Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said that "Lebanon has not only defeated Israel, but also the plans for the state's partition."
Lahoud made the statement during a speech to the nation that was broadcast on Lebanese media channels.
Israelis, please take a note. This is an admission that there was a tacit agreement between Lebanese government and Hebully. Thus, Lebanese goverment is complicit and the next time, you know what to do.
#2
Today I saw video of the Hizzbies handong out stacks of $100 dollar bills.
$16,000 each for the returning refugees.
It's a giant racket/state.
Complicity is a given,, at this point.
Posted by: J. D. Lux ||
08/18/2006 19:11 Comments ||
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#3
This time last week, wasn't he in "someone make it stop" mode?
#6
Slime Speaks:
Beirut Aug. 18 (BNA) Lebanese President Emile Lahoud has confirmed to the world that Lebanon has not only defeated the Israeli hostility, but has defeated the plot aiming at dismantling its unity.
Lahoud praised the heroism of Hizbollah fighters in once again defeating the legend of the 'invincible' army. He also expressed his pride of their firmness and the unity of all Lebanese with the government, army and resistance. Lahoud addressed the Lebanese this evening in a speech through which he outlined the latest developments and events. He called on the people of his country to build their country, maintain its unity in the same manner they resisted to and defeated the Israeli enemy. Lebanon will be assisted by many countries in the battle of bringing life back to it, he said. The Lebanese president as 'patriotic' , noting that its mission in the South is to maintain security and stability. The president promised the Lebanese that the coming days will bring peace, calmness and prosperity to their country. Lebanon was forced to pay the price of the attacks which resulted in the death and injury innocent citizens, destruction of infrastructure and displacement of people, he pointed. Lahoud said that Lebanon was faced by two choices. It had either to accept the conspiracy targeting Lebanese unity planned long before July 12 or to face the plot in order to protect Lebanon, he explained. The plot, he said, comes to serve a suspicious agenda labeled by the slogan of a 'New Middle East'.
Posted by: J. D. Lux ||
08/18/2006 21:01 Comments ||
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#7
Wonder if those hundred dollar bills were printed in North Korea?
#10
I wish I had some hope that the Israelis are frantically rearming and preparing to go back in and finish the job. I haven't seen any evidence of that yet. If the tough guys in that neighborhood ever truly begin to think they can take Israel, it will be nuclear war for certain and Israel, along with all the rest, will be radioactive into the next century.
Posted by: mac ||
08/18/2006 22:10 Comments ||
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CIA sent me to be tortured in Afghan prison, says Algerian The Independent
Testimony by an Algerian national caught up in the CIA's extraordinary rendition programme, held for 16 months in secret prisons and later released without charge, has revealed how he was chained by the wrists and ankles and left hanging from the roof of a torture chamber for hours on end. Laid Saidi said he was rendered by US officials from Tanzania to Afghanistan in May 2003 and kept in a prison outside Kabul for more than a year before being returned to Algeria via Tunisia. In an interview with The New York Times, Mr Saidi, 43, told how he was kept in a cell "not even suitable for animals" and regularly tortured by guards, some of...
#3
If this kind of stuff is actually true, can anybody explain why it is that these guys ever get released to tell the story? Wouldn't really serious torturers finish the job and bury the evidence?
Posted by: John McCain ||
08/18/2006 13:15 Comments ||
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#5
Damn Clinton for starting that policy!!!
Posted by: Rob Crawford ||
08/18/2006 13:44 Comments ||
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#6
...has "revealed" how he was chained by the wrists and ankles and left hanging from the roof of a "torture" chamber for hours on end.
Yeahh, right, and I supposed he's also claiming an encounter with some 'infidel' woman with spiky platinum hair, and wearing a leather outfit. She was supposedly cracking a whip, and he is claiming she had him drugged and said, "I'm your first virgin... come to mama. If you dont talk, there are 71 more waiting for you..."
This whip-cracker allegedly tried to make him confess to being a part some sort of plot...
Posted by: Tell D Truth ||
08/18/2006 13:49 Comments ||
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#7
What, no pictures of the marks left on his body by the torture? Amazing how skilled those Army grunts are!
#12
Some of us advocate execution of anyone of whom it can be proven took terror training in any Islamic jihad base. I would put to death anyone who downloaded terror documents off the internet, in order to advance terror (legimitate researchers would have a defense).
Whatever happened to that "pre-emptive" war doctrine? Governments are placing onus on individuals, when they know who is financing terror and training terrorists, and have the means to do something about it.
As for the "torture" allegations, that's just grist for the propaganda mill. The "Idependent" is a millright operation in that regard.
LONDON - Flights were virtually back to normal on Thursday at major British airports a week after police thwarted an alleged plot to put Islamist suicide bombers on US-bound planes.
We should be back to a full service by Friday, said a spokesman for British Airways, the biggest carrier out of Heathrow, which Thursday was focusing its attention on sorting out baggage lost in the chaos. It was using trucks and freighter planes to return bags to some 5,000 affected travellers, and we are looking to get all bags reunited with passengers by close of play, the spokesman said.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/18/2006 00:00 ||
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Follow-up on the story posted by 'Moose yesterday evening. Careful -- one named source and a whole bunch of 'senior officials'.
(ABC News) Aug. 17, 2006 -- There is new evidence that North Korea may be preparing for an underground test of a nuclear bomb, U.S. officials told ABC News. "It is the view of the intelligence community that a test is a real possibility," said a senior State Department official.
A senior military official told ABC News that a U.S. intelligence agency has recently observed "suspicious vehicle movement" at a suspected North Korean test site. The activity includes the unloading of large reels of cable outside P'unggye-yok, an underground facility in northeast North Korea. The intelligence was brought to the attention of the White House last week.
Even before this most recent intelligence, there has been growing concern within the U.S. government that North Korea has been moving toward a nuclear test. North Korea is believed to have enough nuclear material to build as many as a dozen nuclear bombs, but it has never tested one. A successful test would remove any doubt that North Korea is a nuclear power.
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Posted by: Steve White ||
08/18/2006 00:00 ||
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#3
The food supply must be getting short. NKor's looking for attention...and handouts!!
Maybe if a little more money was spent on proper agriculture and feeding their populations; lights and electricity would help, and less on missiles and nuclear warheads, they wouldn't be in this mess.
#4
Maybe if a little more money was spent on proper agriculture and feeding their populations; lights and electricity would help, and less on missiles and nuclear warheads, they wouldn't be in this mess.
But that would not just be logical, it would also impinge upon vital national prestige. Having your population living off of grass and bark soup means nothing if there are no reporters to cover it.
It's not just Pakistan's nuclear weapon blueprints that North Korea is using. They are also copying Pakistan's model of diverting international catastrophe aid towards the sponsorship of terrorism. All of which should earn Kim an instant Hellfire enema.
#5
All of which should earn Kim an instant Hellfire enema.
Kimmie lives in one of 27 different places, and changes addresses more often than he changes his underwear. Not to mention that the Norks are literally moles. Some of their "office" buildings have underground areas as much as 400 feet below the surface. Most connect to one another by tunnels. Kimmie and his cronies could safely and comfortably survive for decades below the surface. The only way to get rid of Kim is to break China's banking structure and plunge that nation into economic chaos. That would cut the umbilical cord with Kim's Korea, and Kimmie's little empire would collapse in about ten days.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/18/2006 17:10 Comments ||
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#6
Well, like their missile firings, this will be interesting. The actual yield will be apparent rapidly from the underground detonation. Or dud.
The first Australian jailed under tough new anti-terrorism laws had his conviction quashed on Friday when an appeal court ruled a police interview given while under arrest in Pakistan was inadmissible, a court official said.
Joseph Terrence Thomas was found guilty in April of receiving $3,500 (1,858 pounds) and a plane ticket from senior al Qaeda agent Khaled bin Attash after training with Osama bin Laden's militant network in Afghanistan in 2001. Thomas, a father of three, was jailed for five years and also received a one-year sentence for possessing a false passport. He had faced a maximum 25-year sentence over the funding charge under tough new anti-terrorism laws, introduced not long after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States.
