#3
Terrorist safehaven is only the tip of the iceburg. Another place from which to threaten local numnuts is much needed in the region. Central Asia is the next global hotspot for these resource conflicts, losing what we've spent so much effort on in Afghanistan would be folly.There's oil and gas in them there caucuses, and the Islamic Army of Uzbekistan is the largest militant muslim force in the world that isn't state sponsored.
We should expect to see them more active and be prepared to deal with such a problem. We seeing a pattern here? We should continue to prop up a govt in Afghanistan, period.
#4
It was said that one of Hitler's many downfalls is that he had a conquorers mentality, that is once land was captured it should not be given up under any circumstances and re-captured immediately. I think the same applies to the mentality of the jihoodies.
West has been warned since even before the invasion of Afghanistan that they would lose so this is not new. In thier minds at any time the West leaves Afghanistan, even if it is in 200 years, they will have won. So while we are there lets do as much good/damage taliban as possible and only leave after they have got their asses smacked so hard so many times that when we leave and they claim victory it looks silly like Wimp Lo from Kung Pow, "I am bleeding more, which makes me the winner!"
NATO, France is starting to get in the game, lets get it together over there.
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) issued a plea Wednesday for 4.4 million dollars to back its scheme to expand a food aid operation for Somali refugees in Yemen. The agency said in a statement it plans to provide a total of 5,000 tons of food to 43,500 of the most vulnerable Somali refugees in Yemen during the period from February 2008 to January 2010. This is up from 33,000 people the agency was previously helping, according to the statement.
Since the outbreak of civil war in Somalia in 1991, Yemen has become a magnet for refugees fleeing violence and drought and a gateway to the oil-rich countries of the Arabian Peninsula and Europe.
Thousands of Somali refugees make the dangerous crossing of the Gulf of Aden to Yemen every year on small boats run by smugglers operating from Somali ports. "More and more people are arriving on Yemen's shores after barely surviving the dangerous journey by boat," said Mohammad al-Kouhene, the WFP's Yemen country director. "It is up to us to help them as Yemen's economy is already overstretched," he said.
Al-Kouhene said the appeal for the new fund was based on the anticipated arrival of new refugees to Yemen, as well as refugee population growth at the isolated camp of Kharaz in Lahj.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Notice the refugees returning to Iraq and Afghanistan. Notice all the refugees the UN keeps crying about needing help for years, for decades, for generations. Who's program goes to the heart of the problem and who's program only address the continuing symptom?
See Bill, this is what we mean when we disdain 'liberal' approaches to problems. If you would have kicked butt in Somalia would much of this be going on now?
The Archbishop of Canterbury says the adoption of certain aspects of Sharia law in the UK "seems unavoidable".
"Yeah. We surrender."
Dr Rowan Williams told Radio 4's World at One that the UK has to "face up to the fact" that some of its citizens do not relate to the British legal system.
That really should be their problem and not the problem of the British legal system.
Dr Williams argues that adopting parts of Islamic Sharia law would help maintain social cohesion.
No. It would subject Christians, Jews, agnostics, atheists, Hindoos, Buddhists, Jains, Shintos, and worshippers of the Divine Elvis to Mohammedan strictures that they probably disagree with. To coin a phrase, they might not relate to the Mohammedan legal system.
For example, Muslims could choose to have marital disputes or financial matters dealt with in a Sharia court.
Which would then be free to issue decisions that are at odds with the law of the land, to which previously all the inhabitants of the Sceptred Isle have been subject. That's actually been one of the selling points of Jolly Olde England.
He says Muslims should not have to choose between "the stark alternatives of cultural loyalty or state loyalty".
Well, y'see, the state represents whatcha might call a culture. It's evolved over the years, but it's come to encompass lots of things that make Britain different from, for instance, Bulgaria. Or Arabia. If Bulgarians come to live in Britain they're expected to learn how to be Brits, rather than Bulgarians. People expect them to ditch the habits they learned at old Uncle Ivan's knee and replace them with habits similar to those of Clive and Emma. If Mohammedans come to live in Britain it seems fair to expect the same of them.
In an exclusive interview with BBC correspondent Christopher Landau, ahead of a lecture to lawyers in London later on Monday, Dr Williams argues this relies on Sharia law being better understood. At the moment, he says "sensational reporting of opinion polls" clouds the issue. He stresses that "nobody in their right mind would want to see in this country the kind of inhumanity that's sometimes been associated with the practice of the law in some Islamic states; the extreme punishments, the attitudes to women as well".
The stonings, the public executions, the subservience of the common man to the whims of whatever holy man is placed over him. The religious police. Being forbidden to change religions unless you're becoming a Mohammedan. But, hey, as long as the Archdruid sez it's okay, go ahead.
But Dr Williams says the argument that "there's one law for everybody... I think that's a bit of a danger".
Many of us consider that single concept to be the most significant contribution the Brits have made to the world, bar none.
