(IranMania) - Iranian Minister of commerce expressed hope that the Iranian bank will be inaugurated in Belarus within the next three months, MNA reported.
Massud Mirkazemi added that Export Development Bank of Iran (EDBI), Bank Saderat Iran, and Bank Refah Kargaran will jointly establish a bank in Belarus.
Attending the 8th session of Iran-Belarus Joint Economic Commission, the Belarusian Industry Minister Anatoliy Rusetskiy confirmed the news.
South Korea and the United States kicked off their annual joint military drill Monday despite strong protests from North Korea ahead of a summit between the neighboring rivals. The Ulchi Focus Lens drill, which runs through Aug. 31, comes as the two Koreas prepare for the second summit between their leaders since the peninsula was divided after World War II. The first summit was in 2000.
The Korean leader's summit and the military exercise were originally due to overlap, but the summit has been rescheduled to Oct. 2-4 because of extensive flood damage in the North. The joint military exercise - conducted every year since 1975 - is largely a computer-simulated war game, involving about 10,000 US troops in South Korea
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Stand ready, the Norks are pissed. They just might throw the 25 million right back in the US's face. They won't...Ohh...ok?!
#3
Just be glad we aren't taking the drill north of the 38th parallel, Kimmie. Not like you could do anything to stop us if we really wanted your country anyway...
INDIAN doctor Mohamed Haneef will today learn whether he will be allowed to return to work in Australia.
Immigration Minister Kevin Andrews cancelled the former terror suspect's work visa on character grounds last month saying he had a reasonable suspicion Dr Haneef had "associated" with terrorists.
He referred specifically to Dr Haneef's second cousins Kafeel and Sabeel Ahmed, both allegedly involved in failed bomb plots in the UK in June.
Dr Haneef's lawyers have appealed the decision and at a hearing in the Federal Court at Brisbane on August 8, they argued for his visa to be reinstated so he can continue his physician training at the Gold Coast Hospital.
They disputed the minister's use of the word "association" and questioned whether any relationship with an alleged criminal, even an innocent one, would be enough to justify a visa cancellation.
Solicitor General David Bennett QC, told the court "association" in the minister's usage, was more like "mates" to the average Australian.
He said not only had Mr Haneef given his mobile phone SIM card to Sabeel Ahmed when he left the UK last year, but he had borrowed money from Kafeel and stayed with the brothers for a short time.
Following the day-and-a-half long hearing, Justice Jeffrey Spender reserved his decision until noon (AEST) today.
Dr Haneef still wanted to return to work in Australia, his lawyer Peter Russo said today.
Mr Russo said he spoke to Dr Haneef, who is still in India, last night.
"The main issue is what he wants to do in the future," Mr Russo told ABC radio.
"And it's his wish to return to Australia to continue his studies."
However, Mr Russo said there were some issues with that.
"The main issue is that he doesn't have a visa, but the other issue is that perhaps his family may not think that it's the wisest thing for him to do."
#1
perhaps they should let him stay, release his mug shot/accusations/likely whereabouts to the nationwide media and pull back any security. Let nature take its' course. Medical trauma training firsthand
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/20/2007 19:56 Comments ||
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#2
How long would an atheist last as a talk show host in America. He is right about Islam but he is just as offensive to Judaism and Catholicism and Protestantism.....He just doesn't like any religion. We already have Christopher Hitchens - we don't need another one like him.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/20/2007 9:57 Comments ||
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#3
The fool has said in his heart, There is no God.
#4
I'll put this in the most polite fashion possible.
At some point Christians need to realize that surviving Islam will likely reside in making an alliance with all other religions including agnostics, atheists and pagans. None of us have the luxury of thinking that our freedom can be protected adequately by each of ours' own individual numbers. Only a united front with the poltical and military will to crush Islam utterly will stand a snowball's chance in hell of seeing this through.
I urge those of all other faiths and even no faith at all to please understand this. United we must surely stand. To remain divided is to falldie.
Police said an Egyptian hijacker who commandeered a Turkish passenger plane together with a Turkish citizen had received training at an al-Qaida camp and wanted to be flown to Iran and to join al-Qaida in Afghanistan, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported Monday.
The two men, wielding a fake bomb and claiming al-Qaida ties, hijacked the plane early Saturday after it took off from northern Cyprus, and held passengers and crew hostage for more than four hours before surrendering peacefully at Turkish Mediterranean resort Antalya.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#4
Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan once created the Regional Cooperation and Development agency to work together to strengthen the economy of all three nations. The Mullahs backed out after they took over in 1979. I wouldn't be surprised to see them try to re-create that agency, and to work with Turkey and Pakistan again. Iran needs both nations for economic reasons, and would love to strengthen military ties - expecially any that would shut out the US. My guess, the answer to Jack's question is "Yes".
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/20/2007 14:16 Comments ||
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The family and legal team of a British resident jailed in Spain as a terror suspect claim he is the victim of the Spanish equivalent of Guantánamo Bay.
As if Zappie and the Socialists are capable of anything tougher than the comfy chair ...
Mohammed Fahsi has been detained for more than 18 months after being arrested by Spanish police who claimed to have struck a blow against a recruiting network that was sending suicide bombers to Iraq.
Mr Fahsi, 40, was granted residency in Britain two years ago after marrying a Nottingham primary school teacher, Khadija Podd. They have three children. She said: "They detained him and the other members of the legal mosque association which worked in tandem with the town council, near Barcelona," said Ms Podd who has been married to Mr Fahsi for 10 years. "Then they took him and the others to a detention centre in Madrid, where they tortured them for four days."
"They made him sit in that chair the entire time, the infidels!"
While her Moroccan-born husband is being treated well in Mansilla de La Mullas prison near León, she said that when he was first arrested, he and others suffered "cold, sleep deprivation, extreme light, beating, threats, forcing them to denounce their religion, trying to coerce them to lie and incriminate fellow detainees".
Ms Podd, a graduate in philosophy and comparative religion from King's College London who met Mr Fahsi when teaching in Spain, said that one of the lawyers in the case referred to Spain as "the other Guantánamo".
"It's pretty shocking that these sorts of abuses are going on in Spain," said Clive Stafford-Smith, a human rights lawyer, who has been following the case. "The parallels with Guantánamo are manifest and the British government should be acting to get him out, too. We are talking about human rights not British rights and the British government should be standing up for human rights everywhere."
not to mention a more equitable allocation of ponies.
Asked about the torture allegations a spokesman for the Civil Guard said: "Absolutely not. You have to have evidence before you make these types of accusations ... Lots of people make complaints like this. It has become very normal. This is the first line of defence of the criminal." He denied prisoners were kept naked and said they might be blindfolded while being moved from one place to another.
