We had this story the other day, on the Pakistan side...
The leader of the Pakistani Taliban, Mullah al-Hajj Omar, has threatened to launch new attacks against American and British troops present in Afghanistan. In an interview with the Arab newspaper, al-Sharq al-Awsat, the leader of the Pakistani Taliban also denied harbouring members of the al-Qaeda terrorist network in Waziristan. "Here we are not al-Qaeda militants, he said, "We are only local Taliban militants of Waziristan."
There is a difference. The Taliban are local Pashtun religious fanatics who want to impose their brand of Mohammedanism on their own country and their neighbors by force. Al-Qaeda is an international organization made up of Arab religious fanatics who want to impose their brand of Mohammedanism on their neighbors and the entire world by force.
The mullah announced the intension to invite all Taliban militants inside the Afghan territory to carry out attacks against the foreign troops in the country.
This will set up a situation in which the United States and the NATO forces will feel obliged to cross the border into Pakistan when chasing the bastards down.
In 2004, Omar together with a group of other militant leaders in South Waziristan, signed a peace treaty with Pakistani troops. However now he intends to hit foreign stoops present in the neighbouring country. "This is our jihad," he explained " and for us it's a duty."
"We don't expect to be bothered by any Pak troops while we're doing it, either."
Now, now, they've got the border under control, remember?
A veteran war against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s, the 45-year-old mullah also fought against American forces after the fall of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in late 2001.
And did a bangup job of it, we might add.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I do believe he volunteered himself for the target list. 2000 pounders into the family compound.
Posted by: ed ||
05/01/2006 0:56 Comments ||
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#2
"There is a difference. The Taliban are local Pashtun religious fanatics who want to impose their brand of Mohammedanism on their own country and their neighbors by force. Al-Qaeda is an international organization made up of Arab religious fanatics who want to impose their brand of Mohammedanism on their neighbors and the entire world by force."
Because there is no "border" beyond which the Taliban believes it cannot enforce Islam, there is little difference between these nutcases in the end. Didn't we determine once 9/11 happened that hiding leagues away within our distant borders, hoping that Islamic-inspired murders would be limited to other countries, hadn't worked out too well for 3000 Americans, and might not be the best anti-terrorism strategy from that point forward? That was the line, anyway...
Baraawe 01 May. 06 ( Sh.M.Network) Militias designed to guard off lower Shabelle region coasts and sent by Juba valley coalition authority have reached Barawe town of the region on Monday to prevent piracy. The militias who landed the port town of Barawe were part of troops allotted to be coast guards patrolling the regional coast which was unsafe for the past months after group of pirates armed with machine guns and rocket propel grenades started hijacking ships and vessels on the water indiscriminately. The administrator Barawe district in lower shabelle region Abdulahi Halane (Dhuhulow) told Shabelle radio in the telephone line that the militias had two speedy boats mounting with heavy machine guns. He said his administration is collaborating with Juba Valley in terms of security.
Real coast guards or just another gang?
Posted by: Steve ||
05/01/2006 12:52 ||
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Rebels from the war-torn Sudanese region of Darfur met with African Union (AU) mediators here yesterday to officially reject a peace deal as the deadline for peace negotiations loomed. Two anti-Khartoum rebel movements, the Sudanese Liberation Movement (SLM) and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), had earlier issued statements that they had taken a joint position not to sign the AU-brokered peace accord.
This document is not acceptable to us, and we are not going to go by it or sign it, JEM spokesman Ahmed Hussain said. We will submit our joint position on this issue to the AU mediation team this afternoon.
Hopes for the peace agreement appeared to have been dashed as the meeting started, after the AU responded that the content of the deal would not change. Saifaldin Haroun, spokesman for the main faction of the SLM, said: We will not sign this agreement. We will only sign the agreement that includes all our demands, certainly not this one. This is the position of the two movements. The rebel statements came just hours before a deadline set by the AU and the United Nations to complete peace negotiations to end a conflict, which has killed 300,000 people and displaced 2.4 million in three years of fighting.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2006 00:00 ||
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Egypt's Parliament agreed yesterday to a two-year extension of emergency law requested by the government while it prepares replacing anti-terrorism laws.
They've only been in a state of emergency for 25 years. What's another coupla years?
The Muslim Brotherhood, the strongest opposition force, said there was no justification for extending the law, which President Hosni Mubarak last year promised to substitute with anti-terrorism legislation. Mubarak had already signaled that the law would be extended before bombers killed 18 people in the Red Sea resort of Dahab last week and attacked a police station and multinational peace force in the Sinai Peninsula.
Just yesterday he was talking about how stable Egypt is. I'm not sure why a stable nation would need 25 years of emergency laws.
Emergency law has been in force since October 1981, when militants assassinated President Anwar Sadat and Mubarak took office. It gives the government wide powers to detain people without charge and restrict civil liberties. Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif asked Parliament to approve emergency laws for another two years or until the government had prepared the anti-terrorism law.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2006 00:00 ||
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Uzbek President Islam Abduganievich Karimov will be visiting Pakistan on Tuesday on a three-day official visit and will possibly seek extradition of arrested Uzbek militants with suspected Al-Qaeda links, said sources here Sunday.
President Karimov will hold meeting with President Musharraf and Premier Shaukat Aziz on a host of bilateral as well as international and regional maters, official sources told KUNA.
They said the militants issue will be the focus of meeting between President Karimov and General Pervez Musharraf. The Foreign office earlier said that the visit will prove a milestone in further cementing bilateral ties between Pakistan and Uzbekistan, enhancing cooperation and collaboration in various sectors including trade, commerce, investment and energy.
Besides, it will help chalking out an elaborate strategy for launching joint ventures and fight against terrorism.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/01/2006 01:00 ||
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#3
The biggest problem that Muslims face is the opinions of the majority. The community is responsible [or guilty] for trying to assimilate the immigrants of the nation.
... to be allowed a few hours time off in the middle of the day on Friday to participate in the Friday prayers.
Sounds great! I'll take a few hours off on Fridays too. No, who do we send the bill for lost wages to?
... The construction of mosques ought to be financed by interest free loans as an alternative to voluntary contributions from abroad. The counties should take the responsibility to either provide security for these interest free loans or to lend money without interest for the construction of mosques for its Muslim inhabitants. The Swedish state should introduce the term interest free loans and borrowers should have the right to deduct payments on interest free loans from the tax returns on the same grounds as loan interest.
Payments upon principal to be deducted the same as payments of interest upon principal. Some business school experts would have a field day with that one.
... This includes elevating native language and religion [Islam] to the level of normal subject in the curriculum, where Muslim children have the possibility of being educated in homogenous groups using their own native language and their own religion in the County schools.
Preferential treatment. Why should Sweden's white population give up any preferential treatment if the Muslims are going to demand it as well. Let's have preferential treatment for EVERYONE! Oh wait, how's that gonna work?
Posted by: Captain America ||
05/01/2006 22:18 Comments ||
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#7
IOW, it comes down to entitlements, as with the "programs" and "revisions" favored by the Hispanic illegals demonstrating today - unconditional, undeniable, are "natural rights", and oooooooooppppppppsssss, btw publicly subsidized at US taxpayer expense, and only US taxpayer expense. AND FOR ALL THE CONCESSIONS -ACCOMODATIONS LAWFUL AMERICAN CITIZENS MAKE IN THE NAME OF PEACE AND COMMON HUMANITY, WE STILL END UP GIVING UP CALIFORNIA AND THE SW BACK TO MAHICO. Same as for the Lefties-Commies and MadMoud - we unilater give them what they want, i.e. $$$ = surrender, while they decide when to destroy us. You know, the Secular Humanist = God-based Islamist Humanist reasons for peace.
Over the last few days various contributors to the CT Blog have debated the real aims of the Muslim Brotherhood, especially in the West. Another indication of what the Ikhwan really want came just a few days ago from Sweden, where the countrys largest Muslim organization, the Brotherhood-linked Sveriges Muslimska Förbund (SMF), published a serious of demands addressed to all Swedish political parties (note the text-in Swedish only- we demand, not we ask or we suggest). Among its many demands, SMF stated Swedish Muslims should be given time off work for Friday prayers and Islamic holidays and that imams should approve all divorces between Muslim couples. Basically, SMF is asking for a partial introduction of sharia law in Sweden and the creation of a separate legal system for Swedish Muslim, something politicians from all sides of the Swedish political spectrum and moderate Muslim organizations have immediately condemned as completely unacceptable.
The Swedish case is hardly unique, but mirrors the demand of Brotherhood-linked organizations throughout Europe. For example, in Germany, the Islamische Gemeinschaft Deutschland (IGD), the countrys largest Muslim organization, has stated in its official publication Al Islam (here, page 48): In the long run, Muslims cannot be satisfied with the acceptance of German family, estate, and trial law. Muslims should aim at an agreement between the Muslims and the German state with the goal of a separate jurisdiction for Muslims. In Great Britain, the UK Islamic Mission, has the stated goal of conducting a continuous campaign for the establishment of Muslim family laws, and to establish Islamic social order in the United Kingdom in order to seek the pleasure of Allah.
The Ikhwan organizations of Europe follow the teachings of Sheik Yusuf al Qaradawi, who outlined the methods that these organizations should follow in order to achieve their goal of establishing sharia in Europe in his book Priorities of the Islamic Movement in the Coming Phase. In spite of the European Brothers pro-integration public declarations, Qaradawi urges them: Try to have your small society within the larger society Try to have your own Muslim ghetto. Qaradawi clearly sees the role that the Ikhwan organizations would play in creating these separated Muslim communities, running the mosques, schools, and civic organizations that will shape the daily life of the desired Non-territorial Islamic States in Europe, as Reuven Paz calls them. Qaradawi also suggests that sharia law should govern the relations among inhabitants of these Muslim islands, affirming that Muslim minorities should also have amongst them their own ulema and men of religion to answer their questions when they ask them, guide them when they lose the way and reconcile them when they differ among themselves.
Unlike the Salafis, the Brothers use a cunning double-talk when dealing with Western elites, advocating integration and dialogue. Yet the plans of the two movements, two different faces of the same coin, are eerily similar. Abu Qatada, al Qaedas ambassador to Europe was clear about the mujaheddins goal: Muslims target is the West. We will split Rome open. The destruction must be carried out by sword. Those who will destroy Rome are already preparing the swords. Rome will not be conquered with the word but with the force of arms. This is how Qaradawi sees the same issue: Islam will return to Europe as a conqueror and victor, after being expelled from it twice I maintain that the conquest this time will not be by the sword but by preaching and ideology. Different methods, but same goal. Are we sure the U.S. government should use the Brothers as partners in the dialogue with the Muslim world?
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/01/2006 01:07 ||
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The senior Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee proposed Monday that Iraq be divided into three separate regions Kurdish, Shiite and Sunni with a central government in Baghdad.
In an op-ed essay in Monday's edition of The New York Times, Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., wrote that the idea "is to maintain a united Iraq by decentralizing it, giving each ethno-religious group ... room to run its own affairs, while leaving the central government in charge of common interests."
The new Iraqi constitution allows for establishment of self-governing regions. But that was one of the reasons the Sunnis opposed the constitution and why they demanded and won an agreement to review it this year.
Biden and co-writer Leslie H. Gelb, former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, acknowledged the opposition, and said the Sunnis "have to be given money to make their oil-poor region viable. The Constitution must be amended to guarantee Sunni areas 20 percent (approximately their proportion of the population) of all revenues."
Biden and Gelb also wrote that President Bush "must direct the military to design a plan for withdrawing and redeploying our troops from Iraq by 2008 (while providing for a small but effective residual force to combat terrorists and keep the neighbors honest)."
In their essay Monday, Biden and Gelb wrote: "It is increasingly clear that President Bush does not have a strategy for victory in Iraq. Rather, he hopes to prevent defeat and pass the problem along to his successor." The democrats have been screaming that Iraq is a US "puppet state" long enough to both believe it, and to want to *treat* Iraq like a puppet state. They just can't imagine that the US would do something *good*, like encouraging the Iraqis to run their own affairs. Because the US is an evil empire, and all.
#5
Joe Biden: Democrat, NYT-editor wannabe, Iraqi civil war facilitator, Sunni Arab welfare advocate, self-presumed boss of the Commander in Chief, Bush-basher -- and these are just a few of the things he has in common with Ted "Chappaquiddick" Kennedy, John "I actually did vote for the $87 billion before I voted against it" Kerry, Al "I took the initiative in creating the Internet" Gore, and Hillary "The American people are tired of liars and people who pretend to be something they're not" Clinton.
#10
Well when you dont get your civil war that you dream of to slam that evil Bush guy try to do all you can to get the administration to do things that would garantee just such a senerio.
Biden is a idiot all the mixed cities like Bahgdad, Kirkuk, Sammara, and many many more would overnight suddenly see true ethnic cleansing which would quickly lead to all out civil war between the three to determine the borders.
The Dems have 0 ability to run this nations foreign policy and thats not even getting into the fact that you cant make the big hard decisions on how the recent polls say about a issue.
#11
"giving each ethno-religious group ... room to run its own affairs"
Biden is scarier than Gore and Dean. I'd vote for Hillary first. He's encouraging sectarianism and inviting an all-out bloodbath. Creating chaos is even right out of Ahmadinejad's playbook. To solve our illegal immigration problem, he'd give California, Arizona, and Texas to Mexico, the Northwest to China, Florida to Cuba, while exploiting cheap labor and resources and banking off-shore. These hypocritical and elitest liberals keep profitting, living well enough to not worry about personal conservation or frugality as they jet around from one mansion to the next, criticing Bush.
"leaving the central government in charge of common interests."
And, oh yeah, the Iraqis cannot be trusted to oversee all of their affairs, so we'll make sure an international committee will be established to administer the finances to each region, with a cut for UN...to be fair to all, you know.
They need to really live in the world they are creating, instead of insulating themselves away from the harsher realities they expect us to put up with. These liberal ideas will be the death of us all. Pro-immigration supporters need to spend the week-end in the barrio. Kerry and Gore aren't concerned about $3 gas and Biden is apparently unconcerned if the whole region is destabilized by hare-brained schemes to pull out and divide Iraq. The more I rant, the more p-o'd I get at those partisan politicians promoting what I feel is dangerously close to traitorous behavior. How do these guys ever get elected by thinking people?
#12
The best thing we did was not to divide Iraq into three. This way they have to learn to share power/
It doesn't surprise me that the Democrats suddenly NOW want to divide it in three. Now that the country is functioning as a whole. They just don't want it to succeed because they are petty and small and fear Bush getting credit. Just one more thing them to wank about how he's not doing it right.
Also - the Dem's foreign paymasters probably don't want a united Iraq - with a well trained army - run by a country with power shared between Kurds, Shia and Sunni. Turkey and Iran have a much better shot at invading "Kurdistan" and getting the oil fields than they do a United Iraq.
#13
Once Dubya takes care, or mostly takes care, of Iran + North Korea-Taiwan, i.e. where the nukes are, all any Dem? successor to Dubya will have left is the African Union, where the nukes are not. Its pretty much a given that Chavez, etal. will be appeased under a Dem POTUS. DON'T THINK IT'LL GET THAT FAR, THOUGH, AS I BELIEVE THE RINO CINO AGENDA-LESS DEMS CAN'T TAKE THE CHANCE OF A ANOTHER GOP SUCCESSOR TO DUBYA IN 2008. The Clinton-led Dems need American Hiroshima(s) and foreign policy failures in Dubya's last term like a thirsty man lost in the desert needs water. IFF 3000 CAN DIE ON 9-11 FOR OWG AND SOCIALISM, WHAT ANOTHER 3000-plus FOR 2008, to ensure the rise of anti-sovereign, anti-American American Socialism!?
(CNSNews.com) - Monday, May Day, is International Worker's Day and the communist celebration of the Bolshevik Revolution. It is also a day when illegal immigrants plan to boycott work, school and shopping in an effort to show the contribution of undocumented aliens to the U.S. economy. Protesters will march in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles to urge Congress not to support a bill introduced by U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), which would make it a felony to illegally enter the U.S. or facilitate the illegal entry of someone else.
Calling it "a day without an immigrant," boycott organizers chose Monday because of its socialist and communist roots, according to Lee Siu Hin of Immigrant Solidarity Network. "We're linking workers' rights and immigrant rights. That should be very clear," Lee told Cybercast News Service.
The socialist anti-war group Act Now to Stop War and End Racism (International A.N.S.W.E.R) was one of the organizers of the April 10 protests that drew hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants. The group is also organizing Monday's boycott. "It is a show of political and economic force against the way immigrants are being treated and attacked in the U.S. It is meant to show the qualitative impact of immigrants in the U.S. by their absence, their absence in the labor they produce in this country and by the wealth they produce," Carlos Alvarez, spokesman for International A.N.S.W.E.R. told Cybercast News Service.
"Immigrants contribute billions to the economy and receive few benefits in return. We will settle for nothing less than full amnesty and dignity for the millions of undocumented workers presently in the United States," International A.N.S.W.E.R.'s website states. Alvarez noted that while May Day is mostly associated with the Bolshevik Revolution, the group is stressing International Worker's Day.
International A.N.S.W.E.R. was founded by Ramsey Clark, the man who served as U.S. attorney general during the administration of President Lyndon Johnson and is currently one of the lawyers representing deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein.
Ramsey also supported Slobodan Milosevic during NATO's campaign, Benard Coard, the murderer of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop of Grenada, Radovan Karadzic, the indicted Bosnian Serbian war criminal whom he defended in a New York civil suit brought by Bosnian rape victims, and the Rwandan pastor who is accused of telling Tutsis to hide in his church and then summoning Hutus to massacre them, and then leading killing squads.
