An Australian Special Forces explosive detection dog has been found alive and well almost 14 months after going missing in action (MIA) in Afghanistan. Sabi was found by a US soldier at an isolated patrol base in north-eastern Uruzgan last week.
The black Labrador was declared MIA in September 2008 during the same battle with the Taliban in which SAS Trooper Mark Donaldson was awarded his Victoria Cross.
Sabi was present with her handler when their combined Australian, US and Afghan National Army convoy was ambushed by an insurgent force. Nine Australian soldiers, including Sabi's handler, were wounded during the engagement.
Sabi spent more than a year in the desolate south of Afghanistan and repeated attempts were made by the Special Operations Task Group to find her.
The US soldier who found her, and who can only be identified by his first name John, was aware Australian Special Forces soldiers were missing one of their explosive detection dogs.
He said it was immediately obvious that Sabi was no ordinary dog. "I took the dog and gave it some commands it understood," he said.
She was flown to Tarin Kowt to be reunited with one of her trainers and he knew instantly it was Sabi.
"I nudged a tennis ball to her with my foot and she took it straight away. It's a game we used to play over and over during her training," the trainer said. "It's amazing, just incredible, to have her back."
Currently in the United Kingdom after meeting Her Majesty the Queen, Trooper Mark Donaldson said Sabi's return closed a chapter of their shared history.
"She's the last piece of the puzzle," he said. "Having Sabi back gives some closure for the handler and the rest of us that served with her in 2008. It's a fantastic morale booster for the guys."
At the time of her disappearance Sabi was coming to the end of her second tour of duty in Afghanistan, having previously deployed to Uruzgan in 2007.
Sabi will now undergo a period of quarantine before a decision can be made about the timing of her return to Australia.
MADRID -- Spain wants EU naval forces to blockade three Somali ports used to launch pirate attacks against ships in the Indian Ocean, Defence Minister Carme Chacon said Wednesday. She said Spain will call on European Union foreign and defence ministers to concentrate military efforts on blockading the ports at a meeting next Monday and Tuesday.
A blockade is a declaration of war, Minister. What you meant to say is that you want the ports closed to shipping at the request of the Somali transitional government.
"We know that it is from these three ports that most, if not all, 'mother ships' used by pirates reach up to one thousand miles away from the coast -- as they did yesterday -- and carry out kidnappings far from the coast," she told RNE public radio.
Chacon also said the pirate gangs "have ties to sophisticated law firms in London," and she called for the international community to do more to track ransoms given to pirates to release hostages. Several law firms in London, business capital of the world's maritime industry, have handled piracy kidnap and ransom cases in recent years. They help ship owners deal with the legal aspects of paying a ransom and engage private security contractors to negotiate with pirates and carry out the ransom drop.
Nice work if you can get it ...
Chacon said the attacks so far from the Somalia coast were a "giant step" for the pirates who she said were becoming bolder. "These are not romantic pirates which some may be led to imagine, they are authentic criminal organisations which are focused on kidnappings of all types merchant ships, fishing trawlers, ships belonging to the World Food Programme," said Chacon.
Just now waking up to that, are you ...
Spanish boat among those seized:
The minister said Somali pirates were currently holding 12 boats and their crews hostage, including the Spanish trawler Alakrana which was seized with its 36 crew on October 2, as well as vessles from Britain, China and Malta.
The pirates are demanding four million dollars (2.6 million euros) ransom as well as the release of two suspected pirates who were detained a few days after the trawler was seized and brought to Spain to face trial.
The Spanish government has ruled out freeing the two suspects but Chacon said they could serve their sentence back in Somalia if found guilty of any crime.
A lawyer for one of the two detained suspected pirates, Javier Diaz Aparicio, told Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo he was trying to reach a plea bargain agreement with Spanish prosecutors. In an interview with news radio Cadena Ser on Tuesday he suggested that his salary was being paid for by the interior ministry.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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[Iran Press TV Latest] In a bid to preserve shipping security in the pirate-ridden Gulf of Aden, the Iranian navy sends a new armada of warships to escort fight Somali buccaneers.
A senior naval commander, Fariborz Qaderpanah, said Wednesday that the navy has decided to send more ships to the Gulf of Aden to protect Iranian merchant containers and oil tankers from Somali pirates in the volatile waters.
"The dispatch would be Iran's fourth," said Qaderpanah, and would include the Alborz warship and the Bushehr logistic vessel.
The Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.
In a report published last year, the Times reasoned that the West's age-old policy of marginalizing Somalia's endemic poverty is the main reason behind the sudden increase in piracy off Somalia's coast.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
In a report published last year, the Times reasoned that the West's age-old policy of marginalizing Somalia's endemic poverty is the main reason behind the sudden increase in piracy off Somalia's coast.
Ahh, it's the West's fault. Simply because they have, and Somalia does not.
#2
In a report published last year, the Times reasoned that the West's Persia's age-old policy of marginalizing Somalia's Greek endemic poverty is the main reason behind the sudden increase in piracy off Somalia's along the Aegean coast.
Run that one by the Persian King Darius I while he's shifting through the ashes of Sardis. Heh.
[Al Arabiya Latest] Yemen hit out on Wednesday at what it called Iranian "interference" in its affairs after Tehran's foreign minister said his country could help Sanaa restore security as it attempts to crush the Shiite Houthi rebels.
"In response to the remarks of (Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr) Mottaki, we affirm that Yemen categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs by any party whatsoever," the official Saba news agency quoted a foreign ministry spokesman as saying.
" Iran is prepared to cooperate with the government of Yemen and other nations in order to restore security in Yemen "
Iran FM
"Yemen also rejects any attempt by any party to represent itself as the protector of sons of the Yemeni people."