Posted by: lotp ||
08/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Posted by: Chief torturer Los del RÃo ||
08/20/2007 3:01 Comments ||
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#5
This false accusation of torture just points out the death wishes of the Liberals in the UK and Europe. Liberalism doesn't allow for defense in the face of those who would destroy you. Instead you make up claims of torture where none exists. Fools.
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal central leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Sunday that the recent Pak-Afghan peace jirga was meaningless without the Taliban's presence in it. "The Taliban are the real stakeholders, and not Pakistan and the Afghansitan government. No one can even think of peace in the region until the Taliban's importance is accepted", he said while addressing an annual Dastar Bandi in Darvesh Masjid.
Heroin and Kalashnikov culture were the byproducts of the Afghan war, he said, adding that the Taliban regime eliminated these menaces from Afghanistan and brought real peace and stability.
Replying a question, he said the Wafaqul Madaris was being weakened and madrassas were slowly abolished under a conspiracy.
Fazl said if the democratic process in the country was wrapped up religious parties would be the ultimate losers. He said the MMA-led government in the NWFP had made progress toward achieving its objectives. He regretted that Pakistan had become isolated in the comity of nations due to its ill-conceived foreign policy. It is no more on friendly terms with neighboring countries, including Afghanistan, India and China, he observed. "The US was present in Afghanistan to serve its own interests. America and other imperialist powers are equating jihad with terrorism. They are maligning Islam and provoking Muslims to raise arms so that they could be crushed in the US war on terror," he said. "We will have to show sagacity in the prevailing situation."
He said that he believed in politics of wisdom rather than weapons and that the incidents like Lal Masjid and the May 12 violence in Karachi could not be forgotten.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2007 00:34 ||
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The Swat peace committee ended its jirga on Sunday, with a decision that suicide attacks, especially those targeting police and security forces, are "haraam" (forbidden). The peace committee arranged the jirga at a mosque in tehsil Matta. Maulana Fazl-e-Haq chaired the jirga, and National Assembly members Fazl-e-Subhan and Maulana Azizullah also participated. The jirga also passed a resolution demanding President Pervez Musharraf step down after "failing to control law and order". Through another resolution, they demanded that non-government organisations (NGOs) immediately stop employing women in the district. The jirga urged prayer leaders to utilise their respective mosques as platforms to promote peace in the district.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2007 00:31 ||
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#1
But still no fatwan against those who sanction homicide bombing as halal, so I guess it's all taqiyya bullshit. Carry on.
Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto warned on Saturday that the threat of terrorism in the country's northwest tribal zones would not go away while a military government was in power, agencies reported. "The root cause of the problem lies in the government's inability to enforce its writ in the tribal areas," Bhutto told Canada's CBC public television channel. "As long as we have a cabinet ... that needs the threat of terrorism to sustain a military dictatorship in Pakistan we're never going to get rid of terrorism," she said of the leadership of President Pervez Musharraf.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2007 00:28 ||
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#1
They'll have terrorism there until the sign at the border says "Pakiwakiland - pop. 0"
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
08/20/2007 8:40 Comments ||
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#2
Prediction: The parking on the Left will become the parking on the Right. Meet the new boss ... yada yada yada ...
More and more countries are now eager to learn from the Indian Army's experience in dealing with counter terrorism and insurgency operations. The Indian Army, will hold as many as 10 joint military exercises with countries ranging from Maldives, Seychelles, Thailand and Mongolia to Russia, UK, China and, the US, during this year, Indias leading English daily "The Times of India" reported Sunday. The focus of these exercises will be counter-terrorism, in urban and rural settings, The Times of India said.
The Indian Army has held around 20 joint exercises with the US over the last five years. Along with the navies and air forces, almost 50 Indo-US military exercises have been held during the last five-six years.
The Indian Army's Counter-Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School at Vairengte in Northeastern state of Mizoram is popular among the foreign armies for guerrilla warfare training.
The exercise with the Royal Thai Army, named "Maitree", will be held in India from September 1-19 to share experiences in counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism, The Times reported.
#1
I think the US is developing a pretty good counter-insurgency record in Iraq and Afghanistan, in spite of the self-imposed limits of current rules of engagement. I would like the US to develop its own counter-insurgency school. India indeed has a lot of experience with insurgent groups, and some success. They manage to hold the "Line of Control", and keep the insurgency in the Assam area under control, but their success against the Communists in Uttar Pradesh isn't so hot. The communists in Nepal are on the verge of establishing control there. India's making the same mistake the US is - attacking the symptoms (terrorists) instead of the disease (State sponsorsship of Islam-based terrorism).
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/20/2007 14:37 Comments ||
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#2
India's making the same mistake the US is - attacking the symptoms (terrorists) instead of the disease (State sponsorship of Islam-based terrorism).
Spot on, OP! Now, would someone please use an icepick to engrave tattoo this on the forehead of every American politician? Swatting hornets will never get rid of the hivemind nest.
#3
welllll gotta agree there, Zen... ice-pick thick is a little much, though I'd offer Barbara Boxer as the Guinea Pig for the experimental trial. Can't hurt....
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/20/2007 22:40 Comments ||
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is planning to make his first visit to Iraq, the highest level trip by an Iranian leader since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki invited Ahmadinejad after he visited Tehran earlier this month, the ISNA student news agency reported.
"This invitation has been accepted and the preparation is underway. When the trip becomes definite we will make an announcement," Mottaki said in Iran's holy second city of Mashhad late on Sunday.
Mottaki visited Iraq himself in May 2006 while Iran's top national security official Ali Larijani travelled to the conflict-torn country in April 2007.
However neither Ahmadinejad nor his predecessor Mohammad Khatami have visited Iraq since the toppling of Saddam in 2003.
Such a visit would emphasise the strong relations between Tehran and the Shiite-led government in Baghdad, which have caused considerable unease in Washington.
The United States accuses Iran of helping supply sophisticated tank-penetrating bombs into Iraq for attacks against US troops and helping train Shiite militias. Iran denies the charges.
US President George W. Bush publicly contradicted reported comments by Maliki during his trip that Iran was playing a constructive role in Iraq, saying he would have a "heart-to-heart" with the prime minister.
Iraq President Jalal Talabani has been a frequent visitor to Tehran, his last trip coming in June.
Maliki made his first official trip to Iran in September 2006, while the first visit by an Iraqi premier since the fall of Saddam was made by Maliki's predecessor, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, in July 2005.
Iran and Iraq waged a war between 1980 and 1988 in which around one million people died but the fall of Saddam's Sunni-dominated regime led to a transformation in ties.
Posted by: Paul ||
08/20/2007 11:57 Comments ||
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#2
Yup, Paul. We need to cap this evil midget's ass nine ways to Sunday. Best of all would be to pin it on the Sunnis. Dumptrucks of popcorn wouldn't even begin to address the demand after that.
