When U.S. Army Special Forces entered a Taliban village in western Afghanistan back in 2009, they had one man with them to coordinate the vital air support that would keep them alive.
His name is Robert Gutierrez and shortly into the fight he was hit with an armor piercing round that tore through his chest and shoulder.
"I've seen those types of injuries before, and time isn't your friend," Gutierrez said later. "I thought, I have three minutes before I'm going to die. I've got to do something big. Based on that time frame, I'm going to change the world in three minutes."
With Taliban fighters shooting down on his platoon from rooftops just 10 feet from their position, Gutierrez maintained radio contact with airmen overhead to keep the enemy from killing them all. His efforts earned him the Air Force Cross for extraordinary heroism late last month.
The four-hour firefight included sniper and small-arms fire, as well as rocket propelled grenades attacks. Though Gutierrez lost five pints of blood and walked over a mile, he maintained constant radio contact.
Soldiers on the ground attempting to treat Gutierrez said he refused to remove his body armor because it held his radio, relenting only for a moment so the medic could insert a tube below his collarbone. The move kept his lung from collapsing, allowing him to continue breathing and speaking into the radio.
The A-10 pilot talking to him on the ground said he had no idea Gutierrez was wounded, that his voice was calm the whole time, and only realized the man was injured when his team moved to the medical landing zone.
"He said he would be off of the mic for a few to handle his gunshot wounds," Air Force Capt. Ethan Sabin said. "Until that point he was calm, cool and collected."
When it was all over Gutierrez had taken a bullet to the upper shoulder, triceps, left chest and lateral muscle causing two broken ribs, a broken scapula, and a softball-sized hole in his back.
He suffered a collapsed lung and multiple blood infections, which required three chest tubes, three blood transfusions and seven surgeries.
To top it off the 30 mm strafing runs from the A-10 he was calling in ruptured both of his eardrums.
Gutierrez is only the second living recipient of the Air Force Cross since 9/11 and he is now assigned a training role at the Special Operations Training Center at Pope AFB, N.C.
[An Nahar] Tunisia's Islamist party Ennahda, tipped to dominate elections later this month, on Saturday condemned an attack on the home of a television chief over alleged blasphemy, denying any role in it.
But Ennahda party chief Rached Ghannouchi equally accused the Nessma television station of "provocation" for airing a film that depicts an image of God as an old, bearded man.
"I support the right of the Tunisian people to denounce this attack on their religion," Ghannouchi said from Gay Paree, insisting that his party is against "all forms of violence."
Ali Larayedh, a member of Ennahda's executive, had earlier told Agence La Belle France Presse that the party had "nothing whatsoever to do with these acts of violence."
About 100 men Molotov cocktailed the home of Nessma private television director Nabil Karoui late Friday in protest at the airing of a film that they say blasphemed Islam. He was not home and his family managed to escape.
Witnesses described the assailants, who were armed with Molotov cocktails, knives and swords, as members of the ultra-conservative Salafist ...Salafists espouse an austere form of Sunni Islam that seeks a return to practices that were common in the 7th century. Rather than doing that themselves and letting other people alone they insist everybody do as they say and they try to kill everybody who doesn't... sect.
Earlier, forces of Evil clashed with police in the streets of Tunis over the broadcast at a demonstration calling for the closure of the station.
The main demonstration began peacefully at a central Tunis mosque after Friday prayers, with men and women chanting slogans against Nessma. Thousands of people, many of them Salafists, took part.
The broadcast of "Persepolis" on October 7 sparked an escalating series of protests culminating in the attack on Karoui's home.
A small but vocal minority, the Salafists have grown in strength in recent weeks. They have been blamed for several incidents, including an attack on a movie theatre showing a film on secularism.
Activists in favour of a secular state have called a protest against the Salafists on Sunday.
The protests have increased fears of unrest barely a week ahead of historic polls to elect a constituent assembly on October 23, the first since January's overthrow of president Zine el Abidine Ben Ali.
"Persepolis", a globally acclaimed animated film on Iran's 1979 revolution, offended many Mohammedans because of the scene showing a representation of God. All depictions of God are forbidden by Islam.
Karoui apologized over the scene, but most mosque preachers devoted their Friday sermons to the issue. After the attack on his home, the station accused some imams of having incited the violence and charged that Ennahda, though nominally moderate, had tacitly encouraged it.
"We don't need to respond to those who have continually slandered us instead of judging us by our actions," Larayedh said. "We are loyal and determined to preserve the transition process. We are through with dictatorship, and we have other ways to make ourselves heard besides violence."
Larayedh said Ennahda had advised young supporters to avoid demonstrations "that could degenerate".
