The Afghan government is investigating a Taliban spokesman's statement that the militant group might be willing to hold negotiations with the government, the president's spokesman said Tuesday.
President Hamid Karzai repeated Sunday the government's stance that it is willing to hold talks with the hard-line fundamentalists. The next day, Taliban spokesman Qari Yousef Ahmadi said the militants would consider negotiations if a formal offer was made. "The Afghan government, especially the president himself, has announced several times that the reconciliation doors are open," said Karzai spokesman Humayun Hamidzada. "We heard the Taliban announcement through the media. We are investigating it."
Taliban fighters sincerely interested in talks to find a "solution for peace" would not be arrested if they came forward, Hamidzada said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[5 views]
Top|| File under: Taliban
#1
OK, all you Taliban that have stepped forward please proceed in an orderly manner to that soccer field over there and wait for further instructions. You can take your guns with you if you wish.
#3
USA figure shows the nos of talibans killed by them is more than they estimated what a silly nation of invaders taliban will be coming back if they were eliminated in USA terms whom they are talking to?The disintegration of USA is
#5
I'm really, seriously disappointed in the quality of the posts by trolls like georg, shenon and such. Even given whatever problems they might have with the English language, their efforts are little more than gibberish. It might be interesting if they could find somebody who was literate enough to say something that was actually coherent. But I guess if they're dumb enough to believe in the Koran that's the best we can expect.
A newspaper editor will be put on trial over his paper's recent reports questioning the health of Egypt's 79-year-old president, Hosni Mubarak, the state news agency said Tuesday.
"Fine. I'm fine, dammit. Never felt better in my... [THUD]"
Ibrahim Eissa, editor of the independent daily Al-Dustor, was questioned for seven hours last week for printing the rumors and released without bail, but the general prosecutor decided Tuesday to send the case to trial, the MENA news agency reported. Eissa's trial on charges of disturbing the peace and harming national economic interests was set to begin Oct. 1, said his lawyer, Nasser Amin. He could face up to three years in prison if convicted, Amin said. MENA said that, according to Egypt's Central Bank, the rumors prompted the "withdrawal of foreign investments worth more than $350 million in the two days of the publishing these rumors."
"All the accusations are nonsense," Eissa, 41, told The Associated Press. "They are using me to scare journalists and critics from criticizing Mubarak personally or from talking about the possibility of his son inheriting power."
The president, who has ruled Egypt for more than a quarter-century, has no designated successor, but many believe his son Gamal is being groomed for power, a prospect that has raised widespread opposition.
Several opposition and independent newspapers published stories for several weeks last month speculating that Mubarak's health was poor. Al-Dustour carried front-page stories for several days, including one that contended Mubarak sometimes lapses into comas.
Mubarak and state-run media did not comment or deny the rumors for weeks, until finally the president appeared in photos and gave an interview to state-run media.
In his interview with the government Al-Ahram newspaper, Mubarak accused "illegitimate movements" of being behind the rumors a reference to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is Egypt's most powerful opposition movement, though it is officially banned. The group's leader, Mohammed Mahdi Akef, denied the allegation.
Eissa is an outspoken critic of Mubarak. His paper is sharply critical of the government and often breaks political, social and religious taboos in its commentaries on Egyptian society. Its sharp language earned the ire of censors and editions were confiscated three times in the 1990s.
Al-Dustour was closed in 1998 for seven years by the government, after it published a statement by an Islamist group that threatened Coptic Christian businessmen in Egypt.
In 2006, Eissa was sentenced to a year in prison for libeling Mubarak, but an appeals court reduced the sentence to a $4,000 fine.
The Egyptian organization for Human Rights expressed its "deep concern" about the plan to try Eissa, and called on the canceling of provisions allowing prison sentences for crimes connected to the press.
A team of three-nation nuclear experts on Tuesday arrived in Pyongyang for discussions on how to disable the nuclear facilities in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Zhu Xuhui, an expert from China, said at the airport that the team's main task is to examine the nuclear facilities at Yongbyon and discuss the measures of disabling nuclear facilities in the DPRK. "It was planned to go to Yongbyon on Tuesday, but we still have a further discussion on details this evening," said an official from the DPRK General Nuclear Bureau on condition of anonymity. "The team is going to leave Pyongyang on Saturday," he added.
The team includes seven experts from the United States, one from China and one from Russia. The U.S. group, headed by Sung Kim, a U.S. State Department official, arrived in Pyongyang after crossing the border between South Korea and the DPRK at the truce village of Panmunjom at 11:00 a.m. local time (0200 GMT) on Tuesday.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
Curly, Larry and Moe or is it Harpo, Chico, Graucho and Zeppo?
I was going to say those morons from the UN but I realize its our morons from the State Department. Dang doesn't anyone know how to really bang on a table anymore and threaten people with VIOLENCE? I mean where is John Foster Dulles when we need him?
#2
BrerRabbit, I don't follow the madness of the various layers of Y'urp-peon Gubmints.
In addition I may have misunderstood the article for it ain't all too clear... But it would appear as if our poor cousins over there may have acquired a fully diseased and virulent DOLT of a Reichsfuhrer named Terry Davis as their Great Leader.
His title is Secretary General of the Council of Europe.
It's a World Wide fucking disease môn.
The fucking Lefty's obsession with W Bush Halliburton, and The Federal Reserve are unbelievable, except for the fact that we've all witnessed them with our own senses.
The Cure: Insist they all move to and live in Robert Mugabe's paradise, Darfur and/or Burma.
Yep the European intelligentsia are about the same, they presently have a critical Life, Cultural and National threat staring them right in the face, and yet they want to change the subject and inject some other imagined fear into the mix.
Rise Up Y'urp-peons or your children will all be dead..
...
*Wait till the "Bigots" fly into skyscrapers.**
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
09/12/2007 17:58 Comments ||
Top||
#3
"Council of Europe" is self-annointed. It's not an official EU group so far as I know.
#5
The freedom of assembly and the freedom of expression are indeed essential preconditions for democracy, but they should not be regarded as a licence to offend.
Once again, could somebody show me a constitution in a democratic country which states "you have the right not to be offended"?
Sometime during the evening hours of September 8th, 2007, the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C. was defaced
with a petroleum based acid liquid...
#3
Liberal or not, those people are dead. I put that up there with grave robbers. It's shame we don't condone offer corporal punishment. A good beating would be in order.
Posted by: NOLA ||
09/12/2007 2:30 Comments ||
Top||
#4
How about this: When they die, they get put in an unmarked grave.
#6
If a there was ever a draft needed, it would be for these Assholes! Maybe it would straighten out their priorities. Then again, it probably wouldn't do any good.
I like Singapore's approach though; public caning. Get a couple of vets to issue the punishment.
#8
I think I have a solution that we can all agree on.
On about a weekly basis, the communists of Int'l ANSWER meet in Washington, D.C., and hold the same exact anti-war rally.
I suggest that once that rally is fully underway, they be paid a visit, en masse, by the Rolling Thunder organization, each of which are equipped with an ax handle.
#9
Are there no surveillance cameras there, so we could see just which asswipes did this? This is lower than a snakes belly. I would love to have a face to face discussion with these lowlifes.
#11
only an ignorant coward maroon with a mean streak would do sumtin like this IF he/she/it thought they could do on the sneak, anonymously.
if the perp/s are caught the solution is: Enumacation plus.
if the perp is 17 or under...