#5
I came across this site which like me believe Saudi Arabia is up there with Iran as being our biggest enemies!!!!
www.asecondlookatthesaudis.com
Posted by: Paul ||
08/20/2007 13:16 Comments ||
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#6
From Paul's very informative link:
In fact, Saudi Arabia has now been financially linked to the Bali nightclub bombings on October 12, 2002, which killed 202 people; the Madrid train bombings on March 11, 2004, which killed 191 people; the Beslan middle school massacre on September 3, 2004, in which 330 hostages were killed (including 186 school children); the London subway bombings on July 7, 2005, which killed 56 people; and the Mumbai train bombings on July 11, 2006, which killed 209 people.
While I still maintain that dismantling Iran's nuclear R&D labs and theocratic government remain a top priority, Saudi Arabia is certainly rocketing its way to the top of our Christmas list.
For any of you who have not read this (admittedly dated) article about Prince Turki al-Faisal, here's another link to it. The Saudi royals are up to their necks in global terrorism. We really need to appropriate the Ghawar oilfield to compensate ourselves for the expense of fighting Saudi financed terrorism.
#10
You all just calm down. I know the possibilities are exciting, but I'm sure Admiral Yamamoto has taken the necessary security precautions. Oops, did I say Admiral Yamamoto? Heh. I meant Ahmadinejad.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. media reporting of the war in Iraq fell sharply in the second quarter of 2007, largely due to a drop in coverage of the Washington-based policy debate, a study released Monday said.
Taken together, the war's three major story lines -- the U.S. policy debate, events in Iraq and their impact on the U.S. homefront -- slipped roughly a third, to 15 percent of an index of total news coverage, down from 22 percent in the first three months of the year.
The study by the Project for Excellence in Journalism examined 18,010 stories that appeared between April 1 and June 29. Its "News Coverage Index" encompasses 48 outlets, including newspapers, radio, online, cable and network television. The project is a research group studying and evaluating press performance. It describes itself as nonpartisan, nonideological and nonpolitical. The index is designed as an audit of a broad cross-section of U.S. news media.
The 2008 presidential campaign -- with its crowded field for the Democratic and Republican party nominations -- emerged as the top story in U.S. media in the second quarter, overtaking the Iraq policy debate, the biggest thread of the three Iraq-related storylines, the survey found.
Attention to the war dropped in all five media sectors surveyed. Network evening news, the sector that gave the war the greatest share of attention in the first quarter, scaled back more than 40 percent, from 33 percent in the first quarter to 19 percent in the second, the study showed. On cable television, another leader in first-quarter coverage, the slide was nearly as great, from 23 percent of news reported to 14 percent -- a drop of 39 percent, the project said.
The bulk of the fall took place after May 24, when Congress approved war funding without including troop withdrawal timetables. This was widely viewed by the media as a victory for President George W. Bush in a political battle with Congress sparked by his January 10 troop "surge" announcement. "In the aftermath, the debate itself quieted, as did coverage," the report said.
News from inside Iraq in the media surveyed became even more focused on Americans rather than Iraqis in the second quarter, the study found. Fully 55 percent of coverage about events on the ground dealt with U.S. combat and casualties, U.S. troop activities and soldiers charged with crimes, it said.
This must be the equivalent of the Manhattan Project or sending a man to the moon. Not impossible but it will take a long time and use a lot of trees.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/20/2007 11:56 Comments ||
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#2
Fully 55 percent of coverage about events on the ground dealt with U.S. combat and casualties, U.S. troop activities and soldiers charged with crimes, it said.
C'mon, guys and gals. I'll bet you could bump that up to 85, 90, 100% if ya hire more Al-Qaeda stringers to do your jobs for you.
Posted by: Harry Reid ||
08/20/2007 13:21 Comments ||
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#5
The war goes well--I guess the MSM will go back to slamming Bush, hating the U.S.A. and reporting the evils of mankind and their link to global warming.
#6
The media is hedging it's bets. IF the war looks well by the time the elections roll around their team is finished. Better to lay low and let the debates cover other topics that their guys might be stronger on.
BAGHDAD - French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner made a surprise visit to Iraq on Sunday and offered his countryÂ’s support to try to end the turmoil, as local leaders agreed on the agenda for a key summit. KouchnerÂ’s visit is the first by a French minister since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, which Paris vehemently opposed, putting a heavy strain on relations with Washington.
Shortly after his arrival, Kouchner visited the fortified UN compound in Baghdad to pay tribute to 22 people killed when the world bodyÂ’s former headquarters was hit by a powerful bomb exactly four years ago. Among those who died was the head of the mission Sergio Vieira de Mello, a personal friend of Kouchner, and three UN officials who had worked with the French minister when he was the United Nations administrator in Kosovo.
Accompanied by his Iraqi counterpart Hoshyar Zebari and the UN deputy special representative in Iraq, Michael von der Schulenburg, Kouchner laid a wreath in front of a simple memorial to those killed in the blast.
Kouchner offered to support efforts by Iraqis and the United Nations to halt the bloodshed. “We are ready to be useful, but the solution is in Iraqi hands, not in French hands,” he told reporters after holding talks with Zebari.
Kouchner three-day visit, so soon after President Nicolas Sarkozy made a fence-building trip to the United States, will be seen as a sign that France is ready to seek a role in Iraq. But he made it clear that France had no regrets about its original decision to oppose US intervention in Iraq, and insisted there could be no military solution to the conflict.
Later Sunday, Kouchner was to meet Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki who is due to leave on a three-day visit to Syria on Monday.
Orrin Judd says it best: "Meanwhile, Jacques Chirac was last seen buying soap-on-a-rope."
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner made a surprise visit to Iraq on Sunday and offered his countryÂ’s support to try to end the turmoil...
After the visit, Iraqi officials practiced rolling eyes and one oficil hd to be hospitlized as he was unable to stop laughing hysterically when his collegue quoted some selected Kouchner's utterances.
#3
Bernard Kouchner has coauthored a book exposing the crimes of Saddam (and if my memoryt is any good justifying his topping) a crime for which he (Kouchner) was pilloried by all the Comunisto-Vichisto-Chiraquian intellectuals and MSM (99% of them).
So please refraining of comments klike the one from twovyfour.
The situation is: there ia new team in charge and thuis team is trying to undo the harm done since De Gaulle.
Now you must remember that after 62 years of brain washing teh French as a people are anti-american so for now teh recovery is frail: Sarkozy has to compose both with his public opinion, with our friends of the MSM (spit) and with teh available political and administrative personel. In addition in five years he will face a new election. The recovery in French American relations will be solid only when the population has been deprogrammedf and this will take decades.
So keep in perspective that in five years FRance could beciome an enemy again but in the interim try to encourage the new administration instead of doung such disparaging comments.
There will be more joy in heaven for one repentant sinner than for one hundred justs.
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/20/2007 6:54 Comments ||
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#5
Beautifully said, JFM. We'll keep rooting for President Sarkozy and his (and that of the many wise Frenchmen and women who voted him into office) vision of France.
