KABUL, Afghanistan -- A day after a fierce suicide bombing in southern Afghanistan, insurgents struck Thursday in the east of the country when an American military convoy was attacked in a crowded market, killing one soldier and 18 civilians, according to the United States military and Afghan police officials.
One of the dead was a 12-year-old boy, who died when a suicide car bomber in a Toyota Corolla approached an American military convoy and then swerved into a weekly market at around 8 a.m., according to American and Afghan accounts. Dr. Ajmal Pardes, the director of public health in the area, said 74 people were injured.
The strike was in the Bati Kot district of eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar Province. An Associated Press photographer said that an American military vehicle, two civilian vehicles and two rickshaws were destroyed.
United States Navy commander Jeff Bender, an American military spokesman in Kabul, said the civilian death count, initially put at 10, had risen to 18.
On Wednesday, a tanker truck packed with explosives detonated outside the provincial council office in Kandahar, Afghanistan's largest southern city, killing the driver and at least six other people and wounding more than 40 others. The blast shook the entire city, caused at least five houses to fall and left a crater near the council building, which housed an office of a national security service.
"The enemies of Afghanistan and peace once again put us in mourning," Gen. Rahmatullah Roufi, the provincial governor, told reporters. He announced a "purification" operation to arrest insurgents in and near the city.
In a separate incident reported on Thursday, two soldiers from the American-led NATO alliance were killed in an explosion in the south of the country in an explosion on Wednesday, the alliance said, but did not specify the soldiers' nationality. The Defense Ministry in London later identified the two soldiers as members of Britain's Royal Marines who were taking part in a joint patrol with Afghan soldiers in the Garmsir district of Southern Helmand Province.
The American contingent is the largest foreign force in Afghanistan but Britain has about 8,000 troops there. A survey broadcast Thursday by the BBC said more than two-thirds of those questioned believed Britain should withdraw its soldiers over the next year while less than a quarter favored their continued deployment.This year has been the bloodiest since the American-led invasion of late 2001 that toppled the Taliban regime, whose supporters have revived their campaign to drive out foreign forces.
The latest American fatalities brought to around 148 the number of American military deaths so far this year, compared to 111 in the whole of 2001, the A.P. reported. Additionally, around 110 soldiers from other coalition forces have died this year.
More than 5,400 people, including almost 1,000 civilians, have died in violence related to the insurgency this year, the news agency said, citing figures provided by Afghan and international officials.
#1
IIRC, surveys in france are about the same; though, I certainly can understand, and agree to a point, with the feeling of both brits & french. I think I'm not alone, even here, in not really seeing the point of the war until now : ISAF fight, eventually lose men, and even while infliging disproportionate casualties on the taliban, they're on the losing side of the war of attrition (huge cost to maintain forces over there, compared with the wealth pakistain extracts from graciously leaving supplies go while propping up ennemy forces & opium trade; limited manpower, against the never-ending supply of islamic automations from pakistain's madrassa factories).
I'm certainly no strategist, but this so far constraints british forces (among others) in the position of having to suffer casualties, with no end in sight - how much time in afghanistan? The taliban only have not to lose, in the present situation, british opinion can feel that (cf. theRoss Kemp serie), and there's no apparent, obvious british interest over there, especially more since anti-americanism tells people that this is an "imperialist/unjust/illegal/... war", "for oleoducs",... (yeah, 7 years since 9/11 have shown that western attention span IS short), so the people's reaction, UK or french, is "let's have the yankees get themselves out of this one all by their own", no matter what alliances say. It's selfish, but it's understandable.
#2
It must just be a coincidence that these stories are popping up in the MSM just as Bambi has to consider how he's going to handle Afghanistan. Oh, oh, oh, I know, he'll work for a 'negotiated solution' (*) which allows him to pull our troops out with 'honor'.
(*) defined as giving the Taliban everything they want.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/13/2008 12:22 Comments ||
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#3
War is not a game, it's a very serious business. If you're not in it to succeed, you're screwed. The US has, to this point, been a "nice guy", just trying to give the Afghanistanis a chance to develop western-style government. The problem is, the nation is mired in a tribal mindset that it will take a dozen generations to flush. At this point, even I'm for pulling out - and salting the totally destroyed towns and villages of Afghanistan after we do. Pull out through Pakistan, and leave it equally devastated. Let India have what it wants from the remains of the carcass, and let the rest rot. If there's ever another terrorist strike that can be traced back to this part of the world, nuke it. Keep nuking it until there aren't even insects left alive, and the worms glow a bright blue. I have no sympathy, respect, or courtesy for those with the mindset of a seventh-century savage that wants to tear down what they cannot understand.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/13/2008 13:32 Comments ||
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#4
OP, I agree with you, except for using nukes (unless we are hit with chem or nukes). The fallout would flow over India, a critical ally of ours going forward. I don't want that to happen to them.
But we should definitely employ your favorite arc light strategy should we get the slightest hit that originates in this region.
Afghanistan is not sustainable. It is not going to be a democracy of any recognizable form in our lifetime. Wasting blood and treasure on it is just plain stupid. Better to make sure that Iraq is a success and give our military personnel a breather.
#5
OP your comments are ridiculous but at least you used something different then your usual 'arclite' temper tantrums.
Posted by: Yosemite Sam ||
11/13/2008 16:06 Comments ||
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#6
YS, I spent 26 years in the Air Force, and several of them drawing ARCLIGHT boxes for use in Vietnam. I also had the "unusual" experience of being within 25 miles of one, so I have a sense of what they're like on the ground as well. They worked in Vietnam - read some of the stories told by survivors. The thing they feared the most was an ARCLIGHT strike.
Like anything else, from a slingshot to a thermonuclear weapon, it's just a tool. However, it's a very USEFUL tool, and our failure to use it has been one of the most significant failure of this war. Go back and read some of the comments under the photos in the essay, "Korengal Valley Photos". I guarantee you that if we ARCLIGHTed that valley, the locals that survived would be TERRIFIED of supporting the Taliban, and would refuse to even discuss the issue with an outsider. We cannot win the "hearts and minds" of these tribals until we instill stark, abject fear into them, because the only other feeling they have for us is contempt.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
11/13/2008 18:23 Comments ||
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#7
There is really only one reason to fight in A'stan - the people who are fighting against us are depraved and seriously need killing. The problem is you can't easily kill just the most depraved - you are bound to hit some 'innocent' women & kids and baby ducks. You either kill 'em all and let Allan sort 'em out, or leave and let them kill each other until they come after us here again, or continue this attempt at 'civilized' war. In general it is better to be on the offensive and choose your battlefield rather than try to protect everywhere. It's a tough nut to crack, and that's the real reason we went to Iraq in the first place (WMD was a good 'excuse'). This is one of those cases where it sucks to be the boss and to have to decide.
