(KUNA) -- British forces in Afghanistan have switched tactics to counter a new wave of Taliban bombings and suicide attacks, a senior British commander said here Tuesday. The UK Chief of Joint Operations Lieutenant General Nick Houghton said that they were now deliberately targeting key Taliban leaders in an attempt to drive a wedge between them and ordinary Afghans. Giving evidence to the House of Commons Defence Committee, he acknowledged that attempts at the wholesale "eradication" of the Taliban and their supporters would simply alienate the local population.
... the Taliban appeared to have abandoned their tactics of last summer when they suffered heavy casualties mounting mass attacks on heavily-defended British positions.
At the same time, Britains Defence Secretary Des Browne indicated that he was preparing to send more helicopters in support of military operations in Helmand province where British forces are concentrated.
General Houghton said the Taliban appeared to have abandoned their tactics of last summer when they suffered heavy casualties mounting mass attacks on heavily-defended British positions. "Increasingly, the switch this year has been towards the Taliban not taking on this tactic of mass attack but adopting a more asymmetric approach, the utilisation of IEDs (improvised explosive devices), suicide bombers, that sort of thing," he told the Committee. What we are attempting to do is use a far more intelligence-focused approach to the elimination of key Taliban leaders. We recognise that the (wholesale) eradication of the Taliban is not a sensible option. That alienates the public, locally and internationally."
"Therefore to attempt to dislocate the key Taliban leadership and attempt to drive a wedge between the irreconcilable, tier one Taliban leadership and the local potential Taliban fighters, that is the nature of the tactic we are following," the UK Chief of Joint Operations added.
Browne said the Taliban may have been forced to change tactics because they were suffering too many casualties. "It may be that they made a great error and have suffered a level of casualty which they cannot sustain long-term," he told the Committee.
He said that the new British tactics were designed to send "a very clear message to the people who do the fighting in the numbers that their leadership is not invulnerable and is capable of being arrested or killed by us." Browne signalled that he was preparing to send more helicopters. "I do believe that we need more helicopters. I want the option to provide more to operations to increase the flexibility commanders have. I have no doubt that if I can get them more they will find good ways of using them. I will probably have more to say about this in the not-too-distant future," the Defence Secretary concluded. Britain has deployed more than 5,000 troops in Afghanistan.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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We recognise that the (wholesale) eradication of the Taliban is not a sensible option. That alienates the public, locally and internationally.
Translation: Our casualties are too high. We're leaving the fighting to those simplistic Americans, while we sit around and high-five everyone like we did in Basra.
#5
Hey, BP, cool your jets. You've got 5K troops in Afghanistan and 7K in Iraq. We've got 140K in Iraq alone. It's not 1940 and you're not exactly carrying the load all by yourselves.
I'll grant that you British are the only Euro country in NATO to even begin pulling their weight in Afghanistan (or anyplace else), but with that said, you're really not doing that much. And the little you are doing has got your military straining mightily at 115% capacity, as your treasonous national radio/tv service never fails to point out.
You just lost your 100th soldier in Iraq recently. Big UK hue and cry. Long way from losing 20k in one day at the Somme, isn't it?
Posted by: Mac ||
03/21/2007 7:54 Comments ||
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Boys, boys, don't make me come in there ....
Britain is doing what it can, and I thank the British people for it. We're doing what we can. We have a common enemy, so there's no need for 'polite discussion' with each other.
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/21/2007 9:34 Comments ||
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What SW said.
Now, as to tactics, this raises the question of whether you alienate the hearts and minds more by killing a footsoldier, whos somebodys cousin, or killing a genooine civilians. The Israelis have found its NOT easy to kill leaders without killing civvies too. Ditto the USA has found that. While intell is good, its not clear a high tempo campaign against the leaders can be maintained that also avoids hitting civvies. If you also decide not to go after foot soldiers, can you maintain a sufficient operational tempo to disrupt the adversary?
#8
The Brits have the right approach, given that the Taliban will not come out and engage anymore.
Its akin to deliberately out the cplt leaders and company commanders, so the troops will lose their leaderhip and eventually dissolve. onc eyou break the back opf the middle command structure, their abilityto do any sort of coordinate operations will dissolve, as will their tropp strength. But it will take longer, need better mobility, and much better intel.
We had the same policy for dealin with Soviet armor (Gunner Antenna tank front, Sabot UP, got it, ON THE WAY BOOOOOOM, lather rinse repeat).
You take out the leadership and they lose cohesion and the ability to operate. Plus, given the circumstance, its hearder for them to train new leaders when they know they can disappear in the night or that they are prime targets for a .338 lapua in the noggin.
The Brits are punching above their weight, but dont denigrate the US troops - we have a larger number there and so need a longer logistics tail. there are plenty of US grunts out there humping it in the boonies in indian country - and fighting just as hard.
We just dont get the headlines because our press is trying to bury the war in Afghanistan. Heavens forbid that our papers actually have to report on military success and victory by the US military anywhere.
#9
"Killing the leaders" sounds good, but it's going to take making the average Afghan afraid to join the taliwhackers to end this war. That means taking them ALL out, and hunting them down in their "safe havens", including pakistain. We used the "take out the leaders" tactic on Saipan, and STILL had to kill the grunts. There are more similarities between the Japanese Army of WWII and the taliban than differences, as far as fighting is concerned. Let the Brits follow their strategy, and let the US continue to kill anyone that picks up a weapon to use against a US citizen. We can discuss how effective each of these tactics were after we've won.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/21/2007 14:36 Comments ||
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BPB: Zhang Fei,
fuck you! It's the yanks sitting around in Kabul, and Air national Guard at 50,000 ft, while the UK are on the ground in Helmand.
With comments like yours, it's no wonder the left gets traction.
EG9608: #4 Bright Pebbles
The Americans wonder why people think their arrogant/smug when they even slag of their best allies ffs!!!!
We lost 100,000 men in WWI bailing Britain out. We then lost 350,000* men in WWII fighting Germans and Italians who had nothing to do with Pearl Harbor, once again, bailing Britain out. It's not arrogance you're looking at - it's disgust, with Britain, Europe and the world at large, and with a system of alliances that may have outlived its purpose.
We did fine in the 19th century without getting involved in other people's wars. Nonetheless, American flags were seen all over the world, except they were on our merchant vessels. The 21st century will hopefully be a repeat of that state of affairs, once we extricate ourselves from the Middle East and South Asia.
* Only 50,000 died in the Pacific Theater fighting the Nips.
#11
When an ally becomes a casualty, it hurts. I, for one, am thankful for the ARVIN, ROCs and Aussies I came across. Somehow, numbers don't mean a damn thing to me, only the individuals.
#12
The shit-ass Brit press, BBC, al-Guardian, Channel 4 etc. endlessly slimes America, President Bush and the WOT, seems like even more than our media does.
But they usually do a fairly sympathetic job of reporting on the British troopers, and their ops in A-Stan and to a lesser degree Iraq. That's my impression anyway, and I'm glad they do.
Thank You England and Thank You to every Brit serving in the Armed Forces and for helping in the WOT. ;-)
The Afghan government admitted on Tuesday to freeing some Taliban prisoners in exchange for the release of an Italian hostage, saying it was an exceptional measure that would not be repeated. The Taliban freed Daniele Mastrogiacomo on Monday after capturing him in the southern province of Helmand on March 4, along with an Afghan translator and a driver. The driver was beheaded and the fate of the translator is unclear. They had some demands and their demands to some extent were accepted, presidential spokesman Karim Rahimi told reporters. Asked if he could confirm some Taliban were exchanged for the reporter, he replied: Yes. He did not say how many.
Taliban commander Mullah Dadullah said through an Afghan news agency on Monday that he freed the Italian after receiving five Taliban prisoners. The spokesman said, without elaborating, that one of the Taliban demanded by commander Dadullah refused to go. The government really appreciates his decision, Rahimi said.
The deal to free Mastrogiacomo has raised concern, with United Nations spokesman in Afghanistan Adrian Edwards saying on Tuesday the UN does not negotiate with terrorists.
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03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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The spokesman said, without elaborating, that one of the Taliban demanded by commander Dadullah refused to go
#2
Well Mastrogiacomo already has blood on his hands with more to follow no doubt.
What price a story? I suppose he figures it's OK as long as it's some poor Afghan's blood and not his.
Bastard!
(SomaliNet) Ugandan troops face a possible Vietnam in taking on a peacekeeping mission in Somalia, diplomats warn, with Eritrea now telling President Yoweri Museveni to pull his troops out, the East African Standard reports on Monday. Eritrea appears to have a paternal interest in the fortunes of the Islamic Courts, don't they?
With the vanguard of Ugandas 1,600 contingent of peacekeepers now in Mogadishu, the Eritrean government has upped the ante on the controversial force by telling them bluntly to go home. That's home from Somalia, not home from Eritrea. Closely though I may pore over the map, I can't seem to find any point where Eritrea actually adjoins Somalis. Aethiopia and Djibouti separate them like chaste duennas. Eritrean Information Minister Ali Abdu told the BBC that unless Kampala withdrew its soldiers, the whole East African region could be destabilised. Good Lord! If that happened... ummm... what would be different?
Behind the Eritrean concern is a belief that Ethiopia and now Uganda are acting at the behest of the US. I'm curious as to whom Eritrea's acting at the behest of.
President Museveni has already acknowledged that Washington is paying for the peacekeepers. We suspected as much, I think. And cheap at twice the price.
Mr Abdu accused Ethiopia of being a US puppet in driving out the forces of the Union of Islamic Courts from Mogadishu, whom Eritrea supported. Ugandan troops have already been shelled by insurgents angry at their arrival and Mr Abdu said worse could follow. Y'know, I'm not a real subtle fellow, but I've got a sneaking suspicion that the Islamic Courts were an Eritrean puppet. I dunno... It's just a hunch...