The Victorian state Supreme Court of Appeal quashed Thomas's conviction on Friday, saying his interview with Australian police in Pakistan was inadmissible as it was not voluntary and Thomas had no lawyer present to advise him. "Because of the conditions of his detention by Pakistani authorities, who would not allow him access to a lawyer, Thomas had no such opportunity," the court ruled. "In these circumstances, the court concluded, it was contrary to public policy to admit the evidence obtained in the record of interview," it said.
But the court has yet to rule on whether Thomas will be acquitted or face a re-trial. Prosecutors sought a re-trial in which they plan to use evidence given by Thomas in an Australian media interview, a court official told Reuters. More at link
#3
Take him far into the outback, paint "I'm Gay" all over his nude body, cut his achilles tendons, and leave him a half-pint of water. Cheaper than a new trial.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
08/18/2006 17:12 Comments ||
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#4
We could fix 'im up with a nice pair of Griffith boots, mate! Say, anyone care to join me in a rousing round of Tie me kangroo down sport? Waltzing Matilda maybe? No. Spoil sports.
#5
Hmmm, I'd normally agree wholeheartedly with FrankG and OP except for the friggin' Paki connection... 'access to a lawyer' etc
Thing is, they are arseholes though and have been doing the "don't piss down my neck and tell me it's raining" (first heard that in a Clint film, and thought it was superb!) game with us for for too long so you can't trust a bloody word from 'em...
Course, if the fucker is guilty, I'm 100% with OP...
Posted by: Tony (UK) ||
08/18/2006 19:54 Comments ||
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The Department of Homeland Security took a Muslim group with known past ties to terror organizations on a VIP tour of security operations at the nation's busiest airport at the same time British authorities were working to break up a plot to blow up U.S. airlines. On June 21, a senior DHS official from Washington personally guided Muslim officials from the Council on American-Islamic Relations on a behind-the-scenes tour of Customs screening operations at O'Hare International Airport in response to CAIR complaints that Muslim travelers were being unfairly delayed as they entered the U.S. from abroad.
CAIR is a spin-off of the Islamic Association for Palestine, identified by two former FBI counterterrorism chiefs as a "front group" for the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas. Several CAIR leaders have been convicted on terror-related charges.
During the airport tour, CAIR was taken on a walk through the point-of-entry, Customs stations, secondary screening and interview rooms. In addition, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agents were asked to describe for CAIR representatives various features of the high-risk passenger lookout system.
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#3
Someone really, really, really, needs to get fired over this.
Unfortunately they will probably get a promotion and a big bonus for enabling the next WTC class disaster - like that idiot who came up with the Visa Express program which was deeply involved in the WTC bombing.
#4
Ready for the tour, Admiral Yamamoto? Okay. Step aboard the launch and we'll run you out to Battleship Row.
What's that? Sure. Take all the pictures you want.
#6
Talk about utter stupidity. When these assholes from CAIR cry and moan, just laugh in their face and tell them to go f**k off. Now they are plotting on just how to bypass all known detection methods. The best method is, Muzzies don't fly.
#8
The Department of Homeland Security took a Muslim group with known past ties to terror organizations on a VIP tour of security operations at the nation's busiest airport at the same time British authorities were working to break up a plot to blow up U.S. airlines.
Stupidity should be painful, very very painful, excruciatingly so. This goes beyond insane. Behold the sordid spectacle of PC mentality fawning at the feet of its agressors. All involved in this act of cognitive dissonance should be banned from ever having even a minimum security clearance. Why not just give them a stack of blank passports and get it over with?
#10
CAIR in the past has cried racism and bigotry when the bureau has moved unilaterally with investigations and raids in the community.
Repeat after me, class. I'll have you write it 100 times on the chalkboard too after class:
Islam is NOT a race (as much as they think they're the Master Race(tm)).
Now, about feeling that Americans are bigoted. You ain't seen nuttin' yet, if something else happens to our nation, the gloves are comin' off.
Posted by: BA ||
08/18/2006 15:07 Comments ||
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#11
gromgoru - Stupidity can often be a capital offense (though it can also result in a Darwin Award). But this isn't stupidity - it's political correctness - which in our current GWOT can also prove fatal.
#12
I won't feel sorry when the Master Race suffers the "Nazi" consequences
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/18/2006 21:26 Comments ||
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#13
Yikes! When both Rush and O'Reilly stated yesterday that they "don't know what to believe anymore" (from their prime sources); Houston, we have a problem.
Posted by: at ||
08/18/2006 21:57 Comments ||
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A recent rash of equipment malfunctions that delayed hundreds of flights and nearly caused accidents prompted Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) on Thursday to call for a federal investigation of Los Angeles-area aviation control systems. Something tells me theres a Blame Bush episode acommin.
She also called on the Bush administration to allocate more funding for airport and airline security equipment, including chemical-explosive detectors and reinforced aircraft cargo holds.
Boxer's criticism of security measures came as two Transportation Security Administration officers discovered explosive residues on two containers of liquid in a carry-on bag during screening at a small airport in Huntington, W.Va., Wednesday morning. Hint hint Babs, you level criticism when they dont do their job.
It was a busy day for official visits to the airport, as U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff joined Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Police Chief William J. Bratton on a tour of passenger screening equipment in the American Airlines terminal.
Boxer's remarks followed a morning of what she described as intense briefings by officials of the Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Transportation Security Administration.
She said she wasn't satisfied with answers given for the July power outage in Palmdale in which air traffic controllers lost radio contact with pilots for 15 minutes and radar for two hours, resulting in delays of 348 flights at Los Angeles International Airport and reverberations across the nation. The cause: a faulty circuit board. (Made by Haliburton)
Less than two weeks later, an alarm on a ground radar system was shut off after it malfunctioned with a false alarm. A runway collision between two planes was narrowly averted when an air traffic controller yelled into the radio to warn a pilot who managed to take off early. And this week, a cargo truck hit a Qantas jet on the runway. Damn you Bush! Learn to drive.
Boxer said she wanted the investigator general of the U.S. Transportation Department to examine whether the systems are maintained adequately, inspected often enough and replaced regularly. Once the report is complete, she may call for congressional hearings on the issue.
She charged that the Bush administration was "soft on homeland defense," with inadequate security for not only airports, but ports and railways as well as chemical and nuclear plants. "We are always chasing the last threat, instead of the next threat," she said. She called for systems to be added to commercial airliners to protect against shoulder-fired missiles. Under Babs plan, one day all commercial airliners will be equipped with sophisticated missile jamming devices. Of course, congress will pick up the tab. Either that or all domestic flights will cost around cost six grand. And as technology advances all planes will eventually have a cloaking device just like Wonder Womans plane.
#1
She charged that the Bush administration was "soft on homeland defense,"
Yep you silly donk, he's "soft" ... that's why there have been so many massive 9/11 follow-on attacks.
#2
and that's why the Democrats had to "kill the Patriot Act." These people say anything they think will give them temporary advantage and count on a dumbed down electorate not to remember from day to day.
#3
"Homeland Defence" to the Democrats means more domestic spending for them to control. More civilian government employees, more contracts to let, more public-works projects. Meaning more votes for them.
Gateway Pundit (the link for this article) has the goods. Rather than repeat it all here, go there and see for yourself. John Murtha, it seems, lied about the whole thing.
Here's the link to the Patterico blog entry with the goodies.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/18/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
So he lied in a in fashion reminiscent of Jengis Kherry. What is it about Democrats and smearing our troops in time of war?
#3
While I have no room for Murtha, why did the Commandant's office not issue a press release immediately after Murtha's denying the meeting and force the issue? It's not like he (The Commandant)works for the POS.
#4
why did the Commandant's office not issue a press release immediately after Murtha's denying the meeting and force the issue?
Whatever the answer may be, it seems to work out better this way! I wonder how many lies Murtha stacked on top of this one. In any case, Murtha seems to have lost it and it's time for him to get out of the way.