Have an old DI [that hasn't gone all soft ~:)] get the child's mind right.
Then how bout 2 years worth of week ends cleaning the memorial with an orange jump suit. Printing on the Orange suit states why they are there "volunteering" their time.
Finally perp has to pay for the damage.
Posted by: Red Dawg ||
09/12/2007 13:27 Comments ||
Top||
#12
#6: If a there was ever a draft needed, it would be for these Assholes! Maybe it would straighten out their priorities. Then again, it probably wouldn't do any good.
What you got against our Military?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
09/12/2007 13:30 Comments ||
Top||
HT - Drudge
SAMPSON COUNTY, N.C. On the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, students at one high school were not allowed to wear clothes with an American Flag.
Under a new school rule, students at Hobbton High School are not allowed to wear items with flags, from any country, including the United States. The new rule stems from a controversy over students wearing shirts bearing flags of other countries.
Gayle Langston said her daughter, Jessica, was told to remove her stars and stripes t-shirt. Today she wanted to wear her shirt, and I had to tell her no, said Langston. She didn't like it at all because I knew it would get her in trouble. Of all days, 9/11, she could not wear her American Flag shirt.
The superintendent of schools in Sampson County calls the situation unfortunate, but says educators didnt want to be forced to pick and choose which flags should be permissible. Hey Politically Correct Quisling in the guise of a so-called Educator: 9-11 is a somber day, and the US Flag is a special case.
The name of this Quisling Appeaser is, L. Stewart Hobbs.
Never trust anyone who uses a first initial in a case like this. It reaks of pretentiousness
This county voted Bush 56-Kerry 44 in the last election.
I think some parents should confront the school board. This is the kind of BS nonsense I would expect out of Berkley, CA.
Educators can't be trusted to tell the difference between an American flag and the flag of another country?
#2
Bit of a Tobacco Nazi too. Appears he enjoys it...
Superintendent Dr. Stewart Hobbs said Sampson County hired the N.C. School Board Association to revise the county's entire policy manual which will include the new no-smoking policy, which will not be implemented until August 2008.
"It's tobacco free, period. Nobody can smoke on campus. Teachers and staff are currently allowed to smoke in designated areas. When the law comes into effect those designated areas will be removed," he said.
Dr. Hobbs said his main concern is enforcement.
"We can control our staff, but guests and visitors are a different story," he said.
But I'll bet he's working on it. Maybe a cattle prod...
Sampson County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Stewart Hobbs said the ban is not countywide, but was instituted by the Hobbton High School Principal Wesley Johnson in response to flags of foreign countries that were being worn as gang symbols.
There's a big and growing problem with hispanic gangs in NC. The county just settled a major freedom-of-speech lawsuit at the same high school.
#5
Its really pretty simple. The *ONLY* permissable flag is the USA flag, Old Glory, the Red-White & Blue, A Grand Ole Flag. What about honoring our country through our flag don't you understand you over educated humanist coward?
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
09/12/2007 13:53 Comments ||
Top||
#6
"Gayle Langston said her daughter, Jessica, was told to remove her stars and stripes t-shirt"
actually the sup and principle are just perverts; no mention of asking a boy to take his shirt off......
#8
Big Ed, report to the Principal's Office. Big Ed, report to the Principal's Office.
Posted by: Principal ||
09/12/2007 15:06 Comments ||
Top||
#9
There's a big and growing problem with hispanic gangs in NC.
There's a big and growing problem with hispanic gangs just about everywhere there are hispanics!
Posted by: Natural Law ||
09/12/2007 19:59 Comments ||
Top||
#10
Its really pretty simple. The *ONLY* permissable flag is the USA flag, Old Glory, the Red-White & Blue, A Grand Ole Flag. What about honoring our country through our flag don't you understand you over educated humanist coward?
Name me one, JUST ONE, other freakin' nation in this world that would do this to it's own? I mean, can you imagine Mexico, France, Britain, or even the African nations banning their own flag, because they didn't want to choose it above others? If we can't have term limits for politicians, at least give it to us for school board members.
Posted by: BA ||
09/12/2007 22:54 Comments ||
Top||
#12
educators didnt want to be forced to pick and choose which flags should be permissible.
Just another sterling example of how self-loathing and anti-Americanism permeates our academic institutions. It's as if they're ashamed to quickly choose the American flag above all others. As if they cannot justify such patriotic feelings to themselves. How vile.
The United States has reached an agreement with the European Union allowing Washington to share records of passenger names while protecting their privacy.
It has been collecting such data from flights originating in other regions. They comprise information given by passengers to purchase airline tickets, including credit card numbers and telephone numbers in addition to particulars on the face of their passport.
"By using passenger name record data, you can follow the threat and potentially connect security risks," Russ Knocke, spokesman for the homeland security department said.
In addition, regulations were unveiled this week requiring private aircraft entering the United States to provide comprehensive passenger manifest information to US authorities prior to departure. Ultimately, the private aircraft also will undergo a physical screening process overseas before they come to the United States.
On the cargo front, officials said the United States would scan nearly 100 percent of incoming cargo for radiation at major seaports in the country by the end of 2007. Agreements have also been drawn up with seven overseas ports to conduct the radiation screening over there, with three pacts already operational, including one in Pakistan. Officials also said virtually all cargo would be screened at all ports of entry by the end of 2008.
The United States already requires advance information, including comprehensive manifest and shipping history, on all incoming containers. US inspectors are also deployed at 52 foreign seaports to examine high-risk containers before they are loaded on vessels destined for the United States.
The United States is moving to tighten immigration and customs controls, which it says are vital to keep terrorists at bay six years after the September 11 attacks. Under plans that have been announced, foreign travelers will need to provide 10 digital fingerprints on arrival instead of two currently, and their personal data will be transmitted to the United States before their plane takes off.
By the end of the year, virtually every container that comes into the country by sea will be screened amid concerns over possible smuggling of nuclear weapons, security officials said. "We must move forward aggressively to build on our success to keep pace with our enemies," said Michael Chertoff, secretary of the department of homeland security, the frontline body in the US "war on terror."
Great Mike. Do something to make the TSA work and we'll believe you.
In November, the United States will begin implementing the plan requiring travelers to give 10 digital fingerprints on arrival. Ten US airports will initially have the capability to collect the 10 prints before all ports of entry are covered by the plan by the end of 2008, Chertoff told a Congressional hearing this week that reassessed US ability to ward off terror threats.
All US embassies and other posts issuing visas to visitors will, by the end of this year, be able to collect the 10 prints for verification at the points of entry. "Capturing 10 fingerprints will allow us to search databases for latent terrorist fingerprints," Chertoff said. "If we can prevent dangerous people from infiltrating our borders then we have successfully dismantled a large part of the threat."
To supplement these measures, official said, new rules have been formulated requiring international airlines to provide US authorities their passenger lists before boarding is completed and before the plane takes off. The rules will be effective February 2008. "Through the advance passenger information system, we currently get the information after wheels up. We're moving to get it before the plane pulls back from the gate," Russ Knocke, spokesman for the homeland security department, told AFP.
When the rule takes effect, the department will perform watch-list checks against this verified passenger data to determine whether someone on a flight should not be allowed to take off in the airplane. This is aimed at eliminating the potential for flight diversions.