Despite the fact that May Day protests started in the U.S. in 1886 when the Federation of Organized Trade and Labor Unions demanded an eight hour work day, every country but the United States and Canada celebrates the holiday with protests. On May Day 2000, London police arrested 195 "anti-capitalist protesters," according to the BBC, for rioting and violence that led to the destruction of a McDonald's restaurant.
But its ties go back to communist Russia. The Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) is endorsing Monday's boycott. In 1917, Bolshevik communists led by Vladimir Lenin overthrew the Russian government, leading eventually the formation of the Soviet Union in 1922. While the Bolshevik Revolution was in October, the RCP celebrates it on May 1.
The RCP is calling Monday "Revolution #45." "On May 1, we celebrate our achievements in this world-historic struggle and especially the first great milestones on that path: the October Revolution of 1917, where the proletariat for the first time seized and held power for nearly 40 years in what became the Soviet Union; and the Chinese Revolution, and especially the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution," the RCP website states.
John Keeley, communications director for the Center for Immigration Studies, said Monday's protests will further alienate people who are legal residents of the U.S. Those legal residents, he said, "simply want kids to go to school Monday and workers to show up for work." "If I were trying to illicit broad sympathies of the very fair minded American public, this would be that last day I would have selected. Any day but Monday," Keeley told Cybercast News Service. Keeley also criticized what he called the "explicit communist agendas and sympathies" of some of the organizers of Monday's protests.
Ira Mehlman, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, said the May Day message "will hurt [protest organizers] if it is widely known, but so far it is a well kept secret."
OK, we won't tell anyone.
He told Cybercast News Service that there is "irony in the fact that President Bush is backing these groups' message," a reference to Bush's support for a guest worker program and provisions to allow those who have come into the country illegally to work toward a legal immigration status.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/01/2006 09:28 ||
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#1
There it is! I was wondering who was funding and organizing this event.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
05/01/2006 10:00 Comments ||
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I must say, the Commies are very good at getting bodies into the street for mass marches.
#4
Don't really care who's backing them. Is it just me, or does the spectacle of persons who are here illegally, DEMANDING anything, just piss you off?
#5
I think it's time to engage in a little "civil disobedience", and demand the government cease to limit the types of arms the US people can possess. I'd LOVE to have a 12-pounder loaded with grape aimed down the main thoroughfare in Washington, DC, and New York City, and DARE these marchers to proceed. The American people MUST reassert control of their nation, or it will be lost. That means standing up not only to the gangs that want to destroy it, but to the government entities that facilitate that destruction.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
05/01/2006 13:18 Comments ||
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#6
We are in the middle of a war and these bozos are protesting for the right to invade us!
#7
Here in Red China, May Day is a weeklong public holiday. I'm getting some much-needed rest - all day today I did absolutely nothing, and it felt great. :)
I was talking with many Chinese people last week, and none of them seemed to know that May Day was a Communist holiday. They just seemed to view it as a natural holiday like Lunar New Year. They were rather surprised when I informed them it wasn't a Chinese holiday, but rather an International Communist holiday. Once I reminded them of the old Soviet parades in Red Square, they seemed to get it.
Not half as much as watching politicians (from both sides) exchange our security and soverignty(sp?) to a few illegal votes.
Not a third as much was watching those same politicians piss on each and every law abiding 'real' immigrant who has (and still is) waiting in line to legally immigrate to our shores in favor of a few lawbreakers and CRIMINALS (ILLEGAL Aliens and their employers) who couldn't care less about the United States, our culture, or our laws.
#10
OP I guess it depends on where you live but here in Tennessee if you can afford it you can own a 20 pounder and fire anything you want out of it. A good friend has a 3" ordnance rifle and we do live fire with it. It will fire a 10 pound projectile using 1 1/2 pounds of Fg black powder about 3 miles. We do a live fire out of a 6 pound Napoleon using cannister to show what cannister does. Devastating.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
05/01/2006 18:37 Comments ||
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#11
Same thing here in Oregon : a guy in town has a Napoleon 12-pounder that he fires on major holidays at the pioneer cemetary across the way from me.
#12
OT, Shieldwolf, back in 1990 I lived in Beaverton. Loved Oregon and the people there.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
05/01/2006 19:50 Comments ||
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#13
THe GWOT for the Failed/Angry Left is about saving Socialism, includ Communism, and forcing same on unsuspecting America without any side resorting to mutually destructive global nuclear war - is why America on 9-11 was attacked by ragged Government-less, nation-less terrorists, as oposed to the uniformed conventional forces and comandos of the Red Armies of Russia-China. CLINTONISM already presumes that mainstream America is pro-Socialist in general and pro-Communist or pro-Leftist-Socialist in particular. THe Dems usage of the derogatory label "FASCIST" against Dubya and GOP-Conservative led America denotes the superficial premise that SOCIALIST America suffers from poor, unreliable, dishonest, or malicious SOCIALIST NATIONAL LEADERSHIP under the GOP-Right, leadership and national conduct whose integrity and credibility can only be saved or salvaged by the antithesis of the Fascist Right , the LEFT. RIGHTIST SOCIALIST AMERIKA'S SOUL CAN THUSLY ONLY BE SALVAGED OR SAVED BY LEFT-BASED SOCIALISM, WHICH FOR THE CLINTONS AND CLINTON-LED DEMS IS MARXISM-COMMUNISM AND COMMUNIST TOTALITARIANISM. Being true to their super-PC form, the chicken-little Lefties and Commies don't call themselves what they are, but instead hide behind the all-encompassing PC label of "ANTI-FASCISM/RIGHTISM". The Dems-Leftists > CLintonian [Leftist/Marxist]SOCIALIST America can fight for "empire" as long as in the end Amerika unilaterally gives up or forcibly loses its own empire. Amerika can fight for empire but NOT keep or govern its own empire, NOR ITSELF. WITH SUCH HONEST, STALWART, "DAMN THE TORPEDOES" AND "REMEMBER PEARL HARBOR/ALAMO" POLITICIANS AS THE CLINTONS AND DEMS IN THE WHITE HOUSE TELLING THE TRUTH TO THEIR OWN PARTY AND AMERIKA'S SOCIALIST-COMMUNIST MAINSTREAM, AMERIKA WILL WIN THIS WOT FOR SURE AND RUSSIA-CHINA/COMMIE ASIA WILL LOSE [ = WILL WIN]!?
Former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell advised President George W. Bush before the Iraq war to send more troops to the country, but the administration did not follow his recommendation, Powell said in an interview broadcast Sunday.
Critics accuse Mr. Bush and U.S. Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld of failing to send enough soldiers to secure the peace in Iraq after the invasion three years ago.
Powell said he gave the advice to now retired Gen. Tommy Franks, who developed and executed the Iraq invasion plan, and Rumsfeld while the president was present.
"I made the case to Gen. Franks and Secretary Rumsfeld before the president that I was not sure we had enough troops," Powell said in an interview on Britain's ITV television, according to a transcript released by the network. "The case was made, it was listened to, it was considered... A judgment was made by those responsible that the troop strength was adequate."
"And so it was not anything that was ignored, it was considered and a judgment was made by those responsible for making military judgments that the troop strength was adequate," Powell added.
On CBS' Face The Nation, current Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the president listened to questions from all of his advisers before finalizing the war plans.
"If there were questions about troop levels, they were raised," Rice told Bob Schieffer. "The president was able to ask the Joint Chiefs of Staff directly whether or not the plan was executable, whether or not the resources were there. I was in that meeting when he asked the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and they said 'yes.'"
Powell, who served as chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff during the 1991 Gulf War, is known for his belief in deploying decisive force with a clear exit strategy in any conflict.
"The president's military advisers felt that the size of the force was adequate, they may still feel that years later. Some of us don't, I don't," Powell said. "In my perspective, I would have preferred more troops but you know, this conflict is not over."
"At the time the president was listening to those who were supposed to be providing him with military advice," Powell said. "They were anticipating a different kind of immediate aftermath of the fall of Baghdad, it turned out to be not exactly as they had anticipated."
Rice countered on Face The Nation by saying troop levels is an topic for historians to argue later.
"We are in a phase now where we see that the number of foreign forces is not really the issue, the number of coalition forces is not really the issue," she said. "The issue is what can the Iraqis contribute to their own security."
Rumsfeld has rejected criticism that he had sent too few U.S. troops to Iraq, saying that Franks and two other generals who oversaw the campaign's planning, John Abizaid and George Casey, had determined the overall number of troops, and that he and Mr. Bush agreed with them.
Powell also said in the interview he believed it was "quite appropriate" for the international community to seek to pressure Iran not to continue nuclear enrichment activities.
However, he said the "menu of sanctions could be quite limited...the ones that could get through the (U.N.) Security Council."
"We are far from a point where any prime minister or president has to sit down and say it's time for an ultimatum or something more drastic will happen," Powell said. "You never take a military option off the table, it's always an option, but I think we are far from any consideration of using such an option."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/01/2006 01:17 ||
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#1
woulda coulda shoulda. An ex-General should know better.
#2
Hehe. Powell's comments have weight. This one you can't exactly dismiss easily. I love Powell's doctrine. The man knows it.
Posted by: Rafael ||
05/01/2006 4:12 Comments ||
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#3
The Harmony documents thus far translated as well as Gen Sada's revelations suggest that Iraqi strategy for a longterm guerilla action was in place prior to OIF. Though troop strength was obviously sufficient to eliminate the Iraqi Armed Forces, the elimation of the 3rd ID's Turkish thrust from the North set the stage to potentiate the Baathist "insurgency strategy." At this point, the only real solution is the re-establishment of the Iraqi Army as a credible fighting force and the establishment of a popular and firm central government with a strong security arm. Progress thus far has been painfully slow.
#4
Rafael, Powell was Secretary of State. He was not in a position to say squat about military matters.
Hell, you know what really went wrong? After the military had taken down the Iraqi forces, State was put in charge. Powell's covering his own ass here, spinning to put the blame anywhere but the nest of traitors at Foggy Bottom.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
05/01/2006 7:13 Comments ||
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#5
Yup. Powell is trashing his own reputation here.
#7
Powell's covering his own ass here, spinning to put the blame anywhere but the nest of traitors at Foggy Bottom.
I liked Powell's way of doing things in GW1, when he said something along the lines of "we are going to find, then we are going to kill it" when refering to Saddam's military (emphasis on kill it). Maybe Powell and Rumsfeld should have traded places.
Posted by: Rafael ||
05/01/2006 15:35 Comments ||
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#8
I actually listened to the live interview. What Powell said was, during the discussions, that he said that maybe they needed more troops initially. General Tommy Franks and The Joint Chiefs Oof Staff said thay had enough. He then said that he was the Secretary of State and that the President listened to his military advisors. He didn't seem to be saying, "I told you so" at all. He gave his opinion and the ones in the know gave theirs and the President listened to his military advisors as was appropriate.
Posted by: Deacon Blues ||
05/01/2006 19:21 Comments ||
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"Terrorism is the epitome of injustice because it targets innocent people," according to a declaration issued by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA). ISNA, the largest Muslim grouping in the Untied States, which is known for its conservative views, has come out strongly in favour religions tolerance and interfaith bridge-building, while condemning terrorism and extremism as gross violations of the word and spirit of the Quran and the teachings of Islam .
The declaration published by the bi-monthly ISNA publication, Islamic Horizons, says ends do not justify means and innocent civilians should never pay the price for the misdeeds of others or be used as pawns in settling political or military conflicts. Muslims, it points out, are bound by the Quranic prohibitions of taking an innocent life, considered as one of the gravest sins in Islam. The Quran demands that Muslims act justly and impartially, even when dealing with an enemy. "Humanity lives today in an interdependent world where peaceful and fair interaction, including interfaith and intra-faith dialogue is imperative. A grave threat to all of us nowadays is the scourge of religious and political extremism that manifests itself in various forms of violence, including terrorism," ISNA points out.
The declaration says jihad is not to be equated with terrorism, since the word jihad in the Quran does not mean holy war, since there is nothing holy about war, which the Quran at one place calls a hated act. Jihad means to strive or exert effort and as used in the holy book and the hadith in three specific contexts, two of them elating to inward jiahd and social jihad. Only in the third context does it denote to the battlefield. The term used in the Quaran for war in a just cause is "qital" which is to be wages in legitimate self-defence or in the face of unprovoked aggression or in resisting severe repression on religious or other grounds. "Jihad cannot be randomly declared by individuals or groups, but rather by a legitimate authority after due consultation. The intentions of those taking part, Islam enjoins, must be pure, not tainted by personal or nationalistic agendas.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
"Let's confuse infidel a bit, lest he thinks that our true intentions are our true intentions, because that would spell an end to Islam within this century".
#2
ISLAMIC SOCIETY OF NORTH AMERICA * Islamic organization which enforces extremist Wahhabi theological writ in America's mosques
* "America has to learn, if you remain on the side of injustice, the wrath of God will come." -- former ISNA president Muzammil Siddiqi
Posted by: ed ||
05/01/2006 1:03 Comments ||
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#3
"Terrorism is the epitome of injustice because it targets innocent people," according to a declaration issued by the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA).
Did they define "innocent"? Or "terrorism"?
The declaration says jihad is not to be equated with terrorism, since the word jihad in the Quran does not mean holy war, since there is nothing holy about war, which the Quran at one place calls a hated act.
They are lying. Note the "at one place" bit -- no mention that that "one place" is later over-ridden by the injunction to slay the unbelievers where ever they're found.
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
05/01/2006 7:26 Comments ||
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This kind of thing obviously fooled the Daily Times of Pakistan.
I wonder how many newspapers in the US carried headlines or even acknowledged the ISNA action.
#5
These wouldn't be the same ISNA mentioned by Schumer would they :)?
"Meanwhile, a number of ISNA board members appear to have checkered pasts. One member, Siraj Wahhaj, was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the WTC '93 bombings. Another board member, Bassam Osman, was previously the director of the Quranic Literary Institute, an Oak Lawn, Illinois organization that had $1.4 million in assets seized by the Justice Department in June 1998 on the grounds that it was used to support Hamas terrorist activities.
#9
Koran: "9.29" - "Fight those who do not believe in Allah, nor in the latter day, nor do they prohibit what Allah and His Apostle have prohibited, nor follow the religion of truth, out of those who have been given the Book, until they pay the tax in acknowledgment of superiority and they are in a state of subjection."
New Testament: Matt. 5:43-44 - "You have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy; But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them who despitefully use you and persecute you."
ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHERS. The first step in correcting a problem is to accurately diagnose it. I am sickened when our weak-kneed politicians continually spout the phrase that Islam is "one of the world's great religions". Having millions of followers does not make it great. Ok, sure, the Koran prohibits taking an "innocent" life, but that innocence is defined by the Koran. "Unbelievers" and "Infidels" are not "innocent" accoring to the Koran, but must be destroyed. Oh, for a political figure to stand up and tell the truth!
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran have agreed to build a bilateral gas pipeline if India does not join the project to bring cheap Iranian gas to South Asia, officials said on Sunday at the conclusion of three days of technical talks.
Petroleum Secretary Ahmad Waqar, who headed the Pakistani side at the talks, told a press conference here that Pakistan and Iran had reached an agreement on basic principles of a gas pricing formula and decided to work on a bilateral Iran-Pakistan pipeline regardless of Indias involvement in the project.
Irans Deputy Oil Minister Mohammad Hadi Nejad Hosseinian, who headed an eight-member Iranian team at the talks, said he did not expect United Nations sanctions due to its nuclear programme to affect the gas pipeline to Pakistan and India or the countrys oil and gas sector.
Oil prices are very high. Sanctions against Iran extending to its energy sector will push oil prices further up in the international market. The world cannot afford such a hike in oil prices, Hosseinian said at the press conference after the two sides signed a joint statement at the conclusion of the seventh meeting of the Pakistan-Iran Joint Working Group.
Waqar also played down the threat of sanctions against Iran. Pakistan is viewing this project keeping in view its national interests. We need energy to sustain economic growth, he added.
Waqar said that a broad-based agreement had been reached on pricing. However, Pakistan and Iran will continue to examine each others proposals on pricing, he said, adding that Iran would provide a Gas Sales Purchase Agreement (GSPA) to Pakistan in a week and we will reciprocate as early as possible. Both sides agreed to a project structure wherein gas would be delivered at the Iran-Pakistan border under a supply agreement. Waqar said that the pipeline will run through the Bhong area in Rahim Yar Khan district.
He said they also agreed to enhance off-take volume from 2.1 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd) to 2.8 bcfd in case the project was implemented bilaterally. The two sides also agreed to develop a joint declaration, signifying the commitment of the governments to the project, for signing in a ministerial meeting in June in Tehran. According to a written statement distributed at the press conference, the JWG examined financial, commercial, technical and legal aspects of the project. Major issues discussed included gas pricing, project structure, project feasibility, gas off-take volumes and the GSPA.
The next JWG meeting will be held in Islamabad on May 25, while petroleum ministers from both countries will meet in Tehran in June. Waqar said that the construction cost for Pakistan is likely to be $2-2.5 billion. He said that the president and prime minister envisioned Pakistan becoming an energy corridor for China.
He said it was also possible to lay two parallel pipelines to meet India and Pakistans energy requirements Things still have to be sorted out at bilateral level, he said. Hosseinian said that Iran had reserved enough gas for the IPI pipeline to meet both Pakistan and Indias energy needs. If there were a gas shortage, Iran could reserve gas in other fields, he added.
