The cleric was known throughout eastern Afghanistan as "The Muslim" for his great knowledge of Islam. At a community meeting last month, he thundered at his audience, waving his arms and pounding on the lectern. "Everywhere innocent people are dying!" Fazal Ahad shouted at the crowd members, who listened silently. "My people, please do not use the word Islam to justify your bad deeds."
Four days later, on April 29, Ahad's vehicle was pulled over as he was on his way to negotiate a dispute between tribes in remote Nuristan province. His three companions were told to leave or be killed. As they rushed for help, they heard a gunshot. Ahad, considered the top religious leader in Nuristan, had been fatally shot in the face.
He was a victim of a different war being waged by Afghan insurgents, this one targeting so-called soft targets -- religious leaders, teachers, government employees and reconstruction workers, all accused of links, however slight, to the West and the U.S.-backed government.
Continued on Page 49
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05/14/2007 00:00 ||
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He told a reporter he was not sure what to do. If he supported the U.S.-led coalition, Al Qaeda would kill him, he said. But he also believed that if he supported Al Qaeda, the coalition would kill him.
I hope the latter belief is at least as strongly held as the first. I doubt it is.
(SomaliNet) Former Somalia defense minister but now member of Parliament Bare Aden Shire Hirale for the first time Sunday spoke out the reasons he lost his post in the cabinet while talking to the local media.
Mr. Hirale, former warlord in lower Juba region, who is now in Baidoa city in southwest Somalia, said he was sacked from the cabinet after he did not do things the way the government wanted to face matters. The government wanted me to do what is looked good to them but not to me and I actually, am very happy to lose such post, now I am ready to work with the interim government as a member of parliament, He said.
"Please don't let them kill me!"
Hirale thanked to the government for decision of removing him from the cabinet but denied the allegations that he was inactive in his national duties.
Asked about the tension looming in Kismayu, the southern port city of Somalia, Mr. Hirale said the matter does not need to be resolved by force but through peaceful means with responsibility. Kismayu is not a city inhabited by two clans but is a city lived by all Somalis, so the residents are in protest against the administration formed by the federal government and the people need their problem to be addressed, added Hirale.
On Saturday, Somalias interim Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi fired two of his cabinet ministers in a decree issued yesterday for failing to do honestly the national duty as part of his reshuffle of the cabinet. The sacked ministers are Bare Aden Shire Hirale the defense minister and Hussein Aideed, the deputy prime minister. In the decree, the fired ministers were accused of being inactive in their duties. Both men are in Asmara, Eritrea and in Baidoa, southwest Somalia. Hussien Aideed who had already lost the post of interior minister was accused of making alliance with the ousted Islamist leaders and former parliament speaker. The only posts left for both men are members of the parliament.
This article starring:
Hussein Aideed
interim Prime Minister Ali Mohamed Gedi
member of Parliament Bare Aden Shire Hirale
Posted by: Fred ||
05/14/2007 00:00 ||
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(SomaliNet) Somalias interim president Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed met on Sunday with elders and intellectuals of Saleban sub-clan of Habar-Gidir clan in Somalia capital Mogadishu as part of presidents efforts to convince the opposing clans to support his government, the presidential spokesman Mohamed Hubsired told reporters.
The spokesman said the president has discussed with the clan elders over the best way that the Suleiman sub-clan could help the government in restoring peace and security in the capital and support for the federal institutions. Some of the elders who met with the president were supporting the recent insurgence in Mogadishu against the government.
Mr. Hubsired said the meeting was successful and everything was agreed upon. The president has been involving in constant separate meetings with Hawiye clan elders to support his government to introduce peace and stability in the capital.
This article starring:
interim president Abdulahi Yusuf Ahmed
Posted by: Fred ||
05/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Some details of terrorist operations in Saudi Arabia have been getting out, in the wake of the recent round up of 172 terrorist suspects, and the seizure of weapons, explosives and plans. There were seven different terrorist cells involved in those arrests. One of the cells had a safe house in Syria, where meetings with terrorist groups in Iraq were conducted. The Saudis are not happy with the links between terrorists inside Saudi Arabia, and Iraqi Sunni Arabs. The Saudis have told the Iraqi Sunni Arabs that the Sunni Arab nations in the regions will not bail them out, and that they must make peace with the Shia Arab majority. Most Sunni Arabs are appalled at the body count the Sunni Arab terrorists have created in Iraq. While most of the dead are Shia Arabs, a growing number are Sunni Arabs, killed either by the suicide bombers, or by Shia Arab death squads looking for revenge. While most Sunni Arabs would like to see Sunni Arabs running Iraq, there was revulsion at Saddam Husseins methods, and even greater distaste for the subsequent mayhem by his followers.
Saudi investigators also discovered that there were also terrorist training camps in northern Yemen, an area controlled by Shia Arab tribes that are hostile to the Sunni Arab Yemeni government. The connection with both Syria and Yemen is Iran, which subsidizes Syria, and supports the Shia tribes in Yemen. Saudi Arabia sees Iran has its primary enemy, not the Shia form of Islam.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Iran's president led a raucous anti-American rally on Sunday in this tightly controlled U.S. ally in the Persian Gulf, a day after a low-key visit by Vice President Dick Cheney aimed at countering Tehran's influence in the region.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told a cheering crowd that America was to blame for creating instability and robbing the region of its wealth. ``We are telling you to leave the region. This is for your benefit and the benefit of your nation,'' Ahmadinejad shouted to the crowd of thousands at a soccer stadium. ``The nations of the region can no longer take you forcing yourself on them. The nations of the region know better how to create peace and security.''
Ahmadinejad's visit was the first by an Iranian head of state to this Sunni-led Arab country since its independence in 1971 and his rally was remarkable in a country where political parties are banned and power is held solely by tribal families.
The crowd, many of them expatriate Iranians, cheered Ahmadinejad and waved Iranian flags. One group carried a black banner bearing a yellow symbol seen on nuclear fallout shelters. Chants of ``Down with the USA!'' and ``Nuclear energy is our right!'' frequently interrupted the speech.