This article starring:
Eritrean Information Minister Ali Abdu
President Yoweri Museveni
Union of Islamic Courts
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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If Somalia is Vietnam, does that mean Eritrea is North Vietnam. If so, when can we send the BUFFS to visit downtown Hanoi, I mean Asmara?
Posted by: Steve ||
03/21/2007 7:40 Comments ||
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Aethiopia and Djibouti separate them like chaste duennas.
Britain on Tuesday gave school headteachers the right to ban the Muslim veil or other religious clothing from classrooms, but the move was immediately branded shocking by a Muslim leader. A spokesman for the Department for Education and Skills stressed that the new guidelines did not mean that the government was imposing a blanket ban on religious clothing at schools.
The guidelines require schools to consult with the local community, including students parents, before deciding on a uniform policy, and note that, where possible, they should be tolerant of religious dress. However, certain items of clothing, such as the full-face veil, or niqab, may be banned if headteachers believe that they hamper safety, security or learning, so long as a consultation is carried out. Schools must act reasonably in accommodating religious requirements, providing they do not pose a threat to security, safety and learning, or compromise the well-being of the whole school community, said the guidelines.
Where individual requirements have an impact in any of these areas, schools are within their rights to take appropriate action, the said, adding that they must consult parents and the local community. Massoud Shadjareh, chairman of the Islamic Human Rights Commission, voiced dismay at the new rules.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Close, but no cigar. Too many loopholes. Nice try, though.
#6
These get-ups, even the lighter ones, definately hinder a child's ability to hear, learn, express, play, communicate. But then, that's what the stupid Muzzies want for their females, right? Little benumbed, dumb-downed robots, who are made sexless and powerless. And they are trying to use OUR Christian values of tolerance and acceptance to condone it and to even enforce it. Meanwhile, a new generation of little girls are forced to bow their intellects, their abilities, their opportunities to the MUSLIM MALE GODS of the age. Just sick.
LONDON, March 20 (UPI) -- The British Home Office admits that each year it has issued some 10,000 fraudulent passports, including nine to a man since convicted of terrorism. Dhiren Barot, who was arrested in 2004, obtained seven passports in his own name and two under aliases, The Evening Standard reported. He obtained the duplicates by claiming he had lost his passport. I'm actually in the process of looking for a new job right now. If they were to offer me lots of money I'd be happy to build them a system that would spot that sort of nonsense. It might take me a day or two, of course, but it's not real hard.
Barot, a member of al-Qaida, is serving a 40-year prison sentence for planning a "dirty-bomb" attack and attacks with parked cars loaded with gas cylinders.
Salaheddine Benyaich, a Moroccan national convicted of involvement in a lethal series of bombings in Casablanca, got two passports by using someone else's identity, the newspaper said.
The Home Office report told The Evening Standard that in recent years about 16,500 fraudulent passport applications have been made each year with one-third of the applicants caught. The department plans a new system for those applying for a passport for the first time. They will have to go through a 20-minute interview in which they will be asked about places where they have lived, relatives, credit history and other checkable information.
Two Azerbaijani journalists accused of inciting religious hatred with an article that criticized Islam went on trial Monday, both accusing authorities of waging a politically motivated prosecution. The case against reporter Rafiq Tagi and editor Samir Huseinov has touched a nerve in Azerbaijan, a mostly Muslim, ex-Soviet republic with a government that has little tolerance for independent media.
Tagi's November article in the small newspaper Senet, edited by Huseinov, asserted that Islam has suffocated people, pulled them away from freedom and hindered humanity's development, and said the Prophet Muhammad created problems for Eastern countries. The article sparked angry protests - including calls for Tagi's death - in a village near Baku whose conservative Muslim community has clashed with the authoritarian government. The case has also deepened concerns about freedom of speech in the oil-rich country.
Tagi, who was brought into the court in handcuffs, said he committed no crime. "My article - this was purely artistic, a literary discussion and for words one must only answer with words. It is illegal to imprison someone for their convictions," he told the court.
Huseinov told the court his constitutional rights had been violated and that authorities were trying to portray him as not being Muslim. If convicted, Tagi and Huseinov could face three to five years in prison.
The trial has been postponed twice - once after prosecutors asked for more time to investigate and a second time earlier this month after the judge granted a prosecution request to try the pair in the district where their newspaper's office is located, rather than where they live. The trial was expected to be closely watched in the West, which is interested in Azerbaijan because of its vast oil and gas wealth and its strategic position between Iran and Russia.
Six-party talks aimed at ending North Koreas nuclear threat stalled unexpectedly on Tuesday, hampered by a lingering row over frozen funds and denting hopes of turning the focus to disabling Pyongyangs main reactor. The United States said on Monday that $25 million frozen at Macaus Banco Delta Asia (BDA), which Washington said was complicit in North Koreas illegal financial dealings, would be released and turned over to Pyongyang for humanitarian use as soon as possible. But the timing of the release was still contingent on talks between North Korea and Macau, and in the meantime, the North was refusing to attend a planned chief delegates meeting at six-party talks in Beijing. According to host China, North Korea is saying that it will not take part in talks unless it confirms the funds at BDA are transferred to its account in China, Japans chief negotiator, Kenichiro Sasae, told reporters.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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FOX NEWS > the NK's wanna see the $$$ in their hands first.
MADRID - The judge who tried to jail Chiles former dictator Augusto Pinochet said on Tuesday it was time to hold US President George W. Bush and his allies to account for waging war in Iraq. In an opinion piece in the newspaper El Pais, published on the fourth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion, Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon said the war was one of the most sordid and unjustifiable episodes in recent human history.
We should look more deeply into the possible criminal responsibility of the people who are, or were, responsible for this war and see whether there is sufficient evidence to make them answer for it, Garzon wrote. There is enough of an argument in 650,000 deaths for this investigation and inquiry to start without more delay, he said.
Oh dear, Seafarious is going to be quite upset about this. Yo, Judge, it isn't 650,000 deaths, it isn't criminal to remove a nasty, genocidal dictator, and we really don't care what you think, 'k?
Garzon, who became famous in 1999 when he tried to extradite Pinochet from Britain and try him for crimes against humanity, was particularly critical of the former Spanish government, a major backer of the Iraq invasion. Those who joined the US president in the war against Iraq have as much or more responsibility than him because, despite having doubts and biased information, they put themselves in the hands of the aggressor to carry out an ignoble act of death and destruction that continues to this day, he said.
In February, Spains former leader Jose Maria Aznar said he now knew Saddam Hussein had no weapons of mass destruction but the problem was not having been clever enough to know earlier. Garzon wrote: If he didnt know enough, he should be asked why he didnt act prudently, giving United Nations inspectors more leeway instead of doing the opposite in total submission and fidelity to President Bush.
Why not give the UN inspectors forever? Hans Blix sure could have used the time. Sheesh.
Gaspar Llamazares, head of the left-wing party Izquierda Unida, said he would present a motion to the Spanish parliament that leaders behind the war should face international tribunals. People cannot be allowed to make decisions that cause hundreds of thousands of victims, fail to recognise their errors and not have to answer to a court, said Llamazares, whose party is allied to the ruling Socialist party.
But no one had the right to try Saddam, of course.
Garzon, who took a sabbatical last year to study international terrorism, ...
... that worked well, didn't it ...
... said the Iraq war had helped incite hatred and garner more support for terrorist training camps. In some way, with a terrible lack of awareness, we have been and are helping this monster grow more and more and strengthen by the minute so it is probably invincible, he said.
Okay, Judge, you jumped the shark and your fifteen minutes are up. Back to divorce court for you!
Posted by: Steve White ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Hear, hear! Because of the evil Bushitler, some 50 million people in Afghanistan and Iraq are no longer living under the boot heel of totalitarian thugs. That's gotta be some kind of internation crime, right? These are definitely the enlightened Euros we should be courting as 'allies'. I wonder how you say "I'm gobsmacked" in Spanish?
#6
Judge Garzon is under a disciplanry investigation for his acts during the investigation of Madrid bombings.
It goes like that.
A high-ranking policemen produced a false analyis from explosives found. The theree experts who had done the rael analysis (BTW their conclusions didn't adjust to what the socilaist governemnt waants to heart) reported the falsification and Judge Garzon stepped in a filed (falsofication of official documents) where he has no authority and had the experts arrested in a highly irregular form (no lawyer assitance during the interrogatory, use of decalarations who had been done before they were told their rights).
The arbitrary arrest prolonged for weeks while Garzon used every trick legal and paralegal (going into a tour in South America) to keep the case in his handds and the experts in jail in face of the demands of the judge who had authority and should have been handling the case.
The experts were finally released (not by Garzon) and a three weeks ago the policve chief who falsifioed the documants has been formally accused of falsification and is awaiting trial.
I forgot: Judge Garzon has had a political carreer: number two in the socialist list for Madrid.
#7
In a demontration last Sunday organized by the socialist party the loudpeakers (ie it was not tyhe organization not a demonstrator) called for the illegalization of the opposition Party.
#14
Go check out Publiuspundit.com for pictures of the MASSIVE rally the oposition party had in Madrid against the Socialists.
The reason the Socialists want to arrest the opposition is because they would win a free election if it were held today.
Al
Posted by: Frozen Al ||
03/21/2007 10:22 Comments ||
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#15
Tellya what Spain. If you folks weren't a bunch of yellow f*cking cowards who tucked tail and ran when your trains were bombed, I'd have alot easier time listening when you talk. As it is, just shut the hell up and crawl back to your hiding place. Leave the real world to those with a spine. It's too dangerous for you.
