A 78-member Pakistan Army peacekeeping contingent led by Colonel Anjum Irshad left on the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) by a special chartered UN aircraft on Sunday morning.
The batch will replace soldiers as part of the routine annual relieve-rotation schedule. Brigadier Muhammad Yousaf saw them off at Allama Iqbal International Airport. Pakistan has contributed over 1,500 troops to the mission.
The UNMIS was set up as part of UNs Security Council Resolution 1590 on March 24, 2005. The mission began after the Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed between the government of Sudan and Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement on January 9, 2005 in Nairobi, Kenya.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Sudan
#1
Anything to avoid fighting the enemy in Pakistan, eh?
Posted by: Eric Jablow ||
11/12/2007 8:33 Comments ||
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#2
The army who massacred and raped hundreds of thousands in Bangladesh is going to protect the Blacks against the Janjaweed.
Egyptian police have ordered the release of 22 members of the country's most powerful opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, after four months in detention, police said Sunday.
The members were arrested in July as part of an on going police crackdown on the banned group. At the time of their detention, police accused them of trying to revive the group's activities in the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria. Authorities ordered them released, but as of Sunday evening, they had not been allowed to leave prison.
The Brotherhood, which has been banned since 1954, currently holds 88 seats in the 454-member lower house of the parliament after its members ran as independents.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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The Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat, GSPC, affiliated terrorist groups activating in the Sahara namely Abderrezak Al Para allies are striving to insufflate a new breath to the terrorist activity in the border areas to stress that the neutralization of the former GSPC ninth region chief Mokhtar Belmokhtar means not the armed activity in the Sahara is over.
Military sources well-acquainted with the armed group activity explained that the terrorist assault on Djanet airport, Thursday, has been led by Lamari Saifi alias Abderrezak Al Para allies who are challenging Mokhtar Belmokhtar alias Khalid Abu Al Abbès, the Sahara terrorist chief.
Counter-terrorism task force analyses disclose that Saifi partisans led by Abdelhamid Abu Zaid have attempted to bring in a considerable quantity of weapons to execute a terrorist offensive plan, the sources told El Khabar. The sources interpreted the latest security developments in Djanet as a two-fold message: first and foremost, the terrorists underscore that the armed activity in the Sahara is not over. Second, the assault was aimed at undermining Belmokhtar negotiations with security services.
This article starring:
ABDELHAMID ABU ZAID
Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat
ABDURREZAK AL PARA
Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat
KHALID ABU AL ABèS
Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat
LAMARI SAIFI
Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat
MOKHTAR BELMOKHTAR
Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat
Salafist Group for Preaching and Combat
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: al-Qaeda in North Africa
TOKYO - A Japanese parliamentary committee on Monday approved a bill to restart a naval mission supporting U.S.-led operations in Afghanistan, but it faced rejection by the upper house, which could trigger a snap general election.
The lower house committee vote came ahead of a visit this week by Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda to Washington, which wants Tokyo to resume refuelling of US and other ships patrolling the Indian Ocean for drug runners and suspected terrorists. The Japanese mission was halted this month after government and opposition failed to agree to renew it.
The bill is expected to pass in the full lower house, where the ruling coalition commands a strong majority, on Tuesday and it will then be sent to the opposition-dominated upper house. We will strive to secure understanding from the upper house, especially from the opposition parties so that we can resume our refuelling activity as soon as possible, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura told reporters after the committees vote.
The opposition Democratic Party, the largest force in the upper house, has vowed to oppose the bill.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/12/2007 22:44 ||
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ASIO and police have been accused of kidnapping a terror suspect and trespassing at his home at a court hearing at which charges against him were dropped.
The Director of Public Prosecutions will not proceed with the case against Izhar ul-Haque, who was facing charges of training with the Pakistan-based terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET)
He was accused of receiving weapons and combat training from the organisation during a visit to Pakistan in January and February 2003.
In the NSW Supreme Court today, Justice Michael Adams was told the crown was "declining to proceed further with the case".
Earlier this month, Justice Adams ruled that police interviews with ul-Haque were inadmissible as evidence because of the conduct of ASIO and Australian Federal Police (AFP) officers.
Today he said one ASIO officer had committed "the crime of false imprisonment and kidnap at common law".
He also referred to unjustified and unlawful interference with Mr ul-Haque's personal liberty and the trespassing of officers at his family home.
Justice Adams was giving his reasons for not allowing the police interviews to be used in evidence.
- more to follow
#1
Izhar ul-Haque is an interesting case. He went and trained with the terrorist group Lashkar-e-Toiba where he wanted to "fight to his death to become a martyr".
However he seems to have been "turned" by ASIO and "dogged" Faheem Lodhi, the alleged mastermind of a plot to bomb Sydney.
So letting him off could be part of a deal. However I don't think I would want to be him when the "Lions Of Islam" catch up with him.
THE former leader of the terrorist group responsible for the suicide bombing that killed an Australian cameraman in Iraq in 2003 is unapologetic about his death.
Paul Moran, a freelance cameraman, was in the Kurdish region covering the opening days of the Iraq war for the ABC when a blast killed him and at least five Kurdish soldiers. Dozens more, including ABC journalist Eric Campbell, were wounded. The suicide bomber belonged to Ansar al Islam, a Sunni Muslim group listed as affiliated with al-Qaeda.
Najmaddin Faraj Ahmad, the Kurdish Iraqi better known as Mullah Krekar, had by that time allegedly relinquished control of Ansar and fled to Norway as a refugee.
Krekar told ABC TV's Foreign Correspondent the suicide bomber's target was the Kurdish soldiers and not the film crew. But he showed little remorse that Mr Moran was among the dead. "How (would the bomber) know that this man is Australian - and is photographer only - and know he is innocent?" Krekar told Foreign Correspondent in Norway. "(The bomber) came to kill this line, which is the military line, he cannot choose to stop, oh your friends ... who are with the other soldiers.
"I think it is, like you say, Muslims not say this, wrong time ... wrong work in the wrong time," he said with a smile.