So he got the local rubes to rally for him, did he? Guess the 'tribal families' with the political power now know who their enemies are, that is, if they didn't already.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Your nations do but contrary to claim.
You destabalize all nations and wreak havoc upon the poorest. You are parasidical. You would not know what to do with the world once handed to you, but who knows. humans like adventures right Mortal Man?
#4
I think UAR is one of those countries that is primarily Sunni but with a large fraction of the population being Shi'ite. Guess we know which gang showed up for ratface.
Japan's Defense Ministry plans to develop a high-powered laser capable of shooting down missiles to boost its defenses against North Korea, a news report said Sunday.
The ministry will ask for funds next fiscal year to develop a ground-based laser capable of destroying ballistic missiles in midair, according to the Mainichi newspaper.
The ministry is also considering an anti-missile laser that can be mounted on aircraft, the report said, citing unidentified officials.
Unlike the Patriot missile defense system, which Japan began deploying in March, lasers would shoot down missiles shortly after they are launched, the Mainichi said. Patriot missiles can only shoot down missiles at later stages of their trajectory.
The U.S. is already developing similar laser technology, according to the report. Defense officials in Tokyo were not immediately available for comment.
The report comes amid heightened concern in Japan over North Korea's weapons programs. Last year, the North test-fired seven missiles into waters between the Korean peninsula and Japan, and detonated its first nuclear bomb.
Since April, Japan's Defense Ministry has provided U.S. forces with intelligence from 28 radar sites across Japan and from its fighter squadrons and other air units, according to a separate report carried by Kyodo News agency.
In return, Washington will share intelligence on North Korea's ballistic missiles gathered from advanced spy satellites and patrol aircraft, the report cited unnamed Japanese defense officials as saying.
#2
I'm just glad that SOMEBODY sees the wisdom of continuing these "science experiments!"
Does the democrat talking point of "These systems aren't ready yet so let's cut off ABM research and science experiments" fooling anybody who does not already want to be fooled???
North Korea has unveiled its latest intermediate-range ballistic missile at a military parade, amid an international standoff over its nuclear programme, a report said on Sunday. The new missile, using former Soviet Union's technologies of the 1960s, is estimated to have a range of about 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles), the Asahi Shimbun daily reported, citing unnamed government sources from Japan and South Korea. After studying satellite photographs of a major military parade on April 25 attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, the United States concluded there was a newly developed missile and told the governments of Japan and South Korea about it, the report said. Although no test-launch of the new missile has been confirmed, the Pacific island of Guam, an unincorporated US territory, is presumably within range of the missile, it said. North Korea tested seven ballistic missiles last July, sparking international alarm and United Nations sanctions. A nuclear test last October further heightened tensions. In February the communist state agreed to scrap its nuclear programme as part of a six-nation deal, but the agreement is in limbo amid a row over US financial sanctions.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Yawn. Or it could be an old piece of pipe spruced up to look fearsome...
According to the U.S., the missile resembles the Russian 274 (RSM-25) missile otherwise known as the SSN-6. This missile can be launched from below the ground and has the ability to reach up to 5,000km, hence even reaching Guam.
In addition, the U.S. informed that the last missile launched in North Hamkyung and stationed in Musudan-ri July last year which had a long range missile 6,700km had been renamed the Musudan missile due to its origins, instead of the Taepodong 2, reported the newspaper.
Posted by: Mike ||
05/14/2007 15:38 Comments ||
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Hicks's Australian lawyer David McLeod is on his way to Cuba to bring his client back to Australia. The Guantanamo Bay detainee is scheduled to return to South Australia by May 29 to serve a nine-month sentence at Yatala prison. He is then expected to be released on December 29. As he departed yesterday, Mr McLeod criticised the State Government for trying to influence Hicks's treatment when he arrives.
But Mr Atkinson says it is the Government's responsibility. "The State Government is responsible for the safety of South Australians," he said. "The Premier was right to put on the record in State Parliament exactly what David Hicks had admitted to. Those who want to treat David Hicks as a hero after that - I think the Premier's statement will give them some pause."
Hicks could arrive in Australia as soon as the weekend. But Foreign Minister Alexander Downer says it is unlikely Hicks will be back by Sunday. Hicks's father, Terry, says the Government has gone over the top. "Nowhere in there it says he's killed anyone or blown anything up or anything like that," he said.
Not that he didn't want to ...
This article starring:
DAVID HICKS
al-Qaeda
Foreign Minister Alexander Downer
Hicks's Australian lawyer David McLeod
Hicks's father, Terry
South Australian Attorney-General Michael Atkinson
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Turn him loose on Biondi for the week-end witha "I'm David Hicks" T-shirt. The problem will solve itself.
Australia's most senior muslim cleric has been interviewed by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) over comments he made about Iran. A spokesman for Sheikh Taj el-Din Al Hilali, Keysar Trad, says the interview took place in Sydney's south-west last week. Mr Trad says the interview was separate to an earlier AFP investigation, which cleared the sheikh of diverting charitable funds to the Lebanese militant group, Hezbollah.
He says the latest investigation relates to comments made several weeks ago in Tehran on Arabic television, where he called for support for Iran. Mr Trad says the AFP made reference to Australia's sedition laws. "The whole notion of the sedition provisions - I don't believe that they can be invoked in these circumstances because we are not at war with Iran," he said.
Mr Trad says the sheikh made the comments after addressing a conference in Tehran on Shiite and Sunni unity in the Muslim world. "One of the issues with that, and this is something that whoever referred these comments to the police should consider, that we have full diplomatic relations with Iran," he said. "We have an Iranian Embassy in Australia, we have an Iranian ambassador in Australia and I'm sure that we still have some trade with Iran."
This article starring:
KEYSAR TRAD
Learned Elders of Islam
SHEIKH TAJ EL DIN AL HILALI
Learned Elders of Islam
Hezbollah
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Mr Trad says the AFP made reference to Australia's sedition laws.
About. F*cking. Time.