Posted by: john ||
05/01/2006 20:53 ||
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I imagine that once Iran and the M²s are sorted out, that there may be a chance to build a gas pipeline to India from Iran. Until then, a new gas pipeline is just new targeting data.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
05/01/2006 21:25 Comments ||
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SRINAGAR: A six-member delegation of the moderate faction of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference will meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday (tomorrow). APHC Chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq told reporters that they would not list any demands and rather give suggestions for a political resolution of the Kashmir issue. The delegation will include Abdul Gani Bhat, Maulana Abass Ansari, Bilal Gani Lone, Fazal Haq Qureshi and Aga Syed Hassan Al Safvi Al Mousvi. Hurriyat held the first round of talks with Singh in Delhi on September 5, 2005.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2006 20:06 ||
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The Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) on Sunday protested the alleged opening of an US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) office at Chitral, threatening action if the office was not closed.
"We don't need no damned furriners around here, sniffin' 'round our wimmin!"
An MMA protest rally marched from Chew Bridge to Ataleeq, where a public meeting was held in which the religious alliance leaders delivered speeches. Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Chitral amir presided over the rally while Shabbir Ahmad, the JI naib ameer, and other MMA leaders attended the rally. The speakers accused President Pervez Musharraf of kowtowing to US President George W Bush's agenda. They unanimously passed a resolution against the opening of the FBI office at Chitral, saying the area was peaceful and that there was no need for an FBI office there.
"What's a bunch of Merkins know about lawnorder? We got our own kinda lawnorder around here! We got miscreants, we just convenes a jirga or a panchayat and that takes care o' the problem in no time flat! That's why we're so peaceful around here! That's why Pakland is a model of peace and stability!"
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2006 00:00 ||
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Nepal's new premier has called on Maoist rebels fighting a decade-long insurgency to renounce violence and join talks to bring peace to the troubled Himalayan nation. In his first short speech to parliament since it reformed on Friday after a four-year break, Girija Prasad Koirala, 84, said he wanted the rebels to improve upon last week's declaration of a three-month cease-fire.
"Maoists have already declared a cease-fire. I request them to renounce violence and come to the process of dialogue," he said to applause from legislators. Mr Koirala however did not make direct reference to the rebels' key demand for a body to draw up a new constitution and limit the powers of King Gyanendra. The monarch was forced to hand over absolute control of Nepal last week after weeks of nationwide protests. But Mr Koirala said he would stay committed to an agreement signed between the Maoists and a seven-party opposition alliance.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2006 00:00 ||
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Mao said "Power comes from the barrel of a gun".
I hope PM Koirala doesn't need a few years of "reeducation" in a maoist death camp to realize what he is dealing with...
Posted by: john ||
05/01/2006 19:17 Comments ||
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A human rights tribunal has found that religious minorities in the central India state of Madhya Pradesh feel insecure and are unable to participate in the mainstream economic and political process. With the change of government, communal forces have been spreading their tentacles and strengthening their roots in society in the past 15 years and the frequency and magnitude of physical attacks on minority communities have increased significantly, according to preliminary findings of the eight-member Indian Peoples Tribunal (IPT) on Environment and Human Rights headed by Justice M. Kalla, a former chief justice of the Rajasthan High Court. The IPT said that in all the places that its members visited Christians and Muslims complained that police officers routinely refused to register cases and often named the complainants as accused.
The report said communal forces had targeted Christians and their institutions in the name of stopping conversions. Splinter groups of the Hindu right wing have systematically attacked churches, individuals in their homes and Christian educational institutions. Although attacks on the Christian community have been reported regularly in urban areas, the focus recently shifted to rural tribal areas.
As far as targeting the Muslim community is concerned, the panel found three patterns:
Planned attempts have been made to appropriate Islamic places of worship through various means by distorting history,
Relatively well-off Muslims have been targeted so as to break the backbone of the community and
Muslims of lower socioeconomic background, especially those engaged in cattle trading, harassed by right-wing Hindus as well as the administration, thereby threatening their livelihood.
In most places, the panel found that anti-minority violence was planned and systematic and that the administration played a proactive role. This has resulted in minority communities having been isolated physically, psychologically and economically. However, they have not responded aggressively, even though they have lost confidence in the police, administration and the judiciary.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2006 00:00 ||
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Registration required, here's article. Anyone got that great pic of him?
CAMP PENDLETON It has become one of the iconic pictures of the war in Iraq: blood-soaked Marine 1st Sgt. Brad Kasal, grim-faced and still clutching his service pistol, being helped from a firefight by two younger Marines.
Although wounded by seven AK-47 rounds and hit by more than 40 pieces of hot shrapnel from a grenade, Kasal refused to quit fighting and is credited with saving the lives of several Marines during the U.S. assault on insurgent strongholds in Fallouja in November 2004.
"He was hurt bad, but for the most part, he was more worried about his Marines than himself," said then-Cpl. R.J. Mitchell, one of the Marines involved in the firefight in a two-story stucco house.
Kasal has undergone 21 surgeries and months of painful rehabilitation to repair his injuries and attempt to save his right leg.
Today, the 39-year-old Iowa native will be promoted to sergeant major, the highest enlisted rank in the Marine Corps, and receive the Navy Cross for combat bravery, second only to the Medal of Honor. Only nine others have received the Navy Cross for service in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Maj. Gen. Richard Natonski, commanding general of the 1st Marine Division, said Kasal "set an example for future generations of combat leaders to emulate."
The picture, taken by Lucian Read, a photographer for World Picture News who was embedded with the Marines, has been widely reprinted. It was used on the back cover of "No True Glory," an account of the fight for Fallouja by Bing West, the premier historian of Marines in combat in Iraq.
Kasal, in his second tour in Iraq, was with the Weapons Company, 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, during the assault. At the height of the fighting Nov. 13, Marines were going door to door. Insurgents were often waiting upstairs to rain down AK-47 fire and grenades.
When Kasal learned that three Marines were pinned down in one house, he and other Marines went to their aid.
Once inside the house, Kasal barked orders to younger Marines to cover vantage spots where insurgents might be hiding. He turned into one room and immediately ran into an insurgent who cried out in Arabic. The two exchanged gunfire; the insurgent missed and Kasal killed him.
Other insurgents fired at the Marines from upstairs, hitting Kasal and others. Kasal fought his way to a wounded Marine and used a tourniquet on his leg to keep him from bleeding to death. When he spotted an insurgent's grenade, he sheltered the wounded Marine with his body to protect him from the blast.
Kasal refused medical attention until other Marines were helped and made sure Marines in the street knew there were Marines inside so none would be hit by so-called friendly fire.
"Although severely wounded himself, he shouted encouragement to his fellow Marines," the Navy Cross citation states. By the time he was evacuated, Kasal had lost about 60% of his blood and was barely conscious.
Marines who knew Kasal before the fight were not surprised at his actions. "He led by example always," said Mitchell, 26, who was wounded for the fourth time during the fight and is now medically retired from the Marine Corps and studying to be a motorcycle mechanic in Phoenix.
Kasal said the picture and the acclaim it has brought him should not overshadow the actions of other Marines in the same fight. "That house was full of heroes," he said.
Doctors initially told Kasal that his right leg below the knee was so badly mangled it might not be saved, and that subjecting himself to surgeries and rehabilitation could prove futile. Four inches of bone had been shot away.
Kasal opted against amputation, knowing that it would mean the end of his career in the Marines. "I decided to gut it out and work through the pain," he said. "I wanted to do whatever was needed to keep it going."
Six days a week, he does two to four hours of rehabilitation. Recently, the onetime high school wrestler and football player was able to run for the first time since Fallouja. "It wasn't pretty, but I was able to do it," he said.
Kasal, who is single, has been assigned to a recruiting station in Des Moines. He did three years as a recruiter in the 1990s in Minnesota, the only stretch in his 21 years in the Marine Corps in which he has not been assigned to an infantry company.
His goal is to get strong enough to return to the infantry and go back to Iraq. "We started it; we need to finish it," he said. "I believe in what we're doing. I'd go back in a heartbeat."
#1
"He was hurt bad, but for the most part, he was more worried about his Marines than himself,"
Isn't that in the definition of a good Marine (or Soldier, Airman, or Sailor)?
I'm in no way minimizing his heroism, but the more I learn about our service members in combat, the more I think that the phrase "uncommon valor was a common virtue" still applies way beyond Iwo Jima.
Awe isn't a strong enough word for what I feel toward our heroes.
#2
What surprises me is that we haven't seen more high decorations coming out of Iraq. One Medal of Honor, IIRC.
Posted by: Matt ||
05/01/2006 14:50 Comments ||
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#3
And Afghanistan.
Posted by: Matt ||
05/01/2006 14:50 Comments ||
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Article: Kasal, who is single, has been assigned to a recruiting station in Des Moines. He did three years as a recruiter in the 1990s in Minnesota, the only stretch in his 21 years in the Marine Corps in which he has not been assigned to an infantry company.
It's too bad he won't hang up his rifle. I think it's time he let the young 'uns take over.
#5
I suspect that the *** apparent *** low number of medals may have to do with the nature of the fights: mostly small skirmishes against inferior opponents.
Face it, despite MSM's best efforts to suggest otherwise, the casualty rate is pretty low, and most of that is against IEDs. Actual casualty rates in stand-up fights are minimal, indicative of an enemy that is pretty ineffective at such fights. There is little opportunity for "above and beyond" citations when you so outclass the enemy that you wipe them out at will just by following your training. (Not to denigrate the troops who are in those fights, of course)
I suppose that the correct comparison for medal counts would be with the banana republic fights in the 20th century --both the ones in the early part of the century *and* Grenada and Panama.
Posted by: Carl in N.H. ||
05/01/2006 15:12 Comments ||
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#6
Carl may be right, but this is still very impressive. Kudos to Brad Kasal!
#9
Seems like historically a disproportionate number of the big medals go to officers, and disproportionately to officers above Lt. as well. Given the small unit nature of these conflicts a lot of engagements will not include officers above Lt., so less medals will be issued.
That, plus maybe some embarassment in the services about the Kerry-style Bronze Star (v).
#11
Matt: What surprises me is that we haven't seen more high decorations coming out of Iraq. One Medal of Honor, IIRC.
Fewer opportunities to get killed. During WWII, we had an army of 8 million fighting armies of millions. The other side did not have superior firepower, but they attacked with air strikes, massed artillery, tanks, throughout the war. Nothing like that in Iraq. Total Iraqi insurgent force is probably no more than tens of thousands, tops. I'm fine with less medals, because that also correlates with a lower friendly body count. A lot of medals were awarded during Vietnam, but we also lost about 60,000 dead.
#14
"Although severely wounded himself, he shouted encouragement to his fellow Marines," the Navy Cross citation states. By the time he was evacuated, Kasal had lost about 60% of his blood and was barely conscious.
All that remains is for us, as individuals and as a nation, to figure out how we can remain worthy of such valor on the part of our warriors. We are in dire risk of no longer deserving them. In the near future, our constitution will be more deserving of such courage than most people on the street.
The top U.S. general on the ground in Iraq warned Saturday that a surge in violence was likely in coming months as Iraq's new government began its full term in office.
Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli, commander of U.S.-led troops in Iraq, said that despite political progress and the growing competence of Iraqi security forces, troops are still fighting a bloody insurgency.
"There's nothing about this that I would [call] peacekeeping," he said. "We're in a fight."
At least 70 U.S. troops were killed in April, the highest toll in five months. A soldier died Saturday when his vehicle struck a roadside bomb southwest of Baghdad.
Chiarelli spent Saturday in Baqubah, about 35 miles northeast of the capital, addressing Iraqi and American troops. In recent weeks, rebels have mounted a series of bold, large-scale attacks in an effort to gain control of the ethnically and religiously mixed city, the capital of Diyala province.
On Thursday, rebels launched mortar rounds at an Iraqi army base and then simultaneously attacked four police stations. Up to 100 insurgents battled for hours with Iraqi security forces, using mortar launchers, rocket-propelled grenades and small arms.
Attacks came in waves throughout the day. One Iraqi soldier and 17 insurgents were killed, the U.S. military said, and U.S. commanders called in gunships to strike rebels hidden in orchards. There was sporadic fighting in Baqubah on Friday, but authorities then locked down the city, ordering a curfew that lasted until Saturday.
Despite the need for American backup, Chiarelli said, Iraqi soldiers and police officers fought side by side to fend off the rebels and stood their ground.
Traveling from his Baghdad headquarters to Baqubah in a phalanx of Black Hawk and Apache helicopters, Chiarelli was accompanied by several Iraqi generals, including the deputy commander of the Iraqi army, Lt. Gen. Nasier Abadi.
"By this heroic action, you have written a new chapter in the book of major exploits of the new Iraqi army," Abadi told soldiers from Iraq's 2nd Brigade, 5th Division. "You were able to conquer fear and uncertainty, and demonstrate how the will to win makes a difference in combat, leading to victory and defeat of the terrorists."
After the ceremony, Chiarelli addressed the team of U.S. military advisors who work to support the Iraqi soldiers. "Let us know if there's anything you need," he told the troops.
"Keep the helmets coming," answered Capt. John Wayne McFarlin. A sniper's bullet had hit his helmet during the gun battle and nearly pierced it.
"What we're seeing now, the upsurge in violence, is all about destabilizing the government," Chiarelli said in an interview as he traveled back to Baghdad. "It's a strategy to push up violence to take away the focus from what the prime minister is doing.
"I'll expect the violence to be high in the first months of the new government."
Parliament endorsed a deal on April 22 that designated Shiite politician Nouri Maliki as prime minister. He has 30 days from the time he was named to the post to put together a Cabinet, which will be Iraq's first permanent government since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.
In the past, violence has surged around key political events such as elections.
"Zarqawi is starting to run out of events," said Chiarelli, referring to Abu Musab Zarqawi, the leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq.
Abadi, seated across from Chiarelli in the Black Hawk, likened a recent video message from Zarqawi to one of the last appearances by ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein before the invasion of Baghdad. Hussein stood atop a car, telling the crowd not to surrender.
"That was his grandstand, and it went to the pits after that," Abadi said. The appearance by Zarqawi, firing a machine gun, was intended "to show might, to show power," he said. "We have the same pattern repeating itself."
Chiarelli's comments echoed those of President Bush, who in his weekly radio address from Washington on Saturday warned of "more days of sacrifice and struggle."
The American casualty count in April, more than twice the previous month, broke a downward trend begun in November. Most of the toll came in Baghdad and volatile Al Anbar province, the western area that is the heart of the Sunni Arab-led insurgency.
Authorities in Baghdad said they found five bodies on Saturday, and two roadside bombs injured five police officers.
Six bodies were found in Dora, on the southern edge of the capital. All of the victims had been handcuffed and blindfolded, and showed signs of torture.
Near Tall Afar in northwestern Iraq, hospital officials reported that an adult and two children were killed when a mortar round hit their house. In Ramadi, clashes continued between U.S. troops and rebels. A number of rockets hit the provincial government building downtown, police said. There were no reports of casualties.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/01/2006 01:33 ||
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"Keep the helmets coming," answered Capt. John Wayne McFarlin. A sniper's bullet had hit his helmet during the gun battle and nearly pierced it.
A new estimate by one of Iraq's vice presidents has put the number of people who have fled their homes at 100,000, exceeding recent projections by other Iraqi officials and further clouding the debate over how deeply sectarian conflicts are affecting the nation.
The latest estimate was made by Adel Abdul Mahdi, a Shiite leader selected as one of two vice presidents, but it was not clear where he had gotten his information. On Friday he had suggested the number was 100,000 families, but today corrected it to say that 100,000 people were living as refugees.
In an interview last week, the Iraqi national security adviser, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, said 13,750 families had been displaced, which could mean about 70,000 to 80,000 people.
The conflicting numbers speak to the difficulty in estimating how many people are fleeing the violence, when most are believed to be finding shelter with relatives or friends.
And both estimates contrast with statements by American military leaders, who have said there is no "widespread movement" of Iraqis fleeing from sectarian fighting.
Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch, a senior American military spokesman in Baghdad, says reports of a huge number of displaced persons and refugees appear to be overblown.
"We see reports of tens of thousands of families displaced here in Iraq, and we chase down each and every one of those reports," he said Thursday. "But we have seen some displacement, pockets of families moving, but not in large numbers."
"Some of them truly are moving because they're concerned about their own personal security or their family's security, I'm sure of that," General Lynch said. "Some of them are moving for economic reasons. Some of them are moving to be with their families. But we're not seeing internally displaced persons at the rate which causes us alarm."
But Iraqi officials say that people who live in areas where they are part of an ethnic or religious minority face continual threats, including in places far from Baghdad.
Sheik Omar al-Jibouri, a human rights officer with the Iraqi Islamic Party, a large Sunni Arab group, said that in Zubayr, a suburb of Basra, Sunnis are being increasingly warned to leave. At least 60 Sunnis were killed there in the past month, he said.
"Leaflets fill the streets saying, 'Leave this district, Wahhabis!' " Mr. Jibouri said Saturday. "Neither students nor officials can work" if they are Sunnis, because of the threats, he said.
In Baghdad, 10 bodies were discovered Saturday in three neighborhoods, all shot in the head with signs of torture, an Interior Ministry official said. The United States military reported that an American soldier was killed about 4 p.m. Saturday by a roadside bomb southwest of Baghdad. And the Marines reported that a car bomb in Qaim, in western Iraq, had killed three civilians. Agence France-Presse reported that at least six Iraqi security force members were killed Saturday.
By itself, the terrorist group Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia says it has carried out 800 suicide attacks in Iraq in the past three years, not including attacks by "other mujahedeen," according to Ayman al-Zawahiri, the No. 2 Qaeda leader, who made the statement in a video posted on the Internet on Saturday.
"This is what has broken the back of America in Iraq," Mr. Zawahiri said, according to a translation by the SITE Institute, which tracks violent insurgent groups. "America, Britain and their allies have achieved nothing but losses, disasters and misfortunes."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/01/2006 01:21 ||
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#1
I'm busy minding my own business, reading rantburg and then ... after one sentence, just one, I think to myself, "this has got to be NYT BS". I click the link and ... well, what do you know...NYT.