#8
As to using ARCLIGHT strikes, there is an adage that if you grab a man by his balls, his heart and mind will soon follow.
If you are willing to instill the fear that an ARCLIGHT brings, you will have taken the balls of the man on the ground. His heart and mind will not be far behind.
Posted by: Abu do you love ||
11/13/2008 20:41 Comments ||
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Canada's prime minister has denied reports from Afghanistan and Pakistan that two "dangerous" Taliban leaders were released in exchange for abducted Canadian journalist Mellissa Fung's freedom. "There have been continued reports about ransoms being paid. That was not done in this case," Premier Stephen Harper told reporters late Monday.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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"But keep that foreign aid money flowing, kufrs!"
Recent editorials in the Egyptian press have been harshly critical of the U.S. for the October 26, 2008 raid in Syria, and for the U.S.-Iraq security pact that is about to be signed. The papers are depicting the raid as a murderous attack on innocent civilians, and the pact as compromising Iraqi sovereignty. One paper stated that the only thing that can compel the U.S. to leave Iraq is the Resistance.
Following are excerpts from the editorials:
Al-Ahram: The Attack in Syria Was Premeditated Murder
An editorial in the leading government daily Al-Ahram stated: "The U.S. had no justification for the crime of murdering Syrian civilians and infringing upon the sovereignty of an independent state. This brutal attack, carried out by American aircraft, targeted a nonmilitary building under construction in a Syrian village near the Iraqi border, and resulted in the death of eight construction workers who were inside it. By all standards, norms, charters and international laws, this [constitutes] aggression against an independent country and the premeditated murder of innocent civilians.
"The excuses presented by Washington to justify its aggression against Syria are unacceptable. Nobody can accept them, especially after the U.S. lost its credibility in the world at large, and in the Middle East in particular, by inventing the lie about Iraqi WMDs to justify its 2003 invasion and occupation of this country. America's bag of lies is full of ready-made excuses, justifications, and misleading explanations...
"There is no doubt that this American aggression against Syria may aggravate the already explosive situation in the Middle East, and that the U.S. alone bears the responsibility for this aggression against a sovereign country."(1)
Al-Gumhouriyya: Iraq Defended the U.S. Attack
An editorial in the government daily Al-Gumhouriyya attacked both Iraq and the U.S., saying: "The U.S. did not wait for the signing [of its security pact with Iraq, but] hastened to implement it [even before it was signed]. It staged a brutal attack on the Abu Kamal region in Syria, even though the centers for smuggling fighters [from Syria] into Iraq [which once operated in that region] have been eradicated. Strangely, the Iraqi government accepted this decision and even defended the U.S. raid, even though Syria recently dispatched an ambassador to Iraq while Iraq was still under occupation, and even though [Syria] is participating in the conference of neighboring countries aimed at providing security and stability for the Iraqi people.
"The Abu Kamal raid has revealed the depth of America's disdain for international law, which [is meant to] protect the sovereignty of countries, and its indifference [to the unacceptability] of using Iraq an Arab country to attack another Arab country, taking advantage of the fact that Iraq's decision-making [process] is in the U.S.'s pocket."(2)
The U.S.-Iraq Pact Perpetuates the U.S. Presence in Iraq
Another Al-Ahram editorial stated: "The [U.S.-Iraq] pact... perpetuates the U.S. presence in Iraq and compromises Iraqi sovereignty, because it grants U.S. soldiers immunity even if they commit crimes or break the law. Moreover, it grants immunity to any American in Iraq, and implicitly allows the U.S. forces to attack [neighboring] countries.
"The pact's clauses do not mention [the issue of] foreign citizens who enter Iraq but are not residents. They also do not [restrict] the Americans' authority to bring in persons who work against a [neighboring] country friendly [to Iraq]. The clause granting both sides the right to self-defense which under international law is absolute allows the U.S. to use its bases in Iraq for military operations in the event of conflict with one of the neighboring countries. This right, and its implications, require further clarification.
"Some clauses [of the pact] have been rejected by most of the sects, parties, and [political] blocs in Iraq, who [all] sense the danger inherent in them. This has placed the Iraqi government in an embarrassing position, forcing it to postpone approval of the pact and to drag its feet until after the [presidential] elections in the U.S."(3)
Only the Resistance Can Get the U.S. Out of Iraq
Another Al-Gumhouriyya editorial stated: "The U.S. secretary of defense and his senior officers have made threats against Iraq. They said that if the Iraqi government which rose to power under the sponsorship of the occupation refused to accept this dubious agreement, [this decision] would have disastrous consequences.
"In response, various sectors of the Iraqi public Shi'ites, Sunnis, and Kurds have expressed their opposition to this pact, which compromises Iraqi sovereignty for an unspecified period of time, legitimizes and perpetuates the [presence of] the occupying forces in Iraq, and grants them immunity so that they cannot be punished for the barbaric crimes that they are committing, such as the murder and torture of the Iraqi people. These sectors [which opposed the pact] have forced the government to seek amendments [to it].
"But the U.S. administration, which invaded Iraq based on pretexts proven to be false, is bent on forcing the Iraqis to succumb to its will and to sign this undignified pact. The national Iraqi Resistance, [which is opposing the] occupation, is the only [force] that can confront the American threats and compel the occupying forces to withdraw without any conditions or limitations."(4)
Endnotes:
(1) Al-Ahram (Egypt), October 28, 2008.
(2) Al-Gumhouriyya (Egypt), October 28, 2008.
(3) Al-Ahram (Egypt), October 29, 2008.
(4) Al-Gumhouriyya (Egypt), October 23, 2008.
Turkey has reached agreement with the Kurdish regional administration in northern Iraq on a strategic plan to counter violent separatists from the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). According to Turkish media reports citing the Firat news agency, the administration in northern Iraq led by Massoud Barzani will cut links between Europe and the PKK, which uses bases in northern Iraq as a springboard to launch cross-border attacks on neighbouring Turkey.