Mottaki told a news conference in Tehran on Tuesday that "countries of the region must seriously hold back from intervening in Yemen's internal affairs."
"Those who pour oil on the fire must know that they will not be spared from the smoke that billows," he said.
Mottaki warned against regional intervention in Yemen, where the Shiite Houthi rebels and Saudi troops have been engaged in fighting in the border area for the past week.
Yemeni government forces launched Operation Scorched Earth against the Zaidi rebels in the north on Aug. 11 and the conflict widened last week when neighboring Saudi Arabia also entered the fray.
The government in Sanaa has accused Iran of supporting the rebels, and in October announced it had captured five Iranians attempting to smuggle a boatload of weapons to them.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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[Asharq al-Aswat] The Bahraini public were surprised yesterday when during a parliamentary session 17 Al-Wafaq MP's refused to vote for the issuance of a statement supporting Saudi Arabia's actions against the Huthi insurgents who infiltrated Saudi territory. This led to the statement of support being passed with the approval of just 23 MP's after the Al-Wafaq parliamentary bloc -- the largest opposition bloc in Bahraini parliament -- refused to vote in support of the statement. These events caused great debate throughout the corridors of parliament.
Prior to this, an informal agreement had been made between the Bahraini parliamentary blocs that the al-Wafaq bloc would abstain from voting, however the 17 members of the al-Wafaq parliamentary bloc voted against issuing a statement of support to Saudi Arabia. Sunni MP's rejected the position of the Shiite Al-Wafaq party with regards to not supporting the issuance of a statement of support for Saudi Arabia's operations against those that had attacked its territory.
The Vice President of the Al Asalah Islamic parliamentary bloc informed Asharq Al-Awsat that the Bahraini parliament's electronic voting system had increased the controversy, as it was unclear whether the Al-Wafaq bloc had abstained from voting, or voted against the statement.
Sheikh Adel al-Mawada, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defense told Asharq Al-Awsat that he regretted the position taken by the Al-Wafaq bloc, and that this position is not consistent with that of the public's which is supportive towards Saudi Arabia. Al-Mawada described this "as a red line that should not be crossed" and he described the opposition MP's as taking "a sectarian position which shows the true loyalty of [the Al-Wafaq] MPs who should [support] their country, not any other country."
Al-Mawada told Asharq Al-Awsat that Bahrain's position and its relationship to Saudi Arabia has existed since time immemorial and that "Bahrain stands next to her big sister [Saudi Arabia] and so how can MPs now come out and reject the very least thing that Bahrain can do, which is rejecting these attacks [on Saudi Arabia]?"
Sheikh al-Mawada added that he is surprised that any Arab or Muslim could be "indifferent to the attacks undertaken by infiltrators of the Saudi border, especially when considering who is behind these blatant attacks, and that they are being directly supported by Iran, which has revealed its true position through its official spokesman, the Al-Alem [news] channel." He added "This is the first time that I have seen Arab countries taking the right decision by agreeing to stop its broadcast."
However the Al-Wafaq parliamentary bloc vice-president, MP Khalil al-Marzuk told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Al-Wafaq bloc abstained from voting "because we do not want to involve ourselves in the Yemeni problem, and this is a complicated and internal Yemeni issue, and we do not wish to become involved in this problem."
Al-Marzuk added "Our position does not mean we are against our elder sister Saudi Arabia; this is a different issue. What is happening [along the Yemeni -- Saudi Arabian borders] remains unclear; therefore we think we should not involve ourselves in such situations."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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South Korea's military is on full alert for any retaliatory moves by the North following a brief naval clash in the yellow sea on Tuesday. The South Korean Defense Ministry has ordered commanders in charge of border areas to step up surveillance and immediately respond to any provocation.
North and South Korean navies engaged Tuesday in an exchange of fire off their west coast, leaving a North Korean naval boat severely damaged.
South Korean President Lee Myung-bak called an emergency high-level meeting after the incident.
The United States warned Pyongyang on Tuesday against escalation of tension in the Korean peninsula following the naval clash. "I would say to the North Koreans that we hope that there will be no further actions in the Yellow Sea that could be seen as an escalation," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Tuesday.
The clash took place on Tuesday morning when a South Korean warship shot at a North's navy boat that crossed the disputed western sea border.
The two Koreas accused each other of 'armed provocation' and demanded an apology after the naval confrontation.
"[Tuesday's] clash took place as the North Korean side disregarded our verbal warnings and warning shots and directly attacked our speedboats," South Korean Prime Minister Chung Un-chan told a parliamentary session. "It was an accidental clash, so we ask the people to have confidence in our military and government and carry on with their daily lives as usual."
Similar skirmishes in 1999 and 2002 between the two Koreas caused dozens of casualties.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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President Barack Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government, a senior administration official said Wednesday.
That stance comes in the midst of forceful reservations about a possible troop buildup from the U.S. ambassador in Afghanistan, Karl Eikenberry, according to a second top administration official.
In strongly worded classified cables to Washington, Eikenberry said he had misgivings about sending in new troops while there are still so many questions about the leadership of Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Obama is still close to announcing his revamped war strategy -- most likely shortly after he returns from a trip to Asia that ends on Nov. 19.
But the president raised questions at a war council meeting Wednesday that could alter the dynamic of both how many additional troops are sent to Afghanistan and what the timeline would be for their presence in the war zone, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss Obama's thinking. Rest at link
Posted by: ed ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
TOPIX > AFGHAN FUTURE TROUBLED BY EX-WARLORDS IN GOVERNMENT AND DRIVE TO END CORRUPTION.
IOW, the OLD BOYZ NETWORK don't want their funnin' and scammin' and profiterin' to end just yet.