#1
Everytime I hear Chertoff speak, I wince. His voice is like a fingernail on slate. He is Bush's most imcompetent pick since Michael Brown. I feel less safe with him running that huge bureaucracy than when it was all split up. The only thing keeping them from attacking us again is Iraq. Too ripe a plum for AQ but that could be changing with the surge and they may feel their welcome wearing out. Means coming to a city and town near you and with Chertoff the Nasal Whiner in charge. Yikes!
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
09/12/2007 13:58 Comments ||
Top||
#2
Gee. Six years after the fact. Great work, guys.
Detainees flinging body waste at guards. Guards interrupting detainees at prayer. Interrogators withholding medicine. Hostility and tension between inmates and their keepers at the Guantanamo Bay prison are evident in transcripts obtained by The Associated Press.
These rare detainee accounts of life inside the razor wire at the remote U.S. military base in Cuba emerged during Administrative Review Board hearings aimed at deciding whether prisoners suspected of links with the Taliban or al-Qaida should continue to be held or be sent away from Guantanamo.
The Pentagon gave the AP transcripts of hearings held last year in a trailer at Guantanamo after the news agency sought the material under the Freedom of Information Act.
Continued on Page 49
#2
Ah, another AP Gitmo tale of woe.
Am I supposed to be concerned about this? Because I don't think it's working, as I could give a shit.
Coming up next: Human Rights Watch Sez Gitmo Cupcakes Overcooked, Scorched on Bottom...
IN April 1948, a dapper man in an impeccably tailored traditional suit announced at a press conference that he intended to plant the flag of the Nizam of Hyderabad on the Red Fort in Delhi.
This was none other than Islamist leader Kasim Rizvi whose Razakar militia battled the Indian troops in Hyderabad in September 1948. Rizvi fought hard to save the princely states theocracy-based world one which the terror groups that carried out last months strikes in Hyderabad now hope to recreate. Despite covert backing from Pakistan candidly documented by its armed forces last commander-in-chief, Lieutenant-General Gul Hasan Khan Rizvi came nowhere near success; but his struggle is still celebrated by Islamists.
Half a century later, another Islamist leader, Hafiz Mohammad Saeed, the supreme spiritual and temporal head of the Lashkar-e-Taiba, promised to succeed where Rizvi had failed. As his Inter Services Intelligence-backed organisation began to unleash a welter of new terror cells on the city, Saeed promised to unfurl the Islamic flag on the Red Fort. The real war, he promised cadre discouraged by Pakistans defeat in Kargil, will be inside [India]. Soon after, in February 2000, his second-in-command Abdul Rehman Makki, promised to liberate Hyderabad from Indian rule.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[12 views]
Top|| File under: Global Jihad
#1
Islam is the problem, Islam always was the problem.
The people of Bajaur Agency have reiterated their resolve to maintain peace and stability in the agency and have vowed to strive collectively in close collaboration with the government and the political administration.
These views were expressed by a 60-member tribal jirga representing Bajaur Agency during their call on NWFP Governor Lt General (r) Ali Muhammad Jan Orakzai here at Governors House on Tuesday. The jirga informed him about its efforts for the maintenance of peace and developments so far in this regard. Senator Abdul Rashid, MNA Maulana Muhammad Sadiq and a tribal elder Malik Abdul Aziz speaking on behalf of the jirga told the governor in detail of the efforts and achievements of the jirga and hoped that the situation in the agency would improve and the confidence of both sides would be restored.
Governor Orakzai assured the jirga of his cooperation and support. He urged the elders to play their due role in the maintenance of peace, which was essential for the development and socio-economic uplift of the area. He said the tribal elders in spite of undergoing difficulties were bringing up opportunities that must be availed in the best interest of the area and the people. Our efforts should be aimed at deriving a positive outcome from an unfavourable situation, he said.
Referring to the situation in Bajaur Agency, the governor said the government earnestly desired to resolve all issues peacefully, adding that the jirga was the perfect institution in this regard and was expected to play its role. The government wants peace not only in Bajaur but in the entire tribal belt so that the development process can move forward, he said while referring to the FATA Sustainable Development Plan 2006-2015. Once implemented, he said, it would make the tribal areas a truly developed and prosperous region. Peace is a pre-requisite for development and its maintenance could be ensured through a jirga, he said.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Taliban
Hat tip: freerepubic.com When members of the government of Anbar Province met with President Bush last week, they presented him with a letter dedicating their success in wiping out Al Qaeda here to the victims of Sept. 11.
The letter, which was obtained by the Daily News, was signed by Anbar Governor Mamoun Sami Rashid, Provincial Council Chairman Abdul-Salam Abdullah, and Sheik Sattar abu Risha, the sheik credited with beginning the Anbar Awakening.
"In the month when the terrorists attacked the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, we dedicate the victory of Anbar Province to the families of the victims who suffred that criminal act," the letter said, which was addressed directly to Bush. "With the help of the president of the United States, we pledge to continue to cooperate and communicate with you to continue to get good results," the letter said.
Bush traveled to Anbar Province to highlight the dramatic decrease in violence there, just days ahead of the progress report that Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker presented to Congress Monday.
#5
Mr. Yon's newest dispatch really shows how pissed off these people were at AQ and how much these leaders risked their lives and their families lives to fight against AQ. They are getting it.
#6
wx, this is MUCH more than brownie points. Remember, this is al-Anbar province, the heart of the Salafist insurgency in Iraq. They have experienced life under AQI and had their families, neighbors and associates viciously slaughtered by AQI.
Hell, this is more than I can recall from any muslim source since 9-11.
I sure hope some MSM=type posits this quote to the Dhims and asks for a comment. crickets............
Screw the Defeatocrats - and the al-Q camels they rode in on.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
09/12/2007 18:47 Comments ||
Top||
#8
I don't think they're attempting to kiss ass. They've lost more civilians to AlQ than we have, and proportionally a _lot_ more. And I don't think feudal cultures do "why do they hate us?"
#9
The Middle East has a lot more friendlies than you might think. Governor Rashid, Chairman Abdullah, Sheik abu Risha--welcome to the team! Glad to have you on our side.
Posted by: Mike ||
09/12/2007 23:12 Comments ||
Top||
NEW YORK: The Op-Ed by seven active duty U.S. soldiers in Iraq questioning the war drew international attention just three weeks ago. Now two of the seven are dead. Sgt. Omar Mora and Sgt. Yance T. Gray died Monday in a vehicle accident in western Baghdad, two of seven U.S. troops killed in the incident which was reported just as Gen. David Petraeus was about to report to Congress on progress in the "surge." The names have just been released.
Gen. Petraeus was questioned about the message of the op-ed in testimony before a Senate committee yesterday.
The controversial Times column on Aug. 19 was called "The War As We Saw It," and expressed skepticism about American gains in Iraq. To believe that Americans, with an occupying force that long ago outlived its reluctant welcome, can win over a recalcitrant local population and win this counterinsurgency is far-fetched, the group wrote. It closed: "We need not talk about our morale. As committed soldiers, we will see this mission through."
Mora, 28, hailed from Texas City, Texas, and was a native of Ecuador, who had just become a U.S. citizen. He was due to leave Iraq in November and leaves behind a wife and daughter. Gray, 26, had lived in Ismay, Montana, and is also survived by a wife and infant daughter.