Krekar said he had never been quizzed by Australian officials over his involvement in Moran's death. This is despite the Australian Government formally listing Ansar as a terrorist organisation a week after the suicide bombing and listing Mullah Krekar as its leader. "If there was something against me ... Australian people, (Prime Minister) John Howard can send some people or some papers, some letters to court in Norway," he said. "... no one ask me about this, which mean that I have not any contact with this."
Asked if he had any message for Moran's widow and family, Mullah Krekar said: "I say to all of the western women, don't send your sons to kill us."
When reminded Moran was a cameraman and had not killed anyone, he replied: "Yes ... he was also with our enemy."
Krekar said jihad allowed Muslims to kill their enemies and anyone who helped them. "It is allowed for me in Islam to kill him (the enemy), to kill his translator, to kill the people which give him food and water, give him medicine, all of them is in the line of war," he said.
Krekar has lost a Norwegian Supreme Court appeal against deportation but is unlikely to be sent back to Iraq because of Norway's strict policy against deporting individuals to countries that engage in torture or have the death penalty.
#2
In principle I cannot disagree with the Mullah - it was a pretty normal case of collateral damage. However, Krekar is an admitted enemy, and should be treated as such - imprisoned or killed. Norway will learn that or suffer an inevitable fate.
#6
I could see considerable justice in the discreet administration to this cur of a particularly virulent strain of syphilis. He would be less smug once his nose had rotted off and the worms had chewed on his brain.
Yusuf Bey IV, the young leader of Your Black Muslim Bakery, boasted to his followers that he had avoided being implicated in the slaying of Oakland Post Editor Chauncey Bailey because of his relationship with the officer assigned to investigate the case.
Bey IV's two-year-long relationship with Oakland homicide investigator Sgt. Derwin Longmire had already paid off for police - the bakery leader had helped them get a confession in the Bailey case.
Bey IV talked openly about the payoff from his relationship with Longmire, a 22-year veteran of the department, while being held with two bakery associates in an unrelated kidnapping and torture case. Police secretly recorded the discussion.
"The reason they didn't pin the (Bailey) murder on me was because of Longmire," Bey IV, 21, told his two associates on the Aug. 6 video recording, which was reviewed by The Chronicle.
#1
Good for the police. Their abuse of the trust of that poor, naive terrorist will no doubt be protested by those who notice the adjectives, but not the noun.
#2
Longmire briefly left the homicide unit in 2003 to run the Oakland police intelligence squad. He was handpicked for the assignment by then-chief of police Richard Word. His job was to monitor protests and criminal organizations.
"I trust the guy with my life," Word said of Longmire. "No questions, no doubt there. I have absolute trust in him."
Bey, Longmire and Word. Heh. This is nothing but a good news story. Sounds like a three for one. The criminal, the corrupt cop and an a corrupt ex-police chief. No wonder Oakland is such a mess.
RANCHI Maoist guerrillas have threatened to kill former chief minister Babulal Marandi for his campaign against the rebels and also eliminate the eyewitnesses to the Chilkhari village massacre in Giridih district of Jharkhand, according to the police. "The Maoist rebels are moving from one village to another, asking people not to support Marandi's campaign against them. They have threatened to kill the former chief minister as well as the eye-witnesses to the Chilkhari massacre," police said.
Seven people, who were witness to the October 26 massacre, recorded their statements in the Giridih district court against the rebels. Moti Sao, one of the eyewitnesses, was given security after he said he was facing threats from the guerrillas. At least 18 people, including Maranadi's son, were killed and four others were injured in a Maoist attack in Chilkhari village, about 290 km from state capital Ranchi.
After the killing of his younger son, Anup, Marandi is staying in his village Kodaiband of the district.
Giridih is the home district of Marandi, who represents Koderma Lok Sabha constituency in parliament.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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* President says NA to stand dissolved on Nov 15, PAs on Nov 20
* Says he will remain above-board during electoral process
* Caretaker govts after dissolution of assemblies
President General Pervez Musharraf on Sunday announced that the general elections would be held before January 9, within 60 days of the National Assemblys (NA) dissolution on November 15.
Assemblies dissolution: The NA will stand dissolved on November 15 on completion of its five-year constitutional tenure, and the provincial assemblies of Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan will be dissolved on November 20 before their five-year tenure completes so that the elections for the national and provincial assemblies are held on the same day, the president told a press conference.
He said he would request the Election Commission (EC) to hold general elections as soon as possible. I expect that the elections will be held before January 9, he said, adding that the provincial assemblies were to complete their tenures on different dates but they would be dissolved on the same day.
While the NWFP Assembly had been dissolved on the advice of former chief minister Akram Khan Durrani on October 9, the five-year tenure of the Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh assemblies was to end on November 24, November 26 and December 10 respectively. A caretaker government in the centre will be in place on November 15 while in the provinces the caretaker governments will be put in place on November 20, he said.
Will supervise polls: The president said he would ensure transparent elections. I, being the president, will remain above board and foreign observers will be invited to monitor the polls, he said, adding that it was for the first time in Pakistans history that the assemblies would complete their tenures.
He made it clear that he would not allow anyone to violate the rules. If we want free and fair elections, the rules should be adhered to by all equally, he said. He said he expected the politicians and activists detained over the past week to be freed to take part in the elections although no one would be allowed to create anarchy, Reuters reported.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
My prediction: Perv will win re-election. Vote validated by King County Washington and overseen by Jimmah.
Bhutto will get capped.
Taliban will still be shooting at the good guys.
President General Pervez Musharraf said on Sunday that it was imperative for all state organs to join hands to fight terrorism, adding that army would lead the war on terror.
The cockles of my heart remain medium cool. Some of them are cold, in fact.
Pakistan is in danger. If we dont unite against terrorism, the country will suffer, he said. We wont allow them to harm Pakistan, he said, adding that it was not an easy job.
Why stop allowing them to harm Pakistain now? I'd think you'd be used to it.
The president said terrorism had spread from the Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA) to the settled areas of the NWFP. We are fighting with all our force and a plan is already in place to increase police force in the NWFP by 15,000, levies by 7,000 and 128 more platoons for the Frontier Constabulary (FC). Army would, however, remain in the lead role, he said.