#7
Now you must remember that after 62 years of brain washing teh French as a people are anti-american so for now teh recovery is frail
In 2x4s defense, remember that we have 62 years of considering the French as a people who would do everything in their power to screw us, no matter what the circumstances. Let us hope Sarkozy can change opinions on both sides. Personally, I am sceptical, but will be delighted to be proved wrong.
#8
I knew the world was completely upside-down.
So we have lost Britian and gained France.
Does this mean all score cards will be printed in two languages now ?
#10
JFM, I have faith in the average person in France, but little with its entrenched bureaucracy. I hope President Sarkozy can change the attitude of the French governing class (and MSM) regarding the United States, but until I see evidence that such changes have taken place, I will continue to "(mis)trust, but verify". French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is indeed an honorable man, and understands the world we currently inhabit, instead of the dream world the rest of the French governing class seems to live in. The best thing France can do to prove itself truly on the right track is to cooperate with the investigation into the "oil for palaces" schemes of the UN and Saddam Hussein, and punish those Frenchmen who are guilty of aiding and abetting those criminals.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/20/2007 14:51 Comments ||
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#11
Does this mean the wife and I can start drinking White-Star again?
#12
When no one from the ENA or ENS is in the French administration, then will it be possible for us to be allies. Until then, the French elite will continue to assure that France's primary foreign policy goal is to subvert America, regardless of what it's President wants, just as the Department of State/CIA runs its own independent foreign policy.
The US military is nearing the end of its investigation of Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse with the court-martial of Army Lt. Col. Steven L. Jordan, who is accused of approving some mistreatment, allowing it to continue and lying about it afterward.
A trial for Jordan, 51, will begin Monday at Fort Meade, Maryland. He has pleaded innocent to the six charges, which could bring a 16 1/2-year prison sentence. He is the last of 12 defendants - and the only officer - charged in a probe triggered by photographs showing low-ranking US soldiers assaulting and humiliating naked detainees at the prison in Iraq in late 2003 and early 2004.
Jordan, the former director of the prison's interrogation center, is not in any of the pictures but is charged with illegally approving the use of dogs and nudity during interrogations.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Unites States Marine Corp
U.S. MARINE CORPS FORCE CENTRAL COMMAND
7116 SOUTH BOUNDARY BOULEVARD
MACDILL AIRFORCE BASE, FLORIDA 33621-5101
AUG 08 2007
From: Commander
To: Lance Corporal Justin L. Sharratt, U.S. Marine Corps
Subj: DISPOSITION OF CASE
Ref: (a) Commandant of the Marine Corps ltr to Commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command ded 06 Jun 2006 (Subj: Designation as Consolidated Disposition Authority for Any Necessary Administrative Actions Relative to the Haditha Investigation)
(b) Army Regulation 15-6 Investigation of Events in Haditha, Iraq on 19 November 2005 (MG Bargewell AR 15-6) dtd 15 June 06 Forwarding Endorsements
(c) The Naval Criminal Investigation Service's Reports of Investigation Concerning the Haditha Incident from 12 April 2006 to 25 May 2007
(d) Uniform Code of Military Justice Article 32 Investigating Officer Report ICO United States v. Lance Corporal Justin L. Sharratt, U.S. Marine Corps
1. Pursuant to reference (a), and based upon my thorogh consideration of reference (b), (c), and (d), I have determined that the charges in your case will be dismissed without prejudice. I have made this decision based upon all of the evidence and have specifically considered the recommendation articulated in references (d) from the Article 32 Investigating Officer and his determination that the evidence does not support a referral to a court-martial.
2. The experience of combat is difficult to understand intellectually and very difficult to appreciate emotionally. One of our Nation's most articulate Supreme Court Justices, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., served as an infantryman during the Civil War and described war as an "incommunicatable experience." He has also noted elsewhere that "detached reflection cannot be demanded in the face of an uplifted knife." Marines have a well earned reputation for remaining cool in the face of enemies brandishing much more than knives. The brutal reality that Justice Holmes described is experienced each day in Iraq, where you willingly put yourself at great risk to protect innocent civilians. Where the enemy disregards any attempt to comply with ethical norms of warfare, we exercise discipline and restraint to protect the innocent caught on the battlefield. Our way is right, but it is also difficult.
3. The event in which you were engaged on 19 November 2005 has been exhaustively examined by Marine, Army, and Naval Criminal Investigative Service investigators. An independent Article 32 Investigating Officer has considered all the facts and concluded that you acted in accordance with the rules of engagment. His comments on the evidence are contained in reference (d). The intense examination into this incident, and into your conduct, has been necessary to maintain our discipline standards and, in the words of the Marines' Hymn, "To keep our honor clean." I recognize that you have been through a most difficult experience. I am optimistic that you remained aware that you were, and have always been entitled to, and received the benefit of, the presumtion of innocense that is the bedrock of our military justince system.
4. You have served as a Marine infantryman in Iraq where our Nation is fighting a shadowy enemy who hides among the innocent people, does not comply with any respect of the law of war, and routinely targets and intentionally draws fire toward civilians. As you well know, the challenges of this combat experience put extreme pressures on you and your fellow Marines. Operational, moral, and legal imperatives demand that we Marines stay true to our standards and maintain compliance with the law of war in this morally bruising environment. With the dismissal of these charges you may fairly conclude that you did your best to live up to the standards, followed by U.S. fighting men throughout our many wars, in the face of life and death decisions made by you in a matter of seconds in combat. And as you have always remained cloaked in the presumtion of innocense, with this dismissal of charges, you remain in the eyes of the law - and in my eyes - innocent.
Lebanon's Hizbollah has trained Shia fighters from Iraq in advanced guerrilla warfare tactics, according to Mehdi army militants who have been fighting British forces in the south of the country. Members of Muqtada al-Sadr's powerful militia said they had received instruction from fellow Shias from Hizbollah, the movement that fought Israel's vaunted military machine to a bloody standstill in last year's July War.
One Iraqi militiaman, who asked to be named only as Abu Muhannad, said he had spent a month in Southern Lebanon, Hizbollah's stronghold. "I was one of the experienced fighters from the Mehdi army to go for training there," he said. "We learned how to take advantage of an armoured vehicle's weakness, and how to wait and kill the soldiers who try to escape." The 39-year-old from Suwayrah, a city 40 km south of Baghdad was one of several fighters to confirm the links between the two groups. The US has long claimed that Hizbollah, Iraq's Shias and Iran have formed a broad alliance opposed to Israel, the US and its Middle Eastern allies.
Earlier this year, the US military said it had captured a Hizbollah fighter in southern Iraq who had been involved in the abduction and murder of American soldiers. Hizbollah has a reputation of being able to carry out such complex operations, in contrast to the more amateurish Mehdi Army.