If laws on treason and sedition were enforced across the West something like 95% of the problems we face would be resolved over night. Including and especially the derangement that has overcome the "left". Lock up/execute the Truthers to start.
All sorts of findings that Europeans don't like Jews and Israel, but here are the important bits:
Results of a survey of five European countries - France, Italy, Germany, Spain, and Poland - published by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Monday.
While sympathy for the Palestinians' predicament seemed to persist, strong attitudes against Iran and Hamas were also shown, with a majority believing Iran is developing a nuclear weapon, and most supporting sanctions against Iran.
Fifty-one percent said they believed Iran's nuclear program was being developed for military purposes, and 16% said they thought it was both a weapons program and a nuclear energy program. Only 14% with their heads in the sand believed it was solely for nuclear energy.
Also, a majority identified Hamas as a terrorist organization and supported the European decision not to provide foreign aid to the Palestinian Authority government until Hamas abided by the Quartet's conditions.
#3
If the Bush administration would adopt Daniel Pipes plan, and base in the Iraq desert while allowing the Sunni Shiite feud to burn out, then quashing the Ayatollahs would be thinkable. Not that the Petraeus Plan involves only establishing a belligerent peace, by standing between enemies, but I would question the ability to succeed in building a lasting peace where sectarians have been fighting for 1400 years. Ethnic cleansing can be a solution, in particular cases.
The best way to battle IslamoNazis is to allow them to battle themselves, but eliminate them when they consolidate, as in Iran.
Jerusalem was both "shocked" and "disappointed" by French President-elect Nicolas Sarkozy's reported selection of Socialist Hubert Vedrine as his foreign minister over the weekend.
Vedrine is a well-known and not-much-beloved personage in Jerusalem, having served as foreign minister under prime minister Lionel Jospin from 1997-2002.
During the height of the Palestinian violence that began in September 2000, Vedrine advocated economic sanctions against Israel within the EU. Litmus test
#1
But compared to Dominique de Vulpine (who is a man)?
There's bad, and there's worse. Considering that Sarko is presumably going to pick his cabinet from the establishment, not some farmer in the southeast, this may be the best we can expect.
I ask A5089 and JFM is there is a relatively high-up person who is at least neutral on Israel?
#2
Any politician coming from Europe is like this. I would be thrilled if he just had a "support the Paleos morally and ignore Israel" approach.
But, you go to bat against the governments they give you, not the government you want.
#5
For now, it is just rumors. Sarkozy is not even President yet. Because Sarkozy wants to get a, sort of, National Union Governamnt, he is trying to open his governement to keft and left of center peole. he gets a couple significative peole from the left (BTW: there are some people in the "socislist" party who are realtively pro-market) then he will not need Vedrine. If vedrine is about the only defector he will have to cope with him.
I am not enchanted with eth perspective of Vedrine as FM because he is to my tastes far too much a member of the cyniavcl and amoral tradition of diplomats. But, traditionally, Foreign lations have been part of President's with Foreign Minister playing a far lesser role than Ministers in other departments. He is not supposed to define France's foreign policy but to be a mouth piece and care about adminstrative tasks like selecting emlbassadors. In 2000, Vedrine was Chirac's and Jospin's minister, now his job is to be Sarkozy's
#6
IIUC, védrine is out, and Bernard Kouchner (one of the only personalities from the left who actually approved OIF, along with Romain Goupil, and, huh,...) is in. But, still rumors.
MOSCOW - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday that it is not any easy time in Russia-U.S. relations, but that the tensions do not amount to a new Cold War.
I dont throw around terms like new Cold War, Rice said on her way to Moscow for a visit amid growing tensions underlined by President Vladimir Putins increasing criticism of the United States. It is a big, complicated relationship, but it is not one that is anything like the implacable hostility that clouded ties between the United States and the Soviet Union.
It is not an easy time in the relationship, but it is also not, I think, a time in which cataclysmic things are affecting the relationship or catastrophic things are happening in the relationship, Rice told reporters aboard her plane. But it is critically important to use this time to enhance those things that are going well and to work on those things that are not going well.
Washingtons relations with Moscow are troubled by sharp disagreements on specific issues in particular the U.S. proposal to place elements of a missile defense system in former Soviet satellite countries and by a clear rise in the Kremlins suspicion of American intentions worldwide.
Kremlin anger
Russian officials bristle at U.S. criticism of a perceived Kremlin rollback of democracy and complain that Washington is interfering in the countrys internal affairs by funding pro-democracy groups. Russia also accuses the U.S. of trying to dominate international affairs.
In an address on the anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany, Putin last week denounced disrespect for human life, claims to global exclusiveness and dictate, just as it was in the time of the Third Reich.
Rice suggested Russian officials sometimes emotionally charged wording of their complaints is not constructive, saying she has urged her counterparts to avoid rhetoric that suggests the relationship is one of hostility.
She couched criticism of Russias democratic progress under Putin with a caveat alluding to the countrys troubled history.
#1
I once had a lot of respect for Condi but as the resident expert on Russia and the Soviets it seems we've done a poor job of handling them. It didn't take a genious to determine that after 9 years of fighting in Afghanistan the Russians would be unhappy at our relatively quick victory. You can explain the differences all you want pride was hurt and we should have given the Russians/Putin lots of credit (even unearned) to help him save face. The bases in the ex-stans are a slap in the face as well.
Having said that the previous administration didn't help with the way they handled the Serbs.
Russia could be a huge asset in bringing global concensus to our needs if we played them right. They could be a poke in the arse with a sharp stick if we don't. So far we're getting the poke.
A Florida doctor accused of pledging his life to al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden testified Monday that he promised to treat Iraqis who fought Americans while he worked at a military hospital in Saudi Arabia. Sabir made the pledge along with his close friend Tariq Shah, a martial arts expert and jazz musician. Shah and two others, a Washington cab driver and a New York bookstore owner, have pleaded guilty in the case and face prison terms of 13 to 15 years.