* SAME > JAPAN TO TELL OBAMA IT WANTS OKINAWA BASE CLOSED.
"CONTINENTAL/OFFSHORE SHELF DIPLOMACY" > Many CHIN view OKINAWA = RYUKYUS as part of country's natural underwater geologic or continental shelf, hence think OKIN should [preferably] be independent from Japan + part of CHIN'S DESIRED FUTURE EEZ-SEZ = FREE TRADE ZONE, as due in part to the RYUKYU'S KINGDOM'S ANCIENT TIES TO BEIJING = PEIPING, NOT TOKYU = TOKIO???
#2
It's all about him. He's not concerned with the Taliban, AQ, radical Islam, or the war per se. He's concerned about who he'll face in 2012. Give the generals the troops they need to win and they get the credit. Pull the troops out and the failure is his which aids his opponent in 2012. Do nothing and wait for an opportunity is the only working option he has to protect his political position. That means he assumes that the generals won't publicly resign, retire, and become part of the opposition. Which means he's either gambling [though with a reasonable measure of the behavior of the individuals] or has something on the other individuals [politics of personal destruction].
#4
One of the nice features that real world military ops share with computer video games is the Pause Button. This handy feature allows you to stop the action so you can figure out what to do next. It's great because everything freezes - your guys don't die and the situation doesn't keep going south while you ponder and deliberate.
What the hell is wrong with the State Dept? They screwed up Iraq until Bush let the military have its way, now they are doing the same thing to Afghanistan.
The State Dept is screwing the military over again. Amb to Afghanistan is the one screwing this up and that is who Obama is listening to, not his Generals. State is all about the politics and doesn't give a shit about the military aspects. I guess Obama fits in well with that mind set.
I think the military shoudl simply tell State OK YOU FIGHT THE WAR and take all those Marines guarding the embassy away. Let the locals come on in.
#6
I dunno. I have reservations too. How do we supply extra troops? Karzai makes a nice scapegoat if you don't want to say out loud that Pakistan isn't holding together very well and that we don't trust the Russian "support" we paid for with the missile defense backdown.
Posted by: James ||
11/12/2009 12:11 Comments ||
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Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/12/2009 14:07 Comments ||
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#10
I guess Obother knows the answer and none of the options were correct, they will have to try again until they get it right. Until then, the blood will be on the security team's hands. Have a great trip to asia mr. president!
Any takers on a Thanksgiving announcement? 3-1-2 odds Reinforce/Status Quo/Withdraw.
#11
None of the options included the words "apologise and surrender".
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
11/12/2009 18:51 Comments ||
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#12
The Big O does not care about Afghanistan. He really does not want to do anything about Pakistan, and he certainly does not want to do anything about the Saudis, who are a major player in financing terror worldwide, with their wahhabi nutcase princes and financiers.
The last US govt entity with any integrity is the military. The Big O is going to grind them down in Afghanistan without a clear winning strategy until the good guys quit and the sycophants float to the top of the food chain.
The destruction in all parts of the government is unbelievable.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
11/12/2009 20:46 Comments ||
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#13
None of the options included the words "apologise and surrender".
So that is option five, but Obama chose option six: Dither and delay.
#14
that's the thing with empty suits: there's no spine there, either. All the cheap thug Chicago tricks won't hide the fact that he's a "present" p*ssy, with no basic personal principles or bedrock beliefs, other than redistribution of wealth, hatred of European colonial history, yadda yadda.
He's an embarrassment and a one term fool, just like Carter. Now's the time for Damage Limitation
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/12/2009 21:44 Comments ||
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#15
Un-be-Fucking believable!
This TOTAL FOOL is going to get a lot of great people killed. In fact he ALREADY HAS!
A Killeen florist says he got a request from a man in Florida to send a bouquet of flowers to Maj. Nadal Hasan, the man charged with opening fire at Ft. Hood one week ago today, killing 13 people, 1200 WOAI news reports.
"My first reaction was that, hey, here is another person in the United States that wants to make this guy out to be a hero," said Phil Enderle, the owner of Marvel's Florist in Killeen. "I don't think he is anything like that. This guy was actually praising him for what he did."
Enderle is a US Army Vietnam veteran.
Enderle says the Florida man ordered a 'Yellow Rose Bouquet' for Hasan, who is in guarded condition at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, and asked for the note to read 'in God's eye, and those who submit, you are a hero.'
"My mind was made up, that I wasn't going to deliver the flowers to start with."
What Enderle did deliver was a message to the FBI, which has interviewed the man who asked that the flowers be delivered, identified as Dan Ross.
In an e-mail to Enderle, Ross complained that the agents 'tried to intimidate him' and 'asked if he was on drugs.'
I'm guessing that wasn't the only question the agent had ...
Hasan never got his flowers, and the FBI has not commented on the case.
Enderle says he got yet another e-mail from Ross. "He did send me more e-mails," Enderle said. "He is claiming that we didn't respect his constitutional rights."
#3
This Dan Ross Ross wanted the $59.95 FTD yellow rose bouquet delivered to the shooting suspect. His e-mail to Marvel's Florist in Killeen, Texas, had the following instructions:
I ask you to respect my freedom of Speech, and freedom of religion. The note I would like attached is: "Major Nidal Hasan. Koran 2:190 - 3. In God's eye, and those who submit, you are a hero!" ... If anyone questions you, play stupid, and say you did not know as so many were injured. My money is green like everyone elses.
There are some loons who volunteer to go before the lions or the beheading knife.
Posted by: ed ||
11/12/2009 15:57 Comments ||
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#4
Ah, so his real name is the Peter the Apostle. Makes sense.