Turkey also wants Barzani to force PKK militants to leave northern Iraqi territory, the agreement says.
The agreement also includes the deployment of special Turkish forces to strategic locations in northern Iraq, in addition to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces, in a bid to cut logistic, political and military support to the PKK.
In return Turkey will recognise the Barzani administration, Firat reported. Turkey will also open an embassy in Erbil and invite Barzani to the Turkish capital of Ankara, it added.
Turkish officials claim 2,000 PKK terrorists are hiding in the mountains of northern Iraq, where they enjoy free dom of movement.
Turkey, backed by intelligence from the United States, has stepped up its campaign to crackdown on the PKK both inside Turkey and in northern Iraq, since the organisation increased its attacks on Turkish soldiers, as well as civilians.
The PKK is classified as a terrorist organisation by the European Union, the US and several other countries.
North Korea said on Wednesday that it would close all land borders with the South from Dec. 1, accusing its neighbor of taking confrontation "beyond the danger level", the North's official media reported.
"We officially inform the south side that the actual crucial measure taken by the KPA (North Korean army) to strictly restrict and cut off all the overland passages through the Military Demarcation Line will take effect from December 1," North Korea's KCNA news agency said.
The statement, carried in English, did not make it clear whether border crossings would be totally halted or heavily restricted. A ban on all crossings would effectively shut down the Seoul-funded Kaesong industrial complex just north of the border.
Wednesday's announcement follows months of icy relations, including threats by the communist state to expel South Koreans from Kaesong. The move also follows increasingly angry rhetoric from the North against South Korea's conservative government, which came to power earlier this year with a promise to get tough if the North did not give up its nuclear weapons program.
Last month, North Korea threatened a sea of fire to reduce the South to rubble unless it stopped civic groups from sending anti-Pyongyang leaflets into the communist state. Analysts say the recent flood of such leaflets had rattled the North's leaders.
A Unification Ministry official in Seoul said it regretted the move, but that it respected all past agreements between the two and called for talks to resolve the issue. "We express our regret over the North's decision and if the north carries out these measures it would negatively affect the efforts made thus far to improve inter-Korean ties," he said.
There are two main road crossings over the demilitarized zone that has divided the peninsula since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War, for which a peace treaty has never been agreed. One leads to the Kaesong industrial park, operated by the South just across the border and the one tangible commercial link between the two, and takes tour groups on to nearby Kaesong city.
The other is on the east side of the peninsula to another tour site, Mt Kumgang. That site was closed to tourists earlier this year after a South Korean tourist was shot dead.
A rail link was opened for regular runs last December for the first time in almost 50 years but it carries almost no cargo.
The closures, however, will not impact the delivery of energy aid agreed under a six-nation nuclear agreement as the fuel is delivered by ship.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
As a reminder, MANY PERTS > believe NOKOR's agricultural sector will collapse this year, an anticipated event likely worsened by Kimmie's new health crisis.
Also, NOKOR in the past was proud of its State ability to resist the kind of "FOREIGN" OR "MUSLIM" IMMIGRATION PROBS BEING FELT IN SOUTH KOREA > NOKOR = PYONGYANG IS PROB UNSETTLED BY CHINA'S POST-OLYMPICS UIGHUR-MUSLIM TROUBLES IN ITS WESTERN REGIONS, + India + SE Asia.
NOKOR > IFF INDIA, ETC. BREAKS UP 2015-2020, WILL IT HAPPEN TO NK-BACKER CHINA???
The ISLAMIST THREAT is a NEW CARD IN THE PAN-ASIA, PRO-NUCLEAR DECK - ITS NOT JUST CHINA ANDOR US-SOKOR-JAPAN ANYMORE!
North Korea says Pyongyang will not allow the inspectors to take samples from its main nuclear complex to verify its past activities. North Korea says Pyongyang will not allow the inspectors to take samples from its main nuclear complex to verify its past activities.
A Wednesday Foreign Ministry statement said a request for samples from main Pyongyang nuclear complex would be considered as a breach of Pyongyang's sovereignty, the official Korea Central News Agency reported. "It is an act of infringing upon sovereignty little short of seeking a house-search... to insist on adding even a word except the written agreement," it read.
The statement was released following Washington's request for soil samples.
North Korea has agreed to halt all its nuclear activity in exchange for aid and economic concessions following a six-nation agreement. The countries involved in the six-party process are North and South Korea, Russia, China, Japan and the US.
The deal appeared on the verge of collapse a few weeks ago when North Korea threatened to restart its nuclear program, after the US failed to remove the country from a list of state sponsors of terrorism. The collapse, however, was narrowly averted in late October when the US announced it was removing the North from the list after Washington and Pyongyang reached a new compromised deal.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
NOKOR pulling a pre-Jan 2009 "Kruschev" on BARACK = "JFK" BAMELOT???
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry says the US is violating international law by launching missile attacks on its tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. "The attacks are in violation of international law and in violation of all understandings between the two sides," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad Sadiq told a press briefing on Thursday in Islamabad. He added, "the government of Pakistan is committed to do whatever is possible to stop these attacks."
The spokesman's remarks come amid growing tensions between Islamabad and Washington over US missile strikes on suspected militants in Pakistan's northwest tribal region along the Pak-Afghan border.
Earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari had said the attacks were against the UN Charter and vowed that Pakistan would not tolerate violations of its sovereignty.
Any thought, Gomez, on whether allowing the Talibunnies sanctuary in your country violates any international law?
Also, UN Chief Ban Ki-moon in October had urged the US to avoid incursions into Pakistani territories, emphasizing respect for the country's sovereignty.
The US Defense Secretary Robert Gates had earlier emphasized that the US was justified under international law in conducting unilateral military operations inside Pakistan to protect American troops in Afghanistan. US raids, drone attacks and air strikes have killed hundreds of Pakistani terrorists and camp-followers civilians in recent months. It is said that in the last seven months, the US has carried out more than 45 strikes and intrusions into Pakistan.
#6
The Pakistani state's recruiting, financing, training and arming of jihadis against India and Afghanistan violates international law and the UN charter.