"There's a place for finding what would be a constructive accommodation with some aspects of Muslim law, as we already do with some other aspects of religious law."
Name one.
Dr Williams adds: "What we don't want either, is I think, a stand-off, where the law squares up to people's religious consciences. We don't either want a situation where, because there's no way of legally monitoring what communities do... people do what they like in private in such a way that that becomes another way of intensifying oppression inside a community."
Islam is all about oppression. The Brits have spent a couple thousand years achieving their rights, seeing them evolve into the Magna Charta, and from there into the magnificent body of Common Law. The common man spent year after year tugging his forelock at the approach of the gentry, yearning for his freedom, religious or otherwise -- it used to be against the law to be a Methodist or a Presbyterian or a Catholic, remember. And now His Excellency the Archbishop is casually prepared to return John Bull to those glorious days of yesteryear, replacing the parish priest with an imam, replacing the oppressive panoply of clerks and bishops and such with qazis and hafiz' and mullahs. If you're going to return to oppressing the populace, at least use honest English traditions, fergawdsake. You don't have to import them from Arabia. And when you do, the commons can again begin the long climb out from under the thumb of the gentry, who know what's best for them. If you're lucky, they'll remain honest Englishmen and not chop your heads off like the Frenchies did when they disposed of their gentry... Oh. Wait. Which King Chuck was it that got his head lopped off?
Multiculturalism 'divisive'
His comments are likely to fuel the debate over multiculturalism in the UK.
Y'think? What wuz yer first clue?
Last month, one of Dr William's colleagues, the Bishop of Rochester, said that non-Muslims may find it hard to live or work in some areas of the UK. The Right Reverend Dr Michael Nazir-Ali said there was "hostility" in some areas and described the government's multicultural policies as divisive. He said there had been a worldwide resurgence of Islamic extremism, leading to young people growing up alienated from the country they lived in. He has since received death threats and has been placed under police protection.
Whereas the Archdruid, perfectly happy to see the commons return to their natural state of deference to their betters, hasn't received any death threats.
#3
It's time to bet the crown Queenie. You need to step up and denounce the senior leadership management of your church. Time for a real purge of the Board of Directors. If you did, you'd become the rallying point for those who still believe in England. If you don't, Charlie won't, and so goes the last vestige of our connection. Goodbye, good luck, and thanks for all the fish [and chips].
How does the Archbishop of Canterbury get appointed? Agreement within a conclave of bishops, like the Pope, or appointment by the Prime Minister as signed by the Queen? This is the most absurd thing that has passed untouched across the old idiot's brain.
#6
Seriously, if the Queen wants to maintain any shred of relevance for herself, her family, the Church of England and England itself she needs to boot this senile old bastard out on his butt before he can utter another word. Better yet, lock him up in the Tower and throw away the key.
In November 2007, the Archbishop received a great deal of criticism[29] for an interview[30] he did in Emel, which bills itself as a "Muslim lifestyle magazine". . As reported by Times Online, he was greatly critical of the United States, the Iraq war, and "Christian Zionists" who support the return of Jews to Israel, yet made "only mild criticisms of the Islamic world"[31]. He compared Muslims in Britain to the good Samaritans,
#15
Almost seven hundred years in the future, swksvolFF. But that Jesus, he knew everything, so of course he could insert an anachronism in his parable. ;-)
Threats from dissident republicans have forced police in Northern Ireland to deploy vehicle checkpoints to prevent a new terrorist bombing campaign and put an end to hopes of a historic British royal visit to the Irish Republic this year.
Sir Hugh Orde, the Police Service of Northern Ireland's chief constable, warned yesterday that groups such as the Real IRA would target England if they could. His warning came within hours of a PSNI statement confirming that its officers had set up a number of vehicle checkpoints on routes from the republic into Northern Ireland. Vehicles were stopped and searched yesterday along a number of main routes, including the main Dublin to Belfast road at Loughbrickland.
Speaking at Stormont yesterday, Orde said groups such as the Real IRA intended to cause "much damage" to the peace process. Although the chief constable said that at present he believed the Real IRA and other dissident factions did not have the capability to strike in England, they intended to do so. "They want to destroy what has been achieved in Northern Ireland," he said.
The Real IRA, which was blamed for the 1998 Omagh bomb massacre, has been re-organising over the last 12 months. Late last year it shot and wounded two PSNI officers in Dungannon and Derry. The re-emergence is also causing concern in the republic, where Irish security officials say they have advised Bertie Ahern's government that a visit by the Queen this year could provide a rallying point for violent dissident republican protests.
#1
At the risk of seeming unsympathetic, in light of the recent Brit advice on dealing with insurgencies, I have to ask how long have The Troubles been going on?