I didn't even get past the first sentence and already it was clear!!! I know that for the true intel types there are treasures to be found in flea markets like this. However, as someone who no longer has the time or inclination to sift through the piles of junk like this, should anyone else find a jewel among these rags, could you pass it on for the rest of us??? Thanks.
#2
yipes sorry about that last post. I was reeeally tired last night - so I'm not sure what my point was other than I get tired of reading the deeply sectarian doom gloom macros by the NYT reporters instead of real reporting.
#3
"The latest estimate was made by Adel Abdul Mahdi, a Shiite leader selected as one of two vice presidents, but it was not clear where he had gotten his information. On Friday he had suggested the number was 100,000 families, but today corrected it to say that 100,000 people were living as refugees."
#4
It's not clear where all these DPs are moving *to*. Iran or Kurdistan? We haven't had any reports of any refugee camps, have we? And if there *were* refugee camps, I would tend to regard them as terror training camps, more like Sadr City or Ein-el-Hellhole. Even if an Iraqi camp didn't start that way, that is surely how it would end up.
#6
"er maybe it was a million! Yeah a million ...uh families! Yeah, that's the ticket!"
Posted by: Frank G ||
05/01/2006 12:17 Comments ||
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#7
Sea
From what ive read theyre moving internally. Shia are moving to Najaf, Sunnis are moving to Anbar. Some are just moving to different parts of Baghdad. And theyre often taken in by relatives, etc. I did see a report a few weeks ago of a camp being set up in Najaf for Shia refugees from Baghdad, but havent seen any follow up. My take is that while the numbers be exagerrated it is going on. There are clearly at least a few neighborhoods in Baghdad, and parts of the "triangle of death" just South of Baghdad, where its almost suicidal to remain if youre in the wrong sect. But you dont have to go real far to find someplace much safer. Im not sure if the numbers are as small as I think they are cause there are still safe mixed areas, or if there were never that many mixed areas in Baghdad to begine with.
#8
That's more-or-less what I was thinking, LH. Surely if there were a large number of refugees setting up some sort of camp, we'd have 24-hour handwringing on the teevee.
SOON after he graduated near the top of his class at the American-run police academy, Alah defected. He did not bother to inform his superiors. The young Iraqi police officer simply walked into a recruitment office in a rundown neighbourhood of Baghdad and signed on for the Mahdi Army, the private militia run by the radical young cleric Moqtada al-Sadr that has been blamed for some of the most savage atrocities in this city in recent weeks.
The 23-year-old absconder described it as a career move. The pay was better, the duties less onerous and there was far less chance of being killed.
Three years after President Bush declared mission accomplished in Iraq, young gunslingers such as Alah are what passes for the law across much of this city today.
Nobody knows for sure the strength of Iraqs militias, but they certainly outnumber the 120,000-strong police force that estimates it is losing several hundred recruits a month. This is the only country where police and soldiers have it written into their contracts that they can leave on a whim without being punished.
Alahs defection is a blow to attempts to rebuild Iraq. Western money and manpower trained him to replace the British and US forces. But, with young recruits deserting in ever growing numbers, the prospect of a swift pullout recedes still further.
Nouri al-Maliki, the new Iraqi Prime Minister, has sworn to put Alah and his kind out of business. Although most of Mr al-Malikis countrymen applaud that idea, they are intrigued to see how he can disband the militias without provoking even more bloodletting.
Dressed in the black uniform of the Mahdi Army, Alah told The Times that with his father dead, and as the oldest of ten children, it was his responsibility to be the main wage earner.
After years working on building sites and a stint as a conscript in Saddams army, Alah was out of work when he was picked to join the elite ranks of the police rapid reaction force, dealing with riots and terrorist attacks. He knew the risks. No police force on Earth has suffered more casualties this year, but he felt that the £140-a-month salary was worth it. But al-Mahdi pays him a lot more.
Alah was brought up in a Shia neighbourhood but laughs at the idea that it was religious conviction that encouraged him to join the ranks of the Mahdi Army. It is an attractive package, he says, weighing up the economic advantages offered by the militia, such as a pledge to take care of Alahs family if anything happens to him. He and his colleagues do as they please. They do not bother with warrants before searching premises, and can open fire at will.
As well as dispensing rough justice, al-Mahdi is behind the increasingly oppressive campaign against antisocial behaviour, which means harassing young women in the street. Yet in its heartland of Sadr City, a teeming slum northeast of the capital, there is no denying that Alah and the dozen other young men in his platoon are respected and feared by local families who claim to have lost faith in the police.
However, it is often hard to distinguish between the two as the militias regularly wear identical blue uniforms, carry the same weapons and drive blue- and-white marked squad cars.
Alah refuses to say whether he has been responsible for the death of anyone in uniform, or taken part in attacks in which civilians have been killed. More than 160 Iraqis have died in violent attacks during the past week, most of them perpe- trated by militias.
Alah and his colleagues roar around Baghdad in a fleet of powerful US-manufactured vehicles, sirens wailing and guns pointing out of the windows as they carve through the citys choking traffic jams.
At one stage, two of his team navigated a roundabout in opposite directions in a race to be the first to reach one of the citys main dual carriageways. At the tail of this cavalcade was a Toyota pick-up truck with four men, their faces hidden by black balaclavas, hanging on to a heavy machinegun.
The police melt away at the sight of them, recognising that they would come off second-best in a skirmish. To show their contempt for US forces, these unlicensed private armies race around close to the fortified green zone, where the international community and the Prime Minister-elect are in residence.
Mr al-Maliki recognises the scale of the problem that he faces in amalgamating the militias into the countrys security forces when 11 of his main political rivals in parliament run their own armies.
He was supported by the countrys most revered cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who said that only government forces should carry guns. But hours later Mr al-Sadr contested this, saying that the Shia population felt safe only when his army was on the streets.
Alah makes it clear that he has no intention of going back to his old job. I much prefer this life, he says, patting the police-issue Glock pistol hanging from his hip.
* President Talabani has held talks with insurgent groups to secure a ceasefire after at least two dozen people died during a weekend of bombings and drive-by shootings. The President said that he was optimistic that a truce could be agreed.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/01/2006 01:10 ||
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Yes, being a thug is a much easier life than actually building a civil society. Goodbye, and good riddance, you loser.
BAGHDAD - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said on Sunday he had met insurgents and a deal to end violence could be reached with some groups. I believe that a deal could be reached with seven armed groups that visited me, Talabani said in a statement released by his office.
The statement said U.S. officials took part in the discussions. The wording of the statement indicated that Talabani was referring to Sunni Arab insurgents. There are other groups, excluding the Saddamists and Zarqawi types, who are involved in military operations to remove the occupiers and these are the ones who we are seeking to hold a dialogue with and to include them in the political processs.
Get that deal done and we're just about finished with this phase of Iraq.
A U.S. embassy spokeswoman said the U.S. position has always been to try to persuade insurgents to join the political process who are not associated with Saddam Hussein or Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, the Al Qaeda leader in Iraq. U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said last year that U.S. officials had long had contact with people claiming to represent Sunni Arab insurgent groups.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/01/2006 00:00 ||
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"Get that deal done and we're just about finished with this phase of Iraq"
IIUC, there are like a half dozen different groups, other than the AQniks. If the Iraqi govt is going to be tough in negotiations, as they should be, I very much doubt they'll get a deal with all of them immediately. A deal with one or two of the saner ones would make things easier, and MIGHT be a tipping point, but Id be reluctant to use language that might be interpretated as "death throes" (And yes, I realize "end of this phase" doesnt necessarily mean that)
A former top CIA spy says the United States deliberately turned down several opportunities to kill terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the lead-up to the Iraq war. Mike Scheuer headed the CIA's bin Laden unit for six years before resigning in 2004. He has told the ABC's Four Corners program the Bush administration had Zarqawi in its sights almost every day for a year. He says a plan to destroy Zarqawi's training camp in Kurdistan was abandoned for diplomatic reasons.
"The reasons the intelligence service got for not shooting Zarqawi was simply that the President and the National Security Council decided it was more important not to give the Europeans the impression we were gunslingers," he said. "Mr Bush had Mr Zarqawi in his sights for almost every day for a year before the invasion of Iraq and he didn't shoot because they were wining and dining the French in an effort to get them to assist us in the invasion of Iraq." The full story will air on Four Corners tonight on ABC television.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2006 00:00 ||
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I know that what I'm supposed to get out of this is some sort of washing away the sins for Mike Scheuer screwing up and letting bin Laden get away and 911 happening - Bush Bad!! - and all of that...
But what I'm getting out of this is that the French government was protecting Zarqawi and is working actively against us with the Islamists before the war even started.
#5
I don't believe a word of this. No x-CIA is that stupid to lay his head on the anvil these days.
Want to bet? He's not just ex-CIA, he's a published ex-CIA agent. From Wikpedia:
Michael Scheuer is a 22-year CIA veteran. He served as the Chief of the bin Laden Unit at the Counterterrorist Center from 1996 to 1999. He resigned from the CIA in 2004. He is currently a News Analyst for CBS News as well as a Terrorism Analyst for the Jamestown Foundation's online publication Global Terrorism Analysis. Scheuer is now known to be the anonymous author of Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror and the earlier anonymous work Through Our Enemies' Eyes: Osama bin Laden, Radical Islam, and the Future of America.[2]
Posted by: Steve ||
05/01/2006 15:31 Comments ||
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I'm not disputing the accuracy, but It is important to remember that Mr. Scheuer's information is a bit dated. We were fighting the war a bit differently at that time. Tactics have changed substantially since pre-invasion times. In hind-sight (which is generally 20x20), yes indeed, it would have been nice if this fellow had been vaporized.
#7
Another thought if I may. What credit does the Scheuer report bring to the issue, or what goodness will it support? The answer appears to be none at all, other than produce yet another session of darkness cursing and Bush bashing. Just another "what if" liberal media spin party.
#8
OK, short history of Zarqawi leading up to time in question: Upon his release from prison in 1999, Zarqawi was involved in an attempt to blow up the Radisson SAS Hotel in Amman, Jordan where many Israeli and American tourists lodged. He fled Jordan and travelled to Peshawar, Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border. In Afghanistan, Zarqawi established a militant training camp near Herat. According to the Bush administration, the training camp specialized in poisons and explosives. Jordanian and European intelligence agencies claim that Zarqawi formed the group Jund al-Sham in 1999 with $200,000 of startup money from Osama bin Laden. The group originally consisted of 150 members. It was infiltrated by members of Jordanian intelligence and scattered by Operation Enduring Freedom but in March 2005, a group of the same name claimed responsibility for a bombing in Doha, Qatar. [6] Sometime in 2001, Zarqawi was arrested in Jordan but was soon released. Later, he was convicted in absentia and sentenced to death for plotting the attack on the Radisson SAS Hotel.[7]
After the September 11 attacks, Zarqawi again travelled to Afghanistan and was allegedly wounded in a U.S. bombardment. He moved to Iran to organize al-Tawhid, his former militant organization. Zarqawi supposedly traveled to Iraq to have his wounded leg treated at a hospital run by Uday Hussein. In the summer of 2002, Zarqawi was reported to have settled in northern Iraq, where he joined the Islamist Ansar al-Islam group that fought against Kurdish-nationalist forces in the region. [8] He reportedly became a leader in the group, although his leadership role has not been established. In Colin Powell's notorious February 2003 speech to the United Nations urging war against Iraq, Zarqawi was cited as an example of Saddam Hussein's support for terrorism. In his speech, Powell mistakenly referred to Zarqawi as a Palestinian but Powell and the Bush administration continued to stand by statements that Zarqawi linked Saddam Hussein to al-Qaeda. At the time, Zarqawi's group was a rival of bin Laden's.
Now we've reached the time in question. Zarq is supposedly in one of the Ansar camps in northern Iraq. Some people were calling for airstrikes, some wanted us to hold off while diplomatic moves were continuing. The diplomats won. When the war started, if I remember correctly, SF working with the Kurds rolled Ansar pretty quick, with the head turbans running for the Iranian border. At the time, Zarq was not a household name, just a up-and-coming thug.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/01/2006 15:54 Comments ||
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File this under more useless non-sense from Scheuer. Warmed over spit from the loony fringe.
While Zarq had his camp in the NE, there was absolutely no foreknowledge of his specific whereabouts. Around that same time, he was none to have been involved in the killing of US diplomat Foley in Jordan, the London ricin attacks, etc.
Posted by: Captain America ||
05/01/2006 22:42 Comments ||
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Bombs and drive-by shootings killed 10 people yesterday, and the bodies of seven Iraqi men who apparently had been kidnapped and tortured in captivity were found in three different areas of Baghdad, police said. The deadliest attack yesterday involved a roadside bomb that exploded on a highway south of the capital, killing three security contractors and wounding two. Police said the casualties were all British, but Britain's Foreign Office said the dead were not British and that it could only confirm that one of the two wounded was.
Despite the violence, Iraqi Prime Minister-designate Nuri Al-Maliki continued to meet with politicians to choose his Cabinet for Iraq's new national unity government one aimed at calming sectarian tensions and luring disaffected Sunni Arabs away from the insurgency. Al-Maliki has promised to finish the job in the next two weeks, but it could be difficult for him to fill top Cabinet posts with politicians who are not affiliated with parties that have maintained armed militias being blamed for sectarian violence.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2006 00:00 ||
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President Jalal Talabani met recently with representatives of seven armed groups and is optimistic they may agree to lay down their arms, his office said yesterday. "I think we may reach an agreement with seven armed groups that visited me and I met with them," his office said in a statement without indicating when the meeting took place. Talabani's spokesman Kamran Qaradaghi refused to identify the seven groups, although they were presumed to be Sunni Arab insurgents.
It was the first time a senior Iraqi official has acknowledged meeting with figures from the insurgency, although US officials have said privately they have conferred directly with Iraqis who claimed to have contacts with insurgents. Last year, Talabani offered to meet with representatives of insurgent groups except Al-Qaeda in Iraq or Saddam Hussein loyalists.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2006 00:00 ||
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probably small groups that have been quietly coordinating their activities with us anyway
ISRAEL'S prime minister-designate Ehud Olmert has denounced Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as a "psychopath" and said the West would never permit Iran to obtain a nuclear bomb. "Ahmadinejad talks today like Hitler spoke before seizing power," said Mr Olmert in an interview with the German newspaper Bild.
"We are dealing with a psychopath of the worst kind, with an anti-Semite. God forbid this man from ever getting his hands on nuclear weapons." The Israeli leader indicated, however, that the matter was not being left in God's hands alone.
Meir Dagan, the head of Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency, travelled to Washington last week to meet the CIA and pass on Israel's latest findings on Iran's nuclear progress. According to Israeli sources, Jerusalem believes that Iran is closer to nuclear capability than is generally realised. An Israeli satellite launched last week from a Russian cosmodrome in Siberia began sending high-resolution photographs over the weekend which Israeli experts termed "amazing". However, Mr Dagan's report in Washington was based on information acquired earlier.
In Mr Olmert's interview with Bild, he indicated that Israel did not intend to take the lead in the confrontation with Iran, leaving that to the international community. "The West, above all under the leadership of the United States, will ensure that Iran under no circumstances comes to possess unconventional weapons," he said. If, however, the West fails to take action, Israel has always left open the possibility that it would itself launch an attack against Iranian nuclear development facilities. "When I read the recent (intelligence) reports regarding Iran," said Yuval Steinitz, chairman of the Knesset's foreign affairs and defence committee, "I saw a monster in the making." The committee oversees Mossad.
London's Sunday Times quoted an Israeli source yesterday as saying that Mossad had evidence of hidden uranium-enrichment sites in Iran "which can shortcut their timetable in the race for their first bomb". The source said Mr Dagan presented US officials with Mossad's evidence and told them: "This is what we know and this is what we'll do if you continue to do nothing."
The International Atomic Energy Agency issued a report early on Saturday accusing Tehran of failing to comply with a UN Security Council deadline to freeze its nuclear fuel enrichment and instead defiantly speeding up its nuclear activities. The eight-page IAEA report said Iran had drastically curtailed its co-operation with inspectors, making it increasingly difficult to track Tehran's nuclear program. The agency expressed deep concern over the "gaps" in its knowledge about Iran's centrifuge program and the role of Iran's military in nuclear development.
Iranian leaders took a defiant stance. The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, said Iran's uranium enrichment program was "irreversible". Former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani said the world had to adjust to a new situation as it had regarding Galileo's theory of the universe. "Back then, no one believed his theory, but now we all revolve around the sun," he said.
US President George W. Bush, who has pointedly kept alive the military option if all else fails to stop Iran's nuclear program, issued a restrained statement following the IAEA finding. "Iran's desire to have a nuclear weapon is dangerous," he said, but a diplomatic solution would be sought. This effort, Mr Bush said, was "just beginning". The US is preparing to seek a UN resolution under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter which would make the UN's demands on Iran mandatory. The chapter leaves open the possibility of military action as a last resort.
Last week, Mr Ahmadinejad said he did "not give a damn" about UN resolutions. The Iranian leader has called for Israel to be "wiped off the map" and expressed doubts that the Holocaust ever occurred. Although Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said Mr Ahmadinejad had been referring only to the fall of the Israeli regime, the Iranian President earlier this month called Israel "a rotten, dried tree" that would be swept away by "one storm".
#3
Unfortunately this comparison suffers from the boy-who-cried-wolf syndrome. It's been so debased through ridiculous gratuitous overuse, that people don't take it seriously when it actually does apply.
GAZA - Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said on Sunday he expected the funding crisis that has crippled his administration and prevented employees salaries being paid for more than a month to be over very, very soon. Haniyeh, a leader of the militant group Hamas, which heads the Palestinian government, gave no details on how the crunch would be resolved, but it is expected to involve payments being made directly to Palestinian Authority employees from abroad.