#8
Yes, the wider truth is that all leftists lie. They are now irrelevant and in order to regain some measure of importance, they must create questionable situations damning the actions of the American military.
The left believes that every bullet fired can be replaced by negotiations. Three way negotiations.
The one who fired the bullet, the American military, the one who the bullet was fired at, the Islamic lunatic, and the mediator third party, the well meaning leftist.
Phalk that, we don't need any overseers.
We don't need no stinkin negotiations.
#10
Let the man not be re-elected and spend the rest of his life stewing in his own bile. Beyond that his problems are only of interest to his immediate circle, which will no doubt shrink significantly once he is no longer a VIP.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The first American civilian charged with mistreating a detainee during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was convicted Thursday of assaulting an Afghan man who later died. Prosecutors said the verdict against former CIA contract worker David Passaro sets a precedent for bringing others accused of such wrongdoing overseas back to the U.S. to stand trial. Human-rights advocates, however, noted that no other U.S. civilian has been charged publicly with abusing detainees in the two years since Passaro's arrest.
After about eight hours of deliberations, a federal jury found Passaro guilty of three counts of simple assault and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury, lesser charges than prosecutors had sought. He faces up to 11 1/2 years in prison, and no sentencing date was immediately set.
Passaro, 40, was impassive as the jury verdict was read. After jurors left the courtroom, he stood up and quietly extended his wrists so federal marshals could handcuff him.
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Posted by: Steve White ||
08/18/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
25 years ago, I suggested a class for "Interrogations without leaving marks". The guy from Washington turned white. I was joking:)
The Pakistan based chief of the Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, Syed Salahuddin, on Thursday said that the proposal of self-rule could be discussed only after complete demilitarisation across the Line of Control. He said that for him declare a ceasefire to help the peace process to succeed, "a green signal" should come from New Delhi. He also denied that there was any presence of the Al Qaeda in Kashmir.
In an interview to a local news agency, KNS, Mr. Salahuddin said ceasefire had practically no connection with the peace process. "If the Government of India is sincere in resolving the Kashmir issue and the international community also stresses upon us to declare [a] ceasefire to help the peace process to succeed then the green signal should come from New Delhi," he said. Asked what the "green signal" would mean, he said: "New Delhi should accept Kashmir as a disputed area and take such steps as will restore our confidence."
The politician-turned-militant leader said the pre-1990 position of troop deployment in Jammu and Kashmir should be restored, all the prisoners released, military operations stopped and India should commit before the international community that tripartite talks would be held. "We [will then be] ready for a ceasefire."
Stating that the Hizb continued to play a political and diplomatic role, Mr. Salahuddin said that if "any of our efforts help the peace process succeed, I will be happy because we know people are experiencing difficulties in Kashmir. It does not matter whose bullets come out of the gun as it is only the Kashmiri that suffers." But at the same time it did not mean that "we surrender our birth right."
The Hizb chief regretted that Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf, at the cost of his credibility, offered self-rule, demilitarisation and joint control as a solution but "India did not respond positively and did not exhibit sincerity."
To a question about self-rule, he said it was possible to discuss it only after India and Pakistan withdrew their troops from both parts of Kashmir. "In a situation of self-rule, people will be solely responsible for their political system. This could be the first step towards implementation of the right of self determination."
Posted by: john ||
08/18/2006 07:38 ||
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#1
How about we talk about it after Baluchistan gets self-rule, (and it's) people will be solely responsible for their political system.
I'm speechless. The Indian Kashmiri government was elected. This guy was appointed by Perv.
Prime Minister of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir Attique Khan says he is the Prime Minister of the entire State of Jammu and Kashmir, the Dawn reported on Thursday.
Mr. Khan, who took charge after the recent elections, said that though he exercised his authority only in one part of the State, he was the Prime Minister of "aar paar (this side and that)".
"Whether I can do anything for them or not, every citizen of the entire State of Kashmir has the right to consider me his prime minister," the paper quoted him as saying at a reception hosted by the former chairman of the United Jihad Council, Tanveerul Islam.
Mr. Islam reportedly runs a non-Governmental organisation for the families of those killed waging "jihad" against India in Kashmir. He paid tributes to them and asked India to let Kashmiris live according to their free will.
Sooner or later New Delhi would have to give in to the legitimate demands of Kashmiris, the newspaper reported him as saying.
He expressed support for the cross-Line of Control trade, and said people should be able to move freely between the two sides of divided Kashmir.
Mr. Khan's father, Sardar Qayyum Khan, who is the "life patron" of the Azad Jammu and Kashmir Muslim Conference, has said Pakistan-based militant training camps were wound up before 9/11.
The Daily Times reported the senior Khan as telling journalists in Washington (where he went for medical treatment) that militancy in Kashmir would continue until there was progress on the political front.
Mr. Khan "regretted attempts made in some quarters to play down the principle of self-determination," which was central to the Kashmir struggle, and dismissed as absurd the idea of "self-governance."
While this was an idea floated by President Pervez Musharraf, the PoK leader reportedly said Pakistan had not changed its position on Kashmir.
Mr. Khan said any attempt to bypass Kashmiris would fail. They were not a herd of sheep that could be divided between one or another political party.
Posted by: john ||
08/18/2006 07:28 ||
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#1
"Tremble at the sight of my turban! And my heavily armed and extremely pious henchmen!"
Hizbul Mujahedin, held Kashmir's largest Islamic militant group, said on Thursday that it was not 'scared' of talks with New Delhi, but insisted that there should be no conditions, such as disarming.
Hizbul Mujahideen's statement came as the region's top separatist politician, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, said he would visit Belfast next month to study the Irish Good Friday peace deal to determine if it could help resolve the Kashmir issue.
"Hizbul Mujahedin was never scared of talks in the past nor is it against the process today," group spokesman Junaidul Islam told a local news agency. He however said that if Indian leaders 'were sincere, they should not have put preconditions before the talks'.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2006 00:00 ||
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The United States is willing to release all Pakistani nationals detained in Camp X-ray of Guantanamo Bay except one man alleged to have financed Al Qaeda operations. Senior Pentagon officials in Washington gave this assurance to a two-member team of the National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) headed by Colonel Imran that also visited Camp X-ray and held individual meetings with all six Pakistani nationals detained there. NCMC Director General Brig (r) Javed Iqbal Cheema told journalists that the US authorities would soon release two Pakistani nationals, Muhammad Haleem Siddiqui and Zia Shah.
Piracha said he was a philanthropist who led a delegation to Afghanistan before the 9/11 attacks on New York...
None of the Pakistani nationals was handed over to the United States by Pakistan, he said, adding that the Pakistanis in US custody were arrested from Afghanistan or somewhere else outside Pakistan. Presently, 26 Pakistanis are in US custody, six of them in Camp X-ray and the remaining 20 in a US prison in Afghanistan. The US authorities recently released three Pakistanis from Afghanistan. They are being screened and debriefed by Pakistani intelligence agencies.
The alleged Al Qaeda financer, Saifullah Piracha, told the Pakistani team that he was innocent. He said he was a philanthropist who led a delegation to Afghanistan before the 9/11 attacks on New York. Piracha told Pakistani officials that he and his colleagues were invited to meet Osama Bin Laden during their visit to Afghanistan. He said he and his colleagues called on Bin Laden, but never became part of his war.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2006 00:00 ||
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BAGHDAD - Iraqi government forces are ready to take charge of security in most of the country and would be able to cope if US-led coalition forces pulled out, Prime Minister Nuri Al Maliki said on Thursday. Iraqi forces are now capable of taking charge of security tasks in most of Iraqs provinces and would be able to fill the vacuum if multinational forces withdrew, he said, after receiving his Slovak counterpart, Robert Fico.
US commanders are in the process of handing responsibility for security in Iraq to Malikis government forces, but expect to still be in command in the most violent areas around Baghdad into the early months of next year. One province, the sparsely populated mostly-Shiite region of Muthanna is already under complete Iraqi government control, and several more are slated to be handed over in the coming months.