Posted by: john frum ||
11/13/2008 20:19 Comments ||
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The Indian army was shocked to discover that one of its senior intelligence officers, 37 year old colonel Srikant Prasad Purohit, worked with Hindu terrorists to carry out a recent (September) bombing of a Mosque, which left six dead. Hindu terrorism has been around for thousands of years, but it has never been a major problem, and this was the first time a senior army officer had been caught working with Hindu terrorists. Most army officers are Hindu, as are 80 percent of Indians (13 percent are Moslems). Moslem and communist terrorism does far more damage, and for years the army had been far more concerned with Moslem or leftist officers turning radical. In the course of the Purohit investigation, a retired army Major was also arrested, and it is feared that more officers may be involved. The biggest problem with Hindu terrorism, aside from the death and destruction, is that it makes it easier for Moslem and communist terror groups to recruit.
India is having increasing problems with its military officers. The Indian Army is short 24 percent of its officer strength, and is desperately seeing solutions. The air force and navy are also short, but only by 12-15 percent. The military fears that commanders are compromising standards to hold on to what officers they have.
Moreover, India is at war, with troops getting killed and injured in Kashmir, the northeastern tribal areas, and fighting Maoist rebels in eastern India. The casualty rate is actually quite low, but just serving in a combat zone is hard on the nerves, and not attractive to many educated young Indians. The result is best demonstrated by looking at who applies to what school. The elite Indian Institutes of Management gets 200,000 people applying each year, for 1,200 slots. The Indian Military Academy got only 86 applications for 250 slots.
The source of the problem, in a nation of 1.1 billion, is the corruption in the primary school system. Teaching jobs in many parts of the country are considered political patronage. These teaching assignments are handed out to political activists, with the understanding that they are no-show jobs. So, despite a lot of money being put into primary education over the last half century, the illiteracy rate is still 39 percent. The army cannot compete with a booming economy when there is such a shortage of qualified personnel.
#5
WORLD MIL FORUM [paraph = Google Chinglish translation]> INDIA'S POPULATION MAY SURPASS CHINA'S BY 2050, perhaps even earlier 2020-2025, as per WMF Poster Opinions + UN Population Fund'd "208 State of the World's Population" Report. China's fertility rate is less than 1/2 of India's > in 2050, India's population at present and projected rates will be 1.6Bilyuhn to China's 1.4Bilyuhn, as compared to 1.1Bilyuhn to 1.3Bilyuhn respectively for 2008 Curr Populations.
Also from WMF > INDIA IS WORRIED OVER IMMIGRATION OUTFLOWS TO CHINESE SIDE OF SINO-INDIAN LINE OF CONTROL [new threat]; + CHINA TO STOP NEW INFLUXES OF HINDU PILGRIMS INTO TIBET, + JANES DEFENSE WEEKLY: CHINESE DEFENSE MINISTER'S LUANG GUANG-LI's VISIT TO TIBET OVER SINO-INDIAN ARUNSCHAL PRADESH ROW MAY HIDE A COVERT WARNING TO THE USA: STOP NEW ARMS SALE TO TAIWAN, OR CHINA WILL MILITARILY INTERVENE AGZ USA IN AFGHANISTAN, PAKISTAN.
* SPACEWAR > CHINA'S ENEMIES ARE ALL AROUND HER, PART 1. China foresees ACTUAL/REALISTIC CONFLICT AGZ TAIWAN, USA, + JAPAN, in that order, while foreseeing POTENTIAL CONFLICT WID INDIA, VIETNAM, SE ASIA, RUSSIA, + NATO [non-US], these latter all also in respective order, but all ostens over TAIWAN = INTERNATIONAL DEFENSE OF SAME.
#6
As per above WORLD MIL FORUM Articles > CHIN DEFENSE MINISTER = iff need be, CHINA's PLA forces will FORCIBLY/MILITARILY extend its reach from TIBET= LOC to the BAY OF BENGAL???
WMF POSTERS > TIBET, XIANJING, KOREAS + TIBET ALL BELONG TO CHINA; + MONGOLIANS + KOREANS WILL NOT GO/FIGHT AGZ CHINA.
(APP): President Asif Ali Zardari on Wednesday met the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice here along the margins of a high level meeting on the promotion of inter‑religious and inter‑cultural dialogue for peace.The President discussed with the US Secretary of State the Pak‑US bilateral relations, the situation along the border with Afghanistan, the economic crisis the country was facing and the forthcoming meeting of the Friends of Pakistan in United Arab Emirates later this month.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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If the government kept quiet over the issue anymore, the Tanzim Nifaz Shariat-e-Muhammadi (TNSM) protest camp could be exploited by the unseen forces that are bent upon causing chaos and uncertainty in the country.
Though Maulana Sufi Muhammad-led black turban movement's activists are peaceful and their sit-in has been given the name of a 'peace camp' aimed at enforcement of Shariah in Malakand, those trying to create law and order problem might exploit the situation for bad.
The sit-in entered 34th day on Wednesday, but the government response has so far been cold as no serious efforts have been made to either convince TNSM on winding up the camp or accept any of its three demands -- the government should implement the 1994 Nizam-e-Adl Regulation in letter and spirit, restore peace in Malakand, especially the restive Swat valley or admit in written to have failed to maintain peace.
The release of TNSM Ameer Sufi Muhammad from jail was also an attempt on the part of the ANP-led provincial government to use his influence in ending insurgency in Swat, but that failed to pay dividends.
Though the sit-in at the Rest House ground has been peaceful, with Sufi vowing to continue it even for three years in case of non-acceptance of the Tanzim demands, the 'unforeseen' forces or elements might exploit it for their designs.
The recent threatening letter received by the Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Timergara from unidentified elements, asking the students and teachers to observe 'pardah' or face the consequences, could be an example.
The one-page letter written in Urdu stresses use of a 'special kind' of 'pardah' by wearing shuttlecock 'burqas', although the students and teachers of the school are already observing veils. The only difference is that the unidentified elements delivering the letter insist wearing 'burqas', instead of 'chadar' (shawl).
The letter mentions the setting up of the TNSM 'peace camp', saying that from the very first day of the camp, students and teachers were advised to observe 'pardah' by wearing shuttlecock 'burqas' but that was not complied. Further non-compliance would not be tolerated, stated the letter, written on plain paper. It also mentions the name of 'Tehrik Taliban Lower Dir zone'.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM Threads > INDIA FACES TERROR FROM ANOTHER FRONT [NE Corridor]. CHINESE MILITARY/ARMS ASSISTANCE, vee MYANMAR, to ANTI-INDIA/NEW DELHI, INDIA-BASED INDIAN- and PRO-PAKIS ISLAMIST AND COMMUNIST-SECULAR MILITIA GROUPS-NETWORKS???