Dr. Rafiq Abdus Sabir said that he had pledged to treat those who were injured in Iraq defending their homes, but that he did not expect any of them to be taken hundreds of miles from Iraq to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he was working at a military hospital in 2004 and 2005. Sabir said he believed that his promise to give medical attention to injured Iraqis was consistent with his oath as a physician to treat anyone who needs it.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Victor Hou, in his third day of combative questioning of Sabir, asked the doctor whether he supported those who believed they were protecting their homes by fighting U.S. soldiers.
"Morally, yes," Sabir answered. He added: "People fighting for their lives in their homes, you're entitled to that whether you're Muslims or non-Muslims."
The prosecutor pressed the subject, asking Sabir again whether he agreed to treat people fighting Americans in Iraq, "so they can get right back in the fight?"
"Yes," Sabir said.
Sabir is accused of providing material support to terrorists by promising to treat injured al-Qaeda fighters. If convicted, he could face up to 30 years in prison.
As he had two days last week, Hou questioned Sabir about what he knew of al-Qaeda and the group's efforts in places including Afghanistan and Iraq. Sabir said he knew "nothing about al-Qaeda except that they are terrorists" and did not know the group was bombing U.S. soldiers in Iraq.
Hou questioned Sabir extensively about his May 2005 pledge, or bayat, to FBI agent Ali Soufan, who was posing as an al-Qaeda recruiter.
When Elvis and Dritan Duka, two of the three brothers arrested on terrorism charges in Fort Dix, were kids, they were neighborhood bullies. When they got a little older, they became drug dealers.
How do I know? They grew up in my neighborhood, my brother and his friends used to brawl with them on a fairly regular basis. My brother's best friend's mom was friends with their mom. Then they moved to New Jersey and became Jihadis. Of all possible paths for the Duka kids, that one didn't seem the most likely.
They've been here since they were kids, illegally it turns out, lived American lives, went to our public schools, and then decided to try and kill some of our troops. I don't know that I'll ever get used to this world.
Starting May 14th, the Department of Defense, citing security reasons, will block troop access to some of the most popular websites on the planet. Here's the link they provide:
Restricted Access to Internet Entertainment Sites Across DoD Networks
The Department of Defense has a growing concern regarding our unclassified DoD Internet, known as the NIPRNET. The Commander of DoD's Joint Task Force, Global Network Operations has noted a significant increase in the use of DoD network resources tied up by individuals visiting certain recreational Internet sites. The sites blocked include Myspace, Youtube, MTV, Blackplanet, photobucket, live365, hi5.com, pandora.com, 1.fm, and other sites. The troops WILL be allowed to access the sites from home computers. But, since most troops on assignment in Iraq, Afghanistan, Korea, etc. are using DOD networks, they would not be allowed to use THEIR personal computers on DOD networks.
#4
The happy middle ground will happen with providing a recreational Internet service to the troops, on a different network. It makes sense to split the two.
The trick is to make it private para-military, like the USO, so there is still some control over operations.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Sunday expressed concern over the loss of lives and bloodshed in Karachi on Saturday
Commission Chairwoman Asma Jahangir, in a statement, called Saturdays killings the result of a calculated adventure hatched by the presidency and MQM with the cooperation of the Sindh government. The incident aimed to silence civil society. It was a militant act to deny people their right to freedom of expression, Ms Jehangir said. She said the government in collusion with the MQM was doing politics of prejudice to revert Karachi to a state of ethnic hostility. The MQM should be disarmed so the people in Karachi might live peacefully, she said, adding that the HRCP favoured bar associations in their struggle for the supremacy of the rule of law.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) President Qazi Hussain Ahmed has accused President Pervez Musharraf of giving the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) a free hand to carry out violence in Karachi against peaceful people.
Addressing a press conference, Ahmed said that MQM hooligans killed dozens of people and wounded several others in Karachi at the behest of Gen Musharraf. He said that the Rangers and police were also involved. He called for Gen Musharraf and his cabinets resignation, restoration of the Constitution and elections under an independent election commission. Ahmed said the incumbent parliament had no right to re-elect Musharraf as president and that all political parties would collectively block his re-election. Gen Musharraf, with or without uniform, is an unconstitutional president, he said.
Ahmed said the MMA had decided to begin a movement in cooperation with other political parties to oust President Musharraf to overcome the current crisis. We have consulted Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Amin Fahim, Chaudhry Nisar, Imran Khan and Asfandyar Wali on the issue. They all support us, he said. The MMA leader said that a countrywide strike would be observed today (Monday) to condemn the Karachi killings. He said that Gen Musharraf would not step down unless people take to the streets.
Ahmed said that MQM chief Altaf Hussain was psychologically ill and the British government was protecting him. He said that Gen Musharraf and Altaf Hussains rallies were a failure. He said the federal government spent over Rs 500 million from the national exchequer on the Islamabad rally.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Chitral, once an attractive destination for foreign tourists, has become infested with spies looking for Osama Bin Laden, Newsday reports. Since September 11, 2001, Chitral has found itself uncomfortably at the fringe of Americas war on terror and search for Bin Laden, writes James Rupert in Newsday.
Rupert recounts a visit to Chitral by Paul Aurdic, from the US Consulate in Peshawar, in April 2005. Aurdic ... registered as a tourist at a Chitral hotel and began moving into what he told hotel staffers was a rented vacation home. But his carloads of equipment - including a satellite dish and exercise machines - raised suspicions that he was opening a CIA or FBI outpost dedicated to the search for Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda members. When a local legislator voiced the suspicions in parliament and announced a march to protest the Americans presence, Aurdic and a Pakistani colleague left town.
Before and after the mysterious Americans visit, reports quoting Afghan and US intelligence officials said Chitral was a suspected hiding place or travel route for Bin Laden, says the report.
People in Chitral dont want the FBI or CIA here - or the Taliban or Al Qaeda, because we are lucky to have a peaceful place here and these people will disturb it, said Mahkamuddin, a Chitral newspaper reporter. The southern Chitral village of Arandu is reported by residents to be full of spies working for both sides in the war - and Afghanistan is holding a local resident whom it accuses of having escorted Bin Laden through Chitral. Last year, US troops opened bases just a few miles beyond the ridgelines separating the Chitral valley from Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
With the bounty on his head, Osama ought to be the object of every olfashioned treasure hunter in the world. Getting him would be like finding a sunken Spanish galleon full of gold. He's one giant gold nugget. In fact, he's worth well over ten times his weight in gold. Good hunting, lads!