Posted by: Steve White ||
08/18/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Good. I believe we heard that before. Then he made an emergency trip to DC to plead for reinforcements. American troops should be withdrawn to remote bases or preferably to guard oil assets only. Training plans should be made for entering Iran after the radiation drops to safe levels. Let the Iraq free-for-all continue.
ISRAEL'S ambassador to the United Nations told the BBC Friday they would have difficulty accepting nations that do not recognise the Jewish state as part of a peacekeeping force in Lebanon.
"It would be very difficult, if not inconceivable, for Israel to accept troops from countries who do not recognise Israel, who have no diplomatic relations with Israel," Dan Gillerman told the London-based broadcaster.
Mr Gillerman was speaking after Indonesia and Malaysia, which do not recognise the Jewish state, both offered to supply troops for the UN force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
On the other hand, Israel would be "very happy" to accept troops from Muslim countries with which they had good relations, the diplomat added.
"But to expect countries who don't even recognise Israel to guard Israel's safety I think would be a bit naive," Mr Gillerman said.
UNIFIL is currently comprised of 2,000 soldiers.
A UN Security Council resolution agreed Monday to help end a month of fighting between Israeli forces and the Shiite Hezbollah militia in Lebanon aims to boost UNIFIL's troop numbers to 15,000 and widen its remit.
Israel's justice minister, a key ally of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, announced Friday that he will resign, clearing the way for him to stand trial on accusations he forcibly kissed an 18-year-old female soldier.
Haim Ramon's announcement came a day after Israel's attorney general announced plans to indict him, the latest blow to a government politically weakened by the 34-day war against Lebanese guerrillas. Ramon said in a statement that he had waived his parliamentary immunity and his right to a special hearing with the attorney general. He said he would leave office on Sunday. Ramon asked Attorney General Meni Mazuz to ensure a speedy trial "for personal reasons, but also because of public interest." He wants to spend more quality time with the family no doubt.
At least he's coming clean, not too many politicos do that ...
Ramon, 56, is suspected of forcibly kissing the soldier during a farewell party at a government office. The incident allegedly took place July 12, the day the war erupted. Hey it was an emotional situation you know just caught up in the moment.
The indecent assault charge against Ramon carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison, justice officials said. "I am sure that I will succeed in court. A kiss of two, three seconds, based on the version of the complainant, cannot be turned into a criminal act," Ramon said in a statement. "In retrospect, maybe I shouldve smooched her on the belly ala Putin-Style."
Mazuz said earlier he had little choice but to proceed. "When the complainant's testimony is consistent and perceived to be credible, and is supported by other testimony, there is no choice but to file an indictment and bring the case to be settled in court," he said in a statement.
Ramon, a leading member of the ruling Kadima Party, is considered a key Olmert ally and one of the biggest supporters of a plan to unilaterally withdraw from much of the West Bank by 2010.
#3
Looks like Israel has America's disease. The right (and time-honored) answer to one unwanted kiss (as opposed to repeated advances) is one slap on the face. It's crazy to make a federal case out of everything.
#5
Looks like Israel has America's disease. The right (and time-honored) answer to one unwanted kiss (as opposed to repeated advances) is one slap on the face. It's crazy to make a federal case out of everything.
Looks to me like the sane Israelis found a way to nudge a peacenik in the govt responsible for a blowing the attacks on Lebanon to get out of the way.
And .... if you're 18 and the guy who's got you pinned against the wall is the senior justice minister of the country then yeah, one forced kiss is a big deal. 1-ten thousand, 2-ten thousand, 3-ten thousand (and probably longer) of this guy's drunken tongue down your throat and his pudge pinning you back -- try it sometime if you think it's no big deal.
#6
Um . . . 18/56? I'm seeing a problem here with a 38-year difference, and a difference in rank as well. Ick. It's really, really muzzie, if ya' know what I mean--especially since the girl (read: GIRL) didn't like it. Sounds like Ramon is a sleaze.
Posted by: ed ||
08/18/2006 07:12 ||
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#1
from the book "Storm from the East" by Robert Marshall:
The Mongols' prime objective was the Caliph of Baghdad, but before confronting him they meant to eliminate the other major power in the region, The Ismailis or Assassins. They had emerged because of a schism in the Shia Muslim sect and established themselves in northern and eastern Persia by taking and controlling a series of mountain fortifications. Behind their walls they lived a contemplative life, producing beautifully wrought paintings and metalworks, buy beyond their retreats they terrorized those civilizations they deemed heretical and so earned the enmity not just of the rest of the Islamic world but eventually of Europe. Rather than confronting his enemies in open combat he preferred to sponsor a campaign of political murder, usually executed with a dagger in the back, as the means to his ends.
The Mongols has their own reasons for launching a campaign against the Assassins. First, they had received a plea of help from an Islamic judge in Qaswin, a town near the Assassins' stronghold at Alamut, who had complained that his fellow citizens were forced to wear armour all the time as protection from the Assassins' daggers. According to Rubruck, another reason that determined Mongol attitudes was the discovery of a plot to send no fewer than 400 dagger-wielding Assassins in disguise to Qaraqorum with the instructions to murder the Great Khan. The Assassins had encountered the Mongols once before, during Chormaghun's terror raid through northern Persia 1237-8, which led them to send an envoy to Europe to beg help.
...
On 1 January 1256 Hulegu's army crossed the Oxus River and brought into Persia the most formidable war machine ever seen. It possessed the very latest in siege engineering, gunpowder from China, catapults that would send balls of flaming naphtha into their enemy's cities, and divisions of rigorously trained mounted archers led by generals who had learnt their skills at the feet of Genghis Khan and Subedei. As news of Hulegu's army spread he was soon presented with a succession of sultans, emirs, and atabaks from as far apart as Asia Minor and Herat, all come to pay homage. Its sheer presence brought to an end nearly forty years of rebellion and unrest in the old lands of Khwarazmia, but to the inhabitants of Persia and Syria it was the dawn of a new world order.
The Mongols made first for the Elburz Mountains where the Assassins lay in wait behind what they believed to be their impregnable fortresses. With extraordinary ingenuity the Mongol generals and their Chinese engineers manoeuvred their artillery up the mountain slopes and set them up around the walls of the fortress of Alamut. But before the order was given to commence firing the Assassins' Grand Master, Rukn ad_Din signaled that he wanted to negotiate. Hulegu countered that he must immediately order the destruction of his own fortifications; when Rukn ad_Din prevaricated; the bombardment commenced. Under the most devastatingly accurate fire, the walls quickly tumbled and Rukn ad_Din surrendered. Hulegu took him prisoner, transported him to every Assassin castle they confronted, and paraded him before each garrison with the demand for an immediate surrender. Some obliged, as at Alamut; while others, like Gerdkuh, had to be taken by force. Today the spherical stone missiles fired by the artillery teams at the walls still litter the perimeter of the ruins. Whether each 'eagle's nest' surrendered or taken, the Mongols put all the inhabitants to the swords - even the women in their homes and the babies in their cradles.
As the slaughter continued, Rukn ad_Din begged Hulegu to allow him to go to Qaraqorum where he would pay homage to the great Khan and plead for clemency. Hulegu agreed, but when he got to Qaraqorum Mongke Khan refused to see him. It was effectively a sentence of death. On the journey back his Mongol escorts turned on the Grand Master and his attendants, who were 'kicked to a pulp'. The Persian historian Juvaini commented that 'the world had been cleansed'. Five hundred years later Edward Gibbon echoed those sentiments, claiming that the Mongols' campaign 'may be considered as a service to mankind'. It took two years for the Mongols to dislodge over 200 'eagle's nests', but in the process they virtually expunged the Assassins from Persia.
#2
I read that the slaughter in Baghdad was over 200,000. But what happened to the Mongol's in Central Asia? They found the Islam ideology better suited for their plunder lifestyle, and converted. The Moghul leaders of India, were descendents of Khan, whose name is still taken by Muslims (but never by Hindus).
Frankly, we would have been better off facing Mongols than the current misrulers of the Middle East.