Four-Star Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey (Ret.), a former Gulf War commander, has returned from a week of tours and meetings with civilian and military leaders in Iraq and concluded, "The United States is now clearly in the end game in Iraq."
McCaffrey issued a report to West Point, where he is Adjunct Professor of International Affairs. Among McCaffrey's findings:
-- "The United States is clearly in the end game in Iraq to successfully achieve what should be our principal objectives:
-- The withdrawal of the majority of our ground combat forces in the coming 36 months,
-- Leaving behind an operative civil state and effective Iraqi security forces,
-- An Iraqi state not in open civil war among Shia, Sunnis, and Kurds,
-- An Iraqi nation not at war with its six neighboring states."
However, McCaffrey asserts that "the security situation is still subject to sudden attack at any moment by Al Qaeda in Iraq or to degradation because of provocative behavior by the Maliki government."
Other findings by McCaffrey:
-- The past 18 months have witnessed a dramatic, positive change.
-- Iranian intervention is relentless but has to a great extent alienated the southern Iraqi Shia and been largely ineffective.
-- The Maliki government remains largely dysfunctional in its ability to deliver services to the population.
-- It is almost the case that an Iraqi government in the classic sense does not exist. The glue that holds Iraq together is the U.S. Armed Forces, the U.S. Embassy team, tribal leadership, and the Iraqi Army.
So let's remove the U.S. armed forces and dissolve the glue ...
-- The Sons of Iraq Movement has absorbed more than 100,000 Sunni insurgent fighters and brought them into a neighborhood watch program which has successfully confronted the remnants of the insurgency.
McCaffrey asserts that "Success in Iraq could turn to collapse if the Iraqi politicians cannot agree on a Status of Forces Agreement and the follow-on Strategic Framework Agreement ... This would return our US military units to their base areas and begin a unilateral withdrawal and the cessation of formal U.S. support for the Iraqi government. They are holding a gun to their own head."
#1
"The glue that holds Iraq together is the U.S. Armed Forces,the U.S. Embassy team, tribal leadership, and the Iraqi Army."
Notice that the Iraqi civil government is significantly missing from the list. That is why the January elections are so important. If Iraq ends up with a true representative government, this war is over.
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
11/13/2008 11:13 Comments ||
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#2
Looks like the territory has settled down enough to turn things over to the sod busters and the usual corrupt and self serving territorial government and hacks and move on to the next duty station in another god forsaken place to deal with the restless natives. [circa 1865-1890 or today].
#3
I have never understood why, when we go to set up a government, we always wind up with an inherently unstable / dictatorial parlimentary system; rather than copying our own federalist system of separated powers, coequal branches and limited central authority.
The founding principal of a parlimentary system is that one party, or coalition, controls everything. Ideally if you separate the legislative election from the executive election you get legislators who are not beholden to the party cum executive in the same way.
They are then freer to be concerned with their constituencies and to criticize the executive.
#4
We are talking about taking a tribal country based on kinship, shieks, etc and turning it into a nation, where people are supposed to identify themselves as Iraqis. Anthro 101.
We are projecting our values on them and that will not necessarily work. Japan and Germany were similar industrialized societies, and we had full authority to mold them to our means.
This kind of a project takes years and huge resources to do successfully. Our short attention span politicians and public cant grasp it.
What were and are our main goals in Iraq, in Afghanistan? Got to clearly define what they are so we and objectively measure if we met those goals.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
11/13/2008 13:25 Comments ||
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#5
This from the general who predicted 5000 US killed in the Battle for Baghdad.
#6
IMO its more correct to say A "LULL/BREAK" IN THE FIGHTING = BATTLE FOR IRAQ. The thing to watch is PAN-ISLAMIST NUCLEARIZATION + whether IRAN successfully conducts its own indigenous nucweaps tests before 2010, NLT 2012 maxima.
US-RADICAL ISLAM > ARE LOCKED IN A WAR FOR CONTROL OF ASIAN MAINLAND [large parts of RUSSIA, CHINA, INDIA, littorals] GOING INTO JAN 2009 + NEW OBAMA ADMIN = "BAMELOT".
The COLD WAR GEOPOL MAP OF ASIA = PAN-ASIAN ORDER IS AT DE FACTO RISK OF BEING OVERWHELMED + CHANGED.
#7
MUSLIM/ISLAMIC MIL HISTORY + IRAN NUKES + SAVING THE JIHAD > IMO means the ISLAMIST MILITANTS WILL EVENTUALLY RETURN TO IRAQ, like MACARTHUR TO THE PHILIPPINES, to refight the Battle for Iraq and regain "lost honor" agz the US-IGA-Allies.
Jan 2009- 2012 [2016] POST-DUBYA PERIOD > NEITHER THE HIDDEN IMMAM-MAHDI NOR IRANIAN/ISLAMIST NUCLEARIZATION AGENDISTS CAN ASK FOR BETTER OR MORE OPPORTUNE LOCAL-GEOPOL CONDITIONS.
The U.N.'s top Iraq envoy on Thursday condemned the killing of two Christian sisters in Mosul, the volatile northern city where Christian residents were starting to return a month after extremist threats forced thousands to flee.
Gunmen killed the sisters Wednesday as they were waiting in front of their house for a ride to work, police said. Their mother was wounded in the attack, and the U.S. military said the family's house was destroyed by bombs planted inside.
U.N. special representative Staffan de Mistura "expressed his shock and outrage at the continued targeting and killing of religious minorities" in a statement.
The attack came after about 13,000 Christians fled Mosul, an ethnically mixed city of Kurds, Christians and Arabs, following a spate of threats and killings last month. Sunni insurgents are believed to be behind the campaign to drive them out.
Some families were starting to return because the security situation had shown signs of improvement, de Mistura said, citing a report by the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. He called on Iraqi authorities at the national and local level to protect Christians and other minorities in Iraq and to ensure those behind the attacks "are swiftly brought to justice."
Tensions are high in Mosul, where U.S. and Iraqi troops have been trying since last spring to rout insurgents from Iraq's third largest city.
#1
It's not just the Christians, the Sunni groups are targeting Ahmadis, Sufis, Maronites, Kurds, anyone who isn't a Sunni basically. They're real shitheads.
