of the button men. , who had always played a role of a mediator between the two parties in the past due to his personal relations with MQM chief Altaf Hussain.
INTERESTING TIMES
The country has been facing political turmoil since the day the then Sindh home minister, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, made a controversial speech in Bloody Karachi on Dec 13 last year, and also after the sacking of Religious Affairs Minister Hamid Saeed Kazmi and JUI-F's minister Azam Swati over the Haj scam the following day.
Angered by the sacking of Mr Swati, the JUI-F announced parting of ways with the PPP-led coalition government and decided to sit on the opposition benches.
On the same day, the MQM gave a 10-day ultimatum to the PPP asking it to explain Dr Mirza's remarks blaming the MQM for murders in Bloody Karachi. On the expiry of the deadline the MQM quit the federal cabinet and its two ministers submitted their resignations to President Zardari.
Later the MQM decided to sit on the opposition benches when the government raised oil prices.
However, there's more than one way to stuff a chicken... when the government withdrew the increase in oil prices and the prime minister visited the MQM's headquarters in Bloody Karachi in January, the party announced that it would again sit on treasury benches, but categorically refused to join the federal cabinet.
At that time, the MQM had stated that although the main concern for the party was the law and order situation in Bloody Karachi, the government's decision to raise oil prices had just provided the party an opportunity to quit the ruling coalition.
The 25-member MQM rejoined the federal government last month when it was left with no other option due to an intelligent move by PPP to lure the PML-Q into the cabinet and sidelining of Dr Zulfiqar Mirza by President Zardari.
The recent AJK elections finally ended the marriage of inconvenience between the two parties.
The numerical strength of the political parties shows that the PPP now enjoys a comfortable majority both in the National and Sindh assemblies. Even without the MQM, the PPP, which has 128 MNAs, enjoys the support of some 200 MNAs in the 342-member lower house -- thanks to the PML-Q's decision to join the ruling coalition.
The MQM's decision is not expected to affect the PPP's government in Sindh as the party enjoys a comfortable majority in the Sindh Assembly with more than 100 MPAs sitting on the treasury benches in the 168-member house.
The composition is very interesting as representatives of all political parties, whether sitting on treasury or opposition benches, are members of the provincial cabinet.
The opposition leader in the Sindh Assembly, Madad Ali Khan, is from the Pakistain Mohammedan League-Functional (PML-F), whereas two members of the party are ministers and two others are advisers to the chief minister.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2011 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] MQM Ministers Dr Farooq Sattar, Babar Ghauri and Dr Nadeem sent their resignations to President Zardari on Tuesday, DawnNews reported.
The MQM on Monday decided to part ways with the Pakistain People's Party and sit on opposition benches in the National Assembly, Senate and Sindh Assembly in protest against the postponement of election on two Bloody Karachi seats of the Azad Jamu and Kashmire Legislative Assembly.
Thirteen provincial ministers and one adviser also handed over their resignations in the Sindh Assembly to MQM Parliamentary Leader Syed Sardar Ahmed.
Provincial ministers Faisal Sabzwari and Dr Saghir Ahmed will resign upon their return to Pakistain from abroad.
The resignations received by Syed Sardar Ahmed have been sent to the acting Governor of Sindh, Nisar Khuhro.
The MQM said it would join the opposition ranks at the national level and in the southern province of Sindh, citing the "dictatorial" and "brutal" approach of the ruling Pakistain People's Party.
The move has left the PPP with a slender majority in the national government, and analysts believe it could ultimately lead to snap polls.
"Our 14 ministers in the Sindh provincial government tendered their resignations today," MQM front man Wasey Jalil said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Damn, I like he MQM. They want to abolish Jamaat i-islami, as a terrorist organization. You have to like muslim on muslim violence.
[Dawn] Pakistain on Tuesday called for the "blame game" to stop as the United States, Afghanistan and Pakistain met to discuss security in the region amid a Taliban insurgency and heightened tensions over cross border shelling. No matter how reprehensible Pakistain's conduct might become, they're never to be reprehended...
President Hamid Maybe I'll join the Taliban Karzai ... A former Baltimore restaurateur, now 12th and current President of Afghanistan, displacing the legitimate president Rabbani in December 2004. He was installed as the dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001 in a vain attempt to put a Pashtun face on the successor state to the Taliban. After the 2004 presidential election, he was declared president regardless of what the actual vote count was. He won a second, even more dubious, five-year-term after the 2009 presidential election. His grip on reality has been slipping steadily since around 2007, probably from heavy drug use... has condemned the firing of 470 rockets from Pakistain into Afghanistan over the past three weeks. Islamabad says only that "a few accidental rounds" may have crossed the border when it pursued hard boyz who had attacked its security forces. It's kinda hard to imagine an accidental discharge of 470 heavy rockets...