The Sindh government has decided to expel active opposition leaders from Sindh. The decision was made after a meeting held at Governor House Sunday. Sources said the leaders facing expulsion could be PPPs Sindh president Qaim Ali Shah, Opposition leader in Sindh Assembly Nisar Khuhro (PPP), Pakhtoon Loya Jirga leader Shahi Syed, ANP Sindh president Amin Khattak, Jamaat-e-Islami Naib Amir Prof Ghafoor and ARD Sindhs president Zain Ansari. Sources added the expulsion orders would be according to the Maintenance of Public Order. Opposition leaders, however, said they will take up the matter in the SHC, if the need arises. Meanwhile, the Sindh government has declared May 14 as a provincial holiday and has ordered the closure of all government offices and educational institutions.
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05/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Egyptian mediators hammered out an agreement to end a day of clashes in Gaza that killed three and jeopardized a power-sharing agreement between rivals Hamas and Fatah. The Egyptian security delegation stationed in Gaza brought the two sides together and got them to agree to withdraw their forces and exchange captives, spokesmen from Hamas and Fatah said early Monday. Such agreements have never not always been carried out in the past.
The first incident Sunday was a shooting ambush blamed on Hamas that killed a Fatah militant commander and his bodyguard.
"Die, you filthy Fatah apostate cur!"
[Blam!]
"Rosebud!"
In a firefight that followed,
"Eat hot Hamas lead, wretched spawn of Shaytan's swineherds!"
[Blammety Blam Blam][reload][Blam Blam Blam][Boom]
Suleiman Ashi, 26, a reporter for the Hamas-affiliated Palestine Daily, was pulled from a taxi by Fatah gunmen and shot, according to the newspaper.
"Journos are agents of the Oppressors. Learn him a lesson, boyz, learn him real good."
He died later of his wounds. The Palestinian Journalists Union condemned the killing.
"Hey youse, quit that. Pretty please."
Ten people were wounded in clashes near the seaside compound of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in downtown Gaza. Gunmen in pickup trucks drove through the streets.
"Yar! Watch our eyes roll most fearsomely!"
Later, a gunbattle also erupted during the funeral of the Fatah commander, Baha Abu Jarad, and three people were hurt. Fatah gunmen fired in the air during the procession, clamoring for revenge.
Our rights are Legitimate! Our revenge, Dire! Gravity and the trajectories of airborne bullets, Irrelevant! Ow!
Before the Egyptians stepped in, Palestinian Information Minister Mustafa Barghouti pleaded with the two sides to bring their forces under control. "Not only the future of the government but the future of all the Palestinian people will be endangered if these bloody acts continue," he warned.
I predict that Allan will soon find Mustafa's lack of faith...disturbing.
In another incident, masked gunmen abducted a well-known religious scholar from Hamas as he returned from evening prayers at a local mosque in Gaza City, his family and colleagues said.
"Good evening, yer Worshipfulness. Yer coming with us."
He was released after three hours, Hamas said.
"Neener neener."
His abduction set off a wave of kidnappings by both sides, security officials said. At least 14 people were snatched, a Hamas official said.
Chicago rule in effect.
The new unity government, with Hamas sharing power with Fatah, took office in March. A main goal was to end months of bloody clashes between forces loyal to the two sides. But the new round of violence followed deployment of 3,000 police in Gaza from forces loyal to Abbas, over Hamas objections.
#1
More popcorn, please. Lots of butter, too, thanks.
Posted by: Mac ||
05/14/2007 3:28 Comments ||
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#2
Not to get all biblical or anything, but there may be something to that sowing the wind, reaping the whirlwind thing after all. Karma's a bear, ain't it?
Posted by: Baba Tutu ||
05/14/2007 4:44 Comments ||
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#3
Let's hope both sides are evenly matched and fight to the last man. All problems solved!
RAMALLAH, West Bank: A rare visit to the West Bank by King Abdullah of Jordan was called off at the last minute Sunday because of bad weather conditions, Palestinian officials said.
The West Bank forecast for Sunday:
Scattered gunbattles with patchy morning kidnappings, and mine clearing towards afternoon with a 60% chance of isolated RPG fire. The Mutual of Gaza Pb Index is 240, don't forget to wear your flak jacket and eye protection!
But the authorities at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman said that all other flights were taking off and landing as scheduled Sunday. There were storms and clouds Thursday and Friday and high winds Saturday, but the weather Sunday was clear, the authorities said. It was an inauspicious start to the king's efforts to breathe life into the Arab peace initiative and to revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, with what would have been his first visit to the Palestinian territories in seven years.
The Jordanian monarch had planned to meet with the ineffectual Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, at his headquarters here Sunday morning. The meeting was supposed to have taken place two days ahead of talks between Abdullah and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel scheduled for Tuesday on the sidelines of a conference in the ancient Jordanian city of Petra.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/14/2007 00:00 ||
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I were him I will put my money in a Swiss bank not in the West Bank.
Israels influential security cabinet was meeting on Sunday to review possible responses to near daily Palestinian rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip that violate a six-month-old truce. Although several ministers have called for a resumption of targeted killings of suspected militants, the meeting was not expected to approve a full-scale ground operation in the densely populated and violent territory. We should not launch a deep operation but a surgical and pinpointed operation. Going into Gaza for a year is completely useless, Trade Minister Eli Yishai, a member of the security cabinet, told AFP on Sunday. I'm glad to see somebody's wearing his thinking cap. A ground incursion into Gaza when the Paleos are busily self-destructing would have the effect of giving them a common enemy. Targeted killings probably would, too. Precisely proportionate responses -- one round in Israel, one round fired back at Paleostine -- makes a lot more sense, especially since the Israelis can aim better than Hamas or IJ. Limiting the response that way would make the Paleos look stoopid, complaining about receiving what they've just given. But I doubt if Olmert's smart enough to think up something like that.