During last summer's war, Hizbollah proved itself equal to the American-supplied Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), staging well-organised, textbook ambushes on tanks belonging to the IDF. Israel invaded Lebanon expecting to crush Hizbollah, but the war ended in stalemate, surprising military observers and allowing the guerrillas to claim a victory.
Another Mehdi Army fighter, a 26-year-old who asked to be identified as Abu Nasser, said he and 100 other group members travelled to Lebanon in December 2005. "They didn't teach us anything about suicide bombings, they showed us real tactics and taught our snipers," he said. Speaking in Tufa in Iraq, Muqtada al-Sadr, the head of the Mehdi Army, admitted to "formal links" with Hizbollah.
"We have formal links with Hizbollah, we do exchange ideas and discuss the situation facing Shiites in both countries," he said. "It is natural that we would want to improve ourselves by learning from each other. We copy Hizbollah in the way they fight and their tactics, we teach each other and we are getting better through this."
Mr Sadr said members of the Mehdi Army had travelled to Lebanon, and would continue to do so. "We go and discuss what Israel's future plans are in the Middle East because we are part of whatever will happen," he said
Posted by: lotp ||
08/20/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Mahdi Army
#1
Fred, give us a warning or something (graphic) before you publish this stuff. My surprise meter pegged out and I spilled coffee all over my lap.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/20/2007 12:02 Comments ||
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#2
Lot of bull in this article. I wonder how much of this the Independent itself really believes (probably most of it). Hezbollah "won" a phyrric victory because Israel's military and civilian leadership weren't up to actually FIGHTING a war at that time. I believe if Netanyahu is elected to replace Olmert, Hezbollah won't be able to do even a tenth as well.
The real problem is Iran, which is funding and supporting Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria, the Mahdi Army, and whoever else they can employ to fight a proxy war against the United States. The sooner we retaliate with overwhelming force, the sooner this nonsense will end.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/20/2007 15:14 Comments ||
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RADICAL Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has pledged to commit his forces and followers to help the United Nations if it replaces American and British troops in Iraq, according to an interview published today. Speaking to The Independent newspaper from his movement's headquarters in Kufa, south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, Sadr said that he would "support the UN if it comes and fixes my teeth replaces the American and British occupiers".
"If the UN comes here to truly help the Iraqi people, they will receive our help in their work. I would ask my followers to support the UN as long as it is here to help us rebuild our country.
"They must not just be another face of the American occupation."
Sadr, who enjoys popular grassroot support among The Independent's editorial board Iraqi Shiites, is a powerful political player in Iraq's embattled government led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. His anti-American views have frequently seen his Mahdi Army militia clashing with US soldiers since the US-led March 2003 invasion to topple Saddam Hussein.
I don't think the Coalition forces were fighting with Tater's *views*. We were fighting against Iran's proxy army and brownshirt thugg wannabes. Pfeh.
Sadr told the newspaper that the British army's downscaling in Iraq was a sign that it had given up and was defeated, saying: "They are retreating because of the resistance they have faced. Without that, they would have stayed for much longer, there is no doubt."
The Independent's reporter nodded his head sagely in agreement, muttering "Yes, yes."
He also warned that Britain's involvement in Iraq had endangered its citizens at home: "The British put their soldiers in a dangerous position by sending them here, but they also put the people in their own country in danger.
"They have made enemies among all Muslims and they now face attacks at home because of their war. That was their mistake." Britain has about 5500 troops in Iraq, most of whom are based in the southern city of Basra. Sadr said that Basra would become a safer place after the British military left.
On domestic Iraqi politics, Sadr said that Mr Maliki's days as Iraqi leader were coming to a close. "Al-Maliki's government will not survive because he has proven that he will not work with important elements of the Iraqi people ... The prime minister is a tool for the Americans and people see that clearly," he said. "It will probably be the Americans who decide to change him when they realise he has failed. We don't have a democracy here, we have a foreign occupation."
Sadr also denied American claims that he was being armed by Iran.
"Splendid interview, old chap. I really must be off now, deadlines won't wait, y'know!"
Posted by: tipper ||
08/20/2007 00:00 ||
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Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Mahdi Army
#1
Along lines of IRAN + SCO - ITAR-TASS > PUTIN GENUINELY HOPES FOR RUSSIA-CHINA STRATEGIC RELATIONSHIP.
#2
He also warned that Britain's involvement in Iraq had endangered its citizens at home: "The British put their soldiers in a dangerous position by sending them here, but they also put the people in their own country in danger.
"They have made enemies among all Muslims and they now face attacks at home because of their war. That was their mistake."
Does he think "all Muslims" will love him and Iran's cause if his words lead the British government to decide that all non-citizen Muslims must be expelled... possibly followed by many citizen Muslims?
Posted by: Gary and the Samoyeds ||
08/20/2007 9:10 Comments ||
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#6
Sadr and the UN have one essential trait in common. They are both staunchly anti-American. There is nothing else they need to cement a mutually satisfying relationship. Why Sadr is able to persist in his continuing theft of oxygen is totally beyond me. He should have been dead within 24 hours of those contractors' bodies being hanged from that bridge.
#8
Not killing this shitbag is one of our biggest mistakes in Iraq. We've set an example that you can build a military outside of government control and that you can then use that military to fight us directly or indirectly and that you can use your militarily backed political power to undermine our and Iraqs political efforts as well.
Iraq should have long ago hung this guy for treason.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
08/20/2007 11:14 Comments ||
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#9
Sadr pledges to join work with UN
There, fixed that headline.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/20/2007 12:05 Comments ||
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#10
Sadr said that Basra would become a safer place after the British military left.
I can't wait to see how that pans out! I have bookmarked this article for future reference.
Posted by: Bobby ||
08/20/2007 13:29 Comments ||
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Egypt says it will supply electricity to the Gaza Strip. The move comes after the EU and Israel have stopped subsidizing and delivering fuel to the Strip after irregularities were discovered concerning the fuel already supplied and suspicions increased that terrorists were using the fuel to power Kassam rockets. It's a beginning
#6
Ima thinkrn importing Bugtis with their love of destroying pylons and pipelines and such
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/20/2007 22:42 Comments ||
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#7
Zen, its AC and I doubt they're high tech enough to have a ground wire. Unfortunately, you have a great idea that can't be taken advantage of because they're about 6 months ahead of the first light bulb.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
08/20/2007 22:50 Comments ||
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#8
Zen, its AC
AC has a hot and ground as well. What with all their red wire, blue wire problems, mixing up these two shouldn't be much of a stretch.
#2
"Lockheed Martin offered the system, know as the PAC-3, to the IDF for the relatively low price of under $50 million, defense industry sources said."
That's our introductory, low, low price of only $50 Million. But wait! If you act now, we'll throw in this Ginsu banana slicer absolutely free!