#3
Timely analysis of the Israeli intervention in Lebanon. However, the destruction of Hizbollah Lebanon is greatly understated. The 3 major terror centers were totally ruined. But, now comes the next wave of missiles; and there goes Israel unless we pre-empt this enemy's capacity to wage war.
"Historically, a noticeable increase in violence by Islamic radicals occurred every three or four generations. . . . The terrorists almost always lost, usually when a powerful ruler in the area launched a major military operation against the population . . . that was supporting the terrorists. Much bloodshed ensued. Today these measures would be described as genocide and war crimes."
We need to get back to the tried an true methods with these animals. The fact that this happens every couple of generations tells you everything you need to know about the Religion Of Peace.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
08/18/2006 11:46 Comments ||
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#5
A valuable history lesson. But the author is wrong. The correct method of dealing with the menace remains the same. Kill them as fast as possible. The more brutal the better. When reduced to a whimpering mass, the Death Cult will go submissive again for a few hundred years. Today, instead of going house to house with swords, we have the means to bring detruction from the skies to their whole areas and make it glow in the dark. It only requires willpower.
#8
I agree w/Al & Rat. However, (and this is going to sound f*cking barbaric but here goes) I think we need to take it a step further. If you have a weed and you simply mow it down eventually it grows back as we said. Like muzzie extremists, maybe it takes 30-40 years for them to grow like a weed, they eventually become emboldened, cause harm to innocent folks and then we are back to fighting them again. Why not pull the weed out from it's roots? What I am proposing (besides being my own mental masturbations) flys in the face of all we Americans hold dear as far a freedom of religion goes. I think it's time to start incrementally destroying islam itself. Whether you burn the koran, call their teachings apostate, push as much western ideology on them as possible, or go so draconian as to discourage or outlaw their religion something needs to happen. (Like they themselves did to the zoaroastrians (sp?).) Until islam is so marginalized or no longer a threat - we will always be dealing w/these assholes. When another's religion becomes a physical threat to your family, your own personal security and our freedoms, something must be done to not just treat the symptoms but also destroy the root cause. Their ideology needs to be thrown on the trash heap of history as incompatible w/living in a modern global community.
#9
It will require either destroying the ideology or pushing back the borders until islamic peoples cannot generate enough power to be more than a nuisance. Either way, a whole of people will die
And a whole lot of us will die if we do nothing or not enough.
But the current method of trying to impose democracy will fail without destroying islam first. As seen in Iraq, the westernized exiles and mullahs were quickly pushed out or murdered to be replaced by exiles from Iran. The politics of consensus and compromise do not work in the face of intimidation and assassination.
Posted by: ed ||
08/18/2006 13:00 Comments ||
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#10
I agree ed. Their voters will eventually learn the hard way when they put extremists in power - even democratically. The old axiom, you get the gov't you tolerate.
#11
Their ideology needs to be thrown on the trash heap of history as incompatible w/living in a modern global community.
That's happening right now. Much of the virulence of the Islamic radicals is due to their inability to keep the faithful practicing Islam through any social mechanism except violence. While that worked for the Roman Empire, and even into the seventh century, it won't work in the modern world. Just as the Soviet Union ultimately collapsed in the intractable face of modernity, so will Islam. It may take a lifetime, but by the end of this century Islam will be relegated to the backward corners of the world where the modern world has no need to go. Where the modern goes, it will become apparent to all that Islam cannot compete. But getting theree will be hell.
#12
Nimble, I'm not so sure about that. The kids in the UK didn't need to be coerced through violence. As the Islamic world continues to wallow in its inferiority the population will likely turn even more to the cause of their failures...Islam. The "religion" helps them deflect the true causes of their malaise and protects them from the pain of introspection.
This will continue until what I see as the inevitable happens...a whole lot of people in the west die from some terrorist event. Only then will the rage be great enough to call the islamist what they are...a cancer on the earth. Only after millions of their brethren have been torched will their capacity for introspection be called upon. Then and only then will the world campaign to rid the world of islam begin in earnest.
#13
Yes, I wonder about the appeal of radicalism among apparently well-educated and upwardly-mobile 'westernized' moslems. Aside from the 72 virgins ploy, the main appeal seems to be to provide a elusive sense of meaning and purpose, sort of like "Happy Days" in the midst of the stagflation of the mid 70's. Let's hope that this trend has already 'jumped the shark'.
#14
he gives too much of a pass to teh PAk Generals and ISI - they have decided to continue the Taliban/Jihadi training to destabilize/control Afghanistan and as a weapon in Kashmir and against India. They are equally guilty. I'd like to see some "Terminal Resignations" among the ISI and Pak Generals. Force Perv to make a choice and crack down internally. Don't groipe to me that it's "hard" - tell me it's possible and let the ISI suffer the consequences
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/18/2006 20:12 Comments ||
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#15
I wonder about the appeal of radicalism among apparently well-educated and upwardly-mobile 'westernized' moslems
Why? The cause is apparent when you see the conversions among previously secular Europeans. Where there is a core emptiness of values and belief, fanaticism seems quite attractive. It's a pattern that has played out time and again.
It's informative to compare the reaction of many Muslims who encounter the west / live here with that of Indians, who often come from equally impoverished backgrounds. Despite the rigidities of traditional Indian culture - and they are definitely there, as my Indian friends over the years have helped me see - Hinduism, Buddhism and the smaller sects of India have always had flexibility and a fair sophistication in their world view. These people adapt well and contribute well to the west when they come, or to their original culture when they return.
Islam has never had that sophistication at its root, and seldom on its surface. When it's entwined with tribal traditions like honour killing, and then that whole brittle structure comes into contact with the west, it starts cracking and its adherents patch it up with Jihadi Super Glue.
An Israeli military court has extended the detention of Abd al-Aziz Dweik, the Palestinian parliament speaker, until next Tuesday. On Thursday, Dweik, 57, who was hospitalised with chest pain after his arrest earlier this month, shouted to television cameras at the court hearing complaining that his arrest was unjust. "I am the elected representative of the people," he said. "This is unjust treatment by an occupation which lacks legitimacy. We do have the right and the legitimacy, but these [Israelis] are unjust and usurpers [of land] who do not observe human dignity or human rights. My rightful place is among the people."
Trade him for Gilad Shalit.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
We should hear from these morons about as much as we hear from Gilad Shalit.
"This is unjust treatment by an occupation which lacks legitimacy. We do have the right and the legitimacy, but these [Israelis] are unjust and usurpers [of land] who do not observe human dignity or human rights.
Whether or not you know it, you just shot yourself in the foot, bonehead. At least you can talk like that.
#3
[2] TheTreasure Hidden in the Talmudic Laws (1899) is a compilation of two books, translated into Arabic by Dr. Yusuf Hana Nasrallah. The first is Der Talmudjude (1871), by the antisemitic professor August Rohling, and the other is a history of Syria from 1840, edited by Achille Lorraine. http://www.asharqalarabi.org.uk/center/kutob-kanz.htm
#4
"These lies have exposed the true and hideous face of the blood-suckers who were described by Filmange in his book The Treasure Hidden in the Talmudic Laws [sic], which tells how [the Jews] planned [to prepare] a matzo [unleavened Passover bread] using human blood.
Not this sh!t again! Yet another Islamic tripe volcano. At least this turd could have the decency to properly cite The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as his principal source. Islam needs to be roundly ridiculed for publishing such twaddle as this. That a blood-thirsty and death obsessed religion like Islam should make such barbarous allegations against Judaism is simply hilarious.
Posted by: J. D. Lux ||
08/18/2006 14:30 Comments ||
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#6
I'm aware of that, J. D. Lux, I just prefer the more descriptive term, "tripe volcano." How is it the world, at large, does not unanimously condemn those who persist in spewing the same exact bile concocted by those Nazis who brought us the Holocaust and the Stalinists with their endless pogroms?
Silence is consent and this world's mute acceptance in the face of such an atrocious torrent of philisophical vomit only lends it a shred of credibility. All thinking people are obliged to ridicule and vociferously confront the least appearance of such flagrant distortion. For allowing this to be published, Egypt should be locked out of all foreign tourism for a minimum of six months.