#5
wow...be a damn shame if some SOF guys at McDill got this dude's address and just "accidentally" showed up at his door w/a case of schlitz and a couple of baseball bats...
#1
Link goes to a full page clothes ad that will not go away when clicked on "Close".
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/12/2009 14:03 Comments ||
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#2
Whoever fixed it, thanks.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/12/2009 14:09 Comments ||
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#3
Lemmee know when they find he was wired money from Pakistan.
Posted by: Barbara Skolaut ||
11/12/2009 14:15 Comments ||
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#4
Someone is following the money. Good.
We mentioned this in comments the other day. A military doctor has an income, after counting base pay, professional incentive pay, allowances, etc in the low $100K range. All fair and the docs are worth every penny.
Hasan is a major and a psychiatrist. He's living in a $350 a month apartment near Fort Hood. He can't eat but so much. He drives a beater of a car.
So where's his money going? My bet is that he's been making substantial contributions to the Widows Ammunition Fund.
Follow the money.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/12/2009 14:33 Comments ||
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#8
As said previously, the elephant in the living room is the FBI and CIA who were most certainly watching Hasan and his communications, donations, etc. Source Operations are a delicate affair. Almost anything can go wrong...and did.
US military doctors had worried that the suspected gunman in the Fort Hood shootings was "psychotic" and unstable but did not seek to sack him, National Public Radio reported today, citing unnamed officials.
Psychiatrists and medical officials who oversaw Major Nidal Hasan, accused of opening fire on fellow soldiers at the Fort Hood base in Texas last week, held a series of meetings between the northern spring of 2008 and the spring of this year to discuss serious concerns about his work and his behaviour, NPR reported. "Put it this way. Everybody felt that if you were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, you would not want Nidal Hasan in your foxhole," one official was quoted as saying. In that case, why the hell was he on orders and not in Chapter 13?
One official who participated in the conversations had reportedly told colleagues that he was concerned Hasan might leak secret military information to Islamic extremists if he was assigned to Iraq or Afghanistan, NPR said.
Another official "wondered aloud" to colleagues whether Hasan might be capable of killing fellow soldiers in the same way a Muslim sergeant in 2003 had set off grenades at a base in Kuwait and claimed the lives to two comrades, the radio reported.
The officials who discussed Hasan's status were not aware - as some top Walter Reed hospital officials were - that intelligence agencies had been tracking Hasan's emails to a radical Islamic cleric since December 2008, NPR said.
The NPR report cited interviews with several officials from Walter Reed Medical Centre in Washington and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Maryland.
Officials considered kicking Hasan out of the program but chose not to partly because sacking a doctor was a "cumbersome and lengthy" process that involves hearings and potential legal conflict, sources told NPR.
Officials also believed they lacked solid evidence that Hasan was unstable and were concerned they could be accused of discriminating against him because of his Islamic identity or views.
With Hasan due to leave Walter Reed after six years and transfer to Fort Hood in Texas, officials thought the larger psychiatric staff at that army base would be better placed to provide support to Hasan and to monitor him, according to NPR.
#2
"Put it this way. Everybody felt that if you were deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan, you would not want Nidal Hasan in your foxhole," one official was quoted as saying.
Officials considered kicking Hasan out of the program but chose not to partly because sacking a doctor was a "cumbersome and lengthy" process that involves hearings and potential legal conflict, sources told NPR.
I can think of at least 13 things which are now much more cumbersone and lengthy.....
#3
I don't buy any of this. It is a socially acceptable way for Muslims to "get over" from punishments by infidels, for heinous crimes, by feigning mental illness. This is because Islam almost equates insanity with heavenly inspiration for Jihad. It has no stigma. "Allah made me do it."
This is similar to the defense they use for whimsical violent acts against each other, claiming that it was justified in the Koran, somewhere. I could kill them because somebody made a fatwa against them sometime.
So when someone chimes in that Hasan might have been mentally ill, it should be rebutted that ALL terrorists are mentally ill, but that does not stop anyone from hunting them down and slaughtering them like rabid dogs before they can murder more innocent people.
#4
Maj Hasan was sane. He had a Koran, he reproduced Koranic statements accurately, he form an ethical system based on those statements and his actions were consistent with his ethical system.
The Islamic apologists are the ones who are daft here. They know the facts but deny the facts - that's insane.
Posted by: lord garth ||
11/12/2009 9:55 Comments ||
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#5
I don't buy any of this. It is a socially acceptable way for Muslims to "get over" from punishments by infidels, for heinous crimes, by feigning mental illness. This is because Islam almost equates insanity with heavenly inspiration for Jihad. It has no stigma. "Allah made me do it."
I've heard secondhand reports that the lives of mental patients in the Middle East kinda suck very hard. Or that may just be the ones who don't murder westerners.
#8
I've heard secondhand reports that the lives of mental patients in the Middle East kinda suck very hard. Or that may just be the ones who don't murder westerners.
Or local unbelievers, Snowy Thing. But in this case it's a technique aimed at Western juries. I'm not sure it's been very successful in getting lower sentences, though.
VAN SUSTEREN: Did he ever say anything peculiar, red flag-ish, that drew your attention?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (FORMER CLASSMATE): Lots. Lots. The first thing that raised a red flag was one of our first courses together was an environmental health class. We had to do a project or actually a presentation at the end of that class, and we were supposed to do some kind of environmental health project. Now, people were talking about mold. People were talking about water quality.
Well, Hasan gave a presentation on whether the war on terror was a war on Islam. I raised my hand immediately. I questioned why that type of topic was being presented at because it was so off-base, and it was allowed to continue. His radicalism grow throughout the year. He would make frequent comments that he was a Muslim first and an American or an officer second, and also that, you know, Islamic law, Sharia law took precedence over the Constitution. And we all became concerned because he's a sworn officer of the United States and he's supposed to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic. Yet his loyalties lied elsewhere.