We should concentrate on bringing order through targeted killings, the destruction of infrastructure and of military headquarters, he said. See what I mean? Forget the targeted killings for now -- they're the wrong weapon. Don't use helis or F15s. Use artillery, preferably MLRS, and pound the launch sites if they're fixed by counterbattery radar, otherwise whatever military thing is convenient and within range.
Environment Minister Gideon Ezra, from Olmerts centrist Kadima party, also called for several better alternatives to a large-scale operation if and when we decide to launch an operation. Probably didn't bother presenting any better alternatives, but that's okay. There's no reason on earth for the Minister of Environment to be present a a military policy meeting.
Immigrant Absorption Minister Zeev Boim said that while Israel should take action he did not counsel taking over the entire territory. We should weigh expanding the operation. We should change our policy of restraint, but I dont suggest taking over the entire Gaza Strip. That would be a honey trap. Theres a lot (to do) between restraint and that, he said. No reason for the immigration minister to be there, either, though he seems to have the right idea: the purpose of the rocketry is to cause an overreaction, which gains the Paleos support, to include financial support, in the Arab world, at the cost of a few corpses. It has the side benefit of presenting a common enemy, but we already knew that.
The Israeli army said Palestinian militants fired five rockets from the Gaza Strip on Sunday, but reported only one impact inside Israel. Gaza should have received five salvoes of well-aimed MLRS in return. Barring that, five battery-sized (i.e., 6-gun) salvoes of artillery.
Last week Israels top public watchdog, State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss, blasted the army for failing to tackle Palestinian rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. The army says that about 300 rockets have been fired into Israel since a November ceasefire, under which Israeli troops withdrew from the territory and Palestinians agreed to halt rocket fire. Most of the projectiles land in open ground, causing neither casualties nor damage.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/14/2007 00:00 ||
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Hizbs are shooting, Israelis trucing. I like artillery. Cheap (relative to JDAM, etc.) and so impressive on the receiving end. A few of these exchanges ought to clear the air.
#2
"There's no reason on earth for the Minister of Environment to be present a a military policy meeting"
Parliamentary system, fred. Collective cabinet responsibility. Cabinet ministers in Israel, at least as much as in UK, Germany, etc are NOT technocrats, they are pols, whose main job is representing their party/faction in the govt. And as a side benefit, use their ministry to hand out patronage to their party/faction. The more senior ministries, Foreign affairs, Defense, Finance, are somewhat different, (which is why folks were upset at Peretz as DM) but basically having the environment or housing minister participate, is more equivalent to having the senior white house staff, and senior cong leaders of the presidents party, involved, than it is to a US cabinet meeting.
#3
"We should change our policy of restraint, but I dont suggest taking over the entire Gaza Strip. That would be a honey trap. Theres a lot (to do) between restraint and that, he said."
I dont think honey trap means what he thinks it means.
#4
"otherwise whatever military thing is convenient and within range"
I presume thats the problem. Pals dont have, AFAIK, military bases out in open areas, near the border or otherwise. Everything is security forces, in the cities. If youre going to hit the cities, you will have less collateral damage with helis, or even F-15s, than with artillery, Id think.
#5
I vote for leveling the entire strip with MRLS and artillery in response to rocket attacks. Then, if they fire again, Napalm the joint. Rinse and repeat as necessary.
#6
I would suggest that collateral damage is just the antidote required. Precise targeting should be reserved for critical targets only. Firing from someones backyard should result in an entire block being reduced to rubble. Some dimwits are slow learners.
#7
What Woozle said. Otherwise the phakestinians just need to launch from a playground/hospital/whatever and watch the counter-battery fire do their propaganda work for them.
Though I agree it is best to hold off while they are killing one another. "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."
#13
The Paleo Gazans overpumped their aquifer, so their wells have gone brackish or saline, so under Oslo Agreements, Israel sells water and electricity to the Paleos, aka the Palestinian Authority. If the Paleos are going to allow an act of war by firing Israely sewer pipe missiles back at Israel, then the PA has no authority.
So the problem of the Gaza Rockets lies with Israel, and the fact that the Olmert govt puts up with their crap. Simple answer is to shut off water and electricity. That will get their attention, if the Paleos have 3 brain cells still connected together. Stop the attacks and you get some water again. Pavlov's dog learned, heh. Ding Ding.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/14/2007 23:19 Comments ||
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IDF action against the continued Kassam rocket fire will be decisive, Defense Minister Amir Peretz told Channel 10 Sunday evening. "We need to act. We need to target the people who are causing the escalation. What we received today was more freedom to act. The moment we decide on harsh action, it will be a decisive action," he said. Okay. That's a brag. Now you've got to live up to it.
Peretz also said that after the Labor party primaries were over, he intended to leave the Defense Ministry, and that he was rethinking his position in the government. "I've been thinking I'd really be happier in the food service industry..."
Clearly influenced by the Winograd Committee's interim report, security cabinet ministers met Sunday for more than three hours on the situation in Gaza, heard an array of policy options, and asked a number of "pressing" questions. No operational policy decisions, however, were made, and the discussions on how to deal with the Hamas buildup in Gaza and the Kassam rocket fire on the western Negev will continue either later this week or next week. This was the first post-Winograd security cabinet meeting, and government officials said it was clear that the participants had internalized the Winograd panel's findings. "Really, we're Winograd to the core!"
The Winograd Committee was harshly critical of the army for not presenting the government with various options, and of the cabinet ministers for not asking penetrating questions when the IDF brought its plans for the Second Lebanon War for approval. Sunday's discussion, according to government officials, was "both broad and in-depth," with plans presented by the IDF, its Military Intelligence unit, the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency), the National Security Council and the Foreign Ministry. No approval was given for a broad ground operation inside Gaza, something that IDF officials have been recommending for some time. That's a relief. That would be precisely the wrong move.