The Hamas-led government, which is $1.3 billion in debt and has no income, cannot afford to pay its 165,000 employees. It is also unable to receive transfers from abroad because local, regional and international banks fear sanctions by the United States, which correctly regards Hamas as a terrorist organisation. I can say that very, very soon we will have begun ending the crisis of the salaries, Haniyeh told reporters. The Palestinian government has been exerting maximum effort in the past few weeks to afford the needs of the Palestinian people and the salaries of the public sector employees.
It's been world-class begging and crying.
Palestinian parliamentary sources say the Cairo-based Arab League is preparing to make direct transfers to the accounts of government employees, bypassing the government.
Also bypassing a lot of graft, but I don't think that's the intention.
The sources said the Hamas-run finance ministry had sent a list of the names and bank account details of the 165,000 employees to the Arab League, and that the League would shortly arrange to pay two months worth of salaries directly.
Arab League officials were not immediately available to comment. The monthly wage bill for the Palestinian Authority runs to about $118 million. March salaries were not paid and April salaries are due next week.
And you have to wonder how long the Arab League will put up with supporting all the free-loaders civil servants. This is some serious change, and the Arab League isn't exactly known for its ability to stand firm over any period of time.
It is not clear how much money the Arab League has ready to transfer, but Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait together have pledged funds totalling more than $200 million to the Palestinian Authority.
That doesn't even cover the shortfall for March and April.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/01/2006 00:00 ||
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Downsizing, perhaps? ;)
(Yes, I know....a bit early for schadenfreude....)
May 1, 2006: All the talk of "military transformation" misses the fact that, in Iraq and Afghanistan, the transformation has already taken place, and is still going strong. Compared to the last war, the 1991 operation in Kuwait, the troops fighting today are using weapons and equipment that were not available, or even conceived of, in 1991. A World War II or Vietnam era soldier would consider today's combat troops as something out of science fiction.
The weapons and clothing look similar, but if you look closer you'll notice that the weapons often sport a night vision scope. The new scopes have several other capabilities as well, and need batteries to do their magic, which makes the troops a lot deadlier. The troops have more portable guided missiles to use, and will soon have computer controlled 25mm grenade launchers (the XM-25). Many innovations are not so visible. The troops are wearing body armor that is, for the first time in history, is truly bullet proof. They are carrying first aid equipment, like special bandages that can stop the worst bleeding, bandages that were unavailable to anyone a decade ago. The troops carry personal radios, which use encryption to prevent the enemy from listening in. Officers and NCOs often carry a PDA that can receive live video from UAVs circling overhead. All the troops are equipped with night vision equipment. That, and the night vision cameras on UAVs, means U.S. troops rule the night. Another unseen transformation is the replacement of the older night-vision gear (that merely amplifies available light) with new stuff that is heat sensing. Larger versions of this can see through walls, which makes urban warfare more interesting, and safer.
New weapons include more missiles, and smaller and cheaper ones at that. This is partly so UAVs can carry missiles, or more of them. The increased use of smart munitions (including GPS guided smells and rockets) results in a safer battlefield. That's because less stuff fired means fewer opportunities for friendly fire incidents. Hitting the target with one shot increases the chances that the U.S. troops will be able to quickly and effectively follow up. As a result, troops go about their business faster than in past wars.
It's not just the troops equipment that is changing, some of the troops are being replaced by robots. Long a science fiction staple, this sort of thing is now a reality. These remote control combat robots have actually been around for over a decade (mostly for bomb disposal and searching disaster scenes). But when there's a war on, there is more interest in trying anything. Often, anything works, or can quickly be made to work. Development of the combat droids is accelerating, including autonomous models, and armed robots. This stuff isn't science fiction any more. The troops like the droids a lot, because the robots can now perform some of the most dangerous missions.
Another unseen transformation is how command and control is handled. At the company level and above, commanders run the show from a laptop or while viewing a large flat screen display. Live video and 3-D situation maps (using satellite photos) make it a lot easier for commanders to sort out what is going on, and issue more effective orders. Also unseen is the growing use of computer networking and satellite communications. The Department of Defense wants to spend tens of billions of dollars a year to increase these communications capabilities.
The transformation has extended to the other services, with the marines adopting most of the army innovations. The navy has new classes of ships, and new weapons and tactics for supporting operations along coasts. The major air force transformations have been the GPS guided smart bombs, which have transformed support for the troops on the ground. The smart bombs have also made a lot of air force warplanes obsolete, or, at the very least, less needed.
Because so much "transformation" is already in play, it's hard to get people to pay attention to additional transformation projects. A lot of the transformation technology is use is in the form of wartime expedients. The military wants to get everything up to "transformation" standards, rather than end up with a hodgepodge of old and new gear. Congress is not keen on paying for this, but it's been difficult to explain to Congress, and the public, just how effective, and useful, all the new stuff has been. But the bottom line is that the transformation has taken place, and continues to.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/01/2006 09:56 ||
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How long was C Powell out of the service before he became Sec State? With his "announcement" this weekend of telling Bush and Rummy, they needed more troops going into Iraq and being turned down, I wonder how much he was really in the loop of the "transformation" that Rummy was/is doing?
#2
C Powell seems to forget that the Goldwater-Nichols Act said that the theater commander is in charge. The Pres and SecDef can fire him, but the show is his. So which theater commander requested more troops and was refused?
#3
THe Left > the USA t'aint at war, remember. Osama and Radical Islama and International Terror can be effectively handled and contained by the confederatist UNO as long as SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSHHHH
HHHHHHHHHHH, the USA keeps putting out the $$$, espec to keep supporting or paying for the weapons and tech proliferations that will eventually be used by America's enemies against us.
Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf - two of South East Asia's most deadly terrorist organisations - are trying to sabotage peace talks between the Manila government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), claims one of the key players in the negotiations. In an interview in Sultan Kudarat, on the outskirts of Cotabato City, in the MILF's stronghold of Mindanao, the movement's deputy political chairman, Ghadzali Jaafar, told Adnkronos International (AKI) that the two al-Qaeda linked groups are undermining efforts to resolve the problems of his people. "This perception is manifested in several bombings that have taken place in Mindanao recently and supposedly perpetrated by terrorists, in particular Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf. Our reading is that this is their way to protest against the negotiations," Jaafar said.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the Filipino government are close to signing a peace deal bringing to an end a conflict that has lasted nearly thirty years and which has cost more than 120,000 lives. The informal talks are expected to resume in May in Malaysia. The MILF has been demanding rights over its "ancestral domain", an area covering most of the southern island of Mindanao. The group agreed a truce with Manila in 2003 but sporadic clashes between militants and Filipino troops have hampered attempts to reach an agreement.
Jafaar, who said he is optimistic that the negotiations will continue, argued there was a clear division between the MILF and the two terrorist groups. "First of all, the MILF does not agree with the way they fight. Setting off bombs in the middle of civilians, among women and children, is terrorism" said Jafaar in a very decisive tone, before underlining the religious and ideological differences that separate them. "One point I cannot agree with is their extreme view of Islam, they are too radical. For example, in terms of practicing the religion they want every Muslim to wear a beard. So much so that anyone who does not wear a beard cannot be considered a Muslim," he said.
Speaking of Jemaah Islamiyah, whom he said he followed only via the international media, Jaafar said the interest of the MILF "starts and finishes" with the fate of the Bangsamoro, that is the indigenous population of Mindanao. "Our main problem is the problem of the Bangsamoro people. As far as we are concerned there is no point in interfering in a bigger problem" said Jaafar, referring to the political goal of JI, which is fighting to create an Islamic state across South East Asia. The term Bangsamoro comes from bangsa, a Malay word for nation or people, and moro, the Spanish word used for Arabs or Muslims, and refers both to the area claimed by the MILF and in a wider sense to Filipino Muslim people.
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2006 00:00 ||
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they want every Muslim to wear a beard. So much so that anyone who does not wear a beard cannot be considered a Muslim
Funny since most Filipino's can't grow a beard.
Posted by: 49 Pan ||
05/01/2006 9:46 Comments ||
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That's the point. The pinoy are only useful for cannon fodder and laundry service, just like back home in Soddiland.
Think tank: U.S. could easily stop Iran from closing Strait of Hormuz
WASHINGTON Iran lacks the capability to block the world's leading shipping route for crude oil exports, according to a new report by a Washington think tank.
The Center for Strategic and International Studies said the Iranian navy, including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, has failed to procure platforms or weapons required to block the Strait of Hormuz, the passageway for 60 percent of the world's oil trade. In a report, the Washington-based center said the United States could block any Iranian attempt to attack Gulf shipping, particularly from the sea.
"Iran could not close the Strait of Hormuz, or halt tanker traffic, and its submarines and much of its IRGC forces would probably be destroyed in a matter of days if they become operational," the report said.
The assertion undermined an Iranian warning to threaten the global oil trade if attacked by the United States. The warning was issued during the Holy Prophet exercise in the Gulf, which took place from March 31 to April 6.
Authored by Anthony Cordesman and Khalid Al-Rodhan, the report said Iran could seek to disrupt Gulf oil traffic from land-based facilities. The report, "Iranian Nuclear Weapons? The Options if Diplomacy Fails," envisioned Iranian missile strikes on oil facilities in Iraq and the southern Gulf region in response to a U.S. air strike.
"Even sporadic random strikes would create a high risk premium and potential panic in oil markets," the report said.
Still, the report said, the Iranian navy remains highly vulnerable and would be quickly overwhelmed by a U.S. attack. The navy has deployed such assets as the Raad anti-ship missile, with a range of up to 100 kilometers and deployed near the Strait of Hormuz.
The navy also operates three "relatively effective" Kilo-class submarines procured from Russia, the report said. The underwater platforms have been equipped with mines as well as long-range wire-guided torpedoes.
The report said the IRGC naval branch operates 10 Hudong missile patrol boats with sea-skimming anti-ship missiles. The force also deploys C-14 high-speed catamarans and 40 Bohammar Marine patrol boats.
"Many are so small they are difficult to detect with ship-borne radars," the report said. "They can conduct suicide attacks, or release floating mines covertly in shipping lanes or near key facilities."
The report also dismissed the effectiveness of Iran's air defense umbrella. Cordesman and Al Rodhan said Iran's arsenal of aging Western- or Russian-origin surface-to-air missile batteries could be quickly neutralized by U.S. countermeasures.
"All of its major systems are based on technology that is now more than 35 years old, and all are vulnerable to U.S. use of active and passive countermeasures," the report said. "Iran's air defense forces are too widely spaced to provide more than limited air defense for key bases and facilities, and many lack the missile launcher strength to be fully effective."
#2
It's even simpler than mines, for which the US can adequately deal. Fear. There is not a single shipping company whose insurance underwriters will allow in a "war zone".
This means that not only would the US have to underwrite any war consequences, but pay for replacement ships, *and* pay combat pay to the ships crews. And even that is problematic. The shipping companies might just say no.
#5
Pay for it with oil from the Iranian oil fields.
Yup. The cost of any hostilities caused by Iran (already a given) shall be underwritten by war reparations paid in Iranian oil. Attempts to contest such actions with military force will merely cause daily penalties assessed at, oh ... let's say, 100% of the original sum.
#6
If if the Iranians were as competent as the USN, I would be really, really concerned. Happily, that is not the case.
They have old or outmoded equipment (F4/F5s or any sov/chicom tech products (i.e. more complex that a RPD)) and a whole lotta Muzzie Juche equivalent. In their minds, allen will make it happen as it is pre-ordained. Pfeh.
I am sure we have been watching every radar, silkworm, missle, dock, transmission and communication and CP there. Listening. Learning.
I suspect as in Iraq, many Iranian officers will get "informative" cell phone calls as 'the Balloon is going up', providing useful advice on how to survive.
#7
Iff history is any measure, the USA = USDOD will not hesitate to take out by [limited]pre-emption any missle or air defense(s), etal. that is deemed to place world transhipments in the Persian Gulf at even light risk - all thats needed is the word for attack from Dubya and Rummy. Keep in mind that the Mullahs and Madmoud want de facto invasion by US/US-led Allied ground forces, as any such direct invasion will the PC alibi/diversion to launch terror strikes against America ala 9-11, strikes against domestic Amer targets which in reality are likely disguised decapitation strikes meant to assure pro-isolationist, pro-Anti-Sovereignty, pro-OWG, "anti-USA = Saving the USA from Itself" Commie Clinton- and DemoLeft ascendancy to the White House and Congress, but espec to the White House. ONCE THE SOCIALISTS-COMMUNISTS ARE IN POWER THE ONLY WAY TO SAVE FREE AMERICA IS VV CIVIL WAR AND ARMED REVOLUTION, BECUZ THE FORMER ARE NOT GOING TO GIVE AMERICA BACK WITHOUT WAR. The Lefties are for everyone and no one except themselves, and take cradit for everything and nothing, e.g helping you = killing you. They have no qualms iff defective Fascist=Rightist-led Clintonian SOCIALIST America wages war for 9-11 as long as an ANTI-SOVEREIGN COMMUNIST TOTALITARIAN SOCIALIST AMERIKA UNDER OWG AND SWO IS THE FINAL OUTCOME. IRAN = NORTH KOREA = TAIWAN, ETAL. > JUST BLOODY DIVERSIONS FROM THE REAL BATTLEFIELD THAT IS IN THE HALLS OF CONGRESS AND THE VOTING BOOTHS OF CLINTONISM-PREMISED PRE-/PSEUDO-COMMUNIST AMERIKA. THe Chicoms cannot be held responsible for desiring the [pre-planned]extermination of 200Milyuhn or more defective Rightist Socialist Amerikans becuz under Saint Bill's -ism Americans wish to be destroyed anyway, to be governed by anyone and everyone except an American let alone a Rightist Conservative SOCIALIST Amerikan.
#8
... would probably be destroyed in a matter of days ...
I was thinking more like "in a matter of minutes" (first 80%) or maybe "in a matter of hours" (next 80%).
If the final 4% worth of targets didn't scuttle themselves by the 24 hour mark, they'd be "sleeping with the fishes" as well.
Looking back at our naval engagements with Iran back in the '80's - when we weren't even half trying - it is easy to image the "shooting fish in a barrel" if we ever let loose with a concerted effort.
Double hat tip to Dan Darling for this story from his Regnum Cucis blog
London, Asharq Al-Awsat- Eight fundamentalist Islamist organizations have received large sums of money in the last month from the Iranian intelligence services, as part of a project to strike U.S military and economic installations across the Middle East Asharq Al-Awsat has learned.
The plan, which also includes the carrying out of suicide operations targeting US and British interests in the region, as well as their Arab and Muslim allies, in case Iran is attacked, was drawn up by a number of experts guerilla warfare and terrorist operations, and was revealed by a senior source in the Iranian armed forces' joint chief of staff headed by the veterinary doctor Hassan Firouzabadi,
The source added that the forces of the Revolutionary Guards al Quds Brigades, under Brigadier General Qassim Suleimani is responsible for coordinating and providing logistical support for the groups taking part in the execution of the plan, codenamed al Qiyamah the Islamic word for "Judgment Day".
The plan includes three steps, which Asharq al Awsat has examined in earlier reports. The source gave more details about how the plan will be implemented. He said, Most of Irans visitors in the last four months, including the leaders of revolutionary groups in Iraq, Palestine and Lebanon, as well as the heads of Hezbollah cells in the Persian Gulf and Europe and North America were asked, when they met with the Iranian intelligence minister Gholamhossein Mohseni Ezhei and his aides: are you ready to defend the Islamic revolution and vilayat e faqih? If you agree to take part in the great jihad, what would you need to be ready for the great fight? Guess this explains the good will tour Iran put on lately
Amongst the leaders who visited were the head of one of the Iraqi armed group who was very clear and honest. He said his men would transform Iraq into a hell for the Americans if Iran were attacked. Hmm I have heard this kind of rhetoric before were was that now ohh thats right Sadr right before we made short work of his Mehdi Army, I guess he thinks round two allied again I would guess with Zark and the Saddamist groups will be any better. Wonder if they realize that with a simultaneous war rolling with Iran the gloves will be off no more pussy footing it like last time.
The source also said that the military training camps of the Guards were opened for the fighters of the Mehdi army in Iran to receive the necessary training. Iran had also increased its financial assistance to Moqtada al Sadr to more than 20 million dollars. This is old news word is that they are not only training Sadr and company but Zark is getting he fresh recruits for his new more conventional warfare groups from these same camps
The same applied to Islamic Jihad in Palestine, which has received large sums of money, large quantities of arms and military training for its cadres in Isfahan, including street fighting methods.
As for the Lebanese Hezbollah, several loads of arms have been sent to; they include rockets, explosives, and guided missiles. Hezbollah's arsenal includes more than 10 thousand rockets short-range rockets and missiles including Fajr, Nour, Arash, Hadid. Michael Toten just recently tried to get close to the border and its a not so hidden secret that Hezbollah is gearing up for a major action tick tick tick
An estimated 80 members underwent private training last year on how to carry out suicide operations from the air (through the use of kite planes) Still not sure if this is a joke or serious did they really say KITE PLANES whatand undersea operations using submarines.
While denying that Hamas had joined the list of organizations ready to help Iran in its likely war with the U.S, the source indicated that the external success of the movement, which enjoys considerable Iranian support both financial and military, was strengthened following the latest visit by its leaders to Tehran. This was translated in the Palestinian masses support for Iran, against Israel and the United States . Yea all those millions Iran offered Hamas was just for nothing right
According to Iran, the latest military plan includes:
1- A missile strike directly targeting the US bases in the Persian Gulf and Iraq , as soon as nuclear installations are hit.