It's the new kid -- he's kind of clumsy, y'see, and he tripped and fell against the master release lever, and...well, we're glad it was only four hundred and seventy that took off, not the whole 10,000.
The escalation of fighting on the border between Pakistain's ethnic Pashtun tribal areas and Afghanistan has underscored the difficulties the three countries face in working together to reach a political settlement to the 10-year Afghan war.
"We need to end this blame-game," Salman Bashir, Pakistain's Foreign Secretary, told a news conference after a meeting of three countries in Kabul, without making any specific reference to border shelling.
"We need to take ownership for our own affairs, this problem will not go away if we keep on pointing finger at each other, we have done it for too long and I think it is time that our two great nations decide."
Afghanistan has often blamed elements within the Pakistain government for supporting the Taliban insurgency.
Pakistain blames Afghanistan for giving refuge to hard boyz on its side of the border, particularly in eastern Kunar province, ... which is right down the road from Chitral... leaving it vulnerable to counter-attack when it chases them out of its own tribal areas.
The talks were formally aimed at mapping out plans for reconciliation with the Taliban, but the shelling had been expected to dominate the agenda.
The meeting, between US envoy Marc Grossman and top diplomats from Afghanistan and Pakistain, followed President Barack B.O. Obama's announcement last week of a faster-than-expected troop withdrawal, accompanied by talks with the Taliban.
Top military commanders of Pakistain, Afghanistan and the United States met in Kabul on Monday to review the situation on the border, a Pakistain army statement said.
Pakistain, badly bruised after US forces found and killed the late Osama bin Laden ... who had a brief but splitting headache... in the Pak town of Abbottabad on May 2, is keen to show it has a constructive role to play in helping the United States to bring stability to Afghanistan.
It has long wanted the United States to hold talks with the Taliban to seek a political settlement to the Afghan conflict which it says is fuelling its own domestic religious insurgency.
The United States has come some way towards sharing that view, opening its own preliminary talks with the Taliban.
Karzai has also been pushing for reconciliation with the Taliban and for the first time in the 10-year war, Pakistain, Afghanistan and the United States all share -- in theory at least -- a commitment to seek a political settlement.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
a couple of MOABs should be dropped on ISI HQ on a biz day and after that starts sinking into their retarded brains... then... maybe we could discuss quietly with Pakistan if they planned 911 with Osama.
Posted by: Water Modem ||
06/29/2011 2:06 Comments ||
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#2
i say just fuck all of them. withdraw, who cares about there menial problems and there small time moneys. It's a fucking waste. instead just have a tinny/pint and make the world fall at peace with you. (p.s. this tactic might take all night, if not a few hours more)
Posted by: Paul D ||
06/29/2011 16:02 Comments ||
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#4
DAILY TIMES.PK > PAKISTAN TELLS US TO LEAVE DRONE AIR BASE [Shamsi AB].
and
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > [US, Pak] OFFICIALS:OSAMA WASN'T RUNNING AL-QAEDA FROM ABBOTTABAD | ... OSAMA WAS LIKE A "CRAZY OLD UNCLE" [trying to to the younger generation of Jihadi Leaders + Fighters.
OSAMA = trying to "stay involved" despite declining role or influence???
Personally, I don't believe it - as said before, unless his health was in steady decline the OBL I remember would not had tolerated or allowed such a thing to happen.
* SAME > WEST [quietly] QUERIES CHINA OVER PAKISTAN ATOMIC TIES.
IOW, SSSSHHHHHH "True Intentions" as per Sino-Pak Agreements on NucEnergy-only, as opposed to NucWeaps = covert NucEnergy-into-NucWeapons???
* TOPIX > OBAMA: US TO PREVENT MILITANT TAKEOVER [control]OF AFGHANISTAN | US WILL NOT ABANDON AFGHANISTAN + PAKISTAN, + will continue wid dedicated ANTI-AL-QAEDA EFFORTS = DRONE, MIL OPERATIONS.
versus
* DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS > US GENERAL: PAKISTAN WILL NOT SEARCH FOR MULLAH OMAR.