Party chief Ghannouchi, speaking to AFP by phone from Gay Paree where he was visiting members of the expatriate community, predicted Ennahda would perform well at the upcoming polls.
"Ennahda is the largest party (in Tunisia) and its popularity is rising," he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/16/2011 00:00 ||
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I would think the UN already knows. They do read the NYT there...
UNITED NATIONS: Saudi Arabia has asked UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to inform the Security Council of the "heinous conspiracy" to kill its ambassador to Washington Adel Al-Jubeir in an alleged Iranian plot, the Saudi Press Agency said Saturday.
The Kingdoms permanent mission to the United Nations in New York has ... formally requested the UN secretary-general to inform the Security Council of the heinous conspiracy to assassinate the Saudi ambassador, the SPA quoted a mission statement as saying.
All those involved in this odious attempt should face justice, the statement said, and added the assassination attempt against the Saudi envoy was a clear violation of international law, UN resolutions and human values.
Last Wednesday, the United States sought UN Security Council support for action to hold Iran "accountable" for the alleged plot, with Britain and France already strongly on board, according to diplomats.
US Ambassador Susan Rice, joined by the Saudi envoy to the UN Abdallah Al-Mouallimi, held separate meetings with envoys on the 15-member council, US officials and diplomats said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/16/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Apparently, a hardline Iranian Cleric [Mehdi Daeb] thinks the Saudis are being silly = quaint?, espec given ...
* TOPIX > [Payvand News] "IFF NEEDED, WE [Iran] HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO ASSASSINATE KING ABDULLAH", iff we rly rely Rely REALLY R-E-A-L-L-Y RRRRREEEEEEEEEELLLLY .....@etc. WANTED TO,
D ***** IT, not merely or just the lowly Saudi Ambassador.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's grandson Han-sol on Thursday started school at the United World College in Mostar, southern Bosnia, over a month and a half after it reopened for the new semester.
Bosnia is certainly a place I think when I think 'rigorous academics'...
Kim Han-sol (17) received his student visa only recently. He arrived in Sarajevo on Austrian Airlines flight 757 from Vienna the previous day and traveled to Mostar by car, the local press reported.
The Chosun Ilbo attempted to get a glimpse of the dictator's grandson by peeling into classrooms on Thursday morning but was asked to leave. Soon afterward, school spokeswoman Meri Musa confirmed that Han-sol had arrived at the school. "I'm well aware of the publicity surrounding the first North Korean student at the UWC," she said. "He's doing well on his first day here."
Asked whether the Chsoun Ilbo could meet him, she declined. "Please understand that the school is supposed to protect its students," she said. But she added the school will give a press conference Friday.
"We'll bring Kim Han-sol in for the press conference if he wants, but if he doesn't, we can't force him," she added.
"He'll get the same treatment as other students and live in a dorm," Musa said. "The school's policy is to help him as much as possible so that he can lead a normal life."
Meanwhile, Keith Clark, the executive director of UWC International in London, said in a press interview the school wants to teach the boy about diversity, which is one of its foremost principles. "Now, Han-sol, in your country when you have a disagreement with someone who's different from you, how do you deal with someone like that?"
"I call up gramps and have them killed."
Han-sol arrived at Sarajevo International Airport on Wednesday. He "had a valid visa and passport," thus satisfying all conditions to enter Bosnia, border police spokeswoman Sanela Dujkovic said.
A boy presumed to be Kim Han-sol was spotted wearing black-rimmed glasses and a black jacket, Japan's Fuji TV reported.
The boy is expected to stay in the school dorm for the next two years. Mostar, the former capital of Herzegovina, was the scene of violent confrontation among Croats, Serbs and Muslims from 1992 to 1995.
Posted by: Steve White ||
10/16/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Yokay, I'll say it, does CHEWBACCA + PRINCESS LEIA + LANDO KNOW???
#3
"Now, Han-sol, in your country when you have a disagreement with someone who's different from you, how do you deal with someone like that?"
"I call up gramps and have them killed."
Con Ed has given the Ground Zero mosque an ultimatum: Pay the $1.7 million you owe in back rent, or we'll terminate your lease and take back our property.
Con Ed and mosque developer Park51 have an unusual, uneasy alliance, sharing ownership of a site slated to be one of the most controversial projects in city history.
The utility owns a former substation on the western half of the property, at 51 Park Place, and the mosque developers own a five-story building on the eastern half. The buildings were connected years ago and used to house a Burlington Coat Factory store. Park51, which leases the substation from Con Ed, wants the two buildings so it can knock both down and build a $100 million, 15-story community center.