#7
We've been too gentle with these people. FAR too gentle. They aren't getting the message, in large part because we aren't delivering it with sufficient force.
We're too damn nice, too damn civilized, for our own good. Sometimes I wonder if we're really going to prevail. At all.
Posted by: Dave D. ||
08/18/2006 15:32 Comments ||
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#8
Thanks to Jimmy Carter we have been paying these jerks several billion dollars a year to play nice with the Israelis. This was after we told Israel not to wipe them out in 73. Maybe it is time to rethink both issues.
#11
The Egyptians don't like passover cause it reminds them of the first time they lost to Israel. Also think about it. Biological weapons employed. Frogs, Locusts, e.g. all the Plagues
The United States, concerned about North Korea, will double to six by the end of the year the number of its ships in the Pacific capable of shooting down enemy ballistic missiles, the head of the Pentagon missile-defense project involved said on Wednesday.
"I think it gives the nation more options," Rear Adm. Alan Hicks, program manager for Aegis ballistic missile defense, told reporters here after speaking to a conference on the fledgling U.S. shield.
In coming years, a growing number of ship-based interceptor missiles will be deployed on 18 Aegis cruisers and destroyers as part of a multibillion-dollar U.S. defense push stoked by fears of North Korea and Iran.
The six ships due to be available this year will carry a specialized Aegis combat system developed by Lockheed Martin Corp. as well as Standard Missile SM-3 interceptors built by Raytheon Co., Hicks said.
As such, they will be able to defend against short- and medium-range ballistic missiles as well as against any threats to themselves, he said.
Longer-range, intercontinental missiles travel faster than the current generation of ship-based interceptors, or about 6,000 miles an hour, he said. Japan and the United States are co-developing an advanced model, dubbed SM-3 Block 2, to tackle the long-range threat, with plans to deploy it by 2015.
North Korea test-fired a barrage of seven missiles starting on the U.S. July 4 Independence Day holiday, including a long-range Taepodong 2 with an estimated range that includes the United States. It failed about 40 seconds after launch.
The six shorter-range shots marked successful test flights, showing North Korea's "intent to build out," Air Force Lt. Gen. Henry Obering, director of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, told reporters here on Tuesday.
None of the three U.S. Aegis ships then capable of shooting down ballistic missiles was on station during the North Korean launches, though other Aegis ships helped track them as part of the layered U.S. anti-missile shield, Hicks said.
The United States has taken other steps to meet the perceived threat of North Korean missiles, which could be tipped with nuclear, chemical or germ weapons.
It is sending Lockheed Martin Corp./Raytheon Co. Patriot Advanced Capability-3 surface-to-air interceptors to Kadena Air Base on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa from September and plans to make them partly operational by the end of the year, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said last month.
#4
Longer-range, intercontinental missiles travel faster than the current generation of ship-based interceptors, or about 6,000 miles an hour, he said. Japan and the United States are co-developing an advanced model, dubbed SM-3 Block 2, to tackle the long-range threat, with plans to deploy it by 2015.
! Go Navy! (Looks like a classic Air Force/Navy fight)
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The United Nations has received several offers for its expanded peacekeeping force in Lebanon despite France's refusal to commit a substantial number of ground troops to the operation. Deployments by Italy, Spain and Belgium, are key because they can move their forces into Lebanon quickly to meet the 15-day UN deadline for an advance contingent of 3,500 troops. All three nations are studying draft rules of engagement presented to dozens of ambassadors at a meeting chaired by Mark Malloch Brown, the deputy UN secretary-general. "The show is on the road. We are in... Click here to read more »
#1
"All three nations are studying draft rules of engagement presented to dozens of ambassadors at a meeting chaired by Mark Malloch Brown, the deputy UN secretary-general."
#3
"Mr. Soros, these are the ROE - do you approve? By the way, the guesthouse is a little warm, could you have your maintenance man check the A/C out? I've done all you asked...."
Mark Mulloch Brown
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/18/2006 18:58 Comments ||
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The United Nations got pledges Thursday of 3,500 troops for an expanded U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, ...
National Pledge Week for Lebanon! I can see this on public TV and NPR. Make your pledge today and get your choice of this lovely minature Lebanese flag or Hezbollah banner suitable for your office or living room ...
... but it was unclear whether the soldiers represented the right mix of countries and units and could deploy very quickly. Bangladesh made the largest offer of up to 2,000 troops but France offered just 400, a disappointment to some who expected more from the country likely to lead the force.
The disappointment was in expecting something from France ...
Deputy Secretary-General Mark Malloch Brown told a meeting of nearly 50 potential troop contributing countries that at least 3,500 new troops are needed in south Lebanon within 10 days to expand the 2,000-strong U.N. force trying to help maintain an uneasy truce between Israel and Hezbollah militants. ...
Posted by: ed ||
08/18/2006 12:22 ||
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#2
If what was reported on FOX + CNN is correct, the nations comprising the UNO force are nations wid evidence of anti-Amer agendas, e.f. FRANCE and Iraq; andor are domestically at risk of destabilization-anarchy themselves from Commie-Maoist-supported Radical Islamist/Terror groups. The Hizzies, Hezzies, Hammies, Huzzies, Poppies, and Jihadies, etc, get their weapons, etch, and advisors, etal. from SYRIA-IRAN, ergo Lebanon's 15,000 want to block arms coming from southern Israel, NOT northern Lebanon, dem dar Syria-Iran ways.
Hizbullah's arms "are part of the national defense strategy, which has yet to be discussed," Hizbullah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan said Thursday. In an interview with The Daily Star, Hajj Hassan said that there have been several proposals regarding the defense strategy and the issue of the party's weapon's, including "integrating" Hizbullah's fighters into the Lebanese Army.
As the Lebanese Army started its deployment in South Lebanese towns early Thursday, international calls became for Hizbullah to disarm picked up momentum. French Foreign Minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said that Hizbullah should not be keeping its arms south of the Litani River. Hajj Hassan objected to the French minister's call. "This is an internal affair which should be discussed between the Lebanese," he said. "We [Hizbullah] have decided that the issue of the resistance is a Lebanese matter that is to be discussed within the proper political frames. Whether south or north of the Litani River, this is his [Douste-Blazy's] own opinion. As for us, whatever decision the Lebanese government takes is the important thing and will be followed ... There is plenty of international pressure on Lebanon to implement such thoughts; a war was launched on Lebanon for this matter [disarming Hizbullah]."
The MP also addressed fears of a possible civil war because of Hizbullah's arms, saying: "An internal war will not occur in Lebanon. The Lebanese are more aware and too smart to be drawn by certain sides into a civil war." In response to a question on a possible rekindling of clashes between Hizbullah and Israel, Hajj Hassan said: "Israel's history is based on aggressions and wars. The last Israeli offensive was in fact a US attack on Lebanon."
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
and I thought that Chutzpah was a yiddish word, not arabic.
So that means when Hezbollah attacked Israeli troops and kidnapped two of them, it represented an act of war by the nation of Lebanon against Israel. Right?
#3
Islamic "logic", as is the case with the Arab "equivalent", allows for full situational flexibility. Linear thought is completely unnatural and almost always impossible for either category. In combination, the operative word is "Tilt!".
#5
Think its time for another Alexander to run roughshod over the region and introduce the Greek concept of 'Logic' cause its one that evades the culture.
#6
However poorly understood it may be by Muslims in general, by employing the well-known Sauce for the Gander Equation, this would mean that Lebanese arms are a component of Hezbollah. Ergo, all of the above should be viewed as proper targets by Israel.
#7
IOW, IRANIAN Hizbullah consider's Lebanon a vassal government-state of Iran. THERE IS NO INTERNAL WAR becuz Iran sees SYRIA in the same way, iff only in the future, not at the fleeting present. Iranian $$$ [USD] is what supports SYRIAN HEZBOLLAH.Wid dialectical, waffle-loving GOD-BASED LEFTIES. the Great Satan remains in the lettering between HIZBULLAH vs HEZBOLLAH, etal.