Depends on who you ask. In 1603 a victory over the Irish in Ulster allowed Britain complete control of Ireland. The first "Troubles" began nearly 200 years later:
The Irish Rebellion of 1798, or 1798 rebellion as it is known locally, was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against the British dominated Kingdom of Ireland. The United Irishmen, a republican revolutionary group influenced by the ideas of the American and French Revolutions, were the main organising force behind the rebellion.
Now that's a Quagmire!
Posted by: Steve ||
02/07/2008 7:38 Comments ||
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#3
The first "Troubles" began nearly 200 years later:
Part of it was the religious strife that enveloped Europe the the last great clash of Catholic vs Protestant known as the Thirty Years War. The religious part kicked in with vigor during the English Civil War which correlated with the Thirty Years War. It's been off and on since.
Cromwell's hostility to the Irish was religious as well as political. He was passionately opposed to the Roman Catholic Church, which he saw as denying the primacy of the Bible in favour of papal and clerical authority, and which he blamed for tyranny and persecution of Protestants in Europe.[28] Cromwell's association of Catholicism with persecution was deepened with the Irish Rebellion of 1641. This rebellion was marked by massacres by native Irish Catholics of English and Scottish Protestant settlers in Ireland. These factors contributed to Cromwell's harshness in his military campaign in Ireland.[29]
Parliament had planned to re-conquer Ireland since 1641 and had already sent an invasion force there in 1647. Cromwell's invasion of 1649 was much larger and, with the civil war in England over, could be regularly reinforced and re-supplied. His nine month military campaign was brief and effective, though it did not end the war in Ireland. Before his invasion, Parliamentarian forces held only outposts in Dublin and Derry. When he departed Ireland, they occupied most of the eastern and northern parts of the country. After his landing at Dublin on 15 August 1649 (itself only recently secured for the Parliament at the battle of Rathmines), Cromwell took the fortified port towns of Drogheda and Wexford to secure logistical supply from England. At the siege of Drogheda in September 1649, Cromwell's troops massacred nearly 3,500 people after the town's captureâcomprising around 2,700 Royalist soldiers and all the men in the town carrying arms, including some civilians, prisoners, and Roman Catholic priests.[30] At the Siege of Wexford in October, another massacre took place under confused circumstances. While Cromwell himself was trying to negotiate surrender terms, some of his soldiers broke into the town, killed 2,000 Irish troops and up to 1,500 civilians, and burned much of the town.[31]
Actually, this has been going on since recorded time during the Roman occupation of Britain with Irish raiders hitting the Welsh coast. The Elisabethian's tried to curtail the hobby by establishing colonies in Ireland to keep the various Irish tribes at bay. Can we say Quagmire?
When the Irish finally got their independence in the early 20th Century the 'religious' issue didn't disappear. The young republic faced the question about adoption - could Protestants adopt Catholic orphans. The government deferred to the sitting Catholic Church official in Dublin who said no. That and a couple other similar issues resolved in the same perceived manner, ended the debate and sealed solid the lines between north and south. I guess when the decrees become more burdensome from Brussels, maybe they'll wake up and discovered, it no longer makes anymore difference. They'll all thralls to someone else.
MONKEY POINT, Nicaragua If the ruling mullahs of the Islamic Republic of Iran were chafing enough about U.S. Navy vessels in the Strait of Hormuz to send speedboats after them last month, they must take some comfort in having projected an equivalent threat in America's own backyard, in this unlikeliest of locales.
The Iranians have planted their flag here in the tree-festooned wilderness of hills that jut out to shelter a vast, unspoiled Caribbean bay on Nicaragua's eastern shore. The point's namesake monkeys swing through the heavy canopy above the smattering of Rama Indians and black Creole people who hunt them and other wildlife for daily sustenance, just as they have for generations.
Until recently, one local boxer's fortune was about the only story preoccupying the 300-odd Creole of Monkey Point. But perspectives broadened suddenly in March when Iranians and Venezuelans showed up aboard Nicaraguan military helicopters.
Ultimately, the longevity of Iran's presence in Nicaragua may depend on whether Mr. Ortega can maintain a razor-thin margin of domestic support. There are signs that has become more tenuous with each new press report about Revolutionary Guards roving around. Increasingly alarmed domestic opponents of the Ortega regime fret about earning American enmity by taking the wrong side once again.
"That the Sandinistas helped at least 21 Iranians come and go under cover "is very worrisome," a former presidential candidate, Eduardo Montelegre, who was the runner-up to Mr. Ortega. "We don't know where those Iranians are going, hopefully not to the U.S. But wherever they're going, it's certainly not to do any good."
Posted by: Icerigger ||
02/07/2008 08:19 ||
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#1
Yeah, Danny Boy's changed a lot hasn't he? But I'll bet the Iranians pay better then the commies...
#4
Got news for ya, boys. The east coast of Nicaragua (that's the Carribean side) is a festering swamp, and the ocean is alive with sharks and smugglers.
#8
Oooh, crosspatch, I used to love playing Capture the Flag when I was young! Would the Seal team have to be marked with red handkerchiefs tucked in their waistbands like we did?