VAN SUSTEREN: Did you make any complaints or any -- note it to anybody else, or did anyone -- did anyone else do that, or did the professor or teacher do anything, if you know?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (FORMER CLASSMATE): Well, I made that particular complaint at that point in time. I have a very close colleague who engaged senior leadership at the university, a number of people, regarding this matter, regarding his concerns over these statements that he made.
VAN SUSTEREN: And did anyone ever say anything to you, or did you have any indication anyone followed through on it or took it seriously?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (FORMER CLASSMATE): I personally do not have any indications of that, no.
VAN SUSTEREN: Now, he was promoted later in May. Is that just sort of routine, or did -- was that peculiar? Am I the only one that's seizing upon that -- this tonight? I mean, is that of any significance?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (FORMER CLASSMATE): Well, it may not have any significance. You know, typically, physicians in the military are promoted on a regular basis up to a certain rank. So you know, that may just have been a part of a routine promotion.
VAN SUSTEREN: Did he do anything else that was peculiar to you or anything that stood out that you think that at least now, looking back -- I mean, certainly, you thought so at the time, but other things, as well?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (FORMER CLASSMATE): Well, other things -- you know, I've had colleagues that sat in a human behavior class that he took, and he gave a presentation in the class on -- that justified suicide bombing.
VAN SUSTEREN: Did he ever say anything in defense? Did he ever say, like -- you know, did you ever engage him in it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (FORMER CLASSMATE): Yes. And you know, we engaged him because he made himself a lightning rod for these types of things. You know, no one ever picked on him for his beliefs, because he was a Muslim, nothing like that, but he would make -- be so vocal about it. And considering the forum, you know, of course, he was challenged by other military officers, saying, Where are your loyalties? You know, what -- and you know, he really didn't have any answer. Instead, you know, he'd become visibly upset, sweaty, you know, very emotional when somebody would question these things.
VAN SUSTEREN: Think you, sir, for joining us.
Posted by: ed ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
See also TOPIX > CAFFERTY: SHOULD MUSLIMS HAVE A WAY OUT [conscientious objection]???
Wehell, when PATTON slapped a soldier, he was roundly criticized despite the fact it was an old and accepted medical technique for getting a soldier out of "shell shock". Patton's only real crime was that he wasn't a trained or certified physician or psychiatrist.
#2
I (insert name), having been appointed a (insert rank) in the U.S. Army under the conditions indicated in this document, do accept such appointment and do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter, so help me God. - oath of office for commissioned officers.
#3
This should NOT be seen as some sort of new developing trend or phenomenon! The US Army has long been a Petri Dish for diversity and affirmative action. Filing a complaint through the chain of command or prompting a Commander's Inquiry regarding a person of colour or of the Islamic faith will generally be ignored and the complainant labeled as racially insensitive, bigoted and the actual problem.
A group of doctors overseeing Nidal Malik Hasan's medical training discussed concerns about his overly zealous religious views and strange behavior months before the Army major was accused of a shooting rampage at Fort Hood, Texas, that left 13 dead and 29 wounded.
Doctors and staff overseeing Hasan's training viewed him at times as belligerent, defensive and argumentative in his frequent discussions of his Muslim faith, a military official familiar with several group discussions about Hasan said. The official was not authorized to speak publicly about the meetings and spoke on condition of anonymity.
Hasan was characterized in meetings as a mediocre student and lazy worker, a matter of concern among the doctors and staff at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, a military medical school in Bethesda, Maryland, the official said.
The concerns about Hasan's performance and religious views were shared with other military officials considering his assignment after he finished his medical training, and the consensus was to send the 39-year-old psychiatrist to Fort Hood, the official said.
Fort Hood, one of the largest U.S. military installations, was considered the best assignment for Hasan because other doctors could handle the workload if he continued to perform poorly and his superiors could document any continued behavior problems, the official said.
The group saw no evidence that Hasan was violent or a threat. It was more that he repeatedly referred to his strong religious views in discussions with classmates, his superiors and even in his research work, the official said. His behavior, while at times perceived as intense and combative, was not unlike the zeal of others with strong religious views. But some doctors and staff were concerned that their unfamiliarity with the Muslim faith would lead them to unfairly single out Hasan's behavior, the official said. Rest at link
Posted by: ed ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
They were "Concerned"?
Sounds like serious "ass covering" to me.
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/12/2009 11:47 Comments ||
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[Geo News] Pakistan on Wednesday asked the United States to take it into confidence on its Afghan policy and ensure that a military buildup in Afghanistan does not have any "effect" on Balochistan and other areas. Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, talking to a US Congressional delegation led by Johan Tierney at the PM House, also asked the US and ISAF forces to enhance intelligence sharing with Pakistan to solidify the ongoing operation against militancy on the Pak Afghan border.
Gilani asked the United States to take Pakistan into confidence on the new Afghan policy, under review by the US administration.
He said it was crucial to "sanitize" the Pak Afghan border to prevent the flow of weapons, drugs, illicit money and militants.
Gilani said Pakistan considered Afghanistan's stability vital for its own and was looking forward towards continued cooperation with the new Karzai government.
He said the United States should channelize its economic assistance through a transparent mechanism established by Pakistan.
In this regard, he mentioned the Trust Fund established for Malakand, Higher Education Commission, National Commission for Human Development and Benazir Income Support Programme for the socio economic development, education and reconstruction in the militancy affected areas of Pakistan, that can be used for this purpose.