#17
Ima knew he was no good Sea. It's that extra work he does on his hair, it's a bad sign. You'll be okay, theren be another dashing prosecutor. Maybe. Well, it's technically possible anyway. In theory. On the next universe to the left.
#18
i would just like too see the spanish police or army try too arrest bush. htye aren't worried about getting bombed by al queda but wanna mess with the US
#21
The right to declare and institute a war against an enemy of a nation is one of several sovereign rights. This turd in a punchbowl wants to strip the United States of one of its sovereign rights. That is an act of war. I suggest we show our disapproval of Spain's behavior by pulling all our military from Spain, and running an arclight strike down through the heart of Madrid - on a Saturday afternoon. Let's see what Spain thinks about the rights of sovereign nations THEN.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/21/2007 19:11 Comments ||
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#22
Start easy, OP. First denounce the Vichy government of Spain as not legitimate and withdraw our ambassador.
Note that Garzon hasn't tried to extradite Castro or Mugabe. Wonder why that is...
Lawyers and a Muslim group say they will defend at no cost airline passengers caught up in a lawsuit between a group of imams and U.S. Airways if the passengers are named as "John Does" and sued for reporting suspicious behavior that got the Muslim clerics booted from a November flight.
The six imams are suing the airline, Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Airports Commission, and the unnamed "John Does" to be named later, for discrimination, saying they were removed from the flight for praying in the airport.
Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, a Phoenix-area physician and director of American Islamic Forum for Democracy -- a group founded in 2003 to promote moderate Muslim ideas through its Web site (www.aifdemocracy.org) -- told The Washington Times his group will raise money for legal fees for passengers if they are sued by the imams. "It's so important that America know there are Muslims who understand who the victims are in air travel," said Dr. Jasser. "But I hope it doesn't get to that point because the backlash will be even greater when Americans see Islamists trying to punish innocent passengers reporting fears."
The lawsuit specifically cites two passengers who stared at the men as they prayed, then made a cell phone call that the imams say went to U.S. Airways to complain about the prayer.
Gerry Nolting, whose Minnesota law firm Faegre & Benson LLP is offering to represent passengers for free, says the judicial system is being "used for intimidation purposes" and that it is "just flat wrong and needs to be strongly, strongly discouraged."
"As a matter of public policy, the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] presently tells traveling passengers to report suspicious behavior as part of its homeland security program," Mr. Nolting said. "This has nothing to do with race or ethnicity, but trying to intimidate and discourage reporting of suspicious behavior and [also discourage] the promotion of safe travel."
Tom Malone, another Minnesota lawyer offering his services pro bono, says the lawsuit is "a very overt attempt to intimidate people" and "coerce them into silence."
Appearing yesterday on Fox News, Dr. Jasser told Neil Cavuto, "Americans are going to be more afraid of Arabs and the Muslim community for fear of being sued. Why spend money on litigation when we should be spending it on fighting terrorism?"
Passengers and the flight crew say the imams were disruptive, did not take assigned seats, asked for seat-belt extensions they didn't need, loudly criticized the war in Iraq and President Bush, and shouted about al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. The men were escorted off Flight 300 to Phoenix, handcuffed briefly, searched and questioned for several hours by airport police and members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
The imams' lawyer, Omar Mohammedi, will not comment on his case except to say that the John Does, who could also be airline employees, will not be determined until the lawsuit enters the discovery process.
Airport commission spokesman Pat Hogan declined to comment on the lawsuit, except to say, "We believe the airport police appropriately responded to U.S. Airways' call for assistance. That is what we have contended all along and that is still what we believe."
Some lawyers have said that suing passengers could set a "chilling" precedent, but question whether the courts would allow such charges to proceed. "If [the passengers] acted within reason, and took a reasonable course of action, they may not be subject to liability," said Victor Schwartz, a partner with Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP in Washington and general counsel for the American Tort Reform Association.
Several lawyers, including Mr. Malone and Mr. Nolting, contacted PowerLineBlog.com, a site operated by Minnesota and Washington lawyers, urging fellow litigators to step forward and defend passengers pro bono. "I would hope thousands of lawyers would come forward, we need a massive showing of support, we need to let people who would intimidate us know it is not going to stand. This is where we draw the line," Mr. Malone said. "No one is against freedom of religion or the right to pray, it is fundamental to our society. But that does not mean that we use it as a cover or use it to intimidate people. There
#2
You don't smack the dog when it goes outside to crap, and you shouldn't smack a Muslim group when it actually says the right thing. (Even if you may not entirely trust them.)
#5
Dr. Jasser is the real deal. I heard him on the Mark Levin show. He firmly believes that Islam must stay out of politix and is standing practically alone against the Wahhabs. I was very impressed with him. Here is his website, go check it out.
#7
On the surface and for the moment, justifiable suspicions notwithstanding, this is exactly the kind of position we need more western muslims to take.
The moderate muslim community must speak out with a loud and unified voice against those who have perverted their faith for their own political gain before the problem of islamofascism can even begin the long process of marginalization by fellow muslims necessary for it's ultimate extinction.
This Jasser fella seems to be saying the right things. If muslims in the West want to be respected and not feared, that is.
#8
He seems like a great person and I applaud him. He is in the position to change the world for a better place and he has my utmost respect.
I don't mean my comments to be an affront to this man and I acknowledge he is generous to offer. But if I was a defendant, I would insist on retaining control of my own defense. I don't know why he wants to try them as "john does" but there must be a reason why.
#10
No offense taken, we are correct to question anyone who claims to speak for 'the Muslim community'. The whole lousy lot of them are taking orders from Riyadh and Tehran.
I would question this gentleman's motives too if I hadn't heard him on the radio.
#11
We need more like him! This article is about the good actions of this particular group and as such, I'm sorry I made derogatory remarks..
Stepping away from this article and this group, I think that the focus should be on this all important question: How is it that these wise, brave individuals are being left by our government to twist in the wind over a case that affects the right of every single individual in America to take the simplest steps to defend themselves against a world-wide army of fanatics sworn to our destruction. It is an outrage that our own government has not gotten involved to protect the most basic of our rights.
#12
Passengers and the flight crew say the imams were disruptive, did not take assigned seats, asked for seat-belt extensions they didn't need, loudly criticized the war in Iraq and President Bush, and shouted about al Qaeda and Osama bin Laden. The men were escorted off Flight 300 to Phoenix, handcuffed briefly, searched and questioned for several hours by airport police and members of the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
I continue to remain entirely unamused by how the MSM literally refuses to make the above facts more apparent to the general public. Many of the individual acts mentioned above are sufficient grounds for reporting these perpetrators. Taken together, they constitute a conspiracy. Period.
I will make certain to applaud Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser's efforts at reversing the intensely bad publicity this incident has cast upon American Muslims. However, I am still obliged to agree with Seafarious' comment that:
we are correct to question anyone who claims to speak for 'the Muslim community'. The whole lousy lot of them are taking orders from Riyadh and Tehran.
I tried to find an email address for Tom Malone but was unable to do so. Here is the email being sent to Faegre & Benson LLP: (Please consider sending one yourself.)
info@faegre.com
Re: U.S. Airways Flight 300
To All at Faegre & Benson LLP,
Please accept my congratulations upon offering pro bono services to those passengers of U.S. Airways' flight 300 who are being sued for expressing rightful concern over suspicious conduct by the imams involved. By all reckoning, this was a blatant probe of airline security and legitimate cause for alarm by all involved. Furthermore, any reporting of suspicion or concern certainly constitutes free speech and the imam's attempts to quash expressions of such are highly suspect.
You are providing all Americans, including American Muslims like Dr. M. Zuhdi Jasser, a vital service in the ongoing fight against Islamic terrorism. Organizations like CAIR, whose well-established terrorist associations casts their motives in the very worst light, must not succeed in squelching public opposition to their stated aim of subverting America's constitutional law. Please spare no expense at defending our precious Constitution from the predations of these seditious traitors.
Again, I extend my deep gratitude that your firm has shown itself ready to oppose any erosion of American civil liberties. You are to be commended for it in no uncertain terms.
Wide media attention is being given today to the lawsuit filed by CAIR on behalf of six imams against U.S. Airways for their claims of discrimination against race and religion. Most of the imams are from local mosques here in Phoenix and were removed from a U.S. Airways flight on November 21, 2006 en route to Phoenix from Minneapolis.
AIFD would like the American public to be aware of our following positions representing an alternative voice from the American Muslim community.
1. We will not accept the victimization agenda of organizations like CAIR. Lawsuits like the one announced today exploit the climate of political correctness and at the end of the day are harmful to the Muslim minority in America.
2. Make no mistake, this type of agenda and policy direction of organizations like CAIR only represents its own membership and its own donors. A relatively small percentage of the 5-6 million American Muslims are enrolled as members of CAIR. Recent considerable donations to CAIR upwards of a combined $100 million from foreign nations like Dubai and Saudi Arabia make these types of costly, distractive actions against domestic airlines such as US Airways very concerning in its manifestation of foreign interference.
3. One of the frontlines in the war on terror is at the airports and at the gates. While the imams were clearly removed for their behavior after entering the plane, it should be made clear that many less rigid but equally pious Muslims believe (including 3 out of 6 of the imams for that matter) that the prayer they performed could have been performed upon landing in Phoenix due to travel dispensations in Islam or privately on time while seated on the flight. Muslims believe that God is forgiving and does not expect religion to be "too difficult".
4. While the six imams' handlers, CAIR, and their lawyers may have some kind of obscure basis for their lawsuit, it is our belief that the fallout and publicity from such litigation is wrong for American Muslims, wrong for American security, and wrong for American freedoms. The greatest guarantor of our rights as American Muslims is the tenor of our relationship with the greater majority of American society. This type of litigiousness is divisive and achieves nothing but resentment and actually causes far more harm than good to the overall image of the Muslim community in the eyes of non-Muslim America.