The accident in Iraq occurred when a cargo truck the men were riding in overturned.
The Daily News in Galveston interviewed Mora's mother, who confirmed his death and that he was one of the co-authors of the Times piece. The article today relates: "Olga Capetillo said that by the time Mora submitted the editorial, he had grown increasingly depressed. 'I told him God is going to take care of him and take him home,' she said. 'But yesterday is the darkest day for me.'
One of the other five authors of the Times piece, Staff Sergeant Jeremy Murphy, an Army Ranger and reconnaissance team leader, was shot in the head while the article was being written. He was expected to survive after being flown to a military hospital in the United States.
#1
The accident in Iraq occurred when a cargo truck the men were riding in overturned.
As in past wars, vehicle roll-overs and non-combat fatalities are a constant nightmare for commanders in Iraq. Those who serve and pay the ultimate price in this manner were volunteers and remain heroes as well.
#2
Everyone is entitled to their opinion - free speech and all that. But I still have a problem with active duty/war zone bedded writing op-eds for any paper when there is such a delicate and important mission ongoing. Unit and force cohesion is more damn important than your opinion. The lack of that gets people killed accidently or on purpose. It begs sloppiness and lack of commitment. Sorry, but although they served and faced the devil, they were wrong for what they did.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
09/12/2007 14:02 Comments ||
Top||
#3
The accident in Iraq occurred when a cargo truck the men were riding in overturned.
This could of happened in peacetime, I don't see the connection between their death and their anti-war stance.
Posted by: Boss Craising2882 ||
09/12/2007 14:29 Comments ||
Top||
#4
It closed: "We need not talk about our morale. As committed soldiers, we will see this mission through."
Think whatever you want, but that's the bottom line.
Link fixed. C'mon, folks, do the links correctly. AoS.
Some aspects of the war in Iraq are hard to fit into classical models of insurgency. One of these is the growing tribal uprising against al Qaida, which could transform the war in ways not factored into neat benchmarks developed many months ago and thousands of miles away.
To understand what follows, you need to realize that Iraqi tribes are not somehow separate, out in the desert, or remote: rather, they are powerful interest groups that permeate Iraqi society. More than 85% of Iraqis claim some form of tribal affiliation; tribal identity is a parallel, informal but powerful sphere of influence in the community. Iraqi tribal leaders represent a competing power center, and the tribes themselves are a parallel hierarchy that overlaps with formal government structures and political allegiances. Most Iraqis wear their tribal selves beside other strands of identity (religious, ethnic, regional, socio-economic) that interact in complex ways, rendering meaningless the facile division into Sunni, Shia and Kurdish groups that distant observers sometimes perceive. The reality of Iraqi national character is much more complex than that, and tribal identity plays an extremely important part in it, even for urbanized Iraqis. Thus the tribal revolt is not some remote riot on a reservation: its a major social movement that could significantly influence most Iraqis where they live.
Birth of the revolt
The uprising began last year, far out in western Anbar province, but is now affecting about 40% of the country. It has spread to Ninewa, Diyala, Babil, Salah-ad-Din, Baghdad and intriguingly is filtering into Shia communities in the South. The Iraqi government was in on it from the start; our Iraqi intelligence colleagues predicted, well before we realized it, that Anbar was going to flip, with tribal leaders turning toward the government and away from extremists.
Some tribal leaders told me that the split started over women. This is not as odd as it sounds. One of AQs standard techniques, which I have seen them apply in places as diverse as Somalia, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Indonesia, is to marry leaders and key operatives to women from prominent tribal families. The strategy works by creating a bond with the community, exploiting kinship-based alliances, and so embedding the AQ network into the society. Over time, this makes AQ part of the social landscape, allows them to manipulate local people and makes it harder for outsiders to pry the network apart from the population.
Marrying women to strangers, let alone foreigners, is just not done. AQ, with their hyper-reductionist version of Islam stripped of cultural content, discounted the tribes view as ignorant, stupid and sinful.
This led to violence, as these things do: AQI killed a sheikh over his refusal to give daughters of his tribe to them in marriage, which created a revenge obligation (thar) on his people, who attacked AQI. The terrorists retaliated with immense brutality, killing the children of a prominent sheikh in a particularly gruesome manner, witnesses told us. This was the last straw, they said, and the tribes rose up. Neighboring clans joined the fight, which escalated as AQI (who had generally worn out their welcome through high-handedness) tried to crush the revolt through more atrocities. Soon the uprising took off, spreading along kinship lines through Anbar and into neighboring provinces. Kinda odd that women would be key to turning Sunni against AQI, but at least its working
Several major tribes are now up against AQ, across all of Anbar, Diyala, Salah-ad-din, parts of Babil and Baghdad (both city and province). Some in Anbar and Diyala have formed Salvation Councils, looking to well-known leadership figures like Sheikh Sittar ar Rishawi, or to community leaders. In other provinces things tend to be quite informal, based on local elders. In Anbar the movement has acquired the name the awakening. The article is really long and drones on, but he makes some good points on future implications and goes in depth into the "awakening" which is an interesting grass roots movement that's spreading like wild fire
Posted by: NOLA ||
09/12/2007 01:54 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under:
#1
AQ, with their hyper-reductionist version of Islam stripped of cultural content, discounted the tribes view as ignorant, stupid and sinful.
How ironic, given the criticism of the American forces as culturally insensitive.
GAZA CITY - Hamas said on Wednesday its security forces in Gaza have gone on high alert ahead of an anticipated large-scale Israeli offensive in the Islamist-controlled Palestinian territory. Oooooh! We're scared!
Hamas, which violently seized control of Gaza three months ago, said in a statement it had obtained clear information indicating that the Zionist forces are preparing to launch a vast air, ground and sea offensive in Gaza. What are you going to do about it, ya punks?
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defence Minister Ehud Barak decided on the operation following the Palestinian rocket strike on a military base north of the Gaza Strip that wounded dozens of soldiers on Tuesday, it said. About time they grew a pair.
Hamas calls on all its services and members to take the necessary precautions and go on the highest level of alert in order to repel the aggression, the statement read. Not exactly DEFCON 2.
Israel has been struggling to curb daily Palestinian rocket attacks from Gaza, carrying out regular air strikes and limited ground operations. So light the f*ckers up already.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert continues to oppose mounting a major IDF operation in the Gaza Strip or cutting off Israeli-supplied utilities to the region, despite Tuesday's Kassam attack on the Zikim army base, The Jerusalem Post has learned. The attack wounded 69 soldiers, the highest number of casualties in a Kassam attack, including one critically, four seriously and 10 moderately. Most of the soldiers suffered shrapnel wounds.
Olmert did not convene a special session of the security cabinet or any extraordinary security consultations in response to the attack, as was done last week after a Kassam rocket slammed into the courtyard of a day care center in Sderot, sending a dozen children to the hospital with trauma.
Senior government officials said that the decisions reached at last week's meeting - including preparing a plan to disrupt the fuel, electricity and water supplies to the Gaza Strip and continuing "intensive military operations against all those involved in launching rockets and in perpetrating other terrorist actions"- remained in effect and that there was no reason to meet just to reiterate them. Olmert's position on cutting the supply of utilities is that this would not be effective in stopping the rockets, and would bring in its wake a huge international outcry and harsh condemnations.