Underlining the importance of revival of Pakistan's economy, he said the US should play leading role by providing enhanced market access to Pakistani products as well as encouraging investment in Pakistan's diverse economic sectors at this critical juncture of history.
On successful operation against terrorists in which Pakistan armed forces, Frontier Corps, Frontier Constabulary and Police made huge sacrifices, the Prime Minister emphasized that much needed equipment for capacity building should immediately be supplied to Pakistan in order to take the ongoing operation to its logical conclusion.
Prime Minister Gilani reaffirmed the government's resolve to seek resolution of all the disputes with India through resumption of composite dialogue particularly the festering Kashmir dispute and water issues.
He hoped that the US and international community would play their role to bring lasting peace to South Asia.
The Prime Minister also suggested that US should take steps like release of Dr Aafia Siddiqui, extension of Fulbright scholarship programme for Pakistani students beyond 2010 and special allocation of 500 scholarships for the children of martyred and injured in operations against the terrorists in order to create goodwill.
Congressmen John Tierney expressed his deep appreciation of the commitment of Pakistan government against terrorism by acknowledging the fact that these evil forces cannot be defeated without Pakistan's proactive role.
He lauded the sacrifices of Pakistan armed forces and law enforcement agencies and condoled with their families as well as with the families of innocent citizens who laid their lives in their country's pursuit to defeat terrorism.
John Tierney and other Congressmen assured the Prime Minister that they, through the US Congress, would fully support provision of assistance to Pakistan in education, health sectors as well as for capacity building of its armed forces and law enforcement agencies.
They appreciated the proposal for extension of Fullbright scholarship programme and provision of scholarship to the children of the effected families and promised to play a role towards this end.
They apprised the Prime Minister that US House of Representative had already passed ROZ Bill alongwith Kerry Lugar legislation and promised to move in coordination with the US Senate to provide much awaited financial support for creating employment and business opportunities in the tribal areas of Pakistan.
Other members of the delegation included George Miller, Peter Welch and Ron Kind. US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson attended the meeting.
Minister for Defence Chaudhry Ahmed Mukhtar, Minister for Interior Rehman Malik, State Minister for Finance Hina Rabbani Khar, Senator Syeda Sughra Imam and other senior government officials were also present.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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[Dawn] The provincial capital of Balochistan, Quetta, and most parts of the province have plunged into darkness after power supply from 220KV transmission line from Guddu was interrupted.
QESCO Chief Shafique Khattak told DawnNews that due to some technical problem at the Guddu Power Plant, power supply to Quetta and other parts of Balochistan have been suspended.
Khattak says efforts to ensure immediate restoration of power to the city and other parts of Balochistan are underway.
He says authorities are also trying to provide power supply to Quetta from Habibullah coastal power plant as an alternative.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
due to some technical problem at the Guddu Power Plant,
Inshalla Maintenance?
Posted by: Redneck Jim ||
11/12/2009 14:12 Comments ||
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[Al Arabiya Latest] Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas again called for a halt to Israeli settlement building before he would resume peace talks with Israel, accusing it of trying to scupper Palestinian statehood.
Addressing supporters of his Fatah party in Ramallah on the 5th anniversary of the death of his predecessor Yasser Arafat, Abbas said United Nations resolutions called for there to be a "clear framework" for talks to end over 60 years of conflict.
"We cannot go to negotiations without a framework. And we say the framework is U.N. resolutions, meaning a return to the 1967 borders," Abbas said. "What's new in this demand? Also, we want a full stop to settlements, including natural growth and in Jerusalem," the 74-year-old leader said.
But Israel's hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to freeze settlements, and in recent weeks Washington has backed down, calling on both sides to return to the negotiating table without preconditions.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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[Ma'an] Hamas will sign the Egyptian reconciliation paper by month's end, Dr Aziz Ad-Dweik, speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council and member of the Hamas bloc said Wednesday.
Dweik gave an interview on Al-Jazeera Arabic announcing that Hamas leaders had secured Egyptian guarantees that they would take into account Hamas' reservations on the issue, and would list them on the sidelines of the reconciliation paper, which would be signed by both parties.
"By the end of the month you'll hear what will delight your hearts," Dweik said, assuring that political activity ensuring the end of Palestinian division was ongoing.
Earlier Wednesday, the Palestinain paper Al-Quds Al-Arabi had Dweik hinting that Hamas would soon sign the Egyptian plan for unity. In the article, Dweik elaborated on the matter of the conditions Hamas insisted on inserting into the unity document before it would sign.
"There are many reservations related to the actual situation, like when the Palestinian Authority fired Hamas employee, as well as the continued detention of Hamas members in West Bank prisons," Dweik was quoted as saying. He explained the Hamas reservations in the unity document would act as guarantees that "these files will be ended."
He called on Egypt to "continue these few meters" to reach Palestinian reconciliation, "which is urgent after the evaporation of the American promises to Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas."
The newspaper also said Palestinian sources hinted at external intervention in the mediation process, likely from Syria and Turkey, suggesting the Turkish prime minister's visit Tehran earlier in the week was to look at the Palestinian reconciliation file.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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[Ma'an] De facto Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh told a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross that Gaza is "not looking for more violence," but that he was sure Israel has "plans to target the Gaza Strip once again."
During a meeting with the delegation on Wednesday, Haniyeh said he "hopes what he said would not prove to be true, that the world will stop Israel from killing more children." If Israel does decide to attack, he added, "our people will not surrender, they will fight back," a statement from his office said.