Nevertheless, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert reportedly said at the meeting that if IDF action inside Gaza was needed that went beyond what had already been approved, then he and Defense Minister Amir Peretz were empowered to give the green light. The ministers heard briefings on the flow of arms into Gaza, the Kassam rocket fire, the threat of kidnappings of IDF soldiers along the border, and the danger that the growing anarchy inside Gaza may lead to stepped up terrorism against Israel.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/14/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"We need to act. We need to target the people who are causing the escalation. What we received today was more freedom to act. The moment we decide on harsh action, it will be a decisive action"
Gads, he could be a Rantburg poster with all this bluster...
#4
We've decide on indecision. Currently we haven't made a decision, but when we do, it will be a decisive decision. Like last Thursday when we all decide on Matzoball soup for lunch. Olmert said, "I feel like Matzo, how about you guys?" Then we all responded with, "Yes! That sounds very good!" There was no hoing back. Felafel was out of the question at that point.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
05/14/2007 11:13 Comments ||
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#6
C'mon, guys, this is the sort of thing you should already have a policy about. How about "One Kassam, one block around the launch point flattened. Two Kassams, two blocks. Repeat as needed."
"Jamhooria Islamia", a monthly Baluchi magazine published from Panj-gar, published an interview with Maulana Nawabzadaa Nabiullah Khan, a confidant of and adviser to the Amir of leading Pakistani Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, Maulana Qazi Ahmed, which was conducted by Jalil Amir. The following constitutes are excerpts from that conversation which reveals the fundamentalist ideology and designs of the organisation and its leader.
EQUALITY OF MEN AND WOMEN IS STUPIDITY
WOMEN MUST STAY HOME
WOMEN MUST STAY HOME
NO VOTING RIGHTS FOR WOMEN UNDER SHARIA
NON MUSLIMS IN MUSLIM COUNTRIES MUST PAY JIZYA
ALL INDIAN HINDUS WILL BE CONVERTED INTO ISLAM
OUR MOTTO IS CONSTANT JIHAD
SRI LANKA AND BURMA WILL BE PRESSURIZED TO CONVERT TO ISLAM
INDIA WILL BE MADE A 100% MUSLIM NATION
TERRORIZATION IS THE BEST CONVERSION TOOL
ANY MUSLIM ASSOCIATING WITH A POLYTHEIST BECOMES A POLYTHEIST
MUSLIMS GOING TO NON MUSLIM COUNTRIES TO SETTLE DOWN ARE KAFIRS
ALL CAPTURED HINDUS WILL BE MADE SLAVES
HINDU TEMPLES POLLUTE MUSLIM LANDS
PUNISHMENT FOR APOSTASY IS DEATH
ALL THE WORLD�S KNOWLEDGE IS IN QURAN AND HADITHS
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ARE BAD FOR CIVILIZATION
WHEN ISLAM TALKS OF GET EDUCATED IT MEANS QURANIC EDUCATION
PHOTOGRAPHY WILL BE BANNED UNDER JI
ARABIC WILL BE MADE OFFICIAL LANGUAGE OF PAKISTAN
SECULARS ARE KAFIRS
Time for Nancy Pelosi to don another scarf and pay a visit.
Details at link.
Posted by: ed ||
05/14/2007 07:00 ||
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Excerpt:
TERRORIZATION IS THE BEST CONVERSION TOOL
After Independence, a lot of Hindus migrated to India. Yet after the migration, the Pakistani Hindu population was 15%. Do you know what is the percentage now? It is less than 1%. How was this made possible? How did the Hindus convert to Islam in a short span of 20 years whereas for 700 years they had never converted to Islam? That is purely because of the terror of the Partition.
That terror forced the Hindus who remained in Pakistan to become Muslims. Pure and simple. JI used similar techniques in Punjab and Sindh. Each time a riot breaks out in India, we had used that pretext to strike terror among the Hindus, Christians and Ahmaddiahs. The similar terror will be at the heart of every non-Muslim, both Hindu as well as Christian, in the coming years in the entire of India. PROPHET SUCCEEDED WITH TERROR SO CAN WE. Qazi is an analytical genius who knows every strategy that was used by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and which will be and should be used in India to achieve the total submission to Allah.
Posted by: ed ||
05/14/2007 7:11 Comments ||
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#2
This isn't a religion. It's a system for the mass production of psychopaths.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
05/14/2007 7:23 Comments ||
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#3
But they mean well. After all are converted, there will be peace, even if most of the people will spend their time kneeling or bending over, servicing their masters.
#5
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ARE BAD FOR CIVILIZATION
Hence, more science and technology is bad for the civilization. I had completed civil engineering. Hence I am privy to scientific knowledge. I can tell you how corrupting that is. It even makes you question the glorious Quran.
EARTH IS FLAT There are many Hadiths, which say that the earth is flat. But any science will tell you the earth is a sphere. But you can use the same science like the relativity theory to prove that the earth is flat. It is the same case with evolution. But the point being that doubt is sown in the minds of the people on the validity of the Quran as the word of God. More and more we work hard to prove the Quran's scientific correctness, more and more people will get apprehensive of the truth of the Quran. This is an abomination.
"Earth is flat". Good grief...
Sooner or later we're going to have to obliterate this loathesome creed.
Either that, or force its adherents into isolation to live without any of the fruits of civilization that have arisen since the days of their evil prophet.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
05/14/2007 8:36 Comments ||
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The "Religion of Peace" (and love...)
Words still matter. We will never come to grips with the problem a s long as we refuse to identify it honestly.
#7
Yes, these people are stupid. And yet our home-grown leftards beat them in the stupid Olympics hands down. At least the allan worshipers may be excused for having been nerve-stapled by 7th century barbarism.
#8
An honest assessment of islamocraziness. Rantburg bloggers have known what the article says all along. The dhemmicrat lefties who prefer to put their heads in the sand do not get it and won't until the knife or sword is at their necks and even then they might not get it.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
05/14/2007 9:42 Comments ||
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#13
NON MUSLIMS IN MUSLIM COUNTRIES MUST PAY JIZYA
Let's try this variation...