Although there was no meeting of the security cabinet on Tuesday, Olmert did hold his regular weekly meeting with Defense Minister Ehud Barak in Tel Aviv. Government officials said a major IDF incursion into the Strip was unlikely. "By going into Gaza," one official said, "we would be playing into their hands. That is exactly what they want. It resolves a number of issues for Hamas."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[0 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
Fighting back will only make them stronger! We don't want to make them angry! What if they started to kidnap our soldiers and target our daycare centers?
#2
Gaza is being put on the back burner for now, as Israel 'buck up' slowly for a face off with Syria(that slap in their face for importing nuclear components) and possibly Iran (should said Syria yelp for help [ie; the 6 day war])! However Israeli Special Ops in concert with Mossad is 'taking names' as we speak!
The Zikim attack widened the gap between right- and left-wing Knesset members, who have become increasingly polarized over how Israel should handle the new Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip. While MKs from the right-wing parties - Israel Beiteinu, Likud, Shas and the National Union-National Religious Party - demanded harsh military action in the Gaza Strip, Labor and Meretz called for patience and said the government should not abandon the diplomatic process. Kadima's leadership also shied away from a military response, with Vice Premier Haim Ramon calling for Israel to cut off electricity and other supplies to Gaza.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said, during a meeting with her French counterpart, Bernard Kouchner: "We need to use other means, not only military ones, in the Gaza Strip. But we need to say the truth, that other means will not stop the Kassams."
Meanwhile, during his meeting with Kouchner, opposition leader Binyamin Netanyahu called for a decisive military operation in the Strip. "If the government ultimately decides to order such an action, even though it is late in the game, it will receive our full backing."
Earlier in the day, Shas chairman Eli Yishai said Israel had no choice but to respond with force. "The Kassam rockets are a result of the disengagement and there is no choice but to act. The red line has been crossed," Yishai said.
NU-NRP MKs were also quick to draw a link between Israel's unilateral pullout from Gaza in 2005 and the subsequent Hamas takeover there. If we don't carry out a second Operation Defensive Shield today, the threat will be much greater tomorrow," said Uri Ariel. His colleague, Arye Eldad, added that Israel must resettle the Gaza Strip to prevent Hamas getting even stronger.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[2 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
Pull the plug on utilities an problem resolves itself relatively shortly.
#4
Crush your enemies completely and with finality. Expel all of them and any sympathizers in Israel proper. Declare all "refugee camps" within one hundred miles of the new border to be free fire zones. Target enemy media (all the usual candidates to the head of the line). Cordially tell the State Department to stick it where the sun don't shine. Make it dangerous and expensive for foreign communist/anarchist organizations to distribute propaganda at universities worldwide. Target enemy broadcasters including and especially al Jazeera.
Wait six months.
The outrage would not outlast the next Britney Spears implosion. But with the boil lanced the whole thing could at long last start to heal.
Almost forgot, expel the Orcs from the Temple Mount. Deport anyone who complains.
In his first comments on the subject since Tuesday morning's Kassam rocket attack which left 69 soldiers wounded, President Shimon Peres voiced wonder at the Palestinian terror groups' decision to continue with such tactics. "It makes no sense why they would continue to shoot at us despite the fact that we disengaged from the Gaza Strip," Peres said during a Rosh Hashana toast for foreign diplomats.
Time for Shimon to retire gracefully to a pleasant home by the sea.
Galveston works. I'd like him safely out of the way of any TV cameras.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[9 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#4
"It makes no sense why they would continue to shoot at us despite the fact that we disengaged from the Gaza Strip"
Well, he's got that half right anyway. Based on the assumption you were talking about a population not made up of way too many of those genocidal psychopaths.
Let's stay real quiet and hide behind these bushes and see if he manages to take the next logical step. I doubt it will happen anytime soon though because he has way too much invested in pulling out of Gaza.
shimon peres, quoted from the "New middle east" book : " any idea of a small Nation-State - jewish State included - has collapsed" (quoted in lEtat juif, p. 103); "there is no doubt that the next objective of Israel will have to become a member of the arab league" (id. p. 107).
1996 interview after losing to Bibi:
Interviewer: What happened in this election?
Peres: We lost.
Interviewer: We?
Peres: Us, the israelis.
Interviewer: And who won?
Peres: Those who don't have an israeli mentality.
Interviewer: And who are they?
Peres: The jews.
#9
Apparently the dotty old boy thinks they are just being dramatic when they talk about pushing the Jews into the sea, killing every last one of them and other threats of that kind......or someone has been upping their dosage of stupid pills way beyond what is medically recommended.
#11
The Scorpion and the Frog is a fable often mis-attributed to Aesop. The story is about a scorpion asking a frog to carry him across a river. The frog is afraid of being stung, but the scorpion reassures him that they would both die if that happened. The frog then agrees; nevertheless, in mid-river, the scorpion stings him, dooming the both of them, and when asked why, explains, "I'm a scorpion; it's my nature."
#16
This clueless ass really needs to just shut up. Even formerly intelligent and Hawkish Israelis, like Ariel Sharon, seem to catch this dumbass disease later in life.
Hey guys, get a clue: The Arabs want you DEAD. They want your children DEAD. They want all the Jews DEAD. They will accept nothing less. You can tell they are lying because their lips are moving. You can't negotiate. You can't reason. There's no such thing as 'land for peace'. The only thing you can do is destroy the evil bastards when they try to destroy you.
Sheesh! Sometimes Israelis can be their own worst enemies.
#17
Procopius2k, there is no better allegory for explaining the Muslim mind in general. All the violence and atrocities are simply their "nature". There is no other explanation nor is any other needed for us to reach the proper conclusion.
#18
Dear Shimon Peres, A clue has been purchased in your name. you will receive your clue in 7 to 10 business days. Please do not reply to this message.
#19
"Peres: Why are they still shooting at us despite the disengagement?"
Because they're Muslims. And they'll continue to shoot at you-- and fire rockets at your day care centers, blow themselves up on your busses, and slit the throats of any Jew they can lay their hands on-- NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO.
Except for the one course of action which WILL work: kill enough of the filthy bastards-- and "enough" might mean a sizeable majority of them-- and they'll decide this jihad crap isn't worth the pain.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
09/12/2007 17:22 Comments ||
Top||
#20
The answer is simple. Drop more cluster bombs on those barbarians than Carter has liver pills.
#21
FREEREPUBLIC/DRUDGE > MOUD > ISRAEL CANNOT CONTINUE ITS LIFE. By extension, neither can the USA and Western World ala ISRAEL MUST PLAN FOR DAY USA IS NO LONGER AROUND/NOT AROUND. D *** NG it, you know, the "STATUS QUO"???
A Hamas spokesman praised Tuesday's rocket attack on an Israeli army base, calling it a "victory from God."
"We consider this a victory from God for the resistance," Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said on Hamas radio. "We consider the resistance as the legitimate right of the Palestinians to defend themselves and restore their rights." The rocket strike, which wounded dozens of soldiers, was carried out by two smaller militant groups in Gaza, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Resistance Committees. Although Hamas was not directly involved, Israel has said it holds the group responsible for attacks out of Gaza because it rules the area.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[1 views]
Top|| File under: Hamas
#1
Israel needs to ensure that Fawzi Barhoum becomes unable to praise jackshit.
Do NOT embed the link the story. Put the link in the 'source' textbox in the Poster. AoS.