How much would you expect to pay for this amazing offer in stores? $200 Million? $100 Million? But now, for this limited time offer of three easy payments of $15 Million, plus $5 Million, Shipping and Handling, this PAC-3 AND the Ginsu banana slicer can be yours today.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
08/20/2007 22:52 Comments ||
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#5
The banana slicer might be overkill for scuds. I think Israel should use their domestically developed missile defense.
It's something along the lines of a flyswatter with an extended handle, isn't it? Gr*m?
Posted by: Mike N. ||
08/20/2007 22:55 Comments ||
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#6
The Israelis will get PAC-3 since US aid will pay for 100% of it. The US congress is only willing to pay for about 50% of Arrow acquisition costs ($170M/battery). That's after US taxpayers have already funded $2 billion for it.
The Arrow has the same problem as legacy Patriots. It uses a proximity fuse and HE warhead. Like the Patriot, it can destroy the incoming missile w/o destroying the warhead. In addition, Israel was considering dumping Arrow for THAAD.
Posted by: ed ||
08/20/2007 23:21 Comments ||
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#7
Another benefit is that PAC-3 also does double duty as a very deadly anti-aircraft missile.
Posted by: ed ||
08/20/2007 23:23 Comments ||
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The IDF is strong and "will win any war," IDF Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi said Sunday at a tribute to IDF soldiers. Ashkenazi added that those who fought in the Second Lebanon War were not inferior to fighters of previous generations. "The acts of heroism that came from [last summer's] war inspire our appreciation," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
#2
I'd love to see Gabi serving under Netanyaho, a shoot um-straight; down to Earth, reckoning kind of guy! The Second Lebanon War was called off due in part to great international pressure on Israel NOT to rout Lebanon with Hizballah, and of course the crying in his beer, hopeless 'Chicken Little' Senorita with no place to turn. Gabi needs only three things...a compass, a 'black' key, and a red phone! A true pit bull.
? can anyone predict [w/any accuracy] when we might see the indecisive loser gone?
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/20/2007 2:46 Comments ||
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#4
Space explosion over Guam, July 2007 > just remember that Armies and Nations are led by Politicians subject to the whims of Correctness. GOD WILL SIDE WID THE RIGHTEOUS, NOT THE ARROGANT.
#5
Two more years, RD. Elections are at fixed schedules. Oh, they could replace him, but with someone else selected by the same people who selected him in the first place. Meet the new boss...
Posted by: Gary and the Samoyeds ||
08/20/2007 9:11 Comments ||
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The United States will soon send trainers to help the Palestinian Presidential Guard improve its security capabilities, the US State Department said yesterday in a statement.
The training provided by the Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security is part of "a series of courses" that will take place "this fall through early 2008," the statement said. The program is part of the "framework agreement" for more than 80 million dollars the US has pledged to boost the defence needs of the Palestinians that was signed August 2 in Ramallah by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Palestinian prime minister Salam Fayyad. The training courses for officers "will enhance the abilities of the Presidential Guard to carry out their primary function -- VIP protection," the department said in its statement. It will "help improve the Palestinian Authority's capacity to deliver security for the Palestinian people and fight terrorism, build confidence between the parties, and ultimately help to meet the security needs of Palestinians and Israelis alike," it added.
The Palestinian Authority security forces have failed to thwart Hamas's efforts to create new armed cells in the West Bank, a senior PA security official here said Sunday. Hamas's armed wing, Izzadin Kassam, had become "very active" in some parts of the West Bank despite a crackdown order by ineffectual PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas against the group, he told The Jerusalem Post.
Meanwhile back at the ranch, unconfirmed reports said Jibril Rajoub, an Abbas confidant and former PA security chief, recently held secret talks in Damascus with Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal in a bid to resolve the Hamas-Fatah dispute.
Oh I'll bet that went well.
Rajoub, who is being mentioned as a possible successor to Abbas, also held talks in Cairo with top Egyptian political and security officials on ways of ending the crisis. Fatah officials have strongly denied they were engaged in any form of talks with Hamas.
The security official in Ramallah said Hamas gunmen were working in coordination with other armed groups in the West Bank, including ones belonging to Fatah, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Islamic Jihad. "We are very worried about what's happening in the West Bank, especially in Nablus, where Izzadin Kassam appears to have resumed its activities after a long lull," the official said. "In recent weeks the group has been launching almost daily attacks on Israeli military patrols... particularly in the northern West Bank."
Almost like they're living up to what they preach ...
PA security forces have rounded up nearly 200 Hamas activists in the West Bank since Hamas's takeover of the Gaza Strip in June, but most of the detainees are not linked to Izzadin Kassam. "We are going after the wrong guys," the official said. "We are detaining journalists, university students and low-level political operatives. Meanwhile, Izzadin Kassam is establishing secret cells and acquiring more weapons."
Let's face it, Fatah couldn't find its collective hind end with either hand.
The Fatah-controlled PA security forces have also failed to gather sufficient intelligence about Hamas's attempts to recruit West Bank residents to its paramilitary Executive Force, he said.
PA officials are convinced Hamas is secretly trying to establish an Executive Force in the West Bank as a first step toward overthrowing Abbas's regime.
Sorta like how they did Gaza.
PA security officials said earlier this month they had uncovered a Hamas cell in the Bethlehem area whose members had received instructions from the Hamas leadership in Syria to establish an Executive Force unit. The 13-member cell was led by Nader Muhammad Jubran. But after three weeks of questioning, Jubran and his cohorts were released from prison. A PA security commander in Bethlehem told the Post the men were released because of lack of evidence.
"See, I told you coppers you ain't had nuttin' on me! Nuttin!"
The PA security forces will continue to follow the movements of the cell members to make sure they don't pursue their plans to establish a security force, he said. "The cell was operating on direct instructions from the top Hamas leadership in Damascus," the security commander said. "Some of the Hamas men have been receiving assistance from Fatah gunmen and this is very worrying."
He said a cell belonging to Izzadin Kassam was behind the assassination attempt on Col. Idris Ja'bari, the commander of the PA security forces in Halhoul, near Hebron, earlier this month. Ja'bari was critically wounded when gunmen shot him outside his home. He had been responsible for the detention of scores of Hamas activists in the area over the past two months.
GAZA'S main power plant shut down operations yesterday after it said it had depleted its fuel reserves, despite a pledge from Israel to resume deliveries that were halted last week. Power plant officials said a private Israeli energy company has yet to deliver any fuel.
More likely Paleo thugs officials are holding out for more baksheesh...
#4
This shutdown needs to be permanent. The Roadmap is now irrelevant and Israel deserves an undivided country entirely free of Palestinian terrorists. The Jews deserve nothing less for their endless patience and forebearance. Let surrounding Arab nations absorb the hatemongering human filth they have so assiduously bred up.
#6
Ramallah – Ma'an – The European Union stopped financing the energy company which supplies fuel to the Gaza Strip electricity company after Hamas forced the company's executives out and took control, according to the Palestinian Minister of Information, Dr Riyad Al Maliki.