2- Suicide operations in a number of Arab and Muslim countries against US embassies and missions and US military bases and economic and oil installations I guess that AQ attack on Saudi Oil Station was a trial run for the big show, I would expect Kuwait to get a load full of missiles related to US and British companies. The campaign might also target the economic and military installations of countries allied with the United States .
3- Launch attacks by the Basij and the Revolutionary Guards and Iraqi fighters loyal to Iran against US and British forces in Iraq , from border regions in central and southern Iraq .
4- Hezbollah to launch hundreds of rockets against military and economic targets in Israel . This will coincide with massive attacks from Gaza and W. Bank I would bet. I wonder how long Hezbollah will last in the Israeli counter strike couple weeks maybe a month or so, I would imagine Lebanon would not mind reoccupying their own southern territory after its cleansing of Hezbollah
According to the source, in case the US military attacks continue, more than 50 Shehab-3 missiles will be targeted against Israel and the al Quads Brigades will give the go-ahead for more than 50 terrorists cells in Canada, the US and Europe to attack civil and industrial targets in these countries. The missiles I would imagine should be used in the initial days otherwise they will be black splotches on the desert.
What about the last stage in the plan? This next part explains the whole point we have been trying to make in bold terms on why Iran can never be allowed to have Nuclear weapons under any circumstance. It explains why any sacrifice today will be pale in comparison to what will be forced onto US tomorrow if we choose inaction today.
Here, the Iranian source hesitated before saying with worry; this stage might represent the beginning of a world war, given that extremists will seek to maximize civilian casualties by exploding germ and chemical bombs as well as dirty nuclear bombs across western and Arab cities. Ahh the money quote the real threat from Iran chem./bio terrorism. Why is no one going around pointing out these insane quotes to the general US pop so they understand what must be done in the near future? I hope its just part of the plan but I fear our leadership has fallen for the LLL propaganda and have been broken
#1
Why is no one going around pointing out these insane quotes to the general US pop so they understand what must be done in the near future?
I wish there was a good answer to this vital question. The fact that neither side of the aisle is howling to the rafters about this is sufficient to d@mn them all to everlasting hell.
#2
The Iranians are preparing for the last war and not the next one. They thought they saw shock and awe in Iraq II, but there wasn't more than 15 minutes of real excitement. Maybe they'll get to have a look at what it REALLY looks like.
#3
The reason no one is going around stoking the fires of anti-Iranianism is that we are no where near ready to attack Iran. Bush & Rove will do a good job of getting the people on board once he's decided it's time to roll.
#4
Nimble Spemble: Militarily, I suspect we are pretty well ready. However, diplomatically is another matter. We have to "get our ducks in a row", with a ton of stuff with the other powers.
Lots of "If they..., then we..." statements, going over anti-escalation protocols, arrangements for neutralities and international treaty obligations, identification of military targets and objectives, actions that would *start* a war, etc. ad nauseum.
In its own weird way, Foggy Bottom is as busy as the Pentagon leading up to a war.
#5
None of this is aimed at our military or its civilian leaders. It's aimed squarely at the MSM and the anti-war types. They see how much wailing and gnashing of teeth (and political back-tracking and ass-covering) has been produced by the ongoing violence in Iraq. Sounds like a pre-emptive PR attack.
#8
I would like to think that Bush and company are just playing their cards tight to the chest looking like the weak horse letting the Mullahs dig their own hole while we gear up and prepare. My original belief was we were going to hit Iran mid year everything will be in place.
I dont know thou I am scared that because of the huge PR success the LLLs have had on Iraq against Bush that he has lost heart and instead are going to just let the Iranians make the first strike. That way we get the undeniable self-defense defense even thou this will mean nothing to the LLLs they will still blame Bush.
Of course that type of policy will cost millions in damage and hundreds or more in casualties from a first strike from Iran. If we hit them first much of their conventional stuff will be obliterated in the first days but if they get first hit those weapons will get some use at our expense is that expense worth some limited fuzzy feel good PR?
I hope my first thought turns out to be right. And to Nimble we got the power left to take down Iran. The Air Force and Navy who would be the main force at least for many of the first months against Iran are pretty much untapped so far in the WOT. The Army/Marines are stretched but far from breaking point (people forget in WW2 our guys signed up and didnt come home at all until it was over not year or 6month tours multi year tours).
We could devastate Iran from the air plus decapitation in full effect and then cleave off sections like the SE, SW and NW Iran arming the already existing rebel groups in these areas and training the ones from the next goal zone. At some point if the revolution never stands up we could continue the decapitation until we get a mullah that will sign onto surrender on our terms. Those terms would be limits on their military and severe well-written inspections with pre written consequences for non-compliance. A humiliated Iran tied down with inspections and military limitations will be the next best thing to a free democratic Iran.
The following are excerpts from an interview with Iranian Nuclear Energy Organization head Gholam-Reza Aghazadeh, which aired on Iranian Channel 2 on April 13, 2006. It is followed by excerpts from a speech by Gholam-Aghazadeh which aired on IRINN on April 11, 2006.
Aghazadeh (Channel 2 on 4/13/2006): "In the early stages of our work we realized that our centrifuges had many malfunctions. We could not determine the reason, because there were no references or books we could consult to solve this. After considerable effort, we noticed that when our experts assembled the centrifuges, they did not wear cloth gloves. We realized that if you assemble the centrifuges with bare hands, a little bit of sweat from between the fingers may transfer to the rotor, and increase the mass. When the rotor spins, it becomes a problem, which completely unbalances the centrifuge, causing it to explode. When I say that it explodes, it doesn't merely explode, but turns to powder."
Interviewer: "With the high speed rotation..."
Aghazadeh: "Yes."
[...]
"As for the centrifuges we possess, 48,000 such centrifuges can supply 30 tons of enriched uranium. As for more advanced machines - we indeed have plans to develop such machines. Having the advanced type of centrifuges and the new technology enables one to multiply production."
Interviewer: "If the enrichment is only 3.5% to 5% - which is permitted according to the NPT - why are the Americans concerned that Iran has reached this level, saying it may reach enrichment of a higher percentage?"
Aghazadeh: "This has a dual use... Since this is the same technology... Let me explain this. The simple way is to inject 0.7% [uranium] and obtain 3.5%, right? Now, if you take this 3.5% and inject it again into the chain (of centrifuges), the result will be 20%. If you inject the 20% back into the chain, the result will be 60%. If you inject this 60%, the result will be 90%. This process has a dual use."
[...]
Aghazadeh (IRINN on 4/11/2006): "In the framework of the development of Iran's nuclear power plants, Iranian experts have begun to plan a 360 MW nuclear power plant. During this year, they will issue an international tender for the construction of two additional units, with a capacity of 1,000 MW each. Iran's growing need for various radioactive medicines for the purposes of diagnosis and treatment, and its need for radioactive isotopes for industrial and research use, and the restrictions Iran encountered when it tried to obtain these isotopes from sources outside the country, have led Iran's senior officials to a resolute decision: to establish a new nuclear research facility to replace the old one [in Tehran]. This will be a heavy water facility with a capacity of 40 MW. This type of reactor is called RR-40 and it will be operational, God willing, in the beginning of 2009."
[...]
"I am proud to announce that 110 tons of UF6 have already been manufactured at the [UCF] facilities."
[...]
"The heavy water production project involves some of the most complex technology known today. Only a few countries have the ability to produce heavy water. This project is currently in its initial stages. We have begun the initial accumulation of heavy water, and the eventual output of this important project will be 16 tons of heavy water annually."
Posted by: Steve ||
05/01/2006 09:07 ||
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#1
Oh lovely, a heavy water reactor. But it's not for making plutonium, its for making medical isotopes.
DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria began a weeklong campaign on Sunday to collect money for the Palestinians, following a visit by the Palestinian foreign minister 10 days ago. Syrian President Bashar Assad launched the campaign after hosting Palestinian Foreign Minister Mahmoud Zahar, who urged Arabs and Muslims to come to the rescue after the United States and some European countries cut off aid to the Hamas-led government.
"Guys! A little help here or we're titz-up!"
The Palestinian Authority, run by the terrorist militant group responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings, has been in default unable to pay the salaries of 165,000 government free-loaders employees, and the West Bank and Gaza have plunged into political and economic chaos not that you could tell.
Syrias top comedian ...
Bashar does comedy?
... was among dozens of people in line to donate at a state-run bank in Damascus Sunday _ one of 14 donation points, one in each Syrian province. All people should raise their hats in respect to any group that resists occupation of its land, Duraid Laham said, wrapping a Palestinian black-and-white checkered keffiyeh around his neck.
Duda Badawi, 44, a Palestinian working in Syria, said she would donate two months salary.
There's ten bucks.
Syrian Amal Zarzar, 58, called her donation the minimum thing she could do for Palestinians living in tragic conditions." Thousands of Syrians are expected to donate by the end of the week.
The head of the group organizing the effort, the Popular Committee for the Support of the Palestinian People, ...
... not to be confused with the Popular Committee for Palestinian Peoples' Support ...
... said the Syrian people would stand alongside the Palestinian people so they would not be forced to kneel down due to starvation and siege.
I rather like the idea of the Syrians standing right next to the Paleos.
Our destiny is linked to that of the Palestinians,Ahmed Abdul-Karim said. Our battle is their battle, and their steadfastness is ours, he said.
Couldn't agree more.
The Syrian committee has donated about US$18 million to the Palestinians _ plus 16 convoys of medicine, food and clothes _ since it was founded five years ago. Syria is home to Hamas exiled leadership, including current boss Khaled Mashaal, and has frequently rejected US calls to expel the groups leaders or any other radical Palestinian factions.
Posted by: Steve White ||
05/01/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
I'm doing "the minimum thing" I can do for the Pali's, too. No effort is too much for these poor people.
The United States rejects Iran's offer to allow a watchdog agency to inspect the country's nuclear facilities and will press ahead for U.N. penalties against Tehran, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday. "They've had plenty of time to cooperate. I think they're playing games," Rice said.
Iran on Saturday offered to allow inspections to resume if the Security Council turned over the dispute to the U.N. nuclear monitor, the International Atomic Energy Agency. A report from the IAEA confirmed that Iran had successfully produced enriched uranium and defied the Security Council's Friday deadline to stop the process. Rice said the offer to resume IAEA inspections suggests the Iranians "are indeed somewhat concerned" about actions the Security Council might take to further isolate Iran.
Her remarks contrasted with comments from her predecessor at the State Department, Colin Powell, who said in an interview broadcast Sunday in London that Iran seems to "have pretty much decided they can accept whatever sanctions are coming their way."
Regardless, Rice said the U.S. probably would seek a U.N. resolution that would require Iran to comply with demands that it stop enriching uranium. Rice mentioned a resolution under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which means it can be enforced through penalties or military action. "The international community's credibility is at stake here," she told ABC's "This Week." "And we have a choice, too. We can either mean what we say, when we say that Iran must comply, or we can continue to allow Iran to defy."
Posted by: Fred ||
05/01/2006 00:00 ||
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May 1, 2006: Terrorists have to worry about logistics, just like everyone else. In the case of Islamic terrorists, there is the obligation to pay key personnel a living wage. This is so the poor fellow can take care of his family, since it is a religious obligation to have a family, and take care of it. While much is made of the suicide bombers themselves, who are often paid nothing, as they are on and off the job rather quickly. But your regular staff must be taken care of, otherwise you lose them. A successful terrorist organization has to keep its core staff. Otherwise, bad things happen. Chief among these unpleasant events are bombs that don't go off, or go off at the wrong time. The latter event will often kill key staff, and is bad for morale. It also amuses the enemy, whom you are trying to demoralize.
Currently, the largest Islamic terrorist organization is not al Qaeda, but the Taliban. Al Qaeda has several hundred people on the payroll to protect Osama bin Laden and a few key aids. Bits and pieces of intel indicate these fellows are somewhere in the mountains along the Pakistani/Afghan border. A few dozen more are elsewhere in Pakistan, where they have to be careful. Several bloody bombings, that killed many civilians, have made al Qaeda unpopular with many Pakistanis, and easier for the cops to track down outside the tribal areas along the border.
There are several hundred al Qaeda in Iraq, Syria, Jordan and the Persian Gulf states. Except for Syria, al Qaeda is on the run, and diligently hunted, in all these other states. No sense exposing any more paid staff than you have to. One of the main reasons al Qaeda came to Iraq in 2003 was that, all of a sudden, a lot of Sunni Arab Iraqis were cash rich, but security poor. With their man Saddam out of power, they were people without a country to plunder. Providing money and people to al Qaeda seemed a prudent investment in a more secure future. Didn't turn out that way, and a lot of the financing from the Saddam fan club has dried up. Same story in Saudi Arabia, where the most enthusiastic al Qaeda supporters and members decided, after Saddam was toppled in 2003, to go to war with the Saudi government. This did not work out well, and the government went after al Qaeda sympathizers and financial supporters as well as active members.
All of these attacks on al Qaeda "supplies" (of cash) has reduced the number of active members. Even those who are still actively serving the organization, are doing so at barely adequate wages. Income is down because of bad publicity (all those Moslems killed by al Qaeda bombs over the last three years), and lack of success (the Madrid and London attacks helped fund raising, but only for a while).
The Taliban, on the other hand, has been much more successful than al Qaeda. For one thing, the Taliban have remote areas where they are actually in control of things. That's why the Al Qaeda High Command still has a few people who have not been captured. But you have a hard time running things from a remote mountain village. What really makes the Taliban an attractive investment, for wealthy fans of Islamic terrorism, is their prospects of gaining control over even more territory in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Moreover, the Taliban have access to over a hundred thousand pro-Taliban Pushtun tribesmen on both sides of the border. Several thousand of these are currently on the payroll, to raise as much hell as they can before Autumn (when these gunmen go off the clock). Operating in this tribal environment has other advantages, as the tribes themselves provide something of a social safety net. Thus a wounded Taliban fighter has someplace to stay until he has recovered.
Finally, the Taliban also have access to money from the thriving drug trade in Afghanistan. Many drug lords "donate" to the Taliban not just out of belief, but as a form of insurance and a way to keep the police busy. But even though some wealthy backers are still loyal to al Qaeda and the Taliban (including some government money from Syria and Iran), the terrorists are increasingly turning to criminal activities to meet the payroll. These operations consist of run-of-the-mill criminal scams (credit card fraud, smuggling, theft) and some that have a touch of terrorism attached (extortion, and the demand for "revolutionary taxes.") The extortion angle is used in both Iraq and Afghanistan, against people who have money (businesses, usually), cannot walk away from their investments, and are vulnerable to terrorist attacks.
Alas, the growing dependence on criminal activities has been, for centuries, how violence loving idealists have been turned into common criminals. That's what happened to the Italian Mafia, and many similar organizations. It's happening to al Qaeda, turning them into gangsters who pray five times a day.
Posted by: Steve ||
05/01/2006 10:06 ||
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"Well, since my cash flow left me
I've found a new way to smell..."
The United States says it remains in the first stage of a long war with Al Qaida.
A State Department report said Al Qaida and related groups were likely to stay active for years to come. The report said that despite U.S. efforts the success against the Islamic insurgency network remains in doubt.
"Overall, we are still in the first phase of a potentially long war," the report, entitled "Country Reports on Terrorism 2005," said. "The enemy's proven ability to adapt means we will probably go through several more cycles of action/reaction before the war's outcome is no longer in doubt. It is likely that we will face a resilient enemy for years to come."
This was the first time the U.S. government raised the prospect that the West and its allies might be unable to defeat Al Qaida. Over the last three years, the Bush administration has claimed progress in downgrading the Al Qaida network.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/01/2006 01:38 ||
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#1
Some people are so desperate to believe that all wars and conflicts should be like Grenada. If it can't be finished and forgotten about in a few months with maybe 1 or 2 tragic losses at the most, well then it's not worth doing. Set backs, extreme difficulties, etc. equal hopeless quagmire. Wake up people. We are fighting a virulent ideology with millions of adherents across a region of backwardness and dysfunction spanning the whole globe. It's going to take decades and it's going to be bloody. I don't like it either but the idea that you can withdraw and pretend the whole thing doesn't exist is the ultimate form of madness.
#2
Correct me if I'm wrong but there is a big difference between saying that "the US remains in the first stage of a long war with cave men forced by the modern world to enter the 21st Century" and "the prospect that the West and its allies might be unable to defeat Al Qaida."
We are in for a long war - I'll agree to that. But no one said we will lose. it We're fighting against a culture that has done ZERO, NADA, ZILCH, ZIP, ZERO, since the 7th century. I'm not a betting person - but if I was, i'd not be betting my wager on advice from people who suddenly found themselves unfrozen a few centuries ahead of their time. But, hey, that's just me.
Posted by: Rafael ||
05/01/2006 4:07 Comments ||
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#4
Our economy stood up to the Cold War and the dissolution of the Soviet Union. These cave dwellers are not spending hundreds of billions a year and making us meet or beat that amount.
As a matter of fact, compare the US economy in 1948 to the same economy in 1989 {beginning and end of the Cold War}. It freaking expanded like nobody's business, if you will excuse the pun.
The Bush admin has said all along that the WOT was an armed struggle unlike those of the past wars. There's no state to defeat but a ideology of terror which might take a generation to discredit and defeat.
#6
Win versus lose in the WOT is a false dichotomy.
The dichotomy is lose versus not lose.
The Gates of Vienna comparison is appropriate. Western Europe beat the muslims back but did not defeat them and then (and their transplanted societies in North America and the Antipodies) went on to dominate the world and give us the astonishing progress we have seen over the last 300 years.
#12
Rafael: I sure hope your economy can stand up to it.