MUSLIMS in several countries begin marking the holy month of Ramadamadingdong Ramadan today, with fears of insecurity mixed with hopes for a tranquil and joyful holiday season. Jihadi season has begun. Lots of sermons whipping up the crowds often produces jihadi activity this time of year. Tis the season to be worried
The start of Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month of the Muslim calendar, is traditionally determined by the sighting of a new moon, often dividing rival Islamic countries and sects over the exact date.
Libya is one Muslim country that does not look to the moon. Its centre for astronomical studies announced yesterday that it had fixed the start of Ramadan for today based on astronomical calculations. Countries such as Egypt which determine the holy month in the traditional way will begin Ramadan tomorrow.
Sheikh Ali Gomaa, the Mufti or official interpreter of Islamic law, announced the September 13 date in a live television address. Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, declared tomorrow to be the first day of Ramadan, in an announcement from the kingdom's royal court. Other Middle East states including Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates will also begin Ramadan tomorrow.
During the holy month, Muslims are required to abstain from food, drink and sex from dawn until dusk as life slips into a lower gear during the day, and activity peaks between "iftar", the breaking of the fast at sunset, and "suhur", the last meal of the day before sunrise.
In Iraq a top security official announced this week that the nightly curfew in Baghdad and a vehicle curfew will be eased during Ramadan. Baghdad's 400-year-old Shorja market has been bustling with activity with war-weary residents stocking up on spices, sugar, tea and nuts - these days imported from neighbouring Syria.
The US military, which has deployed thousands of troops in the capital, said levels of pre-Ramadan violence are lower this year, and hopes expects the trend to continue.
Saudi Arabia, home of Islam's holiest shrines, is this year preparing to receive around one million pilgrims expected to perform "umrah", or a smaller pilgrimage, to Mecca.
As generosity peaks during this month of charity, Kuwait is monitoring fund-raising activities by Islamic charities and has banned any cash donations to make sure that charity money does not reach extremist organisations.
Shi'ite Iran, which is due to begin fasting tomorrow, continues to ban restaurants from operating during the day during Ramadan.
In south Asia, Kashmiri politicians have called on New Delhi to declare a ceasefire in the revolt-hit state for the holy month of Ramadan, and said they hoped militants would match the move.
In Asia, Thailand's Muslim-majority south, where security forces seek to contain a bloody separatist insurgency, will start Ramadan today and the army has announced the suspension of a night curfew.
#1
"During the holy month, Muslims are required to abstain from food, drink and sex from dawn until dusk" and then they TOTALLY pig out on all of the aforementioned--and the next day, it all starts again. The funny thing is that they think they're really special because they do this--like they've "arrived" and are superior to the rest of the world. First they feel very sorry for themselves, then they stuff themselves, then they feel very sorry for themselves . . . on and on it goes for a month.
#7
What's all this about ram a ham? Goats and pigs? At once? Doesn't that violate some dietary rule? And why would they want to ram a ham when they have so many sheep and camels? And besides that, your have to debone the ham before...Oh, you meant Ramadan. Never mind.
Posted by: E. Littella ||
09/12/2007 9:34 Comments ||
Top||
#12
Funny. No mention that today marks the start of Rosh Hashannah and that leads, of course, to Yom Kippur. Keep that in mind Porky! The last time you tried something then you got your collective butts beat to a pulp.
Posted by: Jack is Back! ||
09/12/2007 11:14 Comments ||
Top||
#13
I read the post caption and came here to request some Ramadan recipes from the past.
I see that TW already had it covered. Well done.
I know that some readers think our resident Zenster is a bit over the top (he's not, he's just out of patience w/ members of the so-called ROP). I recommend that you take note of his recipes. They're quite appealing.
Posted by: Mark Z ||
09/12/2007 12:10 Comments ||
Top||
#14
The start of Ramadan, the ninth and holiest month of the Muslim calendar, is traditionally determined by the sighting of a new moon
Must have been looking my direction yesterday.
Lunch time here - got some Virginia sliced ham, some good bread, garden tomato, meunster cheese, some real dijon mustard with the coarse seed, and some horseradish sauce that makes a person feel a full inch taller.
#16
I do believe ham, sausage and bean soup and stuffed pork tenderloin cutlets are on tonight's menu.
Posted by: ed ||
09/12/2007 14:38 Comments ||
Top||
#17
I made a pork tenderloin w/raspberry chipotle off last years recipes and I must say, I hate pork that isn't bacon, but it was at least a thousand times better than any ham I have ever eaten and it was well worth it.
Kinda hopin for something more bachelor friendly (read: easy) this year.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
09/12/2007 14:42 Comments ||
Top||
#18
Kinda hopin for something more bachelor friendly (read: easy) this year.
Here's one for you, Mike N. This recipe is my latest invention and really delivers some intense flavor at the morning table. The only difficult part is locating a Japanese or Asian market that sells sukiyaki cut beef. The rest is dead-nuts simple.
Breakfast Cigars
Ingredients:
4-6 oz. Sukiyaki cut rib eye or New York strip beef (~8 pieces)
12 oz. Package of regular Johnsonville breakfast links
12 oz. Package of Jimmy Dean sage recipe ground sausage
A few pats of salted butter
Preparation:
Keep the sliced beef chilled until time of use. If the cuts are large in size, divide them in half. Make sure they are big enough to wrap around the filling with a good bit of overlap, as they will shrink during cooking.
Depending upon the available preparation time and personal patience, the breakfast links can be precooked over relatively high heat until lightly browned. Drain and reserve for later assembly. Leave any rendered grease in the pan for maximum flavor during the final cooking.
Lay out one ounce or less of ground pork sausage near the end of some waxed paper. Fold over the waxed paper and press the ground sausage into a rectangular shape large enough to roll around one of the breakfast links. Open the wax paper and use your fingers to adjust the shape into a rectangle. Press the ground sausage into a panel of even thickness, then gently peel away the waxed paper from both sides of the patty. Repeat this operation for the number of cigars you wish to prepare. Store the ground sausage pages in a single layer on a chilled plate covered with waxed paper.
Preheat a skillet over low flame. Cast iron or enamelware work best to avoid any sticking. Wrap the flattened ground sausage around a breakfast link and then roll this inside of the thin cut beef. Repeat as needed.
Melt a pat or two of butter in the heated skillet to prevent any sticking of the thin cut beef. Increase heat if needed and wait for butter to begin foaming. Swirl the melted butter to evenly coat the pan's interior.
Gently place each cigar into the skillet. As each one is brought into contact with the pan, gently move the cigar back and forth slightly to prevent any stick-down upon contact. Avoid crowding in order to obtain best browning. Place all of the cigars in the pan and adjust heat to medium low. For best results, do not cover the pan.
Wait for the exterior beef wrapper to become quite crisp before turning to a new side. The beef should become rather dark brown in color. Add another pat of butter if the pan goes dry.
Continue frying until all of the various meats are cooked through. If the breakfast links are not pre-cooked use a much lower heat and longer cooking time. Brown on all sides then remove and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately.
Notes:
Most large Asian markets will usually have thin sliced sukiyaki beef. It also may be called shabu-shabu (Japanese) or shin sul ro (Korean) beef. While pancetta, thin sliced bacon or even deli-sliced beef lunchmeat can be substituted, this recipe benefits from a very thin wrapper made of well-marbled raw beef. Rib eye is the best cut to use as it has a high amount of fatty streaking. This fat imparts a truly rich flavor and aids in the browning process.