(RIA Novosti) - Up to 440 militants are active in the Russian troubled North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, a deputy interior minister told a ministerial meeting on Wednesday. "We estimate the number of bandits active in the Chechen Republic at up to 440," Arkady Yedelev said. "Over 700 members of illegal armed units and their accomplices have been detained and are now under investigation," he added. He also said a number of international terrorists are coordinating operations in Chechnya.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin, who also attended the meeting, said in conclusion: "Economic and social issues in the region must be resolved, we have to fight unemployment, and redouble the struggle against terrorism. We have to strip the scumbags [militants] of any local support, we must do this, we are on the right track, all the processes have been launched."
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2008 00:00 ||
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KOSOVO appears set to declare independence in 10 days' time, just ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers, sources in Pristina and observers say. The authorities were "awaiting the green light from the West and consider the weekend before the EU meeting as the most probable date," according to a source close to the Kosovo government.
The European Union meeting on February 18 could approve the start of the deployment of an EU mission charged with supervising the initial phase of independence for the Albanian-majority southern province of Serbia. "We are assuming (February) 17th or 18th," said a source close to the United Nations, which has run Kosovo since the end of its 1998-1999 war.
A US diplomat said independence was likely to be proclaimed on a Sunday, when the UN Security Council does not meet.
Russia is a permanent member of the Security Council, where it has warned it will use its veto powers to block any such declaration in support of its ally Serbia, which staunchly opposes Kosovo independence.
"The 17th is a possible date," says Alex Anderson of the International Crisis Group, a think-tank close to Euro-Atlantic powers.
That would "enable the EU ministers to formally adopt the operational plan (for the EU mission) and agree for a common response to the declaration, which then enables those EU countries ... to recognise" independence before New York wakes up, said Mr Anderson.
The UN Security Council would find itself confronted with Kosovo's already declared independence, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon would be in a better position to resist Russian pressure, he said. A European diplomat says that, in any event, the declaration should occur before March 1, the date on which Moscow takes the chair of the Security Council.
Another option was a two-phase process: the announcement of the date of the proclamation of independence, which would become effective only after a transitional period. "Everything is prepared. The only problem is coordination with the European Union," according to local analyst Shkelzen Maliqi, who also predicted an independence declaration would come on February 17 or 18. "Rumours say that weekend. It would be an announcement, but independence would be frozen for a few months. The European Union (mission) would come, the United Nations one would leave," said Mr Maliqi.
Whatever the process, a transitional period of 120 days would follow as envisaged in a plan devised by UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari, who recommended independence under "international supervision," according to the European diplomat. The government and EU mission would only come to power "on day 121," said the source close to the UN.
The Ahtisaari plan, rejected by Belgrade and Moscow, was approved last year by Kosovo's parliament and was supported by the United States and several major EU countries, which want Kosovo authorities to respect it, according to analysts.
"The adoption of the provisions of the Ahtisaari plan is a condition of the countries ready with a recognition," said the European diplomat. "The International Civilian Office of the EU mission will ensure that the plan is well applied" by Kosovo's authorities, the diplomat added.
The ICO and the mission's police and justice component would be technically "ready" to function at this stage.
A Kosovo constitution, which according to the Ahtisaari plan envisages a "multi-ethnic" society, is already practically completed. But that is not the case for the text of the declaration, nor the laws suggested by Mr Ahtisaari, a former Finnish president who recommended broad autonomy for Kosovo Serbs. "Certain laws are far from being completed, particularly those on the rights of the communities," said Mr Anderson.
#1
Changing masters from Belgrade to Brussels? Same situation, just new management. The Eurocrats in Brussels will be as concerned about your 'opinion' as the old ones were in Belgrade.
#4
Actually, the divide does not run betwee Albanians and Serbs, but between muslims (99% Albanians) and eastern-orthodox christians (Serbs and Albanians--a curious factoid: Serbs were supplying weapons to orthodox Albanians to defend themselves against KLA).
Independent Kosovo = Jihadi foothold in Yurop (beside lukewarm Bosnian muslims).
I hope Russians will veto it and block it in any conceivable way, their motives nothwithstanding.
Else we will be looking at a wholesale slaughter of "infidels", starting the very next day after "independence".
#5
Else we will be looking at a wholesale slaughter of "infidels", starting the very next day after "independence".
Not many infidels, or for that matter non-Albanian Muslims left. They've been ethnically cleansing right under NATO noses ever since the Serb military left.
The Swedish government is to set up an inquiry to look into the possibility of using state funds to provide training programmes for imams. Muslim religious representatives should be able to benefit from Swedish tax kronor in the same way as Christian priests and ministers, according to Minster for Higher Education and Research Lars Leijonborg.
The former Liberal Party leader also believes that the move will help stem the development of radical Islam in Sweden.