Perv has tentatively moved troops in and they've almost ostentatiously tried to avoid confrontation. They've proven themselves to be ill-trained, poorly motivated, and just about as effective as sending in the Boy Scouts would have been, assuming the Boy Scouts didn't have adult leadership.
He said that prior to emergency the army was not allowed to do operation in Swat district, APP reported.
They haven't done a hell of a job since the emergency was declared, have they? Or did we miss something?
Referring to the Lal Masjid episode, he rejected aspersions cast on him that a nexus existed between him and the terrorists suggesting that the government did not want action against them. Yes, there was a delay in action because the government wanted to save maximum lives, he said.
We watched the whole thing unfold in these pages, and it looked to us like the government tried to put things off as long as possible, and once the operation was actually carried out they put another nickle in the slot, the same bunch back in charge of the place, and started the game all over again.
Musharraf said the military operation would continue until terrorism was defeated. Anyone who disturbs law and order and wants to create anarchy in the name of elections and democracy, we will not allow that, AFP quoted him as saying.
You can do it in the name of Olde Tyme Religion, but not in the name of elections and democracy. That makes sense. Not a lot of sense, but sense. Kinda.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I got out the popcorn to watch Mushy attack jihadis. Then he arrests judges and lawyers.
Foreign ministers will debate whether Pakistan should be suspended from the Commonwealth over President General Pervez Musharrafs declaration of an emergency rule at an extraordinary meeting on Monday.
Nations including Britain and Canada have called for tough action ahead of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group gathering and Secretary-General Don McKinnon described the state of emergency as a step in the wrong direction.
Foreign ministers from Britain, Canada, Lesotho, Malaysia, Malta, Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, Sri Lanka and Tanzania will meet in London to discuss whether the state of emergency breaches Commonwealth principles.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Two reports, one in the New York Times, the other in the Washington Post, raise doubts about the safety of Pakistans nuclear weapons, expressing the fear that in the event the present upheaval continues, the security of these weapons could be compromised.
David Sanger writes in the New York Times much of the fear in Washington last week was the leaks in Pakistans nuclear programme would resume and the government might even lose control over a nuclear arsenal of uncertain size, estimated at from 55 to 115 weapons.
Noting that Gen Musharraf had dismissed such possibilities in 2005, but over the years he has said many things that turned out to be too optimistic, including a declaration at the White House that Osama bin Laden was probably dead. Bush administration officials have quietly begun debating just how bad things could get in a country whose nuclear controls are just seven years old and have never been tested by chaos, street turmoil or a violent government overthrow. We just dont have any idea how this is going to unfold, one senior administration official conceded to the newspaper late on Friday. There is some hope that the military as an institution could reliably keep things under control no matter who is in charge, but that is just a hope.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
We just dont have any idea how this is going to unfold,
#3
Prediction - If islamic fanatics get hold of any paki nukes, they probably still won't get used here, but if one or more do get used here, the targets will be primarily blue population centers, and the left in America will effectively have killed itself with its patty-cake approach to islamic terror around the world.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
11/12/2007 9:14 Comments ||
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#4
Perv is still playing a douuble game with the West http://www.atlanticfreepress.com/content/view/2812/81/
Posted by: Paul ||
11/12/2007 13:12 Comments ||
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Top Democratic senators on Saturday urged President George W Bush to seek a more effective strategy for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Al Qaeda, following the deeply disturbing actions of President Gen Pervez Musharraf.
That's it? That's the best they could come up with? "Be more effective"? Gosh. It's the March of the Foreign Policy Geniuses...
Musharrafs decisions to suspend the constitution and declare emergency rule raise very troubling questions not only about the (US) administrations policy vis-a-vis Pakistan, but also its overall national security strategy, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and his colleagues said on Friday in a signed letter.
Their criticism came as Bush on Saturday praised Musharraf as a strong ally against terrorism and said he had no reason to doubt the Pakistani leaders pledges to return his country to democratic rule. Besides Musharrafs moves that have derailed Pakistan from the path of democracy, the senators listed his failure to deal with Al Qaeda which has regenerated and now rivals what it was before 9/11 despite 10 billion dollars in US aid.
Musharrafs decision to use his police, military and intelligence services against his political opponents instead of against terrorists directly undermines the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda, the Democrats said.
It is increasingly clear that the administrations policy has served neither the needs or the people of Pakistan nor security interests of our country, the opposition lawmakers said. The letter was signed by Reid, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden, Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, Democratic Caucus Vice Chairman Charles Schumer, and Majority Conference Secretary Patty Murray.
Certifiable, each and every one of them. Certifiable geniuses, I mean...
They also noted that the Iraq War had degenerated the readiness of our military to levels not seen since Vietnam, and urged Bush to immediately assess his policies toward Pakistan and to counter Al Qaeda.
This article starring:
Charles Schumer
Harry Reid
Joseph Biden
Patty Murray
Richard Durbin
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
Be more effective? Thats the call? You have better plans?
I tell you what useless congress, I know you have NO plans. WE in fact have over nine.
How about being effective in supporting the commander in chief for a change? huh? Give that a whirl.
To quote the only good line of the week, you are a bunch of pygmies.
#2
It is increasingly clear that the administrations policy has served neither the needs or the people of Pakistan nor security interests of our country
Yup, Bush has failed Pakistan. That's an astonishing sentence, even for Reid.
I understand that Biden's working on a plan to solve this by partitioning Pakistan.
We believe events in Pakistan and elsewhere convincingly demonstrate it is long past time for a more effective strategy for dealing with Pakistan, the related situation in Afghanistan, as well as addressing the other threats and challenges America faces around the world.
And your suggestion is what, exactly?
"failed" is now joined by "derailed". The Dems have doubled their vocabulary.
Unfortunately, it's also chock full of those who haven't figured this out. Yet. Those are the folks you can still hope to lead around by the nose to win elections.
#4
In past I have suggested that the RNC set up a "school for Democrat leaders", with a course called "Basic Foreign Policy", tongue in cheek.