4. It is our hope as Americans and as Muslims that U.S. Airways stand firm in its defense of its actions to have the gentleman removed for concerns regarding their behavior after entering the plane. This is not about race or religion. It is about the privilege to fly securely.
5. The constant exploitation of America's culture of political correctness especially in this setting of what is the most dangerous environment of air travel is out of touch with America's priorities. Such misguided priorities by Muslim activist organizations like CAIR will make the legitimate defense of our civil rights far more difficult when more serious complaints of racism and discrimination are involved. America is quickly becoming numb to their constant refrains and the polls demonstrate the profound ineffectiveness of their tiring campaigns.
6. The organized Muslim community should instead be working on developing a strategic plan to counter militant Islamism within the Muslim community. That would do a lot more to change public opinion than suing the airlines who are trying to keep Americans who travel safe.
#2
Recent considerable donations to CAIR upwards of a combined $100 million from foreign nations like Dubai and Saudi Arabia make these types of costly, distractive actions against domestic airlines such as US Airways very concerning in its manifestation of foreign interference.
Despite Dr. Jasser's many other well-made points, this one may possibly outshine all of them in importance. Saudi Arabia's $50 MILLION DOLLAR contribution to CAIR enables exactly these sort of "costly, distractive actions against domestic airlines". Much like similar and even more destructive "actions" by some Saudis back on 9-11-2001.
It is time to ban CAIR from within America's borders. They finance, support and condone international terrorism. By itself, that should be enough to see them run out of town on a rail. Dr. Jasser is to be commended for his vocal opposition to the presence of Wahhabist clergy in America. American Muslims had better do more than just silently hope that Dr. Jasser succeeds. Without their vigorous support for the good Doctor's efforts, many of them may end up facing severe downstream complications for their tacit refusal to condemn terrorism.
There are allegations from a former inspector at Walter Reed of widespread and dangerous problems in nearly all the buildings at the Army's premier hospital. Burst steam pipes near electrical cables, rats, mold, and holes in floors and walls -- all of that extends far beyond the well-publicized problems at the notorious Building 18. And 9NEWS NOW has learned managers may have been slow to respond.
A worried quality control inspector, Mark Cordell, finally quit last week in frustration, and brought his fears to 9NEWS NOW. "I won't sit back and watch someone get killed," he says while running through 81 pictures of the problems on a laptop computer.
Cordell says the worst of it may be Building 40. The old research institute has been condemned, but last week, the private contractor now responsible for maintaining Walter Reed sent workers in to fix a leak. Cordell points to a picture showing the terrible decay inside the building and says, "The water is actually on the ground floor here. There is water halfway across the ground floor. And there's electricity too. There's high voltage that goes to this building. Two thirteen thousand volt transformers. Through the basement filled with water."
Cordell took more pictures in Building 1, the old hospital, that's now the main administration building. Water damage in the walls; holes in the ceilings next to electric cables and computer servers; hazardous waste stored between occupied floors; and leaking pipes that are rotting floor joists. "The steam pipes below these buildings have burst, and it's making the rafters on the basement floor wet. People work on those floors," says Cordell.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Cordell says the worst of it may be Building 40 (which)... has been condemned...
Ya think maybe that all those problems and the pending base closure is why the building was condemned. Mole hill meet mountain.
#2
Damn, sounds for all the world like the old FEN-Misawa building.
The one which was lined with extremely flammable Japanese inslulation panels made from what looked like pressed seaweed. CE went up into the roof crawlspace once to see why we had leaks all over the place, and found pools of water on top of the cieling panels; this in a building simply stuffed with electronic gear.
I'll always cherish the sight I had of our JN secretary Hanada-san, sitting at her desk and typing out something on the electric typwriter. She was typing one-handed, because she was holding an opened umbrella over herself and the typwriter because the roof was leaking so badly!
#3
13,000V transformers and water are a BAD, BAD, BAAAAAAAD combination. That's not asking to get someone killed, it's BEGGING for it.
Back in my previous existence I saw a wiper hosing down the deck right next to an air-cooled 1600+V power transformer. From the way he was sweeping the hose I could see he was just about to wash that "box" down.
I quickly went over and stopped him; then I explained just what he almost did to himself. I was pretty graphic--fireball, lightning bolts, equivalent to electric chair, etc. I think I scared him pretty good; up to that point in my life I'd never seen a black guy's face turn gray before. I wasn't surprised at his reaction--seeing him about to do that probably took six months off my own life.
Posted by: Mac ||
03/21/2007 8:46 Comments ||
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#4
Sgt Mom, you didn't happen to be at Misawa when the AC unit on the roof of the TV studio exploded, did you? God, that place was a mess. The station spread between the old fire station buildings, the house with the admin unit, the shed with the maintenance shop and the station itself next to the water tower. I was on the install team that built the new broadcast station down at the bottom of the hill.
For all it's faults, it was no where near as bad as the Iwakuni outlet. I'm surpried it still hasn't burned down.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/21/2007 8:56 Comments ||
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#5
No, I PCSed at the end of 1980, profoundly greatful to be doing so. I always knew that old building was a death-trap, and was convinced that someday I would open a newspaper and read that it had burned to the ground with a couple of staffers in it.
When I was alone on the night shift, you would not believe how careful I was about the security checks. The only exit route from the TV control room and the radio/TV studios led through the TV library (burning 16mm film) and the radio library (poisonous smoke from burning records)
And yes, I bitched my head off about this at the time, to no noticeable effect.
#7
Get around congress's 7 year build time with the 49Pan method.
(sell it to the city for $1. The city lets out a bond for a new one the way you want it. Build the new one and congress has no problem paying a lease to the city.)
#9
The QA cynic in me wants to know how long Cordell 'worried' about the buildings and what did he do about it? if he worked agressively to have it fixed but got shot down by the top, then he can sleep at night, but if he is only a 15 minutes of fame grandstander, then i have absolutely no room for him. the BS meter is twitching towards option #2....
#10
This kind of crap is exactly why I don't want nuclear power plants. Equipment gets old, people get sloppy, managers pocket the funds and fudge the books, and before you know, KERBLAM, everybody within 25 miles needs bone marrow.
#11
I spent two months at the old Fitzsimons Army Hospital in Denver in 1990, just before it went on the blocks in a BRAC round. I was one of 42 people on the neurological ward. The place was built in the late 1930's, early 1940's. All the improvements in the world can't adapt to 50 years of construction changes. The installation was given to the State of Colorado for the new University of Colorado Medical Center. The old building is still being used. At least most of the "temporary" buildings built in the 40's are scheduled to be demolished.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/21/2007 23:29 Comments ||
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After facing delay in getting a visa to travel to the US for treatment, ailing hard-line Kashmiri separatist leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani was admitted to Tata Memorial Hospital, Parel, following deterioration in his health, sources at the hospital confirmed.
Geelani, his wife and son had applied in the US Embassy for a visa, for taking him there for specialised treatment and were in the city for the same. He was admitted to the hospital in a serious condition, and is currently under observation, sources at the Tata Memorial Cancer Hospital revealed. Geelani, who is suffering from kidney cancer, developed some complications in his only kidney, and needed treatment on an urgent basis. His other kidney was removed in 2003 in Mumbai.
The United States had informed on March 14 that it would take at least a month to grant visa to him, his wife and son. Geelanis passport was impounded by the authorities in 1981and since then his applications for issuing a fresh passport or travel documents were denied. However, he was allowed to perform the Haj pilgrimage last year along with his wife.
Former Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan had offered to treat Geelani in the Showkat Khanam Memorial Cancer hospital, Lahore, while another hospital in Belgium, Saint Luc Hospital had also offered to treat the Hurriyat Chairman.
Posted by: John Frum ||
03/21/2007 15:30 ||
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#1
Hopefully it will never come.
Posted by: Mac ||
03/21/2007 17:23 Comments ||
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#2
deliver it a day after he dies
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/21/2007 18:53 Comments ||
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India has rejected a US proposal for joint operation against Lashkar-e-Taiba, in a move that has baffled many given that LeT is the principal terror threat to India, and that counter-terrorism has been a high bilateral priority.
According to sources, the reluctance has primarily to do with the bitter memories of the cold shoulder they got from American counterparts for decades. While US thought that its effort to insulate its love for Pakistan from counter-terror cooperation with India would help India to forget the past, for Indian intelligence agencies it's a leap of faith that's still a while away.
Apart from the unhappy experience with American agencies, India is reluctant to let its officials work closely with the US for a couple of reasons. First, politically, Indian security leadership fears that allying too closely with the US could tar India with the same brush by a large part of the world, and who knows, by India's own citizens, as being "anti-Islamic". "Whether valid or not, it's a perception that America has been saddled with, and we don't want to be seen through that lens," said a senior security source. "It will be against our larger national interest."
Second, there remains the Indian fear of US counter-intelligence. Poorly paid Indian operatives, fear officials, could be ripe targets for American counter-intelligence. It's no secret that Indian intelligence officials are badly maintained by the state, leaving them vulnerable. The defection of Ravinder Singh to the US and the breach of the National Security Council Secretariat by a US undercover agent at the US embassy have not worked to allay those fears. So India reacts by prohibiting any contact between Indian and US officials. It's no use saying friends don't spy on friends, because they do, everywhere. India does it itself.
That said, India recognises that international cooperation on terror is vitally important, and the US offer at this point in time, given the present international situation and US pressure on Pakistan, opens up a window of opportunity for India. For the time being, India and the US will stick to exchanging information, but are far away from joint operations, or even jointly penetrating networks.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
I think the real reason is the espionage.