MUSLIMS IN NON MUSLIM COUNTRIES MUST PAY JIZYA
Let's try that. I mean, it's only fair. No more welfare. In fact, you kick us back some money. I'm sure they'll take it well in, like, England and France, right?
And...
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ARE BAD FOR CIVILIZATION
Let's remember that when Nawabzadda and Qazi come up with bum tickers and need bypasses. You're in good hands with Inshallah health care, right, boys?
#14
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ARE BAD FOR CIVILIZATION
That's one reason why so many Muslim engineers and doctors become fundamentalists. The more time you spend learning science, the more time you spend contradicting the Koran. Muslim engineers and scientists either have to become fundamentalists or emigrate to a non-Muslim country.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
05/14/2007 10:48 Comments ||
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#15
Well stated. Now, if the feminists and do-gooders everywhere will just take a moment out of their cellphoning regimen to digest the meaning and consequences of shitheads' pronouncements maybe we can begin to proceed toward elimination of Muslims everywhere.
#17
Our idea was to encourage the Muslims of India also to destroy the Hindu temples in India. But this was not met with much success since the Hindu police in India started attacking the Muslims who were doing Allah's duty.
#19
I'm thinking that the war will never end until Islam is a footnote in history.
The sooner that day happens, the better it will be for all of us, Muslims included. A delay of even five years only guarantees several more heinous atrocities against the West and a high probability of the MME (Muslim Middle East) being vaporized. Islam must be recognized as the enemy. Shari'a law must be banned. Muslims must be deported to their countries of origin and Western civilization forever cleansed of this barbaric filth. Once this world's Muslim population is reconsolidated, it must be shown a mailed fist for even the slightest transgressions. All further atrocities result in significant fractions of their aggregate population being decimated. No mercy, no quarter, no letting up. Were the roles reversed, we would certainly face the same or worse.
#20
If he wants a flat earth, I'd be happy to start by flattening his part of it.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/14/2007 18:09 Comments ||
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#21
Actually, Indian Muslims are converting to Hinduism in large numbers, often at ceremonies involving hundreds. Stories on same are published in reliable Indian sources.
#22
Even Muslims converting by the "hundreds" ain't gonna help, Sneaze. Only millions will make even the slightest dent in overcoming Islam's congenital predisposition to terrorism. Until then, it's crush under boot heel, rinse and repeat.
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.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Iran's president led a raucous anti-American rally on Sunday in this tightly controlled U.S. ally in the Persian Gulf, a day after a low-key visit by Vice President Dick Cheney aimed at countering Tehran's influence in the region.
North Korea has unveiled its latest intermediate-range ballistic missile at a military parade, amid an international standoff over its nuclear programme, a report said on Sunday. The new missile, using former Soviet Union's technologies of the 1960s, is estimated to have a range of about 5,000 kilometres (3,100 miles), the Asahi Shimbun daily reported, citing unnamed government sources from Japan and South Korea. After studying satellite photographs of a major military parade on April 25 attended by North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, the United States concluded there was a newly developed missile and told the governments of Japan and South Korea about it, the report said. Although no test-launch of the new missile has been confirmed, the Pacific island of Guam, an unincorporated US territory, is presumably within range of the missile, it said. North Korea tested seven ballistic missiles last July, sparking international alarm and United Nations sanctions. A nuclear test last October further heightened tensions. In February the communist state agreed to scrap its nuclear programme as part of a six-nation deal, but the agreement is in limbo amid a row over US financial sanctions.
Australia's most senior muslim cleric has been interviewed by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) over comments he made about Iran. A spokesman for 
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) President Qazi Hussain Ahmed has accused President Pervez Musharraf of giving the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) a free hand to carry out violence in Karachi against peaceful people. 
Chitral, once an attractive destination for foreign tourists, has become infested with spies looking for Osama Bin Laden, Newsday reports. Since September 11, 2001, Chitral has found itself uncomfortably at the fringe of Americas war on terror and search for Bin Laden, writes James Rupert in Newsday. 
The Sindh government has decided to expel active opposition leaders from Sindh. The decision was made after a meeting held at Governor House Sunday. Sources said the leaders facing expulsion could be PPPs Sindh president Qaim Ali Shah, Opposition leader in Sindh Assembly Nisar Khuhro (PPP), Pakhtoon Loya Jirga leader Shahi Syed, ANP Sindh president Amin Khattak, Jamaat-e-Islami Naib Amir Prof Ghafoor and ARD Sindhs president Zain Ansari. Sources added the expulsion orders would be according to the Maintenance of Public Order. Opposition leaders, however, said they will take up the matter in the SHC, if the need arises. Meanwhile, the Sindh government has declared May 14 as a provincial holiday and has ordered the closure of all government offices and educational institutions.
Egyptian mediators hammered out an agreement to end a day of clashes in Gaza that killed three and jeopardized a power-sharing agreement between rivals Hamas and Fatah. The Egyptian security delegation stationed in Gaza brought the two sides together and got them to agree to withdraw their forces and exchange captives, spokesmen from Hamas and Fatah said early Monday. Such agreements have 
RAMALLAH, West Bank: A rare visit to the West Bank by King Abdullah of Jordan was called off at the last minute Sunday because of bad weather conditions, Palestinian officials said.
Israels influential security cabinet was meeting on Sunday to review possible responses to near daily Palestinian rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip that violate a six-month-old truce. Although several ministers have called for a resumption of targeted killings of suspected militants, the meeting was not expected to approve a full-scale ground operation in the densely populated and violent territory. We should not launch a deep operation but a surgical and pinpointed operation. Going into Gaza for a year is completely useless, Trade Minister Eli Yishai, a member of the security cabinet, told AFP on Sunday.
IDF action against the continued Kassam rocket fire will be decisive, Defense Minister Amir Peretz told Channel 10 Sunday evening. "We need to act. We need to target the people who are causing the escalation. What we received today was more freedom to act. The moment we decide on harsh action, it will be a decisive action," he said. 