#4
I suspect that their intent is do get the younger Imams sucking on the government teat like all the other little piggies, so much so that they won't want to rock the apple cart.
#6
According to legend, Napoleon wanted to rewrite the Koran. Maybe the Swedes have the same idea. After a generation or two, Swedish muslims might not know the difference. Think of the possibilities.
Turkish nationalists have hacked a number of German internet sites in apparent retaliation for a fire in the German city of Ludwigshafen on Monday that claimed the lives of nine Turkish immigrants, the Ilhan news agency reported.
The hackers going by the name of the AyYildiz Team (Crescent and Star Team) hijacked around 100 sites, mainly small businesses, replacing introduction pages with the message in English, "Nusret and Kayahan. Turkish and Muslim hackers." The page features a large portrait of the founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, and includes a famous Ataturk quote, "Further than that, it is independence or death." The page does not directly refer to the fire on Monday or rumours that the blaze was an arson attack aimed at Turkish immigrants.
The Ilhan news agency reported that the hackers vowed to continue their attacks.
I decided to vet this matter personally. I met with Members of the House and Senate, Pentagon officials, and even Major Coughlin himself. Major Coughlin told me that he has had a great working relationship with the Joint Staff and that he did not believe there was any conspiracy to remove him from his position. In fact, he was already planning to leave the Joint Staff at the end of his contract. Lest the rumors persist, Major Coughlin will be associated with another office program within the Office of the Secretary of Defense where he will continue to spread his message.
Coughlin, of course, is the Islamic law expert who had apparently been fired at the insistence of Hesham Islam, an assistant to Deputy Defense Secretary Gordon England.
Myrick is one of the most conservative members of the House
The Al Qaeda terror network continues to succeed in recruiting terrorists from the West possibly the United States. U.S. intelligence officials on Wednesday told FOX News Al Qaeda has succeeded in strengthening its position in Pakistani tribal regions and is recruiting Western operatives who are better able to help carry out attacks on the United States.
The information comes a day after Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell expressed concerns to the Senate Intelligence Committee about Al Qaeda's continued efforts in Iraq and Pakistan, and the resurgence of Afghanistan's Taliban the ousted regime that gave refuge to Usama Bin Laden and his Al Qaeda terror network. "Al Qaeda remains the pre-eminent threat against the United States," he said.
McConnell said Al Qaeda while being suppressed to a large extent in Iraq is moving to other regions, including Pakistan, where it continues to try to launch attacks against the United States.
And the next attack on the United states likely would be launched by Al Qaeda from those regions, Joint Chiefs Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen said in prepared testimony.
Tuesday, The New York Times reported that a senior intelligence official said there is new evidence Al Qaeda operatives in Pakistan are training Westerners most likely including U.S. citizens. That official said there is no evidence the terror group has succeeded in placing operatives inside U.S. borders.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
That official said there is no evidence the terror group has succeeded in placing operatives inside U.S. borders.
#2
They're likely to be found in the empty armed forces recruiting stalls located on many campuses. They'll probably find that the cesspool of virulent anti-Americanism is composed mostly of hot air social parasites and not men people of action. And they'll be greatly disappointed that it'll be unlikely they'll find the requisite 72 virgins these days, except in the Women's Study Department. Now that would be a show worth watching.
#3
More likely they have recruited in the prisons from the gangs. And if they've recruited anyone who's climbing the bloody hierarchy of, say, MS-13 we are in for a very nasty time of it.
#10
The irony being that the Arabs think of themselves -- and are, technically -- Caucasian.
Arabs living in France certainly don't seem to think of themselves as "white", from direct personal experience, and from more general exposure to this through msm over the years. They surely see themselves as white, IE non-colored, and racism toward blacks (especially blacks from french overseas territories, muslim africans are more often associated with them) or asian is frequently mentioned, but WHITE, hu-oh, hum, no.
Soon after the court verdict sentencing three convicts to life terms in the IC 814 Indian Airlines plane hijack case, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Director Vijay Shanker said on Tuesday that there was no question of being satisfied as the main accused in the case were still living in Pakistan.
The CBI chief said all evidence had been provided to Pakistan and India had requested that all the five hijackers should be handed over to it. We approached them at the highest level both politically and diplomatically but Pakistani authorities remained uncooperative. If this is the attitude, how will the fight against global terror succeed? Mr. Shanker told reporters.
He said that even the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had conducted the probe into the IC-814 hijack case of 1999 but their investigation remained inconclusive and it led to nowhere. We are surprised about this as the case is still being investigated by the FBI, he said.
The FBI had registered a case at its headquarters in early 2000 as an American national, Jeanne Moore, was on board the IC-814 flight from Kathmandu to Delhi. We have shared everything possible. Everything means everything but the agency [FBI] is yet to conclude its probe, Mr. Shanker said.
He said the FBI team visited India at least half a dozen times and all important aspects had been taken up with the U.S. government.