The UN on Thursday outlined what it said were "robust but not offensive" rules of engagement for peacekeepers to be deployed in Lebanon and called for urgent troop commitments from member states. "The draft rules of engagement call for the use of force to prevent the UNFIL area of deployment and operations from being used to hostile activities," Deputy Secretary General Mark Malloch Brown said at talks on the force. "Robust, yes, but not an offensive force. It is there to keep the peace as a longer term political solution is put in place," he said.
He called on member states to urgently provide firm pledges for troops, warning that any delay threatened the fledgling ceasefire on the ground. "We must convert promises into firm commitments and commitments into rapid deployments on the ground. Every moment we delay is a moment of risk that the fighting could re-erupt," he said. "The situation on the ground is tenuous. We must all act with great urgency to construct a lasting ceasefire from the current cessation of fighting."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
"Robust but not offensive"
Only the UN would come up with RoE like that
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/18/2006 0:50 Comments ||
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#2
Other such marketing slogans...
Smooth but less filling
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/18/2006 0:51 Comments ||
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#3
If Hezb'allah doesn't disarm no UN troops should be sent in. It's that simple.
#5
And the Lebanese Army should be put on notice that the net result of their collusion with Hezbollah is that it will be held responsible and destroyed along with Hezbollah when the first rocket hits Israel.
#6
I was going to post the following 1st person account of combat in lebanon, but it is somewhat old news. It is also the best combat writing that I have read in quite some time.
#8
Snease, great story, thanks for the link.
Reading it is a reminder of why it is critical to have and follow a plan with redundant backup for all possibilities. The next time, all incoming flights should carry extra water.
Even more important is to have a leader who wants to win, not just to build a legacy, like Olmert.
#9
It is becoming clear that the purpose of the UN force is to protect Hezbollah from the Israelis. When the Lebanese shoot rockets into Israel, the UN will do nothing, but when the IAF retaliates, they will scream to high heaven and will try to stop the Israeli tanks from rolling.
#10
hope the UN force has their wills in order. Won't be any time to screw the native kids this time - they'll be too busy dodging RPGs and return artillery
Posted by: Frank G ||
08/18/2006 20:14 Comments ||
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#11
Here's an outcome. I suspect what you will see very soon is a defiant Lebanese President Lahoud (tears all dry) announcing jointly with Kofi, that a robust UN troop commitment is no longer needed, and that 'all thanks be to Alan' Lebanon and mighty Lebanese army can handle it's own internal security. Of course this will be a very, very well "paid political announcement" compliments of the Soodies and the Iranistanians.... who will gladly pump gazillions of dollars into that cesspool to keep the infidels out. The Euros will all be dancing through Paris at the news and sending financial re-build, re-arm contributions of their very own.
#12
Slime speaks:
Beirut Aug. 18 (BNA) Lebanese President Emile Lahoud has confirmed to the world that Lebanon has not only defeated the Israeli hostility, but has defeated the plot aiming at dismantling its unity.
Lahoud praised the heroism of Hizbollah fighters in once again defeating the legend of the 'invincible' army. He also expressed his pride of their firmness and the unity of all Lebanese with the government, army and resistance. Lahoud addressed the Lebanese this evening in a speech through which he outlined the latest developments and events. He called on the people of his country to build their country, maintain its unity in the same manner they resisted to and defeated the Israeli enemy. Lebanon will be assisted by many countries in the battle of bringing life back to it, he said. The Lebanese president as 'patriotic' , noting that its mission in the South is to maintain security and stability. The president promised the Lebanese that the coming days will bring peace, calmness and prosperity to their country. Lebanon was forced to pay the price of the attacks which resulted in the death and injury innocent citizens, destruction of infrastructure and displacement of people, he pointed. Lahoud said that Lebanon was faced by two choices. It had either to accept the conspiracy targeting Lebanese unity planned long before July 12 or to face the plot in order to protect Lebanon, he explained. The plot, he said, comes to serve a suspicious agenda labeled by the slogan of a 'New Middle East'.
Posted by: J. D. Lux ||
08/18/2006 20:38 Comments ||
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Pakistan will contribute to the 15,000-strong international peacekeeping force to south Lebanon, said Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri on Thursday. Kasuri and his Malaysian counterpart Syed Hamid Albar arrived by land from Syria as part of a delegation from the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to show "solidarity" with Lebanon. Meanwhile, the French and Turkish foreign ministers held talks in Beirut on the conditions for contributing troops to a strengthened UN force in Lebanon's border region with Israel.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
laugh or cry?
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/18/2006 0:49 Comments ||
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At least seven countries have given firm pledges of troops to a UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, but other nations are studying the plans before committing, diplomatic sources said on Thursday. Bangladesh, Indonesia, Malaysia and Nepal had each offered at least one battalion, and Denmark two warships, one official said, asking not to be named, while the German ambassador said that Berlin would also make a contribution.
The German ambassador said his country's commitment would involve a naval and land element. 'I was in a position to offer a rather substantive maritime component which... could patrol and secure the whole of the Lebanese coast. We could also offer a rather substantial border patrol along the Syrian border,' he said.
"I think we are almost there," Thomas Matussek, Germany's UN ambassador, told reporters during talks to thrash out the rules of engagement and composition of the 15,000 strong force. "In a very encouraging way, there were many of us, many countries, (willing) to contribute to this armed force... I was very encouraged by the general spirit of active contributions shown by so many countries," he said.
On Thursday, France said it would send 200 soldiers to reinforce the UN mission in Lebanon. The German ambassador said his country's commitment would involve a naval and land element, but declined to offer precise details. "I was in a position to offer a rather substantive maritime component which... could patrol and secure the whole of the Lebanese coast. We could also offer a rather substantial border patrol along the Syrian border," he said, without elaborating.
According to the unnamed diplomat, Italy, Spain, Egypt, Morocco and Belgium had all said they wanted to study the proposals for the force further before offering any firm pledges. The force is due to deploy in southern Lebanon along with Lebanese forces to police a cease-fire between Shiia militia Hezbollah and Israel, as agreed under the terms of a UN resolution adopted last week.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2006 00:00 ||
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#3
Since they can't use them at home, maybe Bangla will send the RABs to Lebanon. Wouldn't it be cool to have a Crossfire™ – Middle East edition? I wonder how many Shutter Guns HezBeelzebub has?
I know the RAB only goes after commies, but still...
The leader of Lebanon's largest parliamentary bloc has said the Syrian president's attack on Lebanese politicians is worse than the destruction wreaked by Israel. Saad al-Hariri, the head of the al-Mustaqbal or Future, bloc and son of the slain former prime minister, Rafiq al-Hariri, said on Thursday that Bashar al-Assad had disdained Arab kindness towards Syria and his speech on Tuesday was like a "heavy strike" against Lebanon.
Al-Hariri was responding to a speech on Tuesday by al-Assad in which he accused Lebanon's anti-Syrian groups of allying themselves with Israel, which bombarded Lebanon for 34 days. Al-Assad had also accused the anti-Syrian bloc of wanting to sow discord in Lebanon by demanding that Hezbollah, the Syrian-backed Shia resistance group, disarm. "Lebanon's wound [inflicted by Israel] is deep and painful, but today it has faced a deeper one from a friend [Syria]," he said.
While the Syrian people showed the Lebanese love and support, the Syrian government presented hatred and lies to the Beirut government, he said. "Lebanon's wound [inflicted by Israel] is deep and painful, but today it has faced a deeper one from a friend [Syria] The Syrian people are like a support for Lebanon, but the Damascus regime is taking advantage of the Arab children's blood in Qana, Gaza and Baghdad to cause strife in Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq. There is a neighbouring country that is threatening to shake the stability in Lebanon but we reject that. The victory is in Lebanese unity." He said that those who forged that unity on March 14 would continue to protect it.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Look, Saad, is that a buzzard flying over head?
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/18/2006 0:52 Comments ||
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#2
No it isn't. Syria won't wipe you out and Israel, eventually, will.