Aswat al-Iraq: President of the Iraqi Kurdistan region on Wednesday expressed his doubts that the proposed Iraqi-U.S. security pact would be signed, warning of a "civil war" in Iraq if the pact is not approved, as Iraqi security forces are "unable" to control the situation.
"If the pact is not signed, the situation in the country may deteriorate to the point of a civil war," Barazani said in a press conference in Arbil that was attended by Aswat al-Iraq.
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11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
They cannot do it without US support---but maybe Obama will be simpatico to PKK.
Aswat al-Iraq: Kurdish politicians rejected the calls of Nouri al-Maliki to reconsider the relations of Kurdistan region and Iraqi provinces with the center, considering such calls "unconstitutional" and causing Maliki to lose his legitimacy as the prime minister of Iraq.
Falah Mustafa, head of the foreign relations directorate in the Kurdistan regional cabinet, told Aswat al-Iraq "if we want to reinforce Iraq, then this should be achieved by strengthening regions and provinces, which is contrary to what al-Maliki is aiming for."
"Kurds agree with amending the Iraqi constitution, but according to the mechanism specified by the constitution itself, and provided that such amendments would contribute to expanding freedoms of race and religion, while preserving superiority of law," he said.
"The political experience of Iraq's Kurdistan is an example of success for the federal system in Iraq," he added.
For his part, Lawmaker Nassih Abdulghafor of the Kurdistan Alliance parliamentary bloc told Aswat al-Iraq, "The Iraqi constitution was drafted within three years, which is a suitable period for drafting, and acquired consensus from all sides."
"80 percent of Iraqis voted on the constitution," he said. "What al-Maliki currently demands is against the law and constitution," he added.
While legislature Khalid Shawani, a member of the Kurdistan Alliance, also echoed Abdulghafor's tone in defending the constitution. "This constitution specifies the shape of Iraq's ruling system, and was voted upon by around 12 million Iraqis," Shawani told Aswat al-Iraq.
"This is not the first time for al-Maliki to make such statements aimed at establishing a strong central government," he said. "Over a period of around 80 years, and until 2003, Iraq was ruled through a central government, and many crimes and human rights violations were committed in all Iraq's provinces during that era," he explained.
"After voting on the current constitution, we will not accept being ruled once again by such central governments," he proceeded. "The state is now one of law and a constitution, and al-Maliki is mistaken if he thinks the state can be established by force."
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
ION KURDS, IIRC WAFF.com > IFF EUROPE RECOGNIZES THE SOVEREIGN RIGHTS OF IRAQI KURDS, WHY NOT FOR THE 15-20MILYUHN OR MORE KURDS LIVING IN TURKEY!?
Authorities in Baghdad on Tuesday opened a major bridge linking historic Sunni and Shiite districts that was closed in 2005 after nearly 1,000 Shiite pilgrims perished in a deadly stampede. The move is expected to help repair the deep sectarian divisions that have plagued the city since the start of major Sunni-Shiite violence in 2006 and ease traffic in the bustling capital.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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ARBIL / Aswat al-Iraq: President of the Iraqi Kurdistan region on Wednesday expressed his doubts that the proposed Iraqi-U.S. security pact would be signed, warning of a civil war in Iraq if the pact is not approved, as Iraqi security forces are unable to control the situation.
If the pact is not signed, the situation in the country may deteriorate to the point of a civil war, Barazani said in a press conference in Arbil that was attended by Aswat al-Iraq.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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DAMASCUS - Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari on Wednesday repeated Baghdad's denunciation of a deadly US raid on a Syrian village that he said harmed relations between the neighbouring countries.
"The Iraqi government rejects the American raid launched on Syrian territory. We were not informed about it, and we have asked that there be no repetition (of such attacks), which harm our relations with Syria," Zebari said after meeting President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus.
During a news conference with his Syrian counterpart Walid Muallem, he also repeiterated remarks made on Tuesday that Iraq would not serve as a base for attacks on its neighbours. "There will not be permanent bases of American forces in Iraq," he said. "Iraq will not serve as a base for aggression against its neighbours."
Zebari was referring to an October 26 attack by helicopter-borne US soldiers, which Damascus said left eight people dead in a Syrian village near the Iraqi border.
At the time Syria criticised Iraqi government comments justifying the raid and postponed a November 12-13 meeting of the Syrian-Iraqi high commission. Two days after the raid, government spokesman Ali al-Dabgagh said the "Iraqi government rejects the US helicopter strike on Syrian territory, considering that Iraq's constitution does not allow its land to be a base for launching attacks on neighbouring countries. "We call upon American forces not to repeat such activities and Baghdad has launched an investigation into the strike," he said.
The United States said the raid was part of a campaign against foreign fighters operating in Iraq and that one of those killed was a "facilitator" of foreign fighters.
On Wednesday, Muallem said "other means should have been used," and said that Syria would have responded to a United Nations request for action.
Just like they have all the other times.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD - The Iraqi cabinet will vote on a controversial military pact to govern the presence of US troops in the country on either Saturday or Sunday, Iraq's finance minister said. "We received the last draft from the Americans and now it is being discussed between the American and the Iraqi committees and the prime minister's office," Baqer Jabr Solagh told AFP on Wednesday. "The cabinet will meet (Saturday or Sunday) to see the last draft and then the cabinet will vote ... They have to vote, yes or no."
Baghdad and Washington have been racing to agree on a pact ahead of the December 31 expiry of the UN mandate governing the presence of the 140,000 US troops currently stationed in the country.
The most recent draft stipulates that American forces will withdraw from Iraqi cities by June 2009 and from the country by the end of 2011, and contains amendments made by the Americans in response to Iraqi demands made last month.
"The deliberations are continuing in the cabinet in order to ascertain the scope of the amendments that have been added in order to reach a clear agreement and to see if it is acceptable to parliament," Safaldin al-Safi said."The American response contained many positive elements, but at the same time it contained clauses that require more discussion," the head of Iraq's parliamentary affairs committee said in a statement Tuesday.
Should the cabinet vote to accept the agreement it would then go to parliament for final approval.
The signing of the so-called Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) has been repeatedly delayed despite several months of negotiations, and the draft agreement has drawn fire from leaders of Iraq's majority Shiite community. On October 28 the cabinet met to decide on the agreement but instead asked Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to demand further changes from Washington.
National security advisor Muwaffaq al-Rubaie said last week Iraq had proposed "110 changes" and received "responses," including an agreement to remove a clause which could have allowed US troops to remain after 2011.