But the plan hit a major obstacle in August when Con Ed raised the rent from $2,750 a month, a rate set in 1972, to $47,437 a month, retroactive to July 31, 2008, The Post has learned.
When the mosque failed to fork over the $1.7 million, the utility fired off a letter demanding the money by Oct. 4 and threatening to evict.
#9
Baloney. Standing leases would've been assigned to the new leaseholder. Unless some clause in the contract (or NY law) authorizes retroactive rent increases, ConEd is asking for litigation.
So for Park51, basically it would come down to (1) probability of success if they litigate it (there might be a binding arbitration clause - that could go either way), and (2) overall, is paying it or disputing it likely to cost less.
#10
JD, the standing lease was NOT transferred. The Ground Zero mosque owners admit they owe nearly $900K. In addition, they paid $700,000 for the privilege of renegotiating the lease. The point of contention is the lease rate that is dependent on the market value of the property. ConEd says $11M, GZM says half that. Other sources say the value is $10-20M.
Even worse for GZM, they have not been paying even what they themselves say they owe. They have been paying only the old $2,750/month rate. $881,519 would be 35 months of ($25875 - $2750).
What I don't understand is why GZM agreed to back date any rate increase by 1 year. The GZM controllers bought the Burlington building in July 2009, not July 2008.
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani ... Pakistain's erstwhile current prime minister, whose occasional feats of mental gymnastics can be awe-inspiring ... on Saturday said that the Pak nation, even today, sought guidance from the ideas and vision of Dr Allama Mohammad Iqbal ...Iqbal was a strong proponent of Islamic civilization across the world, but specifically in India. One of the most prominent leaders of the All-India Mohammedan League, Iqbal encouraged the creation of a state in northwestern India for Indian Mohammedans in 1930.[2] Iqbal encouraged and worked closely with Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and he is known as The Thinker of Pakistan and as The Sage of the Ummah. He is officially recognised as the national poet in Pakistain, while most people outside the country have never heard of him and could care less... for its survival, advancement and improvement. Oh, that's worked well...
He was addressing a Presidential Iqbal Awards (national and international) distribution ceremony at Aiwan-i-Iqbal here. "Here" being Lahore... Punjab Governor Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, Justice Javed Iqbal and Iqbal Academy Pakistain (IAP) Vice President Dr Shahzad Qaisar were also present.
Prime Minister Gilani said real and deep affiliation with Allama Iqbal had the strength to steer the nation out of all crises as Iqbal's ideology encompassed all aspects of our thinking about the past and the future.
"We, being a nation, are very lucky as we have a great leader and philosopher in Dr Allama Mohammad Iqbal, who is an institution...his writings and poetry acquaint us with the essence of life," he added.
Prime Minister Gilani said that today Pakistain was faced with numerous challenges at the national and international levels, and added "we direly need to enlighten ourselves with Iqbal's philosophy, which can maintain us as an energetic and dynamic state".
He said "the Pak nation is mature, sensitive and brave and it has always played its role in any difficulty," and added that the nation was not facing any 'real crisis' that was the repercussion of bad intention and mismanagement of some individuals or groups in the past.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/16/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
The greatest among which is keeping up the pretense that it is a nation.
[Dawn] The federal government has refused the funds that President Asif Ali President Ten Percent Zardari ... sticky-fingered husband of the late Benazir Bhutto ... had promised two years ago for constructing 1,000 primary schools, most of them in the militancy-hit districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ... formerly NWFP, still Terrorism Central... , sources in the education department said.
"The federal government went back on its words after the devolution of the education department," they said.
They recalled that following President Zardari`s announcement, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government developed a plan to construct these schools in areas facing shortage of primary schools, especially due to destruction of school buildings by Death Eaters.
Education department officials agreed that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government lacked the financial resources needed for constructing the 1,000 schools.
According to them the provincial government could construct only up to 200 schools a year.
Called the Crash Programme for Establishment of One Thousand Primary Schools, the project was mentioned in the federal government`s Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for fiscal year 2009-10. It was also part of the Mid Term Development Framework (MTDF) drawn to improve access to education in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, especially at primary level.
In the light of the President`s pledge, Chief Minister Ameer Haider Hoti and Elementary and Secondary Education Minister Sardar Hussain Babak had repeatedly promised the construction of these schools on the floor of the provincial assembly and in their public meetings, terming the project `a big achievement` of the ANP-led government.
"The provincial government lacks the capacity to build such a large number of schools," officials in the E&SE department told Dawn .