There have been two recent cases of spying - the high ranking RAW officer Singh who fled to the US when the Indian IB began to investigate him - there are allegations he was tipped off by another RAW operative who is still active) and the honeypot operation against a member of the Cabinet Secretariat where sensitive nuclear info was passed to the US embassy - this caused the cyber-terror cooperation to be cancelled.
The memories of the FBI destruction of the timer used in the Mumbai blasts are of course still fresh in the minds of the older generation of Indian agents like B. Raman.
Posted by: John Frum ||
03/21/2007 7:24 Comments ||
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#2
There are plenty of good reasons to decline US assistance - as long as India can manage without us. One not mentioned is that they can pursue their enemy more effectively without the restraining hand of the US on their shoulder holding them back - for all the bad press and bad world image, the US and its coalition partners are the most concerned about minimized collateral damage and kindness to the enemy of any military power in history.
#5
After the 1993 Mumbai blasts, a timer and detonator were recovered intact, along with some hand grenades (of Austrian design but made in Pakistan).
The Austrian government experts India asked for help certified that the grenades were licensed manufactured using Austrian equipment in a Pak arms factory in Pakistan that an Austrian company had setup to produce arms for the Pak military.
India asked the FBI about the timer and detonators.
The FBI took the evidence away to their crime labs and produced only an unsigned document stating that the timer and detonator were US in origin, from stocks sold to the Pakistan military by the USA.
The unsigned FBI report then added that this did not mean that the ISI had provided the terrorists with the detonators since they understood that "leakage" from Pak military stocks to "smugglers" took place and the terrorists might have bought the devices from the "smugglers".
The Indian intelligence just assumed the FBI attitude was due to State Department friends of the Paks, shielding them
When the Indians asked for the return of the evidence, the FBI told them that they had "mistakenly" destroyed both timer and detonator.
This of course pissed off the Indians royally since this was the equivalent of the Lockerbie timers - proof of Pak involvement - and now the evidence was gone.
Posted by: John Frum ||
03/21/2007 15:20 Comments ||
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#6
Still, they did solve the Lindbergh case. Sadly the baby was dead.
#8
The Indians are also quite suspicious of the Canadian CSIS destruction of the electronic intercept evidence regarding the plotters of the Air India airliner bombing off the Irish coast.
Posted by: John Frum ||
03/21/2007 15:58 Comments ||
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#9
With 329 victims (greater death toll than Lockerbie) in the 1985 Air India bombing and 250 fatalities/750 casualties in the thirteen coordinated Mumbai building blasts in 1993, both with ISI fingerprints but with Pakistan protected due to overriding western interests, Indian officials like B Raman will be quite suspicious of any western assistance.
Posted by: John Frum ||
03/21/2007 16:08 Comments ||
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#10
thanks John for the fill in. Those details ring true and further erode my confidence in the FBI. :-(
The professional standards of our current State Deptment and CIA by my measure anyway are as low as they were 10-15 years ago.
Both orgs produce better politicians than analysts or agents..
President General Pervez Musharraf warned militants on Tuesday that they should lay down their arms, otherwise they will be eliminated and allowed to exist no more. Where does decency stand on the way to blowing up gas pipelines and railway tracks? These elements are opposed to development and want their hegemony to prevail. I warn them to surrender, otherwise they will be eliminated and they will not be allowed to exist any more ... these miscreants are minimal in number, and we will deal with them. If they want to fight, I know (how) to fight more than them, said Musharraf while inaugurating the Gwadar deep-sea port here on Tuesday. Port operations began with the unloading of cargo from three ships.
He said that 2007 would be election year, and called on people to reject extremists, and vote for my associates ... if they stay, there will be development.
About the suspended chief justice, the president said it was a constitutional and legal matter, and the Supreme Judicial Council would be free to make any decision. It will be acceptable to us whatever decision it makes. However, certain elements are trying to politicise this issue. I will counter them with the might of the masses, he added. He said the Gwadar Port would serve as a trade corridor for Central Asia, China and the Gulf.
He said the 950-kilometre Gwadar-Turbat-Khizdar-Ratto Dher road would be completed within two-and-a-half years. Musharraf said that the foundation stone for Somiani Port would be laid this year.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Lawyers have invited suspended CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry to address bar councils. Thash fer me! 'M gonna he'p 'im!
Sources said that lawyers invited the suspended CJP to their respective bar councils and he had agreed to address them. "Here y'go, yer honor!"
"Thanksh, m'boy! Shay, wouldja pick up my hair? It sheems to have fallen off!"
The CJP is expected to address the Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Peshawar bar councils, said the sources. Meanwhile, lawyers in the NWFP have invited Chaudhry and eight other judges who resigned recently to an All Pakistan Lawyers Convention at the PHC tomorrow.
This article starring:
Iftikhar Chaudhry
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
If the ocean were whiskey and I were a duck
I'd dive to the bottom and never come up
But the ocean's not whiskey and I'm not a duck
so lets visit madame boom boom and
An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday sentenced an Islamic zealot to death for shooting dead Punjab social welfare minister Zil-e-Huma Usman, officials said. Muhammad Sarwar was convicted and sentenced at the court in Gujranwala a month after he gunned down Zil-e-Huma at a public meeting. Her killing shocked a country inured to a high level of violence against women. Judge Tariq Iftikhar has sentenced Sarwar to death on two counts, one for the murder of Zil-e-Huma and the other for spreading terrorism by the action, court official Amjad Ali told AFP. Muhammad Sarwar was also ordered to pay a fine of Rs 200,000, he added.
Police have said Sarwar, a father of nine who was educated at a madrassa, was earlier arrested in 2003 after confessing to murdering four prostitutes, but was let off due to lack of evidence.
Sarwar was also given two years imprisonment and fined Rs 10,000 for possessing an illegal weapon.
The bearded 40-year-old Sarwar did not react when the judge read out the sentence. He was taken away by police under heavy security. It was not immediately clear whether Sarwar would appeal. He had pleaded not guilty at the start of his month-long trial. Muhammad Sarwar told police after the murder on February 20 that he killed Zil-e-Huma because she was not wearing an Islamic dress including a veil and that he opposed the involvement of women in politics. Police have said Sarwar, a father of nine who was educated at a madrassa, was earlier arrested in 2003 after confessing to murdering four prostitutes, but was let off due to lack of evidence.
This article starring:
court official Amjad Ali
Judge Tariq Iftikhar
Muhammad Sarwar
Zil-e-Huma Usman
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani described Iraq's situation as disastrous during a trip to Jordan on Tuesday and predicted it would worsen if US troops suddenly withdrew.
Barzani, who is the head of the Kurdish Democratic Party, said Kurds would not participate in the sectarian fighting between Sunnis and Shiites plaguing much of Iraq, but signaled the possibility of Kurdish autonomy if the conflict continues and leads to the division of Iraq. "The current situation in Iraq is tragic and will get worse if the American troops suddenly pullout of Iraq," Barzani told a news conference on the third day of an official visit to Jordan. He said he wanted US troops out of Iraq, but stressed that could only happen once "Iraqi forces and the Iraqi government control Iraq and guarantee the security and the stability of the country."
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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#2
Previous to the discoveries of cracks, the only indicator of this condition were molecular-sized dislocations of the crystal structure of the Paleostinian government. These dislocations were stresses between the lying, greed, boombasity, and utter cluelessness of the Paleolithium crystals.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/21/2007 9:50 Comments ||
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#9
This article needs a photo showing about 40 feet of displacement due to an earthquake. I've seen such photos, but a quick search of Google didn't turn up anything useful.
Posted by: Old Patriot ||
03/21/2007 23:31 Comments ||
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Khaled Mashaal, head of the political wing of Hamas, visited Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and met with Saudi King Abdullah in Riyadh. The Saudi news agency reported that the two discussed the situation in the Palestinian Authority.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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The new unity government deal with Hamas has given Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas a boost in popularity, according to a poll released Tuesday. The poll showed Abbas nine percentage points ahead of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, 54 to 45 percent, when asked about which leaders the people trust. The two were virtually tied for the last three months.
The poll, conducted by the Ramallah-based independent polling company Neareast Consulting, was conducted by telephone among 759 Palestinians and quoted a margin of error of 3.56 percentage points. "People have probably felt that (Abbas) did more to bring this unity government together than others," said Jamil Rabah, who heads the polling firm.
Rabah said most Palestinians saw the unity deal as primarily a tool to put internal Palestinian affairs in order, with only 4 percent of respondents saying that making peace with Israel was a priority. The majority saw that ending chaos and infighting between Palestinians as the top priority of the new government.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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"People have probably felt that (Abbas) did more to bring this unity government together than others," said Jamil Rabah, who heads the polling firm.
Not altogether surprising in that Abbas' political, if not corporeal, life depended upon it. Perhaps this turn of events should stand as a bit of cold comfort that the Palestinians might possibly be starting to comprehend how Hamas' non-negotiable stance is [cough] slightly [cough] less than productive.
Israel has cancelled a high-level meeting with a visiting Norwegian dignitary after he held talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, Israeli political sources said on Tuesday.
They said that a senior Foreign Ministry official was to have hosted Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Raymond Johansen in the morning but the meeting was cancelled. The sources had earlier said the meeting was to have taken place on Wednesday. This is standing policy, a political source said. The source said it was decided a year ago, after a Hamas-led government came to power, that Israel would boycott visiting dignitaries who met leaders of the Islamist group.