The United States has insisted that the current draft is the final text and on Tuesday the embassy declined to say whether more talks were in the offing. The Baghdad edition of the London-based newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported that the Americans have agreed to three of five changes proposed by Iraq, including allowing Iraqis to inspect incoming and outgoing US parcels.
Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki assured Arab countries in a letter on Monday that the agreement had met Iraq's demand that its territory not be used as a launch pad for any attacks on neighbouring countries.
US negotiators were however reluctant to further ease the immunity offered to soldiers, after already agreeing to allow Iraq to prosecute American troops and civilians if they commit serious crimes outside their bases when off-duty. Iraq wants to be able to prosecute them for crimes conducted on their bases as well.
A failure to agree on the current draft would raise a new set of thorny problems for both Washington and Baghdad, starting with the need to request a new mandate from the UN Security Council.
Posted by: Steve White ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
It would be smartest in the long run for Iraq to vote no on the SOFA. As well, Iraq should officially ask the UNSC to not extend the UN mandate.
From the very beginning of the second Iraq war, the US military knew that it was only a matter of time before the US congress and a Democrat president would try to sabotage the war effort, like they did in Vietnam. So they worked very hard to get the Iraqis as capable as possible.
That day is now. And while trying to extend our time there would be pleasant for a while, in the long term it would be deadly. The Democrats plan to gut the US military, and have a deep and abiding hatred of a peaceful and democratic Iraq.
A 24-year-old Palestinian Authority Arab man was sentenced to death on Wednesday for helping Israel fight terrorism, PA media outlets reported. The sentence will not be carried out until it is approved by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
Don't expect Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International to complain very loudly about the death penalty in this case ...
Prosecutors said the young man, whose name has been kept a secret, was recruited by Israeli agents while working at an Israeli gas station in 1999. He began watching local men who attacked Israeli vehicles with rocks in the Hevron region and turning their names over to Israeli intelligence agents.
The man was then hired by the PA police and began working as a naval officer. He allegedly informed on two terrorists associated with Fatah's Al-Aksa Martyrs Brigades to Israeli forces. The two were assassinated by IDF soldiers in 2002.
PA police say the man confessed to the allegations. Many PA prisoners who have "confessed" have later reported that their confessions were given under duress, and several human rights groups have expressed concern over the frequent use of torture by PA officers to obtain confessions.
Have those 'human rights groups' been anywhere as loud in their condemnation of torture by the PA as they have been about alleged torture at Gitmo?
The man was sentenced to death under a 1979 law that makes cooperation with Israeli troops punishable by death. The law is still enforced despite the PA's commitment under multiple peace accords to fight terrorism, including that carried out by the Al-Aksa brigades.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas launched a bitter attack Tuesday on the Hamas movement, which controls Gaza, as a divided nation marked the fourth anniversary of historic leader Yasser Arafat's death. Abbas accused Hamas of sabotaging efforts to mend the rift in Palestinian ranks created by its seizure of Gaza last year.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Well, Abu Maze, they expect you to be gone with Miz Rice.
The Palestinian leadership mounted a security operation in Bethlehem on Tuesday similar to those launched in other West Bank towns that have drawn charges of partisanship."The security plan is aimed against those who do not respect the law and is not intended as a basis for carrying out political arrests," Bethlehem security chief Colonel Suleiman Abu Hadid told.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
So what if it does?
They are essentially at war for control, that's what you do in a war.
Israel has faxed a message to Lebanese citizens asking them to send information about Israeli soldiers in exchange for a large reward.
Citizens in northern and southern parts of Lebanon received a fax from an unknown source which offered a USD 10 million reward for information on Israeli soldiers who went missing during earlier aerial attacks on Lebanon, Press TV's Beirut Bureau reported. Post offices in Nabatiyeh, Bint Jabil, Hasbaya, and Marjayoun received copies of the message on Wednesday.
"If you have any reliable information about the fate of missing Israeli soldiers, we guarantee you a cash reward of 10 million dollars," read the text in Arabic. "Your information will remain confidential and we will guarantee your safety," it added, urging readers to dial two numbers, which started with a British area code.
This is not the first time that the Israeli regime has sent illegal messages to Lebanese citizens.
In July, Israel violated UN Security Council Resolution 1701 by penetrating the country's telecommunication network and threatening people with a recorded voice message about the possibility of another war. Following the incident in July, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Major General Claudio Graziano received an official complaint about the Israeli act of sabotage.
UN Resolution 1701 ended the 33-day war that Israel waged on Lebanon in the summer of 2006.
#1
It's illegal for Israel to send faxes now? Wow. In my naivete' it never occurred to me that one could be polluted by seeing a few words on a piece of paper.
A former high-ranking Karensky Khatami official says the former Iranian president will 'definitely' run for office in the next presidential election. Hossein Marashi, the vice president for cultural heritage and tourism in the Karensky Khatami administration, was quoted by Tabnak as saying that political factions in Iran already know about Karensky Khatami's decisions. "Yeah. We're a shoo-in!"
Representing the Reformist Party, Karensky Khatami was the Iranian president from 1997 to 2005. The Iranian scholar and cleric is an iconic political figure in the country.
It has been widely speculated that Karensky Khatami will make a comeback on the Reformist platform and challenge the incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in the 10th presidential election scheduled for June 12, 2009. "Karensky Khatami will definitely participate in the 10th presidential election," said Marashi, a close ally to the former president. "Although he is yet to officially and publicly announce his candidacy, the political society in Iran is in on his decision," he added.
Marashi stressed that Karensky Khatami's reported hesitations before deciding on the issue was logical considering the office he will run for. "I have to give serious consideration before I decide whether to run in the election. Personally, I have neither the desire nor enthusiasm to return to power," Karensky Khatami said late October.
While claiming that he would need assurance of his executive powers before running for the presidency, Karensky Khatami had repeatedly said that he would decide to do whatever serves the best interests of the country.
Mehdi Karroubi, a member of Iran's National Confidence Party, has already announced his candidacy in the country's 2009 presidential election. Hojjatoleslam Hassan Bukharin Rowhani, a member of Iran's Expert Assembly, is also expected to run for office.