Some officials questioned the view that the provincial government had the capacity to build 200 schools a year, saying it had not been able even to reconstruct the schools damaged in the 2005 earthquake, destroyed by Death Eaters and those washed away in the last year`s floods in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
"We have asked the provincial government to raise this issue in the meeting of Council of Common Interests (CCI) and press the federal government to fulfill its promise," the education department officials said.
They said that a total of Rs3.13 billion was estimated for construction of the schools and the provincial government had agreed to provide the land free of cost for the project.
Rural areas, girls` education and districts hit hard by militancy such as Malakand division were to be given preference in the federal government`s project.
Of the 1,000 schools, it was decided to construct 281 primary schools in Malakand division, including 77 in Swat ...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat... and 75 in Buner -- of them 51 for boys and 101 for girls; and 34 in Lower Dir, 10 for boys and 24 for girls. Swat, Buner and Lower Dir are the districts most-affected by militancy.
Similarly, 54 primary schools (both for boys and girls) were to be built in Abbottabad, 62 in Bannu, 13 in Chitral, 60 in Charsadda, 53 in Dera Ismail Khan ... the Pearl of Pashtunistan ... , 21 in Karak, 32 in Kohat, 22 in Kohistan, 45 in Mansehra, 98 in Beautiful Downtown Peshawar, 78 in Mardan, 33 in Nowshera, 52 in Swabi, 24 in Haripur, 35 in Lakki, 14 in Tank, 12 in Battagram, 21 in Upper Dir, 24 in Hangu and 37 in Shangla.
Posted by: Fred ||
10/16/2011 00:00 ||
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#1
Isn't this what David Cameroon promised to fork over so much U.K. taxpayer aid for??
As foreign militants gather in North Waziristan and the Haqqani Network relocates, local tribes say their fears and concerns are being ignored
Although the United States is putting pressure on Pakistain for a full-scale operation against the Haqqani Network and other thug groups operating in the North Wazoo for a long time, the region has once again become the centre of a heated debate, especially following direct warnings and accusations by senior US officials claiming that the Haqqani Network is responsible for majority of attacks on US in Afghanistan.
Located between the Khost province ... across the border from Miranshah, within commuting distance of Haqqani hangouts such as Datta Khel and probably within sight of Mordor. Khost is populated by six different tribes of Pashtuns, the largest probably being the Khostwal, from which it takes its name... of eastern Afghanistan and Khyber Pakthunkhwa of northwest Pakistain, North Waziristan is the second largest tribal region of Pakistain's Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA). According to security experts, the area is considered today to be the epicentre not only of violence in Afghanistan and Pakistain but also a major source of International terrorism. Along with its geographic isolation, difficult terrain and relatively stable coalition of thug groups, they believe that the region has become the most important centre of militancy of FATA because of the impunity with which bully boyz in the area have operated.
The most important thug group operating in the region is the Haqqani Network, an Afghan myrmidon group led by Maulvi Jalaluddin Haqqani. Haqqani left his native Khost province and settled in North Waziristan as an exile during the republican Afghan government of Sardar Mohammad Dauod Khan in early 1970s. His son Sirajuddin, popularly known as Khaleefa, who became a key myrmidon leader in the Afghanistan in mid 1980s, manages the network's organization from the Danday Darpakhel village near Miramshah in North Waziristan and carries out attacks on US and NATO ...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Originally it was a mutual defense pact directed against an expansionist Soviet Union. In later years it evolved into a mechanism for picking the American pocket while criticizing the cut of the American pants... forces in Afghanistan, according to security experts and local elders.
The second most important group in North Waziristan is led-by Hafiz Gul Bahadur, a key thug leader known for hosting foreign thugs. Bahadur was announced as Naib Amir (deputy head) under the leadership of Baitullah Mehsud upon the formation of the 2007 Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistain (TTP), an umbrella organization of various thug groups operating in FATA. However Bahadur later formed an anti-TTP bloc by joining hands with Maulvi Nazir's South Waziristan based group because of disagreements over TTP attacks against the Pak security forces and tribal rivalries of Mehsuds. The Haqqani Network and Bahadur are considered 'good Taliban' by the Pakistain military authorities as they don't carry out attacks inside Pakistain and focus only on Afghanistan.