The Norwegian embassy in Tel Aviv had no comment, referring media inquiries to Johansens spokeswoman. She could not immediately be reached.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Arab League chief Amr Mussa on Tuesday said an Arab summit later this month expects Israel to make a serious offer on peace instead of resorting to tricks to waste time. We expect an offer, a position from Israel in so far as peace is concerned, Mussa told reporters in Amman following talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib on the March 28-29 summit in Saudi Arabia. We fail to see any offer, any talk about serious peace, the secretary general said ahead of a meeting with King Abdullah II as part of a regional tour to prepare for the summit. What we see is the same old policy of building Jewish settlements, of procrastination, of resorting to tricks one after the other in order to waste time, Mussa said. Mussa reiterated the Arabs refusal to amend a Saudi peace initiative first launched at a 2002 summit in Beirut and which leaders hope to revive when they meet in Riyadh.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
They want Israel to sign a surrender doc in the first IDF jets that destroyed Arab airfields back in '67, or the first IDF tank that crossed the Nile into Egypt back in 1973, ala HITLER + INFAM PARIS PEACE TRAIN???
#4
I suggest Israel make them a peace offer they can't refuse. Of course, the Israelis will have to change governments first. No one is going to mistake that bonehead Olmert for Don Corleone. Bibi, on the other hand, might just have the makings....
Posted by: Mac ||
03/21/2007 7:39 Comments ||
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#5
Any Israeli peace plan should start with.....
"And all Paleos living outside of the West Bank & Gaza are granted citizenship in the country in which they reside retro-active to 1/1/07."
Use that as the starting point and watch the turbans twist.
#7
I agree. Here is what Israel should be sending as proposal.
Arabs agree to:
1) Keep the Palestinans and not allow any within a minimum of 300 miles from Israel
2) Compensate Isreal for Arab agressions and terrorism since 1948
3) Indemnify the Jews expelled from Arab countries (many had been living there since before the Romans). Indemnify their realatives for those who sere murdered.
4) Indemnify for centuries of dhimmitude and apologize for it.
5) Send a yearly tribute of 10,000 virgins to Israel (cf note). Isrealis get to choose of course.
On its side Israel agree:
1) Not to nuke their sorry asses.
Note: For centuries Muslims have rapted and enslaved dhimmi women, child and teenagers (both sexes). As a secondary effect it contributed to increase the number of Muslims respective to non-Muslims.
#8
I like your plan, JFM, except for #5. Back in the Bible days when they were still just Israelites they figured out that children tend to follow the religion of the mother, even in a patriarchy; if one wants Jewish children, one had better marry a nice Jewish girl who was either born that way or converted. (Recall, King David's grandmother was a convert to Judaism -- a lesson to us all not to be religion snobs just as the slaves in Egypt thingy is a lesson not to be ancestor snobs.) ;-)
#9
I know TW, #5 doesn't play with decent people and believe it or not I am decent.
It was to be read tongue in cheek even if I fantasize about inflicting this supreme slap to those who consider themselves superior due to being Muslims and Arabs.
Context: I have no French blood, every branch of my family ends tracing bcak to Spain. So I take it a bit personal when I read the Muslim chronicle of the invasion of Spain and I see him boasting that "thirty thousand women of great beauty were shared as booty by the invaders". The beauty of slaves doesn't matter when you want them only for cleaning the house...
Not that present day Muslim girls should pay for the crimes of their ancestors.
#10
JFM, you are a gentleman and a scholar; your posts make that very clear. And it is hard, when snot-nosed little Saudi boys just discovering the internet come to Rantburg and boast about raping American wives, then having the husbands clean their servant's toilets. Clearly their parents never taught them the duties of a guest toward his host... and they haven't the intelligence to realize that without American technical expertise the Saudi super-cool airforce will sit useless in the hangers. You've mostly missed them, because of the time difference.
On the other hand, if we think of it as rescuing the girls from life-long torment...
#11
israel may yet make a counter-offer. They want to keep the Saudi process going, and continue to strengthen their ties with Sunni states that fear Iran.
This isnt a good time for such counter offer, as the Olmert govt is too weak.
Also one doesnt want to look like one is rewarding the Saudis for the Mecca agreement, which fell short of the Road Map requirements.
And unfortunately the Israeli response will be judged much more severely for its realism, than was the initial Saudi proposal, which was praised simply for Saudi making a halfway serious peace proposal.
#17
True, Seafarious, but that came later. I've noticed that for almost all my friends and relatives in mixed-religion marriages, it's the wife's religion that the children end up with... at least until they're old enough to make their own decisions on such matters. ;-)
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - Three Islamic militants were found guilty Wednesday of decapitating three Christian schoolgirls in Indonesia and dumping their bloodied heads in nearby villages, judges said. They were sentenced to between 14 and 20 years. The alleged members of the al Qaida-linked Jemaah Islamiyah network left a handwritten note close to the bodies, vowing more killings to avenge the deaths of Muslims in earlier sectarian violence on Sulawesi island.
``Wanted - 100 more heads,'' said Judge Lilik Mulyadi, reciting the letter's text. ``Blood must be paid with blood, lives with lives, heads with heads.''
Hasanuddin, 34, who goes by a single name, was sentenced to 20 years for masterminding the 2005 attack, and co-conspirators Lilik Purnomo, 28, and Irwanto Irano, 29, each got 14 years, he said. Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, has been hit by a string of terrorist attacks in recent years targeting local Christians and nightclubs, restaurants and foreign embassies. But the grisly nature of the beheadings, which occurred as the children were cutting through a cocoa plantation on their way to school, gave fresh impetus to the country's war on terrorism and was followed by scores of arrests.
The three militants had faced a maximum penalty of death by firing squad, but judges ruled that they deserved some leniency for cooperating with authorities, confessing and showing remorse.
After all, they were just girls and infidels at that.
Siregar told the Central Jakarta District Court that Hasanuddin ordered the slayings and helped dumped their girls' heads in three Christian-dominated villages. Purnomo and Irano were found guilty of ``ambushing and beheading'' the teens, he said. It was not immediately clear if the three convicts would appeal.
More than 90 percent of Indonesia's 220 million people are Muslims, but Central Sulawesi province - the scene of religious clashes that left at least 1,000 people dead from 1998 to 2002 - has a roughly equal number of Muslims and Christians. A peace agreement ended the worst of the violence, but tensions flared after the 2005 beheadings and again in September 2006, after the execution of three Roman Catholic militants convicted of leading a 2000 attack on an Islamic school that killed up to 70 people.
In January, 15 alleged Islamic militants were killed in a gunbattle in Sulawesi. Several others were arrested, including three others who have confessed to taking part in the beheadings but have yet to be brought to trial.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/21/2007 08:00 ||
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#1
The EUnuchs have long fantasized about hauling American soldiers before their beloved internationl criminal court. Let's have the US establish a Global Jihadi Court, and demand that any muslim who kills anyone anywhere in the world in the name of the (spit) ROP (spit) will be conducted to the US and attached to the power grid until such time as nothing remains of the holy warrior except a smoking cinder.
Posted by: M. Murcek ||
03/21/2007 14:50 Comments ||
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#2
They were sentenced to between 14 and 20 years.
Which, if Bashir was any example, will amount to time served.
#1
The phenomenon of catering to Muslims is going on everywhere. Meanwhile, non-Muslims are being coerced out of the Muslim tyrannies. Example: at the Partition of India (1947), after the massive migrations of peoples, Hindus formed almost 20% of Pakistan's population; they now form less than 2%. As for India, Muslims formed 8% of India's population in 1947; now 15% of Indians are Muslim. While Pakis were persecuting Hindus, Indians had to incorporate Muslim family law in their constitution. Give them an inch, they will take a mile.
The Thai army and police are disappearing ethnic Malay Muslims in the far south in a deliberate attempt to beat an increasingly bloody separatist rebellion, Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday. The Thai security forces are using disappearances as a way to weaken the militants and instil fear in the Malay Muslim community, said Brad Adams, Asia director of the New York-based group. These disappearances appear to be a matter of policy, not simply the work of rogue elements in the security services.
In a 69-page report, Human Rights Watch detailed 22 unresolved cases in which it said the evidence indicated strongly that security forces were responsible. The real total was likely to be far higher because many families were too scared to speak out in fear of reprisals, it added.
One typical case involved a man called Sata Labo who disappeared on Jan 9, 2004, five days after a raid on a military barracks that marked the revival of conflict in the region an independent sultanate until annexed by Bangkok a century ago. Sata Labo called his sister from his mobile phone saying he had been stopped at a police checkpoint, where his car was searched. He was told to report to a police station, but has not been heard from again, his sister said.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in three years of unrest in Thailands four southernmost provinces, where 80 percent of people are Muslim, ethnic Malays and do not speak Thai as a first language. Most of the disappearances occurred under Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was ousted in a military coup in September, Human Rights Watch said.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
What's this "blamed" nonsense? Where is Human Rights Watch when harmless Thai Buddhists and their children are being shot, decapitated and burned? Yoo hoo, HRW, please STFU until you grow a brain.
#6
Seems to me like the real problem is the military coup, led by a muslim, that ousted Taksin Shinawatra. Is it just me or have terrorist attacks against Thai Bhhuddists been on the rise since that coup? Hey, HRW, what about the right of the Thai people to a freely elected government?
Some 95,000 people have fled fierce fighting in Sri Lankas eastern Batticaloa district in the past week, the UN food relief agency said Tuesday. World Food Programme spokesman Simon Pluess said the fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels in the area had triggered a dramatically increased number of displaced.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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NYT film critic Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denounces smash hit, wishes everyone a "happy and alpha particle-free Nowruz...
EHRAN (Reuters) - President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad accused some major powers on Wednesday of waging psychological war on Iran, saying they had made a film designed to portray Iranians as savage.