The CBI has secured Interpol red corner notice against the hijackers Ibrahim Athar, Sunny Ahmed Qazi, Zahoor Ibrahim, Shahid Akhter Sayed and Shakir and accomplices Yusuf Azhar and Abdul Rauf, alleged to be key conspirators.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2008 00:00 ||
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Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said on Wednesday that the declaration of ceasefire by militants could be a move to regroup for another attack, according to Dawn News. He told the TV channel that negotiations with the militants would be carried out by the civil government or the FATA Secretariat.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2008 00:00 ||
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#2
Personally, I'll bet 'hudna' doesn't translate well into english. To me, it seems the closest word translators can find is 'ceasefire', and cultural differences account for the rest.
Caretaker Interior Minister Hamid Nawaz on Wednesday indicated possibility of a truce between the government and militant leader Baitullah Mehsud. He told reporters a jirga had been formed to negotiate a truce. Mehsud has no choice but to agree on the peace deal, he said. Its a matter of his survival.
Right. We knew this was coming, and not because it's a matter of Baitullah's survival. It doesn't matter how many prime ministerial candidates he kills, how many heroic Pak troops he kidnaps and beheads. He can pretty much do whatever the hell he wants, as long as he's not actively overthrowing the generals and their nuzzers.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
but they will have to at least nominally insist he toss out the foreign AQniks. How nominal will that be?
President Pervez Musharraf said on Wednesday the Pakistan Army was facing undue challenges in fighting war against terrorism and that its commitment in protecting the motherland was unprecedented.
Every once in awhile Perv or some other senior Pak will turn slightly green and vomit words. They land in a disgusting puddle, often on the speaker's curly-toed slippers, and those in the immediate vicinity try to avoid listening for fear of getting sick themselves. In this case, if the military is fighting a battle for national survival, there's no such thing as "undue" challenges. Commitment to the motherland is kind of a binary -- it's there or it's not. Perhaps it's its presence or absense that's unprecedented?
Professional requirements of the armed forces are being met to prepare them for future challenges, Musharraf told Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee Chairman General Tariq Majeed.
Does that means they're training for something other than the long-anticipated war with Indjah? The Pak officers corps always make me think of that Russian general, circa 1905, who used to boast that he hadn't read a manual since he was a subaltern.
Majeed briefed the president about his recent visit abroad.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2008 00:00 ||
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KATHMANDU: Courting fresh controversy, Nepal's Maoist guerrillas on Wednesday announced they were reviving the self-styled "revolutionary people's councils" they had formed during their decade-old "people's war" to take on the government of Nepal. The move is likely to trigger strong opposition by the ruling parties as well as the international community.
Oh that will do alot. 'Opposition', huh? Anyone think of doing something about it?
The decision to resurrect parallel governments throughout the country comes after the former guerrillas and the top leaders of the ruling alliance failed to reach an understanding on municipal posts. The posts have been lying vacant since 2006, after the new government of the opposition parties declared the municipal election held by king Gyanendra to be null and void.
This likly means that the commies think they don't need the local rubes anymore. They served their purpose, helped get rid of the king, let the commies get inside the government ministries, and now the commies are making their move.
Baburam Bhattarai, convener of the Maoists' "people's council", said on Wednesday that in the absence of municipal officials, people were facing difficulties in villages and districts. The "revolutionary people's councils" would address their plight as well as begin new development projects, he said.
The move comes after mounting allegations that the Maoists were still continuing with their "people's courts" and collecting "people's tax".
Almost as if they were negotiating in bad faith all along ...
The new move will create fresh doubts about their plans regarding the April 10 election. Recently, they announced that each election booth will have the presence of 200 Young Communist League cadres, their youth wing that has become a byword for violence and intimidation.
Every 'revolutionary' movement needs their SA ...
Though the rebels took part in poll campaigns, they have been repeatedly clashing with the premier's Nepali Congress party and trying to disrupt its mass meetings. On Tuesday, such a clash in Darchula district left six NC members and five policemen injured.
The resurrection of parallel governments would also be a fresh cause of fear for multinationals and the Indian companies planning to enter Nepal's hydropower sector.
Posted by: john frum ||
02/07/2008 00:00 ||
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Anti-U.S. cleric Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his feared Mehdi Army on Thursday to maintain its six-month ceasefire as members of the militia clashed with U.S. and Iraqi soldiers in Baghdad. Shi'ite Sadr's spokesman Salah al-Ubaidi said the ceasefire, which expires later this month and has been vital to cutting violence in Iraq, should continue to be observed until militia members are told it is over or has been renewed.
Some members of Sadr's bloc are pressuring him not to extend the August 29 freeze on the Mehdi Army's activities. "Any member of the Mehdi Army who conducts violent acts during the ceasefire, the Sadr office declares they will no longer be part of the Mehdi Army," Sadr said in a statement read to Reuters by Ubaidi.