If you own a cheese and meat slicing machine, the beef can be made at home. A chef's knife simply cannot yield up the paper-thin cuts needed. The trick is to lightly freeze the meat in order to stiffen it before cutting. This is also the secret to making the famous Italian dish, carpaccio. When slicing, allow the cut piece to drop into your hand, then lay each one out flat on cling film and cover with more plastic wrap. Finish slicing the beef and then chill well before use.
Avoid substituting any of the ingredients. I recently discovered the Johnsonville brand of link sausage and is some of the very finest I have ever had. Unless you are really fond of maple-flavored pork I recommend using their regular recipe. Look for their European-style ring bologna as well. This is a classic old-world smoked sausage ring that is simply fabulous. The same also goes for Jimmy Dean sage recipe ground sausage. No other ground breakfast sausage Ive tasted has quite the right balance of seasoning or uses such high quality pork cuts.
Variations:
Cover a two-inch diameter and half inch thick coin of ground sausage in the thin cut beef. Lay the page of beef out flat, place the sausage coin in the middle and bring up all edges of the beef around the filling. Fry face down in a hot buttered pan and finish cooking on the folded side last.
Wrap the edge of a two-inch diameter and half inch thick coin of ground sausage with smoked bacon and fry over medium high heat in a hot buttered pan.
Roll a breakfast link up in the beef or bacon without the ground sausage interlayer.
Roll a cigar shaped cylinder of the ground sausage in a page of the thin cut beef.
The variations are as endless as they are tasty. For kosher versions, use Shensons beef bacon or hamburger meat seasoned with garlic and onion powder plus some salt, pepper and ground sage. Turkey breakfast sausage or even chicken and apple links could be used for kosher recipes.
For a dramatic dinner appetizer, smear a little wasabi and soy sauce paste (recipe to follow) on the inside face of some thin cut beef and then wrap a finger of raw tuna inside of it. Cook over high heat on a well-oiled grill to lightly sear the beef and tuna. Or fry the beef and tuna cigars over low heat in a lightly oiled skillet until well done.
Wasabi Soy Paste
Mix wasabi powder with a small amount of water until just moistened all the way through. Cover the bowl and let wasabi hydrate for at least ten minutes. Mix the moistened wasabi with a spoonful of dark soy sauce or tamari until well blended. Thin any unused paste with more soy sauce for use as a dipping mixture with the final product. Minced scallions, crushed garlic and sesame chili oil may all be added to the dipping sauce for extra flavor.
PS: Thank you, trailing wife, for linking to the Rantburg Ramadan Recipe Roundup
Stinks to high heaven that I did NOT find out about this until after I ate at church tonight. We had a choice of a pork chop or fried catfish. I chose the fish. If'n I'd only known.....
Posted by: BA ||
09/12/2007 22:50 Comments ||
Top||
Iran's foreign minister was likely to press Russia on Wednesday to complete construction of its Bushehr nuclear plant at talks that might be strained by Moscow's impatience with Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki was due to meet Sergei Kiriyenko, chief of Russia's nuclear energy agency. The agency's subsidiaries are building Bushehr.
Russian contractors have repeatedly set back the completion date for the power station on Persian Gulf, creating tension between Moscow and Tehran. Moscow blames financial problems for the delays. Many observers say Russia is stalling because it does not fully trust Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and fears an international backlash if it delivers nuclear fuel to Bushehr.
Of course, both sides could be right.
Talks between Mottaki and Kiriyenko are likely to be tough. Last week Iran's chief nuclear negotiator said an agreement had been struck with Russia on a completion date for Bushehr, but officials in Moscow denied there was any such deal.
Posted by: lotp ||
09/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[4 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
"Hey, we had a DEAL!"
"I've modified the deal. Pray I don't modify it further."
Iran opened the doors of its most feared prison to journalists Tuesday, allowing them to interview a jailed Iranian-American academic in a move seen as an effort to blunt criticism of the country's human rights record. The rare look inside Evin Prison where inmates were seen swimming in an open-air pool, playing naked Twister, cooking meals and studying for university exams contrasted sharply with tales of harsh treatment from some recently released prisoners.
Amnesty International said the tour was not representative of a facility where people have been tortured and political prisoners have been held without charges.
A rare 'well done' to Amnesia Int'l...
Forty journalists were taken on a 4-hour tour of five cellblocks at the sprawling facility in northern Tehran on the slopes of the Alborz Mountains. The reporters were allowed to talk freely with prisoners in their cells and in the halls. Guards were nearby during the interviews, but did not intervene.
"We have nothing to hide from the world. And we invited you here to see for yourself that how inmates are treated," a top prison official, Sohrab Soleimani, told reporters.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Seafarious ||
09/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[8 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Iran
#1
Another "Potemkin Village" tour, conducted by oppressors. Generally the Basij (protectors of the Ayatollahs) doesn't take freedom activists as prisoners. They take them to forests and slaughter them there. Civil authorities refuse to investigate Basij atrocities.
Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday that a scheduled visit by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem to the kingdom for apparent rapprochement talks has been canceled. The visit would have been the first by a Syrian official to Saudi Arabia since outbreak of a public row between the two countries in mid-August.
Muallem was expected to hold talks Tuesday with King Abdullah in the Red Sea city of Jeddah to deliver a message from Syrian President Bashar Assad. Observers believe that using the word canceled reflects extent of the deterioration in Saudi-Syrian relations. An Arab diplomat familiar with Saudi thinking told Naharnet: "The Saudi official could have said the visit has been postponed, or even indefinitely postponed." But by Saying it has been canceled the Saudi official "slammed the door in the face of Syrian rapprochement efforts. It is a way of expressing the kingdom's dismay," the diplomat said.
Tension between Riyadh and Damascus erupted into a public row in mid-August, when Syrian Vice President Farouq al-Sharaa claimed that the oil-rich kingdom's regional role has been paralyzed. Riyadh responded by accusing Damascus of trying to stoke disorder in the region.
Relations between the two had already chilled after the assassination of Lebanese former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in 2005 which was widely blamed on Syria. Damascus denied any links to the killing. Ties deteriorated further because of disagreements over last year's war between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah which is backed by Syria and Iran. They were further strained after the Hezbollah-led opposition launched a campaign to oust the government of Western-backed Sunni Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, who is close to Saudi Arabia. Syria moved to calm the row, with an official saying Sharaa's statements had been "unjustly distorted."
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[6 views]
Top|| File under: Govt of Syria
#1
Though it might be hard to see, this is all part of the pot stirring that GWB has wrought in the MME. They are warming up to go at each others' throats now, and we should make sure the comfy chair is ready and the popcorn is popped and the beer is cold when we all sit down to watch the fun...
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
09/12/2007 12:51 Comments ||
Top||
#2
It is hard not to see this as being connected to whatever it was the Israelis blasted to smithereens.
The ruling March 14 coalition appeared to be set to accept an initiative launched by Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to resolve the country's deep political crisis. The daily An Nahar on Monday, citing sources close to March 14 Forces, said the pro-government alliance seemed likely to accept Berri's proposal seen as a last-ditch olive branch that could help end the country's months-long political stalemate.