Not a problem. We spent 50% of annual output annually during WWII, and ended the war with debt equal to 1-1/2 year's output. We are spending less than 1% of annual output on Iraq and have added about 1% per year to the national debt annually because of the war, not about 40% as in WWII. The rest of the deficit is due to civilian and non-war defense sector spending increases, not Iraq.
#13
Phil B is absolutely right. A favorite tactic of the news benders is to set up a false analogy or straw-man. Name one single person in the Bush administration who ever said this would be a cheap quick war?
#14
And, what's the alternative? Let the radical towel-heads take over the world? Nope, when you have a bully on your block, best thing is to go down the street and mop up with him before he starts.
#16
Rafael hopes our econemy can stand up to it because we are Canadas only defense.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
05/01/2006 14:49 Comments ||
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#17
I don't know what Rafael knows about the American economy, but from here, there is almost no way of determining that there is a war going on, except, the occasional ribbon on a car or van. There is so much bussle, that nobody has the time to think about it.
#18
In WWII FDR got everyone's attention and involvement by instituting a wartime consumer Rationing Program. Auto tires, sugar, and many other consumer goods were "rationed." I still have my folks ration books and stamps. How about some GASOLINE rationing for the effort? Of course the oil companies would throw a fit, but it might accomplish a couple of things at the same time.
#19
We spent 50% of annual output annually during WWII
In WW2 almost every dollar spent on the war, stayed in the US. Not the case anymore. You'll note that there are foreign companies now supplying the Pentagon. In WW2 you had companies like Ford (or GM?) producing the Sherman tank in substantive quantities. Now these companies are partnering with their global counterparts, like Daimler-Chrysler, for instance. It's the net effect of globalisation.
Rafael hopes our econemy can stand up to it because we are Canadas only defense.
Well, yes. But as things stand now, it's you who has been attacked, not Canada.
I don't know what Rafael knows about the American economy, but from here, there is almost no way of determining that there is a war going on
Except for the price of gasoline, of course. And all the screaming about illegals, too (indirectly of course, if it hadn't been for 9-11, you wouldn't be worrying about unsecure borders).
Posted by: Rafael ||
05/01/2006 15:31 Comments ||
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#23
I agree with the report's conclusions. We may not win, because it will be a long war. Officials will come and go. Will they all take the war seriously, or will some be more interested in short-term political advantage? We all know that answer already--the only unknown is whether our enemies will be able to take advantage of the opportunities we provide them.
Posted by: James ||
05/01/2006 16:01 Comments ||
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#24
Rafael has decided to come out of the closet, today. Many already knew of or suspected the Tranzi anti-Americanism was the substance - and posts otherwise were vapor, but it's good to come clean. An enema spread across multiple stories today, he's letting it all go. On May Day. Good choice.
#25
Yes, Menewslines point is not justified by whast the Dept of State actually said. But in fairness, they didnt put in the headline. Check the linked article.
#28
Rafael, Don't be such a Polyanna as to think that the terrorist will never get around to Canada. Thay just aren't there YET. That of course has a lot to do with how insignificant Canda is.
If Canada keeps assisting in the WOT they will eventually get some attention. Then we'll see if those horse mounted gentlemen with thier silly hats can do anything.
Posted by: Mike N. ||
05/01/2006 17:27 Comments ||
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#29
Over the last three years, the Bush administration has claimed progress in downgrading the Al Qaida network.
We have downgraded the nework. Anyone who doubts it isn't paying attention. As for winning/losing/not losing the Long War, isn't that what the Cold War was? Despite the government changing hands several times over the years, despite active suborning by Communist agents and fellow travellers, and despite dumping an ally to the tune of a million or more VietNamese dead, we still won and the Communists still lost.
The Soviet Union melted away. Its remnants are more or less capitalist economically, wavering between democracy and Strong Man totalitarianism socially. China is a semi-totalitarian, semi-capitalist oligarchy, whose government hopes to win its covert war against the US before it melts down completely.
And most of the country didn't really believe we were at war for a generation. But the rough men and women who set themselves to guard the rest of us did a wonderful job, despite the overt lack of support.
The first phase of the Long War on Terror (really on imperialist Islamofascism, but why quibble) involves armies and uniformed troops, and is going quite well, despite all the whining in the media... and from the as-yet unpurged mid-levels at State. The second phase, like in the Cold War, will involve planting gardens of freedom -- and weeding ruthlessly -- and will take its participants to places unseen by reporters. Hunter/killer teams will no doubt be heavily involved, and somehow spewing vicious and warlike hate will gradually become unpopular.
The alternative, that the imperialist jihadis actually establish their worldwide Caliphate, including the US, will mean they spend the next several generations trying to get rid of Western guerrilla fighters. And our guys, male and female alike, are professionals who don't shoot from the hip. The Caliphate will wear itself out against us, and in the end will fail... and fall. If that happens, the only Muslims left in the world will be those who can hide themselves in remote and isolated areas. Slave revolts are ugly.
That's the opinion of this little Midwestern housewife, at any rate.
#30
I'm sorry. In paragraph three of my little screed, that should read, "Most of the West didn't really believe we were at war for the past generation."
#32
Reminds me of a history prof decades ago in college. He thought we could win the cold war by giving the USSR India and Paraguay. Figured it would take every university educated person in the USSR + to run those two countries.
Adjust them for inflation and look at what the numbers say.
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
05/01/2006 18:01 Comments ||
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#34
Then we'll see if those horse mounted gentlemen with thier silly hats can do anything.
But you see, it'll be you first, so those horse mounted gentlemen won't have that much do. You're higher on the totem pole so if you fall, it's all over for the rest of us. I don't see the sense in pointing out Canada's insignificance in the world.
RD, it's obvious there's no point in discussing anything intelligent with you. Otherwise you'd have something to offer other than condescension.
Rafael has decided to come out of the closet, today. Many already knew of or suspected the Tranzi anti-Americanism was the substance
LOL! Yup. Of course, Mr. Anonymous. For a full response you're gonna have to come out of the closet too.
Posted by: Rafael ||
05/01/2006 18:12 Comments ||
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#35
Otherwise you'd have something to offer other than condescension.
Er, have you been offering anything else today?
Posted by: Robert Crawford ||
05/01/2006 18:15 Comments ||
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#36
Where Rob? What did you take as condescension from me?
Posted by: Rafael ||
05/01/2006 18:19 Comments ||
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#37
as things stand now, it's you who has been attacked, not Canada.
If you roll over, beg, give up, grow nice beard, etc. I guess it stops feeling like an attack for a while.
#38
Rafael I've defended your take on things in the past, but since you showed today with the express purpose of working out some inner angst, I'll go a couple rounds with you. To make you feel better! LOL!
[see the difference, that's condescension]
How 'bout this for starters,
Rafael: I sure hope your economy can stand up to it.
that's got condescenion all over it. Thats how you sarted this thread.
you're *concerned* for our economy, LOL.
Or is your concern more about the way the United States is conducting the WOT? What is it with you, too pricey? We should do it on the cheap.
No blood for Oil perhaps?
It would be less expensive for the USA Rafael, if more SMUG TRANZI nations took some responsibility and contributed their BLOOD and TREASURE in the fight against the fascist Islamic Nation!
#40
Rafael is right about the risks of globalization and the resulting economic dependence on places beyond a countries political control. It's unprecedented in history. And were a global crisis to occur that stopped that trade, the economic shock would be enormous.
However, he is completely wrong about the consequences. The most trade dependant economies would suffer the most. From memory, Canada is the world's most trade dependent large economy and the US (one of?) the least trade dependent. Canada would suffer far more than the USA.
#41
Canada was a cushy place for the terror network under the previous government. It looks like things are changing under the new gov't, and impressively quickly, too, as far as I can tell. Soon either there will be far fewer terror-linked people up north -- whether decamped or arrested I wouldn't venture to predict -- or things will start to go boom as they assert their right to stay.
Nota bene: all uniforms look silly to those who have no emotional attachment to the wearers. Even camouflage -- although I personally think those wearing the latest American camo uniforms are just the handsomest things on two legs, male and female alike. Q.E.D. ;-)
Rafael, just apologise. I'm sure you didn't mean it the way it came out, but some of us (me, too) are touchy right now, waiting for the next stage to commence. That I haven't seriously ticked someone off recently is either luck or kindness on their part. But I'm sure I will accidentally say the wrong thing, so I apologize pre-emptively in the hope that these things can be banked against need.
#42
Rafael, maybe you should review the history of the Civil War - two particular comments concerned the north fighting with only one hand, and Sherman carrying spare tunnels with him as he progressed through Georgia.
The United States has progressed a bit since then, and its industrial and productive capacities are essentially untapped for warfighting purposes - namely, the defense and civilian industrial bases have grown apart - check the figures from WWII to see what would happen if the US went on anything approaching a war footing.
There's no, zero, nada, zip issue of material capacity involved. It's about 80% cultural and the remainder diplomatic/political/psychological.
Finally, to answer the question of our "ability to win a long war", perhaps simplifying the problem by making it a short war is an option as well.
#43
What was it that Yamamoto told Japan, you have 1 to 2 years for expansion after that sue for peace because when the US goes to full war footing you have lost.
#44
On 9-11 any and all Americans were given the choiuces of either de facto surrendering to Socialism-Communism, and OWG; or being destroyed. The corollary to this was that America either de facto rules the world, or it will be destroyed. There are no in-betweens, as any ARMISTICE-STALEMATE only means Amer's enemies get to destroy us later, not sooner. Isolationism > America basically contrained itself - America won two world wars + one Cold War [vv Reagan Defense Buildup/Star Wars/Econ] by applying itself to victory. America's enemies > WAR = NON-WAR, WW2 = KOREA 1/VIETNAM, BATTLE OF BULGE or PEARL HARBOR, etc. = COLUMBINE SHOOTING or OJ SIMPSON TRIAL or HEALTH CARE FOR WALMART EMPLOYEES, etc. It will be a "long war" becuz America's enemies are both from within and without, but no matter what the endgame is the defeat andor destruction of America. The WOT, among other precepts, is a war for control of America and later the World . AMERICANS EITHER WIN, OR WE AND OUR NATION AND BELIEFS DIE, AND RUNNING OFF TO TAHITI OR THE NORTH POLE OR SHANGRI-LA ISN'T GOING TO SAVE ANYONE.
Actually I am. What happens south has a direct effect on Canada. I'm sure I don't have to explain why that is.
Or is your concern more about the way the United States is conducting the WOT?
Of course. I thought everybody was concerned about that. Aren't you?
Mrs. TW, the reason my comment sparked so much outrage is because I'm not the most popular person here, to put it mildly, and not because it was a particularly egregious comment. It certainly wasn't meant to be condescending. If you note, the rest of the time was spent returning fire.
However, I don't ever remember, you specifically, being unkind to me in your comments in the past, no matter how much I may have pushed the line. In view of this, what you say has sway with me, and so I will do what you suggest:
I apologise for my comment, and to everyone who took offense with it. Simple as that.
Posted by: Rafael ||
05/01/2006 23:38 Comments ||
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Known as a central figure to the global Islamist movement, Osama Bin Ladens spiritual mentor and the spiritual leader of the Afghan Arabs, Dr. Abdullah Azzam joined the fight against the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in 1982 and took part in military operations. He traveled across many countries calling on young Arab and Muslim men to join the Mujahideen.
Living with other Afghan Arab fighters in Peshawar, Pakistan, he established 'Bait Al Ansar' (House of Helpers), which acted as the first nucleus for Al Qaeda, to provide aid within Afghanistan. His aim was to unite Arab Mujahideen in their different guises.
In November 1989, a car bomb killed Abdullah Azzam and two of his sons in Peshawar. Asharq Al Awsat met Umm Mohammed, his lifelong companion and wife who spoke about different stages of his life and how her husband urged Arabs to integrate into Afghan society.
Umm Mohammed answered the questions of our colleague Naheel Shahrouri in Jordan. She revealed the reasons behind the disagreement between Abdullah Azzam and his student Osama Bin Laden, leader of Al Qaeda. She indicated that the biggest disgrace was Bin Laden's connection to the assassination of Ahmad Shah Masoud, the Lion of Panjshir, and the leader of Afghan jihad.
Q: How did you meet Sheikh Abdullah Azzam? How would you describe him as a husband, father and individual?
A: Our families are strongly connected. We are one of the many Palestinian families who became refugees after the 1948 war. Our families have intermarried and sought refuge in Jenin. I was born in the house of Sheikh Abdullahs sister. He was eight-years-old at the time. We later left for Tulkarem and he happened to have been there studying. He visited us once, and three days later, his father asked for my hand in marriage and we got married.
Sheikh Abdullah was religious from an early age, around seven or eight years old. His religious feelings became stronger after he joined the Muslim Brotherhood. He traveled to Tulkaram to study and then to the Sharia college in Damascus. He asked to marry me when I was twelve years old.
He was a wonderfully kind husband and a caring father. Perhaps there are other men like him in this world but none share his unique humanity. He insisted on learning and was concerned about teaching me and training me to become a mother that would fill the gap during his absence.
He cared a lot about his children, if one of them fell ill, he would not sleep at night. He was very close to his son Ibrahim, who died with him.
What distinguished him most was that he put jihad at the forefront of his concerns.
Q: How was jihad reflected in the life of Sheikh Abdullah Al Azzam?
A: Since getting married and even prior to traveling to Pakistan, he was preparing himself for jihad and a hard life. During the cold winter days, he used to go out and pray the morning prayers and insisted on using cold water to perform his ablution. He would only eat one type of food, and sometimes only have one meal. Sometimes, he would only eat bread. He was getting himself used to life in the mountains and to becoming a Muhajid. Most times, he owned two pairs of trousers: he would wear one and wash the other. Nevertheless, he was always clean and well groomed. Jihad for him was like water for a fish.
Q: Did the Sheikh discuss affairs of jihad and the latest developments in this respect with you?
A: Arab women played an important role in recognizing and examining the problems of Afghan refugees who had fled the conflict because men and women did not mingle in the refugee camps. At the time, men spent most of their times in trenches on the frontlines fighting the Russians. We would often visit the camps and inform Sheikh Abdullah about the problems the families suffer from and their lack of foodstuff etc. As for matters concerning jihad or killing, Sheikh Abdullah did not discuss them with the family because of the sensitivity of such information.
Q: How do you evaluate the period you spent in Pakistan and Afghanistan?
A: I have never met a sister who was with us in Pakistan during the jihad that felt any unhappiness about those days.
Q: Ayman Al Zawahiri and Al Qaeda are accused of killing Ahmad Shah Masoud allegedly because of his stand against jihad in Afghanistan. What is your opinion on this?
A: Sheikh Abdullah was Osama Bin Ladens spiritual mentor. We cut off all contact with him a long time ago. However, there was a transformation in his character. Sheikh used to love him and described him as a good person. Osama used to live like other Mujahideen, if not in worst circumstances, despite financing most of them. I do not know Ayman Al Zawahiri personally and I do not know why Al Qaeda committed this mistake. The connection between Bin Laden and the assassination of Masoud tarnished his reputation.
As for Masoud, he is the symbol of jihad in Afghanistan. Sheikh Abdullah wrote a book about him after living with Masoud for a whole month, during which he had gotten to know him and observed him. He said, "I came to write about you because of the rumors that you are an agent for the French government." Masoud allowed him to sit in his office and examine all his files and videos. His book, entitled 'A Month Amongst Giants,' contains a number of truths about Masoud, his faith and personality.
Q: Did Sheikh Abdullah permit Arab Mujahideen fighters to become involved in inter-Afghan fighting?
A: He never allowed any Arab fighter to take sides in favor of any Afghan commander. His role was to reconcile fighters, and all the leaders of jihad in Afghanistan loved him and listened to him.
Q: Did Sheikh support incorporating civilians into the fight against the Soviet occupiers or did he believe it should be restricted to the trenches?
A: The leaders of the jihad in Afghanistan conferred amongst each other and decided to move families away from Afghanistan and to Pakistan when the fighting became fierce.
Q: During his presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan, did Sheikh Abdullah establish an independent group baring his name or did he place his life in the service of Afghans?
A: He never even accepted to have bodyguards protect him despite the threats he received. He never built anything in his name. Even the charter of jihad in Afghanistan, which he wrote, was not published in his name. He announced it in the name of the then Afghan Prime Minister, Gulbuddin Hekmatyar. Even in Palestine, when Hamas sought to announce its charter, they contacted him to write the introduction and edit the document.
Q: How do you explain the transformation of Bin Laden and Al Zawahiri from symbols of jihad to the worlds most wanted?
A: This is to be expected because they declared war on all those fighting Islam.
Q: What was your relationship with Bin Ladens wives and to Umm Mohammed, Al Zawahiris wife? What did you think of them?
A: I did not know Al Zawahiris wife but I knew Bin Ladens wives before settling in Pakistan because we were living in Saudi Arabia where we used to meet them.
Q: What is your opinion on the rumors that Egyptian Islamic Jihad is responsible for planning to assassinate Sheikh Abdullah Al Azzam?
A: This is not true. In reality, there were many disagreements between the Egyptian Jihad and Sheikh Abdullah. However, I do not believe these disputes would have led to their involvement his murder.
Q: Is it true that Bin Laden was easily influenced and manipulated by those around him?
A: A few incidents took place but I do not like to deride anyone. We owe bin Laden our respect; he took part in jihad with his money, effort and sons. He sacrificed himself and his money. However, in truth, he is not a very educated man. He never studied at university. He holds a high school degree. He enrolled in university but soon left. It is true that he gave lectures to ulema and sheikhs but he was easy to persuade. Nevertheless, he did not oppose Sheikh Abdullah or desert him. Bin Laden became convinced of certain issues that Islamic Jihad in Egypt supported.
Q: Did your husbands departure have an effect on you and your children?