North Waziristan also provides shelter to several other local, foreign and international thug groups, such as the Islamic Jihad Union (IJU), the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), the Islamic Army of Great Britain, Ittehad-e-Jihad Islami (IJI), the TTP, the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi ... a 'more violent' offshoot of Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistain. LeJ's purpose in life is to murder anyone who's not of utmost religious purity, starting with Shiites but including Brelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Rosicrucians, and just about anyone else you can think of. They are currently a wholly-owned subsidiary of al-Qaeda ... , the Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami, the Fidayeen-e-Islami, Harkat-ul-Mujahedeen, the Jaish-e-Muhammad and Lashkar-e-Taiba, according to a latest report published in The News. Elders and political activists of North Waziristan say that many of the foreign thugs, especially Central Asians, Arabs and Afghans, arrived in Pakistain's tribal areas when their bases in Afghanistan were closed down in late 2001. They say that the local population does not approve of the presence of foreign thugs, especially the Uzbeks and Punjabis, because they encroach the tribes' lands and are insensitive to local customs. "We need neither good Taliban nor bad Taliban. The Pak government should abandon their policy of using thug groups against each other and should take stern measures to flush out all of these monsters from the area. They are not only carrying out subversive attacks in Afghanistan but also destroying peace in Pakistain," said an elder from Dawar tribe of North Waziristan.
"We hate Taliban and there are no two opinions about it, but we are compelled to bear the atrocities of these thug outfits because the state has no writ," said another elder from the Utmanzai tribe. "Our voices are not heard and we are not given appropriate space and airtime in the mainstream media."
Because of the reluctance of Pak authorities to carry out a military operation in the region, US drone have targeted the Mir Ali, Dattakhel and Miramshah areas of North Waziristan extensively, with five out of six drone strikes in Pakistain now being reordered in North Waziristan. Residents of the tribal region say that they live in a constant state of fear of being hit, because of local and foreign thugs. The attacks occur without any warning and are often not related to the Pak military's operations.
"The drone frightens women and kiddies who sometimes become the victims, especially if the intended targets are close to their homes," the Utmanzai elder said.
Tribal elders believe many foreign and local thug leaders have been killed in drone strikes in North Waziristan. New America Foundation, a Washington-based think tank, estimates on basis of media reports that 80% of the people killed in drones were Al Qaeda and Talibs. The accuracy rose to an astonishing 95% in 2010. This assertion was corroborated by Pak security official Maj Gen Ghayur Mehmood, who commands troops in North Waziritan, in a March 9 media briefing. Between 2007 and 2011, he said, 164 drone strikes had carried out and over 964 bully boyz had been killed. Of those killed, 793 were foreigners - Arabs, Uzbeks, Tajiks, Chechens, Filipinos and Moroccans.
When drones kill a key thug leader or fighter, the Ittehad-e-Mujahedeen-e-Khurasan (IMK), a relatively less-known alliance of all local and foreign thug outfits, kill innocent people belonging to local Utmanzai and Dawar tribes, accusing them of spying. The murders have created more hatred for the foreigners. Most of the killings are carried out by Uzbek and Arab members of the IMK, tribal elders say.
Some Pak thug groups have abandoned the IMK because of the brutal ways in which they murder people. "We tried our best to reform the IMK but repeated attempts to correct them failed," Bahadur said in a recent statement issued after pressure from local Wazir rustics.
It is pertinent to mention here that with the help of bully boyz led by Nazir, the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe of South Waziristan successfully flushed out Uzbek bully boyz of IMU from Wana and other Wazir-dominated areas of the region in a spring 2007 uprising sparked by the brutality of the Uzbeks.
Similarly, the tense relationship between local and foreign thug outfits operating in North Waziristan has been displayed several times in the past, particularly in November 2006, when the IMU and the IJU accused Bahadur of betraying them and jumping into the government camp by demanding their eviction from the North Waziristan. Differences between Gul Bahadur and Central Asian thug outfits were solved after the Haqqani Network intervened.
Security experts say that the Haqqani Network has been playing the role of bridge between the local and foreign thugs, especially Pak and Afghan Taliban and Al Qaeda. It was the Haqqani Network that brokered a truce between the Nazir-led thug group and the TTP in South Waziristan when they were fighting over expulsion of Uzbek bully boyz from the region, said a Bannu-based journalist, adding that that the Haqqani Network has strong presence not only in North Waziristan but also in South Waziristan, Kurram and Orakzai tribal agencies.
The Shia Turi tribes of neighbouring Kurram Agency ...home of an intricately interconnected web of poverty, ignorance, and religious fanaticism, where the laws of cause and effect are assumed to be suspended, conveniently located adjacent to Tora Bora... say the growing drone attacks that killed dozens of Al Qaeda, Haqqani Network and TTP leaders, and the US pressure on Pak government to begin an operation in North Waziristan, has increased the importance of Kurram for the Haqqani Network. The network will also find in Kurram Agency new passages into Afghanistan, especially with help from former TTP leader Fazal Saeed Haqqani. And it will bring new problems for the Shias of Kurram Agency.