Then I realized that the Democrat ignorance and incompetence in foreign policy is so incredibly dangerous, that this isn't funny. The Republicans should set up a school like this and *pay* to get Democrat leaders to attend.
Be as nice as possible to them, but lay down the law. They cannot continue bumbling about like a drunken bull in a china shop without risking not only the United States, but also entire continents or the world itself.
If they want to do something for "the environment", a great start would be by not starting World War III because they don't know any better.
Lyndon Johnson screwed the pooch with Indochina. Jimmy Carter lost five friendly nations to communism and a vicious theocracy. Bill Clinton resulted in the War on Terror.
#5
"Let's tell them that we have a plan... but let's not tell them what it is. That's always worked well for me..." -- John Kerry, overheard in the Senate cloak room.
#6
These "Democratic Leaders" could never hold down a job. Let alone a management position. If there is a problem, it is not the employee's responsibility to just notify management about the problem, the best employee also recommends solutions that resolve the problem.
These pin heads can't even begin to offer effective solutions. There complaint is just another slam against management in disguise.
Posted by: Paul ||
11/12/2007 13:15 Comments ||
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#12
I wouldn't bet money on Harry Reid discovering that water is wet, much less having a "plan" for dealing with Pakiwakiland. The man is a certifiable charlatan, and deserves to be hung by the people of Nevada. Unfortunately, I don't see anybody with enough cojones to do the job there.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/12/2007 16:38 Comments ||
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Benazir Bhuttos defiance at the barricades has tipped Pakistans power struggle in her favour, analysts say.
After days of relative caution, Bhutto stood behind coils of barbed wire surrounding her home on Friday and attacked Musharrafs dictatorship as police prevented her from leading a protest against his imposition of emergency rule.
Analysts say her actions have helped Bhutto dispel suspicions that her previous reluctance to hold protests was because of secret talks for a western-backed power-sharing deal with President General Pervez Musharraf.
Strengthening domestic position: She cant lose from here, Najam Sethi, a political analyst and editor of Pakistans respected Daily Times newspaper. It certainly strengthens her (Bhuttos) position internationally, but more importantly she is strengthening her domestic position because people are beginning to believe that the deal-making may be over. After Musharraf declared emergency rule on November 3 she at first kept the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) off the streets, while lawyers and other opposition parties bore the burnt of baton-charges and teargas.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
All I can say on Bhutto's behalf is that I thought she'd be dead by now.
#2
Personally I couldn't care less about the Pakiwakis. But, I would like someone to explain what the best outcome for us would be in this chaos.
To me, best is no more 'bunnies being cossetted in the NWFP; no more Kashmier terrorism and no more saber-rattling against India and or any other infidels.
Doubt that all of that's in the cards, but what's available?
#3
Lawz, Ima start to wonder ifn maybe FredMan wasn't someones hossholder in Pakilandland. He's knows too much.
Posted by: Thomas Woof ||
11/12/2007 15:26 Comments ||
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#4
#2 Personally I couldn't care less about the Pakiwakis. But, I would like someone to explain what the best outcome for us would be in this chaos.
The best solution is for us to invade pakistan from the north and south, while India invades from the east. Conquer the entire lot, kill half of them in the process, and divide the country along the Indus River between Afghanistan and India. Destroy A-Q, destroy the talibunnies, kill as many "clerics" as possible, destroy or shut down ALL the madrassas, tell the tribal "leaders" to either get with the program or find some country that will take them as "political exiles".
The Pashtuns will be united, which has been a sore point for them since the Brits partitioned their tribal territory. Jammu & Kashmir will no longer be a problem, although some of the muslims that live there might be - temporarily. The world's biggest supplier of fake passports will be out of business. A terrorist haven will cease to exist. The Pak nukes will be secured. Morticia can be shipped back to England in a pine box. We won't have to put up with Perv or the ISI. What's not to like about this solution?
The only people that would have heartburn would be Harry "helpless" Reid and the donkeycritters. The US military would HAVE to expand by at least five divisions, something that's needed anyway. We could work with the Indian government for a few years, then let them crush Bangladesh, the other terrorist hot-spot, and put some pressure on Burma. The entire eastern border of Iran would be held by REAL allies of the US, putting someone else's knickers in a tight twist. Nancy Peelooser would have to have another botox treatment, and John "Clueless" Murtha would have a heart attack. Win-win all the way around, IMHO.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/12/2007 16:47 Comments ||
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Elders from Swat district held a jirga in the Kanju area on Sunday, and demanded the government and local Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah find a solution to the ongoing crisis in Swat via dialogue.
I've often wondered why so many people find it so desirable to negotiate with evil.
The jirga was held to discuss law and order in the wake of clashes between the local Taliban militants and security forces.
In normal countries the government's in charge and there's no argument about it, regardless of what a jirga might think.
Opposing the ongoing military operation in Swat, the jirga members said peace should be restored in the area through dialogue and not an army operation.
Right. Regardless of how many people Mullah Fazlullah's myrmidons bump off.
Inamur Rehman, Muzaffar Syed, Advocate Shireen Zada, Bayroom Khan, Haji Bakhat Nazir, Ibrahim, Hazrat Rehman, Karimul Hadi, Prof Mian Noor Nawab and Gul Muhammad were the key jirga members.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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The husband of former premier Benazir Bhutto on Sunday rejected President General Pervez Musharrafs pledge to hold general elections by January 9 as a stalling tactic. Asif Ali Zardari said Musharraf made the announcement to deflect pressure mounting over his decision to impose a state of emergency, rather than an attempt to solve the political crisis gripping the nation. Musharrafs pledge is nothing more than a tactic to gain time and deflect domestic and international pressure on him to lift the emergency and restore the Constitution, he told AFP via telephone from Dubai.
Zardari said free and fair elections were inconceivable under emergency rule imposed by Musharraf which was in fact martial law. Zardari also demanded military ruler Musharraf quit his army post.
This article starring:
Asif Ali Zardari
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
And teh he enjoys it too much.