The comments follow a string of threats from Israeli officials, saying the country's next war will be with Gaza. In one notable example, Israeli Military Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi told a cadre of graduating military officers, "The army will return to face the places where they [Gaza militants] launch rockets which is in the most densely populated areas, [soldiers will return] to fight in the villages, cities, mosques, hospitals, kindergartens and schools because the enemies want to impose this method of fighting against Israel."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called on the US to choose between Israel and Iran on Tuesday night, according to Iranian state media.
Speaking in Istanbul at the 25th Session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Iranian president said that it was up to US President Barack Obama to illustrate his motto of "change".
"The support of both Israel and Iran can't go hand in hand," he was quoted as saying by IRNA. "No change is made unless great choices are made.
"We would welcome the changes, and wait for big and correct decisions to be made... We will clasp any hand that is extended sincerely toward us, but changes should be made in practice."
Addressing the same conference a day earlier, Ahmadinejad said that capitalist excesses caused the global economic meltdown and were un-Islamic, as leaders at a Muslim forum touted their religion's banking system a way to revive battered economies.
He also slammed investments that pay interest, deemed usury by Muslims, and said they had contributed to financial and social problems such as homelessness. "Usury, which is entrenched in the capitalist system, is perhaps the main reason why the system has gone bankrupt," Ahmadinejad said. "It is a way of accumulating capital without working. Usury, according to the Koran, is fighting with Allah."
Ahmadinejad did not mention Iran's struggling economy, nor did he refer to its dispute with the West over its nuclear activities.
The Islamic forum held its meeting in a plush hotel on the banks of the Bosphorus Strait that divides Istanbul between the Asian and European continents. Syrian President Bashar Assad and President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan were also in attendance.
Meanwhile, Iran's defense minister on Wednesday urged Russia to ignore Israeli pressure against selling the S-300 missile defense system to the Islamic Republic.
"We have a contract with Russia to buy S-300 missiles. I don't think it is right for Russia to be seen in the world as a country which does not fulfill its contractual obligations," AFP quoted Iranian Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi as telling the IRNA news agency.
"Russia has to fulfill the contract and not be influenced by Zionist pressure," he added.
Russia signed a contract two years ago to sell the S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Iran but has not made any deliveries or given any explanation for the delay. The United States and Israel strongly oppose the deal because it would significantly boost Iran's air defense capabilities at a time of heightened tension over the country's nuclear program.
On Sunday, a senior Iranian lawmaker warned Russia that its delay in delivering the anti-aircraft missile defense system to Teheran could harm relations between the two countries, state television reported.
"If they do not fulfill their promise, this will be a negative point in relations between the two countries," said Alaeddin Boroujerdi, the head of parliament's national security and foreign policy committee, according to state TV.
The news report quoted Boroujerdi as saying that more delays "will be harmful to Russia since we have many areas of cooperation with them."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
See also TOPIX > US STUDY INDICATES IMMINENT HIZBOLLAH WAR.
#2
OTOH SAME > YEAR 2019: BIG ASTEROID TO HIT EARTH [ELE = Extinction Level Event ala "DEEP IMPACT" movie].
Consistent what the RUSSIANS claimed back in 1990's of Year 2018 being a possib early date, ANTI-US "WAR NOT POSSIBLE BUT DESIRED" GEOPOLX NOTWITHSTANDING.
No worries for the Bammer - his POTUS SECOND TERM, iff any, ends in 2016.
Posted by: lord garth ||
11/12/2009 7:22 Comments ||
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#4
If you ask any Iraeli, I'm sure he or she will tell you Barry has already made that decision. Evidently, President Ahmadinjad wishes to hear it again, and again.
Israel released documents and pictures on Wednesday which it said provided proof that a massive arms shipment seized at sea last week came from Iran.
Israeli commandos intercepted the Antigua-flagged "Francop" near the coast of Cyprus, claiming it was taking the weapons to Syria en route to the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.
Israel immediately accused arch-foe Iran of sending the cargo, but on Wednesday offered for the first time evidence to back up the charges and detailed the extent of the cache. "Hidden among the dozens of other containers on board, and disguised as civilian goods, the ship contained a consignment of 36 shipping containers with 500 tones of arms en route via Syria to the Hezbollah terrorist organisation in Lebanon," the army and foreign ministry said in a statement.
"A total of about 9,000 mortar bombs of different types were seized, along with about 3,000 Katyusha artillery rockets, 3,000 recoilless gun shells, 20,000 grenades and over half a million rounds of small arms ammunition," the statement said.
It was accompanied by photos showing the ship's manifest, containers bearing the logo of the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines and cargo with Iranian armed forces customs labels.
Among the weapons seized were 2,124 Iranian-made 107mm artillery rockets and thousands of AZ111-A2 fuses manufactured only in Iran, the statement said.
Pictures also showed boxes of rockets labelled as "parts of bulldozers," a suggestion of attempts to disguise the shipment.
Iran and Hezbollah have both denied any link to the ship.
Israel, which was hit by thousands of rockets fired by Hezbollah during the 2006 war in Lebanon, has said the captured ship proved Iran was helping Hezbollah to prepare for another round of fighting.
A UN Security Council resolution which brought an end to the 2006 war demanded the disarmament of all militias in Lebanon and imposed a ban on all arms exports to them.
Israel views Iran as its main strategic threat because of Tehran's support for Hezbollah and Palestinian militants, its leader's frequent predictions of the demise of the Jewish state and its nuclear programme.
Israel, which has the region's sole if undeclared nuclear arsenal, believes Iran's programme is aimed at developing a bomb, a charge denied by Tehran.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
See also TOPIX > ISRAEL ACCUSES HIZBOLLAH OF AMASSING HUGE WEAPONS STOCKPILE + HEZBOLLAH SPOKEMAN: ALL OF ISRAEL IS WITHIN OUR RANGE [threatens to strike TEL AVIV wid LR rockets in response to any Israel attack agz Beirut-Lebanon].