Continued on Page 49
Jinnah wanted normal relations with India
Columnist Ataul Haq Qasmi quoted Mujibur Rehman Shami's letter about Jinnah in Jang explaining how founder of the nation Jinnah was talking to the Indians about retaining his house in Bombay which he might visit once Indo-Pak relations returned to normal.
Lucky for Mr. Jinnah he died only a year after Pakistan became independent. He would have been very upset to see what his little project became.
Asfandyar got $23 million?
Daily Jang quoted MQM leader Altaf Hussain as saying that ANP leader Isfandyar Wali got $23 million from America to pay his way to winning the 2008 elections in Pakhtunkhwa. Altaf said he did not consider Pashtun leader Ghaffar Khan as a traitor. (Hussain later apologised for the charge.)
Dr Safdar defeats Ziring
Famous historian and ex-Intelligence Bureau officer Dr Safdar Mehmood wrote in Jang that the following American scholars were predicting Pakistan's failure: Selig Harrison, Stephen Cohen and Prof Lawrence Ziring. Ziring was author of half a dozen books predicting Pakistan's demise and when Dr Safdar encountered him on one occasion in Islamabad he challenged him on his basing his prediction on Dr Safdar's books. Later when Pakistan survived Dr Safdar challenged him again. On this occasion Ziring apologised for having predicted death of Pakistan. Dr Safdar wrote: 'Friends! Believe me, Allah has his protective shadow falling on Pakistan which will live forever'.
Army needs MQM
Reported in Jang news commentator Kamran Khan revealed that MQM was greatly needed by the ruling party PPP. At the same time both the Americans and the Pakistan Army also needed the MQM. All this meant that the PPP-MQM alliance was needed by all the important actors in the region.
Did Musharraf kowtow to America?
Writing in Jang ex-president Pervez Musharraf stated that the allegation that he accepted all the demands for cooperation by America after 9/11 was wrong. He took the American demand to his generals, then to all the cantonments and talked to the rank and file of the army and got agreement everywhere. Then he went to the cabinet and got its agreement and thereafter discussed it with all the big stakeholders. He gave Shamsi airbase in Balochistan to the Americans only for transit into Afghanistan and the Jacobabad base in Sindh, but did not allow use of airports and ports.
Jinnah's doctor made millions
Daily Pakistan revealed that Jinnah's personal doctor Col Ilahi Baksh managed to squeeze a lot of benefits from the government for his treatment of the Father of the Nation. He got a big plot in a place which later became Gulberg in Lahore and he got allotted a hotel in the Shah Alami Market.
Kulsum Saifullah regrets
Reported in Jang Kulsum Saifullah who wrote Meri Tanha Parvaz (My Solo Flight) regretted that her book contained slander against the person of late General Akhtar Abdur Rehman whose family was greatly perturbed. She apologised to the sons of General Rehman and said that the said general was an asset to Pakistan and that her book wrongfully contained sections against him because she could not supervise the proofreading and publishing of the book.
Ch Nisar's children are American!
Chief Editor Jinnah wrote that it was shameful that the parliamentary opposition leader in Pakistan Ch Nisar Ali Khan of PMLN had dual nationality and his children were all American citizens. Perhaps this was an American reward for handing over Aimal Kansi to the Americans whom Ch Nisar now criticises. Why were the children of Ch Nisar given American nationality without spending the mandatory five years in America? Ch Nisar Ali Khan responded that his wife was American at the time of marriage and her children were all American as a result.
America will be destroyed in one year!
Famous leader of Jamaat Islami Munawwar Hasan told Jinnah that American will come to an end in one year because people like Osama are born only for achieving shahadat (martyrdom). He wanted the nation to rise after tying shrouds to their bodies (kafan bandh kar) and form themselves into an army of the faithful and put an end to America.
Ch Pervaiz Elahi is like dengue mosquito!
Famous law minister of Punjab Rana Sanaullah told daily Pakistan that PMLQ leader Ch Pervaiz Elahi was like a huge dengue mosquito which was ever ready to bite the poor and suck the blood out of them. This was his reply to Elahi's criticism of the PMLN's readiness to counter dengue fever in Punjab.
Alexander killed by dengue mosquito!
Daily Jang reported that the people of Pakistan suffering from the epidemic of dengue fever should know that as long ago as 3 BC a mosquito had attacked and killed Alexander the Great when he was conquering Punjab. Mosquitoes also killed the biblical villain Nimrod and malaria spread by mosquitoes also killed the famous Italian poet, Dante.
Drones do selective killing!