Ahmadinejad did not name the film but his comments appeared to be directed at the Hollywood blockbuster "300" that depicts a 480 B.C. battle between Greeks and Persians. The film has topped box office charts in the United States and Asia.
Many Iranians see "300" as part of a broader campaign to vilify the Islamic Republic, which is locked in a standoff with the West over its nuclear program. The West accuses Iran of trying to make nuclear weapons. Tehran denies the charge.
"Today they are trying to tamper with history by making a film and by making Iran's image look savage," Ahmadinejad said in a televised address to mark the start of the Iranian New Year. He said the campaign against Iran would not succeed.
Iranian officials, media and bloggers have criticized the way their ancestors were portrayed in the film, inspired by the tale of 300 Spartans under King Leonidas who held out at Thermopylae against a Persian invasion led by Xerxes.
"By psychological war, propaganda and misuse of the organizations they have themselves created, and for which they have written the rules, and over which they have a monopoly, they are trying to prevent our nation's development," he said. I, for one, look forward to the DVD Director's Cut release of "Ishtar".
The comic-book movie 300 about the Spartans and the Persians in 480 A.D. is still breaking box-office records. Now it seems the rulers of modern-day Persia Iran are not amused.
300, shows a small band of Spartans saving the lives of their countrymen and the seeds of modern democracy by kicking the much larger Persians forces effectively in the backside at Thermopylae until the shear numbers overwhelmed them. If I remember my history, thats exactly what happened.
But the Iranians have filed a flurry of complaints with the United Nations, claiming 300 is cultural and psychological warfare.
Who are these guys who are getting all flushed over our cultural insensitivity?
People who want to blow Jews off the face of the earth. The regime that stormed our embassy in 1979* and kept Americans captive for 444 days. Irans Hezbollah puppets have killed more Americans, than any other terrorist group except al Qaeda. Explosive devices from Iran are being used right now against our soldiers in Iraq. Theyre clearly more skittish about cultural warfare than the sort that actually kills people like the one against Israel that Iran financed just a few months ago.
I must say that Im impressed that Hollywood took on a politically incorrect villain. Must have run out of neo-Nazis. So now these sensitive souls in Iran think that Hollywood is part of a U.S. government conspiracy to humiliate them into submission. I can only wish we were that effective.
#5
I say we make up to the Iranians, by making a film that GLORIFIES the Iranian empire. Lets use the words "shah", "shah of shahs" and "peacock throne" as much as possible.
#7
Many Iranians see "300" as part of a broader campaign to vilify the Islamic Republic, which is locked in a standoff with the West over its nuclear program.
With Ahmadinutjob and the MMs, they don't need any help vilifying the "Islamic Republic" - they're doing a bang-up job on their own.
#9
And this, from a government that wants it's citizens to forget Cyrus the Great (the Lord's Shepard) by flooding the valley wherein his sepulchre lies.
Iraqi insurgents, guerrilla fighters and death squads are being trained in secret camps in Iran with the blessing of top Tehran leaders and at least three senior Iraqi political figures, an Iranian opposition figure said Tuesday. Would-be Iraqi fighters are smuggled into Iran, schooled in everything from sniper techniques to explosive devices and sent back to Iraq to wage war on U.S.-led coalition forces, Alireza Jafarzadeh said at a news conference.
"The Iranian regime is secretly engaged in the organization and training of large Iraqi terrorist networks in Iran to heighten insecurity and instability and force the coalition forces to leave Iraq, which would in turn pave the way for establishment of an Islamic republic in Iraq," Jafarzadeh said. He has worked for the political wing of the Mujahedin Khalq, an Iranian opposition group that Washington and the European Union list as a terrorist organization.
Jafarzadeh, who heads the Washington-based Strategic Policy Consulting think tank, is credited with having aired Iranian military secrets in the past. The group claims to obtain its information from a network of resistance informants inside the country. But U.S. officials considered some of Jafarzadeh's past assertions inaccurate.
There was no independent confirmation of the latest information. The U.S. Mission to the United Nations had no immediate comment. "His statement today is a public announcement that this group has been the source of allegations which U.S. officials are making about Iranian intervention in Iraq," said Mohammad Mir Ali Mohammadi, a spokesman for Iran's U.N. Mission.
Jafarzadeh said Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are closely connected to the training. He said Abu Ahmad Al-Ramisi, governor of southern Iraq's Al-Muthanna province, and two members of Iraq's National Assembly are also involved. He identified one as Hadi Al-Ameri, who he said is chairman of the legislature's security committee and head of the Badr Corps, the Iran-based military wing of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq. The other is an assembly member known in Iraq as Abu Mehdi Mohandas, he said.
Jafarzadeh displayed maps and satellite photos showing some of the purported camps' locations, including two near the former shah's palace in Tehran, one south of that city in Jalil Abad and another at the Bahonar base in Karaj. Other camps, he said, are in Qom, in Isfahan and in Iraq-Iran border areas near Kermanshah, Kurdistan, Ilam and Khuzestan. The camps are run by several top commanders of the Qods Force, the most highly trained branch of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps, with some Hezbollah members from Lebanon also taking part, he said.
Posted by: Steve ||
03/21/2007 08:08 ||
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#1
Could be. Perhaps the Mehdi Army has been so quiet during the surge because its manpower is off in Iran being trained and equipped.
#2
The dissidents who released this info might actually be getting their data via the US from one of the Iranian defectors. In that way, it "launders" the data, so the Iranians won't be certain who it came from or how it was developed.
Which makes "damage control" a heck of a lot harder.
#4
"He has worked for the political wing of the Mujahedin Khalq, an Iranian opposition group that Washington and the European Union list as a terrorist organization."
The pro-government legislators rallied inside the parliament to urge Berri to convene a session to endorse the formation of the international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik el Hariri. The Head of the Democratic gathering, Lebanese MP Walid Jumblatt declared that the talks between Speaker Nabih Berri and MP Saad Hariri have ended, adding that the only talks will be in the Parliament. Jumblatt accused Berri of "hijacking the Parliament", upon orders from Iran and Syria .
Jumblatt said he hoped Berri would open the first ordinary parliament session for this year "without having other countries, such as Iran and Syria, dictate to him" not to convene the assembly. "Here is (the place) for dialogue," Jumblatt told reporters upon arrival at parliament building in Nijmeh Square at 10 a.m. He said parliament is "where the fate of the international tribunal and other laws are decided."
Jumblatt will hold a press conference Wednesday at noon to further comment on the recent report of the UN investigator Serge Brammertz on the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and the Arab summit due to be held in Riyadh on the 28th of March.
Continued on Page 49
Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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Russian and Iranian relations seem to have soured. U.S. and European officials reported on Tuesday that Russia has called home some of the people involved in building the Bushehr nuclear reactor. The official reason behind the move is that Iran has been late in paying for the work.
Sergei Novikov, a spokesman for Russias Federal Nuclear Power Agency, confirmed the personnel withdrawals. Iran denied being late on payments and accused Russia of having a policy of procrastination in constructing Bushehr. Commentary by Iranian state television said that, Double standard stances by Russian officials regarding Irans nuclear issue shows that Russians are not a reliable partner in the field of nuclear cooperation.
In addition to bringing its nuclear experts home, according to a Monday New York Times article, Russia told Iran that it will withhold fuel for Bushehr unless Tehran suspends its uranium enrichment program as the U.N. Security Council demands. The newspaper cited anonymous European, U.S., and Iranian officials as saying that the ultimatum took place last week in Moscow and was given by Igor Ivanov, the secretary of the Russian National Security Council, to Ali Hosseini Tash, Irans deputy chief nuclear negotiator.
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Posted by: Fred ||
03/21/2007 00:00 ||
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#1
Russia is well aware that the "Islamic Bomb/Sword" points to them as well, not just the USA-West. IMO this is the Russian equivalent of them warning NORTH KOREA [read - CHINA] over the latter's nucprogs. FOR ME RUSSIA IS WAITING FOR RADICAL ISLAM = IRAN TO DE FACTO LAUNCH NEW WMD TERROR ATTACK(S) AGAINST AMERICA - they already don't believe Iran will stop trying to dev nuke arsenals, ergo need to make sure Amer is attacked first before Russia is.
#2
Both Russia and China's LR forecasts [2020 -2050] on achieving rough "parity" or "superiority" against the USA is based on predictions/variables that America will steadily but assuredly get weaker, not maintain par or worse get stronger. THIS MEANS AMER MUST BE PREVENTED OR INHIBITED FROM BECOMING STRONGER ANDOR PERM ENTRENCHING GLOBAL MISSLE DEFENSE. Iff Russia-china are going to continue to rely on local ambitions for hegemony and LT superiority against America, THEN THE "STATUS QUO" MUST CHANGE TO THE DETRIMENT OF AMERICA, BY ANY MEANS, AND NOW NOT LATER. THE LONGER THE "STATUS QUO" REMAINS, THE STRONGER AMER IS LIKELY TO BECOME.
#3
Osama BL was filmed calling now merely for the USA to be hurt, but for the USA to be eventually destroyed. Elements wid in Israel's Govt believe Radical Iran is preparing to attack the USA-West, not only wid suicide bombings but wid WMD's. Radical Islam = Radical Islam > aware that unless something changes, the day is looming when Amer will be too strong to either challenge or successfully defeat.
#4
Putin's Kremlin claiming this sudden concerned for Iran's nuclear (weapons) drive is a smoke screen. If Moscow was really worried about Tehran's jihadist fanatics nuclear (weapons) project they would have never shipped nuclear fuel to Iran, coupled with scores of Russian nuclear advisers. Russia has also equipped Iran's terrorist exporters with various advanced antiaircraft weapons systems to fight the 'infidels'.