[Iran Press TV Latest] Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah dubs 'resistance' as the only way to end the Israeli occupation. If the only tool you've got is a hammer all problems require a hammer.
On the occasion of Hezbollah's Martyr Day, Nasrallah said Wednesday that while 18 years of Palestinian negotiations with Israelis failed to bring about a free Palestine, the 18 years of Lebanese resistance freed southern Lebanon from the Israeli occupation.
"During 18 years of resistance, many sacrificed their lives for defending Lebanon and liberating our country; the resistance movement owes its achievement to them and we will follow their path, which brought dignity to us," the Hezbollah leader said.
He also called on Palestinians not to expect gaining their rights by counting on fake mediation efforts of the US, which is totally committed to Israeli interests.
"America is creating our problems; it is giving Israel all kinds of military and strategic support. US is backing away from pressuring Israel on settlements. How can we expect Washington to help us with our problems?" he asked.
Nasrallah also discussed other issues such as Israel's espionage activities inside Lebanon, the new Lebanese national unity government and Yemen's military assaults against the Shia resistance fighters.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says his country has not set preconditions for holding peace talks with Israel, but adds that Damascus "will not renounce" its rights.
"Resistance [to Israeli occupation] forms the core of our policy, both in the past and in the future. We do not put forward conditions on making peace, but we do have rights that we will not renounce," the Syrian president told a meeting of Arab political parties on Wednesday.
Assad made the remarks in response to Israeli President Shimon Peres' proposal for "direct and unconditional" peace talks with Damascus in the near future.
Israel and Syria have been technically at war since 1967 when Israeli troops captured the Golan Heights during the Six-Day War. The two sides have so far held four rounds of indirect talks to reach a comprehensive peace agreement through Turkish mediators last year.
However, Syria formally suspended the talks in protest at Israel's three-week-long offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, which left about 1,400 Palestinians dead at the turn of the year.
Damascus has repeatedly said that it will resume peace talks with Tel Aviv only after a full Israeli pullout from the strategic plateau, which Israel occupied in 1967 and annexed in 1981. The region has now an estimated population of 20,000 Israeli settlers and 20,000 Syrians.
Syria describes its demand for a complete Israeli withdrawal as a step towards reviving its rights and not a precondition.
Israel has so far refused to return the plateau, which is a key source of fresh water for the arid region. Returning the Golan Heights will also cost Tel Aviv billions of dollars since it will have to dismantle Jewish settlements in the territory and pay compensation to the settlers.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/12/2009 00:00 ||
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#1
TOPIX > SYRIA DIGS DEEP [massive anti-ISRAEL underground C-n-C bunker financed by IRAN]???
#4
If there are no consequences for starting a war, what's to stop people from fighting every day? Syria attacked Israel, Syria lost, Israel keeps the Golan. I see nothing wrong with that.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/12/2009 21:44 Comments ||
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#5
putting the political leaders to death in defeat might have a curbing effect on that behavior. Escuche, Chavez?
Posted by: Frank G ||
11/12/2009 22:14 Comments ||
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#6
Assad, how about doing something for your people and making Syria's core policy be improving life in Syria?
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.
An Australian Special Forces explosive detection dog has been found alive and well almost 14 months after going missing in action (MIA) in Afghanistan. Sabi was found by a US soldier at an isolated patrol base in north-eastern Uruzgan last week.
MADRID -- Spain wants EU naval forces to blockade three Somali ports used to launch pirate attacks against ships in the Indian Ocean, Defence Minister Carme Chacon said Wednesday. She said Spain will call on European Union foreign and defence ministers to concentrate military efforts on blockading the ports at a meeting next Monday and Tuesday.
[Iran Press TV Latest] In a bid to preserve shipping security in the pirate-ridden Gulf of Aden, the Iranian navy sends a new armada of warships to 
[Al Arabiya Latest] Yemen hit out on Wednesday at what it called Iranian "interference" in its affairs after Tehran's foreign minister said his country could help Sanaa restore security as it attempts to crush the Shiite Houthi rebels.
[Asharq al-Aswat] The Bahraini public were surprised yesterday when during a parliamentary session 17 Al-Wafaq MP's refused to vote for the issuance of a statement supporting Saudi Arabia's actions against the Huthi insurgents who infiltrated Saudi territory. This led to the statement of support being passed with the approval of just 23 MP's after the Al-Wafaq parliamentary bloc -- the largest opposition bloc in Bahraini parliament -- refused to vote in support of the statement. These events caused great debate throughout the corridors of parliament. 
President Barack Obama does not plan to accept any of the Afghanistan war options presented by his national security team, pushing instead for revisions to clarify how and when U.S. troops would turn over responsibility to the Afghan government, a senior administration official said Wednesday.
US military doctors had worried that the suspected gunman in the Fort Hood shootings was "psychotic" and unstable but did not seek to sack him, National Public Radio reported today, citing unnamed officials.
[Geo News] Pakistan on Wednesday asked the United States to take it into confidence on its Afghan policy and ensure that a military buildup in Afghanistan does not have any "effect" on Balochistan and other areas. Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, talking to a US Congressional delegation led by Johan Tierney at the PM House, also asked the US and ISAF forces to enhance intelligence sharing with Pakistan to solidify the ongoing operation against militancy on the Pak Afghan border. 
[Ma'an] De facto Prime Minister Ismael Haniyeh told a delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross that Gaza is "not looking for more violence," but that he was sure Israel has "plans to target the Gaza Strip once again."
[Iran Press TV Latest] Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah dubs 'resistance' as the only way to end the Israeli occupation. 