Famous columnist Hamid Mir wrote in Jang that American troops are present in the Afghan province of Kunar in good numbers but when Pakistani terrorists from Bajaur attack from Kunar the Americans don't do anything to stop them. American drones too ignore these terrorists who recently abducted Pakistani children from Bajaur during a picnic.
Was Osama in Abbottabad?
Head of the judicial commission on Osama bin Laden's death in Abbottabad told Jinnah that he would also probe whether Osama actually died in Abbottabad. He said people were upset after his death and this anxiety must be removed through honest investigation.
National hockey too goes crooked!
Daily Nawa-e-Waqt reported that after Pakistani cricketers were found to be corrupt, Pakistan's leading lady hockey player Huma Nur too was discovered to be a con artist. She stole a cheque from her school and got it encashed. Just like the cricket players she was caught red-handed on the bank's CCT camera.
Kulsum Saifullah is lying!
World famous military mind ex-ISI chief Hamid Gul was quoted in Nawa-e-Waqt as saying that Kulsum Saifullah's allegation in her book that Pakistan blew up the Ojhri camp in 1987 because it had stolen and sold them to Iran a number of Stinger missiles from the munitions depot was wrong. He said that Ojhri fire was an accident and the 248 stingers were destroyed in the fire. Gul was in charge of ISI then.
Gems from Major Amir of ISI
Chief Editor of Jinnah wrote that he had met ex-ISI officer Major Amir of the Midnight Jackals fame and discussed the current crises of Pakistan on which Major Amir said that those who had not made money were predicting doom while those who had were enjoying Pakistan. Major Amir is a famous and much admired former officer of the ISI who came with the true Islamic credentials of the seminary Panjpir in the Tribal Areas from where Pakistan was to produce such great sons of Islam as Maulvi Faqir Muhammad of Bajaur, putting the fear of God in the breasts of the Americans.
AQ Khan's no comment on Kulsum's book
Famous nuclear scientist Dr AQ Khan was quoted in daily Pakistan as saying that he will be mum on Kulsum Saifullah's book where she claimed that Dr AQ Khan and some others had a part in Pakistan's crime of nuclear proliferation. Her book is titled My Solo Flight.
MISSAN / Aswat al-Iraq: The head of Ahrar bloc in Missan announced today that the U.S. forces withdrew in full from Amara.
Hussein Sabri al-Lami told Aswat al-Iraq that the U.S. forces handed over the security matters to the Tenth Division Command, which is stationed in Btaira military airport, 10 km from the center of the province.
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[An Nahar] Prime Minister Najib Miqati stressed on Saturday that Leb is committed to all the international resolutions especially United Nations ...Parkinson's Law on an international scale... resolution 1701, vowing to reinforce the Lebanese army to replace the UNIFIL in the south.
Miqati said during a meeting with Ireland President Mary McAleese at the Grand Serail that he will put his efforts to "strengthen the Lebanese Armed Forces to be able to replace the peace keeping forces in the South."
He expressed Leb's appreciation "for the sacrifices undertaken by Ireland to help (Leb)."
Miqati held a meeting with McAleese in the presence of Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour, Defense Minister Fayez Ghosn, Economy and Trade Minister Nicolas Nahhas and Lebanese army Chief of Staff Major General Walid Salman.
The PM remembered fallen Irish peacekeepers affiliated in the United Nations Interim Force in Leb (UNIFIL). The Irish force had lost 47 troops, the greatest loss sustained by any UNIFIL contributor state
On her Part, McAleese said that Ireland was able to "help Leb preserve peace and stability."
She urged the Lebanese authorities to "protect the UNIFIL peacekeepers."
McAleese hoped that the two countries strengthen their bilateral relations and develop the economic relations.
She stressed that her country backs Leb and will offer its support concerning development, economic and social issues.
Ireland is one of 34 countries in UNIFIL who contribute armed personnel, to the 11,873 uniformed personnel in south Leb.
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10/16/2011 00:00 ||
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I wonder how badly soldiers had to foul up to be sentenced to UNIFIL? Something so gross and embarrassing that even the stockade wasn't enough.
[An Nahar] Soddy Arabia has asked U.N. chief the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon ... of whom it can be said to his credit that he is not Kofi Annan... to inform the Security Council of the "heinous conspiracy" to kill its envoy to Washington, in an alleged Iranian plot, SPA state news agency said. ... and if you can't believe the state news agency who can you believe? on Saturday.
"The Saudi permanent mission to the United Nations ...a lucrative dumping ground for the relatives of dictators and party hacks... in New York has ...formally requested the U.N. secretary general to inform the Security Council of the heinous conspiracy to assassinate the Saudi ambassador," it said.