Posted by: Thomas Woof ||
11/12/2007 15:28 Comments ||
Top||
Militant in Kashmir: Udhar halaat kharab hai, suna hai (Have heard its pretty grim there)
Handler in PoK: Woh (Musharraf) to Mujahid ki position aise uda raha hai jaise dushman ke bunker ho (He has been blowing up Mujahid positions as if they are enemy bunkers)
Militant: Idhar bhi kafiron (Indian forces) ne karyavahi tej kar di hai (Even here the infidels have stepped up operations)
Handler: Yeh jo (Waziristan) karyavahi hai, Hindustan ke kafiron ke hosale buland kar rahee hai (The Waziristan operations are boosting Indian morale)
Militant: Aisi halat rahi to dono taraf se hamara masla hi ho jayega (If this continues, we will be done for at both ends)
A flurry of such radio messages and phone calls across the LoC in the last few days indicates that Kashmiri militants, preparing for a winter stay in the Valley, are a worried lot with the declaration of emergency in Pakistan.
Communication intercepts by intelligence agencies have brought out the uncertainty and confusion among militants who rely heavily on logistical support from across the LoC.
Their biggest concern, say Indian intelligence agencies, is whether the supply lines from across the LoC will remain open. While most queries to their Pakistani handlers are on how the Mujahid are faring against government troops, the militants seem more worried about their own fate, especially after reports that Musharraf plans to crack down on extremism.
They (Mujahid) got hold of 60 troops. Some have been killed. This has angered the (Pak) army. Heavy artillery and helicopters are being moved into the area now, reads a translated transcript of a conversation, responding to a Kashmir infiltrators query about a specific Mujahid group operating in Waziristan.
Intelligence officials say that with the picture still unclear across the border, militants are shelving plans to exfiltrate (return to PoK) before the passes close in the winter. Their handlers from across the border are also not too keen on their return.
In a recent intercept, a militant asked his handler whether his group should make preparations for water the codename for exfiltration but was told to sit tight during winter.
The militants are currently in a state of confusion about the developments across the border. Even their handlers are not clear how things will shape in the future, said an intelligence official.
Indian agencies are also apprehensive that militants may even be instructed to scale up attacks in the Valley during winter to divert attention from the events in the Pakistan north-west. While violence levels in the Valley are at a low, a series of desperate infiltrations bids on the LoC have been made in the past month.
At a recent press conference, even Army Chief Deepak Kapoor had cautioned that the Valley might be up for a tough winter. Overall, violence levels may have come down to 50 per cent of last year, but at the same time, in the last month, a large number of cases of infiltration have occurred as the passes will close in November, Kapoor had said. Security forces estimate that close to 900 militants have entered Kashmir through various routes this year.
Posted by: john frum ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: ISI
#1
Goody. It would be nice if they decided to take themselves away.
My big question: What percentage of the $30 million is paid as 'commissions' to the various officials along the money pipeline? 20%? Or more like 99%?
Government of Iraq Expands Micro-Loan Program
BAGHDAD, Iraq The Government of Iraq (GoI) has established a program to provide $30 million in micro-loans to Iraqis in each of the 18 provinces.
The program is an expansion of a $50 million pilot in Baghdad with extremely successful results. Under the new program, $30 million- $15 million from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs (MOLSA) and $15 million from the Ministry of Industry and Minerals (MoIM)- will be used to help spur small business growth and create job opportunities.
Under this program, the loans are purposely kept at small amounts to encourage the growth of small businesses. The average loan size is between $4,600 and $9,000, depending on the source of the loan. Based on past results, the program has the potential to create over 230,000 new jobs for Iraqis.
MNF-I applauds the establishment of this entirely Iraqi-led program.
#1
Even if there were no corruption, the administrative cost of these kinds of programs is very high which is why it is preferable to have them run by non-govt. orgs.
One kicker here is that interest is forbidden in Islam so in addition to the corruption problem and the administration problem, there are costs involved in creating legal shells to make the money 'halal'.
#2
There's ALWAYS corruption in government aid programs, and it tends to be worse in Islamic countries. That's why my 'optimistic' number was 20%. I just worry the pessimistic number of 99+% might be true, making the whole exercise counterproductive in the long run.
#3
The trick is to persuade the government that they will make *more* money high-ending the program than low-balling it. That is, if they rip off the money, they get say $100, but if they use it for patronage, they can maybe get $10,000, and their family and tribe jobs, in the deal.
That is the real way to kill corruption, by making it so profitable to not be corrupt that only an idiot does it. It is one of the great hidden maxims of business.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff spent Sunday in Iraq, where he participated in a ceremony for 178 foreign-born service members to become U.S. citizens.
``I can't think of people who are more deserving of citizenship than those who are fighting to defend the country even before they are citizens,'' Chertoff said. ``They understand that freedoms don't come free and they are willing to make sacrifices even before they reap the benefits of citizenship.'' The ceremony took place at Camp Anaconda, some 50 miles north of Baghdad.
According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, nearly 40,000 troops are not American citizens. A July 2002 executive order made members of the Armed Forces immediately eligible to apply for citizenship. CIS said about 4,000 servicemembers have earned U.S. citizenship while serving abroad since 2004.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Sunday he is determined that Chemical Ali and two other cohorts of Saddam Hussein be hanged for genocide against ethnic Kurds. We are determined that the law be fulfilled and that these three be handed over to the judicial system, Maliki told a press conference. We will not be swayed from our determination to ensure that the sentences are carried out. Ali Hassan al-Majid, widely known as Chemical Ali for his use of poisonous gas against Kurds; Sultan Hashim al-Tai, Saddams defence minister; and Hussein Rashid al-Tikriti, his armed forces deputy chief of operations, were sentenced to death on June 24.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Revoke his "Oxygen consumers License".
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/12/2007 16:09 Comments ||
Top||
Turkish troops taken hostage by Kurdish rebels three weeks ago have been charged with "disobedience that could lead to a major catastrophe," a defense attorney said Sunday. The soldiers returned home last Sunday after their release by the rebels. But they are now in a Turkish prison, facing charges in their homeland.