He said Sadr had issued the statement in response to rumors the ceasefire was about to come to an end. He declined to say whether the ceasefire would be extended when its term lapses.
Attacks across Iraq have fallen by 60 percent since June 2007 after a series of security crackdowns. A return to hostilities could seriously jeopardize those gains.
Washington has been urging Iraq to take advantage of improved security and move ahead with a series of laws aimed at reconciling majority Shi'ite and minority Sunni Arabs.
Amid signs of growing restlessness, police said Mehdi Army fighters had clashed with Iraqi and U.S. soldiers early on Thursday in Sadr City, the sprawling Shi'ite slum in northeast Baghdad which is one of Sadr's power bases. They said three people, including a woman and a child, were hurt in the clashes and 16 detained. A U.S. military spokesman said one person was killed and another injured in the raids.
Sadr, who led two uprisings against U.S. forces in 2004, ordered the Mehdi Army ceasefire so he could reorganize the splintered militia. Ubaidi has said Sadr is gauging the mood of senior figures before deciding whether to extend the truce. There have been growing signs of unease within Sadr's camp, with members claiming they are targeted by security forces.
U.S. commanders have said they are confident Sadr would extend the freeze, although U.S. and Iraqi forces continue to target "rogue" Mehdi Army units.
Posted by: Sherry ||
02/07/2008 11:16 ||
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#1
"Any member of the Mehdi Army who conducts violent acts during the ceasefire, the Sadr office declares they will no longer be part of the Mehdi Army," Sadr said in a statement read to Reuters by Ubaidi.
Isn't that the muslim way? They claim they are maintaining a cease fire and they "disown" any "rogues" who violate it while expecting us to believe they just don't have any discipline. Isn't that the game that Arafat played for so many years?
#2
I like this line, "Moqtada al-Sadr ordered his feared Mehdi Army" . I don't think any US Soldiers fear them. They do seem to be good at scaring non-military people in Iraq though.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
02/07/2008 12:12 Comments ||
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#3
Actually, Ebbbang, my impression (just an impression) is that the opposite has gone on (for once): we've always described the JAM elements that we've hit as "rogue" elements, thus preserving the thinnest public veneer of a continuing cease-fire in both directions. Obviously MNF-I and MNC-I have the best appreciation of the situation, but I'd guess that the smartest US reaction to any slippage in the so-called cease-fire would be to hit the JAM extremely, extremely hard (leadership, financiers, business interests).
#6
He is in poobah school right now. The only way he could get a good grade in Infidel go to Hell class is if he is waiting for spring break so he can join in on the fun.
The following are excerpts from an interview with the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Gen. Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari. The interview aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 26, 2008.
"Our Boats Asked the [U.S.] Warship to Identify Itself... The Warship Refrained from Doing So... They [the U.S.] Fabricated This Scenario"
Interviewer: "What exactly happened in [the Strait of Hormuz]?"
General Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari: "There was nothing exceptional about it. Our boats were carrying out their regular duties. What they do with regard to all military and regular vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz is the duty that was entrusted to the IRGC by Iran's navy. This is their mission. Our boats asked the warship to identify itself and declare its status. Since the warship refrained from doing so, the exchange between the two sides took a different course. That is not what the Americans said, of course, but I believe that since this happened on the eve of President Bush's visit, and since they wanted to present Iran as a military threat to the region, they fabricated this scenario in order to make Bush's visit a success, to make it a 'heated' visit."
Interviewer: "But General Ja'fari, we heard the voices of Iranian soldiers threatening the American warships, saying: 'We will blow you up.' We heard those voices. You're saying that it wasn't real?"
General Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari: "No, those voices were fabricated. They are not the voices of Iranian soldiers. We aired part of the real footage of what happened, and the rest of it is in our possession. Those voices were fabricated. That footage was fabricated. The voices that were heard did not belong to our soldiers." [...]
"If America Attacks Iran... We Will Respond in Kind"
"If America attacks Iran, our first step will be to defend ourselves, with all our forces and capabilities. We will respond in kind, with all the might of the Islamic Republic. Of course, one cannot compare the power Iran has today to the power we had at the start of the war imposed on us by Saddam Hussein. Saddam launched his attack less than two years after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, and we were not ready to defend ourselves. Nevertheless, we defeated this enemy, which enjoyed the support of all the world's powers. Today, 30 years after the victory of the Revolution, we have gained war experience, and we have a lot of weapons and military equipment, and the ability for self-[production], and there have been excellent developments in this field, and our forces are better than they were in the days of the war imposed upon us. We can now defend ourselves against an American attack. America enjoys superiority only in the air, as well as in electronics and in military technology. In light of our past experience in wars and in light of the recent wars in the region, and the studies we conducted... They know that our equipment and military capabilities are inferior to theirs, and we do not have the technologically advanced weapons they have. But thanks to our special preparations, we can thwart their aerial attacks - just as has been the case in many countries in recent years. In any event, Iran will defend itself with all its might and will respond in kind. In my opinion, we can make America regret any such initiative." [...]