Posted by: Mark Espinola ||
03/21/2007 2:34 Comments ||
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#5
I think Putins only worry is he won't get paid.
#6
I wonder about the timing. This change in Russo-Iranian relations comes immediately on the heels of the defection/capture of several fairly significant Iranian people - did one of them provide information that was useful in reducing Russia's confidence in being able to deal with Iran? Perhaps a plan for say, a nuclear attack on Moscow? Or something that showed Putin was complicit in a plan for distribution of illicit nuclear weapons? Other suggestions?
Or maybe we offered more money to LEAVE than Iran was offering to STAY?
I dont buy that there was no ultimatum. US, euro and IRANIAN officials all coordinating their stories? Nah. Of course the Russkies will deny it in public, they dont want it out in the market that they mess with customers for political reasons.
#9
RE: Glenmore's comment #6 is what Deacon and I were talking about last night. Putin knows that the Bushehr installation is going to be tenderized from above before it gets fueled by either Israel or the US. Putin wants his money up front, MMs are unwilling or unable to pay. US sez, we will pay you, Putin to stop with the reactor if you pull out. After all, it makes monetary sense to do this than to conduct major military ops, with all that entails, for now.
The MMs and dinnerjacket lose face, credibility, as their militant stance is a paper tiger. With the focus on Kimmie, it is doubtful (in my limited knowledge) that the MMs can get plutonium in the necessary quantities to build missile-capable devices.
So the Bushehr non-fueling buys us time in the plutonium department. Now we need to deal with the U235 concentration department. And it seems to me that sabotage of the electrical supply, or related support of the electrical supply to the concentrators can hinder this effort.
Posted by: Alaska Paul ||
03/21/2007 10:03 Comments ||
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#10
Great synopsis, AP. The only stickler is whether Russia's commitment includes prohibiting use of their soil for North Korean plutonium air trans-shipments to Iran (like previous missile component transfers).
And, lastly, another chorus of agreement with LH that it is stranger than a snake's suspenders to hear everyone reading off of the same page.
San Francisco State University (SFSU) announced yesterday that its College Republicans will face no punishment for hosting an anti-terrorism rally at which participants stepped on makeshift Hezbollah and Hamas flags. SFSUs decision comes after months of pressure from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), national and local media, and the publicall of which called on the school to uphold the students constitutionally guaranteed right to free expression.
SFSUs shameful attack on free expression began after an October 17, 2006 anti-terrorism rally at which several members of the College Republicans stepped on pieces of paper they had painted to resemble Hamas and Hezbollah flags. Unbeknown to the protestors, the flags they had copied contained the word Allah written in Arabic script. A student filed a formal complaint with the university against the College Republicans, alleging attempts to incite violence and create a hostile environment and actions of incivility. Although university administrators could have settled the matter informally or dismissed the charges outright, the university instead chose to press forward with a hearing on the charges. [Details of letters exchanged between FIRE and the university president at link]
Yesterday afternoon, President Corrigan wrote to FIRE with the welcome news that the Student Organization Hearing Panel (SOHP) unanimously concluded that the College Republicans organization had not violated the Student Code of Conduct and that there were no grounds to support the student complaint lodged against them.
#1
A student filed a formal complaint with the university against the College Republicans, alleging attempts to incite violence and create a hostile environment and actions of incivility.
#11
"Unbeknown to the protestors, the flags they had copied contained the word Allah ..."
Who gives a flying crap whether it was "unbenown" or not!??!?!??? Stepping on Allah is a constitutional right as is calling the ragheads what they are!!!!!
#12
yaa Deacon, I *Heart* pigs and piglets.. they are endlessly fascinating to watch and feed.
Back when dirt waz new I used to hunt Javelinas when I lived in the South West. For grub when we got tired of Pinto Beans and Cornbread.
In fact, I got to know their ways so well I used to kill a couple of hours watching them interact. it's an acquired hobby, >::) but way fun nonetheless.
DONNA, Texas (AP) -- Two Border Patrol agents investigating bundles of marijuana left along the Rio Grande exchanged gunfire with unseen assailants shooting from the Mexican side of the river, officials said. The agents were unharmed Tuesday, and no one was believed injured on the Mexican side, Customs and Border Protection spokesman Oscar Saldana said. It was the second time this year agents were fired at near that section of the river, which is less than 150 feet wide at that point. Maybe next time they can send Federal Prosecutor Johnny Sutton in for a look-see?
The agents had spotted an inflatable raft near the U.S. side of the river near Donna, a small town near the southern tip of Texas, and found four bundles of marijuana totaling 305 pounds on the river bank, Saldana said. "They went in to take a closer look. At that time the agents came under fire," Saldana said. "They immediately took cover and responded by firing as well." The raft, carrying more marijuana, apparently returned to the Mexican shore.
Shots also were fired at agents in the area on Jan. 17.
"We anticipate more incidents like this one," Saldana said. "The smugglers feel frustrated. They're starting to take more and more drastic measures." On the other hand the smugglers may be emboldened knowing that Border Agents are more reluctant to start a confrontation in fear of federal prosecution.
#1
We need to send AC-130s in. Fuck Mexico if they cry about it. We are receiving fire from their territory and if the Mexican government is too corrupt/lazy/stupid to do anything about it, then we will take action.
Call the DA, assemble the Grand Jury. These agents must be prosecuted for shooting at Mexican citizens engaged in routine commerce.
(or sent to the range for more practice, so they don't MISS next time.)
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.
(KUNA) -- British forces in Afghanistan have switched tactics to counter a new wave of Taliban bombings and suicide attacks, a senior British commander said here Tuesday. The UK Chief of Joint Operations Lieutenant General Nick Houghton said that they were now deliberately targeting key Taliban leaders in an attempt to drive a wedge between them and ordinary Afghans. Giving evidence to the House of Commons Defence Committee, he acknowledged that attempts at the wholesale "eradication" of the Taliban and their supporters would simply alienate the local population. 
Britain on Tuesday gave school headteachers the right to ban the Muslim veil or other religious clothing from classrooms, but the move was immediately branded shocking by a Muslim leader. A spokesman for the Department for Education and Skills stressed that the new guidelines did not mean that the government was imposing a blanket ban on religious clothing at schools. 
LONDON, March 20 (UPI) -- The British Home Office admits that each year it has issued some 10,000 fraudulent passports, including nine to a man since convicted of terrorism. 
MADRID - The judge who tried to jail Chiles former dictator Augusto Pinochet said on Tuesday it was time to hold US President George W. Bush and his allies to account for waging war in Iraq. In an opinion piece in the newspaper El Pais, published on the fourth anniversary of the U.S.-led invasion, Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon said the war was one of the most sordid and unjustifiable episodes in recent human history.
India has rejected a US proposal for joint operation against Lashkar-e-Taiba, in a move that has baffled many given that LeT is the principal terror threat to India, and that counter-terrorism has been a high bilateral priority. 
President General Pervez Musharraf warned militants on Tuesday that they should lay down their arms, otherwise they will be eliminated and allowed to exist no more. Where does decency stand on the way to blowing up gas pipelines and railway tracks? These elements are opposed to development and want their hegemony to prevail. I warn them to surrender, otherwise they will be eliminated and they will not be allowed to exist any more ... these miscreants are minimal in number, and we will deal with them. If they want to fight, I know (how) to fight more than them, said Musharraf while inaugurating the Gwadar deep-sea port here on Tuesday. Port operations began with the unloading of cargo from three ships. 
Lawyers have invited suspended CJP 
An anti-terrorism court on Tuesday sentenced an Islamic zealot to death for shooting dead Punjab social welfare minister 
Iraqi Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani described Iraq's situation as disastrous during a trip to Jordan on Tuesday and predicted it would worsen if US troops suddenly withdrew. 
Israel has cancelled a high-level meeting with a visiting Norwegian dignitary after he held talks with Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, Israeli political sources said on Tuesday. 
Arab League chief Amr Mussa on Tuesday said an Arab summit later this month expects Israel to make a serious offer on peace instead of resorting to tricks to waste time. We expect an offer, a position from Israel in so far as peace is concerned, Mussa told reporters in Amman following talks with Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel Ilah Khatib on the March 28-29 summit in Saudi Arabia. We fail to see any offer, any talk about serious peace, the secretary general said ahead of a meeting with King Abdullah II as part of a regional tour to prepare for the summit. What we see is the same old policy of building Jewish settlements, of procrastination, of resorting to tricks one after the other in order to waste time, Mussa said. Mussa reiterated the Arabs refusal to amend a Saudi peace initiative first launched at a 2002 summit in Beirut and which leaders hope to revive when they meet in Riyadh.
Some 95,000 people have fled fierce fighting in Sri Lankas eastern Batticaloa district in the past week, the UN food relief agency said Tuesday. World Food Programme spokesman Simon Pluess said the fighting between government forces and Tamil Tiger rebels in the area had triggered a dramatically increased number of displaced.
The pro-government legislators rallied inside the parliament to urge Berri to convene a session to endorse the formation of the international tribunal to try suspects in the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik el Hariri. The Head of the Democratic gathering, Lebanese MP Walid Jumblatt declared that the talks between Speaker Nabih Berri and MP Saad Hariri have ended, adding that the only talks will be in the Parliament. Jumblatt accused Berri of "hijacking the Parliament", upon orders from Iran and Syria . 
DONNA, Texas (AP) -- Two Border Patrol agents investigating bundles of marijuana left along the Rio Grande exchanged gunfire with unseen assailants shooting from the Mexican side of the river, officials said. The agents were unharmed Tuesday, and no one was believed injured on the Mexican side, Customs and Border Protection spokesman Oscar Saldana said. It was the second time this year agents were fired at near that section of the river, which is less than 150 feet wide at that point.