This article starring:
Hojjatoleslam Hassan Rowhani
Hossein Marashi
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Parking on the left wishes to become the parking on the right. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari arrived in Damascus on Tuesday, on a surprise visit two weeks after a US raid on a Syrian village launched from Iraq that caused tensions with Baghdad. Damascus criticized an initial government statement in Baghdad that appeared to condone the October 26 helicopter-borne raid on a Syrian border village.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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The head of Lebanon's ruling coalition Saed Hariri called on the Arab League Tuesday to investigate the alleged "confessions" of a terrorist group broadcast on Syrian state television that accused his Future movement of funding the group that carried out September's deadly car bombing in Damascus, local press reported. Y'don't suppose Saad's caught the same whiff of old flounder we have, do you?
Hariri called on Secretary General Amr Moussa to form "an Arab committee that would investigate the confessions," according to a report in the Daily Star.
Alleged members of the al-Qaeda linked Fatah al-Islam appeared to confess on Syrian TV last week to carrying out the car bombing that killed 17 people, mainly civilians, in the Syrian capital in September. They claimed that the explosives used were smuggled in from northern Lebanon, where the extremist group battled the Lebanese Army last year at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp.
Wafa al-Abssi, the daughter of Fatah al-Islam leader Shakr al-Abssi, said that the group had received money from Saad Hariri's Future Movement, which is part of the March 14 coalition that leads Lebanon's anti-Syrian parliamentary majority and is heavily backed by the U.S. Hariri called the allegations "fabrications and lies" in a statement released shortly after the broadcast.
In an interview with the Voice of Lebanon Tuesday MP Ahmad Fatfat also called for the confessions to be referred to the Arab League in hopes a "fact-finding mission" would "put an end to the exploitation of the Fatah al-Islam issue."
Another Future MP, Hadi Hbeish, told Future TV Tuesday that the confessions were fabricated by the Syrian intelligence.
During a visit to Syria Tuesday Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud said discussions about the televised confessions were on the agenda for his meeting with Syrian counterpart Bassam Abdul Majid. "We asked for more information and details and to look into the investigation and we will take necessary measures accordingly," said Barroud.
He was in Syria to discuss security cooperation and finalize the formation of a joint Lebanese-Syrian committee.
Posted by: Fred ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
PAKISTANI DEFENCE FORUM > SHAH MEHMOOD QURANI: THE SECURITY OF IRAN IS THE SECURITY OF PAKISTAN; + TOPIX > NUCLEAR TRACES SHOW SYRIA'S NUCLEAR TRAIL AGAIN LEADS BACK TO PAKISTAN.
OTOH, FARK.com > IRAN LAUNCHES/FIRES MORE SURFACE-TO-AIR PHOTOSHOPS.
Posted in its entirety since Bloomberg News links tend to disappear
The U.S. Supreme Court, ruling that national security trumps environmental rules, ... Don't worry - Bambi will fix that
... lifted restrictions on the Navy's use of sonar during training exercises off the coast of Southern California. A divided high court rejected arguments by environmentalists that the judge-ordered restrictions were warranted to protect whales and other marine mammals. The environmental interests "are plainly outweighed by the Navy's need to conduct realistic training exercises to ensure that it is able to neutralize the threat posed by enemy submarines," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the majority.
The case tested the power of the White House and the military to skirt federal environmental regulations in the name of national security. Opinion in a "news" article? Surely not!
The Bush administration argued that courts should be deferential when the president concludes that a military exercise is essential for the country's safety.
Two justices, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter, ... Also know as 'the usual suspects'....
... dissented, while two others, Stephen Breyer and John Paul Stevens, agreed with Roberts in part.
The ruling applies to the last of 14 training exercises designed to prepare naval strike groups for deployment in the western Pacific and Middle East.
Environmental groups led by the Natural Resources Defense Council sought to limit the Navy's use of mid-frequency active sonar, also known as MFA sonar, which ships use to detect submarines. The environmentalists said MFA sonar has killed and injured beaked whales and other marine mammals. Easy to fix - why don't y'all "environmentalists" swim on out there and shield the whales with your bodies
U.S. District Judge Florence-Marie Cooper limited the Navy's use of MFA sonar, pointing to the National Environmental Policy Act's requirement that government agencies prepare an environmental impact statement before taking harmful actions. I hope that when terrorists are attacking her courtroom, the gummint files an EIS before sending in the Marines. Assuming they decide to send them....
Cooper said President George W. Bush's Council on Environmental Quality had improperly cited "emergency circumstances" as a basis for exempting the Navy from that requirement. It's not an emergency to her. Yet.
Trade groups representing the forest-products, pesticide, agricultural and home-building industries supported the Bush administration in the case.
Cooper's order required the Navy to take a number of steps, including shutting down MFA sonar when marine mammals are spotted within 2,200 yards and reducing sonar power by 75 percent in the presence of a water condition known as "surface ducting." Is she going to require enemy subs to do the same? Nah, I don't think so either.
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circus Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Cooper's order, though it also issued a stay that temporarily relaxed the restrictions. The stay is a shocker, all right - wonder what they were smoking that day?
The case is Winter v. Natural Resources Defense Council, 07- 1239. If anybody cares.
Posted by: Va. Gal ||
11/13/2008 00:00 ||
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#1
Perhaps the U.S. Supreme Court (or Congress) will dissolve the Federal District Court that issued the order, and the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, it would make for a better U.S.A. Its been done before, and sure sends a good signal to arrogant judges.
#2
Commercial fishermen in Alaskan waters routinely kill more marine mammals in one season than the entire US Navy has harmed with active sonar in the last 30 years.
#3
#2 Commercial fishermen in Alaskan waters routinely kill more marine mammals in one season than the entire US Navy has harmed with active sonar in the last 30 years. Posted by anymouse
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.
KABUL, Afghanistan -- A day after a fierce suicide bombing in southern Afghanistan, insurgents struck Thursday in the east of the country when an American military convoy was attacked in a crowded market, killing one soldier and 18 civilians, according to the United States military and Afghan police officials. 
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry says the US is violating international law by launching missile attacks on its tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. "The attacks are in violation of international law and in violation of all understandings between the two sides," Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mohammad Sadiq told a press briefing on Thursday in Islamabad. He added, "the government of Pakistan is committed to do whatever is possible to stop these attacks." 
Four-Star Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey (Ret.), a former Gulf War commander, has returned from a week of tours and meetings with civilian and military leaders in Iraq and concluded, "The United States is now clearly in the end game in Iraq."
Israel has faxed a message to Lebanese citizens asking them to send information about Israeli soldiers in exchange for a large reward. 
A former high-ranking 