The soldiers' lawyer, Ramazan Korkmaz, who was not allowed to go through the court file but was present at Saturday's hearing, said the soldiers were accused of "not properly fulfilling their national duty," in a clash that left many other soldiers dead or wounded.
The soldiers were abducted by rebels of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, on Oct. 21 following an ambush that killed 12 other soldiers. They were taken to a rebel base in the north of neighboring Iraq. The soldiers told the court that they had ran out of ammunition when the rebels took them hostage, Korkmaz said.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
One might think the orders they disobeyed were "Victory or death!"
Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki has criticised US forces for failing to hand over for execution three former prominent figures in Saddam Hussein's regime.
The three, including Ali Hassan "Chemical Ali" al-Majid, were condemned to death for the campaign against the Iraqi Kurds in the 1980s. There has been division in the Iraqi leadership over the executions and the US says it is waiting for consensus. There is suspicion the US does not want ex-defence chief Sultan Hashim to hang.
What? Hang 'em high!
It is on the former defence minister, one of Majid's alleged accomplices, that the controversy is focused. The death sentences on the three were upheld by an appeals court in September. Under Iraqi law, the three men should then have been hanged within 30 days. But the verdict should also have been approved by the three-man presidential council and that is where the issue turned into a major political row.
President Jalal Talabani, a Kurd himself, opposes the death penalty in principle. One of his two vice-presidents, Tareq al-Hashemi, a Sunni, is particularly incensed by the death sentence on Sultan Hashim and has threatened to resign if it is carried out. The Americans, who are physically holding the three convicted men, have refrained from handing them over to Mr Maliki's Shia-led government for execution. Now Mr Maliki has lashed out at them, accusing the US embassy of dragging its feet and causing a violation of the constitution. He insists all three men should be delivered for execution.
There is a strong suspicion the US is reluctant to see the former defence minister hang. It has been widely reported that he was in touch with the CIA during Saddam Hussein's rule and took part in plots to unseat him. Sultan Hashim's supporters, Sunnis and others, say that like many others at the time he was simply obeying orders and not driving policy.
Posted by: john frum ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Iraqi Baath Party
#3
Sultan Hashim cut a deal with the US to turn himself in in exchange for not being executed. The US then turned him over to the Iraqis, who sentenced him to death. When he protested, the US said, "oh...your deal was with us. WE won't execute you!" Yet another example of someone trusting the US government and getting totally screwed.
Israel and Turkey are holding high-level talks on a possible sale of the Arrow ballistic missile defense system and a model of the Ofek spy satellite to Turkey, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
Turkish officials said senior Israeli defense delegations had recently met with their counterparts in Ankara for talks on the sale of the systems, two of Israel's most advanced military platforms. Defense Minister Ehud Barak is scheduled to visit Ankara in January to continue the negotiations.
On Sunday, President Shimon Peres arrived in Ankara under heavy security for a three-day visit, at the invitation of Turkish President Abdullah Gul. Peres received an honorary doctorate from Bilkent University in Ankara.
"Turkey is an important player in the Middle East in relation to Syria, the United States and the Palestinians, as well as us," Peres told reporters en route to Ankara.
Peres, Gul and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas are scheduled to meet at the Ankara Forum on Tuesday and are expected to announce the establishment of an industrial zone in the West Bank. Peres said Sunday that "150,000 jobs are far more important [for promoting peace] than 15,000 rifles."
To strengthen Abbas, Peres said, Israel needed to improve the quality of life in the Palestinian territories. He expressed optimism that Palestinian and Israeli negotiating teams would agree on a joint document to be submitted to the Middle East conference in Annapolis, Maryland, later this month.
Peres's talks with the Turkish leadership will focus on the possibility of renewing Israeli negotiations with Syria, the Iranian threat and the growing rift between Turkey and the US over a nonbinding resolution to formally recognize the Armenian genocide of 1915.
The sale of the Arrow and the Ofek is not expected to come up during Peres's conversations here, since the issue is being dealt with on a defense industry level. Both systems are manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries.
Turkey and Israel have held talks over a sale of the Arrow for several years, and the deal is pending approval from the United States, which finances more than 30 percent of the defense system's production. In April, Arieh Herzog, head of the Homa Missile Defense Agency, told the Post he favored selling the Arrow to Israel's allies, including Turkey.
Israeli defense officials said Turkey was interested in acquiring a missile defense system in the face of Iran's race toward nuclear power. The sale of an Ofek satellite (Israel launched the Ofek 7 in June) would dramatically increase Turkish intelligence-gathering capabilities, since today Turkey does not have its own spy satellites.
"The purchase of these two systems would skip Turkey years forward in operational capabilities," an Israeli defense official said.
#1
This could be very amusing, for several reasons. Not just one in the eye to the Iranians, but also because it might make Turkey the front line in defending Europe from the Iranian threat.
So the next time Europe whines about not wanting Turkey in the EU...
#2
If Turkey was the same place it was 20 years ago, I would applaud the idea. However, with radical Islam taking over in Turkey it gives me a serious case of the uncomfortables. Yea, they don't like the Arabs and they don't like the Iranians. But, if we need to go after them in another few years, we will be facing advanced tech instead of Russian crap. And if the nationalistic bent of Turkey takes over and they rip a large chunk of northern Iraq out....
Arty, ground troops or simply overwhelming the Arrow system with a vast quantity of missiles seem like pretty good ways of making the Arrow a non factor within days.
Now, the possibility of them exporting the tech would be an entirely different can of worms.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
11/12/2007 12:44 Comments ||
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#5
Since Arrow is strictly anti-balistic missile, why do you care, Anikin?
Three Jordanian inmates from the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were reunited with their families on Sunday, the government said. Thanks to Jordans efforts, the three Jordanian citizens were released on November 3... and sent on Sunday to their relatives, spokesman Nasser Judeh said.The former inmates underwent medical examinations and completed some legal procedures before returning home, he added in a statement carried by the official Petra news agency. Currently, there are no Jordanian detainees in the Guantanamo prison, Judeh said. The United States set up the camp after the September 11, 2001 attacks to hold prisoners from Afghanistan and elsewhere as part of its global anti-terror campaign.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Currently, there are no Jordanian detainees in the Guantanamo prison,
And if you come across any in Iraq or Afghanistan...keep it that way.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
"...the eternal martyr Yasser Arafat..."