"All those involved in this odious attempt should face justice," it added, quoting a statement by the mission.
The United States on Wednesday sought U.N. Security Council support for action to hold Iran "accountable" for the alleged plot, with Britannia and La Belle France already strongly on board, according to diplomats.
U.S. ambassador Susan Rice, joined by the Saudi envoy to the U.N., Abdallah al-Mouallimi, held separate meetings with envoys on the 15-nation council, U.S. officials and diplomats said.
The U.S. Justice Department on Tuesday charged two men with conspiring with Iranian officials to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, Adel al-Jubeir.
Iran, which faces four rounds of Security Council sanctions over its nuclear program, called the U.S. allegations part of an "evil plot" against the Islamic Theocratic Republic.
In a letter of protest to the Security Council, it accused Washington of "warmongering."
Tehran hardened its denials on Saturday, with the country's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei dismissing the accusations as "meaningless and absurd".
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal has said his country "will find a suitable response" against Iran for the alleged plot.
But Iran's Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said: "We hope the Saudis will deal with this issue with caution."
He accused the United States of trying to create divisions in the Middle East but said the Saudis were "too wise to get involved in this political game."
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10/16/2011 00:00 ||
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[An Nahar] President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Trampler of Homs... on Saturday announced the creation of an ad hoc committee tasked with preparing a new constitution for Syria within four months, the official SANA news agency said.
It said Assad issued a decree establishing the national committee to draft a new constitution in a period "not exceeding four months from the date of its creation."
Why not just use the old Soviet constitution? It guaranteed a lot of rights, it did, and it used a lot of fancy words that pro'ly sound swell in Arabic...
Or the American constitution? They're going to ignore it completely anyway, so they might as well do something that might seduce America into funding them.
The 29-member committee, headed by former justice minister Mizhar al-Annbary, includes Qadri Jamil, who led a Syrian delegation to Russia on Tuesday.
Mohammed Said Bkheitan, a bigwig in the ruling Baath party, said earlier this week the new document would require a two-thirds approval of the Assad-dominated parliament before being submitted to a referendum.
A new constitution has been a key demand of a protest movement that erupted in March 15 -- initially calling for greater freedoms and later demanding the ouster of the Assad regime.
The decision comes one day after activists said security forces opened fire and killed 12 people during rallies held in support of defecting soldiers in several towns and cities.
U.N. human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... Chief Navi Pillay said on Friday that more than 3,000 people, including 187 children, have been killed in the brutal crackdown on dissent.
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#1
Compare wid TOPIX > TURKEY TO CREATE NEW CONSTITUTION WITHOUT ETHNIC NATIONALISM.
I dunno - my read of the Artic gives me the impression Turkey's Govt is more into imposing + protecting ANTI-ISLAMIST/RELIGIOUS SECULARISM, NOT ETHNICITY???
Marada movement leader Suleiman Franjieh has hailed the ability of Syrian President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-Assad Sonny, disguised as Fredo, trying to be Mike... to prevent "conspirators" from targeting his regime. Then he cleaned Pencilneck's shoes with his tongue...
In a meeting with a delegation from the "Youth for the National Unity of Syria," Franjieh said: "The strength of Syrian President Bashir al-Assad, the love of the people for him and the army's solidarity have thwarted the opportunity for Syria's enemies who harbor ill-will." "Would you like me to lick the soles, too?"
He said the recent unrest in Syria came due to a "plot" from outside the country. The Marada chief didn't specify which country was involved in the alleged conspiracy. "It's those goddamned Guatamalans! What'd ya think?"
"When the conspirators failed to achieve their objectives through killing," they resorted to sectarian strife, Franjieh said, adding however that the vigilance of Assad, the Syrian leadership and the people have thwarted the plot.
"Now Syria is emerging stronger from its ordeal ... and the regime is staying," he added.
U.N. human rights ...which are usually entirely different from personal liberty... chief Navi Pillay said on Friday that the toll from seven months of violence in Syria had risen above 3,000. She said Syria risked "a full-blown civil war" unless the international community took action.
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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.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-il's grandson Han-sol on Thursday started school at the United World College in Mostar, southern Bosnia, over a month and a half after it reopened for the new semester.
Prime Minister 
Punjab
The federal government has refused the funds that President 
...a valley and an administrative district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistain, located 99 mi from Islamabad. It is inhabited mostly by Pashto speakers. The place has gone steadily downhill since the days when Babe Ruth was the Sultan of Swat...
Wazoo
Kurram Agency
Jinnah wanted normal relations with India
Najib Miqati
the ephemeral Ban Ki-moon
President-for-Life Bashir 
President-for-Life Bashir 