"I Do Not Expect the American Military Forces or the Politicians in America to Lose Their Minds and Carry Out Such an Attack - Because Such an Operation is Bound to Fail"
General Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari: "It so happens that the military presence of the American forces around Iran... They think that they are besieging Iran militarily, but this presence endangers the Americans themselves, as they know very well."
Interviewer: "In what way?"
General Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari: "They may be hit by our long-range and short-range weapons, as well as our artillery and medium-range missiles. This American presence in the region and around Iran does not constitute one of their strengths. On the contrary, this is a weakness of theirs, in the military sense. An American analyst wrote this in an article I read, and it is true - unless one expects them to carry out a land attack on Iran. We do not anticipate that they will carry out such an attack. In our opinion, this is impossible. I do not expect the American military forces or the politicians in America to lose their minds and carry out such an attack, because such an operation is bound to fail."
[...]
Interviewer: 'When you say this is a weakness, are we to understand that you will attack all the places in the region where the Americans are present?"
General Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari: "Yes. The presence of the American forces in the region... If the American forces attack our land from any place, it is only natural for us to respond in kind. It is our natural and inalienable right to respond against the forces that attack our country. I know that there is concern among the neighboring Muslim countries, because there are American military forces in some of them. But if a war breaks out against us and if the American forces attack us, we have the right to respond against those forces. If they use any place to attack Iran, we may attack them with missiles. We have declared this. Of course, we will take into consideration the need to avoid endangering the peoples of the region. We will make sure to target only the American forces attacking us. We have the weapons and the missiles, as well as the necessary precision, which will enable us to target only the American military forces attacking us."
#3
"Iran Will Target U.S. Forces in Neighboring Countries"
With what? I believe that if we attack Iran, they really won't have anything left with which to attack us.
First of all we would most likely demolish every single oil refinery and refined product storage depot in the country. Iran will not have enough diesel fuel to run a city bus let alone conduct military operations.
#4
It is past time to do some "confidence busters" to the IRGC at some level, so that despite the entreaties of the fanatical leaders, the mid-level leaders suddenly start developing maintenance problems.
#5
will attack in all the places in the region where the Americans are present
Are they sure that's wise? The image of those macho dudes who put a cocked pistol in the waistband of their pants, only to have it go off, comes irresistibly to mind.
#8
I suspect that if push comes to shove, the IRGC will not need to go looking for U.S. forces in neighboring countries but that said forces will be making their presence felt.
President-to-be McCain hasn't seemed all that stable recently, and anything, ANYTHING, could happen. I'd be careful poking that guy with a stick. Enjoy your new-found tightrope, asshole
Posted by: Frank G ||
02/07/2008 19:50 Comments ||
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#10
As before, ANTI-US, etc. RADICAL ISLAMIST MULLAHS > MUTUAL DESTRUCTION [any form] IS TO ISLAM'S = RADIC ISLAMISM'S ADVANTAGE.
In addition, OSAMA BIN LADEN'S NEW TAPE > in suppor of the ECONOMIC/NATIONAL BANKRUPTCY OF THE USA. By extens Amers may also conclude that OSAMA = RADIC ISLAM will have no probs wid AMER-SPECIFIC, UNILATER REGIONAL-GLOBAL APPEASEMENT, SURRENDER, WIHDRAWAL, ETC. AS WROUGHT BY AMER'S OWN NPE = MILPOL ESTABLISHMENT.
*Iff they use ANY PLACE to attack Iran, we [Iran] may attack those places with our MISSLES" > COMPARE TO RUSS NEW ANTI-NUKE/WMD TERROR DOCTRINE + same's definition of "CONVENTIONAL AGGRESSION".
An Iranian hardline watchdog body has banned a grandson of the countrys late revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini from running for parliament next month, a newspaper reported on Wednesday. The March 14 vote for parliament will test the popularity of the hardline President, Mahmood Ahmadinejad, who came to power vowing to share out oil wealth more fairly but failed to curb inflation. Hopefuls have to go through a vetting process by government executive committees and the conservative-controlled Guardian Council, which has stopped hundreds of reformist candidates in the past. Among many hopefuls barred from running in the election is Ali Eshraghi, a 39-year-old civil engineer who is also a grandson of Khomeini, founder of Irans 1979 Islamic revolution.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/07/2008 00:00 ||
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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.
The Archbishop of Canterbury says the adoption of certain aspects of Sharia law in the UK "seems unavoidable".
Military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said on Wednesday that the declaration of ceasefire by militants could be a move to regroup for another attack, according to Dawn News. He told the TV channel that negotiations with the militants would be carried out by the civil government or the FATA Secretariat.
The following are excerpts from an interview with the commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Gen. Mohammad-Ali Ja'fari. The interview aired on Al-Jazeera TV on January 26, 2008. 