"The precise cause of Arafats death at the age of 75 remains a mystery."
Martyr huh? Guess the qualifications are softened once you get to icon status. Oh, thats right it wasn't aids afterall...the Jouzzzzz kilt him. Never mind.
Hamas may try to carry out terrorist attacks to torpedo the peace process if it looks like the Annapolis conference and the ensuing negotiations will achieve progress, according to OC Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Amos Yadlin.
Ohfergawdsake. They always do that. Every time there's a remote possibility of peace on the horizon a few atrocities quickly put things right again. If it's not Hamas doing it, it's Islamic Jihad. If not them, it's the al-Aqsa Martyrs. If not them, Cousin Jethro Dogmush.
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas needs to achieve diplomatic momentum and bring about changes on the ground to boost his own standing amongst the Palestinian population, he told government ministers at the weekly cabinet meeting. If he fails, the opposite will happen, he said, adding: "Failure of the conference could bring about a serious risk of strengthening the extremists."
Israeli counterterrorism operations continue to thwart the ongoing attempts by Hamas to carry out attacks, Yadlin said. Hamas was currently focusing its efforts on building up its military infrastructure, training and increasing its supplies of weapons in preparation for an expected large scale IDF thrust into Gaza, he said. Ten tons of TNT were smuggled into the Gaza Strip in the last month alone, he said. Yadlin denied there was a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, but said, "It's not a place I would want to live."
This article starring:
Amos Yadlin
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
The rest of the time, they just kill people for fun.
Sri Lankas military has vowed to go all out to target Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran during air strikes on rebel positions, a state-run newspaper reported Sunday.
Air Force chief Roshan Goonatilleke said he was confident of finding the elusive leader who is believed to be holed up in the islands north where he runs a mini-state. The comments, in the Sunday Observer newspaper, come less than two weeks after a key rebel aide was killed in a government air strike. I do not think it is that difficult for us to get at him now, Goonatilleke told the newspaper under the headline: Sri Lanka air force goes all out for Prabhakaran - Commander.
We will find him somehow soon. We need a great deal of patience. Sri Lankan war planes bombed a Tamil Tiger location and killed political wing leader SP Thamilselvan and six others on November 2 as part of a campaign to re-capture territory from the rebels. Thamilselvan was regarded as the public face of the separatist group and the point-man for Norwegian peace brokers and and other international diplomats involved in the islands faltering peace efforts.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Syria accused the United States on Sunday of interfering in Lebanon, where parliament is deadlocked over the election of a successor to pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud. The United States is always urging everyone not to interfere in Lebanese affairs, including the presidential election, the ruling Baath party daily, Al-Baath, said. And yet the US administration is always interfering everywhere in the world, including Lebanon, wrote chief editor Elias Murad.
Al-Baath particularly denounced statements made by US Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Welch, who pledged Washington would use all means to ensure an open election in Beirut. We will not exhaust any means to support those who want to have a decent fair open election according to their constitution, Welch told Congress on Thursday. This is a moment of truth for Lebanon, he added.
Washington would welcome a new Lebanese president who represents the country of Lebanon much more ably than President Lahouds regrettable tenure.
Linking fate of Lebanon: Al-Baath also lashed out at Lebanons anti-Syrian parliamentary majority for linking their fate, and Lebanons fate, to the US and Israeli agendas.The comments came a day after Lebanons pro-opposition parliament speaker Nabih Berri postponed, for the third time, a special session to elect a successor for Lahoud.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Irans president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hit back at his critics, saying they were less intelligent than goats in comments carried by a reformist newspaper on Sunday. Ahmadinejad has harshly criticised the ones who mock the popular approach of the government and the president with an intellectual attitude, Etemad Melli reported. Ahmadinejad described these peoples understanding as less than a goats, the report said, adding the president had made the comments during a trip this week to northeastern province of South Khorasan.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Lebanon's Hezbollah on Sunday called on incumbent President Emile Lahoud to take action if rival political leaders are unable to agree on a consensus president in next week's election. Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah did not say what he wanted the president to do and his call seemed likely to further complicate efforts by parliament to elect a president. But, the Hezbollah leader appeared to be backing a suggestion that pro-Syrian Lahoud could form a parallel government if there was no agreement on the presidential election.
Lebanon's presidential election has been postponed from November 12 to November 21 to give the anti-Syrian majority coalition and the Hezbollah-led opposition more time to break a deadlock over a compromise candidate. Lahoud's term expires on November 23. But there has been little progress towards an agreement and the majority, backed by the United States, has said it would elect a president on its own if there was no deal, as is the case in modern democracies
Nasrallah said Hezbollah would consider any such president as an "usurper of power" and labeled the government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora "a bunch of thieves and murderers" backed by the United States and Israel.
The parliamentary session to elect a president has already been postponed twice and the impasse has pushed Lebanon into its worst political crisis since the 1975-90 civil war. Many Lebanese fear a failure to reach a deal could lead to more bloodshed amid reports that all factions are arming themselves. "We appeal to his Excellency President Emile Lahoud to do what his conscience and national responsibility stipulates... and take a step or a national salvation initiative to stop the country from (sliding into) a vacuum," Nasrallah said in a live televised address to a crowded Hezbollah rally.
Hezbollah, which fought a 34-day war with Israel last year, is by far the strongest military force in the country and Nasrallah said the group would not give up its weapons despite international demands. The United States and the anti-Syrian majority say any new president should be committed to U.N. resolutions that include calls for the disarming of Hezbollah.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Hezbollah leader sheikh Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech today via a video link during a rally to mark the Hezbollah martyr day, in the southern suburb of Beirut. As he spoke firearms were heard in Beirut and the Hezbollah stronghold in al Dahia , south of Lebanon's capital . He started his defiant speech by praising Sheikh Ahmad Kassir, who drove a car strapped with explosives right into the headquarters of the Israeli commander in the city of Tyre, south of Lebanon on November 11, 1982, wounding and killing 141 Israeli officers. He called Kassir the prince of all martyrs.