At a press conference in Ramallah on Sunday Dr Al Maliki announced that the European Union stopped paying money to the Israeli Dor Alon Energy Company which supplies fuel to Gaza Power Generating Company after Hamas took over the company. He also accused Hamas of "stealing the company's money."
"The EU will not back down on its decision before Hamas backs down on its control over the power company," Al-Maliki said.
He added that "the Palestinian caretaker government will coordinate with the Egyptians in order to increase electricity supplied from Egypt so as to cover the central Gaza Strip. Furthermore, the government will ask the Israeli power company to increase power supply in order to cover the northern Gaza Strip."
Ummmmm...why should they? What's in it for them?
However, he admitted that the chances of increasing the power supply from Egypt and Israel were slim.
Power was cut for almost half of the Gaza Strip on Friday night when the power company shut down three of its four generators after Israel closed the Nahal Oz fuel crossing. On Sunday the fourth generator was also shut down, further increasing the power outage across the Gaza Strip.
EU Spokeswoman Alix de Mauny told Ma'an that the security situation was still being assessed before the EU would resume the financing of fuel deliveries to the Gaza Strip.
"Following security concerns during the last few days, we've taken the opportunity to assess the situation to make sure all elements for a high level of accountability are in place," she said.
She said that the assessment was due to be completed in the next 24 to 48 hours. "We hope on the back of that we would be able to resume our supply of delivery of fuel to Gaza," she added, pointing out that only 25-30% of the power supply to the Gaza Strip is funded by the EU.
Who covers the other 70-75%, because you sure as shit know that these mooks don't.
#7
Go tell Hugo Chavez. He'll fix it. He'll send Jesse Jackson, a wrench and Orinoco that even the sun can't burn.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/20/2007 12:08 Comments ||
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#8
Quick question: Who is paying for potable water flowing from Israel, and are those accounts receivable up to date? Just askin, bein a Pisces and all........
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
08/20/2007 15:36 Comments ||
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#9
So, now they can sell Carbon Offsets?
Posted by: Gary and the Samoyeds ||
08/20/2007 21:43 Comments ||
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Syria has begun delivery of the first batch of anti-aircraft missile and gun range land-based Pantsyr-S1E defense systems (SA-22 E in NATO terminology), the Web site of Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported Saturday.
Army Radio reported that Russian military officials agreed to the deal only after Syria vowed that the systems would not be resold or distributed to a third country, such as Lebanon or Iran. And if you can't trust syrian baathist, then, who can you trust, I ask you?
But in May, the reputable Jane's Defense Weekly reported that Syria agreed to transfer ten of the systems to Iran. Something russians piously deny.
#1
Given the history of Russian/Soviet weapons in the hands of Arabs in general and Syrians in particular I'd say the Syrians have just been seriously ripped off. You'd think they'd learn but they never seem to.
I'm very confused, I thought this was the other way around?
Baath mouthpiece Tishrin daily says US preventing Israel from restarting peace talks with Syria, pushing Jerusalem to war with Damascus 'after last year's defeat at hands of Hizbullah'
Roee Nahmias
A Syrian newspaper accused the United States on Monday of pushing Israel to war with Syria.
Tishrin, the mouthpiece of the ruling Baath Party, held Israel and the United States responsible for instability in the Middle East. "Even if Israel is not directly responsible for the daily killings, tragedies, and war crimes in the region, it is an accomplice to those," the daily wrote in its editorial.
The newspaper slammed Washington's decision to boost military aid to Israel whom it promised $30 billion over the next 10 years.
"American aid to Israel comes at a time when it is not only rejecting peace but also threatening and vowing to work around the clock to conduct military maneuvers in preparation of a new war. It is no secret that the war statements made by Israel officials against Syria are not pointless but express Israel's true intentions towards Syria," the editorial read.
"The American regime, which prevented Israel from returning to peace talks over the last six years, is pushing it to a military adventure and is encouraging it after last year's defeat at the hands of the national Lebanese Resistance™," the newspaper said in reference to last year's war with Hizbullah.
Iran warned the US on Sunday evening that "the Persian Gulf will become Hell for the enemines of Iran if they attack the Islamic republic," Army Radio reported. According to a leader of the Iran Revolutionary Guard, "our forces are only getting bigger."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#2
Bet he got the attention of the US Navy.... they got lottas guys and gals left out of this latest fight, and I imagine, lottas old and new toys they are practicing with, and like any good football team, want to "smack pads with someone other than my team." Can just hear the whispers -- "Bring it on."
#5
Yea, but that 'Tit For Tat' by the Iranians will be a bear for the US; being that they have said that all parts of the Straits are covered by their mobile missiles; it's interesting to see what will happen should the US react further than just watching their movements, especially since three of the carrier groups are playing away from the field at the moment!!
#12
especially since three of the carrier groups are playing away from the field at the moment!!
According to the Navy's website the Eisenhower is in the gulf and the Truman is somewhere in the Atlantic (at a guess, closer to Gibralter than to Brazil). That's ~85 Navy planes in theater and another ~85 that can probably be moved into the Mediterranean quickly.
Moreover the B2s can fly in from a long distance away, with midair refueling. There are B2s in the continental US, Alaska and Guam (with facilities in Diego Garcia that we used in 2003-4 and could use again I think). It's a 30 hr flight if they come all the way from Whitman AFB, but the planes are designed to allow the crew to manage that.
I left out the subs, but there are likely several lingering within useful range.
So can you tell us exactly where these assets are and how they are planned to be used? Heh, sorry. I was having flashbacks to the first Gulf War. I watched a reporter ask that question at a briefing. The briefing officer (air force general, IIRC) paused for a moment and then, to his credit, simply said I can't comment on that. It was my first realization of just how stupid reporters are.
#17
I recall P. J. O'Rourke saying something to the effect that if you grouped all college students by major, and then lined them up by IQ, the J-school students would be standing next to the El-Ed majors.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/20/2007 12:00 Comments ||
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#18
According to a leader of the Iran Revolutionary Guard, "our forces are only getting bigger."
But not as big as ours, dipshit.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/20/2007 12:13 Comments ||
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#19
Big E in the hood as well as the Ike from what I heard.
#20
I suspect that US plans would involve heavy aerial bombardment, aimed at both eliminating the nuclear threat and reducing mullah power. Qom is a legitimate target because ALL terror preparations issue from that islamic center. Unfortunately for Ahmadinjad, military professionals co-exist with Basij parasites. I believe that the professional class is embarassed by the mullahs. Persian exile websites refer to the Khomeinist tyrants as: "Arabist parasites." In fact, the poorest of the 12 top Ayatollahs has assets worth over $100,000,000. Rafsanjani is worth $1.5 billion, and all his family money has been seized through sweetheart contracts. The phony "prophet" of Islam claimed that his fake deity ordered a turnover of 20% of all booty to him. Shiites account for a "khums" tax, payable by taxpayers to their parasitic elite. Iran is not a tough nut to crack, and occupation will not be necessary. We have to be mindful that a post Ayatollah regime will likely be even closer to Russia and China than the existing one. All the more reason to stay in Iraq. I predict that the surgical strike will begin when Winter sets in. US troops will have no involvement in the inevitable bloodbath.