[Dawn] A ceremony was held in Bangkok on Tuesday to formally affect the transfer of another 11 Pak prisoners to Pakistain in accordance with the Pakistain-Thailand Agreement on "Cooperation in the Transfer of Offenders and Enforcement of Penal Sentences." They're less capable of behaving themselves in somebody else's country than they are in their own, and they're not real well-behaved at home...
These 11 prisoners are part of the second batch of 22 prisoners being transferred to Pakistain. The first group of 11 prisoners had arrived in Pakistain on 22 June 2011, according to a blurb issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here on Tuesday.
The first batch of 8 prisoners was transferred to Pakistain in December 2010.
At today's Transfer Ceremony, Pakistain's Ambassador to Thailand Sohail Mahmood represented the Pakistain Government. The Thai side was represented by Deputy Director General of the Department of Corrections, Thanis Sriyaphan.
This transfer of offenders is the outcome of an inter-governmental process and represents close cooperation between Pakistain and Thailand in the consular field.
Since the bilateral Agreement came into effect in December 2009, the two governments have made proactive efforts to ensure its fast-track implementation.
In this context, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, and Embassy of Pakistain in Bangkok have been working closely to advance this objective, the blurb added.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2011 00:00 ||
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NATO revealed that it is using Twitter messages ("tweets") from Tripoli to help locate the best targets for air attack in Libya. The tweets are part of a large database of material collected from public sources (mainly the Internet), used in conjunction with classified data, and used to determine where the best targets are. This is not unique, it's part of a trend.
That thing we do has resulted in a lot of raids, a shocking percentage of which are successful -- and we're accelerating up a learning curve nobody has climbed before. Strategy Page doing what they do best, worth the few minutes it will take to read. Hat tip newc.
[An Nahar] Premier Najib Miqati reiterated on Tuesday Leb's "unanimous" decision to reject the naturalization of Paleostinians but vowed to provide them with the "necessary attention" to resolve their plight.
During talks with the Paleostinian president's envoy, Azzam al-Ahmed, Miqati said: "The Lebanese government will work to give the humanitarian and social issues of Paleostinians in the refugee camps the necessary attention in cooperation with involved international agencies."
Miqati said however that "Leb unanimously rejects the naturalization of Paleostinians in Leb and holds onto their right of return home to an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital."
Warning about the Israeli danger, the prime minister said the Jewish state's "violations and attacks should provide the Lebanese with the incentive to heed the continued danger that Israel poses on Leb and push them towards national unity."
He told the envoy that the Paleostinian cause should be at the top of the priorities of Arab and Islamic countries.
Paleostinian unity also gives the different factions the required "immunity" to confront Israel, Miqati said.
Posted by: Fred ||
06/29/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
"Naturalize them? Seriously? Have you seen them? Like cockroaches!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
06/29/2011 8:31 Comments ||
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#2
Leb's "unanimous" decision to reject the naturalization of Paleostinians but vowed to provide them with the "necessary attention" to resolve their plight.
Diplo-speak for "Let's you and him fight. Over there. Way over there."
#3
IMO just more evidencia among many that even iff the Paleos get their sovereign state, the burden will be mostly or wholly on Israel to econ care for them.
ARAB-MUSLIM HISTORY = the main/primary opponents to the success of any new PA State in the ME won't besomuch the Israelis, but other neighboring Muslim Govts-States.
* SAME > [KSA Prince-Diplomat Turkic al-Faisal]SAUDI PRINCE WARNS: WE WILL WILL BUILD NUKES IFF IRAN GETS THEM | RIYADH WILL BUILD NUCLEAR WEAPONS IFF GETS THEM.
Prince Turkic al-Faisal is essens repeating the 2008 warning by King Abdullah to the US-West as per the START OF A REGION-WIDE NUCLEAR ARMS RACE, INCLUD BUT NOT LIMITED TO SAUDI ARABIA, IFF IRAN DE FACTO ACQUIRES NUCWEAPS.
ARTIC, SAUDI ROYALS' WARNINGS also read, NUCLEAR DEFENSE AGZ ANTI-GOVT/ESTABLISHMENT ASYMMETRIC NUCLEAR MILITANCY-TERRORISM.
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.
Lindsey Graham
The Republic of Ingushetia Security Council unconditionally rejected claims by officials in neighboring Chechnya that Doku Umarov has returned to the Caucasus after getting medical treatment in Turkey and may be hiding in the mountainous Jeyrakh district of southern Ingushetia.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
Asif Ali 
Punjab
Najib Miqati