Nasrallah attacked the Lebanese government accusing it of siding with the United States and Israel against the resistance and doing nothing about recovering the Shebaa Farms
He also attacked the United Sates and accused it of meddling in Lebanese presidential elections to make sure that the new president implements UN resolution 1559 which calls for disarming all the militia in Lebanon including Hezbollah. He said " no one can ever disarm Hezbollah....he added " the whole world cannot disarm Hezbollah".
He's got a point: the French can't, the Germans can't, the Spanish wouldn't, the Italians couldn't, the Cypriots can't, but the Americans ...
Nasrallha questioned the worldwide interest in the Lebanese elections and insisted that no election should take place unless the quorum is met. This is in reference to the demand by opposition that 2 thirds of the parliament should be in attendance in order to elect a president.
He lashed out at the parliament majority which is supported by the world community except Syria and Iran and said " they want a president that divides us and disarms us, we want a president that unites us and allows us to keep our arms"
"We want a president that will let us have our state within a state!"
He accused the parliament majority of wanting all the high positions for themselves" They want the presidency , the prime ministerial position and the army chief's position." Nasrallah challenged the majority by calling for early elections of the parliament and "whoever achieves two third majority will be able to elect the new president of the republic"
Lebanon's parliament majority accused Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and Syria of wanting a president that is a clone of outgoing pro-Syrian president Emil Lahoud. Syrian president Bashar el Assad calls Lahoud " my personal representative in Lebanon. The election of a new president was postponed 4 times by Hezbollah ally speaker Nabih Berri . the new date is set for November 21 , or 3 days before the term of Lahoud ends.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2007 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Hezbollah
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 78-member Pakistan Army peacekeeping contingent led by Colonel Anjum Irshad left on the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) by a special chartered UN aircraft on Sunday morning. 
The 
President General Pervez Musharraf on Sunday announced that the general elections would be held before January 9, within 60 days of the National Assemblys (NA) dissolution on November 15. 
President General Pervez Musharraf said on Sunday that it was imperative for all state organs to join hands to fight terrorism, adding that army would lead the war on terror. 
Two reports, one in the New York Times, the other in the Washington Post, raise doubts about the safety of Pakistans nuclear weapons, expressing the fear that in the event the present upheaval continues, the security of these weapons could be compromised.
Top Democratic senators on Saturday urged President George W Bush to seek a more effective strategy for Pakistan, Afghanistan and Al Qaeda, following the deeply disturbing actions of President Gen Pervez Musharraf.
Benazir Bhuttos defiance at the barricades has tipped Pakistans power struggle in her favour, analysts say.
Elders from Swat district held a jirga in the Kanju area on Sunday, and demanded the government and local Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah find a solution to the ongoing crisis in Swat via dialogue.
The husband of former premier Benazir Bhutto on Sunday rejected President General Pervez Musharrafs pledge to hold general elections by January 9 as a stalling tactic. 
WASHINGTON (AP) - Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff spent Sunday in Iraq, where he participated in a ceremony for 178 foreign-born service members to become U.S. citizens.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki said on Sunday he is determined that Chemical Ali and two other cohorts of Saddam Hussein be hanged for genocide against ethnic Kurds. We are determined that the law be fulfilled and that these three be handed over to the judicial system, Maliki told a press conference. We will not be swayed from our determination to ensure that the sentences are carried out. Ali Hassan al-Majid, widely known as Chemical Ali for his use of poisonous gas against Kurds; Sultan Hashim al-Tai, Saddams defence minister; and Hussein Rashid al-Tikriti, his armed forces deputy chief of operations, were sentenced to death on June 24.
Three Jordanian inmates from the US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, were reunited with their families on Sunday, the government said. Thanks to Jordans efforts, the three Jordanian citizens were released on November 3... and sent on Sunday to their relatives, spokesman Nasser Judeh said.The former inmates underwent medical examinations and completed some legal procedures before returning home, he added in a statement carried by the official Petra news agency. Currently, there are no Jordanian detainees in the Guantanamo prison, Judeh said. The United States set up the camp after the September 11, 2001 attacks to hold prisoners from Afghanistan and elsewhere as part of its global anti-terror campaign.
Sri Lankas military has vowed to go all out to target Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran during air strikes on rebel positions, a state-run newspaper reported Sunday.
Syria accused the United States on Sunday of interfering in Lebanon, where parliament is deadlocked over the election of a successor to pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud. The United States is always urging everyone not to interfere in Lebanese affairs, including the presidential election, the ruling Baath party daily, Al-Baath, said. And yet the US administration is always interfering everywhere in the world, including Lebanon, wrote chief editor Elias Murad. 
Irans president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad hit back at his critics, saying they were less intelligent than goats in comments carried by a reformist newspaper on Sunday. Ahmadinejad has harshly criticised the ones who mock the popular approach of the government and the president with an intellectual attitude, Etemad Melli reported. Ahmadinejad described these peoples understanding as less than a goats, the report said, adding the president had made the comments during a trip this week to northeastern province of South Khorasan.
Lebanon's Hezbollah on Sunday called on incumbent President Emile Lahoud to take action if rival political leaders are unable to agree on a consensus president in next week's election. Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah did not say what he wanted the president to do and his call seemed likely to further complicate efforts by parliament to elect a president. But, the Hezbollah leader appeared to be backing a suggestion that pro-Syrian Lahoud could form a parallel government if there was no agreement on the presidential election.
Hezbollah leader sheikh Hassan Nasrallah delivered a speech today via a video link during a rally to mark the Hezbollah martyr day, in the southern suburb of Beirut. As he spoke firearms were heard in Beirut and the Hezbollah stronghold in al Dahia , south of Lebanon's capital . He started his defiant speech by praising Sheikh Ahmad Kassir, who drove a car strapped with explosives right into the headquarters of the Israeli commander in the city of Tyre, south of Lebanon on November 11, 1982, wounding and killing 141 Israeli officers. He called Kassir the prince of all martyrs.