Berri had announced that the Hezbollah-led opposition was willing to drop its demand for a national unity government on condition the country's feuding political parties agreed on a consensus presidential candidate. An Nahar said March 14 apparently tends towards supporting one part of the initiative which calls for "dialogue and discussion" among the pro- and anti-government camps, without having to "abandon the fundamental minimum constitutional rights."
The sources said March 14 has reservations regarding Berri's insistence to elect a new president for Lebanon by a two-third quorum. "What if a consensus presidential candidate had been agreed upon after the (ruling) majority had already relinquished its right to elect a president by a simple majority?" one source asked.
You know that's what's gonna happen...
However, Telecommunications Minister Marwan Hamadeh stressed that March 14 would make its final decision vis-à-vis Berri's initiative at a meeting to be held before Berri makes TV appearance on Thursday. Hamadeh, a senior leader of the March 14 coalition, described Berri's initiative as a "move on the right track." However, he said the offer remains a "mere move" which should be pursued at all levels.
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[3 views]
Top|| File under: Hezbollah
The elusive leader of Fatah al-Islam, an al-Qaida inspired terrorist organization, allegedly ran like a Nancy boy fled the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in a burqa in northern Lebanon a day before its fall into the hands of Lebanese army eight days ago.
In addition, Prosecutor General Saeed Mirza said in a statement that a DNA test on a body suspected to be that of militant leader Shaker al-Abssi proved it was not his. The finding countered earlier reports by al-Abssi's wife, who had identified a body in a hospital as her husband's. Mirza also said that a recently captured Fatah Islam militant had told authorities that al-Abssi fled the camp the night of Sept. 1.
I keep asking, who identified her as his wife?
Al-Abssi's wife, his daughter, and also a Palestinian Muslim cleric who mediated between the army and Fatah al-Islam during the battles, had identified a body in a Tripoli hospital morgue as al-Abssi's. But authorities took samples from al-Abssi's daughter and also his brother in Jordan, for conclusive DNA testing. "The result (shows) the corpse in the hospital morgue in Tripoli does not belong to the suspect Shaker al-Abssi," Mirza's statement said.
"We're glad he's dead, whoever he is, but we wanted Shaker," the statement added.
But in Jordan, al-Absi's older brother, Abdul-Razak al-Absi, blasted Lebanese authorities' testing and claimed the militant leader was indeed dead. "These people don't know how to carry out DNA tests, it's wrong, my brother is dead," al-Absi's eldest brother said in a telephone interview. "My brother's body was identified by his wife, his daughters and five Muslim scholars who knew him, so how can he be alive?" the brother told The Associated Press.
I'm sure there's someone at the AP gullible enough to believe that ...
Asked if he had recently heard from al-Abssi or if he was intentionally hiding knowledge of the militant leader's whereabouts, the brother said: "Enough is enough, I'm not lying, they're the ones who are confused and are trying to say unrealistic things."
Mirza said that two days ago a Yemeni citizen identified as Nasser Mohammed Yahya Shiba, 24, was arrested in the Minyeh region north of the camp. He testified that he had left Nahr el-Bared with al-Abssi and three other militants shortly before midnight Sept. 1. "Shaker al-Abssi was in good health, wearing an explosive belt and carrying a Kalashnikov assault rifle, magazines and hand grenades," Mirza's statement quoted the Yemeni suspect as saying. The Yemeni added that he ran behind and lost the others, hid in a deserted house and was only captured after he sought food from a nearby house, according to the statement.
Al-Abssi, a Palestinian linked to the late leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, had not been seen or heard from since early in the Nahr el-Bared fighting. In 2004, a Jordanian military court sentenced al-Abssi to death in absentia, along with al-Zarqawi, for their roles in the 2002 slaying of a U.S. diplomat in Amman. Al-Zarqawi was killed in a U.S. air strike a year ago.
This article starring:
Abdul-Razak al-Absi
Nasser Mohammed Yahya Shiba
Shaker al-Abssi
Posted by: Fred ||
09/12/2007 00:00 ||
Comments ||
Link ||
[7 views]
Top|| File under: Fatah al-Islam
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.
A team of three-nation nuclear experts on Tuesday arrived in Pyongyang for discussions on how to disable the nuclear facilities in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Zhu Xuhui, an expert from China, said at the airport that the team's main task is to examine the nuclear facilities at Yongbyon and discuss the measures of disabling nuclear facilities in the DPRK. "It was planned to go to Yongbyon on Tuesday, but we still have a further discussion on details this evening," said an official from the DPRK General Nuclear Bureau on condition of anonymity. "The team is going to leave Pyongyang on Saturday," he added. 
The United States is moving to tighten immigration and customs controls, which it says are vital to keep terrorists at bay six years after the September 11 attacks. Under plans that have been announced, foreign travelers will need to provide 10 digital fingerprints on arrival instead of two currently, and their personal data will be transmitted to the United States before their plane takes off.
Detainees flinging body waste at guards. Guards interrupting detainees at prayer. Interrogators withholding medicine. Hostility and tension between inmates and their keepers at the Guantanamo Bay prison are evident in transcripts obtained by The Associated Press. 
IN April 1948, a dapper man in an impeccably tailored traditional suit announced at a press conference that he intended to plant the flag of the Nizam of Hyderabad on the Red Fort in Delhi. 
The people of Bajaur Agency have reiterated their resolve to maintain peace and stability in the agency and have vowed to strive collectively in close collaboration with the government and the political administration.
GAZA CITY - Hamas said on Wednesday its security forces in Gaza have gone on high alert ahead of an anticipated large-scale Israeli offensive in the Islamist-controlled Palestinian territory.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert continues to oppose mounting a major IDF operation in the Gaza Strip or cutting off Israeli-supplied utilities to the region, despite Tuesday's Kassam attack on the Zikim army base, The Jerusalem Post has learned. The attack wounded 69 soldiers, the highest number of casualties in a Kassam attack, including one critically, four seriously and 10 moderately. Most of the soldiers suffered shrapnel wounds. 
In his first comments on the subject since Tuesday morning's Kassam rocket attack which left 69 soldiers wounded, President Shimon Peres voiced wonder at the Palestinian terror groups' decision to continue with such tactics. "It makes no sense why they would continue to shoot at us despite the fact that we disengaged from the Gaza Strip," Peres said during a Rosh Hashana toast for foreign diplomats. 
Iran's foreign minister was likely to press Russia on Wednesday to complete construction of its Bushehr nuclear plant at talks that might be strained by Moscow's impatience with Tehran's nuclear ambitions.
Iran opened the doors of its most feared prison to journalists Tuesday, allowing them to interview a jailed Iranian-American academic in a move seen as an effort to blunt criticism of the country's human rights record. The rare look inside Evin Prison where inmates were seen swimming in an open-air pool, 
Saudi Arabia announced Tuesday that a scheduled visit by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem to the kingdom for apparent rapprochement talks has been canceled. The visit would have been the first by a Syrian official to Saudi Arabia since outbreak of a public row between the two countries in mid-August.
The ruling March 14 coalition appeared to be set to accept an initiative launched by Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to resolve the country's deep political crisis. The daily An Nahar on Monday, citing sources close to March 14 Forces, said the pro-government alliance seemed likely to accept Berri's proposal seen as a last-ditch olive branch that could help end the country's months-long political stalemate.
The elusive leader of Fatah al-Islam, an al-Qaida inspired terrorist organization, allegedly 