The cabinet agreed on Sunday to support the extension of the UNIFIL mandate in southern Lebanon, although the Foreign Ministry said the multinational force would not receive any additional concrete powers in the new mandate.
Foreign Ministry director-general Avraham Abramovich told the cabinet that the members of the UNIFIL force - put in place as part of a cease-fire agreement following the Second Lebanon War last summer - were not prepared to increase activity against Hizbullah, insofar as closing the border with Syria and enforcing an arms embargo.
However, Abramovich noted that despite the lack of action, the UN will reiterate its demand that Hizbullah immediately release kidnapped IDF soldiers Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, and call for a weapons-free zone south of the Litani River.
Earlier this month, The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel has been working through diplomatic channels to insert several changes in the UNIFIL mandate in Lebanon to make sure that international forces in the South patrol more in urban areas. The mandate of the 13,600-strong UN peacekeeping force is due to expire at the end of August.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/20/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
#1
As long as Israel gives the good guys with the blue helmets a preemption warning when the 'fat hits the fan' (to save alittle UN face), I don't care if they gave the UNIFIL slingshots and stringed tin cans, it's only a hill of beans on their part anyway! Besides it works both ways, they can turn the other cheek to Hizbollah, and whisper little sweet nothings the Israeli way too!
#1
Since she has been in prison, Haule has -- like Brigitte Mohnhaupt, who was released from jail in March -- opted to show no remorse for her actions as an RAF member.
Then she is still a threat not a non-threat. I have never understood when they still possess anti-social behavior they still turn them loose on the old canard of 'non-threatening".
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
08/20/2007 12:18 Comments ||
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#2
This is surreal. These are amongst the most dangerous of all terrorists. They are able to elude all forms of rudimentary profiling and appear fully integrated within their social milieu. This murdereress has shown zero contrition or remorse for her killings and in no way is any less capable of continuing her terrorist activities than she was when captured.
As with serial killers and rapists, terrorists are the very least deserving of any legal clemency. They represent the most dire threat to civilized society and if they cannot be excuted should be premanently isolated from from their prospective victims. Judicial systems that are unwilling or incapable of performing this one simple portion of their job charter need a total overhaul.
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The father of a man killed when hijacked Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001, wants his son's name withheld from a victims memorial because of renewed concerns that its design is centered around Islamic symbolism.
Tom Burnett Sr. served on a jury that picked the winning design, originally named "Crescent of Embrace," and said the request was "something I'd rather not do, but I can't get anyone to listen."
Burnett's son, Thomas E. Burnett Jr., 38, died along with 39 other passengers and crew when Flight 93 was hijacked and crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pa., while flying to San Francisco from Newark, N.J. An investigation concluded the hijackers crashed when passengers rushed the cockpit and tried to regain control of the aircraft.
Nearly two years ago, designer Paul Murdoch changed the memorial's planned shape to a nearly full circle in response to critics who said the original crescent shape honored the Muslim extremists who carried out the attacks. The crescent is a Muslim symbol.
Burnett, of Northfield, Minn., said he is looking for is a "thorough, honest investigation" of the design and the elements discussed by Alec Rawls, a conservative blogger from Palo Alto, Calif. Burnett said many of his concerns were based on Rawls' theories.
Rawls says the planned memorial faces toward Mecca, Islam's holiest city, and contends that a planned 93-foot tower with wind chimes would act as an Islamic sundial.
Joanne Hanley, superintendent of the Flight 93 National Memorial, said, Rawls "bases all of his conclusions on faulty assumptions."
#1
Flight 93 Memorial and all other Memorials that celebrate the lives or pay respects to the victims.
Perhaps it would be smarter, wiser and more humane to ask the victim's families what the
red-line no-go areas for them would be in the ultimate design.
I recognize that some of them might say, build nothing; and some would say build a monument that said kill all Muslims. [like someone says around here fairly regularly]
But if the right team leader works with the families with all the dos and don'ts they can give the Designers a wide latitude of choices for a decent monument celebrating their kin's lives while paying respect to their losses.
THEN if a Designer on his own goes *Munafiqs* and injects Islamic elements and motifs into the whole of the monument I would fire his ass for the Flight 93 Crew and passengers, and the families, and the let's Roll Team, America, and every red blooded American on the Planet.
Then I would do is check and see if designer Paul Murdoch in this instance, and his firm does any work in the Gulf or is bidding work in the Gulf.
[a good 40% of the $$$ HUGE $$$ CASH $$$ jobs will be in the Gulf region for the next few years... without war of course]
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
08/20/2007 4:13 Comments ||
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#2
I recognize that some of them might say, build nothing; and some would say build a monument that said kill all Muslims.
#10
It's time the honest, hardworking citizens of this nation start kicking the a$$ of all the parisites that live here, but contribute nothing to the current success and sustained future of our nation. Unless we do, we're going to end up just like France.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/20/2007 14:29 Comments ||
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#11
I think all 9/11 Memorials should be designed by the thoughts, actions and insights of Vlad the Impaler. Like...93 impaled muslims in a circle around a crusader holding the severed head of allen's boy mudhead the child rapist.
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.
Police said an Egyptian hijacker who commandeered a Turkish passenger plane together with a Turkish citizen had received training at an al-Qaida camp and wanted to be flown to Iran and to join al-Qaida in Afghanistan, the state-run Anatolia news agency reported Monday. 
The family and legal team of a British resident jailed in Spain as a terror suspect claim he is the victim of the Spanish equivalent of Guantánamo Bay. 
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal central leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman said on Sunday that the recent Pak-Afghan peace jirga was meaningless without the Taliban's presence in it. "The Taliban are the real stakeholders, and not Pakistan and the Afghansitan government. No one can even think of peace in the region until the Taliban's importance is accepted", he said while addressing an annual Dastar Bandi in Darvesh Masjid. 
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. media reporting of the war in Iraq fell sharply in the second quarter of 2007, largely due to a drop in coverage of the Washington-based policy debate, a study released Monday said.
The United States will soon send trainers to help the Palestinian Presidential Guard improve its security capabilities, the US State Department said yesterday in a statement. 
The Palestinian Authority security forces have failed to thwart Hamas's efforts to create new armed cells in the West Bank, a senior PA security official here said Sunday. Hamas's armed wing, 
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- The father of a man killed when hijacked Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001, wants his son's name withheld from a victims memorial because of renewed concerns that its design is centered around Islamic symbolism.