The head of the international investigation committee looking into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri returned to Lebanon on Thursday, judicial sources said. Serge Brammertz and the investigation team moved to Cyprus last month after the war with Israel began. He resumed his work in Lebanon Thursday by hearing the statements of several witnesses in the case. The sources said Brammertz was seeking to gather more information and evidence for his third report, which is expected to be submitted to the Security Council in mid-September. They added that the report might include facts and descriptions that were not mentioned in the two past reports.
Meanwhile, calls and meetings are expected to increase between the officials at the UN and the Justice Ministry to discuss the means to create an international tribunal to try those accused of the crime. The sources said Brammertz informed the relevant Lebanese officials of the need to form an international tribunal as soon as possible because his final report "depends on its creation."
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
Make it robust but not offensive (see above)
Posted by: Captain America ||
08/18/2006 0:53 Comments ||
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France has rebuffed U.N. pleas to make a major contribution to a peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, setting back international efforts to send a credible military force to the region to police a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, according to U.N. and French officials. French President Jacques Chirac instead committed Thursday to send a relatively small military engineering company of 200 soldiers to serve in a reinforced U.N. peacekeeping mission that is expected to grow to 15,000 strong and that will help Lebanon police a demilitarized zone in southern Lebanon. He also said that a force of 1,700 French troops and crew stationed in ships off the coast of Lebanon could be sent in to help the U.N. force during a crisis.
Chirac instead committed Thursday to send a relatively small military engineering company of 200 soldiers to serve in a reinforced U.N. peacekeeping mission...
The French decision, which was first reported today in the Paris daily Le Monde, has thrown U.N. military planning into disarray on the eve of a major international meeting this afternoon of potential contributors to a U.N. force. It also seriously complicates U.N. efforts to get a vanguard force of peacekeepers from powerful European countries within the next two weeks. Senior U.N. peacekeeping officials said they had hoped that a commitment to have French troops form the "backbone" of the U.N. peacekeeping mission would spur other countries to join.
He said that France would only double its contribution to the U.N. force, which is headed by a French general, and hoped to continue commanding the mission.
U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan called Chirac today to see if he would change his mind. Following the meeting, Chirac's office released a statement indicating he had not yielded. He said that France would only double its contribution to the U.N. force, which is headed by a French general, and hoped to continue commanding the mission.
If Kofi asks them nice, perhaps Israel will contribute a hefty peacekeeping force. But I think they'd want their general in charge. And they might not do it until Netanyahu's taken over from Olmert.
Posted by: Fred ||
08/18/2006 00:00 ||
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#1
It was the use of the words 'French' and 'backbone' in the same sentence that caused the 'disarray.' It really was an allergic reaction to the suggestion of the French having a backbone.....
#2
If french army is as bankrupt and broken than I understand it is, it's probably safe NOT to expect a significant force to be sent.
During GWI, IIRC, 10 000 men was all that cold war french army could afford, and it's gone downhill real bad since then. All that's left is a core of very good infantry meant to be used as a "colonial force" in Africa... and it's already deployed outside France (13 000), and I don't think shiraq will deplete the ivory coast troop to uphold his word.
2006 France can talk the (gaullist Grandeur) talk, but it sure can't walk the walk.
#6
If they only send 200, why do they think there will be a French general in charge? The UN needs to send in 15,000 troops. We should volunteer a Marine Division, commander included. They could clean things up pretty quickly and eliminate the need for any other country to contribute.
#7
NS, hell no on sending any of our troops there!
Let Kofi & Co. "fix" this problem. They insisted on a ceasefire to protect the Hezbullies, let them put their blood and treasure on the line to save their sorry asses.
#8
But I send 200 of my finest pastry makers, 500 students from the "advanced school of Mime" and assorted cheese and wine makers.
In addition, as soon as they come back from their 6 week summer vacation, I will send French government officials, known for their proficiency and report writing skills.
Posted by: Jacques ||
08/18/2006 11:32 Comments ||
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#9
The French decision, which was first reported today in the Paris daily Le Monde, has thrown U.N. military planning into disarray on the eve of a major international meeting this afternoon of potential contributors to a U.N. force.
Military planning on the eve of some UN meeting to discuss POTENTIAL contributors? Man, Rove and Bolton are even better than I thought. This one's dead in the water (as UN style is wont to do). Maybe Israel will get the green light again and soon to finish what the Hezzies started.
Posted by: BA ||
08/18/2006 14:44 Comments ||
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#10
It's a French thing. We just can't understand.
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CIA sent me to be tortured in Afghan prison, says Algerian
A recent rash of equipment malfunctions that delayed hundreds of flights and nearly caused accidents prompted Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) on Thursday to call for a federal investigation of Los Angeles-area aviation control systems.
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The first American civilian charged with mistreating a detainee during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan was convicted Thursday of assaulting an Afghan man who later died. Prosecutors said the verdict against former CIA contract worker 
The United States is willing to release all Pakistani nationals detained in Camp X-ray of Guantanamo Bay except one man alleged to have financed Al Qaeda operations. Senior Pentagon officials in Washington gave this assurance to a two-member team of the National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) headed by Colonel Imran that also visited Camp X-ray and held individual meetings with all six Pakistani nationals detained there. NCMC Director General Brig (r) 
BAGHDAD - Iraqi government forces are ready to take charge of security in most of the country and would be able to cope if US-led coalition forces pulled out, Prime Minister 
Israel's justice minister, a key ally of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, announced Friday that he will resign, clearing the way for him to stand trial on accusations he forcibly kissed an 18-year-old female soldier.
An Israeli military court has extended the detention of Abd al-Aziz Dweik, the Palestinian parliament speaker, until next Tuesday. On Thursday, Dweik, 57, who was hospitalised with chest pain after his arrest earlier this month, shouted to television cameras at the court hearing complaining that his arrest was unjust. "I am the elected representative of the people," he said. "This is unjust treatment by an occupation which lacks legitimacy. We do have the right and the legitimacy, but these [Israelis] are unjust and usurpers [of land] who do not observe human dignity or human rights. My rightful place is among the people."
The UN on Thursday outlined what it said were "robust but not offensive" rules of engagement for peacekeepers to be deployed in Lebanon and called for urgent troop commitments from member states. "The draft rules of engagement call for the use of force to prevent the UNFIL area of deployment and operations from being used to hostile activities," Deputy Secretary General Mark Malloch Brown said at talks on the force. "Robust, yes, but not an offensive force. It is there to keep the peace as a longer term political solution is put in place," he said.
Pakistan will contribute to the 15,000-strong international peacekeeping force to south Lebanon, said Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri on Thursday. Kasuri and his Malaysian counterpart Syed Hamid Albar arrived by land from Syria as part of a delegation from the Organisation of the Islamic Conference to show "solidarity" with Lebanon. Meanwhile, the French and Turkish foreign ministers held talks in Beirut on the conditions for contributing troops to a strengthened UN force in Lebanon's border region with Israel.
The leader of Lebanon's largest parliamentary bloc has said the Syrian president's attack on Lebanese politicians is worse than the destruction wreaked by Israel. 
The head of the international investigation committee looking into the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri returned to Lebanon on Thursday, judicial sources said. Serge Brammertz and the investigation team moved to Cyprus last month after the war with Israel began. He resumed his work in Lebanon Thursday by hearing the statements of several witnesses in the case. The sources said Brammertz was seeking to gather more information and evidence for his third report, which is expected to be submitted to the Security Council in mid-September. They added that the report might include facts and descriptions that were not mentioned in the two past reports. 
France has rebuffed U.N. pleas to make a major contribution to a peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, setting back international efforts to send a credible military force to the region to police a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, according to U.N. and French officials. French President Jacques Chirac instead committed Thursday to send a relatively small military engineering company of 200 soldiers to serve in a reinforced U.N. peacekeeping mission that is expected to grow to 15,000 strong and that will help Lebanon police a demilitarized zone in southern Lebanon. He also said that a force of 1,700 French troops and crew stationed in ships off the coast of Lebanon could be sent in to help the U.N. force during a crisis. 