A: Sometimes I used to tell him "you leave your children for too long." He would reply, "Why have I trained you [to take care of them]?" Dawaa (preaching) and jihad were his priorities.
Q: When did Sheikh Abdullah first embark on jihad?
A: He began in 1976 when the [Israelis] invaded the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. He continued to fight until the border was shut. He believed jihad was the best approach for the victory of religion. This is why he searched for jihad until he was sent from Saudi Arabia to Pakistan to teach at the International Islamic University. He obtained a Masters degree and a PhD and returned to Jordan where he taught at university until he was dismissed. He traveled to King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia because of debts he had accumulated. Otherwise, he would not have left his country.
In Pakistan, he was entrusted with organizing the curricula at the Islamic University. However, jihad was always more important to him. He believed jihad was the pinnacle of Islam and used to tell me: Those who live on the summit find it difficult to go down to the slope.
During the years of jihad in Afghanistan, we used to feel as if there was a mini-state of Arabs in Pakistani territory. There were no fights between us and everyone was open to the others. All those I meet look back with fondness to these years.
Sheikh Abdullah taught young men in order to prepare them to perform jihad in the name of God. A whole generation of fighters grew up under his wings.
Q: Do you believe that Al Qaeda is currently following in the footsteps of Sheikh Abdullah Azzam?
A: According to their own admission and to what they broadcast occasionally of video and sound recordings, they are saying, he is our sheikh and our mentor in jihad. I saw a few interviews with Osama Bin Laden where he placed on the table in front of him the books of Sheikh Azzam and the cameras focused on that. In his televised speeches, Bin Laden has also repeated word for word the statements of Sheikh Abdullah.
Q: In your view, what caused the disagreements between Abdullah Azzam and Bin Laden? Were traitors sowing hatred between them?
A: I do not know if there were traitors or not. However, differences emerged concerning the scope of jihad and the distribution of military camps and other issues. They held different opinions and Bin Laden followed his own interpretation. In order to avoid a clash, Bin Laden sought to establish his own military training camps, under his banner, to receive Arabs that want to fight in Afghanistan. This caused the split because Bin Laden preferred camps especially for Arabs while Sheikh Abdullah Azzam believed that it was necessary for Arabs and Afghans to mix and for them to become one because the Arabs came to help the Afghans achieve victory. He also believed that it was wrong for Arabs to plot against Afghans in the latters own country. For his part, Bin Laden sought to pamper Arab fighters. Even their food was different from that of Afghan Mujahideen. Bin Laden used to bring them special foodstuff in containers from Saudi Arabia. This was the crux of the disagreement. The split happened as a result.
Sheikh Abdullah did not agree with Bin Laden and tried to stop him isolating himself in special training camps. He believed that Arabs should be included in all Afghan groups in order to teach them the Quran and give lectures about the jurisprudence of jihad, including how to deal with prisoners of war according to Islam.
The reason for this is that most of the ulema in Afghanistan had been martyred during the fight against the Russians. Afghanistan is a large country with 28 provinces and young men needed to be guided to the true path of Islam.
At the time, Arab Mujahideen in Afghanistan included doctors, pilots, teachers and others who had left their jobs and futures in order to help the Afghan people. They were, without exception, living in difficult circumstances in trenches side by side with Afghan fighters. Sheikh Abdullah wanted Arabs to integrate into the fabric of Afghan society while Bin Laden believed the opposite.
Q: If Abdullah Azzam were alive today, would he have supported Al Qaedas operations and the September 11 attacks?
A: I do not believe he would have supported such an attack. In his lifetime, the Mujahideen were better equipped but they never discussed such a matter. It was easier at the time to travel between countries but he supported clear jihadist movements, which would face those hostile to Muslims and permitted their blood to be shed. Sheikh Abdullah preferred jihad with a clear objective and refused sending Arab fighters to Bosnia and Herzegovina because the scope for fighting there was not clear.
Q: What are Bin Ladens most prominent mistakes in your opinion?
A: The biggest mistake in Bin Ladens life had to do with his involvement in the assassination of the Lion of Panshjir, Ahmad Shah Masoud, because I consider Masoud a Muslim jihadist. If it is true [al Qaeda or its supporters killed him], this tarnishes Bin Laden's status.
Q: If Abdullah Azzam were alive today, where would he be, in Iraq or with Bin Laden?
A: Perhaps in Guantanamo Bay with other Al Qaeda leaders.
Q: Do you recall the wives of Arab Mujahideen fighters in Peshawar? What was your relationship with them? Are you still in contact with them?
A: Everyone who participated in the jihad in Afghanistan brought his wife with him. They would leave them behind in Peshawar and we all lived as one family. They used to consider me a mother figure. The wives of Mujahideen coordinated amongst themselves. I am still in contact with some families in Jordan.
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/01/2006 01:26 ||
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Osama Bin Ladens spiritual mentor and the spiritual leader of the Afghan Arabs
Quite convenient of Aaswat to not mention that Bin Laden, Zawahiri and Mohammed Atef are the ones who blew up Azzam and his kiddos so they could take over the Afghan Arab organization Azzam built. Muslim solidarity and honor in practice and deed.
Posted by: ed ||
05/01/2006 10:28 Comments ||
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The broadcasts last week by three of the world's best-known terrorist leaders shared at least one common goal, American intelligence officials say. They sought to embarrass the West by showing that the terrorists were still able to communicate with their followers, despite the intensive efforts to capture or kill them and the $25 million bounty that is on each of their heads.
But the officials interviewed on Sunday also said that the messages of the three men Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi show the differing motives and political interests of Al Qaeda's leadership.
Though messages from the three leaders have never before surfaced in the same week, the officials said there was no evidence that the men coordinated the timing of the release of the statements or collaborated on the language used in them.
Mr. Zarqawi, the leader of a terrorist group in Iraq that has allied itself with Al Qaeda, used his message to assert his primacy as a leader within the insurgency in Iraq and perhaps beyond, the officials said. Mr. bin Laden and Mr. Zawahiri both of whom have diminished control over terrorist operations seemed to be trying to position themselves as the inspirational voices of a broader militant movement.
Some intelligence experts said the tapes were likely to fuel the belief that Mr. bin Laden and Mr. Zarqawi were emerging as rivals for pre-eminence within Al Qaeda. Although Mr. Zarqawi pledged loyalty to Mr. bin Laden in 2004 and referred to him in his most recent videotape as "our prince," there was little else in his fiery message to suggest he was operating under orders from Mr. bin Laden.
While analysts are continuing to pore over the messages looking for hints of code words, phrasing or images that might be a signal of a future terrorist attack or yield clues to where or when the messages were created, the officials said the broadcasts had not yet furnished fresh evidence that might help the hunt for the terrorist leaders.
They cautioned that because the tapes were created in secrecy and sometimes passed through multiple channels before being broadcast, there might have been large gaps between the times the three broadcasts were made. Still, each of the recordings refers to events that suggest the recordings were recent.
The officials, including some with access to highly classified intelligence on counterterrorism issues, were given anonymity to speak more freely about delicate information.
American officials said that Mr. Zarqawi's 34-minute video, which was broadcast on Tuesday on a Web site used by jihadist groups, was the most surprising of the three statements. In the video, Mr. Zarqawi claimed responsibility for the hotel bombings last November in Amman, Jordan, that killed at least 57 people. Intelligence officials have said that such claims of responsibility are an effective fund-raising tool.
Mr. Zarqawi's video was shown two days after an audio message by Mr. bin Laden was broadcast by Al Jazeera. Then on Friday, a video by Mr. Zawahiri surfaced on the Internet. Mr. Zawahiri, who is Mr. bin Laden's chief deputy and is also regarded as one of his spokesmen, said that hundreds of suicide bombers in Iraq had "broken America's back."
The officials believe Mr. Zarqawi, a Jordanian, had been trying to lower his profile in recent months to "put an Iraqi face" on the insurgency.
But appearing in black fatigues with an ammunition belt strapped across his chest, Mr. Zarqawi seemed to be asserting himself as the most aggressive presence within Al Qaeda. He said that the United States would leave Iraq in "defeat and humiliation."
Officials who have seen the tape said it was a bold attempt by Mr. Zarqawi, who has in the past appeared in videos with his face hidden.
"It's an effort on his part to quell rumors that he had been marginalized and to portray himself as a leader of the global jihad," one counterterrorism official said.
Mr. Zarqawi's video seemed intended for Iraqi viewers. He struck poses that appealed to many Iraqis, showing his bare forearms, holding up a heavy machine gun and speaking derisively about the American occupation.
The display broke months of quiet, in which Mr. Zarqawi refrained from making statements while his group, Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, claimed it had joined an organization called The Freedom Fighter Council, led by a man with an Iraqi name, Abdullah al-Baghdadi.
The tactic could have been intended to soften the group's reputation. Many Iraqis who use violence to oppose the occupation began to turn away from Mr. Zarqawi after he openly called on fighters to kill Shiite civilians last fall.
Iraqi and American military officials interpreted the release of the video as showing that Mr. Zarqawi was weak, because he felt the need to advertise with his muscles and guns. The timing, they said, was calculated to make Iraqi leaders look helpless as they began to form a permanent government, a process that was set in motion last Saturday.
"The government formation is a big blow to him," said General Mahdi Sabih al-Ghrawi, the commander of Iraq's Public Order Brigade, a large special police force that assists the Iraqi Army in patrolling areas in and around Baghdad. He said Iraqi intelligence officers believe Mr. Zarqawi is in southern Anbar Province.
The State Department's annual survey of global terrorism, issued on Friday, described the insurgency in Iraq as increasingly fractured. The December elections created fissures within the insurgency, the report noted, resulting in some armed clashes between Iraqi Sunnis who had chosen to join the political process and elements of Mr. Zarqawi's network.
American officials said that Mr. bin Laden and Mr. Zawahiri face a far different political dynamic. The bin Laden network that existed before the attacks of September 2001 has been largely destroyed. Mr. bin Laden is no longer believed capable of exercising daily operational control over an organization that once supplied its members with money, military training and false papers.
The officials said that as a result, Mr. bin Laden, who is believed to be in hiding somewhere along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, must increasingly resort to broadcast messages to inspire his followers.
Last year, according to the State Department survey, Mr. bin Laden and his deputy began to see propaganda and morale-building as their primary mission.
"By year's end, it appeared that A.Q. senior leadership often inspired terrorist activity but could not direct it as fully as in the past," the report stated, referring to Al Qaeda by its initials.
In their recent messages, Mr. bin Laden and Mr. Zawahiri praised the insurgency but also sought to project Al Qaeda as a factor in a wider war in places far from Iraq.
Mr. bin Laden accused the United States and the European Union of waging "a Zionist-crusader war on Islam," citing their decision to freeze aid payments to the Palestinian government.
He urged his followers to go to Sudan to fight any Western peacekeeping force that is sent there. The State Department found that the strategy appeared to make political sense. It said in its annual survey of global terrorism, "By remaining at large, and intermittently vocal, bin Laden and Zawahiri symbolize resistance to the international community, demonstrate they retain the capability to influence events, and inspire actual and potential terrorists."
Posted by: Dan Darling ||
05/01/2006 01:04 ||
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What good are these jihatti website videoblogs if they can't even set up a "Paypal" tip jar?
And this is the culture they want to bring here...
The miners at the Sicartsa plant in Michoacan, Mexico owned by Grupo Villacero, have been on strike for close to 20 days now. They want, among other things, better safety conditions after the widely reported collapse of a mine in the north of Mexico on February 19. The accident was said to have been caused by poor safety conditions.
This is a video of Mexican police shooting at striking miners in Michoacan, Mexico.
The footage is from last Thursday, when the State Police and a Federal agency tried to throw the miners out of the plant they were occupying. In the video you can see the police shooting at the striking miners and an helicopter flying around the site also shooting at the people on the ground. The shooting was apparently done by the State police, but the federal agents did not intervene. Mexico's attorney general has declared that the federal government wil not investigate. Two young miners, ages 19 and 24 named Mario Alberto Castillo y Hector Alvarez were killed by shotgun wounds.
Tell me again , La Raza, about how your Aztlan culture is superior?
The Gangster Disciples, Latin Kings and Vice Lords were born decades ago in Chicago's most violent neighborhoods. Now, their gang graffiti is showing up 6,400 miles away in one of the world's most dangerous neighborhoods -- Iraq.
Armored vehicles, concrete barricades and bathroom walls all have served as canvasses for their spray-painted gang art. At Camp Cedar II, about 185 miles southeast of Baghdad, a guard shack was recently defaced with "GDN" for Gangster Disciple Nation, along with the gang's six-pointed star and the word "Chitown," a soldier who photographed it said.
The graffiti, captured on film by an Army Reservist and provided to the Chicago Sun-Times, highlights increasing gang activity in the Army in the United States and overseas, some experts say.
------------------------
The Gangster Disciples are the most worrisome street gang at Fort Lewis because they are the most organized, Barfield said.
Barfield said gangs are encouraging their members to join the military to learn urban warfare techniques they can teach when they go back to their neighborhoods.
"Gang members are telling us in the interviews that their gang is putting them in," he said.
Joe Sparks, a retired Chicago Police gang specialist and the Midwest adviser to the International Latino Gang Investigators Association, said he is concerned about the military know-how that gang-affiliated soldiers might bring back to the streets here. I hope this isn't as bad as the article makes it out to be. I hate Chicago gangs. My 15-yr old nephew got involved with them and many lives were hurt.
#1
As someone who lives in a bit of an MS-13 stronghold, this is a concern. If the Army can't control this within its ranks, how is it ever supposed to be dealt with in the civilian world?
#2
Barfield said gangs are encouraging their members to join the military to learn urban warfare techniques they can teach when they go back to their neighborhoods.
That's why those with gang tattoos are not allowed to enlist in the military. Limits the pool of eligible gang members.
Posted by: ed ||
05/01/2006 9:30 Comments ||
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#3
Gang membership should be grounds for dishorable discharge. Soldiers are loyal to their country, not it's enemies.
"We, the bishops of Colorado, urge the community to not take part in this Day without Immigrants. Real immigration reform requires reasonable dialogue and positive actions that persuade our elected officials. Walk-outs, as well-intentioned as they may be, do not serve that end."
Sounds like this Archbishop Chaput of Denver knows who is really behind this and their divisive intent (like A.N.S.W.E.R. LaRaza and Aztlan) - and that it accomplishes nothign except to raise anger against Hispanics
"Catholics and all people of good will, we urge you to take part in positive actions that lead to real solutions. Write to legislators and encourage employers and business owners to write also, demanding immigration reform that includes secure borders, paths to permanent residency, temporary worker programs, family reunification, labor protections for all workers, and wages and benefits that do not undercut domestic workers."
Notice the First item he lists in immigration reform: secure borders.
#2
Contrast this to the Bishops in Mexico (and CA) that back the action.
Looks liek a fight brewing over this in the Roman Catholic Church. Orthodox (Most traditional Catholics) on one side and Liberal (Mahoney andd the Mexicans) on the other.
Any anti-catholic types shoudl pull up a chair and grab some popcorn. But if you bet on it, bet on the Orthodox side given the Pope we now have (and that guys like me are in the trenches for orthodoxy).
"Render to Caeser the things that belong to Caesar (obey the laws of the land), and render to God, the things that are God's (worship, love, obedience, devotion)".
Can't forget one while trying to do the other. I belive in compassion and love to our fellow man, but the command to love your neighbor does not give you the right to violate our immigration laws. It would be different if these laws were unreasonable, inhumane, or indencet. They are not. Every nation has a right to control it's borders. They would have us believe that God is against that. Since I last checked, God hasn't come down on either side of the illegal immigration issue.
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.
Baraawe 01 May. 06 ( Sh.M.Network) Militias designed to guard off lower Shabelle region coasts and sent by Juba valley coalition authority have reached Barawe town of the region on Monday to prevent piracy. The militias who landed the port town of Barawe were part of troops allotted to be coast guards patrolling the regional coast which was unsafe for the past months after group of pirates armed with machine guns and rocket propel grenades started hijacking ships and vessels on the water indiscriminately. The administrator Barawe district in lower shabelle region Abdulahi Halane (Dhuhulow) told Shabelle radio in the telephone line that the militias had two speedy boats mounting with heavy machine guns. He said his administration is collaborating with Juba Valley in terms of security. 
Egypt's Parliament agreed yesterday to a two-year extension of emergency law requested by the government while it prepares replacing anti-terrorism laws. 
(CNSNews.com) - Monday, May Day, is International Worker's Day and the communist celebration of the Bolshevik Revolution. It is also a day when illegal immigrants plan to boycott work, school and shopping in an effort to show the contribution of undocumented aliens to the U.S. economy. Protesters will march in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles to urge Congress not to support a bill introduced by U.S. 
The 
BAGHDAD - Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said on Sunday he had met insurgents and a deal to end violence could be reached with some groups. I believe that a deal could be reached with seven armed groups that visited me, Talabani said in a statement released by his office.
A former top CIA spy says the United States deliberately turned down several opportunities to kill terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in the lead-up to the Iraq war. Mike Scheuer headed the CIA's bin Laden unit for six years before resigning in 2004. He has told the ABC's Four Corners program the Bush administration had Zarqawi in its sights almost every day for a year. He says a plan to destroy Zarqawi's training camp in Kurdistan was abandoned for diplomatic reasons.
GAZA - Palestinian Prime Minister 
DAMASCUS, Syria - Syria began a weeklong campaign on Sunday to collect money for the Palestinians, following a visit by the Palestinian foreign minister 10 days ago. Syrian President 
The United States rejects Iran's offer to allow a watchdog agency to inspect the country's nuclear facilities and will press ahead for U.N. penalties against Tehran, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Sunday. "They've had plenty of time to cooperate. I think they're playing games," Rice said.
